The Best Saturday of 2025

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Happy Saturday, all. It seems crazy that we’re almost at the end of the year, but here we are. And that means end-of-the-year lists. I’ll go into more detail on my top 10 soon, but for now, here’s our collective list at RogerEbert.com of the best films of 2025. I got to write about “Sorry, Baby,” Eva Victor’s intimate and extraordinary debut. What would you put on your list?

As for new movies, we’re piecing it together with ribbons and Scotch tape while Alonso’s off at ChristmasCon promoting the updated version of his book, “Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas.” Here’s what we reviewed on our Breakfast All Day YouTube channel and podcast. Take us with you as you’re shopping for holiday gifts, and maybe leave a review and a few stars if you have a moment — it helps folks find us in the ether.

• ELLA McCAY. This first film in 15 years from Oscar-winner James L. Brooks (“Terms of Endearment,” “Broadcast News”) is every bit as baffling as you’ve heard. It is truly a fever dream. Fortunately, the brilliant Tim Grierson joined me to help make sense of this mess. The extremely likable Emma Mackey stars as a young lieutenant governor who must step up and lead her state while juggling chaos from all the useless men in her life. No one here acts like a real person, and Marge Simpson is the narrator. In theaters.

• DUST BUNNY. A precocious little girl (Sophie Sloan) hires a stoic hitman (Mads Mikkelsen) to kill the monster that’s lurking beneath her bed. But is there really a creature, or is it just her imagination? That’s the premise of the delightfully dark feature filmmaking debut from Bryan Fuller, creator of TV’s “Pushing Daisies” and “Hannibal.” This is a gorgeous, twisted and ultimately sweet film, which for some reason has an R rating. (I’d say it’s OK for older kids, though.) Co-starring Sigourney Weaver and David Dastmalchian. In theaters.

• ALONSO’S CHRISTMAS MOVIE LIVESTREAM. We meant to do this on YouTube as we do every year around this time, but we had some teensy technical troubles. Thankfully, Alonso pounced into action and went live on Patreon instead. He held it down for an hour solo, answering questions and chatting with our viewers about their favorite holiday films. This is free to watch — you don’t have to be a paying Patreon subscriber — but while you’re there, why not take a look around at our TV recaps and other extras? We’ll do this again next year in case you missed the chat.

Also this week, I had the pleasure of discussing these films and many others on FilmWeek on LAist alongside my fellow critic Beandrea July. It’s always a pleasure to share the air with the great Larry Mantle. This was my last FilmWeek episode of 2025, so things get a little calmer, work-wise, from here on out. Listen and enjoy, here and on all the podcast platforms.

Among the movies we reviewed on FilmWeek was “Little Trouble Girls,” Slovenia’s Oscar entry in the international feature category. Director and co-writer Urska Djukic’s film is a textured and sensitive coming-of-age story with a mesmerizing ending. Jara Sofija Ostan stars as Lucia, an innocent 16-year-old who joins her Catholic school’s choir and falls in with the mean girls. (A charismatic Mina Svajger plays their version of Regina George.) A trip to a convent to rehearse amid the great acoustics of its ancient walls causes an awakening in Lucia, both spiritually and sexually. This is a quiet and understated but emotionally powerful film, filled with suspense and well-calibrated performances. “Little Trouble Girls” is playing now in limited release and opening wider in upcoming weeks, so keep an eye out for it.

If you’re still looking for holiday gifts for your friends and loved ones — which is pretty much all of us, because truthfully, who’s ready at this point? — I’m here to help. Here are a few easy suggestions from us and the brands we’re proud to work with:

• Give the gift of Breakfast All Day Patreon! Maybe you’re already a subscriber and would like to share our TV recaps, throwback Off the Menu reviews, monthly member chats and more. Or maybe you’re curious and would like to give us a try yourself. Here’s an easy way to do it, either on a monthly or yearly basis. A couple clicks and you’re done.

• Cameo is running a deal from now until 10pm Pacific on Sunday: Videos are only $20. So if you’ve been thinking about ordering a video from me, now is a great time. I’m happy to send holiday greetings, talk about a film you love, give you a little pep talk, whatever you need. I am tiny and make a great stocking stuffer.

• The Holiday Blend is back at Coffee Bros.! This is my favorite and I always stock up on bags to give as gifts to mom friends, Nic’s teachers and coaches and more. This medium roast has notes of berry, cooked orange and chocolate. Now it feels like Christmas. Save 15% with our code BREAKFAST15.

• And while we’re on the subject of holiday drinks, Athletic Brewing Co. is offering their limited edition, non-alcoholic Winter Wonder. This is a light amber brew with warming notes of spice, mulled apple and orange peel and hints of cinnamon and cardamom. A cozy sip by the fire! I love being an ambassador for Athletic and am happy to share my discount code: Take 20% off your order with CHRISTYL20. Hope you enjoy.

_{(Some links are affiliate links which means if you purchase something, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.)}

That’ll do it for me this week. Looking ahead to next week, our review of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” will be out when the embargo lifts on Tuesday morning. And if you’re already a Patreon member at the Lunch Date level (or you’re interested in becoming one), we’ll do our last meet-up of the year on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at Noon Pacific. More information about the perks we offer at various levels is here on the Membership page. It’s a good group!

Thanks so much for sharing a few moments with me during this busy time of year. If you’ve enjoyed my newsletter, I hope you’ll pass it along. And if someone passed it along to you, I hope you’ll subscribe. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday.