Rick Rosset Makes Movies & TV

Dedicated to the Discussion and Production of Quality Films & Television

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Wipe your feet before you enter, please. 

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Oscar Thoughts 2026

Most awards seasons, I usually have a passionate take, such as Tar is the best movie of 2022 or Killers of the Flower Moon is far superior to Oppenheimer, that creates this burning desire to shout from the rooftops and try to breakthrough all the awards’ buzz and nonsense. 

However, in a year where my favorite film of the year, One Battle After Another, might actually win and there’s a lot of excellent performances that were deigned worth of a heavy, golden bald statue, I have to say I feel pretty good about the show and I’m excited to watch what I can of it before I wake up early. 

In honor of tonight’s ceremony, I’m bringing back one of my most popular segments, Oscar Thoughts. 

We can try to deny it but Paul Thomas Anderson’s wholly prescient takedown of fascism in America is the best movie released in 2025. It’s funny, the action is superb and it features authentic performances. Plus, it’s PTA’s time. You can try to say this is like in 2006 when Scorsese won for The Departed. But, you know what? The Departed is a 5 star classic that has stood the test of time. 

Hamnet is an emotional rollercoaster and Jesse Buckley gives the performance of a lifetime but it’s not the best movie of the year. Love Chloe Zhao and I’m happy she bounced back critically after her foray into Marveldom. 

Hahahahah. Avatar 3 didn’t get nominated. I didn’t see it because those movies suck but it seems like my take is starting to catch on with the masses. 

Ryan Coogler directed his ass off with Sinners but that movie is overrated. If you want to crown it, then crown it but it’s like the 20th best movie I saw last year. If we’re going prestige horror, I prefer Zach Greger’s Weapons. That said. I’d be happy if Michael B Jordan won a Best Actor Oscar for killing it as two distinctive characters. He’s been great and I think he’s due. 

And yet, the best performance of the year was Timothee Chalamet in Martin Supremo. Not even close. Case closed.  Despite making money at the box office, it seems Timmy’s swagger is starting to make him unintentionally turn heel. As a fellow wrestling fan, I love it but his mouth is going to cost him an Oscar he earned. That has to sting a little. Michael B. Jordan kept his mouth shut and might win gold now. 

I love my Dad too much to really connect with Sentimental Value. Hell, I love both my parents. Did it take some therapy? Yes, but I put in that work long before I watched this on a Delta flight over the holidays and realized I should have watched a Superhero or dumb action film. All-in-all, a well made dramatic film with some superb performances but not worthy of Oscar adulation. 

What else is nominated. Thinking… Thinking… Thinking… 

Bugonia is better than I expected and shows Yorgos really is that guy. Jenn and I saw him at NYFF when we were hoping Pedro Almodovar would walk out. Mike Leigh walked by and no one gave shit and it was pretty surreal. Shout out to my friend Josh who convinced me to see this movie at BAM, which is still a great theater. Stavros Gang (even though his character freaked me out). 

Brazilians know how to make great movies and The Secret Agent deserves this late dark horse push it been receiving. Very stylish, incredibly well made and it features a mulilayered, nuanced performance from Wagner Maura. 

Heck the haters, F1 deserves this nomination. Frankenstein was so bad that it made me start to question my relationship to Guillermo Del Toro’s work. Which feels weird because he had one of the best Q&A’s I’ve ever seen with Baz Lurhman during the Elvis (2022) awards push. Train Dreams is solid but I’m not one of those people that like Diet-Terence Malick. Having the coach from Remember the Titans narrate made this feel like a Kevin Costner movie. Only it starred Joel Edgarton with a beard. 

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Rick’s 2025 Letterboxd Summary

A short summary of Rick’s 2025 activity on Letterboxd.

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Older Movies I watched in 2025 in the order I  watched them:

Though I didn't watch 400 movies this year, as I did the last two, my nickname is now the Lochness Monster because I watched Tree Fiddy (350 movies).

On December 31, I'll post my Best of 2025.

