Before declaring awards season officially over, I'd like to take a quick victory lap: I went 21/24 in my Oscars predictions, narrowly besting my Globe counterpart Odie Henderson by one point and winning our Boston Globe Media office pool. (He'll probably retake the prediction crown next year, so I have to celebrate while I can!)
That bit of bragging aside, I'd also like to call attention to some of the more underrated movies of the year before closing the book on 2025. These are films that didn't make my top 10 list, weren't nominated for any Oscars, but are absolutely still worth watching.
"The Naked Gun": I've written about it before, but I'll say it again: With a fully committed Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, plus a script absolutely stuffed to the gills with jokes, "The Naked Gun" was the funniest movie of 2025. (Paramount+)
"The Ballad of Wallis Island": This charming comedy-drama from across the pond stars Tim Key ("The Paper") as an eccentric two-time lottery winner (imagine the odds!) who uses his windfall to reunite his favorite folk duo (Tom Basden, Carey Mulligan) years after a personal and professional breakup. (Prime Video)
"28 Years Later": Danny Boyle's long-awaited sequel to "28 Days Later" deepens and complicates the zombie-filled world, with newcomer Alfie Williams playing a 12-year-old going through the ceremonial rite of his first zombie hunt alongside his father (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). The film starts as an examination of Brexit and isolation's impact on the male psyche, but it grows into something more tender and profound, as Alfie searches for a way to help his dementia-addled mother (Jodie Comer). As a bonus, the fast-arriving sequel, 2026's "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple," is also excellent. (Netflix)
