Top 10 Movies of 2025

Greetings, reader!

Well, it is Christmas Day - but more importantly (kidding), it's the final Thursday of the year. For the sixth year in a row, that means that it's time for me to share my favorite films of 2025. It wasn't the best cinematic year of the 2020's, but it probably wasn't the worst either, as there were plenty of brilliant offerings! These are the top 10 movies of 2025.

Here are my honorable mentions: Britain and the Blitz (Ella Wright, 2025), Enigma (Zackary Drucker, 2025), One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2025), The Conjuring: Last Rites (Michael Chaves, 2025), Weapons (Zach Cregger, 2025).

10. O'Dessa (Geremy Jasper, 2025)

I know, I know - pretty hilarious of me to put a film with a whopping 5.0 on IMDB ahead of critical darlings like Weapons and One Battle After Another. The reasons for this are twofold; first, some of this year's most acclaimed movies were, despite doing many things right, more than a bit overrated and thus undeserving of a top 10 placement in my book. But more importantly - O'Dessa was fun as hell!

Sure, it's not the cohesive artistic masterwork that it strives to be, and I can see how the inherently messy tone would be a turn-off for many. But I enjoyed it - the film has heart, the tonal clash works when looking for a delightfully chaotic viewing experience, and the lead performane by Sadie Sink is everything. Mark my words - when the dust settles and all is said and done, Sink will be ahead of Chalamet and everyone when remembering this generation's finest actors.

9. Mountainhead (Jesse Armstrong, 2025)

Jesse Armstrong of Succession acclaim did a brilliant job writing and directing this eat-the-rich satire. The commentary may not be quite as deeply layered and nuanced as it is in his hit TV show, but that's okay - it doesn't have to be, as this project clearly meant to veer more into the 'entertaining dramedy' section with the real-world insight only being a secondary concern.

That being said, I felt that the film succeeded on both counts - it most definitely is entertaining and hilarious, and the satire, though heavy-handed, still makes for a thoroughly decent critique of the out-of-touch tech bro types who are currently running (and ruining) the world.

8. Mickey 17 (Bong Joon Ho, 2025)

I haven't read the book that this talked-about film from early in the year was based on, so I can't speak to its quality as an adaptation. What I can say is that the blockbuster visuals and overall grandiose production values alone make for an excellent viewing experience, while director Bong Joon Ho does a fantastic job balancing the humane elements of the storytelling with the room-to-breathe explorations of the vibrant milieu.

Robert Pattinson is a class act in the lead role, and the supporting roles by Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette make sure that the entire main cast delivers some dynamite acting. It's the kind of film that feels like it should be even higher on this list, but I have my share of minor critiques - ones that don't come near to ruining the film, but do push it a bit lower on this list than it could've otherwise been. Namely, the tone is a bit messy at times and the pacing a tad uneven, making the message of the story feel a bit unclear. Still, it's an overwhelmingly positive viewing experience overall!

7. Bullet Train Explosion (Shinji Higuchi, 2025)

If you've ever watched Speed (1994) and thought "Hey, this is great, but I wish there was a way to make it even more nerve-wracking", then boy, do I have the movie for you. In this brilliant Japanese thriller, we follow the passengers of a bullet train as a bomb on board becomes an imminent threat.

I enjoyed the entire runtime, although I kept thinking that the Speed influence was a tad too obvious - only to learn later that the original "there's a bomb on this vehicle and it'll go off it the vehicle goes below a certain speed" movie was from Japan in the 70's, and that this was a remake of that first and foremost, so the Americans were the real copycats all along (shocker, I know)! Anyhow, Bullet Train Explosion is a true edge-of-your-seat experience, particularly in its final act, and a very recommended one for fans of suspenseful thrillers.

6. Pikku Siperia (Dome Karukoski, 2025)

My favorite Finnish filmmaker continues to have just the most "never let them know your next move" career of all time, with the latest addition to his beautifully bizarre (and bizarrely beautiful) filmography being Pikku Siperia. Among my many reasons for liking this film was one very subjective one: the movie was shot in Northern Karelia, the very area that my fiancée and her family originate from, and specifically many key parts were shot in their very dear city of Nurmes. Seeing those familiar milieus in a big-budget Dome Karukoski film was cool as hell.

