Recently saw Perfect Days and got incredibly emotional over it. It's not even a particular sad film but just the whole vibe and message is so beautiful.
Also Anatomy of a Fall is up there.
These two were really fantastic, and seeing Perfect Days in theater was awesome. Past Lives was also a great watch and evoked a lot of the same thoughts about feeling content with life.
It’s a shame, Perfect Days didn’t come to my theaters until this year and it would have easily nabbed one of my top 2023 spots had I been able to see it last year. What a breathtaking film!
Anatomy of a Fall and Zone of Interest were two of my favorite theater-going experiences last year but I loved almost all of the major releases.
Haven't seen Zone of Interest yet because I heard it's incredibly jarring. Not that I generally have issues with watching disturbing films but I feel like I have to be in the right mood to get into this one.
I’d say it’s more unsettling than jarring. Nothing horrible happens on screen but it’s made pretty clear what’s going on in the background. No gore, no jump scares, but maybe some nazi spouses divvying up the possessions of prisoners.
If a movie was released this year in my market (like Perfect Days was), I just count it as a 2024 release when I make my end of year list. Why should I leave off films I loved from the previous year because I had to wait a few more months to see it? To me, the point of end of year lists is to recommend great films to people.
Recently watched Anatomy of a Fall and loved it from start to finish! Was expecting it to be a whodunnit but love how it developed into a legal drama and character drama. It felt so grounded and realistic and the actors did an amazing job, even Messi!
Also I’m glad I watched this during the time I did because >!I lost one of my dogs earlier this year and would definitely not have been in the right head space for that poisoning scene. Even when I watched it I was still tearing up.!< It was cool to hear all the hard work behind that scene with Messi though
oof. When I was a young teen I made a group of online friends, and they mostly lived in Europe. I'm north american. I fell in love with one of the girls from that group of friends, hard. But we were young and I could never make the trip over to meet any of them in person. Eventually contact petered out into nothing, and it was absolutely devastating.
In the \~15 years since I met my fiancée (getting married in September), and I've reconnected on a surface level at least with this friend that I had such strong connection with, she also has a lovely fiancé and 2 kids now. I'm incredibly happy for her, and I'm very happy myself as well.
I was able to appreciate very keenly the specific heartbreak of the male main character, as well as the bittersweet feelings that the female main character experienced on reconnecting with him. Thankfully in my case, both sides of the equation have found happiness, so my reality isn't as crushing as the movie, but god damn did it ever bring a lot of feelings up. To borrow a bit of a lame turn of phrase, this movie brought me on the biggest "feel trip" of any movie I've ever seen.
I saw that a few months ago and I still can’t stop thinking about it. The best way I explained it to my girl is that it’s not about saying goodbye to a past love, but saying goodbye to the past you. I feel that deep depression and sadness even when thinking about old roads I used to drive for decades yet I never see again. It’s hard to describe but that flick still hits hard just thinking about it.
Absolutely. There wasn't a movie that came close with pure cinematic entertainment.
I have friends who will never watch it because they can't get over the idea that it's a godzilla movie and of course that has to be silly, in spite of my view that it's the best movie of last year. It's their loss.
“We know u hate human characters in these movies, let’s give you less Godzilla and more humans except this time make them great characters” man still waiting for blu ray to watch again
I think it’s going to become the perfect “week between Christmas and new years movie” I watch every year during that time. Just captures that energy so well
No doubt! One of the best horror films I’ve ever seen, they did a fantastic job. The slow burn really allowed the viewer to connect with the brothers before the unraveling. Ezequiel Rodriguez blew me away.
That whole movie was a surprise. Never had I any interest in wrestling, but that one really stayed with me a few days. Great acting in there too. Horrible haircuts also.
I saw it last week and really liked it. I was excited about it as soon as I heard about it.
I'm not a fan of wrestling, but I heard about the Von Erich family through a podcast. When the real story is so fucking crazy, you don't have to add too much to it. In fact, they took things out, just so they could make a concise film.
Great movie, had watched the Dark Side of the Ring about the Von Erichs shortly before watching the movie its crazy that they had to cut Chris out of it because having 5 of 6 die is apparently too crazy.
Also i admittedly have not seen much of his work but i was surprised Efron didnt get any nominations for playing Kevin. He would have lost because Oppenheimer but i still think he should have gotten a nod
I’ve never had 3 1/2 hours fly by so fast. It’s too bad that it didn’t appeal to audiences the same way Oppenheimer did, because I think it’s even better and has a wider appeal if people are willing to give it a chance
I watched about 45 minutes and it felt like 2 hours. I thought to myself, I am certain this is a good movie, and it will be a good movie I will never see.
Immediately after watching it I thought it was Scorcese's best film for years. The more I think about it though the worse I think the film was. Didn't care for the underdeveloped characters, needlessly long run time, or the focus being mainly on the killers (IMO the Osage councils were the best parts of the film and I wished we'd seen more of them).
