Writer: Denise Breen It's that time of the year, a time for reflection and a time for lists and if 2024 was the year of the "wait and see," 2025 was the year cinema finally exhaled. It was a year defined by the return of auteurs, the resurrection of gothic romance, and superhero blockbusters that, miraculously, remembered to bring a script along with the CGI. From Metropolis to the Emerald City, from road movies to biopics, this year’s best films didn’t just entertain; they c

Rating:  1/5 Stars ​I am awarding Avatar: Fire and Ash  a single solitary star solely out of respect for the overworked VFX artists. The technical rendering of Pandora's new volcanic regions is undeniably spectacular. ​Unfortunately, James Cameron has used this staggering visual fidelity merely as a high-resolution screensaver for a narrative vacuum. The film is a punishing three-hour ordeal with a plot thinner than the 3D glasses required to view it. The dialogue remains pai

Assuming you enjoyed Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) for its blend of whodunit mechanics, gothic atmosphere, and social satire, here are ten recommendations that capture similar vibes. I have selected these based on the film's specific "religious/gothic" setting, Rian Johnson’s known influences, and the Knives Out franchise’s signature mix of comedy and mystery. 1. The Name of the Rose (1986) Wake Up Dead Man leans heavily into a religious setting (Father Jud,