But it's not just that. In all its artistic surrealism, Pikku Siperia is the kind of film that is definitely not for everyone - but I'm among the ones it is for. The imagery is wild, the narrative confusing and the themes very much up for interpretation, but I love me a film like that. It's a head-scratcher for sure, but the atmosphere remains cohesive in its own peculiar way throughout it all, making the end result feel like there was a point to all the strangeness, and you sort of get the point on an emotional level even if you can't quite put it to words.

5. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Rian Johnson, 2025)

You know some film franchises have a clear shelf life, and you wish they'd stop making sequels after a certain point? Well, the Knives Out series is not one of those cases, and I wish they keep making more and more of these every few years as long as Daniel Craig is alive.

Seriously, the formula works so well - take a bunch of talented and well-known actors, put 'em into a whodunit with Benoit Blanc calling the shots, and shake the story around with multiple subversive plot twists. I loved the first Knives Out, I loved the second one, and this third one is no different in that regard.

There's a lot to praise here - the dynamic of the cast is entertaining, the mystery is highly intriguing and ultimately cleverly written, and the religious themes actually worked really well in my view. I like how the film shows a microcosmos of the whole truth: how corrupt and cultish organized religion can be at its worst, and what a beautiful thing faith can be at its best.

4. The Long Walk (Francis Lawrence, 2025)

This Stephen King adaptation doesn't just talk the talk, it...dammit, can't think of a good metaphor.

Anyhow, here's my two cents as a massive King fan: The Long Walk is a remarkable book-to-movie adaptation, and honestly one of the best of its kind. The plot follows that of the book in a loyal manner - except for the ending, but switching that up honestly works. But more importantly, it's the very specific atmosphere of the book that translates onto the big screen with even more care and detail than the plot. Watching the film feels just like reading the book did - the very same sort of grueling intensity, playing out almost like a physical experience as it progresses. If you loved the book, I guarantee you'll love the movie as well.

3. Superman (James Gunn, 2025)

HELL YES! It says something about Hollywood's direction that after a decade of comic book movie projects that try to reinvent the wheel by being subversive, artistic and morally grey in yet another combination of twists, the people were yearning for what comic book movies used to be all that time, and thus a Superman film with the old-school upbeat tone felt like just the biggest breath of fresh of air. More than that, however, it speaks to the times we are living when a film with a message that can be boiled down to "What if a guy was really nice and kind" feels equal parts empowering and groundbreaking. Like, in the perfect society, this would be just a movie among the rest of them, but in 2025, it felt like a warm hug and a reminder of humanity's core values. Thank you, Superman!

I could compliment pretty much any given aspect of this film at length, but I'll boil it down to a few essentials. Number one, the casting: David Corenswet was the exact right sweetheart with a heart-melting smile for the role of Superman, while Rachel Brosnahan kicks ass as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult made for the best Lex Luthor since Gene Hackman in the 70's. The score by David Fleming and John Murphy also deserves myriads of praise, as it takes nostalgic musical cues from the legendary John Williams soundtrack to the Christopher Reeve Superman films but arranges them into unforeseen levels of emotionally charged dramatics.

But, yeah, the film's biggest strength is the aspect that rightfully had people talking the most: the optimistic tone. It's a movie that'll make you feel better about the world and yourself, and not in a complacency-seeking "hang back, everything's gonna magically work out" way, but the more rare and important "we should all do our part and be kind to our fellow humans every day" way. The film had me laughing at times, smiling at others, pumping my fists whenever the Last Son theme played, and weeping at Superman's speech about humanity to Lex. Thank you, James Gunn, for this fun and much-needed film.

2. Sinners (Ryan Coogler, 2025)

In the 30's and 40's, the consensus for horror filmmakers in Hollywood was that the absolute scariest monster you can imagine is, well, a monster. You got your Frankensteins, your Wolf Men, your Draculas et cetera. Then, in the 50's and 60's, the trend changed to a different sort of plural monster - what could be scarier than zombies or mummies or The Birds? In the 70's and 80's, the consensus changed again - what's scarier than a *guy* with a *knife*, after all? After this craze of serial killers and slashers, the tide turned again - for the 90's and 00's, it was all about the dark-magic variety of the supernatural, with various curses and omens being the primary source of horror. Then, we were due for a new big horror trend for the next few decades - and we got one in 2017, with Jordan Peele making a statement with Get Out: maybe the scariest monster of them all is...white people.