1/1/25 - Frenzy (1972) 

1/2/25 - Mad Dog Morgan (1976) 

1/3/25 - Emilia Perez (2024) 

1/5/25 - Speak No Evil (2024) 

1/6/25 - Polytechnique (2009) 

1/10/25 - Anora (2024) 

1/11/25 - Gattaca (1997) 

1/12/25 - Den of Thieves (2018) 

1/12/25 - Atomic Blonde (2017) 

1/13/25 - Undisputed II: The Last Man Standing (2006) 

1/14/25 - Lift (2024) 

1/14/25 - The Debt Collector (2018) 

1/14/25 - (500) Days of Summer (2009) 

1/14/25 - Haywire (2011) 

1/15/25 - THX 1138 (1971) 

1/16/25 - The Promised Land (2023)

1/16/25 - Ready Player One (2018) 

1/16/25 - The Platform (2019) 

1/16/25 - Judge Dredd (1995) 

1/18/25 - Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary (2024) 

1/18/25 - Sunlight (1957) 

1/19/25 - Red Cliff (2008) 

1/20/25 - The Boys from Brazil (1978) 

1/22/25 - Blue Velvet (1986) 

1/22/25 - Eraserhead (1977) 

1/23/25 - Bullfight (1965) 

1/23/25 - Witch Madness (2000) 

1/23/25 - David Lynch: The Art Life (2016) 

1/20/25 - Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain (2023) 

1/25/25 - The Stepford Wives (2004) 

1/25/25 - Gang Related (1997)

2/1/25 - Body Double (1984) 

2/1/25 - Greetings (1968) 

2/1/25 - Fannie's Film (1981) 

2/8/25 - Sleepless (2017) 

2/8/25 - The Informer (2019) 

2/9/25 - Half Nelson (2006) 

2/9/25 - Cleopatra (1934) 

2/15/25 - The Wrong Man (19560 

2/15/25 - To Be Free (2017)

2/16/25 - 6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park (2011) 

2/16/25 - The Last Showgirl (2024) 

2/17/25 - The Daytrippers (1996) 

2/22/25 - Metropolitan (1990) 

2/22/25 - Midnight Mass (2021) 

2/23/25 - Losing Ground (1982) 

2/23/25 - The Goodbye Girl (1977) 

2/24/25 - Year of the Dragon (1985) 

3/1/25 - Topaz (1969) 

3/1/25 - Ratatouille (2007) 

3/8/25 - Down with Love (2003) 

3/9/25 - They Were Expendable (1945) 

3/9/25 - Just Go with It (2011) 

3/9/25 - Legally Blonde (2001) 

3/12/25 - Pirated! (2000) 

3/12/25 - Reckless Eyeballing (2005) 

3/12/25 - A New England Document (2020) 

3/15/25 - Zero for Conduct (1933) 

3/15/25 - Steamboat Willie (1928) 

3/15/25 - The Haunted House (1929) 

3/15/25 - The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) 

3/16/25 - Woman of Tokyo (1933) 

3/16/25 - People on Sunday (1930) 

3/17/25 - Mississippi Burning (1988) 

3/22/25 - The Wild Robot (2024) 

3/23/25 - Mississippi Masala (1991) 

3/30/25 - Safe in Hell (1931) 

3/30/25 - A Working Man (2025) 

3/30/25 - The Accountant (2016) 

4/1/25 - Killshot (2008) 

4/2/25 - Voices of the Morning (1992) 

4/4/25 - Alive in France (2017) 

4/7/25 - The Offence (1973) 

4/10/25 - Rusty Knife (1958) 

4/12/25 - World Without End (1958) 

4/12/25 - Hi, Mom! (1970) 

4/13/25 - Alias Nick Beal (1949) 

4/13/25 - Shoplifters (2018) 

4/14/25 - The Running Man (1987) 

4/16/25 - Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) 

4/18/25 - Falling in Love (1984) 

4/18/25 - The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) 

4/19/25 - Across 110th Street (1972) 

4/19/25 - Pride & Prejudice (2005) 

4/19/25 - Drive (2011) 

4/20/25 - The American Friend (1977) 

4/22/25 - Ran (1985) 

4/26/25 - Last Embrace (1979) 

4/27/25 - Suspicion (1941) 

4/27/25 - Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) 

4/29/25 - Frankie and Johnny (1991) 

5/1/25 - Normal Mailer vs. Fun City (1970) 

5/3/25 - The Lady Vanishes (1938) 

5/3/25 - Chronicle (2012) 

