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The Fandom Portals Podcast
Fandom Portals is a film analysis podcast that proves your favourite movies have something to teach you.
Each episode explores the deeper meaning behind popular films and what they reveal about identity, growth, and human connection.
The Fandom Portals Podcast
Why 2025 Reminded Us What Movies Are For and What Our Favourites Reveal | A Year in Film 2025
Aaron and Brash look back on the films that defined 2025.
From blockbuster standouts to emotionally resonant genre films, they present the Fandom Awards for Best Movie, Best Hero, and Best Villain of 2025, exploring why these choices mattered on a personal and cultural level. Along the way, the conversation reflects on how cinema continues to evolve, why character driven storytelling still matters most, and how films can help us better understand ourselves and the world around us.
As they look ahead to 2026, Aaron and Brash invite listeners to reflect on their own favourites.
Timestamps and Topics
00:00 Reflecting on 2025 as a defining year in film
02:33 The Fandom Awards begin: Best Movies of 2025
05:17 Friendship, identity, and emotional storytelling
07:32 Nostalgia, legacy franchises, and modern expectations
08:38 Cultural reflection through K Pop and global storytelling
11:01 Horror’s evolution and emotional depth
13:54 The Bone Temple and mythic storytelling
15:22 Coming of age in post apocalyptic worlds
17:45 Reframing heroism through Superman
20:21 Avatar and technology in service of story
24:21 Code Three and grounded heroism
28:56 Del Toro’s Frankenstein and the cost of humanity
32:33 The complexity of modern heroes
34:17 Empathy, leadership, and responsibility
38:17 Villains and why they resonate
45:50 Fandom Awards recap
46:13 Looking ahead to 2026 and community updates
Key Takeaways
- Story and character leave a deeper impact than technical spectacle
- Films act as mirrors for cultural tension and personal struggle
- Rewatching movies can unlock new meaning and insight
- Heroes resonate most when they are flawed and human
- Villains matter because they reflect fears, not just threats
- Cinema remains a powerful tool for reflection and connection
Why This Episode Matters
This episode reframes awards as reflection rather than ranking. It reminds listeners that the films that matter most are not always the loudest, but the ones that say something honest about who we are and what we value.
Keywords
Film Podcast, Movie Analysis, Pop Culture, Storytelling, Character Studies, Film Awards, Movie Discussion, Personal Growth, Heroes and Villains, Cinema Reflection, Film Themes, Fandom Culture, Modern Movies, Movie Lessons, Cultural Commentary
Contact Us:
Website: https://www.fandomportalspodcast.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FandomPortals
Instagram: instagram.com/fandomportals/?locale=en
Threads: threads.net/@fandomportals
Email: fandomportals@gmail.com
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/fandomportals
Discord: https://discord.gg/7Q4TAmSP
Welcome to the Phantom Portals Podcast, a podcast that proves that your favorite films have something to teach you. If you want more from the movies you watch, then you are in the right place. I'm your host, Aaron. I'm a teacher and a film fan, and I am joined as always by Brash. How are you, Brash? I am spectacular. That is amazing to hear. We are doing a reflective episode this time. We are looking at all of the movies we've seen in 2025, as it is the start of 2026. And this is the time when you look back. You look back on where you've been and what you've done, and you think to yourself, oh, what did I learn? Which is basically what our podcast is about. So we're looking at the movies that we enjoyed, but more so we're looking at the movies that moved us. What movies had messages that really stuck with us this year? Because we are going to crown our top pick. We are looking at the movies that made and shaped our 2025. So, Brash, without any further ado, 2025 was a blockbuster year for movies, especially through that July period. If you remember, there was like the triple header. Everybody was all over Barbenheimer when it was a thing, like Barbie and Oppenheimer, which was 2024. But this year we had a triple trifecta. We had Superman, we had Fantastic Four, and we also had Jurassic Park Rebirth all in the same sort of time. I was extremely excited for a lot of the movies that were coming out this year, Brash. And you know what? Looking back, and I was doing some reflecting when I was on my on our threads earlier this week. And I think I have you ever had an experience where you overhype something and then it's ruined for you? Yes. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Several movies this year.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, exactly. That's what I mean. I think that has happened to me this year. So I'm in a process now of going back and re-watching some of these movies that I think I was pretty harsh on and trying to see them in new light. All right, let's jump into our lists that we're doing. All right. So we usually call these the fandom portals awards, but we've renamed them the fandos. So the fandos are going to best movie, best hero or protagonist, and best villain or antagonist. And we've sort of reshaped these to be not literally the best movie that has come out, because we were talking before about how technically and stylistically and story-wise and acting-wise and cinematography-wise and directing-wise, you could couple lots of movies together that are usually up for lots of different awards. But here on the Phantom Portals podcast, we really just focus on story and character, and we really just focus on the messages that these movies present that sit with the viewer. Brash and I have yeah, the feels, the vibes is what we go for here at Phantom Portals. These movies might not be the traditional ones that you see appearing on top 10 lists of movies that you've watched in 2025 because they they resonate with with Brash and I. And obviously, we haven't watched every single movie that has come out in 2025. So if you've missed one off of the list that we think or that you think should be on there, then by all means message us on our Instagram, on our threads, or even on our new Discord, which we'll talk about in the later parts of the show. But these ones are resonant toward us. And I think if we have any overlap brash, I don't think we'll hit them twice and talk about them twice. I think you like if if you say one that I have on my list, then I might just say while you're speaking, I had that at number, whatever number it is, and then we'll we'll talk about it together. So is that cool with you? That's cool. Lovely. We're gonna start in reverse order because that's how things are done. They leave the suspense for the number one until last. So would you like to go first or me?
