📽️ Rob Christopher
What I Watched in 2023: My 11 Favorite Films
ANATOMY OF A FALL [2023, directed by Justine Triet]
A THOUSAND AND ONE [2023, Directed by A.V. Rockwell]
INSPECTOR IKE [2020, directed by Graham Mason]
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON [2023, directed by Martin Scorsese]
MONICA [2022, directed by Andrea Pallaoro]
NO BEARS [2022, directed by Jafar Panahi]
OPPENHEIMER [2023, directed by Christopher Nolan]
REPEAT PERFORMANCE [1947, directed by Alfred L. Werker]
SHOWING UP [2022, directed by Kelly Reichardt]
TÁR [2022, directed by Todd Field]
THREE MINUTES: A LENGTHENING [2021, directed by Bianca Stigter]
📽️ Maxwell Courtright
Favorite new films
1. DE HUMANI CORPORIS FABRICA (Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Verena Paravel)
2. MAY DECEMBER (Todd Haynes)
3. LAST THINGS (Deborah Stratman)
4. BIRTH/REBIRTH (Laura Moss)
5. I, II, III (Alexandre Larose)
6. PASSAGES (Ira Sachs)
7. QUIET AS IT’S KEPT (Ja’Tovia Gary)
8. LIGHT’S RETURN (Kathleen Rugh)
9. I WOULD’VE BEEN HAPPY (Jordan Wong)
10. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (Martin Scorsese)
11. GEOGRAPHIES OF SOLITUDE (Jacquelyn Mills)
12. WHEN EVIL LURKS (Demian Rugna)
13. CASH COW (Matt Barats)
14. EARTH MAMA (Savannah Leaf)
15. EXPANSION PAK (they are gutting a body of water)
Favorite first watches
1. PIN (Sandor Stern, 1988)
2. MEASURES OF DISTANCE (Mona Hatoum, 1988)
3. CHILE: OBSTINATE MEMORY (Patricio Guzman, 1997)
4. ATTICA (Cinda Firestone, 1974)
5. THIS IS A TELEVISION RECEIVER (David Hall, 1976)
6. A FIRE (Ebrahim Golestan, 1961)
7. BARN RUSHES (Larry Gottheim, 1971)
8. CARTAS DE MORAZAN (Guillermo Escalon, 1982)
9. INTERPOLATIONS I-V (Stan Brakhage, 1992)
10. MANDABI (Ousman Sembene, 1968)
11. IF FOOTMEN TIRE YOU, WHAT WILL HORSES DO? (Ron Ormond, 1971)
12. TETHER (kelechi agwuncha, 2021)
13. DEAD OF NIGHT (Bob Clark, 1974)
14. A STRING OF PEARLS (James Hatch & Camille Billops, 2002)
15. STEPS (stanley brouwn, 1989)
📽️ Alex Ensign
Top five Hong Kong action films I watched for the first time in 2023, in order of camp (with #1 being the campiest).
