The Movies of January 2025

I know, I know; we’re getting here late this month. (Sorry.) There are fewer movies on the list this month than had been the case for the months prior, for a good reason; I spent a chunk of this month catching up on a lot of the TV I’d missed in 2024 because I was concentrating so much on movies! The temptation to start a separate list of TV shows watched and binged this month was great, but there’s only so many lists I can do without succumbing totally to my anal attitude. However, briefly: The Righteous Gemstones and The Bear proved to be every bit as entertaining as I’d hoped, and newcomers Severance season 2 and The Pitt were everything I’d wanted them to be — and that’s not touching on reality shows like The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (still the best) and Love Island Australia and Love Island All Stars. But, wait. You came here for the movies, right…?

All The Time

If the first month of the year is meant to set the tone for everything that follows, it’s safe to say that I’m lowkey in fear of what 2025 is going to end up becoming.

January proved to be a barrage of work things, exhaustion, and various other difficulties that left me in a daze more evenings than not, feeling overwhelmed and beaten up by the world. There were a couple of weeks in particular where I legitimately lost track of what day it was, purely because so many things happened on particular days that I honestly thought I was a day or two later in the week, because how else could it all have fit? The worst part of the month was, almost certainly, when I found out that my 16-year-old dog Gus was sick, and I waited a day for test results while assuming the worst.

(Weird time-traveling note; I originally wrote this at the end of January when we didn’t know what Gus’s long term prognosis was; he of course died last week. It was surreal to realize I’d have to come back and edit this.)

Add to all of these things that were directly impacting my life, what was happening nationally as we got the return of a President who seems hellbent on destroying everything good and decent in the world. Those initial days after Trump was sworn back into office felt cartoonish in the degree to which he was issuing orders that were so destructive and selfish; it was at once scary and in some strange way almost funny because what the fuck is happening. (To be clear: I know it’s not actually funny, but the volume and cruelty was so surreal as to provoke the terrified laughter response.)

At some point during the month I was talking to someone about work things and our failure to properly plan out what 2025 was going to look like by the end of the month. “January doesn’t count,” they argued, “it’s like a practice month to get ready for the rest of the year. February is where everything begins.” Maybe we can take that attitude into the real world, and hope that things are going to get better. The alternative is too sobering a concept to consider, right now.

Pre-mourning

In retrospect, it’s almost creepy that I spent the day after Gus left the last time feeling as if I was mourning him.

I shared custody of him with my ex-wife, and he’d spend anywhere between a month and six weeks to two months with me, and then the same with her, and it was this unusual but comfortable rhythm for everyone involved. We’d communicate about what was happening with him if anything unusual happened, but otherwise, it was just what we did: he’d be with me for awhile, and then he’d be gone for awhile. Except that, the last time he went away, I found myself weighed down by his absence to a degree that just felt more heavy, more inescapable, than ever before.

I couldn’t explain it at the time, but I was very upset by it; I even said to a couple of people that it felt as if I was getting a preview of what it was going to be like when he was dead, because I was just so aware that he wasn’t there. It felt as if his ghost was haunting me, but even saying that now feels melodramatic; saying it at a time when he was still alive felt even more so.

There was nothing happening at the time that should have left me thinking about his mortality other than his age; he didn’t seem sick in the slightest, and was in fact still running around and jumping up for attention and through excitement when he was with me the last time I saw him. Nonetheless, the day after he left, it felt like he was dead and I was saying goodbye. Little did I know that, a couple weeks later, I’d get a text that he was suddenly sick in a way that felt bad, or that two weeks later again, he’d be gone.

Little Guy

Rest in Peace, Gus.

As if I wasn’t going to be heartbroken enough when he died, he passed when I was out of town on a work trip — something I knew was a possibility, and had been in utter fear of, for some time. His health really started declining about two weeks ago, and even though he’d rallied a little since then, his age and the fact that he really started to get worse pretty much the second day of my five-day trip meant that I couldn’t disagree with the suggestion was made that the kindest thing to do was to say goodbye to him. I just wish, with all my heart, that I’d gotten to actually say goodbye to him in person. I loved him so, so fucking much.