SPEAKER_03:I'll go first. I'll go first. Mickey 17. Okay. I loved that movie. I thought it was so fucking funny. And Royal Patterson and that was just brilliant. And I've been on a bit of a Robert Patterson kick ever since, like um Batman and everything like that. So he and like some of the other movies he's been in, uh he's been absolutely amazing in Water for Elephants. But um, yeah, no, Mickey 17 and takes my number four spot this year. I really, really enjoyed that movie. It was just a bit of fun, and yeah, I I love that.
SPEAKER_05:I think you're absolutely right. And for for me, what played out most for me, directed by Boonjon Ho and obviously Robert Pattinson in the title role, he played two characters, and I think that's very difficult to do, but it was the year for playing two characters in one movie. Obviously, Michael B. Jordan did it in Sinners as well. But Robert Pattinson, he was really nuanced in the way that he did his performance with Mickey 17 and Mickey 18, you might say, one being slightly more meaner than the other. But I love the comedy that came between them and the physical aspects between those two as well. And I think, you know, what comes back to me with the message of Mickey 17 was he's obviously this unlikely hero who steps up in a place where it obviously seems like there's overwhelming odds, and he finds something to live for, and he he tries his best to pursue that, even though there is an element of himself in Mickey 18, physically manifested in this case, that is trying to fight against him. So I think the message in this one is is really good too. Like sometimes your biggest enemy is yourself, and sometimes you have to get through that, you know. So I like that pick. Number four, Mickey 17. Good stuff. All right, mine is going to be F1. Have you seen F1 Brash?
SPEAKER_03:I haven't. I've seen a lot, I've seen a lot of clips, but I haven't actually watched it yet. It's on my my list of ones I need to watch.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. So F1 is probably one of the best movies that came out in 2025, in my opinion, because it obviously stars Brad Pitt and he plays this aging Formula One driver who's really struggling to get back into the game or find any relevance in any sort of circuit. But he has a really good old friend played by Javier Bardem who invites him back, knowing how much skill and knowledge of the track that he actually has, so he can actually teach his up-and-coming driver as a mentor who's really a hotshot, and he really wants him to mentor him and teach him the ways of the track. So the the young driver's name is Joshua Pierce, played by Damson Idris, really great young actor as well. And I think for me, the thing that stuck out for this movie was the fact that this is like an old dog mentoring the new young Maverick in this case, also directed by Joseph Kaczynski, the director of Top Gun Maverick. So it's got all of the flashy vibes of machinery going fast, high octane action, all that kind of thing. But at the heart of it, it was really just a tale of a man, Brad Pitt, thinking to himself whether he still has the chops, for one, and for two, finding his value in a new space around something he loves, which is really resonant with me because as some of the fandom portals people know, I play grid iron American football, and I'm getting to the stage, and age in my career, where I'm going to have to transition off the field and into a coaching role. So seeing this as kind of personal for me this year, so F1, definitely watch it, Brad Brash is a good one.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, no, no, it is definitely on my list of ones to watch. Now, this is when it started getting hard. So I'm gonna have to go, I know what you did last summer. It was sort of like a bowing out of the old and introducing new. So in this one, it's it brings back all the supply in the original cast, Singer Free Prince Jr. and Jennifer Jennifer as the living members of the previous movies. However, it also brought back in it was more just like a weird vision flashback. So she one of the characters is going to be crowned the new sort of queen of Southport like Sir Michelle Gellowa.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And it was sort of a really big nostalgia sort of hit.
SPEAKER_04:Yep.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, I watched this with a really good friend of mine as well. And it was such a stunch hit because it was pretty much the exact same plot for the first movie for this movie, but with a massive twist at the end. I didn't ever expect like out of all things to happen, it was one thing I did not think would happen.