5/4/25 - The Sugarland Express (1974) 

5/8/25 - Copycat (1995) 

5/11/25 - Hardware Wars (1978) 

5/11/25 - The Adventures of Tintin (2011) 

5/11/25 - Amistad (1997) 

5/17/25 - Friendship (2024) 

5/18/25 - Furious: A Mad Max Saga (2024) 

5/18/25 - Fannie’s Film (1981) 

5/25/25 - The Plot Against Harry (1971) 

5/26/25 - Kraven the Hunter (2024) 

5/30/25 - The Nightingale (2018)

5/31/25 - The Challenge (1938)

5/31/25 - Bulldog Drummond in Africa (1938) 

6/1/25 - Coogan’s Bluff (1968) 

6/1/25 - King of New York (1990) 

6/1/25 - King of New York (1990) 

6/1/25 - Entr’acte (1924) 

6/2/25 - Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) 

6/10/25 - Danger: Biabolik (1968)

6/10/25 - Hardball (2001) 

6/11/25 -Swing Shift (1984) 

6/11/25 - Trisha Brown’s Accumulation with Talking Plus Watermotor 

6/11/25 - Fighting Mad (1976) 

6/11/25 - Who Am I This Time? (1982) 

6/12/25 - The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) 

6/13/25 - The Agronomist (2004) 

6/13/25 - Protection Not Protest: The People of Standing Rock (2016) 

6/14/25 - Audition (1999) 

6/15/25 - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014) 

6/15/25 - A Master Builder (2013) 

6/15/25 - The Truth About Charlie (2002) 

6/17/25 - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015)

6/20/25 - Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006) 

6/21/25 - What’s Motivating Hayes (2015) 

6/27/25 - Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids (2016) 

7/1/25 - Paris is Burning (1990) 

7/2/25 - Citizen’s Band (1977) 

7/2/25 - Ricki and the Flash (2015) 

7/3/25 - Swimming to Cambodia (1987) 

7/3/25 - Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) 

7/5/25 - Jumanji (1995) 

7/5/25 - Senna (2010) 

7/5/25 - That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) 

7/6/25 - Despicable Me 2 (2013) 

7/7/25 - Turn in the Wound (2024) 

7/7/25 - Wanda (1970) 

7/9/25 - A Short Film About the Long Career of Abel Ferrara (2004) 

7/9/25 - Six Degrees of Separation (1993) 

7/10/25 - The Adventures of Schooly D: Professional Snowboarder (

7/11/25 - Lilith (1964) 

7/11/25 - “The Trouble with Harry’ Isn’t Over (2001) 

7/13/25 - Bully (2001) 

7/13/25 - Flatbush! Flatbush! (2021) 

7/13/25 - The Kings of Summer (2013) 

7/13/25 - Tetris (2013) 

7/15/25 - Family Plot (1976) 

7/15/25 - Minions (2015) 

7/15/25 - Sea Countryman (1955) 

7/15/25 - Islands of Fire (1955) 

7/16/25 - Venom: The Last Dance (2024) 

7/18/25 - The Station Agent (2003) 

7/18/25 - Heretic (2024) 

7/22/25 - Bad Lieutenant (1992) 

7/22/25 - The Last Emperor (1987) 

7/23/25 - Oslo, August 31st (2011) 

7/24/25 - Mulberry St. (2010) 

7/24/25 - 42 One Dream Rush (Abel’s movie) 2010

7/24/25 - Mylène Farmer: California (1996) 

7/25/25 - Go Go Tales (2007) 

7/25/25 - Legal Smuggling with Christine Choy (2016) 

7/26/25 - High-Rise (2015 

7/27/25 - Passion (2012) 

7/27/25 - Cloud (2024) 

7/28/25 - Weekend (1967) 

7/28/25 - Romper Stomper (1992) 

7/29/25 - China Girl (1987) 

7/30/25 - Nonstop (2021) 

7/30/25 - Thieves’ Highway (1949) 

7/30/25 - Scaffold (2017) 

7/31/25 - He Ran All the Way (1951) 

7/31/25 - The Big Night (1951) 

7/31/25 - The Breaking Point (1950) 

8/1/25 - Out of the Fog (1941) 

8/1/25 - Despicable Me 4 (2024) 

8/1/25 - Mower Minions (2016) 

8/1/25 - Super Gidget (2019) 

8/1/25 - Yellow is the New Black (2018) 

8/1/25 - Eddie’s Life Coach (2017) 

8/1/25 - Competition (2015)

8/2/25 - China Moon (1994) 

8/3/25 - Julien Donkey-Boy (1999) 

8/3/25 - Christo’s Valley Curtain (1974) 

8/3/25 - Murder on the Orient Express (1974) 

8/4/25 - Get a Job (2016) 

8/7/25 - Fast Company (1979) 

8/8/25 - Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (2010) 

8/9/25 - La Llorona (2019) 

8/10/25 - Bring It One (2000) 

8/10/25 - Jurassic Park III (2001) 

8/11/25 - Under Pressure: Making ‘The Abyss’ (1993)

8/14/25 - Jurassic World Dominion (2022) 

8/14/25 - Light Sleeper (1992) 

8/15/25 - The 355 (2022) 

8/16/25 - Happiness (1998) 

8/17/25 - Wolfs (2024) 

8/18/25 - Mysterious Skin (2004) 

8/19/25 - Satan Met a Lady (1936) 

8/23/25 - The Edge of Democracy (2019) 

8/27/25 - A Prayer (2013) 

8/30/25 - The Toxic Avenger (2023) 

9/1/25 - Auto Focus (2002) 

9/5/25 - Dog Eat Dog (2016) 

9/6/25 - In the Company of Men (1997) 

9/6/25 - Searching for Sugar Man (2012) 

9/13/25 - The Bad Guys (2022) 

9/13/25 - Pump Up the Volume (1990) 

9/13/25 - The Witch (2015) 

9/14/25 - Prince of Egypt (1998) 

9/15/25 - Style Wars (1983) 

9/15/25 - Affliction (1997) 

9/16/25 - Deathtrap (1982) 

9/16/25 - 100 Boyfriends Mixtape (The Demo) (2016) 

9/17/25 - The Beauty of Horror: Paul Schrader on The Comfort of Strangers (2020) 

9/17/25 - The Comfort of Strangers (1990) 

9/17/25 - Paul Schrader: Man in a Room (2020) 

9/19/25 - All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022) 

9/20/25 - Port of Shadows (1938) 

9/24/25 - Out of Time (2003) 

9/25/25 - Patty Hearst (9/25/25) 

9/27/25 - Terms of Endearment (1983) 

9/29/25 - Walk for Me (2016) 

10/1/25 - Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) 

10/1/25 - El Topo (1970) 

10/2/25 - Touch (1997) 

10/2/25 - Rolling Thunder (1977) 

10/3/25 - M3GAN (2022)

10/6/25 - Apocalypse in the Tropics (2024) 

10/6/25 - Cat People (1982) 

10/6/25 - Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) 

10/7/25 - Tales from the Hood (1995) 

10/7/25 - Geometry (1987) 

10/7/25 - Shivers (1975) 

10/7/25 - Stereo (Tile 3B of a CAEE Educational Mosaic) (1969) 

10/8/25 - Crimes of the Future (1970) 

10/9/25 - Spider (2002) 

10/9/25 - The Death of David Cronenberg (2021) 

10/9/25 - Camera (2000) 

10/13/25 - House of Wax (1953) 

10/18/25 - The Cremator (1969)

10/19/25 - The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) 

10/21/25 - Queen of the Damned (2002) 

10/21/25 - Krampus (2015) 

10/23/25 - Lights Out (2016) 

10/23/25 - The Stepfather (1987) 

10/24/25 - Presence (2024) 

10/24/25 - The Man Who Laughs (1928) 

10/25/25 - Suicide by Sunlight (2019) 

10/25/25 - Altered States (1980) 

10/25/25 - Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) 

10/29/25 - Pitfall (1962) 

10/29/25 - Nosferatu (1922) 

10/31/25 - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932) 

11/1/25 - Stand Up (2008) 

11/1/25 - The Pub (2012) 

11/5/25 - Hot Biskits (1931) 

11/5/25 - Boys State (2020) 

11/6/25 - The Gold Rush (1925)

11/7/25 - 1408 (2007) 

11/7/25 - The Unknown (1927) 

