See which stars ranked highest on the IMDbPro STARmeter chart throughout 2025.

The Most Popular Stars of 2025

As 2025 comes to a close, we present the top 10 series that were most consistently popular on IMDb this year.

The Most Popular Series of 2025

Stream festive holiday films, heartwarming specials, and seasonal TV episodes perfect for celebrating with family and friends.

Holiday Movie & TV Picks on Paramount+

Raising the subtext of "Fight Club'' into text, "Shiner'' depicts a pair of amateur boxers gratified by punching each others' lights out. Theirs is among a trio of twisted love stories in the narrative feature by 29-year-old Los Angeles director Christian Calson. There's also a woman literally fighting her male lover's affections and another boxer who stalks his own shy male stalker. "Shiner'' transcends sadomasochism in that no one seems aware of what he or she is doing. "I'm trying to look at desire head on,'' the soft-spoken Calson said by telephone. "('Shiner') is about the politics of wanting and being wanted and how people respond differently.'' Rife with ugly behavior, "Shiner'' rejects the trend of queer filmmakers seeking straight understanding. "In L.A., we have this kind of sadness we carry around, that the only way we can make gay stories is by making more like 'Will and Grace,' '' Calson said. Like the activist-filmmakers tackling the marriage issue, Calson went into "Shiner'' with clear results in mind. "I want people to respond on a visceral level,'' he said. "I'm not after their minds, I'm after their gut. ... I'm not trying to make friends with this film.'' (from an article on the Frameline 28 Film Festival)

Odd uneven movie with standout performance and quasi-gay themes

I recently saw SHINER and as interesting and different as it was, I found that it just wasn&#39;t very good. The three story lines involve some sort of pain / sex aspect. There is a heterosexual couple, 2 gay bashing buddies, and a washed-up 3rd rate boxer with a timid male admirer. Made on an obvious low budget, and shot on video, the movie really seems to try to be good, but, like its characters, gets wounded and falls apart as it unspools. The heterosexual couple are never really developed and they ultimately disappear. Despite they&#39;re fleeting attempts at some pain/pleasure play, nothing much happens and they are utterly forgettable. The gay bashing buddies are more interesting. The leader of the two has their gay victim service him before he beats the guy up. Eventually, the lead basher discovers a rare sexual thrill in getting beat up, and the two &quot;straight&quot; pals become almost gay partners in their bizarre quest for sexual fulfillment through beating each other up (more often than not in the nude). Their victim turns up later on to turn the tables on them...but they reverse the situation and take their warped sex games to a new level. All of this may sound titillating, but it&#39;s not. It&#39;s rather creepy and shocking (the intent?) but also rather ludicrous and silly at the same time. The boxer (Tim) and his stalker (Bob) are much more interesting. Bob is a mouse of a man, who lives at home and idolizes Tim, frequently showing up at the gym where he works out--usually when Tim is about to shower. Tim is understandably bothered by Bob&#39;s attentions, and this makes for the most compelling of the three story lines in the film. Bob wants Tim, but doesn&#39;t know why he wants him or what to do with him. Tim doesn&#39;t want anything to do with Bob, yet is drawn to him because he has nothing else. There&#39;s friction in Tim about all of this, and their encounters always equal interesting scenes, the best one being one set in a parking lot stairway late at night. It is uncomfortable and drawn out. Tim gets right in Bob&#39;s face. An amazing scene that was brought to life by the guy playing Bob (Nicholas T. King) but MOSTLY by a young actor named David Zelina who I found very engaging and the standout performance in the movie. The final scene between Bob and Tim happens in Bob&#39;s mother&#39;s kitchen late at night when Tim strips himself bare (literally and figuratively) in front of Bob. The Tim/Bob story line, with the films odd narrative make the writer/director (Christian Calson) someone to watch in the future, despite this movies sort of failed outcome. David Zelina is the actor to watch out for, though. (I&#39;ve since picked up his movie SASQUATCH HUNTERS, which was actually made in 2002--BEFORE SHINER--even though it was only released this year. Despite a rather stereotypical throw away role, I felt he gave the part a solid-as-possible presence in a not-so-great film). Odd--but interesting...

User reviews

Shiner

Odd uneven movie with standout performance and quasi-gay themes

More from this title

More to explore

Recently viewed