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Limiting myself to films that got wide release this year: 1.) Past Lives - The first romance film I ever legitimately loved gets the top spot. 2.) The Holdovers - Instant addition to the Christmas movie canon alongside Little Women from a few years ago. 3.) Suzume - The movies from this studio are loving gorgeous. 4.) The Boy and the Heron - Miyazaki never misses, and although this isn't in my top five of his films, it's still tremendous. 5.) Killers of the Flower Moon - A masterpiece that didn't fully land with me, but I'm still thinking about those last two scenes. 6.) Barbie - Would have been #1 if not for some misfires in the middle and end of the film, but the beginning was literally perfect. 7.) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Doesn't live up to the first film but still excellent. 8.) Showing Up - This is what all of those twee indie movies aspire to achieve. 9.) Poor Things - Not my favorite Lanthimos film, but it might be his funniest. 10.) May December - An uncomfortable film with some world-class performances. Other films seen: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Asteroid City, Bottoms, Creed III, Dream Scenario, Ferrari, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Godzilla Minus One, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Iron Claw, Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection, The Marvels, Napoleon, Oppenheimer, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Theatre Camp, Wonka Films I still plan to see but haven't yet: Beau is Afraid, Fallen Leaves, The Zone of Interest EDIT: Thank you for doing this thread! I want to suggest that the deadline for this should be the end of January 2024. Unlike with the games thread, so many films don't get wide release until the very end of the year or the start of the next year. Of the six 2023 films I still want to see, only two have been released where I live (one of which was a couple of days ago), and I live in a relatively large U.S. city. Also, as we see films on our to-watch list, should we edit our original post or make a new post if our list changes? What's easier for you? surf rock fucked around with this message at 08:31 on Jan 3, 2024 |
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Dec 25, 2023 17:20
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I didn't see a lot of the big releases (KOTFM, Oppenheimer, etc) but what I did see I liked. 1.) Rye Lane 2.) How To Blow Up A Pipeline 3.) Joy Ride 4.) Bottoms 5.) Talk To Me 6.) Birth/Rebirth 7.) You Hurt My Feelings 8.) Anatomy Of A Fall 9.) Cobweb 10.) The Zone of Interest If you have even a passing interest in romantic comedies, you must watch Rye Lane! It's streaming on Hulu i believe.
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Dec 25, 2023 18:57
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2023 releases baby... 1). Skinamarink - If you've experienced early childhood dreams similar to sequences in the movie, it's the closest thing to Hell you'll experience in cinema. If not, you're in for the most boring 2 hours of you're life. I'm the former. Not sure what that says about me. 2). Killers Of A Flower Moon - It's a privilege to see a Marty movie in 2023 A.D. on the big screen (and one of this caliber). 3). Oppenheimer - It was the year of the biopic. gently caress biopics. *Electrons vibrate through my fingers* 4). Poor Things - Yorgos has mastered the art of making the absurd accessible. Or the accessible absurd. Idfk. 5). The Boy And The Heron - Animation is cinema. 6). Beau Is Afraid - HA HA YES 7). Across The Spiderverse - Animation is cinema. 8). How To Blow Up A Pipeline - A tense, radical work that scratches the ski mask and shotgun itch. 9). The Holdovers - A Christmas classic that feels like it's been around for 50 years. 10). When Evil Lurks - I need to watch more Latin American horror Jesus loving Christ.
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Dec 25, 2023 19:52
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surf rock posted:Thank you for doing this thread! I want to suggest that the deadline for this should be the end of January 2024. Unlike with the games thread, so many films don't get wide release until the very end of the year or the start of the next year. Of the six 2023 films I still want to see, only two have been released where I live (one of which was a couple of days ago), and I live in a relatively large U.S. city. my pleasure! i really enjoy the games thread, but i watch way more movies and care way more about 90+% of movies released in a given year as opposed to only being familiar with and/or caring about, like, less than 5% of games brought up in the games thread. so i'm happy to see that there was enough interest for this and i'm bored enough to bother lol. as for the rules, i think it boils down to a philosophical stance on whether this thread should be for one of two things: 1. the best movies that released in 2023 only -OR- 2. the best movies any particular goon has watched in the calendar year of 2023 if the first, and it seems like most people's lists are catering toward that, then i can see doing two things: 1. expanding the deadline to jan 2024 to allow for movies with an official release date of 2023 to open/debut in more cities 2. limit the voting to only movies with an official release date of 2023, even if they debut elsewhere in 2024 (i would be open to using whatever source is reputable and consistent. imdb? themoviedb? you tell me) as for making adjustments to your list, i think it would be less messy overall for others to read and most helpful for me for you to edit your original post and just post in the thread that you've updated your list. i'll go find it and make any edits needed. might also be interesting for others to see what you edited out/in if they're reading it after the fact. so i'm open for discussion on what people wanna do in terms of the options above!
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Dec 25, 2023 20:11
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I'll get my full reviews in shortly but here's my 2023 list: 10. Day of Wrath (1943) Wow, the bar to being considered a witch back in the day was incredibly low! The movie can be slow but the ending is perfect. 9. BlackBerry Yes, the rise-and-fall story as a whole will surprise no one, but the movie has so much fun hitting beats where the true story allows unique touches. And no one gets more fun moments than Glenn Howerton's character imploding in front of you. 8. The Banshees of Inisherin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouTXff7lvq4 The conflict is a flimsy excuse to spend two hours inside this bleak and stunted world with melancholy characters, but what a time you'll have! 7. The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On You ever find a car that's completely covered in bumper stickers, like, including the hood and roof? Ok, now spend two hours with the guy who's driving it on his quest to find justice in the world. He's also violent and loves talking about himself so, keep happy that you get to watch him on video as a supremely memorable protagonist instead of having to put up with him in person despite how you may feel about his cause. 6. Nostalghia "That" super-long scene is not only worth the wait, but a fitting capstone to a beautiful Tarkovsky movie. 5. Barbie No movie this year generated more conversation than Barbie, and a sad amount of it is completely bad faith trying to pretend this was anything but a hilarious & successful cultural icon, but I had one quick addition: Has anyone else talked about the parallels between this and The Lego Movie? Not just as a successful toy-based movie, but how the toy's conflict is really a secondary driver to the creativity and conflict posed by real people who play with the toys? Hell, Will Ferrell appears as a conflicting authority character in both! Keep in mind, I absolutely loved The Lego Movie and the comparison is nothing but praise for the Barbie movie to pull some those themes into a different perspective. 4. How to Blow Up a Pipeline Triple-A action movies costing hundreds of millions of dollars can't approach the level of tension and stakes within this low-budget movie. You just can't overlook the value of immersion, personal stakes among characters, or a thumping heartbeat synth soundtrack. If you love a good heist movie, this gets to the same feeling without, you know, a bank vault involved. 3. Floating Weeds (1959) I actually don't like most of Ozu movies or his directing style, so it's a fun dilemma to love this movie for breaking away from why I felt bored with his other work. There’s more interesting camera work and melodrama here than all his other movies put together. The first hour is just like a great Shakespeare comedy that you haven't heard about yet. The second hour is not quite as good as that same comedy collapses into tragedy that piles on top of you. 2. Past Lives Every other movie in the same moment would've made some ironic distance between what the characters and audience knows, how these two should be destined to end up together. But all praise to this movie to turn that expectation on it's head and allow the main three characters to fully understand the tension way ahead of time to twist the knife into your heart. Everyone knows the score, nothing will be changed because it's already too late. The last meeting before the taxi is the most heartbreaking scene in a movie I've seen in, christ, decades? I've seen a lot of emotionally devastating movies but hard to think of one that tops Past Lives. 1. The Boy and The Heron I let myself buy into hype if I truly think the media is going to be good, so I get excited about Tears of the Kingdom or Cyberpunk 2077 but didn't buy into "Miyazaki's last movie" as a selling point. Studio Ghibli hasn't released a true classic in a while and what's to say this last idea is any better? Turns out, Studio Ghibli absolutely crushed this last movie and Miyazaki is going out on top. Take the dreamlike logic fantasy world of Spirited Away but now it's The Odyssey about a child finding closure and, surprise, a meaningful endcap to how we build a new world for ourselves instead of continuing a past world out of inertia. What an absolute triumph that ranks among his very best, and arguably is his best. DMCrimson fucked around with this message at 18:29 on Dec 28, 2023 |
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Dec 25, 2023 20:39
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one other important note for anyone else yet to post their list: i will do my best to normalize titles, but it would be super helpful for me if you grab the official spelling via copy/paste from letterboxd or imdb or something the way the spreadsheet works, it will throw a wrench in things if you spell it "spider-man: across the spiderverse" vs "spiderman - across the spider verse" vs "spider man across the spiderverse" etc etc the official title is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (i didn't even realize there was a hyphen in spider-verse) anyway! happy listing!
