Best of 2023 Part 2- Best of the Best

These are the films that I have no reservations about on almost any level. They are also the films I keep returning to again and again. They are in no particular order, largely because my feelings are constantly shifting the order

OUR MALES AND FEMALES has two of the most magnificent performances you'll see all year as two a parents ponder who will wash the body of their deceased trans child. I saw this early in January and it has never left me for a moment. This is one of the most moving films I've ever seen (period full stop). I saw it in January and it hasn't budged from one of the top two places on this list. 

BROOKLYN 45 - it doesn't matter that I know Ted Geoghegan, I would have thought this film was a masterpiece regardless of who made it. A staggering look at the evil men do during war, it's also has ghosts. This is a film that forcefully explains why genre films more often than not speak greater truths than simple "dramas". This is why many of the most thoughtful and best filmmakers, like Ted, are working in genre films, it allows them to say what has to be said and having it stick.  I have not stopped talking about it since I saw it...more so than any other film on this list which may make it my Best Film of 2023 (don't tell the others)

DECIDING VOTE - Jeremy Workman's look at a man who did the right thing knowing it would destroy his career. We should all aspire to this. Workman continues to be one of the greatest filmmakers working today.

VIOLENT NIGHT - Santa meets robbers in a joyously bloody action film,

LUCHA: A WRESTLING TALE- the story of a girls high school wrestling team and how finding an outlet changes lives 

36 SECONDS PORTRAIT OF A HATE CRIME - transcends being just about one crime by managing to explain why these things actually happen.

BLACK GIRLS PLAY - ESPN short doc about how hand games changed the world.

WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS - The Adams Family returns with a gruesome tale of carnies and demons. I both want to see it again and am terrified of ever doing so.

TRANSLYVANIE One of the greatest vampire films ever.

RIVER - the story of a town where time is resetting after 2 minutes. What grabs you for its technical prowess becomes a moving story of people. This is as good as films get.

STREET WISE - Ed Douglas insisted I see this film- and he was right. This noirish crime tale of a debt collector will kick you to the curb.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO JONNY FAITH - Frank Noon gives a performance for the ages as country singer trying to find his son.

DEEP SEA - cinematic work of art about a young girl on a mythical boat. Its jaw dropping and possibly the greatest 3D film I've ever seen.

MY EYES ARE UP HERE best romance of the year (maybe the decade) is the story of a model and her handler. 

THE BOY AND THE HERON- the latest from studio Ghibli is the greatest film from Hiyao Miyazaki.  I've seen it numerous times and it just keeps getting better

GODZILLA MINUS ONE - one of the greatest films in the 70 year old series. The only true companion to the original film-albeit set in an alternate world. Not only are the monster scenes  great but we also have characters we care about. Best of all it only references the other films when it is absolutely perfect.

OTHER PEOPLE"S CHILDREN/REVOIR PARIS not so much the film but the work of the lead actress - each contain a mind-blowing performance from Virginie Efira. Why haven't I ever noticed her before?

Best of 2023- Part 1

This is the first group of films that are the absolute best films I saw in 2023- the tip top of these films will be posted tomorrow.

DOWNWIND-frightening look at how the US government hedged atomic contamination and then covered it up even long before a single bomb was ever exploded

MAMACRUZ older woman discovers the joys of porn

SQUARING THE CIRCLE- the story of the guys behind the classic record album covers

RIGHT TO READ - the battle to make sure that kids can read

UNICORN WARS - teddy bears fight unicorns to the death in a film that is not for kids

PRYING EYES - unnerving horror film about ghosts and man who films people

GODLESS - a film that makes exorcisms scary again

PETROL - filmmaker meets a performance artist in a film with no answers and tons of questions. I'm still haunted by it.

MOON GARDEN - fantasy tale of a girl in a coma

ANGEL APPLICANT - a man finds life in connecting to his famous artist

ARTIFICE GIRL - the creation of an AI young girl capable of catching predators raises all sorts of questions 

UNDER SKY OF DAMASCUS - a group of women come together to put on a play in Syria

ONLY THE GOOD SURVIVE - unexpected thriller that turns and turns and turns

SUMMER STORY-  a young girl tries to find her biological father.....two year old Japanese film is one you need to find

TOTEM- not the Oscar nominee- this is the story of a young girl and her totem animal a giant porcupine

NIGHT OF THE 12th - the police try to find the killer of a girl and it all goes sideways

MORE THAN HAIR - sweet short doc about the importance of hair

SOFT SKINNED -Australian vet of the Afghanistan war struggles to survive. This needs to be a feature

DESPERATE SOULS DARK CITY AND THE LEGEND OF MIDNIGHT COWBOY is one of the best films on film you will see because it is not only the film but the society that created it

AMERICAN SIKH documentary about a man bridging culture by dressing as a Sikh Captain America

SEVEN WINTERS IN TEHRAN - crushing film about a woman sentenced to death for killing her rapist in Iran.

FREAKS VS THE REICH - greatest Xmen film ever made. This is what super hero films should be

CURE FOR HATE a member of a hate group goes to Auschwitz and is rocked. Its a deeply moving 

SAKRA - one of the best Donnie Yen films is not on my best of the best list because the last 15 minutes it wobbles too much, but outside of that this maybe one of the greatest action films ever made.

STRANGENESS- the story, kind of, of the creation of the classic Six Characters Looking For An Exit. Its lovely

THE DELTA- magnificent thriller set in the swamps of Italy

ABLED - portrait of para athlete Blake Leeper who is just an amazing athlete.

