Category: Women Directors

• The 25 Best Horror Films of 2025 — Ranked

  

  Fear, flesh, and feeling collide in 2025’s most unforgettable horror films. From intimate character studies to blood-soaked spectacles, this year’s genre offerings pushed boundaries, challenged expectations, and proved once again why horror remains one of cinema’s most vital storytelling spaces. Here are my 25 favorite horror films of 2025 — ranked, reflected on, and celebrated…

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  December 30, 2025

  2025 Movie Reviews, A24 Movies, Entertainment, Film Reviews, Horror, Independent Film, Mockumentary, Movie Analysis, Psychological Drama, Women Directors

  Horror, Movie Review, Film Review, 2025 Films, Film Critique, Film Recommendations, 2025 Movies, Companion, Drew Hancock, New Movie Releases 2025, Film Criticism, Josh Ruben, Horror Movies 2025, Movie Recommendations, New Horror Films, Osgood Perkins, The Monkey, Film Reviews, Modern Horror, Horror Cinema, Ash (2025), Flying Lotus, Clown in a Cornfield, Eli Craig, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Horror Films, Horror Franchise, Horror Sequels, Bring Her Back, 28 Years Later, Danny Boyle, Alex Garland, Michael Shanks, Zach Cregger, Strange Harvest, Stuart Ortiz, The Long Walk, Francis Lawrence, Sinners, Ryan Coogler, Danny Phillippou, Michael Phillippou, Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein, Ben Leonberg, Black Phone 2, Scott Derrickson, In Our Blood, Pedro Kos, V/H/S/ Halloween, Frankenstein (2025), Guillermo del Toro, Heart Eyes, Bone Lake, Mercedes Bryce Morgan, Best Horror Movies 2025, Movie Rankings, Genre Cinema, Drop, Christopher Landon, The Shrouds, David Cronenberg, Predator Badlands, Dan Trachtenberg, The Ugly Stepsister, Emilie Blichfeldt, Good Boy, Queens of the Dead, Tina Romero, Together, The Plague, Charlie Polinger, Weapons, movies, film, reviews

• The Year of Relationships: 2025 Movies That Get Love Right (and Wrong)

  

  Where do we, as a society, currently stand when it comes to relationships? Dating? Commitment? The landscape has shifted so dramatically that it sometimes feels like we’re living in an entirely new emotional era. The openness of relationships has expanded far beyond where it once was—breaking away from antiquated, traditional notions and allowing people to…

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  December 4, 2025

  A24 Movies, Comedy, Drama, Entertainment, Film Reviews, Horror, Independent Film, Movie Analysis, Psychological Drama, Romantic Comedy, Sci-Fi, Women Directors

  2025 Films, 2025 Movies, A Nice Indian Boy, A24, Adria Arjona, Alicia Vikander, Alison Brie, Amazon MGM Studios, Andrew Ahn, Best Films of 2025, Bleecker Street, Blue Harbor Entertainment, Bone Lake, Bowen Yang, Callum Turner, Celine Song, Chad Hartigan, Chloé Zhao, Chris Evans, Companion, Dakota Johnson, Dave Franco, David Freyne, Drew Hancock, Elizabeth Olsen, Eternity, Film Recommendations, Fleur Fortune, Focus Features, Hamnet, Heart Eyes, Himesh Patel, Independent Film, Indie Directors, Indie Film, Jack Quaid, Jessie Buckley, Jonah Hauer King, Jonathan Groff, Josh O’Connor, Josh Ruben, Karan Soni, Keeper, Kyle Marvin, Lily Gladstone, Logan Lerman, Maddie Hasson, Marco Pigossi, Mason Gooding, Materialists, Mercedes Bryce Morgan, Michael Angelo Covino, Michael Shanks, Miles Teller, Molly Gordon, Movie Recommendations, MUBI, Neon, New Movie Releases 2025, Oh Hi! Film, Oliver Hermanus, Olivia Holt, Open Marriage in Film, Osgood Perkins, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Roshan Sethi, Rossif Sutherland, Ruby Cruz, Screen Gems, Sony Picture Classics, Sophie Brooks, Sophie Thatcher, Splitsville (2025), Tatiana Maslany, The Assessment, The History of Sound, The Threesome, The Wedding Banquet, Together 2025, Universal Pictures, Vertical Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures

• “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” Review: A Raw, Relentless Portrait of Motherhood’s Breaking Point

  

  Release Date: October 10, 2025 (United States theatrical) (Premiere: January 24, 2025 at Sundance) Runtime: 133 minutes (1 hr 53 min) Rated: R — for language, some drug use and bloody images. Production Companies: A24, Central Pictures, Fat City, also credited: Bronxburgh; Elara Pictures Producers: Sara Murphy, Ryan Zacarias, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Conor…

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  October 13, 2025

  2025 Movie Reviews, A24 Movies, Comedy, Drama, Entertainment, Film Reviews, Independent Film, Movie Analysis, Psychological Drama, Thriller, Women Directors

  2025 Films, 2025 Movies, A$AP Rocky, A24, A24 Movies, Christian Slater, Conan O’Brien, Female Directors, Female Empowerment in FIlm, Female Filmmakers, Female Protagonists, Feminist Thrillers, Film Analysis, Film Criticism, Film Critique, Film Recommendations, Film Review, Film Reviews, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Independent Cinema, Independent Film, Indie Film, Indie Films, Mary Bronstein, Motherhood in Film, Movie Recommendations, Movie Review, New Movie Releases 2025, Parenthood in Film, Rose Byrne, Women Directors, Women in Film

• ‘Oh, Hi!’ Review: Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman Navigate the Grey Areas of Modern Dating

  

  Release Date: U.S. limited theatrical release – July 25, 2025 via Sony Pictures Classics Runtime: Approximately 94–95 minutes Rated: R — for sexual content, nudity, and language Production Companies: Cliffbrook Films, Watermark Media, QWGmire, AmorFortuna (studio side); worldwide distributor: Sony Pictures Classics. Producers: David Brooks, Dan Clifton, Julie Waters, Sophie Brooks, Molly Gordon Cinematography: Conor Murphy Editing:…

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  July 28, 2025

  2025 Movie Reviews, Comedy, Drama, Entertainment, Film Reviews, Romantic Comedy, Women Directors

  2025 Films, 2025 Movies, Cinephile, Female Directors, Female Empowerment in FIlm, Female Filmmakers, Female Protagonists, Film Analysis, Film Criticism, Film Critique, Film Recommendations, Film Review, Film Reviews, Indie Film, Logan Lerman, Modern Love, Molly Gordon, Movie Analysis, Movie Recommendations, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, Oh Hi! Film, Post Pandemic Dating, Psychological Drama, Relationship Movies, Rom-Com, Sophie Brooks, Women in Film

• I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025): A Flawed but Fun Legacy Sequel That Honors the Past

  

  Release Date: July 18, 2025 Runtime: 111 minutes (1h 51m) Rating: R (for gore, language, mature themes) Production Companies: Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, Original Film Producer: Neal H. Moritz Cinematography: Elisha Christian Music / Composer: Chanda Dancy I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson Writers: Robinson and Sam Lansky (story with Leah McKendrick)…

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  July 21, 2025

  2025 Movie Reviews, Entertainment, Film Reviews, Franchise Revivals, Horror, Movie Analysis, Women Directors

  2025 Films, 2025 Movies, Chase Sui Wonders, Female Filmmakers, Film Criticism, Film Critique, Film Recommendations, Film Review, Film Reviews, Freddie Prinze Jr., Gen-Z horror, Horror, Horror Cinema, Horror Films, Horror Franchise, Horror Movie Review, Horror Movie Reviews, Horror Movies 2025, horror nostalgia, Horror reviews, Horror Sequels, I Know What You Did Last Summer 2025, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, Madelyn Cline, Movie Analysis, Movie Recap, Movie Recommendations, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, Movie Thoughts, New Horror Films, New Movie Releases 2025, post-credit scene, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Slasher films, summer horror movies

• Materialists Review: Celine Song’s Deceptive Rom-Com That Dares to Get Real About Love, Money, and Power

  

  Release Date: June 13, 2025 (U.S.)  Runtime: 117 minutes (1h 57m) Rating: R (language & brief sexual material)  Production Companies: 2AM, Killer Films, A24 (domestic), Sony Pictures International Producers: David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler, Celine Song  Cinematography: Shabier Kirchner (shot on 35 mm film)  Music / Composer: Daniel Pemberton; also features Japanese Breakfast and Baby Rose…