1. THE EAGLE SHOOTING HEROES (Jeffrey Lau, 1993)
2. THE HEROIC TRIO (Johnny To, 1993)
3. SPIRITUAL KUNG FU (Lo Wei, 1978)
4. YES, MADAM! (Corey Yuen, 1985)
5. WING CHUN (Yuen Woo-Ping, 1994)
Honorable mention (because it was not at all camp):
THE STUNT WOMAN (Ann Hui, 1996)
📽️ Megan Fariello
10 Favorite First Viewings of 2023 (in the order in which I watched them)
DESERT FURY (Lewis Allen, 1947)
DREAM DEMON (Harley Cokeliss, 1988)
CUDDLY TOYS (Kansas Bowling, 2022)
SHIN GODZILLA (Hideaki Anno and Shingi Higuchi, 2016)
THE QUIET GIRL (Colm Bairéad, 2022)
CHOCOLATE BABIES (Stephen Winter, 1996)
PRISON ON FIRE (Ringo Lam, 1987)
EYES OF FIRE (Avery Crounse, 1983)
SORCERER (William Friedkin, 1977)
VAMPYROS LESBOS (Jess Franco, 1971)
📽️ Marilyn Ferdinand
FAVORITE NEW FILMS
1. BLUE JEAN (Georgia Oakley)
2. INSIDE THE IRANIAN UPRISING (Majed Neisi/doc)
3. THE ETERNAL MEMORY (Maite Alberdi/doc)
4. RISE (Cédric Klapisch)
5. THE WORST ONES (Lise Akoka, Romane Gueret)
6. THE CRIME IS MINE (François Ozon)
7. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHERE HITE (Nicole Newnham/doc)
8. SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD (Anna Hints/doc)
9. ONE FINE MORNING (Mia Hansen-Løve)
10. GENTLE (László Csuja, Anna Nemes)
11. SUBTRACTION (Mani Haghighi)
12. MONICA (Andrea Pallaoro)
13. ANATOMY OF A FALL (Justine Triet)
14. FAMILY PORTRAIT (Lucy Kerr)
15. ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET (Kelly Fremon Craig)
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
AMERICAN FICTION (Cord Jefferson), LA CHIMERA (Alice Rohrwacher), GODZILLA MINUS ONE (Takashi Yamazaki), THE PASSENGERS OF THE NIGHT (Mikhaël Hers), THE TASTE OF THINGS (Anh Hung Tran), TOTÉM (Lila Avilés)
FAVORITE NEW-TO-ME FILMS (chronological)
THE DELICIOUS LITTLE DEVIL (Robert Z. Leonard, 1919)
TEN NIGHTS IN A BARROOM (Roy Calnek, 1926)
A DAUGHTER OF DESTINY (Henrik Galeen, 1928)
DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY (Mitchell Leisen, 1934)
CRY OF THE CITY (Robert Siodmak, 1948)
UNFAITHFULLY YOURS (Preston Sturges, 1948)
CHICAGO DEADLINE (Lewis Allen, 1949)
MOONRISE (Frank Borzage, 1948)
VICTIMS OF SIN (Emilio Fernández, 1951)
WAY OF A GAUCHO (Jacques Tourneur, 1952)
UGETSU (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953)
PURPLE NOON (René Clément, 1960)
HERE IS YOUR LIFE (Jan Troell, 1966)
OH HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE (Peter R. Hunt, 1969)
THE PLOT AGAINST HARRY (Michael Roemer, 1969/1989)
FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON (Luigi Bazzoni, 1975)
LOTTE IN WEIMAR (Egon Günther, 1975)
SUZANNE, SUZANNE (short) (Camille Billops, James Hatch, 1982)
PRIVLEGE (Yvonne Rainer, 1990)
CHUNGKING EXPRESS (Wong Kar-Wai, 1994)
ALL I WANNA DO, AKA, STRIKE! (Sarah Kernochan, 1998)
GLOOMY SUNDAY (Rolf Schübel, 1999)
GO (Doug Limon, 1999)
FOOTNOTE (Joseph Cedar, 2011)
NIGHTMARE ALLEY (Guillermo del Toro, 2021)
THE SILENCE OF THE MOLE (doc) (Anaïs Taracena, 2021)
📽️ Ben Kaye
Favorite new releases (ranked);
1. LA CHIMERA (Alice Rohrwacher)
2. PAST LIVES (Celine Song)
3. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (Martin Scorsese)
4. THE IRON CLAW (Sean Durkin)
5. ANATOMY OF A FALL (Justine Triet)
6. FALLEN LEAVES (Aki Kaurismäki)
7. PASSAGES (Ira Sachs)
8. HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE (Daniel Goldhaber)
9. JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 (Chad Stahelski)
10. SHOWING UP (Kelly Reichardt)
11. BLACKBERRY (Matt Johnson)
12. MAY DECEMBER (Todd Haynes)
13. THE ZONE OF INTEREST (Jonathan Glazer)
14. KOKOMO CITY (D. Smith)
15. OPPENHEIMER (Christopher Nolan)
16. ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET. (Kelly Fremon Craig)
17. ASTEROID CITY (Wes Anderson)
18. THE BOY AND THE HERON (Hayao Miyazaki)
19. BARBIE (Greta Gerwig)
20. THE HOLDOVERS (Alexander Payne)
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
ORLANDO, MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY (Paul B. Preciado), THE KILLER (David Fincher), A THOUSAND AND ONE (A.V. Rockwell), GODZILLA MINUS ONE (Takashi Yamazaki), POOR THINGS (Yorgos Lanthimos)
ALSO OF NOTE:
T BLOCKERS (Alice Maio MacKay) and THE PEOPLE’S JOKER (Vera Drew), both of which were viewed at festivals in 2023, but will hopefully come to delight audiences the world over in 2024!
