2025 Superlatives

Biggest Disappointment: Mickey 17

This was Bong Joon Ho's follow-up to the Oscar-winning "Parasite," and it was not good. Its only saving grace was Robert Patterson. His portrayal of Mickey and his clones is one of the best performances of 2025. The rest of the movie is a giant mess. There are a ton of interesting sci-fi ideas in the movie, but none of them get explored with any satisfaction. With the talent in the cast and director, this could have been one of the best movies of the year.

Biggest Surprise: Drop

I did not see this in the Theater. I saw it months later on Peacock and was surprised at how much I loved it. A woman goes on a date and gets a text from an unknown number telling her to kill her date. It has to be someone in the restaurant, since they keep air-dropping pictures and stuff. If she can't figure out who it is or kill her date, her young son will die. It is a very Hitchcockian thriller and a ton of fun. Now that I am thinking about it, this should have been my number 10. If you want to watch a solid thriller that is just over 90 minutes, this is the movie for you.

Best TV show (that is not Andor): The Pitt

"Andor" was the best thing I watched this year, but I have gushed enough about it, so I had to take it out of contention."The Pitt" is easily the second-best TV show I watched. It is an incredible throwback to how we used to watch TV: 15 episodes (not 8-10), coming out every year (not every 2- 3), and it is a solid medical drama. Season two just started airing last week, and + has already been renewed for a season three. It was a massive hit for HBO and was a cultural moment. The frenetic pace, interesting cases, and complex characters made this the best show of 2025, not called "Andor."

Best Book: Shift

I did not read as much as I would have liked in 202.. With all I had going on, I was more in the mood to rewatch stuff than sit and read. Before my life became a mix of doctor's appointments and naps, I started the second book in the Silo Trilogy. I finished it by listening to the audiobook. The first book, "Wool," was great and focused on events in 5:10 17, a place where humanity went to survive a global disaster. "Shift" looks at the world before and the history of Silo 1, leading up to the rebellion in Silo 17. It's a sequel that serves as a prequel. It deepens the love of the world by showing what happened hundreds of years ago, how and why humanity survived, and introduces some important characters who will help bring the story to an end in "Dust! (which I also read). The trilogy is worth reading, and the series' final season will air on Apple TV this year. Both are worth your time.