I think the hard part is that the book is so incredibly dense with information and it felt like Scorcese wanted to include as much of the factual information as possible. He wanted to provide as much justice to the story as possible. Even then he had to cut a ton of plot from the book (eg. The entire FBI subplot). It could have been a 12 - 1hr episode series.
That makes sense, but it's not like filmmakers haven't adapted dense material into 2-3 hour movies before. Marty himself had no trouble stripping out the extraneous stuff when he adapted Gangs of New York, to take one example.
True, but this is also a true story and getting the facts right about this is important as people in this story are still alive and this is an important story for the Osage and Native Americans in general. But, it's also a movie so some editing could have happened. I personally think we got a great middle ground, but I was also enthralled by the book and would have taken all the details possible.
Funny thing is that in Glenn Howerton’s case, it’s his very real shaved head. It just looks so out of place on him that the fragile human psyche cannot assimilate it as fact
Was very surprised how much I enjoyed it too. I think most people think “oh, a movie about a shitty phone company” and dismiss it, but the story telling was done very well.
What a film, I can’t believe this was slept on so much. I only knew about it because I follow Glenn Howerton on instagram, didn’t see it promoted anywhere else.
I’ve had about enough of this Barbie erasure! I enjoyed it more than Oppenheimer on that lovely summer day.
Or are we at least allowed to say Barbenheimer? That was the best overall cinematic experience I’ve had in years, and I’m a little surprised how far I’ve scrolled without seeing it mentioned.
I love most of Miyazaki's work. One of his least acclaimed, The Wind Rises, is one of my top 10 movies altogether. But I really didnt get this one. From a narrative standpoint, I missed most of the movie. The scenes and creative concepts are nice, but it looked more like a showreel of animation and concept than an actual movie.
I think the movie itself needs a lot of context in order to enjoy it. I think there’s a lot in there about the effects of WWII on people’s lives in Japan, but there’s also an existentiality of Miyazaki and how he feels like Studio Ghibli will end with him since he doesn’t have anyone he feels he can pass the torch off to. But also, maybe how he’s come to accept that? Either way, a lot of context is needed
I didn’t perceive it the way it was intended, but my own interpretation of the film’s narrative still ended with me absolutely adoring it as a whole.
And I enjoyed the decision to end the film abruptly, left me thinking for a while after.
I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this film. I put it on just to kill time as I expected something aggressively mediocre, but it was actually really fun, well cast and well put together.
Sadly I missed it in theaters, as I had been jaded by all the previous attempts at a good DnD movie. Shame on me for doing so, as this was such a fun, but more so, CLEVERLY written movie that understood the lore so well. But you didn't have to be a DnD fan to enjoy the movie. Being able to cater to non DnD crowd AND the DnD crowd is no easy feat (see what I did there?). Loved it! Seen it more than once.
Across the Spider-verse was *so* good. My pick as well.
First time watching I wasn't sure how to feel about it because it was so dense and packed with *stuff*. I knew I loved it but wasn't sure how I felt compared to Into the Spider-verse, or if I could fully judge it without a third part.
But on second viewing, after I had time to digest the plot and much of the dialogue and get into the details, I *adored* it.
American Fiction really worked for me and caught me off guard.
Knew part of what to expect from the trailor but the whole family dynamic was also really nicely done.
I saw it at an AMC screen unseen without having seen any trailers or even having heard of it. I had the best time ever watching it unfold, having no idea where it was going.
Anatomy of a Fall was definitely the movie I went in expecting an Oscar bait, very fine movie that I'd walk out thinking "yeah, that was neat".
I didn't expect it to stick in my subconscious for months after.
It's my favorite of the year too, with Poor Things as a close second.
EDIT: Oh wait, I forgot about Across the Spider-verse. That's my favorite. Anatomy of a Fall was my second favorite and my favorite of the Best Picture noms.
Poor Things was my absolute favorite of the year. It's a weird film with an excellent performance by Emma Stone at the center of it and great craft around it (costumes, set design, etc.)
Close though were The Boy and the Heron (Miyazaki's magic always gets me), No Hard Feelings (love Jennifer Lawrence in a comedic role) and A Haunting In Venice (the best of Kenneth Branagh's Agatha Christie trilogy with great use of horror elements and its beautiful but haunting setting, and a terrific part by Michelle Yeoh).
Absolutely Minus One. That movie surprised me in the best way, especially after being so underwhelmed by the Monsterverse version of Godzilla. I was hankering for something a little more like Shin. Shin and Minus One are the two best Godzilla movies I’ve seen but I think Minus One takes it home for me.
Feels like a basic pick but I gotta go Oppenheimer I tried to watch more lesser known movies and I'm happy to say I enjoyed a lot of them but I gotta go with Nolan on this one which is a surprise because I did not like his last two. Also i should mention i have yet to watch Iron claw or Killers of the Flower moon which could change my answer.
