Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] I think that if they spent half the time on filmmaking that they did on marketing, this could have been better. And I don't think I'd be going as hard on it and being as harsh if not for the fact that this thing was shoved in my face across horror socials for weeks.
[00:00:25] Welcome to a minisode of drive in, Dive in. This is Jonathan's Corner. This is where I kind of talk about whatever I'm in the mood to talk about, honestly.
[00:00:33] You know, usually movies, but could be music, could be games, could be kind of whatever is striking my fancy that day.
[00:00:40] For the first episode. Since this is a movie podcast, I wanted to talk movies. And specifically I want to talk about my favorites, least favorites, and some underrated movies that I think need more attention from last year. 2025. First, I do just want to shout out some honorable mentions that unfortunately fell off of my list because there are just so many good movies in 2025.
[00:01:02] First one really smart thriller, super fun, incredible performances, great cinematography and location scouting.
[00:01:11] Generally just a really phenomenal production. Super, super fun, but yeah, really great. Just barely eked it out of not making it onto my list. And another is Twinless. Very, very smart, very heartfelt. Emotionally intense at times, but yeah, a great dark comedy. Highly recommend. And then the last one, Final Destination, Bloodlines. I'm a big fan of the series. This was the best in the series, in my opinion. I had a great time with it. I thought that the Lore expansion was awesome.
[00:01:40] Just across the board. It was really super, super fun time. And one that I will continue to revisit along with the first two. And as we're getting into this, I just want to remind you, hey, these are my lists. You don't have to like what I like and you don't have to agree with me. That's where discussion comes from. And that's what this podcast is all about, is film discussion. The top 24 of 2025 is not my list of what I am saying are the 24 best films of 2025. I'm saying these are my top 24 that I enjoyed the most that I had the best time watching. So you're not going to agree with my order and my list, and that's totally fine. Make your own list. Talk about it in the comments, but be civil, right?
[00:02:20] Everybody has their opinions and artists subjective. That's the beauty of film. So getting into my top 24, one that I didn't think was going to get a lot of attention but ended up getting a motherfucking Oscar Nom thankfully. Absolutely deserved. And that's the Ugly Stepsister.
[00:02:35] Man, this thing is so hard to watch. I watch a lot of horror. I watch a lot of stuff that's hard to watch.
[00:02:41] Gore doesn't often phase me necessarily because I look at the artistry of it and kind of the magic trick aspects of filmmaking and visual effects and so I'm usually admiring the craftsmanship.
[00:02:55] This got under my skin so bad. It was so hard to watch and keep my eyes on the screen.
[00:03:03] Obviously not for everyone and that's why I'm really stressing this aspect of it. It is a very brilliant script with some great characters and incredible tension.
[00:03:13] Really well done practical effects and some really, really hard body horror. If you cringe easily, this is not for you. But my number 24.
[00:03:26] Really, really loved it. Two fucking thumbs up. Next up, 28 years later. Not too surprising. I'm a fan of Danny Boyle. Love Later. This doesn't have the bite that 28 Days had, but definitely better than Weeks. And I liked it better than Bone Temple as well.
[00:03:46] Second best in the series for me. Really fun, really killer zombie flick. Some really great expansion to the lore here as well. My number 22. Hopefully I won't butcher any of these pronunciations, but it's Vulcan Isadora by Joel Petrakis. I've been meaning to check out Joel's work for a long time and I'm glad I finally did. This felt very, very much in the spirit of American movie. Except it's not a documentary, but it has that same kind of grit and determination and honesty and earnesty.
[00:04:15] I mean really impressive filmmaking.
[00:04:19] Very, very well crafted script that really gets to a lot of humanity in a very contained way.
[00:04:29] Big thumbs up please. Check it out.
[00:04:32] Really, really good movie that deserves your time. Number 21, Dead Talent Society. This movie was super sm, super fun. Very, very funny.
[00:04:41] Really inventive world building and really fleshed out and endearing characters.
[00:04:49] Made me laugh even through the end credits. Just really, really fun and smart horror comedy. Number 20, Reflections in a Dead Diamond. Add me to the list of people online begging folks to see this movie.
