Having just seen The Testament of Ann Lee (which clocks in at number three) I can now publish my Top Ten Films of 2025.
For me, this was a banner year. The top two, Sinners and Hamnet, are potential contenders for Top Ten of the Decade. These were exceptional films that blew me away on so many levels, and both spoke to the power of various art forms (music in Sinners and theater in Hamnet) as vehicles for trauma healing, generational storytelling, and connecting with both our past and futures. Lurking just below them, Sentimental Value showed the power of film as a family myth maker, and The Testament of Ann Lee showed the power of religious fervor as a maker of peace…and fine Shaker furniture.
And now, The Spin’s Top Ten Films of 2025:
- Sinners, d. Ryan Coogler
- Hamnet, d. Chloe Zhao
- The Testament of Ann Lee, d. Mona Fastvold
- One Battle After Another, d. Paul Thomas Anderson
- Sentimental Value, d. Joachim Trier
- The Life of Chuck, d. Mike Flannagan
- Weapons, d. Zach Cregger
- Train Dreams, d. Clint Bentley
- Zootopia 2, d. Jarod Bush & Byron Howard
- The Naked Gun, d. Akiva Shaffer
The Schleicher Spin 
One Battle After Another is tops for me. I haven’t like a PTA movie that much in years. The segment with DiCaprio trying to get out of the city in the middle of a riot while enlisting Del Toro’s help is one of my favorite sequences of the year. Sinners was phenomenal as well. I watched Life of Chuck last night and really enjoyed it. Not so much Weapons. I found that boring and not scary or thrilling in the least. The new Naked Gun was really enjoyable. I’ve got Hamnet and Zootopia 2 on my To Watch list whenever they’re available on streaming.
Agreed about the sequence you mentioned! And the car chase too!