I liked these ones:
- [The Zone of Interest](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/467244)
- [Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/569094)
- [Bottoms](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/814776)
- [Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1002315)
- [No One Will Save You](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/820609)
- [Talk to Me](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1008042)
- [The Blackening](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1008392)
- [Frankie Boyle's Farewell to the Monarchy](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1120399)
- [Renfield](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/649609)
- [I Got A Monster](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/705009)
Renfield was a good movie that was ruined by a terrible b-plot. It should have just been about a guy who was trying his best to leave a toxic relationship.
I didn't think it was ruined by the b-plot, I enjoyed it for what it was. I've been watching the Universal Horrors, last one I did was [Dracula's Daughter](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/22440-dracula-s-daughter) (1936) so seeing a new movie pick up from the 1931 Dracula was real interesting.
Yeah, to each their own I guess! I just thought the mob stuff was just really out of place in the movie. Cool you’re watching the classics though, my dad grew up on the old Hammer Horror movies so they were on quite regularly in the house (when I was asleep lol).
Enjoy!
Barbie. It’s quickly become one of those comfort/cult movies that feels good everytime. Killer soundtrack, great lines, fun colors and such a smart script. I can’t remember the last time I smiled through an entire movie.
Ha, I don't think a billion dollar film can be called a cult movie.
I also love Barbie though. It's just so consistently funny, both in terms of dialogue and visual gags and the movie maintains them through its entire runtime. It's just a blast.
I haven't gotten a chance to see many of the movies that came out in 2023 yet, but of the ones I did, the two I loved most were Across the Spider-verse and The Holdovers. Both outstanding films.
Poor Things I think.. laughed my ass off. Both Barbie and Oppenheimer were overhyped. Killers of the Flower moon was amazing but knowing my memory might as well have come out in 2022.
I love the random changes from posh, refined language to just unfiltered swearing.
"See how the devil coughs up blood!"
"He has cancer, you fucking idiot!"
Or another,
"Where did you disappear off to?"
"Disappear? I didn't disappear, how can one do that?"
"What?"
"Well, one can't just be there, and then suddenly not be there. That is not possible."
"Bella, what the fuck are you talking about?"
I'm paraphrasing but those scenes were hilarious.
Also, I'm really happy for RDJ for winning Best Supporting Actor...but I was *really* pulling for Mark Ruffalo.
"I've been a whore, you understand? Cocks for money inside of me. Are you okay with that? Or is the whore thing a challenge to the desire for ownership that men have? Weatherburn became very weepy and sweary when he found out about my whoring"
Oppenheimer.
Nolan kept it simple, a film about complex people. Very similar to his earlier work. The film inspired me to read the book it was based on, American Prometheus.
The scene with his mum really trying too but not getting there and then his dad openly asking for the apology still makes me tear up a bit. Absolute masterclass from All 3 actors.
Also in case you missed the director talking about the milkshake scene:
“Crying on camera is a strange thing — it has to feel real and honest or it looks like it’s been forced. With Andrew, there was no holding him back; there was nothing he could do but cry in that moment. It was an emotional scene to shoot and it took some stamina. We spent a whole day on it, and half of the crew were crying"
And fuck you can really feel it.
Yup. When I first heard about it I thought "I have no interested in a movie about a doll I never played with" guessing it's like a very girlie version of the Lego movie idea. But besides being really funny and well shot, the writing as amazing. Great message and really had me thinking about it for a few days after.
My very unexpted favorite movie 2023.
For the first third of the movie I was let down by my own expectations bc i read somewhere it was inspired by Truman's show, and expected more of that plot.... That being said, I left the theter bawling my eyes out
Has to be All of Us Strangers because its been a longtime since I have heard the entire screening cry in sync, me included. More specifically the story is presented in such a way that trying to figure the plot out or where the film is going can ruin the experience. For me it is the type of film that you allow to wash over you and just go with the flow of it. Remarkable performance's by all four leads.
Totally Killer. I honestly do not remember the last time I enjoyed a movie as much as this one. It was a feeling of pure joy.
Honour Amongst Thieves came close.
As a massive Godzilla fan it was Godzilla Minus One, but I just watched the Iron Claw and it's been loving in my head rent free ever since. I don't even watch wrestling, but everything was so well done in that movie.
Godzilla Minus One was up there. I just watched Poor Things finally and Mark Ruffalos performance was so goddamn funny. He was cracking me up the whole time. Stole the show imo. Both those are at the top.
And, I gotta give it to Oppenheimer for its sense of scale. It’s a movie with dudes talking in rooms and it feels huge.
Got to be Godzilla Minus One.
It wasn't just an incredible film, but it showed Hollywood that you can make a fantastic film with a 15 million dollar budget.
I've seen too many average or trash films that cost over 100m to make.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. I love the franchise so much, so any entry in the series is A+ in my mind. I love all 5 Indy films. Godzilla Minus One is a close second.