The Comics of January 2025

While I didn’t quite keep to my idea of paring back my comic reading to simply things that are good, I did restructure my reading somewhat in January and focus in on slower, more intentional re-reads of some beloved material: Lee and Kirby’s Fantastic Four, Morrison and Porter’s JLA (and then more Morrison after that), Claremont’s mid-era Uncanny X-Men, and more. Keeping myself limited to an issue or maybe two a day has meant that I’ve appreciated the material more, and slowed down the reading experience in such a way that I’ve found particularly rewarding. (Of course, some other things I’ve still been rushing through in unusual haste…)

  1. Deprog #s 1-4
  2. The Magic Order #s 1-6
  3. The Magic Order 2 #s 1-6
  4. The Magic Order 3 #s 1-6
  5. Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) #s 26-32
  6. The Witching Hour (1999) #s 1-3
  7. Black Canary: Best of the Best #3
  8. Superman (2023) #22
  9. DC’s Lex and the City #1
  10. Martian Manhunter (2015) #s 9-12
  11. JLA (1996) #16
  12. Teen Titans (2003) #s 70-72
  13. JSA Classified #s 5-7
  14. Martian Manhunter (1998) #1
  15. Fantastic Four (1961) #6
  16. Cable: Love & Chrome #1
  17. Daredevil (2023) #17
  18. Deadpool/Wolverine (2025) #1
  19. Rom Spaceknight (1979) #s 51-52
  20. JLA (1996) #17
  21. Fantastic Four (1961) #7
  22. Detective Comics (1937) #1093
  23. It’s Jeff! Infinity Comic #42
  24. Marvel Team-Up Annual (1976) #2
  25. Marvel Team-Up (1972) #s 87-89
  26. Bizarre Adventures (1981) #27
  27. Nightcrawler (1985) #s 1-4
  28. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 187-188
  29. The Mighty Avengers (1963) #s 244-245
  30. JLA Classified #s 1-3 
  31. Taste of Justice Holiday Preview #1
  32. Tales of the Unexpected (2006) #s 1-6 (Dr. Thirteen stories only)
  33. 2000 AD Prog 2415
  34. JLA (1996) #s 22-23
  35. DC One Million #1
  36. Fantastic Four (1961) #8
  37. Tales of the Unexpected (2006) #s 7-8 (Dr. Thirteen stories only)
  38. Action Comics #1,000,000
  39. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1,000,000
  40. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 189-192
  41. Star Trek: Defiant #s 12-16
  42. DC Horror Presents… #s 1-3
  43. Geiger (2024) #s 1-3
  44. Redcoat #1
  45. The Rocketfellers #1
  46. DC One Million #2
  47. JLA #1,000,000
  48. DC One Million #s 3-4
  49. Legion of Super-Heroes #1,000,000
  50. DC One Million 80-Page Giant #1,000,000
  51. Fantastic Four (1961) #9
  52. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #193
  53. Fantastic Four (1961) #10
  54. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #194
  55. Teen Titans (2003) #s 73-75
  56. JLA (1996) #24
  57. The Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #65
  58. Uncanny X-Men (2024) #8
  59. Rom Spaceknight (1979) #53
  60. The Incredible Hulk #296
  61. Fantastic Four (1961) #11
  62. All-New Venom #2
  63. Sam Wilson, Captain America (2025) #1
  64. The Ultimates (2024) #8
  65. X-Factor (2024) #6
  66. Legionnaires (1993) #44
  67. Superman: Lex Luthor Special #1
  68. Green Lantern (2023) #19
  69. JLA (1996) #25
  70. Rom Spaceknight (1979) #s 54-55
  71. JLA (1996) #26
  72. Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) #88
  73. Fantastic Four (1961) #12
  74. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #s 83-85
  75. Marvel Rivals Infinity Comic #4
  76. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #86
  77. JLA (1996) #27
  78. Fantastic Four (1961) #13
  79. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #s 87-88
  80. Legionnaires (1993) #s 45-46
  81. Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) #s 89-90
  82. Superman Plus #1
  83. Legionnaires (1993) #47
  84. Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) #91
  85. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #89
  86. JLA (1996) #28
  87. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #90
  88. Fantastic Four (1961) #14
  89. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #195
  90. Avengers (1963) #227
  91. Marvel Super-Heroes: Secret Wars (1984) #1
  92. Legionnaires (1993) #s 48-50
  93. Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) #s 92-94