[00:05:04] Visually it is so impressive.
[00:05:08] Very reminiscent of Italian like Bava and Fulci and even Argento at times. Even though this is a French production, it's smart, it tackles some very complex topics in really clever ways and just visually it's absolutely stunning.
[00:05:26] Really unlike anything else that came out last year. Number 19 is a bit higher on my list than it probably is for other people.
[00:05:35] That's the Running Man.
[00:05:36] I really, really enjoyed this Take on the story.
[00:05:41] I know it's a popcorn flick. You know what? It's smart, it's brisk. The action is great, the acting is solid.
[00:05:50] Some really killer set pieces and the action. Never felt tired. I feel like a lot of times with modern action, we're just kind of going through the motions and doing the same thing we've always done.
[00:06:00] Everything here felt fresh and exciting and engaging. I never felt exhausted by the action. And we need more action sci fi movies that are not part of a superhero franchise. It's a really great and somewhat underserved genre in my opinion. Number 18 is no other choice. Park Chan Wook was absolutely snubbed by not getting more recognition. I just. I feel like this movie was really overlooked and I'm not entirely sure why. It's a really poignant dark comedy that speaks to a lot of modern concerns and modern societal ails and really smart ways. And of course, it's visually gorgeous and just generally an astounding film. Next up is Rental Family. I loved this movie.
[00:06:51] Brendan Fraser is obviously magnificent, but the entire cast is great.
[00:06:55] The story is so heartwarming. This thing is just so charming and it's such an endearing look at humanity and what it means to care.
[00:07:03] It really just touched my heart. And both times I watched it, I left delighted and just charmed, honestly. Number 16, kind of the polar opposite of Rental Family in some ways is Sorry Baby one of the most gut wrenching movies of the year. Uncomfortably earnest and just rings so true to reality in very hard ways. It unfortunately came out in a really stacked year. This movie was incredibly well done, very moving, really deserves a lot more attention.
[00:07:44] And had it not come out this year, I think it would have seen a lot more Oscar noms and a lot more recognition and it would have been a lot higher on my list as well.
[00:07:53] Unfortunately, there's just so much good cinema in 2025 and it kind of just got overshadowed by everything else that was out there. All right for my number 15. This is one that, you know, I don't think a lot of people are going to have on their lists, but I do want to recognize it because I thought it was absolutely incredible production. And that's F1. There's a lot of pushback and discussion around this getting a Best Picture nomination. And I think all those arguments are absolutely valid. It's not in my top 10, so it wouldn't have been on my list of nominations either. I think there are a lot of films that deserve that spot. This was a very stacked year but you know, the Academy always likes to include one blockbuster that, you know, is kind of just more for the people. And this is what they picked this year, which is fine because I think it deserved it over Avatar, for example. I think that Kaczynski consistently brings really strong action and spectacular visuals and sound to the screen. Obviously not the best of the year.
[00:08:58] Probably didn't deserve the best picture nom. But I understand why the Academy did it and I really loved the experience.
[00:09:05] Number 14 is the long walk for me. This might have been the hardest watch. I know I talked about the Ugly Stepsister being a hard watch and it was. But as a father, this one just really chilled me to my core, especially with the way the world is going. It was just a really bleak watch. The performances are incredible and I think that it was one of the most impactful, emotional horror movies I've seen in a long time. My number 13, definitely lower than probably most people's lists, but it's one battle after another.
[00:09:39] I did really appreciate it on a filmmaking level. I think it's an incredible production and absolutely an example of phenomenal filmmaking. This is cinema, no question. But it was not PTA's best, in my opinion. Personally, I thought that the pacing was off, it was overly long and a bit too self indulgent for my tastes. Number 12 is bring her Back. I really loved Talk to Me and I feel like they took everything that worked there and just kind of kicked it up a notch. I feel like the characters in the narrative really elevated the experience and in my opinion, Sally Hawkins absolutely deserved some more award recognition. My number 11, I actually literally just watched because I wanted to share it with my wife as well. And that's Freaky Tales. This movie is just cool as shit. It's not going to be for everyone because it is just really saturated in a very specific visual style. But the soundtrack kicks ass. The visuals are awesome, the costuming is fantastic, the narratives are really, really cool. It's just such a tight and solid anthology.
