Doesn’t the stock footage above make you want to watch a film?
According to my charts, I watched 76 movies this year. One less than last year. Because I trimmed my list to movies released since 2020, and because I still feel like including as many as I can, here are the honorable mentions that didn’t meet the list requirements:
Widows (2018, favorite movie of that year, gave it a rewatch)
101 Dalmatians (1961, A+ landscape illustrations & paintings
Wild Tales (2014, highly recommended anthology of short films)
Steak (2007, Dupieux's first full-length & the only one I hadn't seen)
Black Moon (1975, one of the strangest movies I've ever watched)
Blue Ruin (2013, gritty, bad to the bone)
Taxidermia (2006, not for the casual moviegoer)
Queen & Slim (2019, adored this movie & this soundtrack)
Whiplash (2014, an unrivaled intensity from start to finish)
The Counselor (2013, a wild ride, a screenplay unlike any other)
Lastly, it’s worth noting that Poor Things and Dream Scenario are both on my list. I’m hoping to see them tomorrow or the next day. They’re on this list in spirit.
Give the stock footage above one last look, for Casper will not be appearing on this lists, so without further ado:
Beau is Afraid
[2023]
I’ll always rally behind a movie that takes a leap instead of staying comfortably boxed in to a moviegoer’s expectations. This often leads to polarizing reviews (Mother!, Southland Tales, Babylon), but I’m more inspired and dazzled with those/these kinds of movies than a cookie cutter Marvel flicker with an 80% on Rottentomatoes. All that’s to say, Beau is Afraid made that leap and landed the jump (or rather: landed the freefall). It was my favorite watch of the year. 10/10. No notes.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
[2023]
A movie deeply rooted in nostalgia and legacy. A reboot of a series/concept/story that has been rebooted enough times to lose count, yet this one holds up amongst the others. The hand-painted animation feels like a middle schooler’s journal mixed with watercolors. It’s a visual treat, laugh out loud funny, and with an incredible screenplay to boot. Maybe the best TMNT film yet.
The Killer
[2023]
I watched this shortly after watching both seasons of Mindhunter for the first time, and for that reason, my Fincher fix was met. A two hour, visually stunning audio book of a film. Ambient and meditatively paced. Like if John Wick took some horse tranquilizers and wrote a memoir. Or if Leon the Professional continued to work alone.
NOPE
[2022]
Coins and keys falling from the sky. Screaming echoes. A house covered in blood. This movie kicks ass. No one can do suspense quite like Jordan Peele and this might be my favorite of his directorial films. I read that, while writing the screenplay, he was inspired by Jurassic Park, Jaws, Signs, and The Wizard of Oz. The best way to pay homage to the greats: being added to the canon because your film is that damn good.
Infinity Pool
[2023]
Infinity Pool was my introduction into the world of Brandon Cronenberg. Before my first viewing, I read it described as “The White Lotus meets Midsommer”, and while those might be easy and timely comparisons, I think they’re spot on for grounding you in expectations. It’s a hallucinatory head split of a weird holiday getaway, one that does a nice job creeping you out as much as it does twisting your innards. I guess I need to watch Cronenberg’s Possessor (2020) next.
Bardo
[2022]
Bardo was a mystifyingly self-absorbent autobiographical rabbit hole, getting a bit too close to the three hour mark, but I loved the scenery, the surrealism, the leaps and bounds of attempting to take cinema to its limits. I loved Birdman and The Revenant, as well as the devastating Death trilogy that began Iñárritu’s career, so I was willing to go with him through the world of Bardo, reminding me as much of Jodorowsky as it did of Malick.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
[2020]
Charlie Kaufman’s career is full of mind-bending films blending genre and narrative into a splushball of brain goo. This movie rules. Blinking and restarting a sequence of dreams. Turning a corner and going farther back in time. What a mind to jump inside. A kindred spirit of Mother! Because of this movie, I’m now reading Ice by Anna Kavan.
Barbarian
[2022]
I always try to watch a few horror films around Halloween and this was one of my 2023 selections. While watching, I was trying to be a step ahead yet Barbarian still managed to take me by surprise (multiple times). I’m particularly appreciative of the chopping up and fracturing of narratives, throwing the viewer around like (spoiler) the first on-screen kill.
Vengeance
[2022]
B.J. Novak’s directorial debut was applaudable. It combines the modern day angle of true crime podcasts with a good murder mystery / revenge thriller. Always with a bit of a sly grin, it takes a darker turn than I expected, which led to a more rewarding view. With a few children’s books under his belt and a strong first film to add to the portfolio, I’m excited to see what Novak does next.
