Your top five films of 2023

[Sue]

New films on general release only (so no re-releases of old films or film festival stuff that's not been released yet).

With two weeks to go (in no partic order), mine are:

1. Barbie
2. Pearl
3. Women Talking
4. Infinity Pool
5. May September


For bonus points, my top three most overhyped and/or disappointing are:

1. Flowers of the Killer Moon
2. Napoleon
3. Oppenheimer

You?

Eta 4. Asteroid City

 

[A380]

It hasn’t been a brilliant year has it?

1 Barbie
2. Openhiemer
3. Asteroid city
4. A haunting in Venice
5. ( and I can’t belive I’m writing this) The Meg2 - it was fun in a Stathe kind of way…

Agree re Napoleon, hopefully the extended telly version will deliver against the potential. And Wonka might be good.

Certainly no classics though, with the possible exception of Barbie.

 

[Sue]

It hasn’t been a brilliant year has it?

I don't think it's been terrible. There were another couple I had to leave out.

1 Barbie
2. Openhiemer
3. Asteroid city
4. A haunting in Venice
5. ( and I can’t belive I’m writing this) The Meg2 - it was fun in a Stathe kind of way…

Eta Added to my overhyped list.

 

[Spandex]

1. Nimona
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
3. Elemental
4. The Super Mario Bros Movies
5. Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie

One day I'll get time to watch films for myself again...

 

[A380]

I don't think it's been terrible. There were another couple I had to leave out.

Eta Added to my overhyped list.

I didn’t say it had been a terrible year, just not a brilliant one.

Re Asteroid City; It wasn’t brilliant, but it wasn’t bad. And they didn’t really push it that hard, presumably because they knew that wouldn’t stand up to the word of mouth, so not sure it was over-hyped, unlike Napoleon.

 

[Sue]

It wasn’t brilliant, but it wasn’t bad. And they didn’t really push it that hard, presumably because they knew that wouldn’t stand up to the word of mouth, so not sure it was over-hyped, unlike Napoleon.

Oh they did. There were trailers months in advance. And it maybe wasn't disappointing because I had low expectations but it was definitely pretty poor (and very dull).

 

[Plumdaff]

1. Barbie
2. Anatomy of a Fall
3. Oppenheimer
4. Bottoms
5. Asteroid City (I have a high Anderson tolerance, really enjoyed it)

 

[Elpenor]

It wasn’t until July this year that I returned to the cinema and a lot of the films I saw were re-releases so have not really seen enough films released this year to have a top 5 or bottom 5. Didn’t see either Barbie or Oppenheimer.

Based on what I saw that was released this year, I really enjoyed The Killer, How to Have Sex and Anatomy of a Fall. I also rather liked Fremont.

 

[Orang Utan]

Can’t limit myself to five, so:

All Of Us Strangers
Poor Things
Beau Is Afraid
Barbie
Scala!
Monster
Tish
Anatomy Of A Fall
How To Have Sex
Oppenheimer


Stinker Of The Year: Indiana Jones and The Zimmer Frame Of Fate or whatever it was called

Special mention for Red Rooms, which I’m still ambivalent about. Hated it AND loved it. A chin-scratcher of a movie.

 

[Sue]

Can’t limit myself to five, so:

All Of Us Strangers
Poor Things
Beau Is Afraid
Barbie
Scala!
Monster
Tish
Anatomy Of A Fall
How To Have Sex
Oppenheimer


Stinker Of The Year: Indiana Jones and The Zimmer Frame Of Fate or whatever it was called

Special mention for Red Rooms, which I’m still ambivalent about. Hated it AND loved it. A chin-scratcher of a movie.

Well if you take out the ones that aren't out on general release yet (like Poor Things and Scala!!!), that'll get you a bit closer.

 

[metalguru]

1.Scrapper (an overlooked British film of some originality and with great performances)
2. Past Lives
3. May December
4. How to Have Sex
5. Bottoms

Best re-released film in 2023: Stop Making Sense

Bubbling under:
Rye Lane (excellent cinematography of Peckham and had lot of charm)
Empire of Light (I seem to be an outlier in liking this a lot - whereas other people whose opinion I respect found it light and trite)

 

[Orang Utan]

Well if you take out the ones that aren't out on general release yet (like Poor Things and Scala!!!), that'll get you a bit closer.