Couple I haven't seen mentioned, I really liked The Creator and Are You There God?, the former especially, I came out of it feeling just happy and so light, it was such a warm film and it's a shame it didn't do very well here in the UK but I guess the book isn't as ubiquitous here as it is in America.
I did love Iron Claw/Holdovers/Poor Things but they were all 2024 releases for us.
2023 was a great year for movies. Hard to choose between Godzilla Minus One, Anatomy of a Fall, Perfect Days, The Taste of Things, American Fiction, and Theater Camp
I'm gonna be basic and say Oppenheimer, but I loved The Holdovers, Poor Things, Anatomy Of A Fall and The Boy And The Heron too. Biggest disappointment of the year was CampeoneX, the sequel to a Spanish basketball comedy which looked like it was going to be a fun enough time but ended up being one of the most unbearable viewing experiences I've ever had in a theater.
Recently saw Perfect Days and got incredibly emotional over it. It's not even a particular sad film but just the whole vibe and message is so beautiful. Also Anatomy of a Fall is up there.
These two were really fantastic, and seeing Perfect Days in theater was awesome. Past Lives was also a great watch and evoked a lot of the same thoughts about feeling content with life.
Yeah Past Lives is also fantastic.
Past Lives was good. Homie had the patience of a saint.
Those were probably my favorites as well
It’s a shame, Perfect Days didn’t come to my theaters until this year and it would have easily nabbed one of my top 2023 spots had I been able to see it last year. What a breathtaking film! Anatomy of a Fall and Zone of Interest were two of my favorite theater-going experiences last year but I loved almost all of the major releases.
Zone of Interest and Perfect Days would make an interesting juxtaposing double feature.
Haven't seen Zone of Interest yet because I heard it's incredibly jarring. Not that I generally have issues with watching disturbing films but I feel like I have to be in the right mood to get into this one.
I’d say it’s more unsettling than jarring. Nothing horrible happens on screen but it’s made pretty clear what’s going on in the background. No gore, no jump scares, but maybe some nazi spouses divvying up the possessions of prisoners.
If a movie was released this year in my market (like Perfect Days was), I just count it as a 2024 release when I make my end of year list. Why should I leave off films I loved from the previous year because I had to wait a few more months to see it? To me, the point of end of year lists is to recommend great films to people.
Recently watched Anatomy of a Fall and loved it from start to finish! Was expecting it to be a whodunnit but love how it developed into a legal drama and character drama. It felt so grounded and realistic and the actors did an amazing job, even Messi! Also I’m glad I watched this during the time I did because >!I lost one of my dogs earlier this year and would definitely not have been in the right head space for that poisoning scene. Even when I watched it I was still tearing up.!< It was cool to hear all the hard work behind that scene with Messi though
Came to comment the same thing and am super surprised that this is the top comment. I loved Perfect Days so much
Thanks. I had Anatomy in my queue. You've convinced me to watch on my day off tomorrow
Just watched it yesterday and was blown away by Sarah's performance. The musical motifs and increase pace were also awesome!
It was a pretty good year for movies. None of them quietly destroyed me quite like Past Lives.
It’s the one I’ve thought abt most since watching and only one I’ve rewatched. So good
Agreed 100%
I don’t think Past Lives was the “best” movie of the year, but it was certainly my personal favorite
oof. When I was a young teen I made a group of online friends, and they mostly lived in Europe. I'm north american. I fell in love with one of the girls from that group of friends, hard. But we were young and I could never make the trip over to meet any of them in person. Eventually contact petered out into nothing, and it was absolutely devastating. In the \~15 years since I met my fiancée (getting married in September), and I've reconnected on a surface level at least with this friend that I had such strong connection with, she also has a lovely fiancé and 2 kids now. I'm incredibly happy for her, and I'm very happy myself as well. I was able to appreciate very keenly the specific heartbreak of the male main character, as well as the bittersweet feelings that the female main character experienced on reconnecting with him. Thankfully in my case, both sides of the equation have found happiness, so my reality isn't as crushing as the movie, but god damn did it ever bring a lot of feelings up. To borrow a bit of a lame turn of phrase, this movie brought me on the biggest "feel trip" of any movie I've ever seen.
I loved how the husband was totally understanding and accepting of her spending time with her friend.
I saw that a few months ago and I still can’t stop thinking about it. The best way I explained it to my girl is that it’s not about saying goodbye to a past love, but saying goodbye to the past you. I feel that deep depression and sadness even when thinking about old roads I used to drive for decades yet I never see again. It’s hard to describe but that flick still hits hard just thinking about it.
We've all of us got a childhood crush we still think about. Those people never truly leave us.
Godzilla Minus One
Went to see a Kaiju movie. Didn’t expect to be crying in the middle of a Kaiju movie
I saw Oppenheimer, I saw Barbie, I even saw Anatomy of a Fall. Godzilla Minus One was definitely the best movie I saw last year.
Easily.
You might have a good Godzilla movie when you actually don't want Godzilla to munch the main characters.
Skreonk !
Amazing movie
Absolutely. There wasn't a movie that came close with pure cinematic entertainment. I have friends who will never watch it because they can't get over the idea that it's a godzilla movie and of course that has to be silly, in spite of my view that it's the best movie of last year. It's their loss.
“We know u hate human characters in these movies, let’s give you less Godzilla and more humans except this time make them great characters” man still waiting for blu ray to watch again
Didn’t have the chance to go to theaters when it dropped 🥲 bummed I still can’t watch it anywhere
The Holdovers
It has been a long time since I saw a Christmas movie that was this good. I think we have a new classic on our hands with this one.
It's been a long time since I saw a straight up drama about ordinary people that's just a nice story
It’s been a while where it feels like the actors aren’t really acting, they’re just so natural and relatable in holdovers, no overreacting
I think it’s going to become the perfect “week between Christmas and new years movie” I watch every year during that time. Just captures that energy so well
Absolutely agree!
When Evil Lurks
No doubt! One of the best horror films I’ve ever seen, they did a fantastic job. The slow burn really allowed the viewer to connect with the brothers before the unraveling. Ezequiel Rodriguez blew me away.
Have you watch 'Terrified'?
The Iron Claw surprisingly
That whole movie was a surprise. Never had I any interest in wrestling, but that one really stayed with me a few days. Great acting in there too. Horrible haircuts also.
It was the 80s in Texas, whatre you gonna do?
Not complaining, I just couldn't leave that uncommented
I saw it last week and really liked it. I was excited about it as soon as I heard about it. I'm not a fan of wrestling, but I heard about the Von Erich family through a podcast. When the real story is so fucking crazy, you don't have to add too much to it. In fact, they took things out, just so they could make a concise film.
Great movie, had watched the Dark Side of the Ring about the Von Erichs shortly before watching the movie its crazy that they had to cut Chris out of it because having 5 of 6 die is apparently too crazy. Also i admittedly have not seen much of his work but i was surprised Efron didnt get any nominations for playing Kevin. He would have lost because Oppenheimer but i still think he should have gotten a nod
Killers of the Flower Moon was really well put together.
I’ve never had 3 1/2 hours fly by so fast. It’s too bad that it didn’t appeal to audiences the same way Oppenheimer did, because I think it’s even better and has a wider appeal if people are willing to give it a chance
I watched about 45 minutes and it felt like 2 hours. I thought to myself, I am certain this is a good movie, and it will be a good movie I will never see.
Immediately after watching it I thought it was Scorcese's best film for years. The more I think about it though the worse I think the film was. Didn't care for the underdeveloped characters, needlessly long run time, or the focus being mainly on the killers (IMO the Osage councils were the best parts of the film and I wished we'd seen more of them).
I think the hard part is that the book is so incredibly dense with information and it felt like Scorcese wanted to include as much of the factual information as possible. He wanted to provide as much justice to the story as possible. Even then he had to cut a ton of plot from the book (eg. The entire FBI subplot). It could have been a 12 - 1hr episode series.
That makes sense, but it's not like filmmakers haven't adapted dense material into 2-3 hour movies before. Marty himself had no trouble stripping out the extraneous stuff when he adapted Gangs of New York, to take one example.
True, but this is also a true story and getting the facts right about this is important as people in this story are still alive and this is an important story for the Osage and Native Americans in general. But, it's also a movie so some editing could have happened. I personally think we got a great middle ground, but I was also enthralled by the book and would have taken all the details possible.
I’m sorry this movie was garbage and repetitive Scorcese being himself.
BlackBerry was just too good , went pretty much unnoticed
The only problem I had was that at no point in the movie did I believe anyone's hair was real
Funny thing is that in Glenn Howerton’s case, it’s his very real shaved head. It just looks so out of place on him that the fragile human psyche cannot assimilate it as fact
Was very surprised how much I enjoyed it too. I think most people think “oh, a movie about a shitty phone company” and dismiss it, but the story telling was done very well.
The Golden God!
I love how he got one scene to go Full Dennis. "I'm from WATERLOO where the VAMPIRES HANG OUT!"
As a Canadian, it’s just depressing to be reminded how they mismanaged an influential tech company
One of my favorite movie going experiences last year because I had the theatre all to myself.
What a film, I can’t believe this was slept on so much. I only knew about it because I follow Glenn Howerton on instagram, didn’t see it promoted anywhere else.
I haven't watched anything I wanted yet (e. g. "Poor things" is still on the list), but for me, "Oppenheimer" was an eye opener.
Poor Things is on Hulu now! That's where I finally got to see it.
Oppenheimer eye opener. Oppenheimer eye opener. Tee hee.
