In the midst of a surprisingly cold January in Virginia, with theaters full of movies that have been playing for months, it is diverting perhaps to think of future distractions. Reasonable people are probably fantasizing about birthdays, cookouts, and summer vacations, but movies are not only my beat but occupy a larger portion of my thought processes than I care to admit.

Here are a few films that I’m looking forward to in 2025, with two of the usual caveats: release dates change all the time, and in many of these cases, haven’t been announced to begin with, and previews like this article often miss the artisanal works that come out of nowhere and command our imaginations. This is but a sampling of what I hope to see.

I’m also hoping that this list can serve as a set of winter streaming recommendations for you. My attraction to the projects below rests primarily on my enjoyment of prior films by the artists in question, many of which I mention.

“No Other Choice” (Park Chan-wook)

Mystery and crime master Donald E. Westlake’s 1997 novel “The Ax” is among the most eerily plausible stories of premeditated murder that I’ve read. A middle-aged manager loses a job due to cost-cutting measures and is out of work for 18 months. He applies for a position that can save him and his family and researches the men most probable of landing it instead of him, and kills them. We are in this manager’s mind the entire time, and the pragmatism of his violence and desperation is unforgettable. Can a muscular stylist like Park Chan-wook channel the banal horror that is so pivotal to the novel’s impact, or will he steer it another direction? I’m impatient to see what happens.

Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Event Film

Paul Thomas Anderson directing Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, and Alana Haim, in a film that’s rumored to be expensive, actually interested in being seen by the masses, and potentially some sort of loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel “Vineland.” Who knows? There’s even been rumors of this being pushed back a full year into 2026. The talent is too much to ignore regardless of any other particulars, and DiCaprio is overdue for a movie that delivers [Editor’s note: The film is rumored to be titled “The Battle of Baktan Cross” with release scheduled Aug. 8, 2025].

“Highest 2 Lowest” (Spike Lee)

The 1963 Akira Kurosawa thriller “High and Low” is among my favorite films by among my favorite directors, an intense and moving blend of corporate thriller, kidnapping mystery, and caste system parable. The notion of Spike Lee, who knows his way around a topical thriller himself, attacking this material is too good to resist. And he’s reuniting with Denzel Washington to boot.

“Die, My Love” (Lynne Ramsay)

The distinctive Scottish stylist Lynne Ramsay returns with a story set in rural America, following a woman played by Jennifer Lawrence who struggles with her sanity. Robert Pattinson, LaKeith Stanfeld, Nick Nolte and Sissy Spacek co-star. That is an intriguing cast, to say the least, particularly the first pairing of Nolte and Spacek since Paul Schrader’s “Affliction.”

“Dracula Park” (Radu Jude)

I recently wrote that I’m sick to death of traditional riffs on “Dracula,” but I’m guessing that the writer-director of “Don’t Expect Too Much from the End of the World” isn’t going to be too beholden to doing things traditionally. Jude claims that this a wild and very violent comedy, in fact.

“Peter Hujar’s Day” (Ira Sachs)

Ira Sachs’ prior film, “Passages,” is the best romantic drama that I’ve seen in ages, and I’m eager to see what’s next. “Peter Hujar’s Day” premieres at Sundance in a few weeks and is said by IMDb to concern a conversation between Peter Hujar and Linda Rosencrantz from 1974 that “sheds light on New York’s vibrant downtown art world.” With Ben Whishaw, who was stunning in “Passages,” and Rebecca Hall.

“The Mastermind” (Kelly Reichardt)

Kelly Reichardt follows “Showing Up,” perhaps her greatest film to date, with a crime film about an art theft set during the Vietnam War. My guess is that it’s more than a “crime film.” With Josh O’Connor, hot of “La Chimera” and “Challengers,” Gaby Hoffman, John Magaro, Hope Davis, and Bill Camp.

“Late Fame” (Kent Jones)

Film critic, documentarian, and Martin Scorsese collaborator Kent Jones made an impactful feature film debut with “Diane” a few years ago. His follow-up stars Willem Dafoe as New York poet Ed Saxberger, whose work excites a group of young creatives later in his life. Co-starring Greta Lee.

 “Hope” (Na Hong-jin)

A science fiction thriller by the gifted and not-at-all prolific Na Hong-jin is not something to sleep on. Don’t believe me? Stream his prior film, “The Wailing,” this weekend. It is one of the scariest and most captivating horror films that I’ve seen in the last decade, with exorcism scenes that are actually worth a damn.

“Sinners” (Ryan Coogler)

Ryan Coogler made the spirited and moving “Fruitvale Station” and “Creed” before getting lost in the superhero muck with the “Black Panther” series. It will be nice to see him, hopefully free again, tackling some sort of vampire story with his soulful MVP, Michael B. Jordan.

“The Bride” (Maggie Gyllenhaal)

“The Bride of Frankenstein” in 1930s-era Chicago, with Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Penélope Cruz, and Annette Bening, directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Could be a bust, or could be an irresistible swing for the fences.

“By the Stream” (Hong Sang-soo)

I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again: I will keep recommending Hong Sang-soo’s adventurous miniaturist comedy-dramas until you listen to me and see them for yourself. I’ve seen “By the Stream” already, and it continues Hong’s evolution into one of the most personal and distinctively moving of our global film artists.