My 2025 January R-Rated Movies Ranked

Here's what I saw, what about you?

Feb 04, 2025

That’s the trailer for A Real Pain, one of my top first watches of 2025 so far!

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 Movie Stats

2025 January Movie Stats

January Goal Met: Watch (at least) one movie per day.
February Goal: Watch all 10 Best Picture nominees.

Commentary: I ended up at the movie theater much less than I thought I’d be for January - just once! And, I found myself watching more movies than I thought I would. About two weeks into the month, I realized I watched a movie every day, so I decided to make that a goal for January and I met that without much resistance.

I can’t do that in February due to travel and other commitments, so I’ve set a new goal that matches one I had last year: watch all 10 Best Picture nominees before the Oscars on March 2. At the time of this writing, I’ve already seen 3 of the 10, how about you?

Last year, I had a running chat during the Oscars; care to join me this year?

I had a ton of first-time watches and several R-rated movies this month and I watched more movies in this month than I have in forever. I doubt I’ll see another month like January for movie watching for some time to come, and when I realized this, I decided to embrace this month and really enjoy the opportunity.

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

Michael Clayton (2011) 4 out of 5 Wild Horses

FIRST WATCH | Oh, I thought this was great and here’s why, if this makes sense: the story feels like a B story in a bigger movie that instead is given center stage with wonderful acting and rich detail. Glad to finally catch this one.

Patriot Games (1992) 3.5 out of 5 Pointed Fingers

As a teenager, I enjoyed Clear and Present Danger much more than Harrison Ford’s first foray into the world of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. I can’t recall having watched this one in many years, but this time around I enjoyed Patriot Games much more than last time. One difference? I have a much better appreciation of Sean Bean as an actor now, and he brings it in this movie.

Three Days of the Condor (1975) 4.5 out of 5 Book Reports

This is one of those movies I’d always heard was a filmmaker’s film. In that, people who made movies recommended this movie. They’re 100% right. The plot, pace, acting, camera, music, it’s lovely. It shows its 1970s seams in ways that are charming. It’s rare to get a great political intrigue movie like this anymore.

The Pledge (2001) 2 out of 5 Depressing Finales

I liked this better when it first came out. Maybe I was a much more cynical person back then (okay, yes, I was…), but rewatching the movie now, it felt overwrought. Some say Jack Nicholson was overlooked. I’m not sure.

Adventureland (2009) 3 out of 5 Tilt-A-Whirls

FIRST WATCH | Halfway through this one, I got into the relationship between Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. Which I’m glad for, because during the first half it felt like a step down from Superbad. When the relationship got deeper, I reminded myself that I’ve been young and in love before, so relax and enjoy. That helped!

The Longest Yard (1974) 2.5 out of 5 Missing Burt Reynolds Mustaches

FIRST WATCH | This is decent, and while I appreciate 1970s charm, this one is more clunky than charming. I think this wants to be a comedy (certainly, the remake is) but for me wow, the violence is very sinister and mean-spirited, if it’s supposed to be played for laughs. Glad I finally saw it, but it wasn’t for me.

The Longest Yard (2005) 3 out of 5 Present Burt Reynolds Mustaches

FIRST WATCH | I was surprised that I enjoyed it more than the original. It had more laugh out loud moments for me, several in fact. Having much less brutality worked. Big example? Hitting a football player so hard during the scrimmage game that he crapped himself vs. he broke his neck. Um, yeah, one is funny and one is awful!

Varsity Blues (1999) 3.5 out of 5 Jon Voight Chokeholds

FIRST WATCH | I guess I was on a football kick. This was another one that surprised me. When it started I thought it was way too melodramatic, and even though it’s an oft-parodied movie it comes off as a parody of the genre. But wow, by the third act I was hooked in and that is an incredibly satisfying ending.

An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) 4 out of 5 Give Me 20s!

FIRST WATCH | This was a movie I remember hearing about as a kid but never saw it until now. When it comes to basic training in the military, there’s a part of me who wants to know how accurate these kinds of movies are and another part who doesn’t. The drama is effective, and I felt the feelings for each character all throughout.

Twisted (2004) 0 out of 5 Disappointments to Your Mother

FIRST WATCH | This was my first and hopefully final 0-star rating between last year and this year. Just awful. Bad acting all around, made worse because they are good actors. In the first 3 minutes, I thought I was watching TV actors shooting a satire of a police procedural. But no, it’s just a terrible police procedural.