In the wave of post-Get Out horror films that have continued its themes of social commentary and race relations in America, Ryan Coogler's Sinners has got to be my favorite. It's pretty amazing how a horror film about vampires became my 2nd-favorite movie of the year, even though I didn't find it particularly scary. The vampire stuff and more conventional horror elements are fine, but really, it's the beneath-the-surface material that makes Sinners as riveting and unforgettable as it is. The lines that are drawn between American history from the role of the church to the hard-hitting symbolism with the vampires, this film is as thought-provoking as the very best of them. Michael B. Jordan continues to prove that he's the Michael Jordan of actors, adding yet another sledgehammer lead performance to his filmography.

And finally, the role of music! I love it when civil rights movies aren't just about the suffering (not to belittle the importance of showing that side), but also feel like celebrations of the culture at hand. Trying to do both in the same film must be a tough line to walk, but Sinners manages to be a celebration of Black culture as much as it is a scorching indictment of white America's treatment of the Black community. The brilliant utilization of music really helps with that, and that one scene (if you've seen the film, you know which one I'm talking about) was just a tear-jerking, hauntingly beautiful testament to the rich tapestry of all-time great music traditions stemming from the Black community.

1. Wicked: For Good (Jon M. Chu, 2025)

How good of a musical is Wicked? Well, the second film is clearly not as good as the first, yet it's still my favorite movie of the year. That's a pretty amazing feat - I know For Good didn't please everyone, but I'm certainly among those for whom it got the job done.

Yes, I do see the point of those who were very critical of the film - I do agree that it's less eventful and less bombastic than Wicked: Part One. Where I differ from the negative reception is this: it doesn't matter. The first film was always going to be slightly better than the second for those who must make a comparison, because the films are based on a musical where the first act is more dramatic and eventful than the second, and this is always how it had to go down. They could've made this film more thrilling by going all Hollywood and adding a bunch of plot points that aren't in the source material - and thank God that they didn't.

Wicked: For Good is exactly the movie it's supposed to be, and not being 100% as good as literally the best film of the decade so far doesn't mean that you've failed. The film is bold enough to loyally adapt the story they're adapting, pleasing true fans at the risk of being a turn-off for TikTok brains everywhere who need a big new plot turn every fifteen seconds. The film revels in its slow pace, fleshing out the characters and giving room to breathe between the utterly amazing, emotionally charged musical numbers that come to life with mesmerizing arrangements. The two films complement each other well to make up a whole that will go down in cinema history as one of the greats.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my list about 2025's greatest TV shows.

RIP Rob Reiner: Top 5 films directed by him (and top 5 of his acting performances)

Greetings, reader!

A giant of cinema was lost last Sunday. Rob Reiner found his way into the hearts of movie enthusiasts everywhere across his prolific career as both an actor and director, while using his platform to speak out for LGBTQ+ rights, education and the environment in a time and place where all three were being trampled on. To celebrate the career of this brilliant filmmaker, I have listed my top five favorite acting performances of his, as well as the top five films directed by him.

Here are my honorable mentions: Directing This Is Spinal Tap! (1984), Playing Dr. Morris Packard in The First Wives Club (1996), Playing Bill on Frasier (1993-2004), Playing Max Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street, Playing the Helicopter Pilot in Misery (1990).

#5 in acting: Himself & Stanley the Dog in 30 Rock (2006-2013)

Reiner was able to do all sorts of serious stuff as a director, but his acting performances were almost always of the comedic variety. Mind you, he had range within that - all five of his acting performances on today's list are humorous ones, but they're all also wildly different from one another.

Kicking things off is this memorable one-episode guest performance from 30 Rock - in a storyline that really only 30 Rock could've come up with, Reiner plays himself but it's a version of himself that is also a congressman, and later in the episode he voices a cartoon dog. It's all pretty great.

