Watch 2025 Best Movies Before the Oscars Recap

Every January, IndieWire’s chief film critic David Ehrlich edits together a supercut of the top 25 best movies of the previous year just in time for the Oscars — and as a quick refresher of what every movie lover is still buzzing about.

This year’s recap is here, and it’s a thrilling 23-minute montage of some of the most iconic moments from the past 12 months of movies — Michael B. Jordan’s twins Smoke and Stack, Emma Stone‘s bald-headed Bugonia protaganist (antagonist?), Timothée Chalamet’s mustachioed ping-pong master — all soundtracked to the biggest song of last year: HUNTR/X’s “Golden.” Watching Ehrlich’s cut, which was put together with its own artistic flair, in one go is kind of inspiring, if only as a reminder of just how many great performances came out last year.

The 2026 Oscars takes place March 15 at the Crypto.com theater in Los Angeles. Sinners is the frontrunner of this year with a record-breaking 16 nominations, the most nominations a film has received in the history of the award show. One Battle After Another is also a top nominee, along with Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, Marty Supreme and Sentimental Value.