Favorite New-To-Me Films (in chronological viewing order):
1. NEWS FROM HOME (Chantal Akerman, 1976)
2. OUT 1 (Jacques Rivette, 1971)
3. SATANTANGO (Béla Tarr, 1994)
4. SHERLOCK, JR. (Buster Keaton, 1924)
5. THE VIRGIN SUICIDES (Sofia Coppola, 1999)
6. EDWARD II (Derek Jarman, 1991)
7. THE DOOM GENERATION (Gregg Araki, 1995)
8. THE STRAIGHT STORY (David Lynch, 1999)
9. INSPECTOR IKE (Graham Mason, 2020)
10. THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE (Jean Eustache, 1973)
11. HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR (Alain Resnais, 1959)
12. TOTAL RECALL (Paul Verhoeven, 1990)
13. SORCERER (William Friedkin, 1977)
14. THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (Martin Scorsese, 1993)
15. BLACK GIRL (Ousmane Sembene, 1966)
16. THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (Charles Laughton, 1955)
17. PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (Brian De Palma, 1974)
18. THE GLEANERS AND I (Agnes Varda, 2000)
19. GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH (Joe Dante, 1990)
20. A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY (Edward Yang, 1991)
📽️ Jonathan Leithold-Patt
My Top 10 of 2023:
1. PAST LIVES (Celine Song)
2. DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (Radu Jude)
3. MAY DECEMBER (Todd Haynes)
4. THE KILLER (David Fincher)
5. MENUS-PLAISIRS - LES TROISGROS (Frederick Wiseman)
6. SHOWING UP (Kelly Reichardt)
7. BARBIE (Greta Gerwig)
8. ALL OF US STRANGERS (Andrew Haigh)
9. PRISCILLA (Sofia Coppola)
10. EVIL DOES NOT EXIST (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
Honorable mentions:
BEAU IS AFRAID (Ari Aster) and ROTTING IN THE SUN (Sebastián Silva)
📽️ Josh B. Mabe
Top ten not-new movies seen in the theater for the first time in Chicago.
1. AERIAL 1975 & AMERICAN PIE & PERFORMER’S DRESSING ROOM & THE BUMP & TRIP OR I’M LATE I’M LATE (Zora Lathan, c.1976)
2. MY NEIGHBORHOOD (Kurt Heyl, 1968)
3. UTTER (1988, Henion Han)
4. SPRING CYCLE (Stan Brakhage, 1995)
5. THE GUEST (Pearl Bowser, 1977)
6. STUDY IN LEADERS: TOWARD THE 1970s (Gerald Swatez & Kaye Miller, 1968)
7. SKIPPY PEANUT BUTTER JARS (Copper Giloth, 1980)
8. THE WATERSHOW EXTRAVAGANZE (Sophie Michael, 2016)
9. SEARS SOX (Chick Strand, Pat O’Neill, and Neon Park, 1968)
10. THE STORY OF SREBRENICA (“Nanny" Lynn Ochberg, 1996)
📽️ Ben Sachs
Favorite new releases of 2023:
1. YOUTH (SPRING) (Wang Bing)
2. THE DELINQUENTS (Rodrigo Moreno)
3. ANATOMY OF A FALL (Justine Triet)
4. Tie: ASTEROID CITY and THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR (Wes Anderson)
5. ROTTING IN THE SUN (Sebastian Silva)
6. THE HOLDOVERS (Alexander Payne)
7. TORI AND LOKITA (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
8. Tie: MAY DECEMBER (Todd Haynes) and PRISCILLA (Sofia Coppola)
9. ABOUT DRY GRASSES (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
10. THE BOY AND THE HERON (Hayao Miyazaki)
