The Rip

• Director: Joe Carnahan
• Writer: Joe Carnahan
• Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Kyle Chandler, Steven Yeun, Scott Adkins, Nestor Carbonell

Grade: B-

Amongst cinephiles, the first portion of the year is often referred to as “Dumpuary”, a time when studios dump their less viable projects after the glut of holiday programming. Nobody would accuse The Rip, arriving on Netflix in a mere few hours, of being another byproduct of the trend, but it’s surprisingly one of the more viable offerings in recent memory. It’s not high-minded enough to decry its streaming-only release, but it’s entertaining enough to command the viewer’s attention as more than something to have on in the background while otherwise occupied. It helps that it’s helmed by writer-director Joe Carnahan, who’s a kind of action schlock journeyman, with credits like The Grey and Smokin’ Aces, as he’s able to fill the proceedings with enough intrigue and twists before relying on gunplay or a high body count.

Song Sung Blue

• Director: Craig Brewer
• Writer: Craig Brewer
• Starring: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi

Grade: C+

Craig Brewer is a filmmaker who seems particularly adept at making films of dreamers, people who have been kicked around by life, but reach for greatness by any means necessary. The Hustle & Flow and Dolemite is My Name director now adapts Song Sung Blue – from the 2008 documentary of the same name – into an often treacly but well acted character study. Brewer never shies away from the implicit darkness at the center of the story, but in trying to tell this story in a realistic, compelling way, the film too often feels unfocused to stand on its own.

Marty Supreme

• Director: Josh Safdie
• Writer: Josh Safdie, Ronald Bronstein
• Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Odessa A’zion, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin O’Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, Fran Drescher, Emory Cohen

Grade: A-

When accepting his Best Actor SAG award earlier in 2025, Timothée Chalamet boldly declared that he wanted to be remembered as one of the great actors, more than a handsome face or a flash in the pan. Looking back, it makes perfect sense that the 30-year old wunderkind’s next project would be Marty Supreme. But it’s not just Chalamet, or his character, who have something to prove; director Josh Safdie is staking it out on his own after a fruitful indie career as co-director with brother Benny (who had his own debut earlier this year with The Smashing Machine). The result is a perfect storm of ambition, and one of the most exhilarating films of 2025.