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Dec 25, 2023 20:40
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DMCrimson posted:I'll get my full reviews in shortly but here's my 2023 list: there's a 1943 version and a 2005/6(?) version. which one do you mean?
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Dec 25, 2023 20:43
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ShoogaSlim posted:there's a 1943 version and a 2005/6(?) version. which one do you mean? The older 1943 version, I’ll include the year to my list
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Dec 25, 2023 20:50
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I didn't see a lot of movies this past year, and a lot of these are "popcorn flicks" in that for a lot of them, you just sit back and enjoy the action-packed scenes. But they still deserve to be on a top 10 of 2023 because I didn't end up thinking, "Welp, I wasted my money/time with that one." Rated from least best to absolute best. 10 Fast X - I've seen every Fast and the Furious movie, and this one was just as enjoyable. Although honestly, I might have enjoyed it more for Jason Momoa absolutely chewing the scenery as the villain. He is over the top and you can tell he has so much fun, that it adds to the viewer's fun in my opinion. I didn't like the cliffhanger, but it's my fault for not realizing it was only part one. 9 Glass Onion - The only one of these I didn't see at the theater. I also never saw Knives Out, but it was a highly enjoyable mystery, both funny and exciting at times. 8 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - I've adored every single GOTG movie, and this one did not disappoint either. Although the Rocket backstory was almost too much for me (I'm a big softy), I thought they ended their story well. 7 Shazam! Fury of the Gods - One of the surprises of my list. I knew nothing about Shazam, I never even saw the first one. But I caught on just fine by letting it tell me the story, and I enjoyed it. 6 The Equalizer 3 - I never saw 1 or 2, and honestly at this point, I was rolling my eyes at Denzel being that old but still being able to kick rear end. But I liked how the people of the town backed him up and they all defeated the gangsters together. 5 Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One- Mission Impossible at this point, for me, has become "see how Tom Cruise cheats death yet again doing his own stunts." Parts of it are ridiculous, but at this point, I watch MI movies more for the absurdity of it all than anything else. It's always a good time. 4 John Wick: Chapter 4 - An excellent ending to the John Wick story, with amazing car chases and gun fights. The gun battle as he's trying to get up the stairway was insane and I giggled multiple times. I like how at the end, you're not 100% sure he's not really dead. 3 Blue Beetle - Another surprise. I know nothing about the superhero Blue Beetle whatsoever! However, my husband and I turned this on when we were on vacation, and I was very pleasantly surprised. The family of Jaime and how they obviously adored each other really gave this a lot of heart. 2 Barbie - I knew I'd like this, but I had no idea how much I did. Yes it was kitschy, it's a Barbie movie! Ken's discovery of the patriarchy was hilarious and Will Ferrell was excellent as the CEO of Mattel. 1 Godzilla Minus One - I've absolutely adored monster movies and horror movies since I was a kid, though all I ever saw of Godzilla on tv was when I was a kid I saw the 1954 Godzilla, then I remember the one with Matthew Broderick in '99. I'm so happy Minus One got made, because it actually made you care about all these humans. I really felt for Koichi, who felt like he had failed the entire country by trying to delay his kamikaze mission, and then felt responsible for every death including and after the ones on Odo Island. I admit I got teary-eyed more than once, and that's never happened to me when watching a monster movie!
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Dec 26, 2023 01:00
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We're simpatico there raven77, I've even got an Equalizer film on my list. Highly recommend checking out more Godzilla too, I especially recommend the 90s movies starting with say Biollante and the 2000s ones like GMK from 2001. Here's my list: 10. Pathaan - Indian cinema's answer to MGS, and I was happy to see Hideo Kojima liked it. Over the top and majestic in a way that does remind me of Sergio Leone too, just a treat. 9. Ricochet - Here's some early 90s Denzel (and Lithgow!), by the director of Highlander. Just a zany insane spectacle of a slick crime thriller film, so wonderful. 8. Sympathy For the Devil - Very underrated new Cage vehicle, a thriller that delivers exactly what it promises. And this is the beauty of Cage's reign, each year he has the hit with credibility, and he has a more shlocky genre movie that is genuinely more special than it seems on the surface. And he delivers 100% either way. 7. The Equalizer - Denzel is so great, and I liked this way more than I thought I would. It's poignant and works as a drama, on top of action and stuff. That somber badassery, it touches me. 2 also continued a lot of that special something with a less compelling main plot, and I look forward to seeing 3. 6. Taxi (1998) - Where has this been all my life? The French DJ hip hop soundtrack, the fun rowdy Ali G-esque (via France) cool street guys, the HK movie style wildness, just a joy. Slick fun comedy action caper with cool driving. It's a genuinely perfect film. 5. Killers of the Flower Moon - Martin Scorsese is no stranger to greatness, and here's another really cool movie. He tackles such harrowing subject matter with his trademark bits of black humor and offkilter non-melodramatic approach. This movie is just insane. Flies by too. Really really good, tough to describe, it's just such a strange and well done feat. 4. 52 Pick-Up - Elmore Leonard, lean mean cool payback crime kind of thing. Just insanely good. Elmore was the king of cool. 3. Shin Kamen Rider - Kamen Rider is a great series over the decades, and this is one of its finest films. Highly recommend. Think sci-fi Dracula Spider-Man guy on a motorcycle. A tight flashy action drama. For the record I'd say Kamen Rider OOO is a great TV series to pick up too. 2. Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game - This is such a gem. What I like about it, it's a feel good film and even a meet cute, and it's just fresh. It's engaging, it's informative of a fun niche subject, it's just a bit of a unique mixture that makes me happy to be a fan of movies. 1. John Wick 4 - What an action epic, so awesome. A film this high in action scenes could get dull (I'm looking at you Indiana Jones 5), but not here. This is The Godfather of John Wick movies, it is just more operatic, more stakes, more fighting (believe it or not), it is the most John Wick film yet. Also Donnie Yen is incredible, Keanu, Lance, Ian, what a titanic cast delivering the goods. I want 5. Here's to the stunt performers, choreographers, drivers, and heroes of cinema all around.
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Dec 26, 2023 06:55
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Top Five Rewatchables The top five films that are endlessly rewatchable, throw any of these on and I’ll plop myself in front of the screen and finish it. 5.La Jetee It’s hard to think of another film this short but this impactful. Never before or since have I seen such a beautiful joining of simplicity and theme. When I close my eyes I can often see her smile peering back at me; that, that is cinema at its finest. 4.Collateral No matter how many times one watches one can always find something new to latch onto. The constrained nature of the cab lends itself to searching for more in its interior, match that with the film itself. Every time I see it I create new mental frameworks with which to gauge its principal participants. Cruise’s darting eyes and coyote like sniffing, Jaime’s disaffected perfection, the resignation he holds regarding his dream; the sheer attainability of it in reality versus the difficulty he pretends it represents, his mother issues that underlie much of his actions, all great. 3.Under the Silver Lake Puzzle box movies can get a bad rep, but this one earn’s its place among the pantheon of great “what the gently caress” films. On one level a surface level critique of Hollywood, and billionaires using and abusing young women who know not better. On a second and lower level a bizarre delving into esotericism in its traditional sense, symbols and figures are myriad and nearly inscrutable. Does it mean anything? Probably, but not for you. Few films manage to make rewatching as entertaining as this, the first watch almost feels necessary so one can dispense with Plot and focus solely on the codebreaking, and that in itself might be one of the problems revealed in the film, searching for answers to questions that didn’t need solving. 2.Miami Vice Go Fast Boats Mojito You either get this movie or don’t 1.HEAT Name a more perfect film. Mann spends the first half of this film slowly inching daggers below your skin, each imperceptible at time of penetration yet just conscious when one thinks of the strange feeling in their guts or groin that they feel when the action ceases for a second of respite. The second half is the grabbing, and twisting of each of these knives in turn until the pain runs through each limb and extremity into the head and eyes. Each subtle pause causes the sense of dread to increase because you know the next dagger shall soon be twisted. No good guys, no bad guys, grey on grey. Each action by a character is celebrated and denigrated in equal amounts. One simultaneously holds that Hanna should succeed and Neil should succeed despite both being impossibilities together. The purest form of double think creation. Top Five New Watches 2023 Falling outside the 2023 release date that I set for the real list, these films need love too! The best films I saw for the first time this year, not released in 2023 5. The Color of Pomegranates Few films can claim the title of being poetry, this film can. Undeniable and beautiful in the purest sense. 