Before I fully look toward 2026, it’s time for the Tenth Annual Sticky List!
If you’re unfamiliar with the Sticky List, these are the films which made me want to watch, rewatch, discuss, and share. While several films on my favorites list meet this criteria (also with a bit of crossover into my recommendations of films to look for in 2026), chances are you’ve heard about those ad nauseam from the countless other “Best of” lists that have dropped starting at the beginning of December. What this list focuses on are films that lingered within me, prompting rewatches or reconsiderations. Some of them you may not have heard of or may have overlooked amid all the other releases.
Click here to check out Sticky Lists from previous years.
If you’re interested in checking out my full list of favorite films from this year, it’s available on my Letterboxd. Here are my Top Ten for 2025:
- The Life of Chuck
- Sinners
- Sketch
- Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League
- The Perfect Neighbor
- Third Act
- New Jack Fury
- On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
- 40 Acres
- K-Pop Demon Hunters
Reviews for most of the films included on the Top Ten and beyond on this list are available on EoM.
Honorable mentions:
Brother Verses Brother, Wake Up Dead Man, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, She’s the He!, The Voice of Hind Rajab, Good Boy, Sorry, Baby, Wick Is Pain, Blazing Fists, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, Frankenstein, Companion
The Accountant 2
Directed By: Gavin O’Connor
Written By: Bill Dubuque
Cast: Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, J.K. Simmons, Allison Robertson, Alison Wright, Daniella Pineda
Official Synopsis:
Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) has a talent for solving complex problems. When an old acquaintance is murdered, leaving behind a cryptic message to “find the accountant,” Wolff is compelled to solve the case. Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother, Brax (Jon Bernthal), to help. In partnership with U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), they uncover a deadly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.
There are certainly choices within The Accountant 2 that make the film come off as more of a beach read in the way that the mystery ties together and it gets resolved. Things are a little too neat, a little too connected, and a little too uplifting re the autistic community. This is where some the weaknesses start to show and they are certainly things that individuals can read as detriments to the disability community. However, with so many things that are right (via my anecdotal experience going in and out of therapy offices for the last five years), I can observe too many things that are right and treated with appropriate care; things that feel authentic and real, even in this secret world/power fantasy that exists within the thrilling world of The Accountant. In this view, when one puts the potential good against the potential bad, our balance sheet lands in the black.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, digital, and Prime Video now.
Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League
Directed By: Jumpei Mizusaki, Shinji Takagi
Written By: Kazuki Nakashima
Cast: Koichi Yamadera, Yuki Kaji, Kengo Kawanishi, Daisuke Ono, Ayane Sakura, Akio Otsuka, Nobuyuki Hiyama, Romi Park, Rie Kugimiya, Wataru Takagi, Hochu Otsuka, Masaki Terasoma, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Takaya Kamikawa, Akira Ishida
Official Synopsis:
In this sequel to Batman Ninja, the Batman family has returned to the present to discover that Japan has disappeared, and a giant island – Hinomoto – is now in the sky over Gotham City. At the top sit the Yakuza, a group of superpowered individuals who reign without honor or humanity and look suspiciously like the Justice League. Now, it’s up to Batman and his allies to save Gotham!
