Films of the Year 2023
The ten best films I saw in 2023 ... including three from this year.
As with my books of the year, I updated a Twitter thread every time I watched a film. At the time of writing, I have seen eighty films. Is that a lot? If so, it is mainly from having been extremely disciplined in not watching television.
In an age of streaming, it makes no sense to list only those that came out this calendar year. Instead, I’ve made a list of the ten best films I saw, no matter when they were made. Let me know what you think if you watch any of them over the Christmas break.
10 Best Films I Saw in 2023
1. Barbie (Greta Gerwig, 2023)
Slick, stylish event cinema that seals the zeitgeist in a plastic box. Funny and self-aware, but without cynicism. There is so much going on (I learned that Gerwig has ADHD, which makes sense) that it can reinforce whatever prejudices you go in with. I much preferred it to Oppenheimer, which was far too wordy, despite Cillian Murphy’s intensity.
2. Sherlock Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1924)
Almost 100 years old but unbelievably fresh. Post-modern before his time, Keaton's inventiveness is unmatched. Watch it below.
3. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells, 2022)
Beautiful, affecting, evocative and intensely cinematic. It makes sense that it was produced by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) but it is totally its own thing.
4. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (Christopher McQuarrie, 2023)
The best movie about Al alignment I've seen and definitely the year's best action movie. Ecstatically enjoyable.
5. The Velvet Underground (Todd Haynes, 2021)
The first hour is utterly sublime as rock meets avant-garde to make the coolest band ever. The second hour is bittersweet as they drift towards being a normal-if-still-great band.
6. The Driver's Seat (Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, 1974)
This has a bad reputation, particularly among Muriel Spark fans, so I went into it with low expectations. It is, however, very kino. Hysteria-filled Liz Taylor is a murderee touched by madness and intent. Andy Warhol is great in his brief cameo. An incredible document of the pervasive sexual assault in the 1970s.
7. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras, 2022)
I adore seeing photography on the cinema screen and Nan Goldin's pictures are so tender and raw. Connecting it to the opioid crisis gives the film contemporary emotional relevance, but her photos are the star.
8. Past Lives (Celine Song, 2023)
An understated romance across time with some moments of pure cinema, Past Lives sustains its unique (A24) vibe across the 95 minutes. Strong Oscar contender.
9. Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2017)
Daniel Day-Lewis has such a deliberate, concentrated presence that you can't tear your eyes away. Every scene with him is electric. It is aesthetically filmed and Jonny Greenwood’s soundtrack is sublime.
10. Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman, 1975)
Announced as the best film of all time by the critics and filmmakers who voted in Sight & Sound’s poll, I dutifully went to see this at the GFT at the beginning of the year. To paraphrase Simone Weil: "A housewife left in an apartment on her own would have no rights, but she would have obligations." It's 3h21m of everyday life that you can't help but be absorbed by.
Thoroughly agreed on Barbie. I would be much ruder about Oppenheimer... On the Mission Impossible film, I thought it was great fun (particularly the train sequence which was delightfully unhinged). IMO the best one is MI3 owing to the strength of its villain played by Philip Seymour Hoffman.
That’s 80 more films than I’ve seen 🤣😂
I am, however, selective with TV watching!!