Hyperfixed: The Best Of 2025

Welcome to the third hyperfixed year in review, a guide to the media, music, and writing that most consumed my mind. Amidst the global heartache and loss that largely defined this year, some of the most cathartic escapes from reality were collectively found in appointment television, groundbreaking musical artistry, and cinematic epics. From thrilling stories of resistance to feel-good romance, I hope there’s something for everyone to discover in this year’s roundup:

New Releases

One Battle After Another, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson. Every once in a while, there comes a film that stops the world in its tracks, urging audiences to wake up and pay attention as a universal truth unfolds. PTA’s timeless yet modern odyssey brings together one of the most entertaining ensembles of recent years - Leonardo DiCaprio delivers the best performance of his career so far, but it’s Teyana Taylor who anchors the film with her omnipresent force, her singular talent on full display as the one to watch this awards season. Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Supporting Actress are all One Battle’s to lose. Full review here. HBO.

One Of Them Days, dir. Lawrence Lamont. In a blurred media landscape where comedies have been largely and unceremoniously relegated to streaming, One Of Them Days singlehandedly brought the blockbuster comedy back to cinemas. A pitch-perfect buddy comedy that follows in the iconic footsteps of Friday, Girls Trip, and B.A.P.S., Keke Palmer and SZA’s tour de force chemistry and acting chops are unmatched in one of the best feel-good cult classics of the year. Netflix.

Sinners, dir. Ryan Coogler. I saw Sinners on one of the first warm spring days of the year, at a relatively empty midday screening at Angelika’s Jaffe Theatre, totally unaware that I was about to witness a transformational and era-defining shift in original storytelling. Sinners takes great care in its meticulous exposition, culminating in a breathtaking, subversive third act that I haven’t stopped thinking about since. An instant classic in the preserved canon of black gothic cinema, Ryan Coogler’s visionary opus revived my excitement for filmmaking and has changed the industry game for good. HBO.

Weapons, dir. Zach Cregger. A Magnolia-esque horror that indulges in never letting its audience know its next move, Weapons has that indescribable magic that we (and Nicole Kidman) come to this place for - seeing this summer blockbuster with an overly enthusiastic and participatory audience was one of my favorite moviegoing experiences of this year, and it’s clear that every person involved in its making knew they had something very special on their hands. HBO.

More Favorites: Caught Stealing; Materialists; Mickey 17; No Other Choice; Oh, Hi!; Sentimental Value.

First Time Watches

• The Young Girls Of Rochefort, dir. Jacques Demy (1967)

• The King of Comedy, dir. Martin Scorsese (1982)

• Aliens, dir. James Cameron (1986)

• The Green Ray, dir. Éric Rohmer (1986)

• Mo’ Better Blues, dir. Spike Lee (1990)

• Party Girl, dir. Daisy von Scherler Mayer (1995)

• Time, dir. Garrett Bradley (2020)

• The Worst Person In The World, dir. Joachim Trier (2021)

Heated Rivalry (S1), created by Jacob Tierney. It’s not every day that a low-budget gay guy hockey show takes the monoculture by storm - when it does, we have no choice but to celebrate it. There’s something to be said about the delightfully lowbrow/highbrow nature of Heated Rivalry that has garnered it mainstream appeal, a testament to just how far media representation has come. The seemingly overnight phenomenon is far more clever than one may give it credit for - come for the internet-breaking sex, stay for a surprise prestige drama that has it all - unknown actors having their ‘A Star Is Born’ moment, scorned bisexuals, positive neurodivergent and second-gen representation, musings on masculinity in sports, and biblically accurate millennial fashion. HBO.

I Love LA (S1), created by Rachel Sennott. The internet era’s Entourage meets Girls, I Love LA is pitch-perfect television for the NY and LA late twenty-somethings alike. One of the sharpest comedy series debuts we’ve seen in years, underneath I Love LA’s raucous and fast-paced comedy is surprisingly empathetic at its core, an earnest love letter to the girls whose ambition is deemed desperate or too much. I Love LA is the definition of Twitter’s ‘we need more complex female characters/y’all couldn’t even handle her.’ And to say nothing of Rachel Sennott’s bringing Josh Hutcherson back into the zeitgeist - we prayed for days like this. Full review here. HBO.

Stranger Things (S5), created by Matt and Ross Duffer. I remember exactly where I was when I first heard word of the new eighties set sci-fi thriller that was taking the world, and every college dorm room, by storm - ten years later, the series’ long anticipated finale has meticulously brought every unanswered mystery and emotional arc to a satisfying close. Love it or hate it, Stranger Things redefined monoculture in the streaming era, brought a fresh-faced class of Hollywood child stars to the spotlight, and most importantly, gave us a long overdue Winona Ryder renaissance. Netflix.

The Studio (S1), created by Seth Rogen. From Freaks & Geeks to Superbad, Seth Rogen’s decades-long career quietly led him to become one of the definitive comedy voices of a generation. The Studio is his sincere love letter to a nonsensically cutthroat film industry, a heartfelt ‘we see you’ to the thousands of agents, assistants, and dreamers that make movie magic happen. It’s genuine, laugh-out-loud comedy that isn’t afraid to poke fun at itself, while earnestly emboldening Hollywood to keep original stories alive. Apple TV.

Too Much (S1), created by Lena Dunham and Luis Felber. With expectations high for Lena Dunham’s return to television, Too Much instantly drew me in with its tender exploration of mental health and post-traumatic healing, wrapped up in a cathartic and joyous love story release. Co-created with and based on her relationship with her husband, Too Much delivers on its intimate premise, turning in some of the best standalone episodes and performances of the year, while sweetly reviving the nineties romcom fantasy we didn’t know we were missing. Full review here. Netflix.

More Favorites: Abbott Elementary (S4/5); Overcompensating (S1); Platonic (S2); Saturday Night Live (S50/51); The White Lotus (S3).

New Album Releases

• Pretty Idea, Amber Mark

• Baby, Dijon

• Vie, Doja Cat

• Eusexua, FKA twigs (full review here)

• I Don’t Know How, But They Found Me!, Jensen McRae

• Mayhem, Lady Gaga

• The Art of Loving, Olivia Dean

• Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter (full review here)

Most Listened To Tracks

• Crusin’, D’Angelo - there will never be another 🤍

• Aaahh Men!, Doja Cat

• Yamaha, Dijon

• Relationships, HAIM

• The Rearranger, Jensen McRae

• Out The Window, Kehlani

• Dodger Blue, Kendrick Lamar, Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x, Roddy Ricch

• Killah, Lady Gaga, Gesaffelstein

• Lady Lady, Olivia Dean

• The Boy, Rochelle Jordan

• My Man On Willpower, Sabrina Carpenter

Substacks

• Consumption Report, Akosua T. Adasi

• 11am Saturday, Ezgi Eren

• Hung Up, Hunter Harris

• Memeforum, Kathryn Winn

• Small Pleasures, Sandy Sanchez

Books

• Information Age, Cora Lewis

• Who Are You Dorothy Dean?, Anaïs Ngbanzo

• Television, Lauren Rothery

• Flights, Olga Tokarczuk

Signing off with a few of my own most-read pieces from the year - as always, thank you for reading! Writing and reading on Substack has brought me such joy this year, and I’m endlessly grateful for the ever-growing community that has allowed confidence and creativity to flourish in my work - until next year!