Looking Closer's Annual Favorite Films Lists

Overstreet’s Favorite Films of 2025: The Top Twelve

For generous subscribers, here is the list of my twelve favorite films of 2025 — only two of which were nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. (I’m guessing there are a few titles here you’ve never heard of, but when you see those movies, you’ll never forget them.)

Favorite Films

Overstreet’s Favorite Films of 2025: #25–#13

This post in progress, which will expand over the next week, announces my favorite films of 2025, covering #25–#13. (The Top Twelve post is coming later this week.)

Looking Closer's Annual Favorite Films Lists

Overstreet’s Favorite Films of 2025: Honorable Mentions

Here is the opening post in my series of posts on my favorite films of 2025. This post will include films I've listed as Honorable Mentions, along with video commentaries, some written notes, movie posters, and trailers for the films.

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Overstreet's Favorite Films of 2022 — Part Three: The Top Ten

The day has finally come — I've seen enough films from 2022, and spent enough time reading about them, talking about them with thoughtful moviegoers, and writing about them that I'm ready to post my favorite films of 2022. (Just in time for the Oscars!)

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Overstreet’s Favorite Films of 2022 — Part Two: Top-Ten-Worthy Runners-Up

This list of fifteen more represents all of the movies that I cannot believe I’m not including in my final Top Ten list.

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Overstreet's Favorite Films of 2022 — Part One: Honorable Mentions

The Academy Awards are about to hand out a bunch of Oscars, and they're going to throw around the term "best" a lot. That's a relatively meaningless term. I want to know about the films that moved and inspired you. Here's Part One of a three-part post on my own favorite films of 2022.

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Overstreet's Favorite Films of 2022 — Part Three: The Top Ten!

Here, I've posted comments on my ten favorite films of 2022. Each film is announced with its poster, synopsis, trailer, and my very own video commentary. Enjoy!

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Favorite Films of 2021 — Part Three: The Top 30

March madness continues!If you missed Parts One and Two, catch up! I've been asked by the critics at two different podcasts to name my favorite film of 2021, and it's been difficult to answer.At Seeing & Believing with Kevin McLenithan and Sarah Welch-Larson, I

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Favorite Films of 2021 — Part Two: Honorable Mentions

The March madness continues! Art is not a contest, no matter how heavily the Oscars are hyped. But movies do give us a chance to share what moves us, what challenges us, what enchants us. In doing so, we have an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and — more importantly

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Favorite Films of 2021 — Part One: It's Complicated

It's March 12, 2022. The Oscars will be handed out next weekend... ...and I still haven't posted my Favorite Films of 2021 list! Oh, well — better late than never. Why? Why bother? I wouldn't dream of skipping a year: List-making is a personal liturgy

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Overstreet's 39 Favorite Films of 2020

Consider this a travel journal full of wonders, escapes, thrills, wisdom, and revelation. These are the films that blessed and challenged me most in 2020. Most of them are easily accessible now and you can enjoy them and share them. Take your time and explore.

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Favorite Films of 2019: The Top Twenty-One

At this point, here are my top 21 films of 2019.

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Favorite Films of 2019: Intro and Honorable Mentions

It begins with the usual disclaimer: This list, like all of my film lists, is a work in progress. Of course it is. The temptation to pronounce judgments on works of art is great, more than ever in this culture of "rating" things with "Like" or

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Favorite Films of 2018: The Top Ten

As I declare my gratitude for my favorite films of 2018, I'm thinking of Sister Sarah Joan. Think back to 2017, to that endearing coming-of-age movie called Lady Bird. Think back to that short, sweet scene: Eager to escape the hometown she hates, Christine, a mercurial young high-school

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Overstreet's Favorite Films of 2018: Intro & 29 Honorable Mentions

This list is a work in progress. I suspect it might expand further over the next month, as certain celebrated films from 2018—Cold War, for example—still haven't opened in Seattle yet, and I'm playing catch-up on some important titles. But now... let's

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Overstreet's Favorite Films of 2017: The Top Ten

It's that time at last: Time to offer reflections on the ten films released in 2017 that mean the most to me. (I posted a countdown of #30–#11 earlier this month.) It was a great year for women in film — both behind and in front of the

2017

Overstreet's Favorite Films of 2017: #30-#11

Here are my notes from a year of eager exploration and treasure-seeking.

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Their Finest (2017)

#25 on my Favorite Films of 2017 list is about the battle of Dunkirk and those who sought to tell its story onscreen.

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Overstreet's Favorite Films of 2016

"Whaaaat? You didn't love La La Land?" I liked La La Land. It reminded me of musicals that I love. I just liked other musicals better this year. (And I think I enjoyed Emma Stone's lip-synch contest with Jimmy Fallon just as much or

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2015: Overstreet's Favorite Films

Note: I will continue to add brief reviews to this post as the weekend progresses. But since I said I'd post this list on New Year's Eve, and it is now two days late, I'm posting the bare-bones list now.

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2014: Overstreet's Favorite Films

This year's Favorite Films list accomplishes several things for me: 1. It reminds me that — for a variety of reasons (including the fact that I'm working full-time and going to school, and the fact that Seattle is getting major releases much later than New York and