While Yakuza League doesn’t reach the heights of, say, Batman Ninja’s tokusatsu elements, it’s no less impressive with the incorporation of other Japanese culture influences and homages. As explained in “Bringing Justice to Japan,” there are little details like the courtesan dress-inspired outfit that makes up Zeshika’s (Jessica Cruz Green Lantern) primary costume, the fish-monger motif for Ahsa, or straight-up borrowing from Lady Snowblood (1973) to create Daiana’s umbrella shield. Those familiar with Japanese yakuza cinema (Big Time Gambling Boss (1968); Yakuza Graveyard (1976); Branded to Kill (1967); Battle Without Honor & Humanity (1974)) will certainly take away more from Yakuza League in the same way that those more familiar with Edo era-based tales (Seven Samurai (1954); 13 Assassins (2021); A Samurai in Time (2024)) did with Batman Ninja; however, the film remains incredibly accessible thanks to the interpretations of the DC characters. Most impressively, Nakashima demonstrates not only one of the clearest understandings of how Batman operates, but how Batman thinks in regard to his teammates, whether Bat Family or Justice League. There’s a brief speech by Batman that literally put tears in my eyes with the accuracy of interpretation that wasn’t even connected to the exploration of ninkyo code that courses through the film proper. While many presume that yakuza is a criminal organization without honor, there is a belief in a code of honor (ninkyo) that seeks to protect others, or, at the very least, reduce harm. The failure to uphold the yakuza code is a critical point of narrative conflict in the 1958 crime thriller Underworld Beauty as the yakuza boss undermines a recently paroled member’s attempts to rectify past mistakes, and the code is similarly utilized here by the way that the main villain of Yakuza League balks at organizational loyalty compared to Daiana who embodies ninkyo, thereby honoring who Wonder Woman is while she serves as an immediate ally for the Bat Family in this strange new world. Again, if you’re aware of the cultural context from which Yakuza League is borrowing, the film is a rich, cinematic ride, but you don’t have to be immersed in the details in order to enjoy yourself.
Though Yakuza League is an inherently Japanese story, be advised that the physical edition defaults to English and must be changed in both the language and audio settings to get the original Japanese with English-language subtitles.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, digital, and HBO now.
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Directed By: Tatsuya Yoshihara
Written By: Hiroshi Seko
Cast: Kikunosuke Toya, Reina Ueda, Tomori Kusunoki, Shogo Sakata, Maaya Uchida, Natsuki Hanae, Karin Takahashi, Fairouz Ai, Yuuya Uchida, Shiori Izawa
Official Synopsis:
For the first time, Chainsaw Man slashes his way onto the big screen in an epic, action-fueled adventure that continues the hugely popular anime series. Denji worked as a Devil Hunter for the yakuza, trying to pay off the debt he inherited from his parents, until the yakuza betrayed him and had him killed. As he was losing consciousness, Denji’s beloved chainsaw-powered devil-dog, Pochita, made a deal with Denji and saved his life. This fused the two together, creating the unstoppable Chainsaw Man. Now, in a brutal war between devils, hunters, and secret enemies, a mysterious girl named Reze has stepped into his world, and Denji faces his deadliest battle yet, fueled by love in a world where survival knows no rules.
Underneath it all, however, is something truly dark and sinister that should be on the mind of every Chainsaw Man fan. Denji is a kid who, from an extremely young age, worked to pay off his father’s debts, forgoing any kind of socialization or education. Denji can’t read, he can’t write, and his personal goals prior to joining Public Safety were consistent food and shelter. His first interaction with Makima, she directly tells him that he’ll be her dog and he (passingly begrudgingly) accepts the terms. His next level goals — to engage in physical contact with a girl — even if somewhat easily met, don’t give him the satisfaction that he’s looking for, leaving him more downtrodden than happy. Of course, his first kiss was a nightmare, so that makes a touch of sense; however, all of this continues to make him a pliable target to those who know how to lure him. The way that everyone uses Denji and how he allows himself to be used implies either no self-esteem (which we know not to be true, he’s too daft to think so inwardly) or having survived the kinds of trauma that make one susceptible to control, a trait not great for a Demon Hunter and worse for one with the heart of the Chainsaw Devil. A heart that, through the Katana Man Arc, we learn that other people want. This is where Denji’s hormones are more than his potential downfall to someone like Makima, they’re also emblematic of someone who is desperate for physical connection; an aspect that Chainsaw Devil Pochita (voiced by Shiori Izawa) clearly shares as its final words to Denji imply wanting to see his dreams come true as it gives itself up to replace a dying Denji’s heart. One can make all the jokes about Denji and his attraction to women, but it all belies a deep subconscious need to touch and be touched, not just as the Chainsaw Devil, but as a person. The horniness is just the vehicle the script uses to explore this. Despite all the laughter that the undeterred Denji induces, his entire life is a terrible tragedy and we’d be remiss to forget that, even as he unthinkingly trails any girl who gives him passing attention, regardless of their past/present/future malicious intent. This is what ends up giving Reze Arc so much of its weight and why the film lingers. At first glance it appears as much ado about nothing, when, in fact, it’s really about everything and what comes next feels like a tragic inevitability for Denji.
