Music 2025

 

Another year. Another batch of albums. As I considered my favorites from the year, there was no clear front-runner though my top albums certainly had the most consistent listens. In line with the last few years, a bunch of woman musicians on my list. Some oldies, some new-comers. 

In other music news, I was able to attend my first proper Record Store Day this April at LUNA Music here in Indy with my pals, Lance & Morgan. Early morning, freezing in line, picked up 5-6 vinyls. Would do again. 

My playlist of best songs of the year.

A few concerts of note. Of course plenty of others throughout the year though these are the standouts. 

• Concert 1: caught Beyonce on her Cowboy Carter tour in Chicago. Show was delayed by thunderstorms though she hit the stage a few hours later and played her full 3+ hour set. It was a marathon though incredible, of course.
• Concert 2: Kendrick & SZA in Detroit. A joint headline show by two heavy-weights. I'm a big fan of this concert approach. Alternating sets with collabs sprinkled in. 

Best music moments on TV/film that I can think of.

• Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music opener
• Kendrick Lamar half-time show
• Sinners Dance with the Devil scene

Enough chatter. List time. It's 2025 so 25 albums. Top 10 albums followed by 15 honorable mentions.

10. Addison Rae - Addison
2024 gave us Diet Pepsi but 2025 gave us the full throwback-but-confidently-current pop girlie album of the summer. 

9. Lily Allen - West End Girl
I've never paid attention to Lily Allen but a whole album takedown of ex David Harbour?! A guy I don't have much connection to but he seems fine? A song titled Pussy Palace?! An uninspired SNL performance?! I listened to this album a lot in the last few months of the year. 

8. Bon Iver - SABLE fABLE
Welcome back to my ears, Justin. You sound good and you patented a color.

7. Lucy Dacus - Forever is a Feeling
Lucy's back with more smartly written melodies. Home Video is an all-timer album for me and while Forever hasn't hit that level for me, the album is consistently good with some stand out tracks. Lost Time fed into a friend's wedding vows, the collab with Hozier is solid. Lucy has mainstream recognition these days though thankfully her sound remains grounded and uniquely her own. 

Editor note: Original post mistakenly cited Best Guess instead of Lost Time as part of friend's wedding vows.

6. HAIM - I quit
Relationships dropped and I was ready for HAIM summer. While the album as a whole doesn't quite match the single and thus dominate the summer, it holds it's own. The Haim sisters are collectively single during the writing and producing of this album and they've got thoughts. Keep it coming, ladies. 

5. Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
Well Spencer played album closer Parachute for me and well I was instantly hooked on this album. While I've been somewhat agnostic to the Paramore / Haley back-catalog, this album got me. Hooks and emotion throughout. I'm here for it. 

4. Sabrina Carpenter - Man's Best Friend
We weren't done listening to Short n' Sweet but Sabrina decided to drop another whole-ass album. Explores new sounds, has some Abba moments, whip-smart lyrics. Why not drop another one in 2026?

3. Audrey Hobert - Who's the Clown? 
Well Audrey is friends with Gracie Abrams and, well, they sort of sound similar (complimentary). A little catchy, highly listenable. Audrey is the quirky one though.

2. Annie DiRusso - Super Pedestrian 
Back in Town, Legs, and Good Ass Movie are great songs on an album of really good songs. Except for Derek Jeter, that one's rough on the ears. 

1.  Olivia Dean - The Art of Loving
Olivia, my love. Welcome to the fold. I was turned on to Olivia's Messy album last year and I listened the heck out of it. I had high expectations for this release and my girl delivered. Man I Need is a near perfect single. Most listened to artist of the year for good reason. Appropriate to play in any setting. Carries on the Adele ethos while sounding distinctly herself. Get on the Olivia bandwagon if not already. 

Honorable Mention (listed alphabetical)

• Phil Cook - Appalachia Borealis
• Indigo De Souza - Precipice
• Gordi - Plasticine
• Alex G - Headlights
• Saya Gray - SAYA 
• Lady Gaga - Mayhem
• Valerie June - Owls, Omens, and Oracles
• Liquid Mike - Hell is an Airport
• Lorde - Virgin
• Momma - Welcome to My Blue Sky
• Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl 
• Tame Impala - Deadbeat
• Wednesday - Bleeds 
• Wet Leg - Moisturizer
• Wishy - Planet Popstar (EP)

Television 2025

 

Lots of television, always behind. My end-of-year list will always be skewed as there's nearly as much on the to-watch list as on the watched list. 

