2025: The Year in Awesomeness
And also tortas. Because, c’mon.
As 2025 limps out, here is a short list of recommendations from the year that passed in no particular order. These aren’t necessarily meant to reflect what objectively is the best of the year, but then, there are about a million lists like that out there. Plus: A merch drop for all the Hallmark+ fans out there – there are dozens of us… dozens!
TV: Palm Royale (Season 2)
Maxine Dellacorte’s saga of trying to reach the pinnacle of Palm Beach’s society continues in a season that is, for the lack of a better word, way over the top. I mean that as a compliment – the show knows exactly what it’s doing with its maximalist comedy. The cast is a murderer’s row of talent: Kristen Wiig, Josh Lucas, Allison Janney, Leslie Bibb, Laura Dern, and a ninety-two-year-old Carol Burnett. Palm Royale looks great too, with a suitably colored late-sixties set design.
And yes, that is John Stamos putting in a chef’s kiss turn as a lawyer/OB-GYN.
Palm Royale streams on Apple TV.
Album: Wet Leg’s “moisturizer“
Post-punk rock with pop sensibilities – moisturizer has been on fairly constant rotation for me throughout the year. Check it out on Apple Music, or listen to the single, “CPR.”
Films: Influencer and Influencers
Lazy naming aside, Hitchcockian is a subgenre I enjoy – films in the mould of Hitchcock’s psychological horror centered around deeply damaged human beings. Psycho, Vertigo, Rebecca… that kind of thing. With Influencer (2022) and this year’s Influencers, we follow C.W., a lady with less patience for internet influencers than most – anyone of them who gets close to her has a tendency to disappear. Both films are tense thrillers, well-acted, and shot in beautiful locations, such as the south of France and Thailand. They’re stylish, fun movies.
I’m not suggesting that this duology reaches the dizzying heights of Hitchcock, but they should appeal to fans of his oeuvre all the same.
Find Influencer and Influencers on Shudder. (Influencer also streams on Netflix.)
Podcasts
There’s a small handful of podcasts I listen to weekly, most of them of niche interests, but what can you do? In alphabetical order:
Accidental Tech Podcast: An Apple-centric show without a whole lot of structure, it’s one worth checking out for anyone who enjoys nerds chatting about… stuff. I’m not really selling that, am I?
Blank Check with Griffin and David: A podcast that goes through filmmakers’ filmographies one movie at a time, with guests ranging from comedians like Connor Ratliff to actors like Rachel Zegler. Episodes can last for as long as four hours, and they mix truly interesting information with absolute nonsense. I know I’ve posted Griffin’s story about spilling wine on Ray Wise before, but it bears repeating.
Doug Loves Movies: Comedian Doug Benson invites comedians, actors, and industry people to compete in a rather eclectic movie-trivia show. (Example question: “What are the top ten IMDb hits for the word ‘Christmas’ this week?”) Even if you don’t like movies, the podcast brings its share of chuckles.
How Did This Get Made?: Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas are joined by guests to discuss movies that are bad, bizarre, or both. We attended a live recording here in Seattle this year (for Surf II), and it’s an experience I’d recommend to anyone. Also, Paul and Jason’s Blank Check episode on Buster Scruggs shows some crossover among the three shows. (Doug Benson has been on HDTGM; Griffin, Paul, June, and Jason have been on Doug Loves Movies, etc.)
Film: Pavements
It’s hard to describe this Matryoshka doll of a movie about the nineties slacker group Pavement. It is, for all intents and purposes, a conglomeration of four films – a real documentary about their 2022-2024 reunion tour; a behind-the-scenes documentary on a fake biopic, Range Life; the staging of a musical, Slanted! Enchanted!, which was real for the sole purpose of being in the film. And, there’s the Pavement museum exhibit, which, technically, was real, though half the items within it were fake.
It’s a weird movie – even part of the director/editor’s commentary track is an act – and I don’t really know exactly how to describe it in any sort of detail. Even if you don’t like Pavement, it’s a fascinating watch and, at times, very funny. It’s also my number one movie of the year, if only for its bizarreness and killer soundtrack.
Pavements is available for purchase or rental from the regular VoD services – Apple, Amazon, etc.
TV: Fallout (Season 2)
You don’t see many successful video game adaptations, but Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet’s take on the post-apocalyptic Fallout franchise hits all the right notes. The humor and action are there, and the visuals mirror the games spot on. The latter, in particular, is the clincher – Fallout is about exploration, and if they didn’t get the world down just so, this series would’ve been dead on arrival. Luckily, it’s all good.
Fallout streams on Amazon Prime.
Film: Descendent
As a bizarre mix of UFO abduction, surrealism, fear of fatherhood, childhood trauma, and being in a crappy job, it’s hard to pin down exactly what Descendent’s central theme is, but it’s a fascinating movie all the same. It’s a slow churn, but I (unlike the rest of the internet) found the payoff highly satisfying. I’m pretty sure fans of mindbenders will enjoy it.
Descendent is available on VoD.
It’s the fashion trend that’s sweeping America! Even a Riot Grrrl needs some time to kick back and catch up on Hallmark+’s wide offering of Christmas movies and mystery serials. Don your Hallgrrrl sensibilities with this t-shirt from the Better Taster Boutique.
And, in line with the Pavements recommendation above, grab a tastefully bootlegged Pavement t-shirt – embrace your inner slacker.
It only seems fitting to end the year with a last taco-shop recommendation, or, as it is, a torta-shop. You’ll find El Pirate in an anonymous Georgetown kiosk with a menu that is slightly different than many across the region. Sure, there is a selection of burritos and tacos, but here the tortas take center stage, and the fillings are a step beyond. Everything from pastrami to yams dominates the menu, and the telera rolls have more of a homemade feel than those atother shops.
I sampled the El Dorado, which, while more basic in its toppings, is flavorful, in no small part because of the chorizo. The avocado and the aioli give the sandwich a creamier texture, with the latter adding an extra punch. It’s a pungent package.
Pair it with a chipotle macaroni salad, and you've got a proper meal going – one that fittingly closes out 2025.
The Rating
Regular disclaimer: I generally don’t score anything these days, but as this write-up falls squarely into the annals of Tortillaphilia history, it would be downright disrespectful not to.
Address: 6124 12th Ave S, Seattle. Web: elpiratatortas.com.