#5 in directing: The American President (1995)

Reiner was a frequent collaborator of screenwriter Aaron Sorkin in the 1990's, and honestly, that's up there with Cobain&Grohl and Jordan&Pippen in terms of iconic 90's partnerships.

This Sorkin-written film got exactly the end result it deserved with Reiner's directing - it's a somewhat untypical work for both men in terms of how overflowingly cheesy it is, but a viewer like me will eat that right up. When not taken too seriously, The American President is a fantastic feel-good rom-com, with Reiner really showing how fuzzy his directing can get when the script calls for it.

#4 in acting: Martin DiBergi in This Is Spinal Tap! (1984)

Much like the 30 Rock one, Reiner's acting performance in the immortal mockumentary he directed is one where he's sort of playing himself, but also isn't. Reiner tackles the role of Martin DiBergi, the aspiring documentarian who wants to capture the story of the fictional heavy metal band, and he does so with credibility, sharp comedic timing, and a subtle humor that gives plenty of room for the big personalities that the story centers on.

#4 in directing: The Bucket List (2007)

The only film on the directing portion of today's list that isn't either a Sorkin collaboration or a Stephen King adaptation (both were massive strong suits for Mr. Reiner), this film isn't quite as cheesy as The American President, but a true feel-good viewing experience nonetheless. Reiner balances grittiness and heart with brilliance, in this story of two terminally ill men who escape their cancer ward in order to complete their, well, bucket list. It's a deeply moving film, because if there's one thing Rob Reiner could do like the best of them, it's invoking powerful emotions via film.

#3 in acting: Ace Amberg in Hollywood (2020-2020)

Reiner's acting performances often gave the vibe that even for the old dude that he was, he was a distinctively old soul. Therefore, it makes sense that he fit like a glove into this entertaining miniseries taking place in post-WWII Hollywood, playing the role of a charismatic big-shot film executive by the name of Ace Amberg. His performance oozes its own kind of class and old-timey charm, while also portraying the slimy nature of what a white male film exec in that era (not that this era is much different) would've realistically been.

#3 in directing: Misery (1990)

Oh, hell yeah. Along with Frank Darabont, Reiner was one of the very few filmmakers who truly understood the works of Stephen King in a manner that would always make for a rock-solid adaptation. This is evident in Misery, which was ranked well in my post about the best book-to-film adaptations of all time a few weeks back.

Reiner was a delightfully project-first kind of director, which is ideal when adapting an already-perfect book: many filmmakers make the mistake of making it all about themselves and disregarding the source material to make room for their own extravagant vision, but not this guy - Misery is nothing less or nothing more than what it needed to be (that is, a loyal adaptation of King's iconic thriller). The atmosphere is spot-on, the plot plays out just right, and it's a riveting experience.

#2 in acting: Bob Day in New Girl (2012-2018)

Reiner's recurring role as protagonist Jess Day's father in the sitcom New Girl is a thoroughly memorable one! His chemistry with his on-screen ex-wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) as well as his daughter (Zooey Deschanel) is believable, and his comedic timing always makes for a delightful addition to the show's antics whenever he appears.

#2 in directing: A Few Good Men (1992)

Now this is the stuff. Aaron Sorkin's debut screenplay made for what is arguably the greatest courtroom drama in cinematic history - and that wouldn't have been possible without just the director at the helm. Reiner's style of directing is the perfect vessel for Sorkin's script to reach its full potential, and the atmosphere is dramatic and engaging throughout the entire runtime.

We have Rob Reiner to thank for immortal lines like "You can't handle the truth!" - sure, it's Sorkin who penned it and Nicholson with the delivery, but the director is largely responsible for how the scene plays out and becomes the best version of itself - which this iconic moment certainly was.

#1 in acting: Albert Schnurr in The Bear (2022-)

The most recent acting role I saw from Mr. Reiner is also his very best one, if you ask me. Appearing in just four episodes of The Bear's newest season, Reiner plays business consultant Albert Schnurr, who is just such a fun addition into the dynamics of the show's cast. His scenes with Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) are a treat, with the comedic chops of the two actors bouncing beautifully off each other. The scene where Albert and Uncle Computer meet each other and hit it off is especially amusing - good stuff, man.