Available on digital now.
The Devil and the Daylong Brothers
Directed/Written By: Brandon McCormick
Cast: Brendan Bradley, Nican Robinson, Jordon Bolden, Rainey Qualley, Keith Carradine, Mark Ashworth
Official Synopsis:
The Daylong Brothers are on a quest to reclaim their souls, sold to the Devil by their father. When the Devil’s broker, offers them a deal in exchange for their father’s whereabouts they hunt the wicked across the South.
There’s a repeated line, one that’s a defining characteristic of the Brothers, that shifts from declaration to important question: “We’re not murderers, we’re killers.” In their line of work, a delineation is formed to separate out those who kill for pleasure and those who do so out of need; it’s a demarcation that the three never seek to cross as they bring in those with blood debts come due. Amid song and blood, McCormick slowly brings this line forward, turning it into a question that not only involves the Brothers and their mission, but evokes the culpability of the audience themselves. Not only that, it brings us back to the initial question: what is your soul worth when it’s showered in blood, innocent or otherwise? Though McCormick ends Daylong Brothers on an upward note, there’s no denying the necessity of the question or its weight in the larger scheme of what the three faced in the narrative and what we face in the real world. For this world may be fiction, but it’s built on the back of real horrors which are being erased from record (unless there’s righteous pushback). But just because the history books or the schools willfully forget, doesn’t mean that the land does or that the people do. The fun of The Devil and the Daylong Brothers may end with the wrap of the credits or the close of a song via streamer, but the ideas within it play on.
Available on VOD and digital now.
Freaky Tales
Directed/Written By: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Normani, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, Ji-young Yoo, Angus Cloud, and Tom Hanks
Official Synopsis:
Set in 1987 Oakland, Freaky Tales is a multi-track mixtape of colorful characters — an NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teen punks, neo-Nazis, and a debt collector — on a collision course in a fever dream of showdowns and battles. Executive produced by hip-hop pioneer Too $hort, and featuring an all-star ensemble including Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Normani, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, Ji-young Yoo, Angus Cloud, and Tom Hanks, this pulpy blend of explosive action, edgy humor, gory kills, and sly twists and turns makes for one wild ride.
Minus some quibbles related to one cinematography choice that is a gimmick to nowhere in the first story, one cannot deny the infectious energy of Freaky Tales. The songs keep the audience hyped, the cast is made of Boden/Fleck regulars and newbies, all game to get in on the action, and each of the pieces presented not only satisfy individually, they get you pumped for the next segment. The film incorporates the relationship between martial arts and the Black community, the significance of raw hip-hop and its ability to win over any crowd, that second chances can come anytime, and that minorities almost always have the right idea about how to handle a Nazi. At a time when morale needs any bit of lift it can get to maintain a necessary resistance against a machine determined to destroy law and order, Freaky Tales serves as a strong reminder that, through community, through friendship, we can hold the line and maybe teach some lessons in the process.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, VOD, and digital now.
Heads of State
Directed By: Ilya Naishuller
Written By: Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, Harrison Query
Cast: John Cena, Idris Elba, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Paddy Considine, Carla Gugino, Stephen Root, Jack Quaid, Sarah Niles
Official Synopsis:
The UK Prime Minister (Idris Elba) and US President (John Cena) have a public rivalry that risks their countries’ alliance. But when they become targets of a powerful enemy, they’re forced to rely on each other as they go on a wild, multinational run. Allied with Noel, a brilliant MI6 agent (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), they must find a way to thwart a conspiracy that threatens the free world.