SPEAKER_05:And that was it. Yeah. Very nice. And like I I know that these movies, the I Know What You Did Last Summer movies, they deal with a lot of like the consequences of your actions and looking on past regret kind of themes and motifs as well. So I'm imagining this one also investigated a few of those. And it also stars Madeline Kleins, and she's like a new up-and-coming actress that's really like been in quite a few things now as well. I watched her in the map that leads to you, and she was really captivating in that as well. So that's one that I'm gonna have to check out as well. Beautiful. Probably one of the most controversial choices I'm going to make here. K-pop Demon Hunters was probably one of the best movies of 2025. And I'm not even going to be shy about saying that because the first time I went to watch this, I was coerced to watch it by my lovely partner Kalia. And I think because of the background and the meme culture around it, I was really resistant. Obviously, being a middle school sort of age teacher, every single student that I interacted with had something to say about this movie. So I went in very opinionated. But then when I watched it again, as we were talking about before, after reflection, this movie's actually got so many themes and so many different like ways you could view this and really some really good messages for young people. I really love the representation of Gen Z in this movie. I loved the obvious reference to the Korean pop culture scene. The songs are really catchy. They're ones that live on your iPad rent-free. But at its core, you're really looking at a story where these three individual friends are getting through life together for one. So it's about like friendship and togetherness. And then secondly, Rumi, the hero of this story, is hiding like a big secret. She's obviously part demon. And that being the case, she's very reluctant to reveal that to her friends, wondering how they would react because of their strong opinions towards those kinds of people. But it's about, you know, finding trust in the people that you love and allowing them to love you for who you truly are. But there's also this undercurrent and this love story between Rumi and Gino, which is just really great to see. And there's this song called Free in it that really talks about how Rumi feels amazing that she can be her true self around Gino and be loved, and Gino feels the same way. And I think that that's one of the hardest things to do. And it says in the song as well that like it's it's we know how great this could be if we could do it, but it's so hard to do it. And I really resonate with that because I think anybody that's been in any kind of relationship before, whether it be romantic or friendship, the hardest thing to do is just to be vulnerable. It's the bravest thing to do, and it's the hardest thing to do. So I think the themes that come up in this movie are really resonant and really great for young people to view in a fun and colourful and amazing way. And also, who doesn't love the song Golden? So you've heard Golden, obviously, Brash. Come on.
SPEAKER_03:I I've watched K Pop Demon Hunter several.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, it's amazing. Like Soda Pop is such a great song as well. And some text to that song, though. I know, I know. I like you just start wiggling your shoulders like they do on that thing there.
SPEAKER_03:Like, yeah, it's just like as a child, as a kid watching or like listening to Soda Pop, you're like, oh yeah, bubbly fun song. Then listen to the lyrics. Like actually listen to the lyrics, and then you're like, I don't think my kids should be listening to this.
SPEAKER_05:That's exactly right. So looking at the lyric video that came up, I didn't really clock it until I read the lyrics of that song as well. So yeah, you're right. There is definitely some undertones, but you'd be surprised how many times kids would listen to a song and just it just completely goes over their head. Because obviously we're looking at it with that adult lens, but like like Harry Styles Watermelon Sugar, apparently that's about something that's not so PG-rated as well. And you know, that goes completely over people's heads if you if you're not in the know. So yeah, K-pop demon hunters, no shame. Let's go. 28 years later. Okay. This is one I couldn't bring myself to watch because the opening scene had all these people in a room watching the Teletubbies, and then something terrible happens to them, and they're all children. And I was like, no, I couldn't watch it. So I know it gets better after that, and that's a very like bad thing for me to say because everybody knows I'm squeamish with horror, but please go ahead.
SPEAKER_03:Because I'll I'm I'm a big fan of the 28 series. 28 days, swinging out weeks, swinging out months. 28 years later, just like I went I wasn't into it expecting, oh yeah, it's just gonna be like you know, the zombie horror people running away from zombies, killing zombies, blah blah. But I probably shouldn't have thought that because every single one has like some sort of deeper story to it, and with this one's a story of spike. Now I initially thought that this was a like that uh the main character was gonna be Aaron Taylor Johnson.
SPEAKER_05:Well that's how it's marketed.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and I was also because I'm also in a big Aaron Taylor Johnson kick at the moment. But no, it's of his son Spike. His son Spike's the main character. Uh Aaron Taylor Johnson's character, Jamie, takes his son outside of their little island, like they've got like this little island that is only accessible by like a strip of land when it's low tide. So it keeps uh it keeps all the monsters away, like all the people infected with the rage virus because they can't swim. So when there's low tide, Jamie usually goes out and like there's other people in the town as well. They go out foraging, obviously, try and find more stuff because they're on an island and he there's only so much that they can do on the island. So they have to venture out and try and look for supplies, medicines, and stuff like that. His coming of age, the spike, is that he's going to get taken out by his father onto the mainland to forage for the first time, get shown the land when they come across different sort of rage monsters, learn about them and learn how to kill them and everything like that. And that's pretty much like the first half of the movie.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. It always baffles me when they have all these like child actors, like I think his name's Alfie Williams in this one going through all this hardcore stuff. And I'm like, as a kid actor, wouldn't that really affect you? But like it sounds like he's created this really awesome world in the 28 years pantheon, you could say.
SPEAKER_03:Like it's because it's a very much so a coming of age sort of movie where sort of Alfie transitions from being this like young kid and has to pretty much grow up fairly quickly and learn some harsh truths and some heavy lessons, especially in the second half when he meets the doctor and when he has to make a choice. Because I'm not gonna there's one part of it that I haven't said that I'm not gonna spoil because it's a very interesting part. But a choice that was made with an infected person that like has a um it'd be uh like made me think of what I would do in that situation, and like I I still not sure what I would do. Um, but they chose probably the more noble choice, Alfie and his mother, the soldiers they were traveling with, didn't and karma got him real quick.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. See, that's really good. That's really good that a movie that you saw left you thinking afterwards about like morality and a choice like that. So I mean, maybe I'll have to look past the teletubby scene and give it a watch.
