In 2020, I started a Thanksgiving tradition of creating a list of twelve films or shows I was most thankful to have discovered, rediscovered, reappraised, or otherwise gained a greater appreciation for since the previous Thanksgiving. (Click here to see the previous lists.) Here are my picks for 2025. I’m thankful for …

The Acolyte (a greater appreciation): I didn’t include this on my Thanksgiving list last year because my initial reaction to it was more measured, but watching this Star Wars show a second time convinced me it’s one of the most rich and complex Star Wars projects of the post-Lucas era. It shares a lot of DNA with The Phantom Menace and The Last Jedi. That statement will scare many people away, but coming from me it’s a big compliment. Tim Lawrence and I have each written a number of Jedi Archives posts on The Acolyte here.

Fiddler on the Roof (a [re]discovery): I saw the musical on stage in middle school and I played percussion in the orchestra for a high school production. Since then, Fiddler has always been on my shortlist of favorite musicals, but this was my first time watching the 1971 film version. I enjoyed its New Hollywood sensibility: compared to some classic musicals, it hardly ever feels stuffy or stagey thanks to the rapid montages, the mobile camera, and shooting on-location.

Hugo (a reappraisal): When I last saw this over a decade ago, I would have said it was big on style and short on substance and that it lacks focus from trying to tell two different stories at once. When I watched it again this past year, what seemed like disparate parts clicked together for me, and I was deeply moved by the conclusion. I also noticed a lot of funny similarities to one of my all-time favorite films, The Terminal.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (a discovery): I was not expecting the second-best Jurassic Park film to be one of the Jurassic World legacy sequels no one asked for, but I was sold on the idea of the second half of this film: what if, instead of being another “escape the jungle island” story, this pivoted in the second act to become an “escape the Gothic mansion” story? If that isn’t enough to pique your interest, consider this: This is probably the closest we will ever get to seeing a cinematic adaptation C. S. Lewis’s That Hideous Strength.

Matilda (a rediscovery): I loved this film as a kid, but what I did not notice about it at the time is just how accomplished and artful Danny DeVito’s direction is. Matilda can very nearly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Mary Poppins, Hugo, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Babe in the canon of sophisticated family-friendly cinema that is not animation.

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning (a discovery): As a big fan of the Christopher McQuarrie era of Mission: Impossible (Rogue Nation, Fallout, and Dead Reckoning are among the greatest action movies I’ve seen), I was sadly let down by this, what is supposed to be Ethan Hunt’s last hurrah. I talked about why in a Notebook post this summer. But I’m still thankful for this film as a celebration of a particular kind of blockbuster filmmaking that we may see less and less of in the coming years.

A Raisin in the Sun (a discovery/greater appreciation): Since last Thanksgiving, I have taught the play three times, and each time my love and admiration for it has grown. Although there are things I don’t like about the film adaptation that Lorraine Hansberry herself helped make, watching it one year ago helped the play click for me in a way it hadn’t when I studied it in high school and then again in grad school. Poitier’s performance here might be one of the all-time greats.

The Rescuers Down Under (a rediscovery): The film as a whole has significant weaknesses, but the grandiose opening scenes always captivated me as a child, and watching them again this year was exciting. If you like Disney’s later epic adventure movies (Atlantis, Treasure Planet), you’ll probably enjoy this one, too.

Skeleton Crew (a discovery): As a fan of Star Wars and various Disney projects about pirates (Peter Pan and Swiss Family Robinson as a kid, the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, and especially Treasure Planet, of which this is virtually a remake), of course I had a lot of fun with this. I've written a few Jedi Archives posts about this show, and Tim Lawrence has written a bunch.

Temple Grandin (a discovery): I think the way this movie simulates the experience of sensory overload has helped me to better understand and sympathize with those who struggle to navigate the modern world’s audio-visual noise, frenetic pace, and inflexible expectations.

Tron: Ares (a discovery): This past month I finally watched Tron and Tron: Legacy in preparation to see the third film in this odd little franchise. The first film only mildly intrigued me and the second film impressed me, but watching Ares on the big screen thrilled me—even more, oddly enough, than watching The Final Reckoning. (P.S.: This would make for a good double feature with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom if your theme is: Severely Underrated Legacy Sequels That Pivot Genres and Have Affinities with C. S. Lewis’s Abolition of Man/That Hideous Strength.)

The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar and Three More (a discovery): Another Roald Dahl adaptation on this list, from the filmmaker behind my favorite Dahl-inspired movie, Fantastic Mr. Fox. Wes Anderson has a highly specific style that many find off-putting and contrived. I sympathize, which is why I was glad to find another film of his that I could get into. I’m fascinated by this film because it is a short-story cycle (the genre that is the focus of my dissertation), and because each story, in both content and form, is about concentration and attentiveness.

Honorable Mention: Andor Season 2 is very good—better overall than The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew—but I liked Season 1 more; my list has two Star Wars shows on it already; and I didn’t want the less popular shows to go without a good word amidst all the accolades for Andor.