ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — 2025 is halfway through! As we prepare for this summer’s biggest blockbusters and the award contenders to come this fall, take a look back at the top 10 movies from the first half of the year.
10. “ONE OF THEM DAYS” (2025, 97 min., directed by Lawrence Lamont)
Theatrically-released buddy comedies are hard to come across in the streaming era, but “One of Them Days” proves itself worthy of the big screen based off of its big laughs alone. Keke Palmer and SZA, electric in her film debut, are dynamite together as a pair of best friends struggling to make rent. Released early in January, thinking about “One of Them Days” still makes me laugh six months later.
“One of Them Days” is streaming on Netflix.
9. “THE SHROUDS” (2024, 120 min., directed by David Cronenberg)
From our review: “The Shrouds” is a weird, wonderful movie. It demands to be engaged with and thought about, but for those willing to get under the shroud with it, there’s a beautifully beating heart at its center. While I hope this isn’t Cronenberg’s last feature, it wouldn’t be a bad one to go out on.
“The Shrouds” is streaming soon on The Criterion Channel.
8. “THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME” (2025, 102 min., directed by Wes Anderson)
From our review: It is a blast to watch a Wes Anderson movie that loves other films just as much as its own diagrammatic world. “The Phoenician Scheme,” the latest from the famously fussy auteur, is a send-up of everything from classic spy thrillers of the 1930s and 40s to the surreal dreamscapes of Alejandro Jodorowsky, all refracted through the mannered symmetry and pastel color palettes of its director’s signature style.
“The Phoenician Scheme” is now playing in theaters.
7. “FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES” (2025, 109 min., directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein)
From our review: This time, instead of Death’s design falling upon a group of randomly assembled 20-somethings, the Grim Reaper’s shadow looms over a family tree. A family matriarch survived a horrible accident decades prior, and now, Death is coming for her bloodline.
The family framing device builds genuine emotion into the stakes of the story. You genuinely care for the characters meeting their bloody ends, elevated by committed performances from the cast. I was particularly impressed by Kaitlyn Santa Juana and Teo Briones, the film’s sibling deuteragonists, as well as Richard Harmon as the septum-pierced comic relief. The whole family had great chemistry, which supported the necessary plot beats in-between the horror set pieces.
“Final Destination: Bloodlines” is now available to rent.
6. “BLACK BAG” (2025, 94 min., directed by Steven Soderbergh)
From our review: “Black Bag” is very interested in doling out marriage maxims. Though Soderbergh’s spy movie has its fair share of labyrinthine plot twists and espionage mumbo-jumbo, the film is really as simple as that. In examining the marriage between two spies, played alluringly and handsomely by Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender, “Black Bag” is the most romantic movie of the year, hands down.
“Black Bag” is now streaming on Peacock.
5. “28 YEARS LATER” (2025, 115 min., directed by Danny Boyle)
“28 Years Later,” the long-awaited sequel to Danny Boyle’s iconic 2002 zombie film “28 Days Later,” is a smart, strange look at British isolationism through the lens of flesh-eating monsters. The film stars an all-star cast of British talent, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, newcomer Alphie Williams and the phenomenal Ralph Fiennes. The latter gives one of the most emotional movie speeches of the year surrounded by a temple of bones, which is the bicameral wonder of “28 Years Later” in a nutshell.
“28 Years Later” is now playing in theaters.
4. “BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY” (2025, 124 min., directed by Michael Morris)
From our review: While the first three films in the “Bridget Jones” series are charming romps, “Mad About the Boy” is a wonderful fusion of melodrama and madcap comedy. Bridget is officially a mom of two and her mothering instincts are rife for humor as much as heartbreak.
“Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” is now streaming on Peacock.
3. “PRESENCE” (2025, 85 min., directed by Steven Soderbergh)
From our review: The horrors of a modern upper class American family are not ghosts, but they’re just as invisible. “Presence” is about fentanyl overdoses, the ephemerality of pictures shared online, date rape drugs in drinks, problems in a marriage, financial fraud and the invisible scars of grief. All of these are much scarier than a voyeuristic ghost. But unlike a spirit in a haunted house, the presence of these things in American life is undeniable.
“Presence” is now streaming on Hulu.
2. “THE LIFE OF CHUCK” (2024, 111 min., directed by Mike Flanagan)
Adapted from the Stephen King short story – though much more in the vein of “The Shawshank Redemption” or “Stand By Me” than “The Shining” – “The Life of Chuck” is a gorgeous miracle of evocation. Ghosts, memories and dance routines swirl through the film with deeply sentimental feeling, but it’s director Mike Flanagan’s vision of that goodness transpiring against a decaying near-future which gives the film its power. Even if the end is soon, “The Life of Chuck” reminds us all that it’s okay to stop and dance.
“The Life of Chuck” is now playing in theaters.
1. “SINNERS” (2025, 137 min., directed by Ryan Coogler)
From our review: “Sinners,” the new vampire movie from “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler, is a two-toned triumph. One on hand, the film is a red-hot, red-eyed, red-blooded action-horror flick. It’s also a deeply thoughtful, thoroughly soulful celebration of the blues: Ludwig Göransson has crafted a musical score for the ages. There are just as many musical showcases as action set pieces in “Sinners,” and the two make for a beautiful harmony.
“Sinners” is now streaming on HBO Max.
What was your favorite film of the year so far? Let us know! Email us at pruett@828newsNOW.com or tag us on Facebook.
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