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...

Michael Mann's Ferrari (2023)

(This was 1st a post on Aug. 30 2023)- Now in Venice Film Festival ! In Competition !!!

Adam Driver eats more spaghetti and chews again uno accente italiano after being in Ridley Scott's House of Gucci ;).

Now he is Enzo Ferrari in Michael Mann's long in the works biopic. Mann, who is now 80 !!! wanted to make this film from the early Nineties, first with Robert De Niro as Ferrari, then in 2016 he was about to shoot it with Christian Bale. Bale did get to play in Le Mans/Ford v Ferrari a Formula One English pilot Ken Miles. Michael Mann was the executive producer on Mangold's 2019 film, where Enzo Ferrari was played by cult actor Remo Girone (Tano Cariddi in La Piovra series, now on The Equaliser 3). Mann then cast Hugh Jackman as Ferrari but he finally shot the film last year with the properly named Driver, Adam ;)

US Release date: Dec. 25 2023. 

Romanian release Jan. 5 2024

*

Just saw the film in the theatre, needs a biiig screen to be enjoyed properly. Plus the sound...

Of course as it was shot in the 2.39: 1 ratio, shot masterfully by Erik Messerschmidt (Fincher's The Killler, Mank), proof that Mann took him in to shot the Italian vistas and incredible car racing. Some new angles and virtuoso craftmann-ship, but in the service of the story. 

Which is twisted between the man, the machines, the women, the drivers, the competition. Based on the Brock Yates biography, Enzo Ferrari: The Man, The Cars, The Races, The Machines.

Adam Driver is great, restrained, standing tall and playing someone who is 20 years his senior, Enzo Ferrari was 60 at the time the film is set, 1957. He is the film's biggest asset and Mann chose him rightfully so. The film focuses primarily on the relationship with his wife, Laura (a strong make-upped Penelope Cruz channeling Anna Magnani), and his mistress Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley).  Also it focuses on the relationship of Ferrari with his drivers, the new entry Antonio De Portago in paricullar. Written by the late Troy Kennedy Martin (The Italian Job, The Edge of Darkness), the film is shot all over Italy (the Mille Milla Race) and displayed on a professional budget ($110 mill.), with a pulsating score by Daniel Pemberton, that incudes a sample of Lisa Gerrard 's score of The Insider (Sacrifice). Editing choices were made so the film ends at 130 mins, I would've wanted it go go on more, as it takes a long time to start on, and develop a relationship with its viewers.

3 1/2 out of 5, 7 out of 10 !

Trailer out Today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yezwLp2isbY

The Day The Clown Cried (1972)

Lost masterpiece, horrible misfire, infamous idea, one of the myths I heard all my life was about Jerry Lewis' "lost film" (banned from viewing by Lewis himself), The Day The Clown Cried (1972). 

Now it looks the film will be shown this year. So, thee might be hopes to see it in the near future.

Source: Joe Dante 

https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2024/01/05/jerry-lewis/

Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

Starting this year with a question ;):

Why is the poster of Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia on the wall in True Detective season 2, episode 8, Omega Station, in still photographer Leonard/Lenny's room? Are there supposed to be influences on Nic Pizziolatto's work from the (then) infamous one-of-a-kind Peckinpah master work? At least is noticed on the wikipedia page of the film. 

                                                                          "Do I get paid?" 

Weird occurences made me to get to finally rewatch and revisit what is considered to be Sam Peckinpah's most personal film (and I agree with 'em). Oh, how I was looking for this in the 90's and it finally broadcasted on a shittiest copy on Acasa TV (!!!!), and we copied it on vhs. Then some muddy DVD came out. Now it's all restored beautifully in 4K. And available!!! Also on Critterion Collection. You can even watch the whole film on youtube here.

"NOBODY LOSES ALL THE TIME"

Warren Oates as washed-up piano player Bennie plays basically Bloody Sam, sunglasses included.

Also it's a great film about "that " Mexico, with shades of Los Olvidados, The Treasure of Sierra Madre and Under the Volcano.

******

During a career that was blighted by studio interference, Peckinpah would later say that Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia was the only which ended up exactly as he wanted: “I did it exactly the way I wanted to. Good or bad, like it or not, that was my film.” And it was. This is as close to ‘Pure Peckinpah’ as it gets – beautiful, violent, troubling, heartbreaking, astonishing.

(Arrow Video on their restored DVD)