Unemployed Theologian

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...

Introduction: I don’t know what to say, y’all. 2021 was another weird one. As COVID continued to ebb and flow, the film industry floundered and box office receipts remained dismal for all but the biggest franchise tentpoles. Hollywood’s gambit to delay most of their major 2020 releases until 2021 paid off only intermittently. Dune, for example, met expectations and won itself a sequel. In the Heights, on the other hand, underperformed at the Box office despite rave reviews, while Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho proved divisive to critics and audiences alike.  Speaking of In the Heights, musicals came back in a big way last year, but they consistently underperformed at the box office when given the opportunity to do so (West Side Story, In the Heights, Dear Evan Hansen).  I think it’s safe to say the industry hasn’t quite recovered from its COVID cataclysm, but even so, there were plenty of amazing films released last year. And since the Oscars are airing tonight, I’m happy t...

So here’s my absolutely lukewarm take: 2020 was a weird year for movies. The COVID-19 pandemic proved cataclysmic to the entertainment industry, delaying the release of most major tentpole franchise films, and only time will tell how Hollywood will recover. Still, if you knew where to look, there were plenty of cinematic gems to enjoy, and more than ever they streamed straight to our homes.  The Oscars came a few months late this year, and so my list is similarly late, but I’m grateful to have gotten a little extra time to gestate and consider my favorites. As ever, this list is deeply subjective, but I think it represents what turned out to be an inexplicably solid year in film. Honorable mentions:  Soul (Disney +) - some convoluted worldbuilding on the front end makes way for an ultimately life-affirming Pixar story Kid Detective (VOD) - a neo-noir pastiche/dark comedy starring Adam Brody! Yes please! I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Netflix) - Charlie Kaufman is off the ra...