For decades now, people constantly tell me how movies just aren’t as good as in the past. To use a technical term, I “poo-poo” that sentiment and respond that great movies have been around, you just have to look a little harder. Some years yield better results than others, and for me, 2025 gave us an unusually high amount of great cinema…and people still say I hate everything! Pshaw, I say! Pshaw!
Instead of making a Top Ten List of my favorite movies, I like to pay homage to a long-discontinued but influential annual column called “Moments Out Of Time” from Film Comment magazine. Its critics would cite their favorite scenes, images, or lines of dialogue, even from films they may not have liked. For example even a bad movie like Jurassic World: Rebirth had Jonathan Bailey and his slutty little glasses. M3gan 2.0 featured the immortal line, “Hold onto your vaginas!” Although I could come up with many moments from some of my favorite films, I’ve decided to limit myself to one per film. So here, good, bad or indifferent, and in no particular order, are my Moments Out Of Time for 2025.
Dennis (James Sweeney) sits at a diner and gets approached by a character we assume to be Roman (Dylan O’Brien), a sullen, grieving straight man, but his sunny disposition, wardrobe, and gay-coded sheer confidence tell us otherwise. It takes a second to realize we’ve entered flashback territory and O’Brien is actually portraying Roman’s late twin, Rocky. It’s a stunningly seamless transition in a film filled with such cinematic moments. – Twinless
Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), has her back turned away from an applauding audience thrilled to witness her return to acting. Before she speaks her scripted line, she lets out a slight giggle, clearly overjoyed to be back in the game, much like Paltrow herself. This meta moment pays dividends throughout her fantastic performance. – Marty Supreme
The car chase on those rolling hills. The camera in just the right place to put us right into the heart of the action. – One Battle After Another
The moment a movie seemingly about a community of ravers in the Moroccan desert turns into something gut-wrenchingly unforgettable. Devastating. I resisted watching this film because I didn’t want to watch a bunch of people dance. I didn’t know it had much more on its mind. You’ll definitely know it when you see it. –Sirat
Much ink has already been spilled about that indelible sequence in which we see the history of Black music and dance play out in one gorgeous unbroken take, and rightly so. As much as I’ll never forget that, I found myself moved to tears when Blues legend Buddy Guy appears as the older Sammie in the mid-credits sequence to fill us in on his fate. – Sinners
“Yes, a bowl. It’s a peculiarity of mine. I don’t try to rationalize it anymore.” Thanks to the brilliance that is Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys, the most chilling things sound so mundane and folksy. – Weapons
With his buttons properly pushed by Michelle (Emma Stone), Teddy (Jesse Plemons), in a stunning shot, leaps across the dinner table to attack his formidable opponent. – Bugonia
“Her sister. Use her sister. Spread a rumor. A rumor that her sister’s in trouble. She’ll fly to her side.” Glinda’s betrayal of Elphaba cuts deep thanks to Ariana Grande’s beautifully modulated, heartbreaking performance. – Wicked: For Good
Robert Grainier (a never better Joel Edgerton) camps out on the site of a devastating fire hoping against hope that his wife and child have survived and will somehow miraculously return. Take that, Hamnet! This is how you credibly portray real grief, loneliness and loss. – Train Dreams
The moment Didi (the great Liz Larsen) invites Cliff (Michael Strassner, the living embodiment of Ignatius Reilly from A Confederacy Of Dunces if there ever was one!) to her ex-husband’s holiday party, because she knows Cliff, as much of a screw-up as he has clearly proven to be, makes everything better. A rom-com with real people behaving like regular, flawed human beings? It’s a Christmas miracle! — The Baltimorons
After an uncomfortable rehearsal process, a famous Hollywood star (Elle Fanning) tells her Director (Stellan Skarsgård) that she’s not right for the part. What could have come across as cold feels so warmly empathetic thanks to the perfect work of these two actors. – Sentimental Value
A mother (Charlotte Rampling) and her two estranged daughters (Cate Blanchett and Vicky Krieps) tell lies about their lives and make uncomfortable small talk over high tea in a futile effort to connect – Father Mother Sister Brother
A group of former political prisoners sit in a van and argue over the identity of the man they’ve kidnapped and put in a box. Is he their torturer or innocent? It’s equally funny and harrowing. Think Little Miss Sunshine meets Marathon Man. –It Was Just An Accident
Man-Su (Lee Byung-hun) stands in a paper factory with the unlikeliest of co-workers. The shot feels highly reminiscent of the final ironic one in Raiders Of The Lost Ark. A man who will literally do anything for the sake of his family, legal or otherwise, feels like the ultimate survivor. – No Other Choice
Just try watching Kate Hudson’s Claire play the famous piano riff to Neil Diamond’s “Cherry, Cherry” as Hugh Jackman’s Mike sings along without wanting to jump out of your seat and join them. It’s that rare, magical, movie chemistry moment where the audience feels included in the action. A three-way doesn’t seem so far out of the realm of possibility. – Song Sung Blue
A severed leg hunts down people in a gay cruising spot. Yeah, you heard me. – The Secret Agent
The moment Lily Trevino, in a star-making performance by Barbie Ferreira, realizes she loves her fake dad (John Leguizamo) more than her real one. – Bob Trevino Likes It
