My 2025 February R-Rated Movies Ranked

Here's what I saw, what about you?

My recent posts about the movies I watched in 2024 have proven a popular way to kick off the year. In 2025, I’ll have monthly updates on the R-rated movies that I watched. I’m glad to share about my experience with you here and I’m curious: what did you watch and what did you think? Add your own watchlists in the comments.

2025 Total Movie Stats

88 MOVIES TOTAL | 52.69% of 167 in 2024
24 Movies at the Theater | 27.27%
69 First-Watch Movies | 72.92%
49 R-Rated Movies | 56.68%
37 First-Watch R-Rated Movies | 55.68%

2025 February Movie Stats

40 Movies | 666% of 6 in February 2024
23 Movies at the Theater | 57.5%
35 First-Watch Movies | 87.5%
15 R-Rated Movies | 37.5%
11 First-Watch R-Rated Movies | 27.5%

January Goal Met: Watch (at least) one movie per day.
February Goal Met: Watch all 10 Best Picture nominees.
March Goal Made: Watch the 12 movies nominated for an Oscar I haven’t seen yet.

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Commentary: While I only ended up at the movie theater once in January, I went 11 times in February, the most in one month for me since 6 movies in April, 2023. Three of those outings were to screenings of the Documentary, Animated, and Live Action Short Film nominees for the Academy Awards. I’m counting all 15 of those movies as movies, no matter how short. Why? Because I’ve decided that’s the rules. Hooray, for creating one’s own rules for one’s own fun time!

I met my February goal to see all 10 Best Picture nominees before the Oscars (I did a live chat during the telecast, and you can read my Oscar picks and predictions here). It took a little hustle to get to some before they were out of theaters (I caught the final showing of Nickel Boys in the state, as far as I can tell).

My March goal is to see the last 12 movies that I haven’t seen yet which were nominated for one or more of the 23 Academy Award categories. Some I haven’t seen because I didn’t have time, some were because of low availability, and some were because of little interest. We’ll see where the month takes me.

And with that, let’s get to the rakings! Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

February, 2025 R-Rated Movies Ranked in the order I saw them:

Companion (2025) 4 out of 5 Electric Corkscrews of Doom

FIRST WATCH | My first movie in the theater in February and my second theater outing of the year. This is a lot of fun. An intriguing plot, a few unforeseen twists, and great acting, all around. Sadly, this didn’t do well at the box office and it left in a hurry. I hasten to say more so as to not get into spoiler territory, but I’ll say that my daughter knew nothing of the plot going in and she loved being surprised by this!

A Complete Unknown (2024) 4 out of 5 Times That Are a Changin’

FIRST WATCH | I was prepared to let this one go, but it came back to theaters for a few more weeks in Oscar season, so I went for it. I was surprised by how many Bob Dylan songs I actually know. Kieran Culkin earns his Best Supporting Actor award for A Real Pain very easily, but I was most impressed by Edward Norton as Pete Seeger. He really channeled his energy, nailed it!

Inglorious Basterds (2009) 5 out of 5 Nazi Scalps (And I Want My Scalps!)

The kids loved it. Yep. We’re that kind of house. They both agreed Hanz Lanbda is one of the scariest and most cunning villains they’ve ever experienced.

The Brutalist (2024) 3.5 out of 5 Gigantic Concrete Pillars

FIRST WATCH | I caught this in the theater, intermission and all. The first half was engrossing to me. The second half, not as much. I never felt like I understood Laszlo’s “why,” nor that it was presented clearly. Was I looking for concrete in the midst of abstract? Maybe. But in the midst of all of that gorgeous architectural concrete, it would have been great to know why he was driven to build it.

The Menu (2022) 4 out of 5 Michelin Stars (Please Don’t Kill Me!)

The kids like this one, too. I missed this in theaters but watched it finally last year. The principles really carry this film with their acting and I like watching the story unfold. The precision of it all, even murder, is captivating, and that is a very satisfying ending that yeah, left us all a bit hungry! Here’s a Homer Simpson video (first 20 seconds) that speaks to how I felt at the end of the movie, and IYKYK.

Killshot (2008) 3.5 out of 5 Mickey Rourke Glares

FIRST WATCH | My favorite writer is Elmore Leonard, and many adaptations of his work are among my favorite: Out of Sight, Get Shorty, Justified. This was okay. I read the book back in high school so I wasn’t as familiar, and I think the thing that’s missing here from other Leonard adaptations is the humor. Instead of dark humor, we just get dark. It was fun seeing Joseph Gordon-Levitt do something so different, though.

