Top 5 Cinematic Moments that Solidified My Favorite Films of 2025
2025 was truly a great year of movies. It was pretty tough to select a top 5 amongst all of the great films that we were able to experience. To make my list, I had to really sit and think about moments in movies that really made me fall for them. Below are the moments that solidified each story in my top spots for the year. *There will be spoilers.*
5. Frankenstein- Frankenstein and Elizabeth’s Secret “Date”
Guillermo del Toro’s reimaging of Frankenstein was breathtakingly gorgeous. The costumes and set design absolutely blew me away. The story telling felt both nostalgic and refreshing.
All of the actors did a great job but I was obsessed with Oscar’s portrayal of the mad scientist, as well as Mia Goth’s portrayal of Lady Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s character tends to be different roles in various versions of Frankenstein, but I really enjoyed the decision to make her a forbidden love interest of Victor here.
Mia Goth also plays Victor’s mother Claire, which adds more depth to the obsession that he has with both women.
The scene that really stuck with me from this film was when we see Victor following Elizabeth, very creepy like, as she is casually browsing and then goes into church. He’s clearly fascinated by her in various ways from their first encounter. She is very intelligent, she’s not afraid to verbally go toe to toe with him, and she’s gorgeous. There is that weird undertone that she literally looks just like his mother, but to be honest, that would make both Victor and his brother strange because the brother is engaged to her.
Netflix
He goes as far as to go into the confession booth at the church, in hopes that he can hear her secrets. This scene is hilarious to me because he immediately thinks he has gotten “one up on her”, but she counters him very quickly by showing that she knew he was following her the entire time. It’s interesting because she’s not upset, and they actually go to have a drink or light meal shortly afterwards; which then leads to a pretty intimate dance. There is a clear mutual attraction here but neither really knows how to approach it. It’s a small scene compared to so many other astounding big moments in the story, but I absolutely loved it.
In particular, I love the part where Elizabeth is confessing that she can’t stop thinking about her fiance’s brother in the confession booth, and Victor says “ah, lust?” and she immediately corrects him and says “hate.” It’s hilarious, it’s flirty, and it’s just a great scene to me.
4. One Battle After Another- Teyana Taylor’s Opening Scenes
Absolutely one of the best movies of the year. I know, we are all blown away by Leonardo DiCaprio and Chase Infiniti’s roles; and I agree that they both did excellent. Honestly, all of the actors killed it in this movie.
I have a slight bias because I have been a fan of Teyana Taylor for years now and I was so proud to see her do so well in this role. I was actually surprised that the opening scenes are focused on her.
Warner Bros. Pictures
From the moment she enters the screen she demands our attention. Her walk and demeanor shows she did not come to play. This is why I also find the scene with her and Lockjaw’s first encounter hilarious because as he refuses to take her seriously she replies “since we playing…get it up!” It’s a weird, funny, and cringe scene that shows that these two characters are clearly at a battle of power dynamics.
I know this scene, and Teyana’s role in general, made many people uncomfortable. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t feel some discomfort from what her character had to go through in the film; I absolutely did once we saw her changes come with the pregnancy and post-partum. It’s actually quite sad, but this added to my love for the depth of Teyana’s character and the excellent job that she did portraying Pefidia.
3. Good Boy - “You Can’t Save Me” Final Scenes
Oh my goodness. I had no intention of this movie being as good as it was, or it making me as emotional as it did. Internally, I’m still crying (maybe a bit externally too *wipes tears*). Last year, the movie Flow broke me down about cats and now this year Good Boy broke me down about dogs. Lucky for me, I have one of each at home.
I respect all that the creators went through to create, what I consider to be, a cinematic masterpiece like no other. Good Boy is marketed as a horror movie from a dog’s perspective, but honestly it is so much more than that.
IFC/Shudder
I couldn’t leave this movie without thinking about what dogs must experience while witnessing their human companions being sick and ultimately dying. It’s something that many of us probably don’t think about much, because humans typically outlive their pets. So, if anything, we’re usually scared for ourselves. Good Boy flips this, and shows us what a helpless dog might experience while trying to save his human from death.
And let’s face, death can be scary. To both humans and dogs, it may seem like a lingering dark spirit that we don’t know how to battle. Watching Indy fight to the very end, and then being told by his human’s spirit that he’s a good boy but that he couldn’t save him, absolutely broke me. This scene will forever stick with me.
2. Eternity- The Final Choice Journey
Another film that I did not anticipate loving as much as I do. Eternity came off as a cute little rom-com that I would probably enjoy on a Sunday afternoon while snuggled up in the house. Nothing too serious, just a good little chick flick. This movie is that, but it’s also so much more.
Eternity made me think about life, and death. And honestly, I don’t think any other story has ever made me more accepting of death. I know, the afterlife probably isn’t like the retirement plan scenario that is portrayed in the movie; but the complexity of there not just being two places in the afterlife was quite refreshing.There’s also the concept of relationships, and how we live, and what that all means when life is over.
I loved this movie from beginning to end, but the final scene where Joan realizes that she chose the wrong man, and has to fight through the unknown to get back to the man she loves more, was cinematic beauty. She had everything against her, and still took the final slim chance that she had to get back to Larry. The scene shows Joan running through moments of her life; meaning she had to see dark moments that she probably didn’t ever want to experience again, as well as the good times. This was so beautifully shot, and has solidified this movie as one of my favorite romantic films of all time.
A24
Honorable Mention- Avatar: Fire and Ash-Varang and Colonel Miles See The Fire in Each Other
Avatar: Fire and Ash was the first Avatar film that I was able to experience in theaters and it was quite the experience. I did it the way Cameron said it was intended to be seen, in Dolby Cinema 3D and it did not disappoint.
Although Avatar: Fire and Ash is not in my top 5 for the year, one scene really stuck out to me. The scene where Varang (leader of volcano/fire Mangkwan clan) speaks face to face with Colonel Miles was the best scene in the whole film for me.
She gives him some type of witchcraft or drug to put him in a vulnerable state to “see” who he really is. She is quite impressed with how he handles himself and her aggressive flirting. It’s a fiery scene both verbally and visually as we see them accept one another as equals and they form an alliance.
The callback of Varang saying “I See You” to Miles, just as Neytiri said to Jake in the past, was chef’s kiss.
Disney
1. Sinners: Come On In MFs
So, you probably guessed by now that my top movie was going to be none other than the phenomenal Sinners. If so, you’ve guessed correctly. However, if you’re thinking my favorite scene is the “I Lied to You” music scene, you would be incorrect.
Don’t get me wrong, I love that scene. It’s one of the most unique scenes in film history. I know that we will be talking about it for years to come.
However, that is not the scene that made Sinners my top movie. It’s actually the scene that so many people hate; yes, “ the come on in motherf….” scene by Grace is my favorite scene, andI’ll tell you why.
Warner Bros. Pictures
I was in the theater scared as hell when I first saw this scene, and genuinely shocked. The fear that I felt was reflected on each and every one of the characters’ faces who had to prepare for the fight in the juke joint. I thought this scene was beautifully executed. Grace’s desperation; Annie’s, Smoke’s, and Mile’s fear; and Remmick’s moment of shock and satisfaction made this scene so perfect for me.
Remmick even walks in calmly, as if he’s willing to say “we can do this the easy way.” But once Grace screams and throws the molotov at him, all hell breaks loose. The scene physically moves to fill up the entire screen. The music in the background becomes terrifying; people are getting shot, stabbed, and bitten left and right; Poor Delta Slim took a crazy for the team. It’s an insane scene and I get the same chills each time I watch it. And yes, I’m still mad at Grace.