11/8/25 - Who’s Afraid of the Virginia Wolf (1966) 

11/12/25 - Burnt Milk (2023) 

11/15/25 - Klute (1971) 

11/16/25 - Dark Blue (2002) 

11/19/25 - From Russia with Love (1963) 

11/19/25 - Side Street (1949) 

11/20/25 - Inside ‘From Russia with Love’ (2000) 

11/21/25 - Thirteen Women (1932) 

11/21/25 - The Marksman (2021) 

11/21/25 - Cobra (1986) 

11/22/25 - Deadline at Dawn (1946) 

11/22/25 - A Dangerous Method (2011) 

11/23/25 - Even Dwarves Started Small (1970) 

11/24/25 - Transfer (1966) 

11/24/25 - From the Drain (1967) 

11/24/25 - At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World at the Last Cinema in the World (2007) 

11/24/25 - The Nest (2013) 

11/24/25 - Return to Oz (1985) 

11/30/25 - Brewster McCloud (1970) 

12/1/25 - The Third Man (1949) 

12/2/25 - Cruel Intentions (1999) 

12/6/25 - Finding Nemo (2003) 

12/6/25 - Turning Red (2022) 

12/7/25 - The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) 

12/11/25 - God’s Angry Man (1981) 

12/11/25 - Maps to the Stars (2014) 

12/14/25 - The Newton Boys (1998) 

12/15/25 - Shadow of the Vampire (2000) 

12/21/25 - Huie’s Sermon (1981) 

12/24/25 - One Froggy Evening (1955) 

12/27/25 - The Life of Chuck (2024) 

12/29/25 - Crooklyn (1994) 

12/29/25 - A Bronx Tale (1993) 

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Albums/Playlists I’ve Listened to in 2025

The Smiths “The Smiths”

That Mexican OT “Texas Technician”

Tee Grizzley “My Moment”

Modern Hip-Hop (2017-) That I Actually Like Playlist

Clipse “Re-Up Gang the Saga Continues”

Paul Wall “The Great Wall”

Exercise Part IV Playlist

Motorhead “The Bomber Demos - EP”

Crossfade “Crossfade”

Shinedown “Three Six Five / Dance, Kid, Dance - Single”

Bush Essentials

Shinedown Essentials

AFI “Bodies”

Old School Jamz #7 Playlist

Shinedown “Three Six Five / Dance, Kid, Dance - Single”

AC/DC “Back in Black”

Deftones “Ohms”

Husky Gawenda “The Rocket Ship is Haunted”

Phil Collins & Mark Mancina “Tarzan (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)”

High On Fire “Cometh the Storm”

High On Fire “The Art of Self Defense”

Various Artists “Lost Highway (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)”

J. Cole “Might Delete Later”

Best of Buttrock Playlist

Recover “Ceci N’est Pas Recover - EP”

Nirvana “Nirvana”

Paul Wall “The People’s Champ”

Turnstile “Turnstile Love Connection - EP”

Faith No More “Angel Dust”

Silverchair “The Best of Silverchair, Vol. 1”

Rush “2112”

Rush “A Farewell to Kings”

Rush “Fly By Night”

Rush “Hemispheres”

Rush “Permanent Waves”

Rush “Moving Pictures”

Rush “Signals”

Rush “Grace Under Pressure”

Ryuichi Sakamato Essentials

Johnny Paycheck “Take This Job and Shove It”

Philip Glass “Koyaanisqatsi”

One Republic Essentials

Gojira “Fortitude”

Charley Crockett “Lonesome Drifter”

Johnny Paycheck “Take This Job and Shove It”

Sturgill Simpson “Metamodern Sounds in Country Music”

Charley Crockett “Lil G.L. Presents: Jukebox Charley”

Power Trip “Nightmare Logic”

Bring Me the Horizon Essentials

AFI “Burials”

The Smiths “Hatful of Hollow”

Angel Du$t “YAK: A Collection Of Truck Songs”

Kings of Leon Essentials

Bon Iver “SABLE, fABLE”

Bon Iver “i,i”

Bon Iver Essentials

Johnny Paycheck “11 Months and 29 Days”

Bon Iver Essentials

Turnstile “NEVER ENOUGH”

My Morning Jacket “is”

Silverchair “Tomorrow - EP”