#1 in directing: Stand By Me (1986)

I mean this with no disrespect to the acting skills of the departed - but directing was definitely an even stronger suit for him. As seen on this list, his acting roles were often of the "good enough for this supporting role" variety, whereas his films - different gravy. And standing tall as the epitome of his golden touch for filmmaking is the timeless coming-of-age film Stand By Me.

Adapted from Stephen King's short story The Body, this absolute classic ranked at #71 when I ranked all 1000 movies I've seen earlier this year - that's higher than Schindler's List and Casablanca, to name a few. The specific vibe of the book translates beautifully onto the big screen, with Reiner's elegant directing making sure that every theme of the story can be felt to the maximum by every viewer. The film is funny at times, gripping at others, and just the ultimate bittersweet loss-of-innocence story. Cinema doesn't really get better than this.

Thank you for reading! Tune in on Christmas Day - it's the last Thursday of the year, and as is tradition, that means that I'll be ranking my top 10 favorite movies of the past year.

Top 10 versions of the Wizard of Oz story

Greetings, reader!

I got this idea while back, and had to wait for Wicked: For Good to come out in order to complete the list. L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has been adapted time and time again over the last 125 years, so much so that it spawned a movie that inspired a book that was adapted into a musical that was made into the movie that just got a sequel! With so many versions of the same story out there, I decided to rank my top 10 favorites.

10. Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box (1993 music video)

Okay, to call this a version of the Wizard of Oz story is a stretch, but hey - a top 10 list is more satisfying than a top 9. The music video to Nirvana's eighth-best song invokes imagery from the 1939 movie, from the wacky color scheme to the poppy fields and crows. Of course, there's also the whole thing with Santa being crucified, so it's not just a Wizard of Oz reference. Still, the aesthetic of Victor Fleming's film is prominent enough to put this music video onto this list, but not enough to rank it any higher.

9. The Emerald City storyline from The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (1997 novel)

Another far-fetched but interesting one, this is one of those times when a book's influence on another book is the very opposite of subtle. Stephen King could've conveyed his love from L. Frank Baum's novel and its film adaptation in any number of ways, but having his fictional multiverse include a world where the Emerald City is real is definitely the coolest possible option.

I don't know what sort of copyright hurdles King had to jump through in order to make this happen, but the end result is most definitely worth it - having the actual locations and motifs from The Wizard of Oz suddenly show up in a different fantasy epic is a mind-blowing reading experience.

8. The Gang Turns Black (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 12 Episode 1)

Speaking of far-fetched - here we have a TV episode that is strongly inspired by the movie The Wiz, which is a reimagining of the movie The Wizard of Oz, which in turn is an adaptation of L. Frank Baum's book. Still, it counts.

The title of this IASIP episode had me a bit nervous beforehand - the show's trademark dark and inappropriate humor is on the acceptable, punching-up side of things for the vast majority of the time, but there are some cases where they've gone too far, and The Gang Turns Black sounded like it might be one of them. Thankfully, that wasn't the case - there is no blackface et cetera, and mostly the episode is just playing around with the concept of The Wiz and kick-ass original songs composed by Charlie Day.

Overall, the existence of this episode does definitely enrich the tapestry of stuff inspired by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and the amount of stories hailing from the same premise.

7. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900 novel)

Here, on the other hand, we have the very opposite of far-fetched - the original work itself. It does feel a bit sacrilegeous to rank L. Frank Baum's book this low, as it does deserve tons of respect just for being the original work, and coming up with the imaginative stuff that would directly or indirectly inspire the rest of the items on today's list. But still, I can't rank it higher than it is - the trajectory of the Wizard of Oz stories is the very definition of "X walked so that Y could run".

Mind you, it's a really good children's fantasy book, with memorable worldbuilding and exciting characters - but the ideas that L. Frank Baum came up with have been outdone again and again, with nearly every character and location and theme reaching their full potential only in a later instalment. A lot of this has to do with the 1939 film working as a catalyst for further iconic status - as good as the book is, that alone wouldn't have been enough to inspire The Wiz and Wicked and all these cool adaptations and re-imaginings. The movie became much more legendary than the book ever was, and many of the items on today's list seem to have taken more inspiration from that direction.