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  July 15, 2025

  2025 Movie Reviews, A24 Movies, Comedy, Drama, Entertainment, Film Reviews, Movie Analysis, Romantic Comedy, Uncategorized, Women Directors

  2025 Movies, 35mm Cinematography, A24, Celine Song, Chris Evans, Dakota Johnson, Female Directors, Female Filmmakers, Female Protagonists, Film Recommendations, Film Review, Film Reviews, Materialists, Movie Recommendations, Movie Review, New Movie Releases 2025, Pedro Pascal, Women Directors, Women in Film

• Review: Eva Victor’s Sorry Baby Is a Quiet Triumph of Life After Trauma

  

  Eva Victor’s Sorry Baby is a stunning debut about the messy aftermath of trauma, the beauty in small moments, and the quiet resilience of friendship. With wit, warmth, and restraint, Victor crafts a story that lingers—delicate, disjointed, and real. A haunting, unforgettable “traumedy” that understands healing isn’t always linear.

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  July 3, 2025

  2025 Movie Reviews, A24 Movies, Comedy, Drama, Entertainment, Film Reviews, Uncategorized, Women Directors

  2025 Films, 2025 Movies, Dark Comedy, Eva Victor, Female Filmmakers, Film Critique, Film Recommendations, Film Review, Film Reviews, Indie Films, LGBTQ+ Cinema, Movie Recommendations, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, New Movie Releases 2025, Nonlinear Storytelling, Sorry Baby, Sundance 2025, Women Directors

• National Women’s Month Spotlight: Zöe Kravitz

  

  No Forgiveness, Just Forgetting: The Feminist Core of Blink Twice Blink Twice Directed by Zöe Kravitz Starring Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, and Alia Shawkat Since the beginning of time, power dynamics between genders have shaped society. While much discourse has taken place over the years, it remains evident that women are still fighting for equality…

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  March 21, 2025

  Entertainment, Film Reviews, Movie Analysis, National Women’s Month, Psychological Drama, Uncategorized, Women Directors

  Alia Shawkat, Amazon MGM Studios, Channing Tatum, Female Directors, Feminism in Film, Feminist Thrillers, Film Review, Horror, Movie Analysis, Movie Recap, Movie Review, Naomi Ackie, National Womens Month, Psychological Horror, Representation Matters, Thriller Cinema, Women in Film

• National Women’s Month Spotlight: Michelle Garza Cervera

  

  A Haunting Reflection on Motherhood and Self: Huesera: The Bone Woman Review Huesera: The Bone Woman Directed by: Michelle Garza Cervera Starring: Natalia Solián, Alfonso Dosal, and Mayra Batalla Another tale of motherhood depicted with both sinister undertones and deep empathy. Michelle Garza Cervera approaches the notion of motherhood from a non-conformist lens, exploring identity…

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  March 14, 2025

  Entertainment, Film Reviews, Horror, Mexican Cinema, National Women’s Month, Women Directors

  Feminism in Film, Film Review, Horror, Horror Cinema, Horror Movie Review, Huesera: The Bone Woman, Identity, Indie Films, Mexican Filmmakers, Mexican Horror, Michelle Garza Cervera, Motherhood, Movie Review, Natalia Solián, National Women’s Month, Psychological Horror, Women in Film

• National Women’s Month Spotlight: Issa López

  

  Lost Childhoods and Found Families: Tigers Are Not Afraid Review Tigers Are Not Afraid Directed by Issa López Starring: Paola Lara, Juan Ramón López, and Tenoch Huerta There’s no better film to kick off a series dedicated to women directors than Tigers Are Not Afraid! Issa López masterfully blends genres, guiding a cast of young…

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  March 10, 2025

  Entertainment, Film Reviews, Horror, Mexican Cinema, National Women’s Month, Women Directors

  Child Actors, Drama, Female Directors, Film Review, Found Family, Horror, Horror Cinema, Indie Films, Issa López, Latin American Cinema, Mexican Filmmakers, Movie Review, National Women’s Month, Supernatural Horror, Tigers Are Not Afraid, Women in Film