The Zombies “Odessey and Oracle”

Rooney “Rooney”

The Zombies “Begin Here”

The Zombies “Odessey and Oracle”

Clipse “Let God Sort ‘Em Out”

Ozzy Osbourne “Blizzard of Ozz (40th Anniversary Expanded Edition)”

Ty Segall “Posession”

Cam’ron Essentials

Deer Tick’s 2024 Tour Set List

JACKBOYS & Travis Scott “JACKBOYS 2”

Drive-By Truckers Essentials

Favorites Mix Playlist 7/22 -

7/28

Justin Bieber “SWAG”

Bush “I Beat Loneliness”

Sturgill Simpson “Metamodern Sounds in Country Music”

Kings of Leon “Can We Please Have Fun”

Arcade Fire “Pink Elephant”

Pusha T “Daytona”

Kind of Leon “Because of the Times”

KLC: The Producers

Clipse “Let God Sort ‘Em Out”

Arcade Fire “Pink Elephant”

Dijon “Baby”

Bob Moses “The Silence in Between”

Kings of Leon “Aha Shake Heartbreak”

Bring Me the Horizon Essentials

Deftones “private music”

Sade Essentials

Giorgio Moroder: The Producers

112 Essentials

Various Artists “Escape From LA (Music From and Inspired by the Film)”

Doing Dishes Bitches Playlist

The Strokes “Is This It?”

Giorgio Moroder “Cat People (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)”

Big Tymers “Big Ballin - EP”

Faith No More “Album of the Year”

Iggy Pop “Lust for Life”

Mustard “Faith of a Mustard Seed”

Chief Keef & Mike WiLL Made-It “DIRTY NACHOS”

Metro Boomin & DJ Spinz “Metro Boomin Presents: Futuristic Summa”

Various Artists (The Sex Pistols and Iggy Pop) “Punk International”

DJ Paul: The Producers

The Modern Lovers “The Modern Lovers”

Nas “The Freestyles”

U-God “Dopium”

Tame Impala “Deadbeat”

Less Than Jake “Hello Rockview”

Favorites Mix 11/4 - 11/10

Say She She “Prism”

Coheed and Cambria “No World for Tomorrow”

AFI “Burials”

Florida Georgia Line Essentials

112 Essentials

The Avett Brothers, Mikey Patton AVTT/PTTN “AVTT/PTTN”

Young & Sick “Lost at Sea - EP”

Falling in Reverse “Popular Monster”

Skrillex “hit me where it hurts x - EP”

Favorites Mix 11/25 - 12/1

Sleep Token “Even in Arcadia”

AFI “Burials”

21 Savage & Metro Boomin “Savage Mode”

Nas & DJ Premier “Light-Years”

21 Savage “WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS?”

Justin Bieber “SWAG I”

Conway the Machine “You Can’t Kill God With Bullets”

Mastodon “Hushed and Grim”

Deftones “private music”

Militarie Gun “God Save the Gun”

Ultimate Exercise Mix

Soulwax “All Systems Are Lying”

Bon Iver “SABLE, fABLE”

Clipse “Let God Sort ‘Em Out”

Steve Winwood Essentials

Wow, you made it this far. Though I did listen to more new music this year, I still did my usual deep dives and mainly listened to the music I know as a release after work or while doing chores around the apartment.

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TV Shows I Watched in 2025

*This list is in the order we (my wife and I) watched these shows, not the their ranking. If I did rank these shows, Pluribus would be #1, The Chair Company #2 and Your Mom a close #3 (okay, Task would be #3 but I do want to thank all the mothers, especially yours). *Only seasons we completed (minus Stumble, which is still being released but we'll definitely finish) are included.

AP Bio S2, S3, S4 Squid Game S2, S3 The Franchise S1 Midnight Mass The Night Agent S2 Abbott Elementary S4 (back nine) + Front 9 S5 White Lotus S3 Righteous Gemstones S4 The Last of Us S2 The Studio S1 Stick S1 Your Friends and Neighbors S1 Amy Bradley is Missing Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari Industry S1 Yogurt Shop Murders Platonic S1 Task S1 Murdaugh: Death in the Family The Chair Company S1 Pluribus S1 Stumble S1

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Books I Read in 2025

Coming into this year, my goal was to read 20 books and I did. Many of these I've owned for years and I'm in desperate need of shelf space. Also, I can't believe it's time to start my year end wrap ups, but hey, here we are.