SPEAKER_03:Just to just skip the first couple minutes. Just realistically, because you see that, you know, because it's their first scene, and really that doesn't pay off until the very end when you meet the kid from that place again.
SPEAKER_05:Very good. So my next pick is going to be one that I think is pretty popular for a lot of people. I think Superman was probably one of the best movies of 2025. And the reason I've got it here is obviously because of the themes that are within it, including the themes of hope. I was really worried, as I think everybody was, about what kind of Superman we were going to get. There was lots of people who are very attached to Henry Cavill for amazing reasons. He definitely looks the part. He's a humble dude in real life, but we all know that the there is some contention between whether Zack Snyder's idea of Superman is is what it should be. But I think James Gunn really hit the nail on the head in terms of what Superman should be. The tagline for the movie, look up. I think movies do something that's really important in culture, and they they highlight aspects of culture that is needed at the time. And I think for Superman, it's definitely something that we needed at the time. Like there is a lot of things going on in the world that people want to look towards something else. And Superman gave us that. David Cornsweat played an amazing role. I think the the chemistry between Rachel Brosnahan and David Corensweat was great. And I think this representation of Superman on screen was awesome because he wasn't perfect, he wasn't noble, he wasn't a boy scout, he was a person, he was a human, as said in the final sort of interaction with Lex Luther. And he was just really just doing his best. So I think for me, Superman was one that I could not leave off this list. My favorite scene in this entire movie was the one where he's talking to his uh his his father Jonathan Kent or his adoptive father Jonathan Kent at the farm when Superman is worried that his people sent him to Earth for different reasons than what he initially thought. And it brings back those lessons of your choices make you who you are, not your history or your past. And I think that really resonated with me when I watched it. But also I think that that's really important to know is that your choices matter and who you are as a person isn't defined by the things that you perceive in your past or the mistakes that you've made. So some really great characters, some really great messages and technically brilliant, some amazing scenes. Again, soundtrack, the song Five Years' Time, I think was the song we were playing over and over again.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, Five Years Time with Mr.
SPEAKER_05:Terrific. Yep. Yeah, also another great character, Mr. Terrific.
SPEAKER_03:And you can't forget Onkrocker.
SPEAKER_05:Oh yeah, yeah. And you know, maybe being kind as the real punk rock actually circulated around for a while. So when movies change the zeitgeist and it changes the culture of real life happenings in a pop cultural space, I think you can't deny that it is something that is moving. And Superman definitely did that.
SPEAKER_03:But um, um, it was Superman's actually my number two. Yeah, because I I I really Okay, and you're probably gonna hate me for this.
SPEAKER_05:I never hate you, Brash.
SPEAKER_03:I hated Henry Cavill's Superman.
SPEAKER_05:I do hate you for that. No, I don't. That's fair.
SPEAKER_03:I love I love Henry Henry Cavill, and I also agree he makes like uh picture, picture-wise, he makes the a perfect Superman. But yes, uh like you said, the Zack Ryder version, I didn't like it. I understand like if you look at some of the comics, the way that he's portrayed in the movie is like how he is in some of the movie in some of the comics.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, especially the injustice run, like he's very definitive in terms of being a defender, and also Zack Snyder placed a lot of emphasis on him being this godly presence. Like, there are so many backlit shots of Superman just sort of levitating and being angelic that it kind of forced the perspective that he was a good guy. Whereas I think the narrative and the story and the dialogue helped David Cornsweat Superman be lifted in that space, which I liked better too.
SPEAKER_03:The thing that I didn't like is him killing Zod. As soon as I saw that I could I loved the movie all the way through, and then as soon as that happened, I was like, that's shit. The fact that he couldn't do anything else but snap Zod's neck to stop him from zapping like a eye lasering those people was I think he had the strength to break his neck, but he does the strength to like roof his head up or something.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, well, exactly. He could have he could snap his neck enough, like he could turn his head enough to snap his spine, but not enough to angle his head to look at the roof for five seconds while they ran away.
SPEAKER_03:That that or like he couldn't, you know, do the Superman, like do the Superman thing and you know, put himself in front of those people and take the beanie. Like, no, he killed Dodd and I was like, no, that is not my Superman. But whereas like the in the new one, he's more like all-star Superman, which I really like too. Where it's like very, very uh Boy Scout, big boy Boy Scout. And I I really enjoyed that where he's yeah, so really optimistic, and yeah, as we said, uh was it maybe um that maybe that is the real pump rock.
