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MY LEAST FAVORITE FILMS OF 2023

 

BEAU IS AFRAID

THE CRIME IS MINE

EVIL DEAD RISE

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S

FOOL’S PARADISE

KNOCK AT THE CABIN

REBEL MOON – PART ONE: A CHILD OF FIRE

SALTBURN

THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE

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MY FAVORITE THINGS FROM THE MOVIES OF 2023

The action scenes in Extraction II, especially the endless "one-er" that closes the first act. Even without the skillfully faked one-take approach it would be an amazing sequence.

The action scenes in John Wick - Chapter Four. As the young people used to say, OMFG. Maybe they still say it. How would I know?

Emily Blunt in Oppenheimer and Pain Hustlers, mostly because I am always happy to see Emily Blunt, whether on screen, at an industry event, or in a multiplex lobby (a benefit of living in Los Angeles - true, it was 12 years ago, but I still remember it fondly - RIP, ArcLight Hollywood).

Ezra Miller in The Flash. A mess of a film, to say the least, but he frequently makes it work by sheer talent and willpower, and his reaction to re-connecting with "Bruce Wayne" at the end of the film may be my favorite line of dialogue of the movie year.

From the trailer, I thought M3GAN was going to be just entertaining garbage, but the actual movie was not only lots of fun but genuinely clever.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - not a great Indy film, but it hit the right emotional beats for me surprisingly often.

Matthew Libatique's cinematography for Maestro - some of the best black-and-white I've seen in years, and the color is equally wonderful. 

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One - my favorite film of 2023, and even more enjoyable a second time. And if the first two hours or so weren't entertaining enough, the final scenes on the Orient Express are especially fantastic.

Oppenheimer - not even one of my favorite Nolans, but still one of my favorite films of 2023, and seeing it three times on IMAX 70mm is a stunning experience that only reminds one how powerful the theatrical moviegoing experience can be.

Ryan Gosling in Barbie - I doubt he will ever top his performance in The Nice Guys for me, but damn he's funny in this movie.

Talk to Me - not truly a favorite (horror films rarely are, though I see more than my share of them), but possibly the best new horror film I've seen in years.

The very end of Killers of the Flower Moon. The near-inevitable director cameo could easily have been distracting, but for me it was the most emotionally powerful moment in an impressive but (for me) largely unengaging film.

And more part of the movie awards year than the actual awards year - the unexpected joy of possibly my favorite current movie star, Michelle Yeoh, winning a Best Actress Oscar (!) for Everything Everywhere All at Once.