National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) 4 out of 5 Pilgrimages to See a Moose

We did a big road trip as a family last year and in anticipation of another family vacation, the kids requested to watch this again. It had been a while but wow, I remember every beat. This is one of those movies I watched the TV edit of many times, so there were a few things I still edited or skipped with my kids. They’re a little older now, though, so they got to experience Clark’s full rant and they loved it!

The Monkey (2025) 3 out of 5 Head Explosions

FIRST WATCH | The thing that strikes me most about this movie is how much I don’t remember about it just a few weeks later. It doesn’t try to be more than it is, a silly gorefest, but even in that I wish there had been more “silly” to make the “gore” fun. The marketing was a lot of fun. I wish the movie had been more fun, and the teenager agreed.

Anora (2024) 4 out of 5 Oscar-Winning Scream Rants

FIRST WATCH | This was the only Best Picture nominee that I had to rent online to see it in time for the Oscars, and it’s the first movie of the year that my wife and I sat down to watch together this year. It’s absolutely captivating, and if I wasn’t so deeply embedded in the Demi Moore camp, I’d have been more excited for Mickey Madison’s Best Actress win. It’s a chaotic movie that somehow makes sense, and I’d say the one Oscar it definitely earned is Best Editing!

Sugarcane (2024) 4.5 out of 5 Haunting Generational Traumas

FIRST WATCH | A powerful documentary about the horrors of Indigenous schools in Canada, I was riveted from beginning to end. The generational trauma is palpable, and to see so many speak their truth was humbling. There’s one person who never can quite say what happened, and witnessing the filmmaker try to get them to open up is heartbreaking. Many of us have family secrets that we’ll never know the full truth about. That challenging reality is on full display here.

The Substance (2024) 4.5 out of 5 Even Better the Second Times

My wife wanted to see this before the Oscars, so we got the 90 days of Mubi for $1 deal. I enjoyed this even more the second time. Knowing where things were headed, I took in a bit more of the thematic filmmaking language this time. Plus, I was much more relaxed! The first viewing in the theater was intense. I wish a movie like this could’ve taken more wins than nominations at the Oscars, but I’m glad that a well-done body horror movie with a powerful message was a hit last year.

Nosferatu (2024) 3 out of 5 Major Moustache Movie Make-Up Jobs

FIRST WATCH | I wanted to see this in theaters but the days after Christmas were just too busy and then boom, it was gone. Maybe I would’ve liked this more in the theater, but at home I found myself distracted by its meandering runtime and frustrated by its overly dark lighting. I’m sure the makeup was amazing. I just wish I could have seen it better. People have rightly lifted up Lily Depp for her performance; she’s the highlight.

September 5 (2024) 4.5 out of 5 Newsrooms Being Told to “SHUT UP!”

FIRST WATCH | This film received only one Oscar nomination, Best Original Screenplay, and wow, I was riveted. The dialogue was excellent, just keeping the action propelled at a quick clip. The energy in this film doesn’t let up, and it’s a unique way to tell the story of what happened that day. Let’s put it this way: even though I knew what was going to happen from an historical perspective, watching it unfold for the characters was incredible. I thought the ensemble cast was effective, and I’m 100% confident that I will revisit this one again. Highly recommended.

Memoir of a Snail (2024) 4 out of 5 Shocking Hidden Photo Journals

FIRST WATCH | Ah, the only R-rated nominee for Best Animated Feature Film. It’s a reminder that animation is a medium, not a genre. Too many people think cartoons are just for kids and Memoir of a Snail proves this wrong. Instead, it uses animation to tackle tough emotional subjects with a bit of creativity, humor, and beauty. It took me a few minutes to get into it, but once I understood what kind of a story this was, I thought Grace was a compelling storyteller and I was glad to hear what she had to say. It’s R-rated for pretty mild reasons, in my opinion, if you’re wondering.

Maria (2024) 3 out of 5 Fading Stars

FIRST WATCH | This film was up for Best Cinematography at the Oscars this year. That’s what it had going for it the most. It was very pretty, very acted, very long. I may not be the target audience for this one, but I only saw this because I’m trying to see every movie up for an Oscar this year and I don’t think that I’ll return to it, sorry.

Your turn!

What about you? What did you see so far in 2025? Any reviews to share?

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