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Song of the Day #6,448: ‘Sleigh Ride’ – The Ronettes

Over the next two weeks, I’ll offer up my top ten movies of 2025.

If you’ve been reading my posts from the last few weeks you probably have an idea of which films will show up here. But in these entries, I’ll spend a little more space explaining why.

Best Films of 2025
#10. Roofman

This movie stubbornly held on to the #10 spot on my year-end list even as more obvious options came and went. Sometimes you just want to see charismatic actors doing nuanced work in the service of a great yarn, and that is sadly in short supply these days.

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Song of the Day #6,447: ‘Kyrie’ – Mr. Mister

The week of March 1, 1986, found the pop rock band Mr. Mister atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Kyrie.’ It was their second #1 hit, following ‘Broken Wings’ a little more than a year earlier.

Those were the first two singles from the band’s sophomore album, Welcome to the Real World. The following single, ‘Is It Love,’ peaked at #8 in July of 1986, giving this album a presence on the chart for a few months short of two years.

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Song of the Day #6,446: “Love Machine Pt. 1′ – The Miracles

Throwing back to the week of February 28, 1976, we find the ‘Theme from S.W.A.T.’ by Rhythm Heritage atop the Billboard Hot 100. I wrote about that song during a week about instrumental tracks that reached #1. Paul Simon drops to #2 with his ‘50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.’

In the third spot, a week before its sole week at #1, was The Miracles’ ‘Love Machine Pt. 1.’ The full seven minute album track was split into two parts with ‘Part 2’ serving as the B-side (it’s basically an extended coda).

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Song of the Day #6,445: ‘Train Dreams’ – Nick Cave

Counting down the movies from #15-11 on my 2025 year-end list, before getting to the top ten next week…

#15. Marty Supreme
A kinetic, confident rush of pure adrenaline that brings vivid life to 1950s New York and offers up a charismatic little shit for the ages in Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Mauser.

#14. Train Dreams
A beautiful, meditative film that depicts a man’s entire life through poetic and often heartbreaking images, but manages to end on a note of breathtaking uplift.

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Song of the Day #6,444: ‘Blue Moon’ – Frank Sinatra

Today and tomorrow I’ll list the movies at #11-20 on my 2025 year-end list, before getting to the top ten next week.

#20. Nouvelle Vague
Richard Linklater continues to cement his legacy as one of the most versatile and fascinating film directors. This loving recreation of the French New Wave movement is one of his most audaciously creative works yet.

#19. Rental Family
I just watched this film so it might benefit from recency bias, but nevertheless I found it incredibly sweet and heartwarming. Director Hikari does a beautiful job portraying modern Tokyo in ways both expected and unexpected.

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