What’s particularly impressive, though, is the absolute bite Heads of State possesses. The plot is a simple one — two individuals with opposing perspectives are faced with a difficult task they can only survive together. We’ve seen this in a variety of ways and often with a soft tooth approach to anything related to politics. For reference, films that involve political figures tend to focus more on them being bad ass and reaffirming a country’s public perception than actually saying anything of interest. Here, however, from the narrative arc to the costuming, Heads of State is positively potent. For the character of Derringer, a name made for action films if there ever was one, Cena’s dressed in an appropriate tailored suit and red tie. On its face, one might just think that red is a good color and helps bring out the color in his U.S. flag pin, but, when one considers that the U.S. has elected two former actors (Ronald Regan and Donald Trump) to the presidency, as well as Schwarzenegger and Jesse “The Body” Ventura to state governors’ houses, one can draw a fairly clear line between one political ideology and the character. Cena doesn’t play Derringer as a right-winger, however, possessing more of a globalist view, seeking to tap into the goodness of all people (an aspect that frequently grates against the more rigid and politically established Clarke). To demonstrate this, in a moment of frustration, Clarke laments their situation and it’s Derringer who reminds him of the losses their colleagues have suffered, so, perhaps, some perspective would be key. However, as the plot unfolds and more information is shared about the individuals surrounding both Derringer and Clarke, a picture forms of a worldview that’s more America First, gladly willing to let the world burn if it means they survive the longest. Ergo, Heads of State makes it quite clear that a specific political ideology is not only detrimental to one country, but the entire globe. Of course, this film being an action comedy first, it keeps things light by ensuring that American Exceptionalism and British Colonialism need to lead the way to get there, which softens the realization baked into the narrative. Additionally, and not for nothing, the screenwriters make it quite clear who the bad guys are, who the good guys are, and that both types exist in shades of grey of their own making. It’s rare to find a piece of fiction willing to be so damned provocative without sacrificing the entertainment value.
Available on Prime Video now.
The Life of Chuck
Directed/Written By: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Benjamin Pajak, Nick Offerman, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mia Sara, Mark Hamill, Annalise Basso, Jacob Tremblay, Cody Flanagan, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss
Official Synopsis:
From the hearts and minds of Stephen King and Mike Flanagan comes The Life of Chuck, the extraordinary story of an ordinary man. This unforgettable, genre-bending tale celebrates the life of Charles ‘Chuck’ Krantz as he experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.
Despite the above paragraphs suggesting otherwise, it’s actually quite difficult to convey just how much The Life of Chuck moved me in both the original watch and the rewatch. It’s even more difficult to express how perfect this film is. I tried in July and I’m not sure that more words upon words will do the feeling this film inspires any kind of justice. We are both comprised of the energy of long-burned out stars as we are the choices we make, as we are the people who have come into our lives. We’re allowed to be more than what others think of ourselves and, more importantly, we’re allowed to be more than *we* think *we* are. We don’t have to wait for life to mean something, we can make meaning every day in the active choices within the moments of our lives. We can love, laugh, cry, be hurt, be lonely, be together, we can be still, and, yes, we can dance. All of these things, none of these things, and everything in between. At a time when ignorance seems to be leading global change, it feels good to remember that maybe, just maybe, we’ll all be ok because, as long as we draw breath, we can make the choice to connect, to love, and to dance.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, digital, and Hulu now.
Mickey 17
Directed/Written By: Bong Joon Ho
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette, Anamaria Vartolomei
Official Synopsis:
What’s it feel like to die?
From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, comes his next groundbreaking cinematic experience, Mickey 17. The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.