4.Carol My only regret is not watching it during the Christmas season. Never has the subtleties of a relationship been more intriguing to me. 3. Silence “Lord, I fought against your silence.” “ I suffered beside you. I was never silent.” “I know. But even if God had been silent my whole life, to this very day, everything I do, everything I've done... speaks of Him.” The closest I’ve ever come to crying during a film. 2.Ad Astra I just have to give it to Grey, I didn’t rate the man at all and this year I watched so many bangers from him. There’s so few films that go deep into men’s relationships with their father’s, and less so in delving into the disappointment one feels when they realize their father is not just a man, but not a great man. Aside from that the movie is also just wonderfully thought and conceptualized. Ping Pong space battles on the moon to comaing yourself to make a deep space trip, there is a level of care put into the creation of the film that something like Interstellar simply doesn’t have. 1 Red Desert Antonioni decides to make a color film and in the process makes all other color films look like a loving joke. Everything is perfect, every color, every emotion, every frame and movement. Monica Vitti’s complete mental breakdown feels as well executed as the beginning sequence that might as well be Dante entering Hell. Only PTA has managed the sheer terror and overwhelming cacophony of existing next to grand machinery the way Antonioni does in this film. The power Vitti puts into the performance when her son pretends to be sick just for a laugh is a masterclass, there isn’t a single second, not one that I’m not entranced by this film. And to be fully honest, I probably could have filled this whole list with just Antonioni’s work; the man is nearly incomparable as an artist. We're talking about greats, we are talking about transcendent artists; the Kubricks, PTAs, Ophuls, Welles, Tarkovskys and Kons of the world. Top Ten of the Year These are the Top Ten of the Year in consideration for the grander list. Some may have had earlier releases in other countries but in my area they were all first time, 2023 releases. Honorable Mentions. Asteroid City - The film was great, and I immediately went back to rewatch it, but it has had zero lasting impact on me. Shout out Maya Hawke, she's cute as hell. Past Lives - Someone compared this to Before Sunrise, and that wiggled its way into my brain and ruined it's chance at being on my list. The movie is good, but it's not that good. Oppenheimer - Same as Asteroid City, it was a great film that I loved but the lack of interest I have in nuclear war and the fact that a better great man biopic dropped killed it’s chances. Tiger 3 - The fact that they took the character who is saved from being a ISIS suicide bomber, have him raised as a surrogate son, and then have him “redeem” himself by becoming a suicide bomber for India is the funniest thing I’ve seen in films this year. Movie just cannot edge out Paathan when Salman feels so much less invested compared to SRK, even if Katrina Kaif is going for it. 10.The Eight Mountains  Few films do as good a job explaining the unspoken bond between men who are friends. Nor are there as many willing to do a deep psychological dive into men’s drives when not at the peaks of existence but rather the ebbs. It has some major flaws, but goddamn did it make me feel. 9.Afire  If I was on a deserted island with a TV, Blu Ray player and a filmography of one Director my answer for who would be Scorsese or Mann, regardless of who I chose though if I had two to pick the second would be Rohmer. Few are willing to make movies that aren’t earth shattering, cataclysmic or otherwise intense in the way Rohmer did. His movies were intellectual, pondering, and atmospheric. Petzold doesn’t manage to match Rohmer, but he does a good enough job that the film makes the list. One wouldn’t think the tale of an rear end in a top hat artist being confined with a bunch of other bohemians and learning that he is in fact the rear end in a top hat that he rails against would be as entertaining but after coming away thinking the ending was baffling after my first watch I’ve come to respect the daring direction it took. One considers the character a totally un-self- aware rear end in a top hat only for the finale to reveal he is very aware of who he is, and that is part of the problem. As many great authors found out, only being able to relate or express in your art is a blessing and a curse, but for human relationships it is always toxic. Hopefully our protagonist is able to reconcile with this to gain some measure of happiness for himself. 8.The Killer  Never has the gulf between people streaming and theatre goers been deeper. I saw this in a packed house with The Smith’s blaring and loved how irreverent, comedic, and incisive it’s critique of the modern disposable rent to rent society is. Many who watched it came away with a “lesser Fincher” opinion. The thing is, I think the blaring music, overwhelming the space when it cuts in and feeling tinny and out of place is necessary to get yourself into the headspace Mr.Killer is in in the film. If you cannot make yourself into a rambling, competent but not that competent, pseudo educated, depressed-repressed and denying killer for higher than the movie will not hit, especially the eye twitch at the end. 7.Paathan  I was a Bond fan, massively so. Or, I should rephrase, I theoretically still am, but the Craig era’s dour dullness and pseudo spycraft leaves me colder than a cubed ice. On a lark I decided to go see Paathan when I was bored, and instantly I was reminded of how much FUN one could have at a theatre. The film is unabashed in stealing from anything and everything spy or action related, in having totally outlandish fights and gunplay, and goddamn it just makes the genre fun again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqu4z34wENw Just watch that and tell me you don’t also feel embarrassed for the Broccolis. Jai Hind 6.Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart  I loving love Venture Bro’s so much it’s unreal. I can guarantee you this will be the most rewatched films of all of these. The only thing stopping this from being the tops is that I have full faith in another season coming. 5.Suzume  Gotta give some representation to the best Japanese Animated Film of this year, even if it’s technically last year's release. Suzume is an overlooked gem that manages to capture the spirit of a changing Japan, the generational divide, the trauma of living through disaster, and the desire to put right the mistakes of the past all in a beautifully sculpted, directed, and animated package. I had zero thoughts going into this and walked away blown away by what I’d seen. It’s a shame that great works like this are going to be buried under the bones of dinosaur’s who should’ve given up the director’s cap long ago. 4.Ferrari  Mann loving does it again. I was stunned by how great this film was. Enzo Ferrari is such an on paper piece of poo poo, but the film does an amazing job of framing how tormented he is on a day to day basis, and why he would shut himself off from the world, caring only for speed, glory, and winning. Driver’s small scene in Dino’s Mausoleum might be my favorite Driver performance I’ve seen. Cruz is bringing absolute fire to the vicious, spurned and mourning Laura; a role that is up there with the best of the year despite getting much less hype. There is some shoddy CGI and budget strains visible, but goddamn nobody understands the masculine drive better than Mann, and nobody can shoot how damaging the fallout to that drive is the way he does. I’m going to be seeing this again asap. 3.May December  First off, the funniest of the live action films, easily. Haynes took what should be a horrifying story of a woman predator turned shunned domestic and turned it into a hilarious farce; although one that is also cutting. It’s amazing to me that you can make a film about a woman who slept with a teenager and still manage to make another character feel more abhorrent. The punchline of Portman’s character managing to throw a handgrenade into Gracie’s life and yet still understand nothing about the woman or her wants and why’s is hilarious as it is sad; at least you have the lisp to lean on. An incredible work that uses the camp and comedy to back door in themes and messages that are still incredibly difficult to talk about in modern society. 2.Killers of the Flower Moon  Tremendous, Incredible, one of the most complicated and denigrating portrayals of the rapacious nature of America ever filmed. The only film, in my opinion, as convinced and convicted in its portrayal is Once Upon a Time in America. Lily Gladstone running in Best Actress instead of Supporting is baller as gently caress and goddamn do I hope she wins. Not often do you see an elderly director so thoroughly school the new kids on the block in what is and isn’t great about cinema. Scorsese has zero compunctions at this point about making something utterly dark. There’s a lot of directors willing to go “dark” but few willing to grab you by the skull and drag your nose through the mess you’ve made of this country the way he does in this film. Every single piece of this is perfect, if you’re looking at this list for recommendations then watch this twice before you touch a single other film above it, it’s that superior, we may not acknowledge Scorsese with accolades but his place in the cultural memory is nearing Kubrick with this entry. 1. Across the Spiderverse    I’ve seen this film Eight times in theatres. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the best film released this year. From the first thirty minutes following Gwen to the last twenty following Miles and Miles, I was enraptured. THIS is what animation should be, creative, beautiful, unorthodox, funny, willing to break the mold. I loved the first film, but the depth of the character in this makes the former seem like a joke. Mile’s dad gets some love, but his mother becomes such a beautifully real character, you can feel all her hopes and disappointments in her view of Miles. One cannot help but think of their own relationship with their mother and how you’ve let them down or surprised them. People denigrating this film for not being complete or ending on a cliffhanger can lose my fuckin’ number. This is a complete film, it was complete when Rio ungrounded Miles. I can imagine the kind of tedious, cynical gently caress who doesn’t love this film, but I refuse to engage with that mental exercise, only pity is reserved for them. This was the greatest film of this year, and nothing, nothing comes close. God willing I’ll say the same of the sequel and God willing others will take the viewing of this film to heart and start putting their souls back in cinema instead of just their backs.
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Dec 26, 2023 08:18
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Do you like the Miami Vice show? Some terrific stuff, even has some interesting directors like Abel Ferarra. I'm a big fan, especially the first 2 or 3 seasons and some highlights after that. Had a great rewatch of Heat lately too, looking forward to Heat 2, heard Mann on a podcast talking about that.
