Hello there,
I can’t believe we’re at the end of the year, and I’m grateful that you stuck around all year.
What an incredible year 2025 has been! From unforgettable screenings and giveaways to Comic Cons and personal milestones, I’ve had so much fun sharing it all with you. I’m truly grateful for all the support, whether you read a post, watched a video, attended a screening, entered a giveaway, or just said hi online; it all means the world.
I’m so blessed with all the friends I made this year, Cape Town suddenly feels a little less lonely, and all those movie nights are a lot more fun. I don’t want to bore anyone with statistics or movie news; I just want to share a few of my highlights and some news of what’s to come in 2026.
Highlights From 2025
Comic Cons & Events
This was the first year that I got to attend both Comic Con Cape Town and Comic Con Africa. Both events were filled with moments that reminded me why I love doing this: connecting with people who love movies, TV, and pop culture as much as I do. I might be an introvert, but when I’m around amazing people, life just feels more purposeful.
Interview with Misha Collins
One of the biggest highlights of the year. Getting the chance to interview Misha Collins was surreal and something I’ll always be grateful for. There was a moment when I didn’t think it would happen; I was practically frozen with doubt, and somehow, I pulled it off. As a big Supernatural fan, it was a dream come true, and as a journalist, it felt like the biggest milestone of my career. I didn’t just do it for me, but also for all the Misha Collins fans from South Africa, Namibia, and everywhere else.
Giveaways and Community Building
From quizzes to tickets, merch, and surprises, the giveaways were a blast this year. Thank you to everyone who entered, shared, commented, and supported. I believe that the best way to build a community is to give back. You all support me by paying attention to my content, so I obviously have to say thank you by giving away a few prizes. I love giving away movie tickets because I want people to go to the movies, I want everyone to experience cinema, and I want people to just forget about life for a while and be entertained. I can’t say for certain, but I think I ran at least 25 giveaways in 2025 – who knows, maybe I’ll double that in 2026.
Fan Screenings
Special fan screenings and early looks at some big releases gave me the chance to experience them with all of you. The Wicked: For Good Fan Screening was months in the making, and I can’t thank everyone enough for showing up. I’m forever grateful for CineCentre and all the vendors who made it possible. This was followed by the Silent Night, Deadly Night Fan Screening, also at CineCentre. It was an awesome movie to experience with a packed cinema.
There are so many other wonderful things that happened this year, like people coming up to me and saying they love what I do and that they appreciate the time I put into my content and reviews. Every time someone asked for a selfie, it felt so surreal because I never thought anyone would want that. And I’m so grateful for all the people I got to collaborate with this year; I feel like I made new lifelong friends.
My Top 10 Movies of 2025
I obviously can’t do a newsletter without talking about movies. I watched over 400 movies this year, and no, not all of them were new movies. I did watch about 150 new movies, and according to my Letterboxd, there are 40 that I loved, but obviously I can’t include them all on this list. So I’m going to give you a list of 10 movies that I absolutely adored this year, plus 5 movies just outside my top 10.
- Sinners
- One Battle After Another
- Thunderbolts*
- F1
- Superman
- Wake Up Dead Man
- Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
- Avatar: Fire and Ash
- Predator: Killer of Killers
- Better Man
And movies that almost made the list are: Frankenstein, Zootopia 2, Final Destination: Bloodlines, KPop Demon Hunters, and The Accountant 2. You can check my full list on Letterboxd.
My Top 10 TV Shows of 2025
This year I mostly focused on movies, but that didn’t stop me from spending a few hours watching TV shows. A lot of my favourite shows returned with new seasons this year, and many of them were awesome (like Stranger Things), so that’s why I’m not going to talk about them – chances are I already did reviews on some of them. I’m only including shows that debuted this year that I absolutely loved. These are my top 10:
- Daredevil: Born Again
- It: Welcome to Derry
- Pluribus
- The Studio
- Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
- Task
- Paradise
- Win or Lose
- Alien: Earth
- The Promised Land
From binge-worthy series to weekly must-watches, these shows owned my screen time this year. There are 5 other shows that almost made the list: DMV, Chad Powers, Murderbot, Going Dutch, and The Paper.
A Personal Note
2025 wasn’t just about watching movies or spending endless hours in front of the TV; it was about building something. A community. A space where we can get excited, debate endings, celebrate cinema, and sometimes just escape for a bit.
There were late nights, tight deadlines, creative challenges, and moments of doubt, but there were also wins, growth, adventure, and opportunities I never thought I’d get. Your messages, comments, and support are what keep this going.
Thank you for sticking with me, cheering me on, and being part of this journey.
I also want to give a special thanks to all my partners who made this venture possible. I’m eternally grateful, and I hope we can continue to build our professional relationship in 2026.
What to Expect in 2026
I’m going to be honest, I don’t have a concrete plan for 2026 yet, but I’m working on something. In fact, there are quite a few things I already have lined up. My annual movie guide will be launched early in the year. I will be celebrating 10 years of movie reviews in April, plus it’ll be 8 years since the first time I started writing as The Movie Guy.
You can also look forward to more outdoor content; I want to take the mic and camera to the people. I want your stories and opinions. I will also continue with the giveaways, and hopefully I’ll have Fan Screenings for movies we all look forward to.
Want to Support The Movie Guy?
If you’ve enjoyed the content this year and want to help me keep creating, I’m still hoping I can replace my laptop soon. There are a few simple ways you can support:
• Share my reviews and videos
• Engage with my posts
• Or, if you’re able, buy me a coffee to help fund future content, screenings, and coverage
Every bit of support — big or small — genuinely makes a difference and helps me keep doing what I love.
You can also support me in the following ways:
South Africa – Bank Transfer
Bank: Discovery Bank
Account Name: Johdan de Klerk
Account Number: 111 520 93789
Branch Code: 679000
Account Type: Cheque
BIC/Swift: DISCZAJJXXX
Reference: Your Name + “MovieGuy”
Namibia – Bank Transfer
Bank: Bank Windhoek
Account Name: Barry Junior De Klerk
Account Number: 802 492 0357
Branch Code: 481-471 Mariental
Account Type: Cheque
Reference: Your Name + “MovieGuy”
International Support – Patreon
If you’re inside or outside Southern Africa or prefer something quick and easy, consider supporting me monthly on Patreon.
Join the Patreon community here
Where Your Support Goes:
- Better equipment for content creation
- Editing software and tools
- Travel to local events and screenings
- Hosting giveaways and community games
- Time to create high-quality, honest, and fun content
Here’s to more movies, more stories, and more unforgettable moments in 2026.
Thank you for being here.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
— The Movie Guy, Barry
