Unemployed Theologian

Many of last year’s best movies resonated in some powerful way with our current cultural and political moment, in which our most disenfranchised neighbors have become outright targets of a fascist authoritarian regime. I’m Still Here , for example, provided a snapshot of life under a similar US-backed far right dictatorship, while Wicked depicted a fantasy-tinged allegorical version of the same. Rebel Ridge, Nickel Boys and Sing Sing all shed light on the deeply-rooted racism of our criminal justice system, and A Real Pain explored the generational trauma visited upon victims of government violence. Thelma and The Beekeeper foregrounded our neglect of the elderly, The Substance and The First Omen each told a twisted feminist parable about our world’s grotesque mistreatment of women’s bodies, and The Brutalist found itself in strange company with Problemista for their portrayals of the surreality of the American immigrant experience. Each of these stories, in its way, speaks me...

Intro: What a great year at the movies! Best since 2019, if you ask me! I always try to get my best-of list out before the Oscars air, wondering whether my friends and loved ones will bother watching the broadcast, but so many high profile movies were nominated this year that people may actually tune in! Anyway, here are my favorite movies from 2023, starting with my honorable mentions (paired by theme): Honorable Mentions: Wes Anderson’s Short Films - Not feature-length, but together, a stunning accomplishment They Cloned Tyrone/No One Will Save You - Excellent sci-fi streamers out of nowhere Scream 6/Evil Dead Rise - Late-in-franchise horror sequels that continue to rock Saltburn/Priscilla - Vibes movies about tiny people caught in Jacob Elordi’s massive orbit Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves/Maestro - IYKYK No Hard Feelings/You Hurt My Feelings - Comedies about feelings! The Killer/John Wick 4 - Assassins on a rampage with mixed results Suzume/Nimona - GREAT year in anim...

2022 was the first movie year since the pandemic that started to feel more like what came before. Finally, the movies being released (with one notable exception in Top Gun) weren’t holdovers from the before-times, delayed to maximize profits; rather, they were new and exciting stories, many released to theaters, and some even managed to make a little money. Overall it was a pretty-good-verging-on-great movie year, with lots to recommend, so for my honorable mentions I decided to pair movies with some thematic connection together. Then, as always, my top 25. I’ll be grateful to finally put this movie year behind me, if only so I can start catching up on what I’ve already missed in 2023! Hello Cocaine Bear! Honorable Mentions: Chip ‘n Dale/Apollo 10 ½ - Underrated animated films in a year full of great ones Not Okay/Do Revenge - Messy young women being messy She Said/Causeway - Harrowing, female-led dramas The Menu/The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent - Rich people are crazy X/Pearl -...