[00:10:43] Comes together in really fun ways. It's got fantastic Bay Area cameos and it just rocks. Man, I love this movie. It is so much fun and I implore you to check it out. My number 10 is my most subjective placement on this list, which may be surprising with one battle after another at number 13. But it's VHS Halloween. I know this isn't going to be on most people's top 20 or top 25 or maybe even top 50, and that's fine. But for me, this was damn near perfect. I Love Halloween. I'm a huge found footage fan. I really like a good anthology and this just ticked so many boxes. I especially love weird cinema and weird art and this just like went in some really wild places. And it's the best in the series for me. In my opinion, probably one of the most fun Halloween themed movies I've ever seen. The final sequence to this is just splatterific and insane and I just, I loved every minute of this. There wasn't a single segment that I didn't dig.
[00:11:47] I get some people have some qualms with it and I know it's not going to be for everybody, but for me, Easy, easy. Top ten. My number nine, Marty Supreme.
[00:11:56] Exceptional filmmaking. Do not get it twisted. This is in my top 10. Consider it one of my best picture nominations. Right? But it just, it didn't vibe with me as much as I expected it to. There are some exceptional performances and Sadfi is just a phenomenal filmmaker. There's no question there whatsoever. It just wasn't fully my vibe and I didn't feel like it was pushing and breaking new ground the way that so many other things did this year. Number eight is Hamnet.
[00:12:26] Devastating. Emotionally beautiful, cinematically, really incredible cinematography, outstanding performances. Is truly a heartbreaking exploration of loss and grief and how we mourn.
[00:12:43] And as a father especially, it really, really stuck with me. My number seven is another emotional heavyweight. It's not going to be that way for everybody, but it's trained dreams. I know that this isn't going to hit everyone the way that it hits me and some other folks, but personally, this was maybe the most emotionally heavy film of the year.
[00:13:04] I am usually the first to criticize a movie for its pacing. I. I do acknowledge that this moves like tree SAP sometimes, but it's gorgeous. I grew up running through the woods and so all of the tree cinematography just really harkened to a nostalgia and this kind of unspoken homesickness that just kind of exists as we pine for our youth. It absolutely wrecked me emotionally. I was weeping as the credits rolled.
[00:13:33] It's one of those things that just really spoke to me.
[00:13:37] The humanity and the truths within myself. And it's probably the movie from last year that is going to stick with me the most.
[00:13:46] Number six is Begonia. I still haven't seen Save the Green Planet. I really need to. Definitely looking forward to it because I absolutely loved this.
[00:13:53] It's a phenomenal movie. Lots of great performances. Plemons was snubbed. He absolutely deserved the nomination. His performance was phenomenal and carried the movie. Getting into my top five, Starting off with Frankenstein. This deserved every visual Oscar that it won. Frankenstein was one of my favorite monsters growing up, and I thought that this did a really great service to the character and the story.
[00:14:17] I have my qualms with the script, but it was visually spectacular and I loved it. Number four, the voice of Hindra Job.
[00:14:24] Absolutely devastating, unlike anything else I've ever seen, and hopefully unlike anything else I have to see in the future.
[00:14:31] Hopefully we don't have to keep making things like this.
[00:14:35] Doesn't look like that's going to be the case, but, you know, we. One can hope for a better tomorrow. I think this is a movie that everybody needs to see, and I don't know how else to summarize it other than devastating. Getting into the top three, Starting off strong with Superman.
[00:14:51] I know superhero movie in my top three. What am I doing? Am I even a cinephile? Yeah, because it's a great movie. Some superhero movies are great cinema, and this is one of them.
[00:15:01] In my opinion, James Gunn is one of the best working filmmakers right now. His tone and his style are just so much my vibe. I love everything that he's done.
[00:15:10] I thought that his take on Guardians was so wonderful and really elevated comic book cinema, and I think he did that here. Again, it has some of my favorite cinematic moments of the year, some incredible visuals. I really love what he's doing with the DC universe and with Superman as a character. And in my opinion, this is a character that's incredibly difficult to pull off in any story, let alone on film. And he really did a phenomenal job of juggling that and giving us the second best Superman on screen behind the Christopher Reeve original. Now we're into my top two. You probably know what they are, and you're wondering what the order is. So without further ado, Weapons is my number two. I've been a fan of Zach Kruger's since Whitest Kids, you know, and he just continues to impress me with his talent as a filmmaker. He's smart, he's unique. He brings such an original voice and such an original talent to the horror landscape. Barbarian absolutely blew me away going in blind. And this fully lived up to my expectations. After being so impressed with Barbarian, I think it's a little bit of a shame that a lot of the discourse online is getting caught up in some of the imagery and diverting the conversation into one about school shootings and school violence.
[00:16:29] Obviously, it's understandable why that's happening and that imagery is there, and I'm sure that it was something that informed him.
[00:16:38] But if you look at interviews with Zach Kraeger, he wrote this script as a way to deal with the and process the grief and the confusion around the loss of Trevor Moore.
[00:16:49] And I think that in that way this is such an interesting and original approach and exploration of loss and grief, which we've seen a lot of in horror. But this is done in a way that doesn't feel heavy handed because it was so deeply personal to him.
[00:17:07] And I recognize that, you know, art is subjective and it's not beholden to the intention of the filmmaker. So those conversations that are being had around other topics are certainly valid. But I don't think that Zach should be criticized for the way he commented on school shootings when that wasn't his intention as a filmmaker. Anyway, enough soapbox. My number one is Sinners. Like, obviously it's the best film of the year. It is a generational film chock full of talent, rich with layered intention, deep with allegory, jam packed with exceptional performances from everyone in the cast. There's already been so much said about it. I'll just say that this is my best film film. I think that Coogler should have won Best Director and I think this should have gotten best film. And I think it's a shame that this was the year that the Academy decided to give PTA his makeup Oscars and Snub Sinners and Ryan Coogler in the process. All right, getting into my bottom 10. I talk a lot on this about bad movies and, and the importance of watching bad cinema because in order to know what's truly good, you kind of have to know what's bad. And so I thought it would be good. Good to kind of show you all what I define as bad. Again, art, subjective. This is going to be different for everyone.
[00:18:22] I also dig pretty deep into the crate of indie film, which a lot of people don't. So, you know, obviously this list is going to be different for everyone. And somebody who doesn't watch as many movies a year as I do is not going to get to a lot of these things that are pretty bottom of the barrel. So, Yeah, I got 10 movies here that I consider the worst of 2025. I'm gonna go through them 10 to 1 with 1 being the worst of the year.
[00:18:48] Get into it starting at number 10 with Love Hurts. Now, there are a number of productions that didn't have some of the production value of this one that are obviously missing the phenomenal performance of Kihoi Kwan maybe don't have the action spectacle budget of this that could have taken this spot.
[00:19:10] The reason this is here is honestly the disappointment. I really, really wanted to like this. I love Kihoi Kwan.
[00:19:17] I really like action and Neo are. But this just. The script fumbled the bag so, so hard here. The overuse of voiceover from three different characters just absolutely boggled the mind and the whole thing just felt like a puzzle that was taped together instead of actually properly constructed. It just did not work for me in any way, shape or form. And honestly, it tragically ruined the experience.
[00:19:43] Next up is an indie flick called Don't Peek.
[00:19:46] Pretty cool found footage in premise. Unfortunately, the execution fumbles. The concept is very cool. There's some really great costuming and character design here.
[00:19:59] Creature design, I say, but just really innovative stuff. Visually, it was marred a bit by not actually using different formats for filming and instead using kind of the same treatment on everything that was supposed to be the found footage, which is common in low budget films. It just. It always kind of irks me and takes me out of it. But the biggest factor here is unfortunately the acting. This is a premise that lives or dies by its main characters and they just were not convincing. They were a chore to be around and it just really was kind of grating as a result. Next up is Hell House llc. Lineage.
