It Was Just an Accident – Highest 2 Lowest – Train Dreams – Sinners – Eddington – Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning – If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

2025: World Premieres
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2025: Chicago Festival

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The Movies of 2025: World Premieres
 By Title // By Grade // By VOR Rating  (what's this?) // Last update: November 9, 2025

Full Listing of Films Screened
= Full Review   /   = Capsule   /   = Feature or Blog Post   /   = Grain of Salt

⑤  Indispensable to film fans, even if it's flawed

Eddington Dir. Ari Aster. Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone B+
Highest 2 Lowest Dir. Spike Lee. Denzel Washington, Ilfenesh Hadera B
If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Dir. Mary Bronstein. Rose Byrne, Delaney Quinn B+
It Was Just an Accident Dir. Jafar Panahi. Vahid Mobaseri, Ebrahim Azizi B+
My Father's Shadow Dir. Akinola Davies. Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Chibuike Egbo B
One Battle After Another Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson. Leonardo DiCaprio A
Resurrection Dir. Bi Gan. Jackson Yee, Shu Qi, Mark Chao, Chen Yongzhong B–
The Secret Agent Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho. Wagner Moura, Robério Diógenes B
Short Summer Dir. Nastia Korkia. Maiia Pleshkevich, Aleksandr Karpushin A–
Silent Friend Dir. Ildikó Enyedi. Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Luna Wedler, Enzo Brumm A
Sinners Dir. Ryan Coogler. Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Wunmi Mosaku B–
Sirāt Dir. Oliver Laxe. Sergi López, Bruno Núñez Arjona, Jade Oukid A
Sound of Falling Dir. Mascha Schilinski. Hanna Heckt, Greta Krämer A

④  Good or bad, this is risky and original work

Black Rabbit, White Rabbit Dir. Shahram Mokri. Hasti Mohammai B
Cactus Pears Dir. Rohan Parashuram Kanawade. Bhushaan Manoj A–
Die, My Love Dir. Lynn Ramsay. Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson A–
Drunken Noodles Dir. Lucio Castro. Laith Khalifeh, Joél Isaac, Celine Costa B+
A House of Dynamite Dir. Kathryn Bigelow. Rebecca Ferguson, Tracy Letts B+
The Love That Remains Dir. Hlynur Pálmason. Saga Garðarsdóttir B+
Magellan Dir. Lav Diaz. Gael García Bernal, Dario Yazbek Bernal B+
The Mastermind Dir. Kelly Reichardt. Josh O'Connor, Alana Haim B
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Dir. Christopher McQuarrie B–
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo Dir. Diego Céspedes. Tamara Cortés B–
Palestine 36 Dir. Annemarie Jacir. Karim Daoud Anaya, Yasmine El Massri B
Roofman Dir. Derek Cianfrance. Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, LaKeith Stanfield A
Strange River Dir. Jaume Claret Muxart. Jan Monter, Nausicaa Bonnin B
The Tale of Silyan Dir. Tamara Kotevska. Documentary about farmers and storks B+
Train Dreams Dir. Clint Bentley. Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Nathaniel Arcand B
Two Prosecutors Dir. Sergei Loznitsa. Alexander Kuznetsov B+
A Useful Ghost Dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke. Wisarut Homhuan B+
The Voice of Hind Rajab Dir. Kaouther Ben Hania. Motaz Malhees, Saja Kilani B
We Are Pat Dir. Ro Hamer. Documentary about androgynous SNL figure B+
Wind, Talk to Me Dir. Stefan Đorđević. Stefan Đorđević, Negrica Đorđević B+

③  Try to make time, but don't cry if you miss it

After the Hunt Dir. Luca Guadagnino. Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri B–
Anemone Dir. Rowan Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Bean, Samantha Morton B
Anything That Moves Dir. Alex Phillips. Hal Baum, Jiana Nicole, Jack Dunphy B–
Below the Clouds Dir. Gianfranco Rosi. Documentary about modern Naples B+
Blue Moon Dir. Richard Linklater. Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley C
Bugonia Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos. Jesse Plemons, Emma Stone, Aidan Delbis C–
Christy Dir. David Michôd. Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Merritt Wever C+
The Currents Dir. Milagros Mumenthaler. Isabel Aimé González Sola B–
Emi Dir. Ezequiel Erriquez Mena. Benicio Mutti Spinetta, Alejandro Scaravelli C+
Frankenstein Dir. Guillermo del Toro. Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth C–
Hamnet Dir. Chloé Zhao. Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson B
Lurker Dir. Alex Russell. Théodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe, Sunny Suljic B–
Materialists Dir. Celine Song. Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans D+
Mickey 17 Dir. Bong Joon-ho. Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Mark Ruffalo C
Miroirs No. 3 Dir. Christian Petzold. Paula Beer, Barbara Auer, Matthias Brandt B
The Naked Gun Dir. Akiva Schaffer. Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson B–
Nouvelle Vague Dir. Richard Linklater. Guillaume Marbeck, Zoey Deutch B
Only Heaven Knows Dir. Nurzhamal Karamoldoeva. Malika Kanatova B+
The Phoenician Scheme Dir. Wes Anderson. Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton B–
Sorry, Baby Dir. Eva Victor. Eva Victor, Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges B–
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere Dir. Scott Cooper. Jeremy Allen White B–
The Stranger Dir. François Ozon. Benjamin Voisin, Rebecca Marder C+
Weapons Dir. Zach Cregger. Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich B–

②  Even if it's good, it's hardly groundbreaking

28 Years Later Dir. Danny Boyle. Alfie Williams, Aaron Taylor-Johnson D
Black Bag Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett B–
Bring Her Back Dir. Danny and Michael Philippou. Sora Wong, Billy Barratt F
Dead Man's Wire Dir. Gus Van Sant. Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery B–
F1 Dir. Joseph Kosinski. Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon B–
Father Mother Sister Brother Dir. Jim Jarmusch. Tom Waits, Adam Driver C–
One Golden Summer Dir. Kevin Shaw. Documentary about Little League team B
The History of Sound Dir. Oliver Hermanus. Paul Mescal, Josh O'Connor B–
Jurassic World Rebirth Dir. Gareth Edwards. Scarlett Johansson C+
Kiss of the Spider Woman Dir. Bill Condon. Tonatiuh, Diego Luna C+
Lilo & Stitch Dir. Dean Fleischer Camp. Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders C–
Mārama Dir. Taratoa Stappard. Ariana Osborne, Toby Stephens, Umi Myers B–
New Group Dir. Yuta Shimotsu. Anna Yamada, Yuzu Aoki, Pierre Taki C+
The Smashing Machine Dir. Benny Safdie. Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt C+
Together Dir. Michael Shanks. Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Damon Herriman D–
The Wedding Banquet Dir. Andrew Ahn. Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan C+
What Marielle Knows Dir. Frédéric Hambalek. Julia Jentsch, Felix Kramer C+

①  Low ambition, little originality, easy to forget