The Mexican (2001) 2 out of 5 Rashomon-Style Flashbacks

FIRST WATCH | Between flashbacks that tell the story from different points of view to following several storylines at once, there wasn’t enough compelling me to keep interested as character arcs intersected, sorry. I likely won’t revisit this.

First Blood (1982) 4 out of 5 Anti-War Veteran Speeches

I technically saw this once when I was a very young kid but didn't remember much. What I remember is the guy falling to his doom and the aftermath! But watching it now, I thought this was really good, it's well-done and the ending is great. Rambo gets a bad reputation because people like to mockingly imitate Sylvester Stallone and focus on the ridiculousness that comes from other Rambo movies, but this first outing is a gem.

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) 3 out of 5 Exploding Arrow Tips

FIRST WATCH | This first sequel sets the series on the path to ridiculousness, though it’s bridled compared to its successor. Another great anti-war message at the ending, too. Watching it for the first time, I can see how this one set an action movie benchmark in the mid-80s. I remember when I was a kid being very confused by the title. First and part two?! The marketing team must’ve loved that.

Rambo III (1988) 1.5 out of 5 This Time Its Personals

FIRST WATCH | After an excellent movie and a decent movie, this one had a direct-to-video. The first one is an arthouse film compared to this "video." I like how Colonel Trautman had a more active role, but even that through line of his and Rambo’s relationship over these three movies could save this one.

Faster (2010) 1.5 out of 5 Bible Beach Memoirs

FIRST WATCH | I missed most of this era of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s movies. As for this one, I admit I fast-forwarded a bit and I don’t think I missed much of anything. I’ll give this some props for an interesting storyline for Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s character arc and change of faith, and I admit, I was slow to see the twist coming.

Significant Other (2022) 3.5 out of 5 Worst Proposals Ever

FIRST WATCH | Much like Varsity Blues, this got better for me as it went along. The setup mystery was interesting, and it kept twisting in ways that kept me interested. and I liked the ending, it works. I’m much more interested in seeing co-director Dan Berk’s Novocaine later this year now.

The Untouchables (1987) 4.5 out of 5 He’s in the Cars

This is comfort food, and I watched it with my youngest kid. She liked it, and the shootout in the train station had her on the edge of her seat, just like it was intended. I showed her a brief clip from Battleship Potemkin and she thought that was a cool cinematic history tie-in. I will say, as good as this movie is, wish it wasn't so clunky and there's tons of terrible ADR. Still, it's a classic.

2 Days in the Valley (1996) 2 out of 5 Tarantino Points

FIRST WATCH | Never saw it before. Turns out that I'd missed exactly zero with this typical mid-90s "I wish I was a Quentin Tarantino movie" borefest. Yes, I write that even with Charlize Theron. I can think of several movies that have a bunch of seemingly random characters finally converge storylines and do it well and guess what, they’re all by Quentin Tarantino.

David Cross: Oh, Come On (2019) 2 out of 5 Political Rants

FIRST WATCH | Despite a love for Mr. Show and some of David Cross's early stand up, more recent stuff just isn’t for me. And that’s okay. I didn’t “outgrow” him. We’re just not on the same wavelength as much as we were. That happens.

A Real Pain (2024) 4 out of 5 Awkward Tour Groups

FIRST WATCH | Yeah, I really enjoyed this. Well done, Jesse Eisenberg, and the buzz on Culkin is real. I vacillated between being frustrated with his character and then admiring him. Clearly, that was intentional. I wish it was a Best Picture nomination so I’d have one less to watch in February. Oh, also because it’s good!

Nightbitch (2024) 4 out of 5 Clueless Husbands

FIRST WATCH | Another film with plenty of “love it or hate it” reviews. I thought it was clever, and even as a magical realism movie it felt real, or at least the emotions at the heart of the story did. I think what has been labeled a "heavy-handedness" of the messaging really works here. I'd watch this again.

Virtuosity (1995) 2.5 out of 5 Russel Crowe Sneers

FIRST WATCH | Talk about chewing scenery - you’ll get plenty here. This was from that trio of 1995 movies about the Internet: Virtuosity, Hackers, and The Net. Before this month, I hadn’t seen any of them. I really appreciate what they tried to do, and some of this is still prescient for today. The execution, ultimately, has that 90s clunky feel, too bad.

Mr. Brooks (2007) 3.5 out of 5 Empty Graves

FIRST WATCH | How do assassins feel about being assassins? And by “assassin,” I mean “I just like killin’ people” kind of people. I thought this was pretty good, yet was a bit too manic for me, something that William Hurt’s role really drove home. I sort of want to watch it again, now knowing how it goes. The ending surprised me.