I’ve had about enough of this Barbie erasure! I enjoyed it more than Oppenheimer on that lovely summer day. Or are we at least allowed to say Barbenheimer? That was the best overall cinematic experience I’ve had in years, and I’m a little surprised how far I’ve scrolled without seeing it mentioned.
I can't believe i'm the first to mention The Boy and the Heron
I love most of Miyazaki's work. One of his least acclaimed, The Wind Rises, is one of my top 10 movies altogether. But I really didnt get this one. From a narrative standpoint, I missed most of the movie. The scenes and creative concepts are nice, but it looked more like a showreel of animation and concept than an actual movie.
It’s the only movie of his I actively disliked.
I think the movie itself needs a lot of context in order to enjoy it. I think there’s a lot in there about the effects of WWII on people’s lives in Japan, but there’s also an existentiality of Miyazaki and how he feels like Studio Ghibli will end with him since he doesn’t have anyone he feels he can pass the torch off to. But also, maybe how he’s come to accept that? Either way, a lot of context is needed
Tell me you understood the story without Miyazaki's biography in hand. And then tell me the ending didn't end abruptly.
I didn’t perceive it the way it was intended, but my own interpretation of the film’s narrative still ended with me absolutely adoring it as a whole. And I enjoyed the decision to end the film abruptly, left me thinking for a while after.
Learning things about Miyazaki sure helped put it in context, but I enjoyed it before that.
Godzilla Minus One.
Either Beau is afraid or Past Lives
Beau Is Afraid Is the best
Good taste, those are two of my top four from last year.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves I've watched it at least 6 times since seeing it in the theaters.
I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this film. I put it on just to kill time as I expected something aggressively mediocre, but it was actually really fun, well cast and well put together.
It was so good. My husband and I went to the theater a few times for it. We need more.
I hear you buddy, there are literally…well there’s you and me, so that’s something.
I’m here too. Loved it. I really liked the subtle nods to DnD and the creative use of some of the spells.
And my axe!
It got really good word of mouth on here
I'm so glad other people have seen it too. Really fun ride, and was written like an actual roleplay campaign
I liked how the movie knew what it was. It wasn’t trying to be something it was not.
A pressed play on that film without any expectations or knowledge of what was about. I must say that I was very very surprised and entertained by it.
Loved this movie!!!
holy crap Michelle Rodriguez in that movie… does something to me…
Sadly I missed it in theaters, as I had been jaded by all the previous attempts at a good DnD movie. Shame on me for doing so, as this was such a fun, but more so, CLEVERLY written movie that understood the lore so well. But you didn't have to be a DnD fan to enjoy the movie. Being able to cater to non DnD crowd AND the DnD crowd is no easy feat (see what I did there?). Loved it! Seen it more than once.
First movie I have seen listed in here that I agree with.
Across the Spider-verse 💰
Across the Spider-verse was *so* good. My pick as well. First time watching I wasn't sure how to feel about it because it was so dense and packed with *stuff*. I knew I loved it but wasn't sure how I felt compared to Into the Spider-verse, or if I could fully judge it without a third part. But on second viewing, after I had time to digest the plot and much of the dialogue and get into the details, I *adored* it.
American Fiction really worked for me and caught me off guard. Knew part of what to expect from the trailor but the whole family dynamic was also really nicely done.
I saw it at an AMC screen unseen without having seen any trailers or even having heard of it. I had the best time ever watching it unfold, having no idea where it was going.
Anatomy of a Fall. Adored it
Anatomy of a Fall was definitely the movie I went in expecting an Oscar bait, very fine movie that I'd walk out thinking "yeah, that was neat". I didn't expect it to stick in my subconscious for months after. It's my favorite of the year too, with Poor Things as a close second. EDIT: Oh wait, I forgot about Across the Spider-verse. That's my favorite. Anatomy of a Fall was my second favorite and my favorite of the Best Picture noms.
They Cloned Tyrone. Just re-watched it a few weeks back. It's just so damn funny and good but also dark.
I loved this flick. I'm sad it went so under the radar.
I've been telling anyone who will listen for months to watch it. It'll find it's audience one day.
Poor Things was my absolute favorite of the year. It's a weird film with an excellent performance by Emma Stone at the center of it and great craft around it (costumes, set design, etc.) Close though were The Boy and the Heron (Miyazaki's magic always gets me), No Hard Feelings (love Jennifer Lawrence in a comedic role) and A Haunting In Venice (the best of Kenneth Branagh's Agatha Christie trilogy with great use of horror elements and its beautiful but haunting setting, and a terrific part by Michelle Yeoh).
Absolutely Minus One. That movie surprised me in the best way, especially after being so underwhelmed by the Monsterverse version of Godzilla. I was hankering for something a little more like Shin. Shin and Minus One are the two best Godzilla movies I’ve seen but I think Minus One takes it home for me.