The world’s most hilariously toxic gay couple gets its time in the sun when Ben (Jacob Roberts) and his bff Jordan (David Treviño) instantly regret staying with Neil (Neal Mulani) and Gio (Carson Barwinkel). When they witness their awful power dynamics at play, they rightfully feel the urge to bolt. It’s how I feel every time I walk through West Hollywood! – Rent Free
A young, closeted gay man cries in the back seat of his parent’s car, clearly devastated by the end of a friendship with his childhood crush. Santiago Madrussan’s moving vulnerability and how his parents react makes for makes for a scene which should come with a three tissue requirement. – Before We Forget
The bathroom scene. IYKYK. – Together
An art thief (Josh O’Connor in one of four great 2025 performances) climbs a ladder to stash his stolen paintings in a very dark barn loft. In ten unbroken minutes, we witness the clumsiness and the effort. It’s endless and breaks almost every rule of filmmaking, but somehow we’re glad he had us for company during this challenging interlude. – The Mastermind
This gritty prison drama turns into a thrilling musical every time Jennifer Lopez sings and dances her way into our hearts. In the number “Where You Are” she’s in glorious Chicago territory. I’d say a star is born, but let’s face it, she’s already a living legend. – Kiss Of The Spider Woman
Pick any random moment when Channing Tatum bats his soulful eyes at Kirsten Dunst and tell me you aren’t swooning. I dare you! – Roofman
The knife. The teeth. I never want to see that again, but damn! – Bring Her Back
How do you relieve yourself when you’ll be shot dead if you stop walking? The answer? Oh God, I never want to see that again either, but damn! – The Long Walk
“Let’s be unhappy together” – Is this the most romantic and appropriate line to sum up 2025? – Is This Thing On?
“Look, we had a couple of really nice hangs, but I think it best that we go our separate ways. I don’t wish to continue this friendship at the moment.” Your heart dies, even for a guy as hard to like as Craig (Tim Robinson) because you’ve just been rebuffed by Paul Rudd! – Friendship
When Victor (Oscar Isaac) turns on The Creature and physically abuses him, you feel crushed because of Jacob Elordi’s crushingly great performance. That look of betrayal will stay with me. – Frankenstein
Sure, the bullying scenes ring startlingly true, but the underwater shot of kids jumping into a pool to play water polo will make even Darius Khondji jealous. – The Plague
Yes, the visuals are astounding and what a treat to have Sigourney Weaver turn in a hilarious performance, but the real miracle here is that somehow Bryan Fuller, making a wonderful directorial debut, managed to get the notoriously difficult members of ABBA to give him the rights to their song “Tiger”. – Dust Bunny
“For once, the stage is mine!” – Taffeta (Roger Q. Mason) inserts themself into a narrative about Abraham Lincoln’s gay affair, refusing to get iced out of existence. – Lavender Men
Intercutting angular dance moves during a musical sequence set on a boat crossing the Atlantic, the juxtaposition between night and day proves an imaginative way to convey the passage of time while also hypnotizing the audience. Maybe the Shaker Movement was cooler than we thought! – The Testament Of Ann Lee
If you want a memorable scene filled with rage and out of control gaslighting, you need to hire Amanda Seyfried to get the job done. – The Housemaid
Biggest laugh of 2025 comes courtesy of Bill Skarsgård’s Tony after he kidnaps a man. He’s confronted in the streets by a Priest who offers to wash away his sins. His response? “Why don’t you wash my ass, father?” – Dead Man’s Wire
Despite my strong dislike for most of the film, Jessie Buckley brought me to tears when she comes to discover the healing powers of art. – Hamnet
“Don’t live here. Don’t surf here.” Australia has never seemed more unwelcoming and scary. – The Surfer
The moment you watch Breathless after viewing Richard Linklater’s narrative about the making of that landmark film, and you realize that every camera angle, every location, every cast member is spot on perfection. – Nouvelle Vague
The entirety of this film is a master class in how to make the most mundane discussion imaginable so utterly absorbing. – Peter Hujar’s Day
Even though I detested this film with every fiber of my being, the opportunity to watch Tom Hiddleston dance is always worth it. – The Life Of Chuck
Yes, it’s a disappointing mess. I rooted for it because I desperately wanted another great movie from the long absent James L. Brooks. Having the wonderful Julie Kavner back on our screens making hay out of a line like, “Alright I’ll tell her tha-a-a-a-at!” was almost worth the price of admission. Almost. – Ella McCay
The biscuit thief! – One Of Them Days
“Everybody dies. Some of us peacefully and in our sleep, and some of us… horribly. And that’s life.” – The Monkey
That voicemail from beyond the grave. Wow. Just wow. – Pee-Wee As Himself
That Rube Goldberg-esque opening sequence high atop the observation tower. Is this even better than the logs in the second film? The answer is yes. – Final Destination: Bloodlines
The breathless suspense as a father and son race across the water to safety before a zombie eats them alive. – 28 Years Later
We don’t need to see what happened in that house when several shots of its exterior as time passes does the job much more powerfully. – Sorry, Baby
Jerry Kane (Nick Offerman) does the worst job imaginable defending himself in court. – Sovereign
By Glenn Gaylord, Senior Film Critic
For more film reviews by Glenn Gaylord subscribe to his YouTube channel here ——> GLENN HATES EVERYTHING
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