  94. Rom Spaceknight (1979) #56
  95. G.I. Joe (2024) #3
  96. JLA (1996) #s 29-30
  97. 2000 AD Prog 2416
  98. JLA (1996) #31
  99. Fantastic Four (1961) #15
  100. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #91
  101. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #196
  102. Legionnaires (1993) #s 51-52
  103. Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) #s 95-96
  104. Batman (2016) #157
  105. JSA (2024) #4
  106. Justice League: The Atom Project #2
  107. Birds of Prey (2023) #18
  108. Legionnaires (1993) #s 53-55
  109. Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) #s 97-99
  110. Action Comics (1938) #741
  111. In Bloom #1
  112. Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Last Stand #s 1-2
  113. Wolverine (2024) #5
  114. Rom Spaceknight (1979) #s 57-58
  115. Legionnaires (1993) #56
  116. Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) #100
  117. Fantastic Four (1961) #16
  118. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #s 92-93
  119. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #197
  120. Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants (1982)
  121. The New Mutants (1983) #s 1-2
  122. Legionnaires (1993) #57
  123. Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) #101
  124. Fantastic Four (1961) #17
  125. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #198
  126. The New Mutants (1983) #3
  127. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #94
  128. My Greatest Adventure (1955) #80
  129. Marvel Rivals Infinity Comic #6
  130. Legion of Super-Heroes (1980) #281
  131. Ultimate Wolverine (2025) #1
  132. Exceptional X-Men #5
  133. JLA (1996) #34
  134. Fantastic Four (1961) #18
  135. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #95
  136. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 199-200
  137. Astonishing Spider-Man Infinity Comic #12
  138. Legion of Super-Heroes (1980) #282
  139. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #201
  140. Marvel Team-Up Annual (1976) #4
  141. JLA (1996) #s 36-37
  142. Fantastic Four (1961) #19
  143. JLA (1996) #38
  144. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #96
  145. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 202-203
  146. JLA (1996) #s 39-40
  147. The Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #65.Death (Yes, that’s really the issue number.)
  148. The Immortal Thor #19
  149. Storm (2004) #4
  150. JLA (1996) #41
  151. Fantastic Four (1961) #20
  152. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #97
  153. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #204
  154. JLA (1996) #42
  155. JLA: Earth 2 OGN
  156. Rom Spaceknight (1979) #s 59-60
  157. Fantastic Four (1961) #21
  158. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #98
  159. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #205
  160. JLA (1996) #s 94-96 (Byrne/Claremont/Ordway)
  161. Astonishing Avengers Infinity Comic #1
  162. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 206-209
  163. Rom Annual (1982) #3
  164. Fantastic Four (1961) #22
  165. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #99
  166. Sgt. Fury (1963) #1
  167. Storm (2024) #3
  168. Magik (2025) #1
  169. JLA (1996) #97
  170. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #210
  171. Rom Spaceknight (1979) #s 61-62
  172. The New Gods (2024) #s 1-2
  173. New Gods (1971) #s 1-2
  174. The Forever People (1971) #s 1-2
  175. Rom Spaceknight (1979) #63
  176. Fantastic Four (1961) #23
  177. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #211
  178. X-Factor (1986) #s 9-10
  179. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #100
  180. X-Men Annual (1970) #8
  181. New Mutants Annual (1984) #2
  182. Mister Miracle (1971) #1
  183. The New Mutants (1983) #46
  184. The Mighty Thor (1966) #373
  185. Power Pack (1984) #27
  186. Fantastic Four (1961) #24
  187. The Mighty Thor (1966) #374
  188. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 212-214
  189. X-Factor (1986) #11
  190. Daredevil (1964) #238
  191. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #101
  192. Marvel Rivals Infinity Comic #6
  193. Alpha Flight (1983) #s 1-2
  194. Rom Spaceknight (1979) #s 64-69
  195. Fantastic Four (1961) #25
  196. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #102
  197. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 215-218
  198. Fantastic Four vs. the X-Men #1
  199. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 219-220
  200. Mister Miracle (1971) #2
  201. Rom Spaceknight (1979) #70
  202. Fantastic Four (1961) #26
  203. Rom Spaceknight (1979) #71
  204. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #103
  205. Astonishing Spider-Man Infinity Comic #13
  206. Fantastic Four vs. the X-Men #s 2-4
  207. The X-Men vs. the Avengers #s 1-4
  208. Green Lantern Corps (2025) #1
  209. DC Power: Rise of the Power Company #1
  210. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 221-224
  211. Judge Dredd: Trifecta
  212. Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) #13
  213. Rom Annual (1982) #4
  214. Rom Spaceknight (1979) #72
  215. Fantastic Four (2022) #28
  216. Iron Man (2024) #4
  217. Phoenix (2024) #7
  218. Uncanny X-Men (2024) #9
  219. Fantastic Four (1961) #27
  220. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #104
  221. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 225-227
  222. Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn
  223. Fantastic Four (1961) #28
  224. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #105
  225. Marvel Fanfare (1982) #s 1-4
  226. Action Comics (1938) #1070-1081 (Supergirl stories only)
  227. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 228-230
  228. Supergirl Special (2023) #1
  229. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1
  230. Rom Spaceknight (1979) #73
  231. Fantastic Four (1961) #29
  232. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #106
  233. Jenny Sparks #7
  234. Batman & Robin: Year One #5
  235. The New Gods (2024) #3
  236. Challengers of the Unknown (2024) #3
  237. The Question: All Along The Watchtower #4
  238. The New Mutants (1983) #s 32-35
  239. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 231-234
  240. The New Mutants (1983) #s 36-40
  241. Judge Dredd: Titan
  242. Judge Dredd: The Small House
  243. Judge Dredd: Control
  244. Rom Spaceknight (1979) #s 74-75 (The end!)
  245. Fantastic Four (1961) #30
  246. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #107
  247. The New Mutants (1983) #s 41-42
  248. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 235-238
  249. Wolverine (1988) #1
  250. Fantastic Four (1961) #31
  251. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #108
  252. The New Mutants (1983) #43
  253. Marvel Super-Heroes #s 377-388 (Captain Britain stories only)
  254. The Daredevils #s 1-11 (Captain Britain stories only)
  255. Astonishing X-Men Infinity Comic #s 6-8
  256. Excalibur (1988) #s 1-2
  257. Wolverine (1988) #2
  258. Speedball (1988) #1
  259. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #239
  260. X-Factor (1986) #35
  261. Captain America Annual (1971) #3
  262. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 240-243
  263. X-Factor (1986) #s 36-39
  264. Fantastic Four (1961) #32
  265. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #109
  266. Excalibur (1988) #3
  267. The New Mutants (1983) #44
  268. The Defenders (1972) #125
  269. Captain America (1968) #193
  270. Fantastic Four (1961) #33
  271. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #110
  272. Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #36
  273. Titans (2023) #20
  274. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 244-251
  275. Fantastic Four (1961) #34
  276. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 252-255
  277. Captain America (1968) #194
  278. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #111
  279. Astonishing Spider-Man Infinity Comic #14
  280. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 256-260
  281. Wolverine (1988) #11
  282. Fantastic Four (1961) #35
  283. Journey Into Mystery (1952) #112
  284. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #s 261-264
  285. Wolverine (1988) #12
  286. Avengers (1963) #228
  287. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #265
  288. Captain America (1968) #195

Worlds Will Live, Worlds Will Die

Of all the sense memories to float to the surface, I was surprised to wake up the other morning suddenly aware of something from a quarter century ago: sitting on a coach at Glasgow Bus Station, preparing to travel back to Aberdeen for… work? A visit with friends? I can’t remember which, exactly; I know for a fact it wasn’t one of the times I was going back to go to school, because of everything else that is happening in the memory: me sitting in the seat, eagerly unwrapping and opening a copy of DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths collected edition hardcover.

(I just checked; that came out in 2000, so it really was 25 years ago exactly. I must have been going up to Aberdeen to visit friends.)

It’s not the book itself that’s the center of the memory as much as my feelings surrounding it. This was an expensive book — a slipcased hardcover that came with, I think, a poster and maybe something else as well? — and it was by far the most expensive book I’d ever bought for myself brand new by that point in my life. I was very conscious of the fact that I had just spent that amount of money on myself for something that I did not by any measure “need,” and it felt luxuriant in a way that I was so uncomfortable with that I was practically vibrating in the seat as I unwrapped it.

That’s not to say that it was “bad” discomfort as much as it was simply novel discomfort. I felt accomplished and adult to be able to spend this amount of money on just a book, and it felt like a strange benchmark that I had passed by buying it. I remember thinking to myself that it wasn’t just a book but an object that I would always take care of and treasure forever — a four color piece of evidence that I had passed into a particular phase of adulthood.

I was sincere in that at the time, but when I left the country two years later, it was one of many things I left behind. Looking back now, I find myself strangely sad about that. Chalk it up to middle aged nostalgia, I guess.

What’s Wrong With That? I’d Like To Know

Part of my “Actually trying to be slightly more deliberate in what I do” approach to 2025 has included the new tradition of reading an issue of Fantastic Four every evening. Specifically, I made the decision to read through the entire Jack Kirby and Stan Lee run of the series — all 104 issues, and the attendant annuals (I think there’s four of them, somewhat fittingly) — an issue per day, no matter how much I might be into it and wanting to rush ahead and read more. I’m also revisiting a bunch of other comic runs that I like an issue per day as well; there’s something to this drip-feed revisit approach that really appeals to me, especially when it comes to going back over favorite comics from my past. It’s weirdly exciting and restorative, in ways that I struggle to understand, never mind put into words.

One of the things about the Fantastic Four issues in particular — and the early Thor stories from Journey Into Mystery, also by Lee and Kirby from basically the same time period, which I started reading as well — is how playful they are. I don’t just mean that in the sense of, “they hadn’t worked everything out and were willing to throw things against the wall and see what stuck,” although that’s always thrilling to see from today’s perspective, especially when it comes to what didn’t stick around.

What I mean is, these stories are often very intentionally silly in a way that feels almost sacrilegious when compared to the self-seriousness of superheroes in pop culture today, and in almost every single case, that silliness is utterly charming and winning to readers. It’s difficult not to enjoy the experience of people in what in the full flush of not just creativity but success, so secure in what they’re doing that they’ll take the piss out of themselves and poke holes in their own work just to see what happens next. The confidence, the swagger, on show in all of this would be infuriating if it wasn’t being punctured right in front of your eyes, so all you’re left with is low key awe at what you’re reading.

If there’s one thing I’d want to see more of in contemporary superhero comics, it’s that willingness — eagerness, even — to embrace silly ideas and notions and run with them, just to see where they lead.

On A Series Of Events I Cannot Explain

In the couple of months, I’ve been listening to the song “I Have Been Floated” by the Olivia Tremor Control almost obsessively, over and over and over again. It was something that I found almost by accident, adding it to a playlist initially because I liked the organ hook and moving on, only for the song to take root in my brain and settle in for the long haul.

(To speak to how little I was really paying attention to it at first, when it started playing on a loop in my head, I couldn’t remember what song it actually was, just the melody; I went back through everything I’d been listening to to try and find it, going, it’s definitely got to be something I heard in the last couple of days, right? I’ve not just made this tune up, have I?)

Somewhere in the middle of the third or fourth day of listening to the song for a third or fourth time, I realized that this was something I do entirely unintentionally; become obsessed with something in the short term and loop it, revisiting it time after time to try and understand it on a level that unlocks something inside my brain. It’s most often music — with this song, it’s me realizing that the way the song plays with recurring elements is a masterclass in arrangement and production — but it can be anything: a TV show, a book, a comic, a movie. When I discovered the rom-com Rye Lane, I watched it three times in one weekend. I’ve watched Lovers Rock more times than I can remember, despite only seeing it for the first time three years ago, especially the “Silly Game” scene, which I rewind and watch again even while playing the movie through as a whole. It’s all about trying to get why it makes my brain itch.

This is, perhaps, a “me” thing — the desire to revisit until something feels fully understood and appreciated — but I doubt that I’m the only one who does it, somehow. Don’t all of us who have ever considered ourselves fans of anything have this gene inside our heads?