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Dec 26, 2023 10:53
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i know i give you poo poo in other threads for liking michael mann movies but drat this is a HELL of a post! replying now before reading it but i'm excited to dive into all the words you wrote.
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Dec 26, 2023 10:59
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Just formatted my top ten for the cspam poop thread so I can splat it here too: 10. Master Gardiner 9. How to Blow Up a Pipeline 8. The Pigeon Tunnel 7. BlackBerry 6. Rebel Moon 5. The Killer 4. Napoleon 3. Oppenheimer 2. Asteroid City 1. The Creator Wrote all the new releases I saw this year up in more depth over on medium. Find the idea of doing this with the non-new releases I saw in the year quite intimidating tbh, it's enough effort hammering out some words for letterboxd.
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Dec 26, 2023 11:18
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Heavy Metal posted:Do you like the Miami Vice show? Some terrific stuff, even has some interesting directors like Abel Ferarra. I'm a big fan, especially the first 2 or 3 seasons and some highlights after that. Had a great rewatch of Heat lately too, looking forward to Heat 2, heard Mann on a podcast talking about that. You know I had no idea Ferarra worked on the TV show but it absolutely tracks, Mann's work and King of New York share a lot of DNA. Never seen the show though, thought about grabbing abox set but i'm not really a TV guy and I think it would be a bad time. Hyped as hell for HEAT 2, film is going to be insane, and hearing Mann talk on podcasts the man is ready to go back to the world of Heat. ShoogaSlim posted:i know i give you poo poo in other threads for liking michael mann movies but drat this is a HELL of a post! replying now before reading it but i'm excited to dive into all the words you wrote. lmao, you're gonna hate the most rewatched list. If I was being fully honest the whole list would be Mann.
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Dec 26, 2023 11:29
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Gaius Marius posted:You know I had no idea Ferarra worked on the TV show but it absolutely tracks, Mann's work and King of New York share a lot of DNA. Never seen the show though, thought about grabbing abox set but i'm not really a TV guy and I think it would be a bad time. Hyped as hell for HEAT 2, film is going to be insane, and hearing Mann talk on podcasts the man is ready to go back to the world of Heat. It's on tubi or freevee for some of it, for a sample anyway. I don't think it'd be a bad time, you might dig a lot of the eps as a Mann fan (and since you like the movie). The Home Invaders (s1 ep 19) by Ferrara for example is like a tight short film. The pilot is like a movie pretty much, and it gets even better when Edward James Olmos joins a bit later. Very cinematic and unique show for the time.
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Dec 26, 2023 13:56
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alright been meaning to post my list but busy with the holidays: 1. Hana-Bi (1997): The only rewatch I've included in my list (if I included all my rewatches I'd fill the top 10). Just an incredible movie about depression combined with yakuza and cops. Beat Takeshi is phenomenal at what he does with his gangster films. I love his performances, his writing, and the directing here. World-class filmmaking and easily puts him as top 5 director for me. 2. Pearl (2022) - I had no idea Ti West had this type of movie in him. Maybe its Mia Goth, idk. While I enjoyed X, it was a fun enough throwback to slashers, this is on a whole other level. Mia Goth gives an outstanding performance as Pearl, the desperation to escape and how she eventually loses it due to her inability to escape is so well done. I liked how it ties itself to COVID via the spanish-flu as another way to drive home the isolation. The movie looks amazing and that finale, man what a film. 3. Clearcut (1991) - Very cool and intense movie. I never quite knew where it was going to go next and Graham Greene gives an incredible performance. 4. May December (2023) - Hey a 2023 flick! Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman are so good at playing the terrible characters in this, but Charles Melton steals the show with his performance of a 30 year old still clearly trapped with the mentality of a teen. It has some great comedic beats helped by the overly dramatic music, but it all plays into how gross the abusive relationship dynamics are. 5. Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi! Final Chapter (2015) - Kojij Shiraishi is one of my favorite filmmakers, and easily my favorite director making found footage films. This was the "finale" to a series of films he did about a 3 person paranormal investigative team looking into spooky cases around Japan. As the films go on there's callbacks and tie-ins to the previous entries and even Koji's other works like Occult, Record of a Sweet Murder, and I think Noroi: The Curse too. He weaves this into a time-traveling multiverse spanning epic on a shoe string budget that works so well... if you dig his style. 6. Synecdoche, NY (2008) - The funniest movie I have ever seen about grief, depression and the fear of aging. Philip Seymour-Hoffman was a magnificent actor and this might one of his finest roles. I love the little gags that keep building up like the house on fire, the funerals, the every growing cast for his show. Really good poo poo. 7. Crimes of the Future (2022) - I'm a sucker for Cronenberg and this was no different. Highlights were the all the gross surgery/body part art and KStew being just a creepy weirdo. Really unique vibes and I dug the approach to evolution and environmentalism. It kinda reminded me of that old book about evolutions from the future that's filled with weird creature designs "Man After Man" mind you I've never read it so I'm just going off imagery and the idea of people becoming well.. beyond people. 8. The Great Silence (1968) - Top tier western about a gunslinger trying to save a down from being lynched by some bounty hunters. Gorgeous snowy setting that plays into the bleak cold nature of the story and Klaus Kinski turning in another amazing performance. I almost put Nosferatu in this slot since it was another movie that blew me away but I'm giving it to this western instead. Gut wrenching ending 9. Charley Varrick (1973) - Cool rear end crime movie. Walter Matthau is effortlessly cool. Love all twists it takes as Charley tries to avoid the enforcer hot on his heels. Joe Don Baker makes for one mean son of a bitch, loved the Molly character. Did not expect it to end with a plane and car chase action sequence but it was awesome to watch it unfold. Great flick. 10. Ponyo (2008) - Great family movie and a wonderful spin on the little mermaid. My kiddo absolutely adored it (she also loved Totoro which we watched this year). The animation is amazing and I enjoyed the dub cast. honorable mention to Madeline, Study of a Nightmare (1973) a movie about a woman plagued by dreams that begins to cheat on her husband as she questions reality around her. Incredibly oppressive and one of the bleakest endings I've seen from an Italian horror flick. ------------------------------------------------ Top 10 just 2023 Ok this list is admittedly pathetic, I only watched 36 films from 2023 and most of them were genre trash. I haven't got to some of the really good flicks from 2023 and welp. 1. May December (4.5/5) - see above 2. When Evil Lurks (4/5) - Badass demon possession film with some great effects work. There's some really terrifying poo poo on display and by the end I was ready to scream along with the protagonist. 3. TMNT Mutant Mayhem (3.5/5) - TMNT nostalgia got the better of me and I loved this updated take and the artstyle they went with. Isn't going to blow anyone away but hey, I'll take it over the Bay produced ones. 4. The Killer (3.5/5) - Fassbender does a ton of work to make this film be as good as it is. The voice-over can be tricky to pull off but this one is great specifically because of how it used. 5. VHS 85 (3.5/5) - Not my favorite VHS flick, but a solid time and they at least try to replicate the look and feel of VHS films with some of the segments which makes them stand out, particularly the first one with the people at the lake being murdered and the follow-up to it with the family getting raided by the police. 6. Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva (3.5/5) - A Tubi flick that punched above it's weight class and a huge step up from the first one. Some really intense sequences and the story of the missing person was done very well compared to the first one. 7. The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart (3.5/5) - A great ending to a tv series I'll always hold dear. Hanks quest is great, Orpheus as Zed is too loving funny. I also dig that it isn't just a Brock highlight reel, him being more sidelined was something that I appreciated. I'm glad we got this even if I would have preferred one more full season to close it out. 8. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (3.5/5) - Way better than it had any right to be. Cast rules, Hugh Grant as a the rogue is inspired casting and Michelle Rodriguez rules. The actions scene are pretty solid with the dragon one being my favorite. A great popcorn flick. 9. Spiderverse 2 (3.5/5) - Step down from the first one, a bit bloated and of course ending where it does after being as long as it is was a let down. That said I'm a sucker for the art style and I really like Gwen and Miles in these. The added cast is pretty cool, but I think it's doing a little too much with both the Spot and Miguel stories running parallel. 10. Totally Killer (3.5/5) - Another solid horror spin on a classic genre setup, this time combining slasher with back to the future. Some of the "oh man the 80s sure were problematic!" jokes are cringe tho. There's some fun setups, I really dug the cabin in the woods scene and the cast is fantastic for both the present and past characters. Honorable mentions to: The 10th Annual On Cinema Oscar Special and The History of the Minnesota Vikings which I didn't feel right including since the first is more of a tv special and the second is a mini-series documentary, but both rule hard. Like I said my 2023 list is weak as hell and I appreciate this thread giving me some solid 2023 recs to make sure I get to in 2024 lol. E: typo MacheteZombie fucked around with this message at 06:01 on Dec 27, 2023 |
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Dec 27, 2023 01:01
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MacheteZombie posted:
Good stuff! Also I don't think that's too low, I've seen 30 something 2023 released movies too. About 150 movies watched total.
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Dec 27, 2023 01:19
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MacheteZombie posted:alright been meaning to post my list but busy with the holidays this post made me double check how many 2023 movies i watched and i've only seen 25. less than a quarter of all the movies i watched this year. also, i'm assuming your first list of movies from all years is your official list for the thread, right?
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Dec 27, 2023 02:47
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This year is one of the worst in backloading all the good films, I'd probably place Zone of Interest, Holdovers, Taste of Things, Iron Claw, and The Hamaguchi films on my list but I am not going to get a chance to see any of them before January at the earliest. Incredibly frustrating that movie companies are still pulling this poo poo.
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Dec 27, 2023 02:52
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alright might as well get in on it. I'm doing movies I saw for the first time this year, and I'm probably forgetting some. 10: The Booth A bottle movie, done in real time! A hotshot radio host has to do his show in the old haunted recording booth, and things immediately get spooky. The slow rollout of what he Did is done super well, and it works alongside the guy's unravelling as the guilt gets heavier and heavier and his paranoia grows. A fantastic, tight thriller. 9: It Follows Gotta love an original monster, and this one is original as all hell and really spooky to boot! The tall guy jumpscare is the best jumpscare I think I've ever seen. Very well plotted and paced, with just enough dashes of weirdness to give the movie an especial spookiness without going overboard and being too weird. 8: Elvis This is a movie that set out to explain to young people not really who Elvis was, but what he was. It attempts to translate that transgressive sexual youthful energy that Elvis embodied to modern eyes that grew up on the Tiktok. And, in my mind, succeeds fantastically. It crackles with energy all throughout pulling you along on the whirlwind Elvis ride. 7: Tremble All You Want Technically a romcom, but really a fantastic movie about living inside your own head, about projecting stuff on to other people. The part where she realizes how lonely she is and she turns it into this big dramatic musical number, but it's clearly a coping mechanism where she's still making herself the star of some dramatic story and when she gets home she can't even keep that up anymore and just starts sobbing was one of the most honest depictions of life I've seen in a movie 6: Night Creatures Just a lovely warm story. That's the best way to describe it, a movie that makes you feel all snuggled up and cozy. Peter Cushing is so good as the priest with a secret, the way he cycles through his priest act, his actual genuine priestlyness, and his no-nonsense criminal nature is a joy to watch 5: Death Proof Just a fantastic wild time. It's so much about being in this space with this characters, it's almost like a prototype for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Just creating a place for the audience to inhabit for a little while. And then the last like 20 minutes is the most epic car fight I've ever seen. Just exhilarating and thrilling and wild. Genuine get your fist pumping in the air action. And the absolute last frame being the heel going into the guy's skull, just the absolute bare minimum to let you know that he is 100% loving dead was exquisite stuff. 4: The Vast of Night A wonderful little sci-fi movie that blends old school and modern sensibilities perfectly. Long static shots of people on the phone, amazing tracking shots that would feel show offy if they weren't done so well, all for the purpose of pulling and keeping you in the moment with this characters. A movie that leaves you vibrating on it's wavelength long after it ends. Watch it at night, so when it's done you can go outside and look at the stars. 3: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse An absolute visual masterpiece anchored by super strong emotional character cores. The sheer style and creativity and diversity on screen is often overwhelming, but always in a good way. It's a movie that surrounds you and pulls you in, you don't want to look away for a second. It's a two and a half hour long superhero movie that I didn't want to end. 2: Godzilla Minus One Just an absolute loving solid movie. I'm a Godzilla fan, so I'm happy to watch Godzilla movies and grade them on Godzilla criteria, but Minus One is just a great movie. The characters, the action, the emotions, it's like the prototypical crowd pleasing blockbuster. But it does that without sacrificing depth or refusing to get dark at times. Just an absolute four quadrant humdinger of a movie 1: All That Jazz Holy poo poo. I am a very elderly man so it's not often I go "you can do that with a movie?" but that was my reaction to All That Jazz. I don't know much about Bob Fosse but this is extremely obviously Bob Fosse just making a movie about himself. It is a laser focused unflinching analysis of a man's soul. And luckily the soul is pretty cool, so it's a lot of fun. Fosse digs so deep into himself he hits basic ecstatic truth about life and death. The last 20 minutes had my jaw hanging open at how much sheer entertainment he wrung out of one man's death. I've seen three movies starring Roy Scheider, Jaws, Sorcerer, and All That Jazz. All three of them can make a decent case for being the best movie ever made, but All That Jazz takes the cake. Split Second and Ride Your Wave were strong contenders for the list too. Also the entire Fast and Furious franchise. Gripweed fucked around with this message at 00:00 on Dec 28, 2023 |
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Dec 27, 2023 05:51
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I've said it before and I'll say it again, you get results Gripweed. You go in there and get the job done, Godzilla, Bob Fosse, excellent stuff.
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Dec 27, 2023 06:04
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All That Jazz is so absurdly good and oh man does Bob Fosse seem like a jerk I would not want to hang out with
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Dec 27, 2023 09:50
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All That Jazz is just perfection So is this a "best of 2023" thread or just "best films watched this year" thread? I'm kinda confused.
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Dec 27, 2023 10:51
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I, Butthole posted:All That Jazz is just perfection The second: best movies you watched in 2023
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Dec 27, 2023 13:21
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I, Butthole posted:All That Jazz is just perfection DMCrimson posted:The second: best movies you watched in 2023 please let me know if i can update the OP to be more clear. i'm very open to feedback bc i just slapped it together on a whim and i'm sure it can be improved. quote:
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Dec 27, 2023 23:00
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As requested, head's up to OP that I've updated my post after seeing Ferrari and Poor Things. The former didn't make my list, but I've added Poor Things as my #9. That bumped May December down one spot and dropped John Wick Chapter 4 off my list. Thanks!
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Dec 28, 2023 03:58
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I know these aren't precisely 2023 releases, but this is my list of 'new' films I saw in the last year that left enough of an impression on me to be on my list: 10.Vast of Night - Great lead performances of teenagers being awkward and excited and curious. Although it really starts to slip in the back half, it does so much right that it still managed to stay on my list. 9.Suzume - This is Makoto Shinkai still doing what he does rather well, but this also shows a bit of growth, as I think he’s doing a better job in crafting the depth his earlier movies only hint at. 8.A Haunting in Venice - I feel like this is Branagh’s Poirot movies finally settling into their groove; it’s silly, it’s a little over-the-top, and ends up being a lot of fun. I think this one may be the best-shot of his as well. I’d also give credit to the screenwriters for doing a good job modernizing the story to avoid what would be the creepier (in a bad way) aspects. 7.Past Lives - A genuinely thoughtful and moving film. It is rare to see something that gives such a strong impression of its creator, and I do hope to see more from her. I feel like I didn’t like this quite as much as most people I’ve heard mention it, but it is by no means bad. 6.The Boy and The Heron - One more Miyazaki film that hearkens back to his earlier work while looking contemporary. I really loved the character design. 5.Scrapper - A high-quality portrait of a life where all the characters feel real. Charming and sweet without forcing its emotional qualities. 4.Oppenheimer - I’m not sure I liked all the mythologizing of the main character, but the spectacle is amazing. 3.Barbie - This is a rare film that can grab the attention both of those who see this as the latest Greta Gerwig movie, and those who see this as an unexpectedly creative movie about a popular toy. 2.Anatomy of a Fall - Perhaps the best-constructed film I saw this year, with amazing performances from everyone including the dog, and one of the best scenes ever put to film. I found the story just a bit thin, but it’s really not about its story. 1.Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret - It’s hard to imagine a better adaptation of a book that’s several decades old that still feels relevant and believably modern. The source material explains part of that, but Fremon Craig gets some amazing performances. This is a film that made me understand its characters, and it's exactly what the best movies should do. I only watched this because I was sort of stuck for a few hours waiting in a town with nothing to do, and this seemed to be the best choice at the theater, and it ended up being my favorite of the year.
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Dec 28, 2023 04:57
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surf rock posted:As requested, head's up to OP that I've updated my post appreciate the heads up - i updated your list! ShoogaSlim fucked around with this message at 05:22 on Dec 28, 2023 |
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Dec 28, 2023 05:19
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Kangra posted:I know these aren't precisely 2023 releases, but this is my list of 'new' films I saw in the last year that left enough of an impression on me to be on my list: Excellent list, I loved Vast Of Night. It's extremely unlikely but Rachel McAdams deserves an Oscar nomination for Are You There God It's Me Margaret.
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Dec 28, 2023 08:28
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Yeah, I feel like Are You There God really could be in contention for awards, but it was released early in the year and the subject matter/apparent audience made a lot of people overlook it.
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Dec 29, 2023 01:31
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attn as of now there's been no strong opinions on changing the deadline of this sunday to submit your list. if you plan on submitting, please wrap your votes up and get that list going (i need to do mine this weekend, too, it's basically ready i just have to stop being lazy). if you have strong opinions/desires for the submission date to be moved, please let it be known here before the end of tomorrow. otherwise, i will tally the votes submitted as of end of day (pst) sunday at midnight.
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Dec 29, 2023 20:39
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This was more of a video game year for me than a movie year, so I don't have a list, but my favorite movie this year was Talk to Me. I just thought it was a really well crafted horror movie that dodges pretty much all the cliches of a horror film about teenagers contacting the dead. Great characters, funny at times, dark as gently caress sometimes and a killer ending. I really wish there were more movies like this that bridged the gap between lovely teen horror and pretentious arthouse horror.
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Dec 29, 2023 21:51
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i've heard so much buzz about it from people who both loved it and hated it. i don't typically dig horror movies but i'm too curious not to check it out sometime soon. i'm also curious about skinamarink but i don't really feel like that's gonna do it for me.
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Dec 29, 2023 22:32
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Honorable Mentions
The Top Ten 10. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves  i grew up in new york and have a movie buddy i'd go see basically everything with. then, i moved to LA about seven years ago and have since made a movie buddy out here that i go see most everything with. my new york friend came out to visit and the three of us, having seen 50+ movies together between the three of them wound up seeing this together. for a popcorn movie about parties on an adventure, it was poetic in a silly way that i saw this movie with those two friends. it's also a really nice response to the whole marvel-ification of fantasy action blockbusters where we had enough of that formula to feel entertaining and visually interesting, but with a bit more heart and more interesting characters. after playing a little bit of baldurs gate 3 this year, i went back and watched it again at home and the experience was heightened having a bit more familiarity with some of the themes and tropes of dnd. now the rest of what i write in this list would work so much better if jarnathan were here! 9. American Fiction  from the very first time i saw the trailer for this, i was captivated and knew i had to see it. getting to see jeffrey wright in a starring role after admiring his performance in a solid handful of supporting roles was something i was eager to experience, and i was also really curious to see how this subject matter would be handled, especially living in a city like LA. contrast this with a movie like killers of the flower moon that people claim is "important" and "urgent," this movie goes out on a limb to force you to reconsider how you're examining movies that focus on non-white characters and stories. not only in an overt way (the intro is extremely on the nose) but even by way of its more subtle underlying story. tons of laughs during this in the theater, a sweet narrative holding it all together, and while i felt the whole multiple endings part at the end maybe wasn't the strongest way to wrap things up, i really really enjoy the very last shot that kind of ties everything together with a simple exchange between two characters. 8. The Killer  like any good pseudo intellectual film bro, se7en is one of my all time favorites. i was really delighted to hear that fincher and andrew kevin walker were reuniting for another film and was expecting this to completely obliterate everything else this year. while i have a lot of love for what this turned out to be, i can't help but feel like i was let down a bit. there are really great aspects of this movie, but there are also some pretty glaring misses for me that keep it low on my list. i wanted it to be more brooding, i wanted it to be more intriguing, i wanted it to be "deep." i think i probably wanted it to be more like drive than it is. maybe it's better off for not being that, tho! and as i type this, it's interesting to think that this movie's unnamed protag is the antithesis of ryan gosling's driver. the quick cuts to reveal the passage of time as the killer waits for his mark, the digital cinematography, the fight scene in florida, a lot of this is fantastic. the fact that it's short and to the point makes it likely that i'll revisit this one sooner than other movies on my list, and it might wind up changing my mind after a rewatch to consider it even better. as it stands, it's really good but i wanted it to be incredible. 7. Barbie  i marathoned greta gerwig and noah baumbach movies before heading to the theater to see this. reminded me of how much i enjoy those quirky indie dramedies after not having seen some of them in many years. i was really excited to see how these understated filmmakers would tackle a property like barbie. i wound up getting tickets to an early screening of this where the theater was decked out in barbie backdrops and photo ops. i dressed up in a ridiculous pink outfit and took photos, i watched as people around LA opening weekend were out in groups of ridiculously pink outfits and knew exactly where they were headed. it was a phenomenon like i haven't seen since, like, star wars the phantom menace? maybe ever? i was basically scream laughing at a lot of moments in the theater during this. ryan gosling is a comedic delivery mastermind. the way the movie equally portrays the plight of women both historically and currently, it actually does an interesting thing where it touches on how weird it is to be a man in modern society. secretly winking at each other that we all pretend to let women have more power meanwhile we retain it overall, but also how we struggle to find identity and purpose with all the expectations and promises that come along with being a man. ken's expectations for the real world are soured by the zeitgeist he's made aware of, and it's an interesting reflection of online discourse in places like reddit and twitter that color our expectations of offline living that, obviously, don't always align. barbieworld, as a real thing that mattel has sold for generations, just so happens to also be an interesting parallel for the online world we've created over the last ~15 years. funny and insightful. maybe a little bit of scary "writing on the walls" for mattel wanting to turn more properties into movies and maybe/probably/almost definitely not reaching the same heights. this movie basically just shouldn't exist and shouldn't be as good as it is. 6. Past Lives  didn't really know much about this going in except that it was an unconventional romance story, i found myself captivated by its narrative all the way from start to finish. the way it shifts its delivery and style through each act is refreshing in that it doesn't make it too obvious what's going to unfold with the characters. all the way to the very end, there's tension you can cut with a knife wondering what decision is going to be made by anyone on screen. love is complicated and messy and there are no rules about it. we don't always act in ways that align with how we expect ourselves to, and not always in ways that we'd feel proud of when all is said and done. past lives feels like a really honest, no-punches-pulled examination of what it's like to make decisions, have regret, have doubt, gain or lose closure, and how to move forward regardless of what happens. that's life. 5. Oppenheimer  this was the first movie i saw the famous chinese theater in hollywood after living in LA for a handful of years and seeing plenty of movies elsewhere. all the imax screenings were completely sold out for weeks in every theater in the city, and i was convinced i wouldn't see it for a while, but someone on reddit had tickets for sale and i wound up snagging them to see it pretty early on during its run. i wasn't sure what to expect of this, and i was both confused and relieved at what events took place at certain points of the movie. there was room for certain plot lines to breathe, which added to the epic scope of the whole thing. i think it might have been john waters who commended this for being a blockbuster that makes people in rooms talking feel like an action movie or something. it's true. this whole thing is just conversation after conversation, plus a big explosion that almost gave me a panic attack in the theater lol. the choice to exclude any japanese perspective has been heavily criticized but i applaud it for not going there, bc i think you just open up a whole different can of worms in what you might/probably get wrong by doing that and instead focusing on the titular character. i think it was correct to not show the depictions of the aftermath and instead focus on oppy's reaction to what he was seeing. we've all seen those images, we don't need to be beaten over the head with them in the movie. we know why he's disturbed looking at them. if you don't know why, that's on you, not the movie. it won't go down as my favorite nolan movie, but it might be his objective "best"? at the very least it's nice that he followed up a stinker like tenet with something this huge that works this well. it got me curious enough to scrounge around on the internet for more information about nuclear bombs. it's always a positive when a movie can stir up enough interest in me to look into its subject matter after the fact and keep it in mind long after the credits roll. 4. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar  one single theater in all of LA played this, and it was like an hour drive from my place, which i normally wouldn't bother making if it were most other movies/filmmakers. at the time, i wasn't subscribed to netflix, and i've since canceled the subscription i did wind up with bc i don't really care for a lot of their original stuff. so partial motivation to see this in a theater was because i didn't really have another way, and also because i wanted to experience the novelty of a short film in a theater anyway. i was practically grinning the entire time. everything about how this short flick puts all its cards on the table and unfolds like a stage play where actors are changing makeup on screen or running off camera for a second to change their outfit. how the actor will look in a different direction to face a different camera and the lighting changes in real time to adjust for the new angle. it's just a delightfully whimsical experience to watch it all play out in a way that feels childlike and innocent. the way kids would put on a performance with blankets as capes or something. 