11. KNOCK AT THE CABIN (M. Night Shyamalan)
12. TODAY (Su Friedrich)
13. MENUS-PLAISIRS LES TROISGROS (Frederick Wiseman)
14. FERRARI (Michael Mann)
15. SMOKING CAUSES COUGHING (Quentin Dupieux)
Honorable Mention:
Steven Soderbergh directed three highly entertaining works in 2023 that all but demanded not to be taken seriously: the stripper comedy sequel MAGIC MIKE'S LAST DANCE, the six-episode Max series Full Circle, and the web-only series-cum-public-service-announcement Command Z. For all their frivolousness, each of these delivered serious observations about how we live today and made daring risks in tone. Full Circle may be the most impressive, taking advantage of the longform nature of series television to alternate between suspense and absurd comedy in a manner that evoked the French New Wave.
📽️ Kat Sachs
Favorite new releases of 2023:
Wang Bing's YOUTH (SPRING)
Albert Serra’s PACIFICTION
Michael Mann's FERRARI
Justine Triet's ANATOMY OF A FALL
Christian Petzold's AFIRE
Kelly Reichardt's SHOWING UP
Elene Naveriani's BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD BLACKBERRY
Jafar Panahi's NO BEARS
Ridley Scott's NAPOLEON
Ira Sachs' PASSAGES
M. Night Shyamalan's KNOCK AT THE CABIN
Gene Stupnitsky's NO HARD FEELINGS
📽️ Michael Glover Smith
The 10 Best New Features I Saw in 2023
10. ALL DIRT ROADS TASTE OF SALT (Jackson)
9. FALLEN LEAVES (Kaurismaki)
8. THE KILLER (Fincher)
7. WALK UP / IN WATER (Hong)
6. THE PLAINS (Easteal)
5. NO BEARS (Panahi)
4. ASTEROID CITY (Anderson)
3. PACIFICTION (Serra)
2. MAY DECEMBER (Haynes)
1. TRENQUE LAUQUEN (Citarella)
📽️ Drew Van Weelden
Top New Films of 2023:
ABOUT DRY GRASSES (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
AMERICAN FICTION ( Cord Jefferson)
BARBIE (Greta Gerwig)
BOTTOMS (Emma Seligman)
THE BOY AND THE HERON (Hayao Miyazaki)
GODZILLA MINUS ONE (Takashi Yamazaki)
THE HOLDOVERS (Alexander Payne)
INFINITY POOL (Brandon Cronenberg)
THE IRON CLAW (Sean Durkin)
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (Martin Scorsese)
MONSTER (Hirokazu Kore-eda)
OPPENHEIMER (Christopher Nolan)
PARADISE IS BURNING (Mika Gustafson)
PRISCILLA (Sofia Coppola)
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, Kemp Powers)
THEATER CAMP (Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman)
Other Notable First Watches:
THE 400 BLOWS (François Truffaut)
BROKER (Hirokazu Kore-eda)
BULLET BALLET (Shinya Tsukamoto)
CRASH (David Cronenberg)
EASTERN PROMISES (David Cronenberg)
FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Wes Anderson)
HAIL MARY (Jean-Luc Godard)
HEAT (Michael Mann)
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (David Cronenberg)
IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES (Nagisa Ōshima)
LIGHT & MAGIC (Lawrence Kasdan)
MCCABE & MRS. MILLER (Robert Altman)
POLICE STORY (Jackie Chan)
RRR (S. S. Rajamouli)
THE SEVENTH CONTINENT (Michael Haneke)
VERTIGO (Alfred Hitchcock)
WEEKEND (Jean-Luc Godard)