[00:20:37] I am a huge fan of the Hell House series up until this point. 1 and Origins are some of my favorite found footage movies. They're incredibly terrifying at times and I don't understand the departure away from found footage.
[00:20:52] In my opinion, all this did was really highlight all of the ways that Cognetti struggles as a filmmaker.
[00:21:00] The script was clunky as hell. The acting was terrible. The blocking and camera positioning just completely ruined. The attempted setup of suspense multiple times across the board. This fumbled the bag. It was just a hard, hard watch and an incredible disappointment in a series that up until this point I really loved. Then we've got a movie called Kill Me Again. I love a good time loop movie, but this was not it. The ending was interesting, but not worth the arduous journey that it took to get there. Then we've got to be original, invasive 2 getaway. You're like, why are you trashing on 2B originals? First of all, Tubi has some good shit out there. Second of all, the first movie in the series was one of those. It was a really cool little thriller. And then Invasive 2 came along and was predictable as hell. Felt absolutely rushed on a production level and a script level.
[00:21:53] Poor acting, clunky writing. Like, everything that made the first one good just seemed to be missing here. And I walked away super disappointed by what this ended up being. It was real shake.
[00:22:07] Next up is Zombie Con Volume one. This is a weird one. It was originally released in 2016 as Zombie Con and then re released last year as Zombie Con Volume one. I debated whether or not to include it.
[00:22:18] I didn't watch the 2016 to see how things may have differed, but there are. It's clearly at least partially the same production.
[00:22:27] This one, you know, it just. It embodies a lot of what I think is indicative of poor indie filmmaking.
[00:22:37] The production is what it is. Like, I'm not going to criticize it for lack of budget.
[00:22:43] I think it did okay there, but it tried to stretch into too big a scale for the budget that it had. You know, honestly, the filmmaker wasn't really capable of honing this into a script and a production that was cohesive. I feel like it really missed a lot of what actually makes fandom worthwhile. Ultimately, it just didn't feel genuine in that regard. And a lot of the production was sloppy. If the script was more original, I think I could forgive that more. But it just felt like a cheap rehash of Shaun of the Dead. And as a result, like, it just didn't really do anything for me. I spent more time kind of looking at my watch and wondering when it was going to be over than enjoying myself. Punky Johnson was the only standout here. Everything outside of that kind of rough. Next up is Mysterious Ways. This just felt kind of like, I don't know, like a movie made by a church group for church groups. It had kid gloves and was kind of just trying to make sure nobody got offended in what it was doing. The effects were bad, script was lame, acting was cringy.
[00:23:46] You know, this is kind of definition of bad film, in my opinion. I always feel bad dragging down indie filmmakers. I'm not trying to trash on them. I think that, you know, with more budget and experience, they could probably find their footing. They had some interesting ideas from time to time that just didn't have the ability or the time or maybe budget to really see them through. Now we're into the bottom three and getting into, like, the real worst of the worst. You know, these are going to be bad because my number three is War of the Worlds. I know for a lot of people this is the worst movie of the year for them. Maybe one of the worst movies. Movies of all time. And for a lot of People that's going to be true because they don't watch a lot of the stuff that I watch.
[00:24:28] It is very bad. But a large reason why it's not my number one worst of the year is that genuinely, it was so bad, it's good. I laughed a lot. Yes, the ham fisted product placement is awful.
[00:24:41] Everything about it, from script to production to acting, really, really abysmal. It deserves all of the commentary that it's gotten online and elsewhere.
[00:24:53] But I had a great time. I laughed repeatedly. It was just so stupid. I. I really loved the experience.
[00:25:02] I'll probably watch it again to see if it really is so bad it's good. But at least on my first viewing, you know, I had enough of a good time laughing at it that I. I couldn't put it out as my worst of the year. Number two is Raw File. And now we're getting into movies that have basically no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
[00:25:21] Raw File is an indie found footage movie that has a really good setup, honestly. You could watch the opening sequence and then turn it off.
