Top films of 2023

Tough year. 4 me...saw way less movies and series than in 2022, almost like half !!! but it was a much better year for films IMO. More 2023 tops to come-series, soundtracks, albums & concerts. 

Killers of the Flower Moon-Martin Scorsese

& Oppenheimer -Christopher Nolan, 

I would put these two ex aqueo I guess there are very important films that will stay on. Cillian Murphy should win his Oscar (but there's the Giamatti factor and I go for that), as Nolan, Downey jr., Gorranson and all involved. It already started well, all Critics society, Golden Globes, BAFTA and Guilds awards included. For Killers it's again Scorsese's losing streak (Irishman style).

----------------------------------------- not seen yet (at that date): 

The Zone of Interest, Perfect Days, Monster (saw it in Feb. 2024 and it's not my cup of cinema), Io Capitano, Poor Things. Waiting for them in theaters, yet. 

*Later Jan. 28th Note: Just saw Perfect Days, in the cinema, an Ozu film by Wenders :), and it would've made the top of the top, it's clearly one of 2023's best films and more than that. My review here. 

**Later later note -Feb. 13-saw Poor Things in the cinema, it's a curio and a stunt but fascinating nonetheless arthouse shock Cinema ! My review here.

***Later later Later note (Feb. 20th) -The Zone of Interest, clearly one of the year's best, a true masterpiece of avant-garde and essential cinema. My review here.

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*Kaurismaki's Fallen Leaves -I wasn't so impressed, it's the same film all over again, but with lesser cultish actors, liked better Le Havre and The Lights of Dusk. I mean, good, warm, heartfelt, uberminimalistic, but same tour of Aki's pub we know so well. Also, didn't do much with the dog....and the fact they watch The Dead don't Die :( when on the posters there's so much better films...

& the rest: 

Xmas film if there was one: The Holdovers-Alexander Payne-Paul Giamatti and Payne at their best. 

guilty pleasure? Babylon -though technically it's from 2022, saw it in 2023, January. My review here.

Action film of the year: Sisu -Jalmari Helander 

Sequel/franchise; Indiana Jones and the Dialof Destiny -James Mangold

Psychotronic film of the Year: Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumii/Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World by Radu Jude. Just saw this apocaly-pic (in the cinema sense ;) in a theater, with people, and so I had to change /add this item to the Top. More on this here.

***

Mentions for acting: May December -Todd Haynes -Julianne Moore & Natalie Portman (& for the Michel Legrand theme from The Go-Between)

Ferrari - Michael Mann- might be Adam Driver's best part and most restrained, or at least of recent date.

& Saltburn -Emerald Fennell -Barry Keoghan, which I loved in The Banshees of Inisherin (my top film of 2022), and a proof he will make a good Joker !

One-character piece film of the year- Inside-Vasilis Katsoupis -with a most brilliant Willem Dafoe.

Curio of the year: Beau is Afraid-Ari Aster (& my review here).

Super-hero flick: Guardians of theGalaxy vol. 3 (James Gunn) & my Review here

Film romanesc/Romanian film: Libertate-Tudor Giurgiu (at the time i had no Jude screening) -here's the review in Romanian, and here in English !

Thriller: The Killer-David Fincher, if Fassbender's character would've listened  to a different band than The Smiths I would've liked it better-like if he listened to The Pixies for ex ;), -also discovered a really cool comix through this ! -my review here  

Musical of the year-Wonka (also prequel)

Animation-The Boy and the Heron-Hayao Miyazaki

Horror -When Evil Lurks / Cuando acecha la maldad, Demian Rugna -Argentina

Nicolas Cage Award of the year: Sympathy for the Devil. 

Dream Scenario , I saw in cinema and wasn't too impressed, Cage did it before in Adaptation, it's like a sort of Beau is Afraid 2 (no wonder Ari Aster is involved), film ain't too funny and loses breath fast, rather liked him in Butcher's Crossing, with his shaved head. 

Comedy:  Beau (mostly, when he is not afraid :), Next Goal Wins -Takia Waititi with a great Michael Fassbbender, also having the time of his life, The Holdovers. 

Disapointment of the year -Napoleon-Ridley Scott, totally miscast , out of breath, all over the place but nowhere where it should be. Beau is not Nap...

*** gotta mention Paul Schrader's Master Gardner -which even played in Romanian Theaters for about...a week :( , I saw it in 2023 but the film is from 2022, premiered at the Venice film Fest. It's Schrader's best since Auto Focus (2002) and Better than The Card Counter and First Reformed, his last two films which were also wriiten by Schrader. A great Joel Edgerton performance too. 

Documentary of the Year (4 me): 

Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan (2020, Julian Temple)  -because I saw it after Shane died...