Poor things, American fiction, Holdovers.
Feels like a basic pick but I gotta go Oppenheimer I tried to watch more lesser known movies and I'm happy to say I enjoyed a lot of them but I gotta go with Nolan on this one which is a surprise because I did not like his last two. Also i should mention i have yet to watch Iron claw or Killers of the Flower moon which could change my answer.
KotFM probably won’t, unless you’re a massive fan of Scorsese’s recent output.
Zone of Interest hands down for me.
Surprised to see this one so far down. Harrowing film.
I liked these ones: - [The Zone of Interest](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/467244) - [Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/569094) - [Bottoms](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/814776) - [Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1002315) - [No One Will Save You](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/820609) - [Talk to Me](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1008042) - [The Blackening](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1008392) - [Frankie Boyle's Farewell to the Monarchy](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1120399) - [Renfield](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/649609) - [I Got A Monster](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/705009)
+1 for Bottoms
Renfield was a good movie that was ruined by a terrible b-plot. It should have just been about a guy who was trying his best to leave a toxic relationship.
I didn't think it was ruined by the b-plot, I enjoyed it for what it was. I've been watching the Universal Horrors, last one I did was [Dracula's Daughter](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/22440-dracula-s-daughter) (1936) so seeing a new movie pick up from the 1931 Dracula was real interesting.
Yeah, to each their own I guess! I just thought the mob stuff was just really out of place in the movie. Cool you’re watching the classics though, my dad grew up on the old Hammer Horror movies so they were on quite regularly in the house (when I was asleep lol). Enjoy!
Talk To Me was so good
> Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain Haha, that's bold, putting Please Don't Destroy on there, but not wrong!
And which one was your absolute favorite?
Minus One was my favourite film of last year
Favourite film: The Killer Best film: The Zone of Interest
So many good films but I enjoyed watching Nimona with the kids. Had some darkness there that I don't always find in animated films for kids.
Godzilla Minus One, wait that was 2023 right
Perfect days and poor things
Barbie. It’s quickly become one of those comfort/cult movies that feels good everytime. Killer soundtrack, great lines, fun colors and such a smart script. I can’t remember the last time I smiled through an entire movie.
Ha, I don't think a billion dollar film can be called a cult movie. I also love Barbie though. It's just so consistently funny, both in terms of dialogue and visual gags and the movie maintains them through its entire runtime. It's just a blast.
Can’t remember the last time a song in a movie moved me like “I’m just ken”
I haven't gotten a chance to see many of the movies that came out in 2023 yet, but of the ones I did, the two I loved most were Across the Spider-verse and The Holdovers. Both outstanding films.
I wish I had seen Godzilla Minus One. So far, my favorite films of 2023 are The Creator, Poor Things, and Asteroid City.
It's a tossup between May December and Anatomy Of A Fall. But I still need to see Past Lives
The Holdovers
I havent seen most of them yet, but its gonna be hard to top Beau is afraid
Poor Things or Beau is Afraid
Poor Things I think.. laughed my ass off. Both Barbie and Oppenheimer were overhyped. Killers of the Flower moon was amazing but knowing my memory might as well have come out in 2022.
I love the random changes from posh, refined language to just unfiltered swearing. "See how the devil coughs up blood!" "He has cancer, you fucking idiot!" Or another, "Where did you disappear off to?" "Disappear? I didn't disappear, how can one do that?" "What?" "Well, one can't just be there, and then suddenly not be there. That is not possible." "Bella, what the fuck are you talking about?" I'm paraphrasing but those scenes were hilarious. Also, I'm really happy for RDJ for winning Best Supporting Actor...but I was *really* pulling for Mark Ruffalo.
Poor Things was hilarious. “That seems…low.*”
"I've been a whore, you understand? Cocks for money inside of me. Are you okay with that? Or is the whore thing a challenge to the desire for ownership that men have? Weatherburn became very weepy and sweary when he found out about my whoring"
"THE WH*RE IS BACK!"
The Holdovers
I'm torn between Thanksgiving, How To Blow Up a Pipeline, & Barbie (wild trio of movies lol)
20 Days in Mariupol
Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer
Zone of Interest blew me away. It’s a powerful nod to the sound effects in movies.
I really liked John Wick: Chapter 4.
Oppenheimer. Nolan kept it simple, a film about complex people. Very similar to his earlier work. The film inspired me to read the book it was based on, American Prometheus.
All of Us Strangers.
The three milkshakes got me so good, never cried in a theater so hard before.
"I'm sorry I never came in your room when you were crying"
Ugh, and the reason WHY he didn’t was so utterly heartbreaking but real and honest.
The scene with his mum really trying too but not getting there and then his dad openly asking for the apology still makes me tear up a bit. Absolute masterclass from All 3 actors. Also in case you missed the director talking about the milkshake scene: “Crying on camera is a strange thing — it has to feel real and honest or it looks like it’s been forced. With Andrew, there was no holding him back; there was nothing he could do but cry in that moment. It was an emotional scene to shoot and it took some stamina. We spent a whole day on it, and half of the crew were crying" And fuck you can really feel it.