3. Poor Things  in my other list of movies in this thread, i mentioned watching the killing of a sacred deer for the first time and rewatching the lobster for the first time since seeing it in theaters. those two experiences prepped me for going into poor things with a little more excitement as i warmed up to lanthimos' style of storytelling. and even though i felt prepared, this felt like a drastic change of pace from the two other movies i watched (which are pretty similar) in such a refreshing way. the set design, the costumes, the characters, the bizarre nature of everything that unfolds while having its hooks in the real absurdity of a developing life. it's all really well represented in a way that isn't heavy handed about what it's telling you, but has a clear message, but also has more than enough fantastical elements to keep things interesting and make you forget you're watching a parable of sorts. mark ruffalo is delightfully despicable in this as he writhes and slithers around being manipulative and pathetic. constantly being thrown off guard by bella as she defies to be pinned down by him and flourish in her exploration of the world around her. emma stone does a bang up job embodying bella's idiosyncratic ways and evolution throughout the film. willem dafoe is perfect as the frankenstein-esque twisted genius type. everything fits together so well. it's maybe a touch longer than i would have wanted it to be, but at no point did i really want it to end, either. 2. The Holdovers  sideways is my favorite movie. it's such an incredibly "normal" movie about two dudes going through pretty ordinary life poo poo that unfolds in a beautifully simple way. highlighting common struggles of purpose, motivation, ambition, self-loathing, regret, etc. it's a masterpiece. so, another collaborating i had high expectations for this year was alexander payne and paul giamatti. i was almost afraid of this movie going into it bc i figured there was no way it could stand up to what i was hoping it would be, but i still needed to see it anyway, of course. turns out, it's really fantastic. i probably used that word in all of these paragraphs too frequently, but this movie is so heartwarming and charming and funny and touching, there's no other word i can think of to describe it. paul giamatti is an absolute powerhouse here. the way he holds himself up as this extremely academic genius while smothering his guilt and regret is so refreshing and nuanced. every time he calls the kids in the school "fetid layabouts" and other creative ways to call them all lazy, stupid pricks is just hilarious. i get giddy every time. i loving howled at the reveal of the christmas presents, which i won't spoil here, and i cried at the ending. realizing that you've met someone who kinda sorta gets you in life when you otherwise feel like most people don't, or you don't really have the motivation/courage/desire to let people in, and then to have that relationship severed, it's a gut punch. but you keep on truckin' this movie captures the feeling of uncommon connections with people in a way that closely relates to my own experience moving away from my home city and away from all the friends and family i had. trying to make my own way and meet people and develop relationships in unconventional ways/settings and with people you never thought you'd click with. it's a brilliant achievement of filmmaking that is centered directly on characters and setting without the need for flashy anything. just good storytelling. 1. The Zone of Interest  recency bias may be a factor here, and it was a toss up between this and the holdovers at the number one spot. but for sheer out-of-left-field-ness, this movie takes the cake as what i would consider the best of the year. holdovers will probably go down as my favorite and the one i rewatch the most, but the zone of interest is what i will always think back on in terms of a small movie that feels way more gigantic than it seems to be on the surface. i had no idea really what to expect of this going into it, and the trailer certainly doesn't really set you up for what it actually is. i saw all the letterboxd reviews calling it important and shocking and all the other buzzwords, and i thought to myself "there's no loving way." but after seeing it just steps away from my apartment at a 100 year old theater that i've been waiting for three years to reopen so i could finally visit, i was convinced. it's not "shocking" in a way that i think some reviews sell it, it's extremely understated, and at times, you kind of forget entirely what kind of movie you're even watching. that's all to the strength of the movie and the message i think it's trying to drive home. i felt so wrapped up and invested in the narrative, and then there are moments where the audio or other subtle/not-so-subtle clues remind you of what's really going on, and its' an interesting slap in the face in the best way. the way the movie plays out pretty straightforward, but a few times plays with how it uses audio and video is intriguing, interesting, and overall fascinating. it's using the medium of film to tell a story within a story in a way that can only work in a movie. the fact that there's an overture in the beginning just set the stage for me to be thoroughly impressed the entire way through. there's a tonal shift around the middle mark that is jarring and more impactful than even the explosion in oppenheimer, it's foreboding and ominous. the ending really impressed me. the way it plays with the narrative. the way the characters react (or not) to what's happening in each sequence and what's going on on screen. i don't want to say anything that will spoil anything, but it's just all so drat impressive. i was really pleased with how it wrapped up in a way that is obvious but again understated. it's saying something clear but allowing enough to be left up to interpretation. it lets you sit with your thoughts and feelings about what unfolded and what will unfold even as the credits roll. it's a masterpiece. AND it's only like an hour and forty five minutes. you can make a really strong impactful movie and it doesn't need to be hours and hours long. ----- as i wrote in the games thread, apologies to anyone who actually reads any of that thought vomit above. i'm just gushing without really going back and editing anything.
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Dec 30, 2023 06:57
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They need like a second string, third best performance of the year category at the Oscars for Bautista to clinch. Man isn't blowing anyone away, but it was a hell of a lot better of a performance then I'd expect of someone of that persuasion. Also makes the Rock look even more pathetic
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Dec 30, 2023 07:14
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he really does nail the gentle giant type figure so well. his role in knock at the cabin and blade runner both make me want to see him in lots more dramatic roles.
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Dec 30, 2023 07:41
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This is copy-pasted from my Letterboxd list (https://letterboxd.com/aewade/list/2023-ranked/): 1. Killers of the Flower Moon, dir. Martin Scorsese: the master at work. Late-era Scorsese is somewhat less immediate in tone than the killer 70s-90s run, but the current run is supremely My poo poo. Scorsese is luxuriating in gaps, and just oozes confidence in the craft but also in his audience - the space in between is the meat of the film. The lingering silences, the glances, the stares, the handshakes, the flailing grasps - it all quietly conveys the disgust and hatred of the colonisers towards the indigenous people. Sure, there's outward explosions of violence, but as Scorsese himself tells the audience at the end, it's not the point; the backroom dealings and institutions, the silent monolithic powers that be, continued to deliberately and methodically hurt and dismantle their targets for personal gain. This story didn't stop. Ernest and Mollie's early interactions are outright horror-coded, and the oft-talked about runtime lets the arc become uncomfortably strangled as it progresses. The relief at the conclusion is palpable, but also entirely undercut and deflated but the revelations of injustice - it's a purposefully placed gut-punch that underscores the bleakness of the story that still manages to evade outright nihilism. Precise filmmaking, pure cinema. 2. Poor Things, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos: watching this in a packed out screening at a film festival was simply a highlight of 2023. Emma Stone channels the best of Buster Keaton for the first act, and Lanthimos follows suite in framing gags and revelations in a simple, but trademark distorted way (the reveal of the mechanical horse-drawn carriage lives in my mind three months down the line). Summarising the wildly creative and insane worldbuilding and presentation in words can't do it justice - the easy comparisons lie with Gilliam and Burton, but Lanthimos has a skill and uniqueness that makes those comparisons feel rote. An incredibly fun and perverse ride. In a just world, Ruffalo's himbo performance would be getting as much attention as Gosling did for Barbie, but here we are. 3. Priscilla, dir. Sofia Coppola: Sofia Coppola has never really "hit" for me as she has for others; the dreamlike haziness of Lost in Translation or out-and-out AESTHETIC of Marie Antoinette never really landed. Before starting Priscilla, my immediate thoughts were of the maximalism of 2022's Elvis and how it would compare - instead, it lands in the space of biopic "women-in-society/gender horror" subgenre that's been deservedly ramping up over the past decade, and goddamn does it hit hard. Where as contemporaries like Spencer have previous equated the horror aspects of the subgenre with mental health - which as I type it sounds uncharitable, although no less true - Priscilla aligns entirely within the characters' decisions, circumstances, and personalities, giving the titular protagonist more triumphant agency and heightens the antagonism of Elvis and his hierarchical support structure. An absolute knockout. 4. Late Night with the Devil, dir. Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes: I feel like I often come late to the indie horror darlings that get filtered through the fan communities, so I'm maybe over-representing Late Night... here. In my opinion, however, it's a hilarious and genuinely frightening splatter fest with some primo-Cronenbergesque body horror practical effects, and I simply cannot go past praising David Dastmalchian in the lead - after however many years of seeing him in the "character actor" space, the pastiche of Leno/Letterman/Conan-cum-occult conduit is surprisingly nuanced and suitably panicked. Pressure-cooker tension and possession paranoia...who could want more? 5. Kindred, dir. Adrian Russell Wills and Gillian Moody: a documentary that feels uncomfortably intimate and personal, the way great documentaries should be. I saw this directly after a screening of a restored Rabbit-Proof Fence, which it serendipitously linked with - this certainly coloured my feelings on it, I guess - but it's a straightforward presentation of identity and representation that deserves to be seen more than it will be. 6. Beau Is Afraid, dir. Ari Aster: I've been...wary of Aster in the past. The "elevated horror" tag that got attached to him really tarnished my opinions of Midsommar and Hereditary - even now, while I think they're both -good-, they're not --great-- examples of the genre. So going into Beau Is Afraid, I was, well, not defensive, but not ready to enjoy myself. But holy poo poo. Aster and Phoenix ratchet up the anxiety and suspense in all the right ways, the bleak black comedy is pitch perfect, and the stylistic diversions to outright surrealism before an unholy horrific ending was incredibly entertaining. Fun for the whole family! 7. 20 Days in Mariupol, dir. Mstyslav Chernov: One of those special documentaries that you need to watch only once before it sears itself into your brain. Terrifying. 8. Oppenheimer, dir. Christopher Nolan: I'm just going to quote the great John Waters here: "Deserves the Oscar for being a big-budget, star-studded, intelligent action movie about talking." Engrossing viewing, and surprisingly personal for Nolan. 9. Poison, dir. Wes Anderson: Asteroid City was great, yeah, but I have problems recommending it - Anderson has fully committed to formalist and structuralist experimentation at this stage of his career, which I love, but it doesn't quite suit everyone. That's fair. Poison (and the other Netflix-Dahl shorts) contain elements of his experimentalism in a much more accessible manner - the theatrical staging and narrative are more straightforward, and I honestly believe more effective for it. The underlying moral of Dahl's short story is blunt, yes, but Anderson has no room to tie himself in knots (which I think Asteroid City ended up doing), which again heightens the impact of the whole thing. Throw in an amazing assortment of players, and Poison stands out in the cadre of shorts. 10. The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart, dir. Christopher McCulloch: Look, this is a gimme. It's the conclusion of a cartoon that's sporadically been running over two decades and seven seasons. It's full of in-jokes and references, and relies on viewers having a near-obsessive level of attention to detail for something mentioned briefly in an episode three seasons ago, which is the MCU-level of bullshit I despise, but it cleanly (if hurriedly) puts a bow on twenty years of the best-kept secret of television and ends it by using purposefully cringey leetspeak which encapsulates the entire series' theme of nostalgia and the ghosts of the past in a single punchline. I adore it. Honourable mentions: When Evil Lurks, dir. Demián Rugna (thank you for proving it's possible to have a slow-burn in a 90 minute film!); Godzilla Minus One, dir. Takashi Yamazaki (living up to Shin Godzilla was going to be tough, but it came close in a traditionalist-kaiju-flick sorta way); Anatomy of a Fall, dir. Justine Triet (exquisitely constructed but the pacing got to me - also, how in the gently caress are French courtrooms like that?); Barbie, dir. Greta Gerwig (not without fault, but perfect for what it is); Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, dir. John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (dumb in that smart way, which speaks to me); Cocaine Bear, dir. Elizabeth Banks (dumb in that dumb way, which speaks to me); Afire, dir. Christian Petzold (2023's Triangle of Sadness-esque black comedy); May December, dir. Todd Haynes (I didn't love it, but the loudest, most melodramatic music sting over a shot of sixty hot dogs on a grill followed by the line of "We need more hot dogs" was perfection).
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Dec 30, 2023 09:01
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Top 10 2023 wide release films! 10. Asteroid City If Wes Anderson knows exactly what he wanted to say about grief and faith in this film, I'm afraid I didn't grasp it all on a first viewing. But there's a lot to enjoy besides - the colour, sets and framing are still delightful and the bits that landed (Margot Robbie to pick just one example) really shone. 9. How To Blow Up A Pipeline Incredibly tense film of climate activism in the template of a heist. Some strands of plot wrapped up a bit too conveniently for me, otherwise this would have surely ranked higher. 8. Fremont This off-beat, gentle comedy really charmed me, and it was great to see with an appreciative audience. The film portrays isolation and loneliness without letting them overwhelm or drag down the picture, which is a tough line to walk. 7. How to Have Sex A film that takes on a difficult subject with sensitivity and honesty - judging just how much the audience can bear, and not pushing into ground that might turn exploitative or sensationalising. Mia McKenna-Bruce does an exceptional job as the lead, and the film knows when to let her portray what she can't say. 6. Polite Society This film was a lot of fun - action, comedy, and the best torture scene since Casino Royale. It has the same sensibility as Edgar Wright's early films, so fans of those should give it a try. 5. Return To Seoul This is a fascinating and very moving film, watching the clash of culture and language play out as Freddie bounces around like a pinball in the midst of it. Finding her parents is just part of what she's searching for, that lost identity, wanting to understand her home country but not submit to it. It's riveting stuff. 4. Killers of the Flower Moon I'm sure this will be remembered as one of Scorcese's best. Lily Gladstone is incredible, and the film takes its time to build up the impact of the killings and the shortcomings of the response to them. 3. Past Lives A wonderfully observed tale, with its head and its heart in the right place. Everything comes together for the climax, and it's so moving. 2. The Eight Mountains I already loved the book going into this film, but I was amazed by how powerful it was to watch. The performances are brilliant, and the film is beautiful shot after beautiful shot, so many lifted straight from my mind's eye. 1. Anatomy of a Fall On its surface a murder trial, delving into a conflicted relationship, this film wants us to grapple with the slippery and subjective nature of truth. The great accomplishment of the film through its script and performances is to never tip its hand to what that truth is. There's a tiny moment right at the end between the defendant and her lawyer which dangles the possibility of resolution - but instead it's subverted. 2023 wide releases that I shortlisted but missed the top 10: Oppenheimer, Barbie, Under the Fig Trees and Scrapper. Other films I really enjoyed in 2023: Caught Aftersun at home after missing it in cinemas, and it's incredibly good. Saw the Three Colours trilogy for the first time in a cinema rather than at home, and I came away with Blue as my favourite. And like Escobarbarian, saw both Le Bonheur and Blow Out for the both time and was equally impressed. Finally, caught a preview of The End We Start From - it was brilliant but it's not in wide release so I'm holding it back. If it's not in my top 10 list for 2024, then we're in for a really good year of films!
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Dec 31, 2023 00:57
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Okay, a short list bearing in mind there's a lot of stuff I've missed and will catch up on in the New Year: 10. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. There's something wonderfully good-spirited about this one, from the bright visuals to banter which feels natural to its story basically being about a bunch of misfits fumbling their way through things beyond their full understanding. Expertly captures the vibe of your average D&D group, complete with the DM introducing a character to try and keep everyone on track. And Hugh Grant's performance is a masterclass in scumminess. 9. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3. James Gunn has a way with extremes, mingling ugliness and beauty, messy horror with sincere hope, and superheroic chaos with a strong emotional throughline. Closes out the trilogy with genuine suspense and a nice grace note for all its characters. The genre may be in decline but this is a nice way out. 8. M3gan. I was really impressed how this film managed to balance its deliberate wild and wacky elements with actual suspense and a strong emotional arc. True to the times it's less "technology bad" and more "machines do exactly what you tell them to, so be sure of what you're telling them to do." 7. Barbie. Consistently inventive, imaginative, and funny. Robbie and Gosling are both wonderful in their ways, and the fun the story has with its plastic world and its slightly-less-plastic "reality" makes it a breezy watch. 6. Oppenheimer. A nice study of unintended consequences. If Nolan's dialogue remains incredibly on the nose, he at least gives it to really good actors and accompanies it with great visuals. Brings a wonderful lumpy reality to its history. 5. Across the Spider-Verse. Overstuffed in the good way, full of memorable characters and moments, but just about everything involving Gwen sticks with me quite a bit. Pity the filmmakers had to run so many animators ragged to make it. 4. Godzilla Minus One. Captures the brutal fear and anxiety of the character's origin, but also is a little more explicit and hard nosed in its criticism of Japanese society itself and how it let its own people down, without letting the US off the hook. On top of that just a wonderful scary monster movie, the monster himself inspiring the awe and terror that he does at his best. 3. Killers of the Flower Moon. The totality of what it shows is hard to sum up in adjectives. A document of a crime, and a story of guilt and complicity, and also survival. 2. Asteroid City. i kind of love that Anderson has taken his signature formal elegance to weird, even deliberately bracing extremes. This is a film that actively tells you it won't all fit together, and there's something there about how life never quite fits together and things happen we'll never fully understand, but we make stories to try and organize it. Or something. Like, I think it's actually good that we get a few movies that say "Hey, you figure it out." 1. Poor Things. And if movies like this can keep getting made I think this whole cinema thing might survive. Just, a joy- sometimes ugly, sometimes reflecting all sorts of horrors and injustices, but also just a celebration of life. Emma Stone is amazing; Bella Baxter begins as a blank slate, but learns extremely quickly in her own way. The way the movie plays with language and settings and social structures and philosophy is great, and through it all there's a feast of images. It's inspirational, really, saying, hey, we really can do all sorts of things with the little life we're given.
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Dec 31, 2023 10:34
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