SPEAKER_05:Very cool. All right, so that was one that we had mutually. So I guess it's back to my turn. My next Next one is going to be Avatar, Fire and Ash. Now, there is a lot of hate going around for the Avatar franchise because everybody sees James Cameron make billions of dollars on his movies and he's only doing the Avatar franchise and people seem to have a problem with that. But the way that I look at the Avatar franchise is back in the day, if like Leonardo da Vinci was creating a new flying machine, everybody would go to see that because it was the new advancement in technology. These Avatar movies are the new advancements in technology in the industry of film. And if you can sit in a cinema and watch it on the biggest screen possible, then what better way? Like you're witnessing history in that moment. And you might say that that is saying things in an over-the-top way, but every single time James Cameron has made an Avatar movie, there has been a development in film that has caused those movies to be able to do something spectacular that has not been done before. So for that reason, I really think that Avatar Fire and Ash is one of the best movies of 2025. That coupled with the fact that this is exploring a story of a family that is living through an experience after grief. If you haven't seen Avatar The Way of Water, there is something that happens in that movie that no family should ever have to go through. And when I first started watching this, I saw Jake Sully, played by Sam Worthington, Australian. And I first of all thought he was a really big dickish version of a father, right? Because his son was going through lots of different sorts of turmoil and he never had his back and he never really stood up for him. But I realized that he was a man that was going through grief as well, trying to lead a family, trying to protect a nation, obviously dealing with a wife who had lots of different sorts of turmoils of her own, too. So in fact, he was a realistic representation of a character. And then you look at his wife, Nearti, and she was also played by Zoe Seldania, navigating this grief in a completely different way as well, having just suffered through quite a lot of turmoil. And she lives in this space where she's completely surrounded by family, loves her people, but she's also in this conflict because she she loves a man that's from the opposing force. And there's all these different character interactions within these movies that really just solidify it as one of the best things that I think happened in 2025 on the screen. Not to mention villain-wise, Miles Quarich, people will look at him and say, How many times does this guy have to die on screen? Absolutely agree with you, but I think that his back and forth with Jake Sully is like it's going to go down in history as one of the best rivalries on screen. Like you could compare it to Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader if you wanted to. In the modern era, that's probably as close as we've got in terms of cinema and pop cultural reference. And he's just this militaristic guy that is starting to go in his own transition through a redemption arc, it seems like, as well, because he's obviously embraced the form that he is now living in of the Navi people, seeing the advantages that has. But also, Jake often tells him, open your eyes to this world and it will give you more back than you ever expected. And I think that's starting to happen with him. So seeing this villain in transition, it gives me like real excitement to see where this trilogy goes or this set of movie goes. And I really hope James Cameron can make more. He said that he's definitely willing to, but he he's not thinking about it until this one makes any form of cash money. So I think it's already hit those benchmarks, so we'll have to wait and see. But this one, I was wrestling between this one and my number one pick, but I really enjoyed Avatar Fire and Ash to all the haters. Stop hating on progress. Go look at an amazing story that looks mu looks awesome.
SPEAKER_03:And I did the review of this of the Avatar Byron Ash DLC, and that was absolutely amazing. So any gamers out there listing, if you've played Avatar and you want to jump into the James Cameron world of the newest movie, the Frontiers of Pandora is uh a set of blaze. And that was a that was a very good cool because like there are sort of nods to the movie in in the game.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, and what a breathtaking world to immerse yourself in, gamer-wise, or even watching these sets of movies. That was part of it as well. I went and watched this movie, sat in the the theaters and was literally immersed being surrounded by Pandora and landscape. And that happened to me when I watched the first one because it came out in 3D and you watched it in 3D, and it happened to me in the second one and then the third one as well. And there isn't many trilogies that do that for me three times in a in succession. So Avatar for me, top tier. What's your next one, Brash? This is my number one, and it may surprise you. Go for it. It's code three. Code three?
SPEAKER_03:I haven't heard of that. Go ahead. So this is a movie with Rain Wilson.
SPEAKER_00:Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, actually Lil'Ray Arel Howry and Amy Carrero. You may remember Amy Carrero for such DD games as Critical Roll. She played Opal in that. So in this story, Rain Wilson plays an EMT. Uh, he's been EMT for 20 odd years, and he's looking to try and find another job because the toll and the burden of being an EMT has taken like has finally caught up with him and he's had enough. His partner, Little Red Harry, who plays Mike, is the only person who can ride along with him because he's the only person who can sort of stand his sort of sourness. But on the day that's meant to be his last day, he is coupled with a new trainee to join along to do a ride-along for the day. And you get to see sort of like probably an exaggerated view, but a gricky sort of and honestly watching it, I was like, you know what? I would not be surprised. This is what they had to go through day in and day out day out.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:But yes, no, it this movie surprised me on just how how good it was. I I expected some sort of B-grade comedy sort of thing, but honestly, like just watch like the just watching how much effort they put into their roles like had me believing that this is the shit that everyone has to put out, like these guys have to put up with every day, and made me feel like I felt like going out and just donating everything I had in my bank account to the EMTs to show them how good a job they're doing. Cause it the stress and the toll that that this job would take on a person is beyond my imagining. Couldn't imagine I couldn't imagine doing a job and thank you all for your service, EMTs out there. Couldn't agree more. But yes, no, it's hard to put into words, but just every and especially Amy Carrera. Like I was surprised with Amy Carrera's performance. She was so good in this in this movie, so good. And Rain Wilson just like absolutely nailed it.
SPEAKER_05:He is an interesting actor for me because he he can do drama really well, but he can also run that line of comedy really well. So he can do both.
