My 2025 Watchlist in Review

My 2025 Watching in Review

421 items watched in 2025. This includes series episodes + the series marked on the list, so there is a bit of double counting. Total watch time comes to approximately 390 hours — about 16 full days.

Add to that 112 blog posts in 2025, assuming a lower end average of 1 hour per post that is another 110+ hours.

That is close to about  500 hours, or roughly 20 days of the year. Not bad for a hobby!

Below are some of my favourite films and series from 2025, reviewed here on the blog. There are a few more that I watched, wanted to write about but could not.

The list is in chronological order.

Black Warrant

“Black Warrant is a strong start to the year for Netflix and already feels like an early contender for one of the year’s top 10 shows.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/01/black-warrant-into-darkness-of-tihar.html

Paatal Lok – Season 2

“Paatal Lok - Season 2 achieves the rare feat of surpassing its predecessor.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/01/paatal-lok-season-2-descending-higher.html

Perfect Days

“Perfect Days carries a quiet philosophy—reminding us that even in today’s fast-paced world, life can be fulfilling without excess.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/03/perfect-days-beautiful-and-simple-life.html

Adolescence

“The single-take format of each episode immerses the viewer, creating an unsettling, claustrophobic, and nerve-wracking experience with a devastating emotional impact. “

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/03/adolescence-heart-wrenching.html

Dragon

“Dragon is a zippy and entertaining watch, managing to be fun while treading the thin line between being overly preachy or glorifying "being cool".”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/03/dragon-friendly-fire.html

Ponman

“Without passing judgment on its characters— who are only victims of their circumstances—the film beautifully weaves in themes of dowry, abuse and other social struggles.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/03/ponman-grit-and-gold.html

Flow

“In a world filled with complex issues, geopolitical tensions, and humanity often at a breaking point, Flow is a timely reminder that survival can forge the most unlikely of friendships — and that is a thought worth celebrating.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/04/flow-wordless-symphony.html

Mithya

“Mithya is a simple film about the complex emotional journey of a 11-year-old boy dealing with loss and acceptance”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/05/mithya-when-healing-whispers-not-shouts.html

 

Superboys of Malegaon

“Superboys of Malegaon is a quietly radical reminder that cinema doesn’t belong to the privileged few. “

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/05/superboys-of-malegaon-small-town-big.html

 

Tourist Family

“Tourist Family is such a rare comfort in today’s cinematic landscape—especially when even Raju Hirani could not quite deliver in his last work – topical, necessary, entertaining and worth revisiting. “

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/06/tourist-family-raju-hirani-take-note.html

 

Stolen

“...for sheer breathless tension and the impact of the story that unfolds, Stolen stays with you longer.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/06/stolen-baby-gone-conscience-fractured.html

 

Sinners

“Where Nolan seeks transcendence through intellect, Coogler finds it through ancestry, rhythm, and resistance.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/06/sinners-smoke-stack-and-sound-of.html

 

F1 – The Movie

“…not the deepest sports film ever made, but it captures the rush, the thrill and the raw allure of Formula 1. For fans old and new, this easy watch is more than enough reason to buckle up.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/06/f1-brad-pit-lane-and-pure-cinematic.html

The Hunt

“A great start to the second half of 2025. I am quite certain The Hunt will land in my Top 10 of the year.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-hunt-restrained-yet-riveting.html

Ronth

“We do not see the actor. We see a foxy, world-weary policeman navigating his beat.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/07/ronth-long-night-and-hard-truth.html

 

Black Bag

“…an old-school British espionage drama, where tension simmers through sharp dialogue, layered performances — you will enjoy this.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/07/black-bag-espionage-and-marriage.html

 

Maareesan

“…Maareesan promised a slice-of-life road movie with both and it delivers.”

 

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/08/maareesan-shape-shifters.html

Su From So

“…the writer and director in J. P. Thuminad elevates it beautifully, weaving in a difficult but important social message without shifting the tone.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/09/su-from-so-social-playing-to-loony-tunes.html

The Studio

“…It is equal parts send-up and eulogy — a show that laughs at the system even as it admits”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-studio-chaos-commerce-and-cinema.html

Kantara – A Legend

“…and what still lingers from Kantara — is the story behind the divinity of the Daivas, the man-versus-earth conflict that felt elemental.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/10/kantara-legend-myth-forged-in-soil.html

Lokah – Chapter One: Chandra

“…remains a strong origin piece — clear in ambition, solid in craft, and brimming with promise.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/11/lokah-chapter-1-chandra-queen-of-night.html

Weapons

“…like most cinema, is a matter of perspective — of what really scares you.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/11/weapons-what-really-scares-you.html

Frankenstein

“…the monster who created a god — one condemned to eternal life, eternal pain, and eternal consciousness?”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/11/frankenstein-monster-maker-mirror.html

Dhurandhar

“ It blends character study, political intrigue, atmospheric craft and a blistering ensemble into a film that blends old-fashioned storytelling with modern execution.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/12/dhurandhar-qawwalis-and-gun-fire.html

Sholay

“A happy privilege to tick off another item on my bucket list.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/12/sholay-final-cut.html

Pluribus

“…everyone has become a singular one, desperately invested in ensuring that Carol is happy.”

https://anvoilnaansh.blogspot.com/2025/12/pluribus-happiness-without-choice.html

Some films, that i watched but could not write about.

• Court – State vs. A Nobody (Telugu)
• Severance
• Wake Up Dead Man
• Bison – Kaalamaadan (Tamil)
• Scorsese (Documentary)

Thug Life left me numb in shock — and I regret not writing about it. War 2 and Param Sundari, of course, made up for it.

Looking forward to another year, more stories, more experiences and hopefully a little more time that i can try and pour into this hobby!