Presented here are the films I most enjoyed viewing for the first time in 2025. The criterion was that I had not seen them before in their entirety. I’m quite certain that I had seen clips or scenes of some of the classics below, but just as sure I had not seen them from start to closing curtain. Every year my friend Derek and I go through the exercise of rating our favourite film-watching experiences. This time we had only one movie in common: Black Bag. I found that there were fewer newer films than ever drawing my attention, and so my list is half older texts and half new releases. D’s list is more on point in terms of capturing the films of the moment, and as usual, his list is beautifully written, making me think twice about at least one film: Sinners. I saw it as a derivative mash-up of From Dusk Till Dawn, Crossroads and Blade, with some quirky dance numbers tossed in for good measure. But maybe there is more to it after all. The Academy voters certainly so, nominating it for a record 16 categories in the 2026 gongs. I should say, due to some timing issues, this issue is slightly different from the one I put forward to the Senses of Cinema World Poll. Next year I expect the lists to be more aligned. Keep reading below for Derek’s list.

All the President’s Men (Alan J Pakula, 1976)
The year of 1976 was a pretty decent one for movies, with All the President’s Men up against Taxi Driver and Network in the Best Film Academy Award. Somehow pugilistic crowd favourite Rocky prevailed, proving – as if anyone doubted it – that Hollywood’s most celebrated gongs offer no accurate index of quality. This is a cracker of a film, and deftly crafted. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman play Woodward and Bernstein, a couple of young hungry reporters on The Washington Post who relied on persistence and some well-placed sources to bring undone a federal government caught bugging the Watergate Hotel to eavesdrop on the Democratic Convention. It’s a film that is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago, and perhaps more so.

Black Bag (Steven Soderberg, 2025)
This elegant and clever exploration or spy craft and the spooks who practise it sees Mr Soderberg doing what he does best: films that are as intelligently composed as they are entertaining. Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender play a couple who work in British intelligence charged with identifying a traitor – who might just be one of them.

Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
Why did it take me so long to see this classic? It’s gripping and great fun, with some smart lines delivered with panache.

The Choral (Nicholas Hytner, 2025)
As poignant as it is witty and charming, The Choral tells the story of a northern England community choir during the First World War. Ralph Fiennes plays a choirmaster, Dr Guthrie, who leads a daring production during a time of tumult and grief, the choir hollowed out by the regular departure of young men for the front. Quietly powerful.

Hamnet (Chloé Zhaoe, 2025)
Yes, it’s manipulative in the manner in which it pulls on heartstrings, but this adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s book about the Bard and perhaps the inspiration for his most famous play is also moving, masterfully acted and beautifully composed.

Holy Cow (Vingt Dieux, Louise Courvoisier, 2024)
Set in a rural cheese-producing region of France, this drama tells the story of irresponsible 18-year-old Totone (Clément Faveau), who must grow up quickly when he is charged with looking after his little sister Claire (Luna Garret) and the struggling family farm. I saw this film with my Mum, who loved the cinema and passed away not long afterwards, so despite its imperfections will be remembered fondly.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Christopher McQuarrie, 2025)
Having walked out two-thirds of the way through the penultimate film in this eight-part series, there was no guarantee I’d make it to the starting line for this, part eight. Yet a ticking bomb (of course), a (near) impossible task and propulsive action make this a compelling finale (I hope) for the series.

The Natural (Barry Levinson, 1984)
So iconic that The Simpsons has riffed on it, Robert Redford’s ode to baseball and second chances is as enjoyable as it is hokey and unlikely. This was one of eight Redford vehicles I watched after the legendary actor passed away, one of the best of those I’d not seen in the past, yet not quite in the same league as a classic such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968)
The sweeping cinematography, the soaring Ennio Morricone score, the charismatic performances, especially from Henry Fonda playing against type, and Sergio Leone’s confidence at the helm all add up to one thing: an unforgettable epic.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Peter R Hunt, 1969)
Tight, moving and engaging. One could not ask for more from a James Bond tale.

Derek’s list

One Battle After Another
A tense, paranoid thriller from director Paul Thomas Anderson. (Though it’s not paranoia if they really are out to get you!) Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a former member of a militant activist group, now the single parent of a teenage daughter, shlepping around in his dressing gown like Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski. The performances are excellent, there are some impressive set pieces, and the climactic chase scene is in instant classic.

Sinners
It’s blues versus folk in a supernatural musical showdown! Sinners is Ryan Coogler’s riff on the legend of Robert Johnson, who supposedly sold his soul to the devil for mastery of the blues, and the spectacular scene at the centre of the movie showcases the mythical power of music across the ages. It’s also his twist on the vampire genre, with white appropriation of black culture cast as another form of bloodsucking.

Weapons
The eerie opening of Weapons was among the most memorable of the year, showing school children running off into the night, arms almost playfully outstretched. The story behind their disappearance is told from multiple perspectives – their teacher, a parent, the last remaining student – as the mystery unfolds. There are echoes of fairy tales (like the Pied Piper or Hansel and Gretel) and of real-world violence (like school shootings), yet the eventual explanation is an unexpected new horror. Gripping.

Black Bag
Detective fiction is said to be all about men trying to understand women. Here the male lead is asked to investigate his own wife. Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett play married intelligence agents and Steven Soderbergh’s approach is quite genteel. Certainly more George Smiley than James Bond. The sparring is intellectual, dinner party conversation takes the place of interrogation, and the drama is as much about marriage as espionage.

The Phoenician Scheme
Wes Anderson movies almost feel like a genre of their own at this point, combining elements of quirky indies, family dramas and picaresque adventures into a colourful and distinctive trademark style. Benecio del Toro is the flawed father figure this time around, and the large ensemble of A-list cast members continues to expand. I never expected to see Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston playing HORSE.

Superman
After leaving Marvel to lead DC, director James Gunn reboots this rival cinematic universe with his take on the most iconic of all comic book superheroes. While DC was dark and serious under Zach Snyder, Gunn returns to the wholesome heart of the old Christopher Reeve movies – with their charm, optimism and warmth – and blends in the action, pace and humour of the better Marvel movies. Just good, light-hearted fun.

The Assessment
A couple applies for permission to have a child in the near-future setting of this strange sci-fi thriller. A woman arrives to assess their suitability, staying in their home and behaving in increasingly unpredictable and unsettling ways. And as the tension ramps up, their relationship strains under the pressure. Thought-provoking and at times prickly and uncomfortable, particularly for new parents.

28 Years Later
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland return to the series they started with a gritty, low-budget hit back in 2002. Decades on from the virus outbreak of the first film, Britain remains overrun with zombies and isolated from the rest of the Europe. When a family from an offshore island returns to the mainland to scavenge for supplies, it goes about as well as you would expect. Though there are some surprises and another sequel has already arrived …

Flow
A little black cat is swept away by a flood in this animated survival story. There are no human characters and no dialogue. Just the cat and the other animals it encounters along the way, including a capybara, a dog, a lemur and a bird. Quite different from anything else I saw last year. We watched this at home but it looks amazing and would be great on the big screen.

Train Dreams
This Netflix adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella tells the tragic life story of Robert Grainier, a logger in mid 20^th century America, who is haunted by the loss of his wife and child in a forest fire. The landscapes are beautiful, but the living is not easy. Slow, understated and quite melancholy.

Honourable mentions: Eephus, Bugonia, Universal Language, The Mastermind, Predator: Badlands.