My top 10 list includes a lot of new shows. There were some exciting new concepts and well-executed tried-and-true genres. Some returning faithfuls (Abbott, White Lotus, Only Murders) have been good installments and fit in my top 25 though perhaps not at their peak. 

I'm including 25 shows. I'll list my top 10 shows, ranked 10-1. I'll list my 25-11 shows as Honorable Mentions, listed alphabetically. And of course I'll include a Highly Anticipated list. The list includes shows that primarily aired in 2025. I'm loose on which seasons are included, sometimes including multiple seasons if they aired spring/fall. 

10. The Traitors (season 3)

This reality competition show has hit its stride. Full drama, full competition, full fashion. I'm here for it all. Can't wait for season 4, Allen. 

9. I Love LA (season 1)

I'm all in. Rachel Sennott has been one of the it-girls for the last five years and honestly happy she has the tv series outlet to get all her ideas out. Is it the internet gen-z Girls? Sure. And that's great. The whole cast is stellar and I'm looking forward to precisely three more seasons. 

8. Adolescence (mini-series)

The level of craftsmanship on this mini-series! The continuous shots on each episode. The performances! The writing and unique take on the (hard) subject matter. Television is eating itself with too much mid glut and there's space for a project like this so it's not all bad. 

7. Nobody Wants This (season 2)

Is this series good? Not necessarily. Is it highly watchable? You bet ya. The Brody x Bell chemistry is fantastic. The show is already recycling some plot lines from season 1 but the romance dynamic persists and the ensemble supporting cast are getting their moments as well. 

6. Overcompensating (season 1)

Comedies are back, baby! Millennial-core, gay, jokes on jokes, and higher ed orientation references. This show was created with me in mind. I don't buy the central premise of the college freshman being afraid to be out in 2025 but I'm still along for the ride. Hailee is a contender for funniest character of the year.

5. The Rehearsal (season 2)

Nathan is a little bit of a cliché for white men of a certain age. BUT, for good reason. Season 1 was good. Had its moments, caused some controversy and buzz. Season 2? It goes places television hasn't been before. If anyone could win a "commitment to the bit" competition, it would be Fielder. 

4. Task (season 1)

Another Pennsylvania-based crime show with flawed, grounded characters?! Sign me up. I was locked in each episode. Stan for Maeve forever and always.  

3. Dying for Sex (mini-series)

Well obviously Michelle is brilliant in everything she does. But add Jenny and Rob in supporting roles?! A woman pursuing sexual pleasure for the first time in her life as she's terminally ill, this show could go off the rails at so many points. The show gets the tone perfectly right, balancing sadness and laughs with finesse. 

2. Adults (season 1)

Ok now comedies are legitimately back! Gen-z Friends set in Queens. I wanna hang with this crew for 5 more seasons. Shenanigans. Romance. And more!

1. The Pitt (season 1)

Not really a sucker for medical shows, I was locked in for the doctor speak for all fifteen episodes. I think I went into some sort of fugue state and could just watch indefinitely. Bring on season 2. 

Honorable Mention (listed alphabetically)

• Abbott Elementary (season 4 & 5)
• Bob's Burgers (season 15 & 16)
• Celebrity Jeopardy (season 1)
• The Chair Company (season 1)
• English Teacher (season 2)
• Hacks (season 2)
• Heated Rivalry (season 1)
• The Last of Us (season 2)
• The Lowdown (season 1)
• Only Murders in the Building (season 5)
• SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night (documentary mini-series)
• Severance (season 2)
• The Studio (season 1)
• Too Much (season 1)
• The White Lotus (season 3)

Highly Anticipated

• Andor (season 2)
• The Bear (season 4)
• Black Mirror (season 7)
• Boots (season 1)
• The Diplomat (season 3)
• Industry (season 3)
• Loot (season 3)
• Love on the Spectrum (season 3)
• Mo (season 2)
• Platonic (season 2)
• Pluribus (season 1)
• Running Point (season 1)
• Slow Horses (season 5)

Movies 2025

 

Another good year for movies with the top-tier movies ranging a number of genres. Drama, whodunnit, horror, action, dark comedy. Some veteran directors gave us their best while a few newer auteurs made my top-10 list. In theory, I'm a staunch opponent of 2+ hour movies though sometimes I watch a 2.5 hour movie and don't notice the time at all so, perhaps, my issue is with pacing. If you're telling a long story, you better edit the hell out of it and keep the momentum going. All that to say: a few 2+ hour movies in my top 5. One more note on this go-around of movies: it was Pedro summer, Ethan fall, and Josh winter. 

