Continuing my countdown of last year’s best films…

Best Films of 2025
#8. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Writer/director Rian Johnson’s latest Benoit Blanc whodunit is a great example of how streaming dilutes the cinematic experience. While I’m sure a ton of people watched this on Netflix between loading the dishwasher and taking out the trash, it doesn’t have the cultural footprint of a movie that plays for a couple of months in theaters.

Given a proper theatrical release, I bet this movie would have had the same water cooler appeal of the 2019 original. And I bet Glenn Close would have been on her way to that elusive Oscar.

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