Leave the World Behind (2023) 4 out of 5 Friends Finales

FIRST WATCH | I'd started this a while ago, then I forgot about it. I had dinner plans or something, I don’t know. This month, I came back and finished the last 90 minutes and enjoyed it more after everyone got in the house. I’ve heard people feel it’s too long. If you’re nervous about that, do what I did: watch the first 45 minutes or so, forget about it, then come back for the back 90.

Sorry to Bother You (2018) 4 out of 5 Well That Took a Turns

FIRST WATCH | You know how everybody makes a big deal out of how in Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock takes you on what you thought was going to be one ride, only for you to end up on another? Yeah. Well. Buckle up with this one!

The Devil’s Own (1997) 3 out of 5 out of 5 Casual Dress Harrison Fords

Of course Harrison Ford was going to play “the one good cop on the force,” right? If you read about the production, you’ll see it becoming more of a dual-bill movie after he was attached. There was even a point where I asked myself, um, where is Brad Pitt in this Brad Pitt movie? It’s got good performances, yet a muddy plot.

Garden State (2004) 4 out of 5 out of 5 Only Living Boys In New York

This movie just hit me at the right time. I was a 25-year-old young man who felt lost as I sought meaning when this movie about a 25-year-old young man who felt lost as he sought meaning came out. For that reason, I can overlook the critique this one gets. And the soundtrack brought me one of my favorites for 20+ years, Zero 7.

Emilia Pérez (2024) 2.5 out of 5 Spontaneous Bursts of Singing

FIRST WATCH | This movie is trying to be so many things at the same time that I wasn’t sure exactly what it is. There are plenty of reviews out there that love it and plenty that don’t. I guess I’m somewhere in the middle, overall.

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) 4 out of 5 Shivers of Anticip—

I first got to know this movie through “The Time Warp” song, then ended up discovering this movie in a very weird way (I’ll have to write about it at my Movie Memories blog some day). As for our kids, they’d heard “The Time Warp,” and then we went into the movie (yes, skipping a few parts in the dark). Like me, they loved the opening, thought the middle was okay, and found the ending both long and abrupt. This movie will always prove one thing: Tim Curry is a world treasure.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) 3.5 out of 5 Tall Tales

FIRST WATCH | I’ve always been a fan of Sam Rockwell and George Clooney, so I’m not sure why it took me 20+ years to finally see this, but I dug it. Maybe it’s the shooting style or the story, but I think I wouldn’t enjoyed this movie’s cleverness more in my early 20s than now, but still there’s nothing like a good Sam Rockwell performance.

Buddy Games (2019) 2 out of 5 Almost Theres

FIRST WATCH | This movie is a pingpong table. It goes back and forth between trying to be funny and trying to be tender so fast that it doesn’t quite do either as much justice as it wants. You do get the “labor of love” vibe, though, and that goes a ways in my book. You also get that these people enjoyed each other while they made the movie. So, at 2 out of 5, obviously I won’t watch the seq—

Buddy Games: Spring Awakening (2023) 2 out of 5 Oh, Great, I’m Hooked Ins

FIRST WATCH | Okay, yeah, I watched these back to back. This one was… it was.

Presence (2025) | 4 out of 5 Did You Hear Thats?!

FIRST WATCH | This was my first outing to the movie theater this year (finally!) and I took our oldest daughter. I spoiled myself by reading the parent guide ahead of time and that helped me know we could watch this together and survive (we did). Both of us really enjoyed this very different take on haunted house stories as a framework around a family drama. I enjoyed the dialogue about faith and spirituality; it felt real. The ending is incredibly haunting! I’m also looking forward to the other Steve Soderberg and David Koepp team-up this year, Black Bag.

Winter’s Bone (2010) 4.5 out of 5 Desperate Situations

FIRST WATCH | I’ve written from time to time here about not enjoying sad sacks in desperate situations. But that’s not how Jennifer Lawrence’s Ree comes off in this powerful film about being stuck in the machinations of other peoples’ problems with drugs, poverty, and business as usual. All of the actors are great, by the way. The recruiter scene struck me as powerful in a way I didn’t expect. This is a very “lived in world.” This didn’t turn out to be a background watch at all. It was a compelling watch, and I’m glad I finally got around to it.

Your turn!

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

Thanks for reading, sharing, and subscribing. God’s peace and good movies to you!

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