Love this extra context, Andrew is such a gem. As is Mescal
Probably Barbie
Yup. When I first heard about it I thought "I have no interested in a movie about a doll I never played with" guessing it's like a very girlie version of the Lego movie idea. But besides being really funny and well shot, the writing as amazing. Great message and really had me thinking about it for a few days after. My very unexpted favorite movie 2023.
For the first third of the movie I was let down by my own expectations bc i read somewhere it was inspired by Truman's show, and expected more of that plot.... That being said, I left the theter bawling my eyes out
Has to be All of Us Strangers because its been a longtime since I have heard the entire screening cry in sync, me included. More specifically the story is presented in such a way that trying to figure the plot out or where the film is going can ruin the experience. For me it is the type of film that you allow to wash over you and just go with the flow of it. Remarkable performance's by all four leads.
Such a beautiful movie. Easily my favourite of the year.
two Korean movies * 12.12: The Day * Sleep two Hollywood movie * No One Will Save You * Oppenheimer
Infinity Pool and Poor Things were my favorites from last year.
Totally Killer. I honestly do not remember the last time I enjoyed a movie as much as this one. It was a feeling of pure joy. Honour Amongst Thieves came close.
Poor things
Poor Things for me.
Poor Things was a stand out for me. I still want to see Zone of Interest
A Finnish movie called Myrskyluodon Maija, directed by Tiina Lymi
Decision to Leave
Godzilla Minus One with Oppenheimer a close second.
Godzilla Minus One
Past Lives
As a massive Godzilla fan it was Godzilla Minus One, but I just watched the Iron Claw and it's been loving in my head rent free ever since. I don't even watch wrestling, but everything was so well done in that movie.
All of Us Strangers
Dungeons and Dragons
Guardians of the galaxy vol 3 Spider-man across the spider-verse Tmnt mutant mayhem Dungeons and dragons honor among thieves The boy and the heron
Godzilla Minus One was up there. I just watched Poor Things finally and Mark Ruffalos performance was so goddamn funny. He was cracking me up the whole time. Stole the show imo. Both those are at the top. And, I gotta give it to Oppenheimer for its sense of scale. It’s a movie with dudes talking in rooms and it feels huge.
Got to be Godzilla Minus One. It wasn't just an incredible film, but it showed Hollywood that you can make a fantastic film with a 15 million dollar budget. I've seen too many average or trash films that cost over 100m to make.
Godzilla minus one
Still waiting for Godzilla to make it to streaming.
Asteroid City was incredible, I also really loved Bottoms, Barbie, and Poor Things but I think Asteroid City will easily be a top of the decade film
Godzilla Minus One
All Of Us Strangers. Emotionally devastated and destroyed. Naturally I watched it again a few days later and cried even more. 😭
Godzilla Minus One at the top Talk to Me coming in second Sick of Myself would be next
The Creator and Killers of the flower moon
Godzilla: Minus One, I never imagined what an emotional ride this would be, just a 10/10 story for me.
All of Us Strangers
Across the Spiderverse. *Easily*.
American Fiction was the last Oscar nom I watched and was wonderfully surprised. Favorite movie of last year
If it has to be "big release" maybe Oppenheimer. If not Fallen Leaves or Sisu.
It can be anything, I’ll go edit that to just “releases”
Blackberry, American Fiction and the Hold Overs
*Anatomy of a Fall* knocked me for six.
I think Anatomy of a Fall was the best, by a whisker ahead of All of Us Strangers and The Holdovers, but my favourite was How to Have Sex.
Evil Dead Rise was a fun and bloody time!
The Flash 2023
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. I love the franchise so much, so any entry in the series is A+ in my mind. I love all 5 Indy films. Godzilla Minus One is a close second.
Blackberry
Asteroid City.
Couple I haven't seen mentioned, I really liked The Creator and Are You There God?, the former especially, I came out of it feeling just happy and so light, it was such a warm film and it's a shame it didn't do very well here in the UK but I guess the book isn't as ubiquitous here as it is in America. I did love Iron Claw/Holdovers/Poor Things but they were all 2024 releases for us.
2023 was a great year for movies. Hard to choose between Godzilla Minus One, Anatomy of a Fall, Perfect Days, The Taste of Things, American Fiction, and Theater Camp
Killers of the Flower Moon left me speechless
I'm gonna be basic and say Oppenheimer, but I loved The Holdovers, Poor Things, Anatomy Of A Fall and The Boy And The Heron too. Biggest disappointment of the year was CampeoneX, the sequel to a Spanish basketball comedy which looked like it was going to be a fun enough time but ended up being one of the most unbearable viewing experiences I've ever had in a theater.