Talk - Alison Wood Brooks How To Win A Fight - Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder Mythology 101 - Kathleen Sears Become What You Are - Alan Watts Memoirs of A Professional Cad - George Sanders Goodfellas (The Complete Screenplay) - Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi Drive - Daniel H. Pink Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety - Sally M. Winston & Martin N. Seif Film Scheduling - Ralph S. Singleton Prop Man - Ross MacDonald & Steven Heller Do or Die - Léon Bing "That time in my life left a lasting impression in so many ways..." NYC Texts (Sorry, I forgot to write the name down but this was an art project turned into a book that I bought at a museum years ago) The Answer - Philip Wylie Instincts of a Talent Agent - Marc Guss Show Your Work - Austin Kleon Bounce Back - John Calipari Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds - Michael Hauge Oscar Wars - Michael Schulman Creative Producing From A to Z - Myrl A. Schreibman Hard to Watch - Matthew Strohl The Future Was Now - Chris Nashawaty

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HUBRIS: arrogance

I just looked up the word hubris for the first time. Like I always kind of knew what it meant but not really.

Funny how that happens and then one day you’re middle aged and reading an article and finally check to confirm you were right all along.

Or, maybe you weren’t.

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The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

Podcast Episode · The Daily · 08/14/2025 · 41m

There’s no paywall for another day (8/19) so please feel free to film geek out to this really well produced and thoughtful podcast episode

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Weapons Reviews

August 7th, 2025

Weapons answers the question of what if a former comedic actor turned solid horror filmmaker tried to make a 5 star ensemble film about trauma (and school shootings)? The answer is a 3.75 star film that features some incredible performances and moments but doesn’t quite land the plane.

August 13th, 2025

After a middling experience on my first watch, I went back to theaters - something I rarely do despite my stature as a film historian of note - for another helping of high tension in Zach Cregger's dissesction of middle America, Weapons.  With this rewatch, my big takeaways are that I missed a lot of the comedic moments originally ("Oh fuck, Willow!"), instead, overthinking the messaging of the film and not realizing it's a pretty straightforward horror film about a witch's reign of terror.  Nevertheless, the film does explore weighty topics and the main reason I went back to "see it again" is a review from a fellow Letterboxd friend  (https://boxd.it/aEfoMt) that explored the theme of elderly feeding off the youth and the negative effects it's had on our society. Amy Madigan's (the wife/Mom in Field of Dreams) performance is hilarious and terrifying, which is one of my favorite combos, but she's representational of the vampiric drain of natural resources the Boomer's have suckled from forthcoming generations of Americans.  Another moment that was so obvious on the rewatch is Josh Brolin, who could be up for a best supporting nomination, clearly states the name and one of the main themes of the movie in the scene with Julia Garner about tracking his son Matthew's movement from his house the night of the disappearance. "It's like he was weaponized to go there." That simple line lays forth such an honest truth about modern culture: we've all been weaponized by our beliefs and divisions are only intensified by addictions and a lack of empathy. When something seemingly random and traumatic happens, it distorts our worldviews and becomes something to lash out against.  One apsect that didn't work for me on the original viewing and still bothered here: the film loses all momentum once it's revealed the Aunt is a witch and the movie is not some great school shooting shooting metaphor. And yes, the fucked-up occult scenes are cool and somewhat scary but the whole sequence with bullied kid Alex drags. Does the audience get a fantastically gory ending? Yes, it does, but once we get the twist it takes an eternity to get to the final showdowns.  For anyone that made it this far, cheers! I hate writing long reviews. In the tradition of Only God Forgives, Miami Vice and Furiosa, I enjoyed my rewatch much more than the first and can see Weapons becoming one of my favorites for 2025 but that third act is still what's holding me back from a rating any higher than 4 stars.

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“That’s all right,” she answered. The voice was a controlled thing, almost aloof. There was a touch of New Hampshire in it. “I saw the car coming before you did. Those girls would have run you down.”

From Harlan Ellison’s (writing as Paul Marchant) “Sex Gang”

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Naked Gun is really funny and people should see it in theaters.