AMC A-List continues to be good to me. 100+ movies viewed in theaters. There's nothing like sneaking away to a theater on a random Tuesday evening to watch some B-level movie. Spencer got me an A-List hat that has yet to be noticed but there's still time. 

Here's my list. 25 movies. Top 10 list followed by 15 Honorable Mentions listed alphabetically to fill out the 25. For my running list of all 2025 movies, in order of favorite to least-favorite, check my Letterboxd list.

10. Marty Supreme
Frenetic, Timothée at his best, Safdie doing his thing. The movie meanders in the best way. 

9. Superman
A summer blockbuster that was fun! I miss having fun at the movies in the summer! 

8. Zootopia 2
Well I had so much fun returning to the Zootopia world. A fresh story, a few new characters. A couple call-backs without feeling like they were relying on the success of the original. Some simple allegories to societal structures. I'm ready for part three in another nine years.

7. Materialists
Celine Song is back with this mis-advertised romantic drama. The subtleties of her movies are what get me. Even with these A-list actors, the progression of story, the back-and-forth of the relationships, the well-roundedness of the characters all work. Not as strong as Past Lives but guarantees Song has more to say. 

6. Sentimental Value
I felt like I knew the characters so well. A movie that knows itself. In no particular hurry. 

5. Sorry, Baby
Stellar script, solid performances, hard subject matter dealt with nuance, grace, and humor. Plus a kitty is involved. 

4. Weapons
Original IP movies are back! (1/3) Horror is dependable at the box office though this one really payed off via word of mouth popularity. This movie has a distinct and campy baddie. It's funny with a unique story and a good pay-off. Loved it. 

3. Wake Up Dead Man
What is there to say about the Knives Out franchise? Just perfection. New murder, new cast, new setting. Yet somehow just as good as the last two. Solid mystery and a barrage of stellar performances. 

2. Sinners
Original IP movies are back! (2/3) Leave it to Ryan Coogler to make a highly accessible vampire story centering music and race. This was a cinematic experience done right. And of course, that music medley scene half-way through will go down in the record-book 

1. One Battle After Another
Original IP movies are back! (3/3) I'm prejudiced against long movies yet this is a the second year in a row my top movie is a long drama that nails it. Immersive, well-edited, a journey. I wasn't bored once. Themes are timely. Some shots will go down in movie history as all-timers. 

Honorable Mention (listed alphabetically)

• 28 Years Later
• Anaconda 
• Black Bag
• Blue Moon
• Deaf President Now! 
• Frankenstein
• Friendship
• K-Pop Demon Hunters
• Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music
• The Naked Gun
• The Secret Agent
• Splitsville
• Together
• Warfare
• Wicked: For Good

Highly Anticipated (listed alphabetically)

• Come See Me in the Good Light
• Dust Bunny
• Is This Thing On?
• It Was Just an Accident 
• No Other Choice
• The Perfect Neighbor
• Plainclothes
• Sirát 
• The Testament of Ann Lee

Movies 2024

Another year for lots of great movies and I'm still a proud AMC A-Lister. Roughly 200 movies watched (including short films, comedy specials, etc.) with roughly 60 in theaters. My attention span continues to slip so I continue to enjoy sitting in a theater with few distractions. My Movie Club crew assists me in revisiting older movies that are new to me (Chinatown, On the Waterfront, An American in Paris). Anyhow, lots of solid movies this year.

A few themes from the year:

• Original vs. existing IP
• The box office was ruled by existing IP (Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine) though my favorites were ruled by original IP. 
• Old white men directors doing whatever the hell they want.
• Francis Ford Coppola making the mess that is Megalopolis. I was able to attend a screening with a live AMC employee interacting with the movie, as Coppola intended.
• Ridley Scott making Gladiator II, complete with battle scenes featuring baboons and sharks.
• Clint Eastwood making a 1990's John Grisham-esque courtroom thriller which was actually pretty fun to watch.
• Musicals popping up all over the place.
• Expected: Wicked (great!) and Mean Girls (not bad).
• Unexpected: Emilia Perez (what?), Joker: Folie a Deux (what??), The End (okay I haven't seen this one).

Below are 20 of my favorites released in 2024 (or, released widely, in 2024). Then a bunch of Honorable Mentions and Highly Anticipated.

20. Strange Darling
This horror thriller had me on my toes. Very twisty. Very gritty.

19. Robot Dreams 

A unique heartfelt oddball animated dream. And what else could one want in this day and age?

18. Will & Harper

A queer Will Ferrell documentary was not on my 2024 bingo card. But this doc is just a lovely. A road trip buddy comedy doc of Will and his old SNL pal Harper, recently out as a trans women, road trip across the country, chatting about life and now that Harper is out. 101 when it comes to trans issues but the close relational nature of the movie is sincere and a touching entry point for folks with any level of queer education.