[00:25:31] Everything beyond that is fumbled across the board. The acting is probably the worst I've seen this year, maybe in multiple years.
[00:25:39] It feels like they had a nugget of an idea and no ability to actually conjure anything of value or interest. As a result, the effects were terrible and I wish they had done more with just cutaways as opposed to trying to force it.
[00:25:53] Yeah, really, really rough indie production and, you know, one of those kinds of movies that gives found footage a bad name. And speaking of giving found footage a bad name, let's get into my number one. It's the man with the Black Umbrella. I know there are people online that are going to come at me for that, this, but I'm sorry, I don't find Amer's work very enjoyable. This was no exception. I think that his lack of cinematic vision and ability to grow as a filmmaker just kind of permeates everything he does.
[00:26:23] He, you know, kind of found a niche and is just churning things out. And this is more churned out. Honestly. I think that if they spent half the time on filmmaking that they did on marketing, this could have been better. And I don't think I'd be going as hard on it and being as harsh if not for the fact that this thing was shoved in my face across horror socials for weeks, if not months leading up to the release. It was all over horror film talk, it was all over Reddit with all of this attempted viral marketing that just felt forced and obvious.
[00:27:02] And honestly, like, I really wish they had spent that time and budget on the film itself. The first time the titular villain came online, I laughed. It's so cheesy. It's so stupid. And nothing about this is worth your time. It was an absolute waste of the time it took me to watch it.
[00:27:23] Hands down, the worst of 2025.
[00:27:27] Sorry. And there you have it. My bottom 10 for 2025. And, you know, I just want to say I never take joy in trashing on indie cinema. It takes a lot to just get together a production and do it. Even if what comes out isn't great, you still did something. And there is pride in that. And I think that if anybody puts forth enough effort and attempts to hone their craft, they can continue to get better and surprise even the harshest of critics.
[00:27:52] Now let's get into the really good stuff. These are my underrated movies of 2025. So my criteria for this list is I had to rate the movie a 7 or higher and it has to have less than 100,000 watches on Letterboxd. So these are movies that are severely underwatched and or underrated, in my opinion, that I think people need to check out.
[00:28:11] Let's get into it. So starting off with found footage, the making of the Patterson project. I've already said I really love found footage and mockumentaries. And this is really clever. You know, it's not perfect. It doesn't sell the mockumentary side of things as well as it could, but it's genuinely funny, subverts some expectations and plays with tropes in really fun ways and generally is super entertaining. And I'm always gonna be here for a good horror comedy.
[00:28:39] Next up is Tornado.
[00:28:41] This is kind of here because I'm surprised it's not higher. It was getting a lot of hype, and I do like a good revenge movie. This is a good revenge movie. But it just didn't live up to what had been hyped up for me.
[00:28:53] I will say Tim Roth is a fucking force. As always.
[00:28:57] The man is just a million miles tall on screen, and this is no exception. He's the absolute standout. And generally, it is a really solid revenge flick. Definitely worth checking out. Another one that I'm surprised doesn't have more views. Is Dust Bunny visually unlike anything else that's out there.
[00:29:15] Really cool premise, very astounding visuals, not just in the special effects, but the set design, costuming, blocking, color, lighting, cinematography. I mean, just. It's visually phenomenal. And it's really fun. I had some issues with the pacing. I felt the narrative and the characters were super shallow. But I still had a really good time and it's absolutely worth a watch. Next up is Night of the Reaper. This one came out of nowhere. You know, it's really interesting. It's a very hard, throwback, vintage genre film. It's a whodunit with some classic 70s slasher vibes and it plays that really, really well.
[00:29:57] It's smart, it's interesting. Kept me hooked. You know, it's not the best production out there, but I mean, for what it is, it's really impressive and I'm looking forward to what they're gonna do next.