Merry Little Batman
[2023]
This movie was adorable. Batman meets Christmas cheer. Focusing on Batman’s son, Damien, and how he so badly wants to be as badass as his dad, it’s a great time, featuring many favorite villains (The Riddler, The Joker, The Penguin, Poison Ivy, Bane) who pay Gotham a visit over the holidays. The art style is strong, the story is cute. It’s one that works for the whole family.
Enys Men
[2022]
Shot on 16mm film and taking place in 1973, this is a minimalistic analog folk horror film that feels like a creative sibling of The Lighthouse. Part fever dream, part grief sequence, part nature documentary, this is a slow burn, sure, but what a beautiful burn it is.
Smoking Causes Coughing
[2022]
Quentin Dupieux has written and directed 10 films in the last 15 years. Smoking Causes Coughing was his latest absurdist film (think Power Rangers and Galaxy Quest) until I read he has two even newer movies: 2023’s Yannick and 2024’s Daaaaaali!. 12 films in 17 years*. Unreal. The goat.
If you haven’t watched any movies by the French director (and musician), this isn’t the place to start. Begin with Reality or Deerskin or Keep an Eye Out or, or, or…you really can’t go wrong.
Killers of the Flower Moon
[2023]
Yes, this movie will probably win Best Picture and Best Director and everything else under the stars, but did it really need to be 206 minutes long? Goodfellas and The Departed and Casino are all long films, but they’re all under three hours. The Irishman achieved a similar runtime and I wonder what should be the rule of thumb? Even There Will Be Blood was an hour shorter than this movie. A great movie, mind you, I was captivated, but why the marathon?
Sick of Myself
[2022]
This movie spirals in such a controlled and methodical way. A 95 minute film with no wasted time, it tells the self-deprecating tale of awareness and focus and outward appearances. It was, for lack of a better phrase, attention grabbing. I see this Norwegian dark comedy being a nice double feature alongside the melancholic Greek film Pity (2018).
Woodlands Darks and Days Bewitched
[2021]
The only documentary on my list, I watched it earlier this year when I wanted to dive deeper into the world of folk horror. With recent favorites like The VVitch and Midsommar and Enys Men and Kill List, I devoured this documentary and added numerous other films to my queue.
Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe
[2022]
This was as stupidly hilarious or hilariously stupid as I expected. Picking up right where they left off, B&B take things to the next level with this galactic adventure. It made me want to go back and watch Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996), as well as old episodes, largely in part to see what music videos were chosen at the time, but also because it’s sometimes okay to turn off your brain.
Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant
[2023]
The war movies I watch are few and far between, but I like Guy Ritchie’s films, so I gave this one a shot. The intensity is ramped up early on, and the violence is full force from start to finish, with loyalty and operational discipline at the forefront of this sojourn. Perhaps the message with this one is: war is temporary, but brotherhood is forever. Or war is forever and brotherhood is temporary? Something like that.
Cocaine Bear
[2023]
All I can say is that when you press play on Cocaine Bear, you should know exactly what to expect. Much like Snakes on a Plane, this was a riot. A foolish bloodbath. Pure entertainment for 95 minutes.
Leave the World Behind
[2023]
I’ll watch anything directed by the mastermind behind Mr. Robot. That being said, this quasi-apocalyptic thriller is, in the end, intense dialogue sprinting far beyond its necessary runtime. It felt like 2023’s version of Don’t Look Up, but it was beautifully shot and its eerie ambiance held my attention. I’m a sucker for a good open-ended ending and this one…I’ve said too much.
Saltburn
[2023]
Is it deception or greed or lust or hatred that drives the narrative of Saltburn? It’s a movie that doesn’t let up on the gas pedal once it gets going, and if you stick along for the ride, you’ll know it to be exactly that: a ride. The only other movie that comes to mind as a comparison, perhaps because of its castles and trickery, is 2018’s The Favourite. Write these down for your next double feature and begin to plot how to torment your annoying co-workers and evil neighbors. Too far? Saltburn would argue not far enough.
Babylon
[2022]
A three hour cinematic orgy where elaborate West Coast parties intertwine with the history of film. I’ve been critical of lengthy movies throughout this list (Killers of the Flowers Moon, Leave the World Behind), but Babylon (at 3hrs 9min) is a film where the extended time limit works in its favor. Like Beau is Afraid, it goes deeper and deeper as long as you’re willing to accept more of the strange. It wants to be epic like Boogie Nights (2hrs 35mins) or The Wolf of Wall Street (3hrs) and while it doesn’t quite nail the landing of the previously listed films, it’s still a delightfully immersive and over-the-top viewing experience. After all, shouldn’t going to the movies feel like a celebration?
