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With the arrival of the final month, this is customarily the period for lists. Numerous outlets have already begun sharing their authoritative favorite roundups of 2025. Meanwhile, online platforms are flooded with custom music streaming recaps, complete with new tools such as a "musical age" that can uncover potentially shocking insights concerning your song choices.

However, we believe absolutely no shame in taking a break from the relentless flow of new releases to discover several timeless or renowned works from bygone decades. So, this guide is dedicated to some excellent older entertainment our contributors saw, listened to, devoured and experienced during the past year.

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Film

Inspired by a renewed appreciation for vintage movies via sites including social film sites and influential audio shows, film archives are enjoying a significant resurgence. One standout viewing involved seeing the famed director's iconic film Le Samouraï, featuring the effortlessly cool French icon Delon moving about the city in a theater. Also remarkable was a first-time viewing of the acclaimed director's The Lost Weekend, a picture that's received a viewing bump due to recent Oscar successes.

This year that was notable for director Richard Linklater, an insightful second look was made to his breakthrough film Slacker took place. This film offers a trippy journey through 1990s a specific city, populated by a cast of defiantly odd and unemployed individuals. A film deeply loved in our younger days, the concern that the magic may not hold up turned out to be completely wrong. It remains totally mesmerising, crafting a world you long to enter. GM

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TV

Amid a season dominated by one particular coming-of-age series, an encounter involved an older UK series: Jake's Progress, the playwright's mid-90s series depicting a struggling family family grappling with a challenging son. Although very much a product of its time – with melodramatic performances and an equally dramatic soundtrack – it is deeply compelling , true to the writer's his creations, it shuns predictable tropes for a narrative perceptive and authentic.

Furthermore, although earlier deep dives examined the vast archive of classic documentaries to stream, one more non-2025 documentary merits attention: the Welsh-language film Ffa Coffi Pawb! Technically aired just eight days prior to the start of 2025, it offers a thorough and fascinating portrait of the DIY, resolutely non-commercial Cymraeg cultural explosion that emerged during the eighties. Furthermore, it showcases the early days of future star Gruff Rhys. The archive footage is superb, capturing sweaty gigs in small venues plus charming early chat show moments. GM

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Audio

Occasionally, an unexpected places can lead to musical discoveries. Reading an article from a music industry figure discussing the state of the scene introduced a wonderful record put out by the label's formative years: Drunk's A Derby Spiritual (1996), a rustic acoustic record existing somewhere between artists like Bonnie Prince Billy & an iconic indie band. A bleak reminder about the financial reality of niche music was highlighted: the album apparently earned only sum on streaming services since its release.

Elsewhere, the arrival from Zamrock veterans Witch led to exploration of their 70s output. A key album album from that era is filled with superb, sunny, psych-tinged tracks. And, the standout musical moment in a film lately was in a recent release, as Steely Dan's Dirty Work scored a very intoxicated character at a school conference. With all this, our so-called "listening age" must certainly hover somewhere in a bygone decade. GM

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Reading

Recently at long last provided the chance to delve into Self-Help, the acclaimed literary work from American writer Lorrie Moore securing her critical acclaim. Wry, cutting yet exceptionally smart, {Moore's collection|the book|