Still, this is a fun and creative book, the OG work, and in many ways, the blueprint for all that followed.

6. Ted Lasso (2020-2023 TV series)

Before anyone calls this far-fetched, I'll have you know that the showrunners have confirmed the "fan theory" that this entire TV series is a spin on The Wizard of Oz. Yes, elements like genre and setting and character names are completely different, but on a metaphorical level, there's too many similarities for it to be a coincidence.

Think about it - a good-hearted person from Kansas (Dorothy / Ted Lasso) and their furry friend (Toto / Coach Beard) are swept away into a strange foreign land (Oz / England). In there, they end up encountering people who they help on their way - one who needs to find his heart (the Tin Man / Roy Kent), one who needs to find his brain (the Scarecrow / Jamie Tartt), and one who needs to find his courage (the Lion / Sam Obisanya). The parallels are pretty amazing, and they start hitting especially hard towards the tail end of season 3. It's a fantastic series even without this level, but it's also a weirdly powerful Wizard of Oz adaptation albeit an unconventional one.

5. Wicked: For Good (2025 film)

The new Wicked film has been subject to a lot of debate - and not to be a centrist, but on this particular issue I do land right in between the extremes heard on the internet. Yes, I do agree with the masses that the film isn't as good as last year's Wicked: Part I, but no, I do not agree with those saying that For Good was a let-down, let alone a bad movie - far from it.

First of all, one cannot understate how high a bar was set by Wicked: Part I. Not only was it the best film of the decade so far - it currently sits at the #12 spot on my list of my favorite films of all time. Not being as good as that does not necessarily mean that you've failed - that's like saying that the Hobbit movies are terrible just because they aren't as good as the LOTR trilogy (oh wait, people do that too - God, I hate the internet).

After a lot of analysis, I've come to the conclusion that the second film isn't quite as good as the first simply because it couldn't & shouldn't have been. Dividing the film adaptation of the Broadway musical into two films based on the musical's two halves was undoubtedly the right call, and they couldn't have done it any better. The first half of the musical is slightly better than the second, and more importantly, it is more blockbuster film material. It's more eventful, dramatic and entertaining.

Don't get me wrong, I love the second half as well, and that's where we come to the nuance of "Wicked: For Good isn't as good as Part I but it's still amazing and the best possible version of itself". It was never going to be as bombastic, but that doesn't matter. The two films make up a whole, and no matter how much the first one hits even slightly harder, For Good is still a deeply emotional diamond-quality film, and the right conclusion for the saga.

4. The Wiz (1978 film)

Not only is The Wiz one of the most pure-fun movies ever made - it's also a spectacular spin on The Wizard of Oz. I don't know how some came up with the idea of making a whole new musical with basically the same story and themes, but with an all-Black cast, a zany R&B score and just the most extra set design you'll ever see. I'm just glad someone did, because this cult-classic gem is just so good.

The unique and unforgettable color palette, the groovy songs and charismatic vocal performances, Diana Ross as Dorothy...it's just all fantastic. We're really starting to get to the big leagues here.

3. Wicked (2003 Broadway musical)

This one is hard to rank, because I've never seen Wicked live on stage. I ranked the films separately, so one could argue that I should've left this one out as I'm not an expert by experience. But then again - I know the story, I've listened to the soundtrack, and these are things that the original musical deserves credit for, more than the films.

Obviously, the films deserve praise to how the songs were arranged and specifics in how the story is told, but the whole concept of Wicked is something so amazing that it makes it all the way to third place even though I haven't seen the theater production. That's how f**king great songs like Defying Gravity and For Good are.

Not to mention the absolutely genius inversion of the Wizard of Oz story! Wicked makes powerful points about propaganda and history written by the victors, by casting Elphaba as the misunderstood and vilified revolutionary, the Wizard as the populist leader throwing minorities under the bus, and Glinda the Good Witch as the well-intentioned but weak-willed celebrity torn between knowing what's right and her own comfort. Profound stuff.