SPEAKER_03:Sort of molds both into this. So there's plenty of drama in this as well as comedy. Like like one of my favorite comedy scenes of this movie is when they go to a n they get a call to a nursing home to say that because someone's had a heart attack, they it empties them. So they get there, and the nurse, the guy nurse that's there, shows her body. And they as soon as I walk in, they always go, Alright, we're leaving. Like, what aren't you gonna help her? And then you see the person, and it's this lady, she's like bone white, if there's a board, just dead. And they're like, Well, she's been dead for hours. You try to call us so you can put palm your issue off to us instead. We're not touching this. Um the she's the she the guy's like, Oh, I'm gonna get my um supervisor, and he's like, Alright, that's not gonna change the outcome. Um, the head the head nurse is like, Oh, I like to see like her violence. He's like, vitamins, and then she goes, pulse zero. Don't touch her, zero. She is dead, and uh that was like the best song. Oh, it was it's just such a wildcrafted scene.
SPEAKER_00:Oh man, so yeah, number one.
SPEAKER_03:Oh yeah, that's my number one. It it was a movie that I've watched it twice now. When I had to think up this list, I was like, I need to watch that again. That was so good. So it's on my list to watch again.
SPEAKER_05:Very good. I'll have to check that one out because yeah, you did actually mention that that to me before, but yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, definitely check it out. It is a really, really good movie. It really surprised me because it was like it was fairly low budget, I'm pretty sure. Gros gross worldwide gross worldwide, 35,190.
SPEAKER_05:Just goes to show you don't need a lot of money to tell a good story. We went from amazing blockbuster of Avatar, Fire and Ash to this low budget movie that resonated just as well with with two different people. So yeah. All right. My number one movie for 2025 is Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein. I chose Frankenstein for lots of different reasons. First and most obviously, Del Toro crafts beautiful cinematography. It is a feast to watch for anybody. It basically every scene looks like a gothic oil painting that's just steep in macabre. And I think Jacob Allordi's performance as the creature in this goes towards one of the best acting performances in 2025 as well, Australian. And he just embodies this total different personality, you could say. And I think that seeing him act out some of the scenes that he had to in this, it's very easy to do the creature as a caricature. And he really brought pain in a way that really made you love this thing, basically. So it was very interesting to see how he crafted this. And and Guillermo de Toro has this obsession with what is alive and what is living and what makes us or the creature beyond what is humanity? Is it the creature or is it the human that's wearing the human face that makes you question these various different things? Because it pits the creature and Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein, together. And obviously Frankenstein's the human in the situation, but he is he acts very coldly, he is very calculating, he he treats the creature like his ambition project, he treats the creature like it is something that he is trying to prove to others that will bolster his social standings. And the creature goes through this development as children usually do, where he is curious about the world, he is curious about connection, he values connection with people that connect with him. And I think it was really an enigmatic story that uplifted me when I watched it. And I think it really draws that line between human and monster, and that line is not drawn by form, but it's drawn by the courage to offer compassion when fear tells you that you should look the other way. So when you're when you're scared of something because of how it looks or because of what the situation may entail, like sometimes the truth behind that is very different to what you perceive. And I think that that message really resonated with me, but also Del Toro's storytelling craft, together in a full package, just made a really big cinematic experience for me. I will say though, you kind of have to be in the mood to watch this sort of kind of movie because it is almost like an art piece as opposed to a popcorn flick. So there's that little caveat on the end of that one, too. But I think Frankenstein and Guillermo Del Toro's work is by far for me 2025's best movie. So we have two very different lists, Brash. Only one movie in common, that being Superman, and your top being Code 3, mine being Frankenstein, and we might go into our best heroes. So, Brash, who was your top protagonist of 2025 and why did they resonate with you specifically? Which character really touched you this year?
SPEAKER_03:It was such a hard call. Because my first thought was Superman. Yes. Because I I I love I'm usually more of a Batman guy than I am a Superman guy. But I love the story they told, and I love the version of the Superman that was portrayed in the new Superman movie, and that would be my honorable hero, but unfortunately, Superman didn't quite make it. And my hero would actually have to be Josh Brolin in weapons.
SPEAKER_05:Okay, yeah, another one I haven't seen. So tell me about tell me about Josh Brolin. What makes him a hero and what resonated with you to give him your top spot as best hero of the year?
SPEAKER_03:So, and I think as much as it is a horror and you probably hate it, I reckon you would really like this movie. So, Josh Brolin is a father whose child and a bunch of other kids from the same class all go missing from this one class, except for one kid. Understandably, he's quite upset. And everyone sort of blames the teacher, and through his own investigations, he sort of comes to a different conclusion. I can't really draw without spoiling the movie. I won't say too much, but his his ability to go from being obviously an emotional wreck and heading, pretty much heading this hate towards this teacher who's innocent, to sort of being able to stop and forget about his own grief and look at her and mean like she's going through just as much shit as the rest of us parents are. Especially since that she's getting to blame for all these kids that she is meant to be protecting and looking after. For the whole town to turn on her and say that she kidnapped, killed all these kids and have to live with that day after day after day while still trying to do her de best as a teacher. He sees that and in doing so, evidently with her help, saves all the kids. So sort of looking past his own grief and sort of having empathy for someone else.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, and compassion.
SPEAKER_03:Compassion and helping and seeing it from her side that says, Well, maybe she didn't do it. We need to try and find out who did do it, if that leads them to the happier ending.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. Mine is very similar to yours in terms of the reasons why. My best hero for this year is Yelena Balova from The Thunderbolts, played by Florence Pugh. Love her. Yeah, she not only played by a brilliant actress, but at the start of this movie, you can see her going through all different kinds of grief due to the loss of her sister, uh, Scarlett Johansson's character at Black Widow at the end of Black Widow, at the end of Endgame. And you can see her just at the start feeling this numbness. There are big themes of depression that go rife through the Thunderbolts movie. But she navigates this and forms a close bond with a bunch of misfits, which is amazing to see. And this was one of those movies that when I first watched it, I was underwhelmed with because I think I hyped it a lot. And then upon a rewatch, I looked at it again and I thought this is actually quite a detailed piece because every single character in the movie is going through something different, and she amalgamizes these people, like brings them all together with the understanding that they're all going through something different, but the togetherness that she provides them through her leadership as well, you could say, is really exactly what they all need. And, you know, there's this very powerful entity known as the void or the sentry who's going through their own or his own mental crisis that she definitely helps. And the climax of this movie is like no other superhero movie that I've ever seen. Like I've never seen a superhero movie that doesn't end with a big blockbuster, like trailer-worthy scrap of action and fight. This movie ends with like hugging a group hug. And you can look at that and laugh and say that that is absolutely ridiculous for a movie to end that way. But I think going back to what we said about society and how movies reflect society, that's exactly what these people needed. They needed togetherness, they needed closeness, they needed to be seen for who they are and loved anyway. All the while, Elena's going through this dynamic with her own family that is pretty dysfunctional, like with the dad she has in David Harbour. Great character as well. But I think that the character of Elena Balova definitely gets top ranking for me in 2025. Also, shout out to Amy Piero and Lud63, members of our Instagram and threads community. You guys actually voted Thunderbolts as your best movie of the year. And with a hero like Elena Balova, Florence Pugh, I do not question why. So I I thank you guys for your interactions, but also thank you, Florence Pugh and Yelena Balova for being a great hero that I could look up to this year. Thoughts on Thunderbolts brash?
SPEAKER_03:I love Thunderbolts. It's probably in my top, it's probably in my top ten. Probably around the eight mark. Yep.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, I are Wyatt Russell. His character is universally hated.
SPEAKER_03:No, yeah, and uh he feels I feel so bad for him though. Yeah, he's a soldier. Like he his whole job is to kill the bad guy, and he got overwhelmed with the responsibility of being Captain America, kills a person, and then his whole world is just turned upside down and yeah.
SPEAKER_05:And he lost sight of what was important to him too, because you see him in scenes where he's in the room with his his infant child and his wife, and he's like scrolling on a thing, looking at his game and looking at himself up. What everybody's saying about him. And that's that's a like the real representations of mental health in this movie is just absolutely the rabbit hole that he went through, like he just spiraled. Yeah, and I think for me, like a character like Elena Belova, Florence Pugh, uniting these people and giving them exactly what they need, despite the fact that she herself was going through something, is aspirational, but also the definition of courage to me. I think that that's very vulnerable to put yourself out there for others, even though you're suffering yourself. And yeah, you could say that it's altruistic because she's doing that to get the same in return. Yeah, maybe so. But everybody's out to help each other in this space, and it's rare to see that in a superhero movie, and it's a risk that Marvel took too, because they knew that they were in like they're not in the best standing at the moment with their movies. And this coming out being very different from the action-packed blockbuster that everybody's used to was a definite change of pace. And to me, I think it paid off quite quite a lot because a lot of people in society are like going through very similar things. So it's a very good movie. I liked it a lot.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, definitely, definitely a good movie.
SPEAKER_05:All right. Let's jump into our antagonists, our villains, the best villain of the year. And for me, this goes to a character from a movie called One Battle After Another. Have you seen it, Brash?
SPEAKER_03:No.
SPEAKER_05:So this is a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and it is basically about revolutionaries who live the life of a revolutionary and then consequences lay in their wake for everybody that they love. So one of the best villains of the year for me was Sean Penn, who played Colonel Stephen J. Lockjaw in one battle after another. I think he plays a ruthless man who has very little compassion. He is very much driven by his own ambition. Within the movie, he is selected to join an elite task force of gentlemen. And in order to get to that space, he will basically do anything in terms of erasing his past mistakes, no matter the cost. So the movie centers around him, and I think his dark portrayal of this militaristic force is really resonant for me because it's hard to watch movies these days and see villains that you can kind of relate to this way or that. But I think there is nobody on the history of the planet that would look at this character played by Sean Penn and like him or find a redeeming quality in him. So I think in terms of an antagonist and a villain, he definitely played that part super well. Also, chops to Sean Penn for playing a character like this because it can be very difficult. But he did such a brilliant job at that coldness, at that sort of stoic nature, the unrelenting pressure he puts on those around him is anxiety inducing. And for a film to do that and for a character to do that, he basically traumatizes everyone around him through the course of the movie. But I think that this representation of this kind of character is the reason like. Like villains are made, and giving you someone that's on the screen and fictional and fake to push your hatred towards is really good to watch because obviously you're viewing it from a safe space. But I think for me it really made me root for the heroes of this story a lot more, which I think a good villain should do. So for me, it's Sean Penn is Stephen J. Lockjaw. What about you? Best villain, Brad.
SPEAKER_03:Best villain for me would have to be Peter Stomer. A lot of you might know Peter Stoman more so from John Wick.
SPEAKER_05:Okay. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:He plays the Russian that he kills the the uncle of the young kid that kills his dog, Peter Stoman. He plays Dr. Hill in a movie called Until Dawn, which is one like one of my like a really favorite game of mine on the PlayStation. A very psychological horror type game. And the movie was a little bit let down as they like they deviated a lot from what the game was.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Like the the movie is sort of has nothing to do with the game, but the only similar similarities in it is the bad guy in well the overarching bad guy in the game is also Peter Stomach. He plays that character in the game. He also plays the character in the movie.
SPEAKER_05:The movie. Yeah, and he plays Dr. Hill.
SPEAKER_03:Dr. Hill, yes, and who's currently running an experiment in this area, this pocket sort of area where it's all like a gruesome and horrific groundhog day where you have to uh the only way to break the cycle is to make it till dawn without dying. And unfortunately, it takes hundreds of girls for these poor, poor people to uh get to finally break the curse, and it does take a massive toll on them over time.
SPEAKER_05:He has a very good way of like a deadpan stare that is extremely creepy and unnerving for me. That's what he does for me. And this is one of the few horror movies I actually watched this year, so I can agree with you. I think that his nonchalant attitude towards villainy, I'll put in quotes. Yeah, but it's not like a an I don't care. It's more like a the consequences and your your pain don't matter to me, which I think is extremely like villainous.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, also is it's in a way he sort of for me probably reminds me a lot of like Dr. Frankenstein. Yeah. Where this is all about his experiment and he doesn't give a shit about anyone else. He just wants to he wants you to run through his little maze, run my little mice, run through and just yeah, do my bidding and get my data. And the fact the fact that like you think he's dead, and then look it pops up at the very end again. And like makes makes me think like there's even more to his sinisterness than like you think, okay, bad guy's dead, everyone goes home happy now. But in reality, there's more to even him that we don't know about, and it actually half gets me excited to see if there is gonna be like an until Dawn 2, yeah, or or equivalent.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, honestly, I kind of enjoyed the Until Dawn movie, and I think he was a big reason for it because villains like Dr. Hill represent like systemic failings. So the fact that he was beaten by this group of people, but then rises and will probably do the same to another group of protagonists in the future suggests that the system is still alive. The system that is oppressing people, or the system that is literally ambition over compassion is still a big problem. He represents that he's here at the end, going to do it again. So you can fight and fight and fight and fight as much as you like against this oppression, but it is inevitable that it's going to come back and return. And that is a very like daunting thought, and very like that's the horror part of that horror movie for me, is the fact that it will never end.
SPEAKER_03:Well, it and then I had to sort of separate myself because I've played the game, which is a completely different story. Also a very good story, because it has like Hayden Peneteri in it and the guy who played. Rami Malik as well. Um it was a completely different story to what the game was, but um the Dr. Hill in that is also the Dr. Hill in this who did the psych tests on the player character. He yeah, he was the the the therapist that Sammy Malik's character went to to work through his issues, but I think he was actually egging him on to making the decisions that he made. And he sort of manipulated things so that it played out the way he wanted it to play out.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, yeah, I couldn't agree more. An oppressive villain is definitely one that sticks with you after the credits roll. All right, so that wraps up our Fender Awards. So to recap for you, best movie of the year for Brash goes to Code 3, best movie of the year for Aaron, myself goes to Frankenstein, best hero for Brash, Archer played by Josh Roland, best hero of the year for me, Elena Belova from the Thunderbolts movie, played by Florence Q, Best Villain, Stephen J. Lockjaw, played by Sean Penn was mine from one battle after another, and for Brash was Dr. Hill from the Until Dawn movie, played by Peter Stomer. So those are our award recipients for 2025, guys. And right now we're going to hit you with some of the updates that are going to happen for our podcast in 2026. So, first and foremost, we want to thank you guys for sticking around with us for another year. We promise you it's going to be just as awesome as the last, if not more so. We have started some brand new ways for you guys to interact with us as podcasters. So we have a Discord server now that is going to be in the show notes below, or if you're watching on YouTube, is in the description below. Definitely click on that. We've got some places for you to chat amongst like-minded people. We figured that our podcast is more of a space where people have like deeper conversations about movies than what Instagram or threads would give us from like comment lines here and there. So this is a space where if you're really someone who likes to connect with others who like movies or want to talk about the different things that movies can teach you, like what we do on this podcast, and this is the space for you. It's also just a social space. So if you want somebody to like suggest a movie for you, that could be a space we can go. So definitely go and check that out. Things to come for this year. We're going to be looking at all different movies. We're going to be looking at all the different lessons that they can teach you. So next week on the podcast, we are going to be looking at K-pop Demon Hunters. Yes, you heard that correctly. It was my fourth favorite movie of the year for 2025. So many messages. So we thought we'd share it with you starting the year off with a pop culture hit. So tune in for that, K-pop Demon Hunters. Tell your friends. We can talk about it in our Discord as well. And that is it from me. Keep learning, keep growing, and keep loving fandoms and film. Bye, everybody. Bye.
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