At one point in the special features, someone comments that Mickey 17 is a hard film to describe, and that’s true if you’ve got nothing to refer to. If one has seen films such as Moon (2009) and Snowpiercer (2013), then Mickey 17 is a solid combination of the two, though that is a comparison that only gets you so far. The satirical elements exploring class and faith are more specific and humorous than Snowpiercer and Mickey 17 lacks the emotional punch in its conclusion that the other films achieve, but don’t take that to mean that the film shorts the landing. In part due to the powerhouse performance(s) from Pattinson and a striking supportive one from Ackie (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker; Blink Twice) whose narrative presentation by Bong will lift you up before shattering you to pieces and in part due to Bong’s insistence on avoiding subtlety to hammer home the notion that, regardless of our station, we’re all due respect and love. Being subtle isn’t what makes Mickey 17 worth the exploration, the ideas within it and the way that Bong moves his characters around within the narrative spaces to navigate them are. If you missed your chance in theaters, don’t miss it now.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, and digital now.
One Spoon of Chocolate
Directed/Written By: RZA
Cast: Shameik Moore, Blair Underwood, RJ Cyler, Paris Jackson, Emyri Crutchfield, Michael Harney, Harry Goodwins
Official Synopsis:
After serving his country in the Army, Unique (Shameik Moore) was falsely accused of assault and sent to prison. Now that his sentence is over, Unique sets up shop in Ohio to restart his life, linking up with his only surviving relative Ramsey (RJ Cyler). There’s something insidious happening in this town, though, via its racist sheriff and his crew of similarly bigoted acolytes, all of whom have a knack for violence and share a gruesome secret pertaining to missing young Black men. When they set their sights on Unique and turn his life upside down, the former soldier has no choice but to bring the ruckus down on the sheriff and his goons. Hell hath no fury like a veteran scorned (and armed with a sword).
There are going to be things that audiences find objectionable within One Spoon of Chocolate and, chances are, they’d be justified. If not for incorporating grindhouse elements, things that appear to exploit the pain and suffering of others, then the aspects of the narrative that come off as observing a lynching and the unflinching way that RZA captures them would shatter an audience rather than prime them for what comes next. Some audiences may find the depiction of the white characters as conniving, violent, morally corrupt, deplorable, and problematic, except, in a story centering violence perpetrated against the Black community, there’s typically one race responsible for that. And if we’re talking a Blacksploitation film, yeah, the white folks are going to be the bad guys. But the item that’s most going to bother audiences is the ending and, as someone aware of RZA’s affinity for martial arts cinema, this ending is as loaded as that of Fist of Fury (1972). A spoiler-filled review would make a meal of what it means, but, for now, just know that if how it ends it bothers you, consider why and what it means in the scope of RZA’s narrative. Consider that subtilty isn’t the point or the desire. Consider that violence just begets more violence. Consider that affecting change only requires one person to make a choice and the ripple from that choice can either uplift or devastate, but it will create change all the same.
Release information TBA.
Redux Redux
Directed/Written By: Matthew McManus, Kevin McManus
Cast: Michaela McManus Stella Marcus Jeremy Holm Jim Cummings
Official Synopsis:
In an attempt to avenge her daughter’s death, Irene Kelly (Michaela McManus) travels through parallel universes, killing her daughter’s murderer over and over again. She grows addicted to the revenge streak, putting her own humanity in jeopardy.
What’s most fascinating about Redux Redux is the way it weaponizes Irene’s grief against herself. We presume that Irene is doing this out of a personal mission seeing as she has the technology to travel through the multiverse. But what is grief if not a prison we make for ourselves? We don’t know the circumstances that lead up to the choice to travel, only that Irene does. She’s perpetually on the move, perpetually finding new ways to murder the man. One would think we’d be rooting for her the entire way and, yet, there’s a cruelty to her actions that grows until a worrisome thought arises: what if it’s not him who she’s punishing? In this regard, if grief is a deep sorrow, an anguish over a loss, and the grief toward a child by a parent being the kind of pain virtually all pray to avoid, then what if it’s the grief that’s feeding this mission? What if Irene sees herself as the reason her daughter has died, some failure on her part that she can’t make right, and, thus, deserves to torture herself by living and reliving the failure over across the multiverse? The official synopsis uses the word “addiction” to describe what Irene’s doing, killing him over and over again, a compulsion that she can’t control. But what if it’s because doing the work to confront the grief is viewed as too hard, too complex, and too fearsome to confront? What would you rather face: your own perceived culpability or the person who did the deed? This is the true horror of Redux Redux, not the violent murders of the man or the man’s desire to murder, but the failure to protect one’s own and the self-punishment we’ll inflict because we think we deserve it.
In theaters February 20th, 2026.
Sketch
Directed/Written By: Seth Worley
Cast: Tony Hale, D’Arcy Carden, Bianca Belle, Kue Lawrence, Kalon Cox
Official Synopsis:
When a young girl’s sketchbook falls into a strange pond, her drawings come to life—chaotic, real, and on the loose. As the town descends into chaos, her family must reunite and stop the monsters they never meant to unleash.
If you’ve seen any of the marketing for Sketch or noticed in the images alongside this review, the creatures of Amber’s notebook are a mix of childlike wonder and horror. In construction, these creations are similar to that of author William Joyce’s The Mischievians, creatures with wild design and a purpose either silly, sneaky, or terrifying (depending on what Amber infused within them). The credits include a number of names, some with the surname Worley, suggesting that each of the creations weren’t just conceived from Seth’s mind, but from his own family. The one featured in the trailer and on the poster is Dave, a sleep creature who crushes those who wake him from his slumber. When on the page, Dave is a mix of crayon, glitter, sharpie, a sticker and a googgley eye — harmless and lovely, a silly creation from a time before Amber’s pain needed excising. When transposed into the real world, Dave becomes a mix of traditional and 2D animation with some CG and practical effects to help cross from the imagination into the real. Hilariously constructed with its right eye slightly floppy as if the glue from the sticker is coming undone, it’s still disquieting even as its loud roar is accompanied by a shower of glitter. Later, creatures draw by black Sharpie® have harsh, thick lines and move like the monsters from the Quiet Place series while also possessing a slight visible vibration as if they themselves are out of sync with the world they exist within. The point, if you will, is that great care from a team of technicians worked to make the absurd and strange tangible and real, manifesting Amber’s internal conflict into something that could be excised in the real world. While their construction is child-like, their tendency toward instilling uneasiness is primary offset by the cleverness with which they can be dispatched. Again, this speaks to the film’s perspective and how it doesn’t talk down to the characters or audience, using their awareness of what built the creatures as a tool for their preservation and protection, often leading to action sequences that quickly shift tone from tense apprehension to joyous laughter.
Available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital now.
Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox
Directed/Written By: Stimson Snead
Cast: Samuel Dunning, Danny Trejo, Joel McHale, Keith David, Felicia Day
Official Synopsis:
What happens if you travel back in time and eliminate your younger self? Terminally bored mad genius Tim Travers seeks to find the answer and unravel the time traveler’s paradox. The result? A crazy comedic adventure beyond comprehension.
Based upon Snead’s 2022 short film of the same title, Time Traveler’s Paradox is the sort of film that, upon first glance, appears to be throwing everything it can into the narrative: romance, science, comedy, cosmic horror, full-throated explorations of philosophy, and loads of bloodshed. If one comes for the chaos, well, there’s no denying that Snead delivers. The casualness with which Tim executes the initial test is merely an amuse-bouche, signaling to the audiences that violence is perfectly acceptable in this cinematic reality and is going to be par for the course moving forward. Notably, the VFX aren’t high caliber, but that’s not derogatory, it’s complimentary as this enables the film to maintain a cheeky vibe that works in concert with the absurdity on display. If the film went realistic at any point, Time Traveler’s Paradox would turn into a horror show that would distract from the exploration of self. More importantly, a realistic expression of violence would turn the totality maudlin, damaging the chance for introspection by losing the audience to dramatics. Time Traveler’s Paradox succeeds as both sci-fi entertainment and a philosophical adventure *because* it’s not grounded in reality, even when the theories of the natural and metaphysical worlds are the anchor within it.
Available on DVD and digital now.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Recommendation
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