| January 2, 2026 
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Hi, movie fans! The holidays may be a quiet time in a lot of industries but not when it comes to Hollywood releases. So many good ones wait for a Christmas Day debut that for those of us who cover the art, it can color our view of the year in filmmaking. Was 2025 a great year for movies? That’s my position: “One Battle After Another,” “Sinners,” “Marty Supreme,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value” and “It Was Just an Accident” all in the same 12-month period? (And that’s not even including flawed films I’m fond of like “The Friend.”) What riches! But that’s hardly a universal take. For instance, we asked readers to vote for their favorites of 2025 and in addition to coming up with a fascinating list that dovetails with our critics’ choices — until it doesn’t — there was a spirited debate in the comments section about just what kind of year it was. While several people agreed with me, there were folks who had seen dozens of films and felt it was a meh year at best; one reader gave it a B grade. Others argued that 2025 was actually terrible, using words like “lousy,” “dreary” and “weak.” Oof! I’m not sure I stand corrected (time will tell, right?), but I definitely have a better understanding of the broad range of your opinions. That’s especially useful as we turn to coverage of the awards season, when many of the titles I mentioned will make repeated appearances. I’m looking forward to seeing what you all think when the prizes are handed out. For now, enjoy the movies! | STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS | | | | |
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