Na! Festival fate counts too IMO of course. Poor Things especially is in a lot of critics’ top 10s for 2023, so what’s good for the gander…

 

[Orang Utan]

Poncy critics’ lists here btw:

The best films of 2023 – all the votes

Individual ballots for the best films of 2023 by 106 of our contributors

www.bfi.org.uk

Wot no Meg 2?
(watching this later this evening as it happens, A380 )

 

[Orang Utan]

Forgot about Scrapper, metalguru - really like that too. The DP of that directed How To Have Sex innit

 

[Sue]

Na! Festival fate counts too IMO of course. Poor Things especially is in a lot of critics’ top 10s for 2023, so what’s good for the gander…

Nah, it's really annoying when critics have their top lists for the year and half of the films aren't even out here yet. You can include Poor Things in your 2024 list if it merits it.

 

[Orang Utan]

Nah, it's really annoying when critics have their top lists for the year and half of the films aren't even out here yet. You can include Poor Things in your 2024 list if it merits it.

i can’t wait to see it again in January. There are lots of visual details to take in

 

[Dr. Furface]

1 Corsage
2 Fallen Leaves
3 Return to Seoul
4 Godland
5 Anatomy of a Fall

Docs: The Beauty and the Bloodshed, The Super 8 Years
Funniest: Smoking Causes Coughing

Disappointing/overhyped: Killers of the Flower Moon, Asteroid City, Saltburn, Cocaine Bear
Biggest pile of shit: Beau Is Afraid

 

[moomoo]

Wonka closely followed by Barbie.

I wasn’t a fan of Oppenheimer, I just found it very dull and Across The Spiderverse was dreadful.

 

[A380]

Poncy critics’ lists here btw:

The best films of 2023 – all the votes

Individual ballots for the best films of 2023 by 106 of our contributors

www.bfi.org.uk

Wot no Meg 2?
(watching this later this evening as it happens, A380 )

Take your brain out and turn off your critical functions and embrace the Stathe… it’s grand.

 

[Orang Utan]

Take your brain out and turn off your critical functions and embrace the Stathe… it’s grand.

I'm looking forward to it immensely. Enjoyed the first and have heard how ludicrously bonkers this one is.

 

[Mattym]

In reverse order...
3) Oppenheimer
2) Anatomy of a Fall
1) Free party- a folk history

 

[Maltin]

I haven't seen too many films this year to choose 5 best.

The best I saw were The Holdovers and Past Lives.

From the limited others I have seen, the best were The Killer, Tar and possibly The Whale.

 

[Sue]

I haven't seen too many films this year to choose 5 best.

The best I saw were The Holdovers and Past Lives.

From the limited others I have seen, the best were The Killer, Tar and possibly The Whale.

The Holdovers isn't released till January. I liked Past Lives too, it just missed my top five. Surprised it hasn't been more liked tbh.

 

[Orang Utan]

I rated Past Lives too. It’s been a very good year for movies.
Wish I’d gone to see The Holdovers - had a ticket but cried off at the last minute.
Seems daft waiting til January to release it, considering it’s basically a Xmas movie

 

[moomoo]

My son has been raving about The Holdovers. He wants me to go with him to see it when it’s released.

 

[hitmouse]

Killers of the Flower Moon. Not saying it's the best film or anything, but as the one new film I've seen this year there's not much competition.

 

[neonwilderness]

I’ve only watched two new films this year, so an easy short list:

Tish
Oppenheimer

 

[braindancer]

Past Lives was my fave of the year. Anatomy of a Fall and Killers of The Flower Moon runners up....

 

[mwgdrwg]

If we're talking brainless action, then Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One was very very entertaining, the best one yet. John Wick 4 was a big disappointment, the worst in the series by some margin. I was bored throughout.

But if we're talking 3 hour bum-hurters, then I remained gripped by Oppenheimer for the duration. Napoleon had my arse-cheeks aching badly and wanting to leave the cinema halfway through.

The best film I watched all year was easily Decision to Leave, though it came out in 2022.

 

[Indeliblelink]

Aurora's Sunrise
20 Days in Mariupol
Free Party: A Folk History
Holy Spider
Godland [Vanskabte land]

Also -
Barbie
The Beasts [As bestas]
BlackBerry
Boy from Heaven [Cairo Conspiracy]
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse