Alright everyone, strap in because we’re back and better than ever. 2025 was… interesting to say the least. But, there’s always hyperfixations there to help us out of the deepest pits the world has forced us into! So, as always, here are my favorite pieces of media from the past 365 days.
Movies
Red One
This was the first movie I watched of 2025 and it was just delightful. A really fun holiday movie that also felt like an adventure. I always love it when movies feel like how they used to growing up — full of whimsey and not taking themselves too seriously. It’s really just there to entertain and that’s all I ask for.
Conclave
I (attempted) to watch all of the movies nominated for Oscar’s this year and Conclave was easily my favorite. Both topical with world events, shedding light onto what the process is like to elect a new pope, and also extremely entertaining.
“Is this what we’re reduced to? To vote for the least worst option?“
The Monkey
This is really on my list because of how un-serious it is. I was laughing the entire movie. It was so fun.
Smile 2
As opposed to the movie just above this one, Smile 2 actually scared me so bad. It was full of suspense, even though I knew that there was no way the main character was getting out alive. This was a great expansion on the world created with the first movie and, honestly, leaps and bounds better.
Robots (2005)
How have I never seen this movie before and how was their budget so big???
Fender: Oh, it used to be a lot worse. They used to have this giant hammer…
[Rodney screams]
Hey, they brought it back!
The Long Walk
Direct from my Letterboxd the day I saw this in theaters: “It didn’t matter how many times I heard that gunshot. It made me jump every time.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash
The Avatar series never ceases to amaze. Even though the first installment came out over ten years ago, I think the production value and thought that goes into these stories are so interesting. It doesn’t feel like the same movie again and again, even with runtimes being ~3 hours. I was immersed the entire time, never feeling like a scene felt unnecessary or slow.
The Black Phone 2
Every year on Christmas Eve, my family watches a horror movie (a story for another time). This year, my sister and I sat down to watch one of my most anticipated movies of the year. And it blew me away. My favorite horror series of all time is Sinister, and I love how much Blumhouse pulled from that series for this movie. It felt extremely nostalgic while also being terrifying. I just know they’re gearing up for a third one and I’m ready for it.
“Oh, Finney. You of all people know that ‘dead’ is just a word.”
Books
The Nickel Boys
Colson Whitehead
This was the first required reading for my Advanced Fiction Writing class that I fell in love with. Usually I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction, but this was unlike anything I’d read before. It kept me flipping the pages, yearning for answers. And, even when answers were given, it was nothing I had ever expected.
All the Water in the World
Eiren Caffall
In the spring, I took the class Publishing and Editing, which was exactly like how it sounds. We learned about the process of creating books and what that entailed. One of my favorite projects was finding a book that had been published within the last month and writing a professional-level book review. I never expected Caffall’s debut book to absolutely destroy me. I’m sure it’s not a shock to learn I adore dystopian fiction and this novel was written in such a fun format, jumping to the before, during, and after from chapter to chapter.
“Greed and hope aren’t opposites. Greed and hope are twins grabbing for the same thing, one in fear and one in faith.”
Sunrise on the Reaping
Suzanne Collins
2000s dystopian media strikes again. Specifically, Suzanne Collins struck again. The emotion in this novel was unlike any of the other Hunger Games and it left me crying so hard I couldn’t see the words on the page in front of me. I just know the movie (which I expect to be on my Five Stars next year) will destroy me.
Illuminae and Gemina
Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman
I have never, in my life, read something as impactful, funny, emotional, and life-changing as the Illuminae Files. This series is written as a collection of evidence following a dystopian disaster, sending an entire planet’s population into space where countless forces are trying to eradicate them. Chapters are anything from news articles, maps of the spaceships, emails, surveillance footage reports, scanned notebooks, and even logs from a sentient AI trying to understand why humans act the way they do. The format was unlike anything I had ever encountered before and Kristoff and Kaufman did a fantastic job keeping me on my toes the entire 600+ pages of both books. I just started Obsidio (the final book in the series) and will remain teetering on the edge of my seat until it is finished.
“Sure, the story kicks off with the deaths of thousands of people, but god forbid there be cussing in it, right?”
–Illuminae“Your kind have perfected the clockwork of murder long ago.”
–Gemina
The Odyssey
Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
Getting back into my Greek Mythology phase was not on my 2025 bingo card, yet here we are. Wilson is the first woman to ever translate The Odyssey and she does a fantastic job doing so. In the forward, she wrote something along the lines of “why would I translate into old language structures when translation is the act of making things more accessible.” So, the entire epic is written in contemporary language, making it incredibly easy to digest. Her translation of The Iliad is next up on my list.
Etc.
EPIC: The Musical
Musical
Again, the Greek Mythology kid really had a grip on my 2025 hyperfixations. Everything about this musical is interesting and entertaining. I was lucky enough to discover it just as the final concept album released, meaning I didn’t need to wait for months on end to see what Jorge did. Consuming this all in one go was life changing and I’m so glad it’s pushing more people to learn about Greek Mythology.
“Does a soldier use a wooden horse to kill
Sleeping Trojans ’cause he is vile?
Or does he throw away his remorse and save more lives with guile?“
Hades II
Supergiant Games
I played Hades a few years ago and really enjoyed the format of it. Of course, once again, Greek Mythology really had a grip on me this year so I was absolutely going to play the sequel. And I’ve got over 70 hours in the game. Supergiant Games managed to make a game that just continues to get more interesting as you go. With the simple task of killing Chronos to free your family, things begin with one avenue. But you quickly see just how much time and thought was put into the games design, characters, and epilogue.
And, as you all can guess, Greek Mythology really took the cake this year. And yes, Nolon’s The Odyssey is on my list for next year. The movie theater staff are telling me to leave because I’m already sat in the theater. But here’s to 2026!
While you’re here, check out some of my favorite stories I’ve posted this year!
Five Stars: 2024
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Unremarkable: Breakfast
This past spring I had the opportunity to create a fictional literary journal with classmates while taking Literary Publishing and Editing. Throughout the class we learned about what it means to be an editor along with the many hurdles that come with publishing. This magazine was heavily inspired by Taco Bell Quarterly — a literary…
We Play Hide and Seek in Waterfalls
What’s a piece of media (movie, book, TV show, etc.) that left a lasting impression on you? It’s October 11th, 2023 and I’m writing this sitting at my desk in my apartment while listening to Obstacles by Syd Matters through the speaker of my phone. There’s no way I can start this piece with the…
Payton Klaer 
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