So… this is a bit awkward. It’s been almost EIGHT months since my last post and never finished Recapsmas 2025. Brutal. It makes 0 sense to make a Christmas themed list post at the beginning of August the next year, but fuck it. It wouldn’t feel right to leave my first article series incomplete, so here we are! I did what I had to do and step up for the sake of my family, and now I’m enjoying my own little slice of heaven with my expanded little family. That means it’s time to start writing again!
This has been one of the busiest years of my life, but the film-watching and analysis has continued at a steady pace on my Letterboxd account. I’m excited to continue this blog, because I think about it almost every day. I just need to write!
1. Fitzcarraldo (1982)
In December 2025, the Criterion Channel had a massive Werner Herzog collection full of absolute classics such as “Lessons of Darkness (1992)”, “Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972)”, and “Fitzcarraldo (1982)”. This was my chance to finally dive a little deeper into Herzog, and Fitzcarraldo left me with a feeling of pure awe. Herzog and longtime collaborator Klaus Kinski are firing on all cylinders in this film about a madman trying to build an opera house in the middle of the brutal Peruvian jungle. For those who have seen “Burden of Dreams (1982)”, the documentary about the creation of this film, you can really see every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears put into this movie. I was tearing my hair out when the boat was sent back down the river during the climax of the film.
Fitzcarraldo is also a commentary on the bourgeois’ relentless exploitation of South American resources and native populations in the 18-1900s. When the natives met them with kindness, they were enslaved and worked to the bone like horses, and when they tried defending themselves or their territory, they would be massacred. Though a massacre doesn’t occur in the film (surprisingly), many in the movie were ready to jump to violence amid their first contact with the natives. That all being said- god damn. What an astounding accomplishment of a film. Herzogs camerawork is so unflinching. His camera is relentless. The still shots of Kinski on the boat moving through the jungle felt so monumental. I can’t wait to watch this on a larger screen. This movie truly blew me away.
2. Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)
I am planning on doing a longer write up consisting of all 3 Avatar films. Long story short, this is the greatest Sci-Fi trilogy of all time, and James Cameron is a cinematic god because of it. Avatar 3 takes everything from the first 2 movies and elevates it 100-fold. Yes, these are extreme claims, but a future article will explain my point more thoroughly. James Cameron’s Neon Genesis Evangelion. That’s all you need to know.
3. Hamnet (2025)
Hamnet was a truly devastating film. I’m not sure I’ll feel the need to return to it for a rewatch because of how torturous it is, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a damn fine movie. Chloe Zhao is a wonderful filmmaker, and as a fan of Nomadland, I was very excited to see this. Hamnet was especially poignant for my bride and I, as we visited Shakespeares Globe for a Wild West adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, as well as a harrowing adaptation of The Crucible in the summer of 2025 during our honeymoon. I am still rattled after seeing The Crucible there. It truly is a magical place. Back to the movie: Jessie Buckley especially delivers a beautiful and tragic performance. Her best actress Oscar was well earned on her part. Check this movie out if you want your day ruined (complimentary).
4. Fight Club (1999)
Since we live 2000 miles away from our nearest family members, it usually means we have to go home for the holidays around Christmas time. A recent tradition has been forcing my dad, Chris, to watch movies with me. It all started with Godzilla Minus One in 2024, to which he said it was in his top 10 movies of all time. He now eagerly looks forward to whatever movie I will have ready to show him when I come back to visit. Last year, it was One Battle After Another, to which he had many, many questions after. He loved Perfidia and Sean Penn especially. After, however, he looked at me and asked: “Have you seen fight club?”
When I said no, I was surprised to see how fast this man started moving to get the movie pulled up. It was a great Christmas memory, honestly. As for the movie itself, I thought it was amazing. I am certainly due for a rewatch, because watching Fight Club once isn’t enough to truly understand it. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt move like demons in this and it is such a good time.
And just like that… we’ve done it? We have finished Recapsmas 2025….
Will I follow the same format for 2026? Yes! I will do a 4 favorites of the month recap again at the end of the year. This time, with a little more preparation and a little less Christmas centric theming. 2026 has been one of the best years of my life when it comes to movies. I have seen so many that I hold with such high regard now and I can’t wait to write about them. Now it’s time to go through my old blog posts and see what I said I was planning on writing about this year, and try to fulfill those writing dreams a younger me once had.
Letterboxd reviews:
Anatomy of a Film 
Leave a comment