Please support comedy films in theaters.

✌️

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Box Office: ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Surpasses $750 Million, ‘F1’ Becomes Brad Pitt’s Highest-Grossing Movie Ever

"Jurassic World Rebirth" and "F1" each hit notable box office milestones.

Lately, I’ve been keeping up with the trades again. Mainly cause July was a slow month but also because cinematrix has the box office questions and I’m trying to win every game.

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‘Sinners’ and ‘Superman’ Are Hits, but Superheroes and Horror Movies Are No Longer Box Office Guarantees

'Sinners' and 'Superman' were hits, but not everything of the horror and superhero ilk is resonating at the box office.

Sorry Hollywood executives, it’s time to go back to taking risks and making movies for adults again, not just teenagers and children

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Robin Williams’ ‘Popeye’ Had the ‘Most Coked-Up Film Set’ and ‘Everyone Was Stoned,’ Says Former Studio Boss: ‘They Were Shipping’ Cocaine i

Former Paramount Pictures boss Barry Diller says "Popeye" had the most "coked-up film set" he's ever seen.

❄️👃🏽🎥

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Oscar Thoughts 2025

For the second time in 4 years, I will be watching the Oscars in a hotel room by myself. The last time was 2022 and the slap heard round the world gave the proceedings a charged, chaotic energy that the awards had been missing since Parasite’s win in 2020.

In honor of tonight’s ceremony, I’m bringing back one of my most popular segments, Oscar Thoughts.

1. No amount of counter argument will make me believe that 2024 wasn’t a down year for movies. It’s 100% because of the writer’s and actors’ strikes that crippled the industry in 2023 and frankly, we’re still feeling the effects of stateside.

2. Dune II was the best movie of last year and it was never taken seriously as a contender. Therefore, I’m not taking this year’s show seriously. Will I watch? Yes, I want to see how it all shakes out but when the best movie of the year isn’t in serious contention, mentally, I’m out.

3. If Anora wins, I’ll have friends who worked on back to back Best Picture winners and I believe it will be the first Oscar movie to have multiple scenes of nude twerking.

4. By January 1st, I’m pretty much done watching screeners and ready to move on to Dumpuary gold like Den of Thieves: Pantera. 2025 has proven to be no different as I never sat down for 7 hours and watched The Brutalist. Sorry, Brady. I’ve worked with you on The Crowded Room and met you on a commercial for Josh Mond and the borderline crew years ago. You’re a great director and I’m happy you have a legit chance to win an Oscar.

5. Regardless of all the terrible tweets the lead actress of Emilia Perez sent, that was a daring, exciting musical soap opera that could have been 5 stars without some of the questionable song choices. Please give Zoe Saldana the Oscar she deserves.

6. Though I haven’t seen I’m Still Here, are we really trying to say Demi Moore’s performance in The Substance was better than Mikey Madison? Really? Cue up the Tim Robinson meme please. That said, I was rooting for Demi because of her amazing career arc and I really enjoyed The Substance but an Anora rewatch forced me to re-evaluate Madison’s work and she gave the best performance of 2024.

7. No Best Supporting nod for Denzel for Gladiator 2? Yes, the CGI animals are ridiculous and the movie never quite gels like fans of the original wanted it to but Denzel carries that movie and is exceptional in it.

8. Even with that notoriously bad ending, Conclave deserves Best Screenplay. That or September 5, which probably isn’t nominated (checking… it is nominated!). Okay, now having checked the nominations, Conclave deserves Best Adapted Screenplay and September 5th Best Original Screenplay.

9. Though I didn’t love the overall film, Nosferatu deserves a lot of the below the line and technical awards. Cinematography, Production and Costume Design, as well as Makeup and Hair. Even a hater like me sees the incredible craftsmanship of Nosferatu.

10. Speed Round: Nickel Boys is overrated (the POV style choice was incredibly distracting), Wicked was good big budget spectacle but not an Oscar movie, Timothee Chalamet comparing himself to Michael Jordan was laughable when we all know he’s more of a Steph Curry, Sing Sing was the most emotionally stirring film and has received no real attention - what the hell? And, in closing, I’ll never watch The Apprentice because I’m done supporting Donald Trump content. Because, well, fuck that guy and fuck you too. Thanks!