17. Kneecap

What a fun movie. Two teenage Irish boys and their high school teacher form a rap group and are punks but also have something to say about language and colonialism. But again, a fun movie.

16. Thelma

June Squib is a national treasure. Here she plays an action movie protagonist, seeking justice after getting scammed by a phone con-man. Hilarious and so well done.

15. I Saw the TV Glow

I 100% did not understand this movie until after listening to a podcast / reading an article or two afterwards. And then it all came together. But this queer fantastical (light) horror movie gets all the points for being thoughtful and unique and having a killer soundtrack. (Negative points for being a little too dense for this bonehead.)

14. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

It's no Fury Road but it still kicks ass. George Miller continues to craft epic dustland steampunk (?) action flicks that are a delight for the senses and have a sturdy enough story to hold up. Solid contributions from Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth.

13. Sing Sing

I wept multiple times when seeing this in theater. It's just lovely. Based on a true story of a theater crew within a prison. Many of the movie actors are graduates from the actual prison theater program. Colman Domingo crushes it per usual though all of the performances are fantastic.

12. Inside Out 2

The other movie where I shed a tear (the moment anxiety is both frozen and whirling around). Inside Out is an all-time fave and while this may not match the original, I thought it a solid follow-up. An expanded cast of emotions, solid jokes, an emotionally honest entry to the saga.

11. Flow

A cat and a rag-tag crew of misfit animals in a post-apocalyptic water world. No dialogue. I was enraptured the entire time.

10. Dune: Part Two
Denis Villeneuve is a master of world building. Timothée and Zendaya and Florence and Austin are all great. 

9. The Substance

So much style. Demi and Margaret were flawless. And it's nice to see a movie unique and weird.

8. Conclave

Who knew the selection of the pope could provide such a riveting mystery thriller? I was engaged front to back. Well acted and shot.

7. Didi 

We love a coming-of-age story and Dìdi did just that, following Chris, a Taiwanese-American eighth grader. Set in 2008 so it gets all the nostalgia points. And the supporting cast were real three dimensional people as well.

6. Babygirl

Nicole is so good. The journey she goes on in this movie. The music. The hott people. 

5. Wicked
Outside of the year of heavy marketing and non-stop product placements, I came into this movie cold. Hadn't listened to the soundtrack, hadn't seen the production. It was so much fun! For 2.5 hours! Wonderfully acted/sung, choreographed, and the production sets just fantastic. Lived up to the hype for me.

4. My Old Ass
The sweet indie movie we needed this year. The science-fiction component - 18 year old Elliott meets her 39 year old self - is a central part of the movie but there's no time wasted on the mechanics of the time travel. It's queer, it's family, it's sad love story. Yes to all of these things.

3. A Real Pain

A near perfect travel-buddy movie. Kieran and Jesse play cousins going on a Holocaust movie across Poland in memory of their recently deceased grandmother. They are fully realized characters. The dialogue is perfect. It feels honest. I enjoyed it so much. And it was a tight 90. 

2. Challengers

Three hotties in a tennis love triangle. The shots of sweaty legs. The pulsing music. The tennis ball POV. This is cinema. 

1. Anora

Mikey is a revelation. This movie had me enthralled the entire long-ass runtime. A dancer/sex worker marries a Russian oligarch on a whim and they have the time of their lives and things go poorly but not in a deeply dark way. I loved it. I was completely in this world start to finish.

Honorable Mention (Listed Alphabetically)

• The American Society of Magical Negroes 

• Babes 

• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 

• Blink Twice 

• Blitz

• La Chimera

• Civil War

• A Complete Unknown

• Daughters 

• The Devil’s Climb 

• The Fall Guy

• Ghostlight 

• Gladiator II

• His Three Daughters

• Kinds of Kindness

• Longlegs  

• Love Lies Bleeding

• Madame Web

• Mean Girls (2024)

• Monkey Man

• National Anthem

• Origin 

• Prom Dates

• Players 

• Problemista 

• Queer

• A Quiet Place: Day One

• Small Things Like These

• Trap

• Tuesday 

• Twisters

• The Wild Robot

• Woman of the Hour

• Y2K

Highly Anticipated (Listed Alphabetically)

• All We Imagine As Light
• The Apprentice
• The Brutalist
• Dahomey
• A Different Man
• The Fire Inside
• Nickel Boys
• In Between Temples
• The Seed of the Sacred Fig
• September 5