2. The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)

Can't get much better than this. Not only is this 1930's masterpiece the culturally definitive version of the story and one of the great book-to-movie adaptations in Hollywood - it's also one of the greatest and most influential movies of all time. Not to belittle L. Frank Baum's book, which obviously deserves a lot of credit as well, but it is pretty amazing how so much of what people generally picture when thinking about The Wizard of Oz comes from this film, and not from the book or any of the subsequent adaptations.

Even though the film barely missed out on first place on my list, it is still very much the gold standard in many ways. Elements like Judy Garland's performance as Dorothy, songs like Over the Rainbow, immortal lines like "There's no place like home" and the whole unforgettable aesthetic are forever etched into cinematic history.

1. Wicked: Part I (2024 film)

Yeah, I had to put this at #1 and there's just no way around it. I obviously get that this movie owes a lot of its greatness to the original book, as well as the Broadway musical. But I'd also argue that there's a lot to be said for an adaptation that utterly perfects a story, with all its themes and ideas and characters, that was already pretty damn amazing to begin with. I have never cried for as big a part of a film's duration as I did when watching Wicked in the movie theater, and it immediately became one of my all-time favorite films.

With its grandiose production values, epic pacing, deliciously dramatic arrangements of the beloved songs and exquisite casting, it just quite simply couldn't have been any better. 2024 was also the exact right time for this to be made, with the heavy themes hitting extra hard in contrast to what was going on in the U.S. with the Trump regime. Wicked: Part I is an untouchable masterpiece, and for me personally, the very best version of the many, many Wizard of Oz adaptations and re-imaginings that have been made over the years.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for something - I haven't decided a good post for that slot after my original idea required a little extra work, but I'll come up with something for sure. Open to suggestions!

A definitive ranking of the chess pieces

Greetings, reader!

Yeah, I know, "supposed to be a movie/TV" blog. But, y'know, I got this idea and wanted to post it, so really, who gives a shit? Anyways, for all you fellow chess fans out there, I wanna make it clear that this isn't an objective power ranking, as that one is quite agreed-upon and would therefore make for a boring post. No, this is all about subjective preference - factors like how much I like playing with each piece, how good I am with each piece, the concept of the piece and what the it brings to the game in terms of tactical intrigue, et cetera. This is my definitive ranking of all six chess pieces!

6. The bishop

I don't have anything personal against the bishop - more than anything else, it's a skill issue. As a player, I'm not as good with the bishop as I am with many of the other pieces. I have a handle on the basics, but especially the kind of thinking-many-steps-ahead that a great chess player should have - for whatever reason, I have more of that when it comes to other pieces than these diagonal motherf**kers. That goes for utilizing my own bishops, as well as anticipating the opponent's - quite often when I end up losing, it's because I failed to fully prepare for a particularly clever ruse involving bishops.

5. The king

This would be a clear choice for last place, but when you're an overthinking list-nerd like myself, opinions have a tendency to evolve - and so I've gone from the traditional starting point of the king being inherently overrated, all the way to claiming that the king is actually underrated.

Now, don't get me wrong - the king is a lazy, useless piece of shit. But that's what makes it into a weirdly awesome piece in the grand scheme of the game! It makes the tactical side so much more interesting than it would be if the most powerful piece would be the one everything revolves around. I also love the anti-monarchy sentiment that allegedly got the original developer of the modern rules executed once the king realized the statement: the king is nothing without the people working for him, and it seems inherently unfair and bogus that it all revolves around that weak-ass bastard. Pretty awesome social commentary for medieval times right there.

I also like how you rarely get to play very creatively with the king - but when you do, it's utterly fascinating. Especially in endgame situations where one or both players have very few pieces left, the addition of the king into an attack has some intriguing implications because there's so much you can't do that it's completely different from attacking with any other piece. All of this being said, the king is only fifth despite being underrated, because once again, it is a very weak and mostly useless piece.

4. The knight

On one hand, I feel like the knight could be even higher, depending on which part of the criteria I'm emphasizing - it is in many ways the most unique piece, with its movement pattern being a fantastic curveball into the gameplay. With every other piece's movement pattern being more rigidly structured, you have to appreciate that chess would be an inescapably more boring game if it wasn't for the delightful bit of chaos brought on by the knights.

