365 Movies in 2025 Top Films: 15-11

15. Wild At Heart (1990) 

It's definitely not my favorite David Lynch film, but Wild at Heart has grown on me. Although the film includes a fairly straightforward plot because Lynch is adapting Barry Gifford's novel, the casting and over-the-top performances add those Lynchian elements that keep the viewer guessing. His addition of  audacious characters like Mr. Reindeer (W. Morgan Sheppard) and focus on the darker aspects of  popular culture as exemplified by Elvis and Marilyn Monroe fixations filtered through a near Joe Coleman level of morbidity make this a unique study on American obsession. However, the film still finds space to be funny, particularly in how Laura Dern and Nicolas Cage portray those obsessions. Think Lynch with a side of John Waters, a dash of the Coens, and a dessert that recalls the fantastical elements of The Wizard of Oz (1939) updated for the consumer-obsessed 1990s. 

14. Winter Kills (1979)

I weighed including The Parallax View (1974) instead of William Richert's similarly themed political thriller, but I went with Winter Kills due to its darkly comic tone and phenomenal cast, including Anthony Perkins and Toshiro Mifune. Lesser known than the former film, perhaps because of its less direct narrative, this one includes a good blend of humor and intrigue. As Nick Kegan (Jeff Bridges), the half brother of an assassinated former president, tries to unravel the film's conspiracy, he meets a startling array of characters with stories that lead him astray. The taut narrative keeps the viewer guessing until the  conclusion.

13. Drylongso (1998)

Cauleen Smith's coming-of-age drama is remarkable in how she takes the typical black cinema stories and instills them with new life and meaning. Smith deftly meshes issues surrounding gender identity and young black men's fears about being forgotten and a crime thriller plot. However, in doing so, she sheds a light on teen pregnancy, the welfare system, and real fears of being lost in America. The film remains prescient thirty years later because her do it yourself aesthetic and realistic characters help tell a story that is still too common. The low budget gives the film a cinema vérité realism that feels timeless.

12. Viy (1967)

Undoubtedly my favorite folk horror film because of its humorous tone and amazingly proficient practical effects, Konstantin Yershov and Georgi Kropachyov's Gogol adaptation is a wonder to watch. The film covers witchcraft and demons in a believable, yet terrifying manner, that often recalls Häxan's (1922) unbelievably realistic demons and costuming. The story in which Kyiv seminary students get lost in the remote countryside, sets the basic template for many later folk horror films, but the pacing and juxtaposition of different folktales and amazing creature creation outdoes most of them. 

11. The Endless Summer (1966)

Beautiful cinematography, Bruce Brown's wonderfully laid back narration, and a propulsive surf music soundtrack, make this quiet summer wonder an enjoyable and cathartic watch. The film shows surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August on a surfing trip around the world to find great surfing spots during the entire year when California currents were too cold. Since the 1960s, wetsuit technology has allowed California surfers to swim all year. These surfers travel throughout the northern and southern hemispheres in search of the titular endless surfing summer, and what could feel like a dated time capsule captures the thrill of surfing in various locations, bringing audiences along on a fun road trip that allows them to engage with locals and see much of the world. Even if you do not like surfing, The Endless Summer, shows how powerfully and effortlessly good documentaries can immerse us in different experiences.