[00:30:07] Next up, Queens of the Damned. Tina Romero. Absolutely carrying on her family legacy, giving us a kick ass zombie movie with some great social commentary that doesn't bog it down, but lifts it up. Then we got Facum Hall. This is a really, really stupid movie, but it's the good kind of stupid. It's smart stupid. It's got snappy pacing and a serviceable story that serves as the conveyor belt for an absolutely insane barrage of jokes per minute. This feels very much like a crass British partner film to the Naked Gun franchise. I didn't expect that going in, but I was pleasantly surprised. We need more stupid comedy these days. We need more stuff that's just here to make us laugh. And you know, not everything in this landed with me, but there are so many jokes per minute. There were plenty that had me cracking up after that. We've got Influencers, a sequel that was not on my radar at all until I saw some Mutuals review. It loved the original and I felt like this absolutely carried the torch really well. It gave us a sequel in logical ways. It kept the things I really liked about the original and played them up a little more. The increase in the budget gave us some really nice production value and some gorgeous locations.
[00:31:15] Super fun, really smart. Definitely recommend the series influencer and influencers. And you know, if they keep going with it, I'll keep watching. Next up is another found footage movie. It's the Decedent. I am a huge fan of Andrew Bowser and I'm a huge fan of found footage. So this was kind of going to play well for me. Except I have to say, I didn't realize it was an Andrew Bowser movie. Going into it, when he showed up on screen, I was like, go. Dang.
[00:31:37] But yeah, I mean, almost everything this guy does, I just really love. He kind of speaks my language. Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls was a huge surprise for me. I really didn't think that kind of Internet meme character would be able to carry a horror movie, but it played so well into that vintage 80s cheese aesthetic and just gave us a really entertaining film and that kind of had me take note of him. And I went back back and watched a lot of his other stuff and loved almost all of it. If you haven't seen his movie Worm, that is just unbelievably raw and unique.
[00:32:11] Never seen anything like that. The, the dude does good stuff and this is no exception. I really like when you're drawn in and just kind of on edge wondering where the things are going to happen. And the use of security cam footage here is really, really smart. I really like the interplay and the change up of formats and actually using different format cameras for those formats instead of just doing it all in post quality stuff. And honestly the script was tight, it was fresh, it felt really unique. I liked the lore a lot and the VFX are astounding. Just some really, really killer moments.
[00:32:44] Super smart, super fun. Not going to be for everybody. I loved it. After that we've got the Baltimore Ons. I love the Duplass Brothers. Jake gives us a really earnest dramedy here.
[00:32:55] Not a lot happens, but not a lot needs to happen. It's just humanity kind of being laid bare and it was really something special. It is what it is because that's what it is. And there's something really nice about that. After that we've got the parenting again. I like a good horror comedy. This has some really nice send ups and plays with tropes really well.
[00:33:19] The script is tight, the characters are fun.
[00:33:22] It's a good movie. I liked it. Next up we've got the remake of Deathstalker.
[00:33:28] Yes. First off, just shout out to Steve Kostanski for making some truly kickass movies and really embracing practical effects. Man. He taps into what has always made me love genre film and he just really carries the torch of that old school Hollywood magic in really refreshing ways. I've been thoroughly entertained by every everything he's done and this takes a really cheesy, you know, sword and sorcery kind of crass 80s schlock movie and brings it into the modern age in really fun ways. It's gory as. It's a blast. It's so much fun.
[00:34:04] Highly, highly recommend to anybody that likes splatter, anybody that likes cheese, anybody that grew up watching 80s genre flicks. Just, just fucking watch It. This movie kicks ass.
[00:34:15] Next up on the list, we got another remake of a genre 80s flick. Silent Night, Deadly Night. This is another one that took me totally by surprise. It takes what was a good but cheesy holiday horror movie and turns it into a really gritty, grimy, gory neo noir with lots of really great splatter in this Jim Thompson esque narrative storytelling that really, really hooked me.
[00:34:39] It's just so cool. It's got some fantastic like horror neo noir vibes that we don't see a lot of. And I was just fully taken by surprise. Loved every minute. Next up is a movie I am shocked has to be on this list. And That's Spinal Tap 2. How does this have less than 50,000 watches on Letterboxd? What are you all doing? It's Spinal Tap 2.
[00:35:02] These guys are old. Yeah, but like, the jokes still land. The music kicks ass. Just across the board. It's phenomenal. And Rob Reiner was an absolute goat all the way to the end. Rest in peace, King. Next on the list is Ash. This is very much a subjective take here. I and a lot of letterbox disagree on this movie.
[00:35:25] It is pretty straightforward and predictable in narrative way. The characters are fine, but maybe, you know, a bit flat.
[00:35:33] But visually, this thing is awesome, dude. It looks great. The visual effects are rad and it just goes some really fun places that speak to me and, and my tastes.
[00:35:45] So yeah, I had a great time. I loved it. I think more people should check it out. It's not going to be for everybody, but if you like weird sci fi and you like cool visuals, I think it's worth checking out. Out. After that, we've got Alpha. This is not as good as Titan, but it's still a really good film.
[00:36:01] Tackles some difficult subject matter and it has some really shocking moments of body horror that definitely got under my skin. Next up, we've got another movie from an indie filmmaker that I'm kind of obsessed with right now. That's Albert Burney and his new movie, Obex. This thing is just scuzzy and, and indie and it reminds me of Aronofsky's Pie, but like nerdier and. And more low budget, just really, really smart. It's an interesting story, super compelling, fantastic visuals, great use of sets and locations and just yeah, man, like there. I have yet to see anything from Bernie that I haven't loved. This is really, really smart and plays to some interesting subjects and. And just kind of carries this great vintage CRT aesthetic throughout and manages to pull it Off. Next up is another movie that I'm shocked doesn't have more views. It's It Ends a really impressive indie that makes fantastic use of budget, gives us a really compelling story with some solid suspense, interesting lore, and just really immaculate vibes.
[00:37:12] I don't know how else to explain it without spoiling things and just go watch it. It deserves your time.
[00:37:17] And I'm following that up with another car movie. Hollow Road.
[00:37:21] Rosamund fucking Pike. Absolutely killing it in this production. Carrying it so hard.
[00:37:29] It's super smart, really unique.
[00:37:34] Just absolutely took me places I did not expect it to. And it's Rosamund Pike. Like, why are people not watching this movie? Go, don't look anything up. Don't watch a trailer, don't read a synopsis. Go in blind and go see Hallow Road. Next up is the movie that I think probably deserves the most attention because it took me the most by surprise. And there are a lot of movies on this list that took me by surprise. But Code three came out of nowhere for me. I don't know what I expected, but it subverted just about every expectation that I had and I was thoroughly entertained as a result. It's such a surprisingly strong film that has a lot of really important things to say that gives it to us in really dynamic and compelling ways. And just the characters are rich and human.
[00:38:15] And I was just gripped the entire time.
[00:38:19] I am shocked that more people aren't talking about it. It just kind of got buried in this year of great cinema. And I really hope that people go back and watch it and start giving it the recognition that it deserves. Next up is the Toxic Avenger. I know this technically came out out in 2023 and limited release, but its full theatrical release was 2025 and that's when I saw it. So I'm counting it as a 2025.
[00:38:40] This isn't going to be for everybody, man. It's. It's too crass and grimy for people who aren't Troma fans and. And well, for kind of mainstream viewers, I'd say. And then it doesn't go far enough for classic Troma fans. But in my opinion it does really well what Troma thought it was doing in the 80s. It gives it us just grotesque trash that is at the same time smart social commentary. Performances are great. Practical effects are awesome. Story is fun. I had a blast. All right. I'm rounding out the top five with five movies that are also in my top 24. But they all have less than 100,000 views. So I'm not going to talk too much about them again, but I'm just going to implore you to go watch them. So that's Vulcan is Adora Dead Talent Society Reflected Actions in a Dead Diamond. Freaky Tales and vhs Halloween. Awesome movies fully deserving of your time. And with that, that's Jonathan's Corner. Thanks for coming hanging out listening to me talk. I hope this gives you a little bit better perspective on kind of what I like about cinema, what I don't like, what I consider good, what makes me say that a movie is bad and, you know, hope you had a good time while doing it. We'll see on the next episode of Drive In. Dive in. In the meantime, be good out there. Stay safe, be kind.
[00:39:55] Pe.