However, I had to deduce points for the same reason I had with the bishop being last - I'm not that great with knights. I'm not bad with 'em either, but it's definitely not one of my big strengths, and long-term strategizing involving knights just isn't in my DNA in the way some pieces are. I'm okay with using knights in my attacks and anticipating my opponent's use of theirs, but a bit clumsy on both counts.

3. The pawn

Yeah, I know, the pawn could easily be argued for last place for any number of reasons - it's the smallest, weakest, most boring piece. But the thing is - I love the role of the pawn. And it's largely because of that easy complaint - take a piece that is just lesser to the other pieces, but give the player a lot of them - and the tactical implications are fascinating.

The ways in which one uses their pawns in any given chess game is just so intriguing - when are they sacrificed, when are they used to balance the scales of an upcoming conflict, when are they diversions and parts of a trap and when are they used to actually do their own thing. Using these little guys as gradual building blocks for a larger tactic is cool as shit - and, when compared to the bishop or even knight, my evaluation is that I'm actually pretty good with my pawns. As good as a wannabe chess player like myself can be, anyhow.

2. The queen

This absolute icon would definitely top most people's rankings, and I can see why. It can very well be that my ranking of the queen at #2 instead of #1 is just due to the same over-thinking that put the king at #5 instead of #6, but that being said - I am not saying for a second that the queen would be overrated. She's the best, most powerful piece in the game, and completely deserving of her iconic status. Playing with the queen is fun as hell, and the tactical intrigue of this mega-powerful piece that can do whatever the f**k she wants is pretty cool.

I also love the feminist lore behind the piece - allegedly it was Queen Isabella of Portugal who confronted the game developer who had brought chess to their court, and spoke her mind about the queen piece (who had been initially conceived as a much weaker piece). She got her way, and the queen evolved into a much more accurate representation of women - a kick-ass icon who effortlessly overshadows the incompetent men around her.

I'm also quite good with the piece when playing chess, although not top-tier good like some - namely my Finnish grandfather Heikki, the man who taught me the game of chess and remains one of the toughest opponents I've ever faced. His use of the queen in his tactics is a thing to behold, as he truly utilizes the piece to full potential in a genius manner.

1. The rook

Obviously, I'm not saying that the rook is objectively better or more powerful as a piece than the queen. Remember, this list is of my subjective favorites - and I can't help but put the rook at #1. This is due to many factors, but especially this one: if the pieces were ranked solely based on how good I am with each piece, the rook would not only be at #1 but it would be absolutely clear ahead of the rest. For whatever reason, I loved the movement patterns and tactical implications of the rook already as a kid, so I've always done a lot with them and utilized them in my defense and offense patterns throughout my life, which has only enforced the rook's role as the piece that I work with the best.

It's not only that I love to utilize my own rooks in whatever I'm up to, but also that my own tactics largely rely on the elimination of the opponent's. I've found this to be a cornerstone of my tactics a long time ago: going for the opponent's well-protected queen from the beginning might end up being a costly suicide mission, whereas pieces like the bishop or knight are too 'small fish' for a particularly elaborate trap. But the rook, a piece that is clearly more valuable than the others but clearly less valuable than the queen, has the perfect balance: compared to the queen, a rook might be just unguarded enough that elaborately trapping and eliminating it might work, and compared to a bishop/knight, the piece is just consequential enough that eliminating one or both might be the turning point that leads to an eventual victory. Nearly every time that I win at chess, there's at least one successful rook elimination behind the end result (and most of the time, one or both of my own rooks are heavily involved in the checkmate).

I also love the visual character design - from chess set to chess set, the rooks always look very cool. And finally, one very underrated aspect about why I love the piece so much is the intrigue of its starting position. It's a fascinating and well-built part of the game design: you can't simply start getting up to any shit with the rook, as there's so much in the way. You need to get your pawns out of the way in a well-planned manner, and build up to the entrance of your rook into the gameplay. And once the pawns start to be off the way, there's often the danger of your rook facing the opponent's, which always brings some neat implications with the balance of terror in how the movement patterns cancel each other out so one rook can't directly threaten the other. The mind games involving this piece are awesome.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my ranking of the top 10 versions of the Wizard of Oz story, in honor of Wicked: For Good (2025).