JOHN WICK 4 - despite the ridiculous turns and shitty villain this is a thrill ride

TO MY FATHER Troy Kostur celebrates his father

PROOF OF CONCEPT a short film about making a short film

THE STARLING - bittersweet story of a parents missing their dead daughter

PRAYING FOR ARMAGEDDON - frightening film looking at the far rights desire to end the world according to their prophecy

NIMONA- a glorious animated film about a shape changing young woman and a (gay) knight set up to be villains who must work together to save the city state they love. Destined to change lives for generations, it scared the crap out of Disney who thankfully sold it (they would have neutered it)

CLOSE YOUR EYES a celebration of life and the movies that hits you with a bat as a director tries to find the actor who walked off from his film years earlier.

HUMANIST VAMPIRE... wonderful  horror comedy romance about a vampire who won't kill

AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE fantastic action romance set in an alternate reality where there is magic. One of the best comic/manga adaptions ever.

PERSIAN VERSION - unexpected and joyous celebration of life. I had no idea what this was and now I can't stop recommending it.

TALLYWACKER - Jeremy Dubs makes a film based on his life and makes a funny and touching and real  film about people you want to hang out with. (I have been trying to decide if this belongs here or tomorrows part of the list since I saw it. Ultimately it doesn't matter, its just one of the best films I saw this year)

THE COLOR PURPLE- While the narrative is a bit uneven the music and performances bring wave after wave of emotion. Bring tissues.

A TASTE OF THINGS- a glorious food porn romance. 

Film Finds 2023

Every year there are some films that miss being on the best of the year list but which we still can't forget them- these are the film finds.

CASH COW -  one man passes the time of the lockdown by making a movie about all sorts of things....entertaining as all hell

WITH PETER BRADLEY - An awesome look at the artist and his life. This is like sitting and talking to him.

MAD CATS - Cats turned into women try to take over the world. Sooo much fun.

WORLD WAR III -Iranian film about reality and cinema colliding. The fact the film is on the Holocaust and from Iran is the reason you've probably never heard of it.

LITTLE RICHARD -CNN documentary is a magnificent celebration of the man

CRAWLSPACE - awesome action film about a man trapped in a crawlspace when bad people come to the house he's working on 

SADNESS AND JOY IN THE LIFE OF GIRAFFES- a young girl and her foul mouthed teddy bear go on adventure to get the Discovery channel

STAND BY FOR FAILURE - a wonderful look at the group known as Negativland

MOTHERLAND epic stop motion fantasy set in Lapland 

DEADLAND - a border patrol man finds a dying man...and then it get weird.

KITE  ZO A - must see doc about Haiti that will blow your mind

SATURN BOWLING - tense thriller about two brothers, one a cop and one a psycho

AMERICAN OUTLAWS - fact based tale of family on the run

KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONGS -portrait of Charles Fox, the man who wrote most of the TV theme songs you know

LOCALS ONLY story of a pub in Santa Barbara

KNOW YOUR PLACE a young man takes a suitcase of medicine across the city and we see the world

VIKING man volunteers for a program that mirrors one that is taking place on Mars. 

STAY WITH US - Jewish comedian returns to France to convert to Catholicism and the chaos it creates in his family

MINORE - magnificent horror film with echoes of HP Lovecraft

ECHO OF EVERYTHING it starts as a meditation on music and then goes all over the place in the best way

COFFEE TABLE - stomach turning horror film about a new table

SISU- one man beats the crap out of the Nazis

HAWAR- true story of a woman trying to connect with the daughter taken by Isis

ABRUPTIO - disturbing tale of a man with bomb in his neck told with puppets

KING OF WUXIA- three hour long look at the man who refined martial arts films

CATCHING DUST- noir thriller about a couple and the visitors who come to stay

DADDY ISSUES the story of a man who works in a dungeon and I dare not say another word.

GULLSPANG MIRACLE - the surprising story of a family

SOMEONE LIVES HERE - moving film about a man who wanted to help the homeless and was told to take a hike by the city

MOTHER OF ALL LIES- a wonderful look at memory an

YOURS IN PEACE,BILL BAIRD - inspiring portrait of the activist

RIGHT TO FIGHT - wonderful look at the history of women's boxing

THE WALK - moving look at a puppet who walked across Europe

HIT MAN - Soderbergh's latest is a fantastic and unexpected story.

LIMBO - two cops chase a serial killer in a visually stunning film noir

VISITORS COMPLETE EDITION - friends go to check on a friend and find the is a zombie.

JACKDAW - wonderful action film that will blow your mind

CLEAN UP DUTY a hit man and his target have a conversation

PHANTOM espionage thriller that is Agatha Christie meets balls to the wall action film

HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS silent comedy must be seen with a crowd. Its about a guy and some beavers

LEGEND AND THE BUTTERFLY - epic historical drama is a moving bio that turns into crushing action film

SINGLE 8 if you ever made any sort of film this film is for you

I AM COMEDIAN a Japanese comedian runs a foul of unwritten rules concerning free speech

I AM WHAT I AM story of a non-binary person who just wants to be 

PRIMEVALS Dave Allen's long unfinished stop motion film is finished and is so much fun

CORD OF LIFE - a musician takes his mother who is suffering dementia home

MIRACLE CLUB - a group of women go to Lourdes and find unexpected salvation

SAINT OF SECOND CHANCES portrait of a man who found life in baseball

BS HIGH portrait of a con man who ruined the lives of numerous kids by promising them college football scholarships

FALLEN LEAVES - wonderfully unexpected romance

FREUD'S LAST SESSION CS Lewis meets Sigmund Freud and the universe opens up

Worst of 2023

 There is some talk that we shouldn't have a worst of the year list but I think we need to warn people about the bad films out there

But I begin with the films that miss the mark by a wide margin but aren't wholly bad:

DISAPPOINTMENTS

ONE NIGHT WITH ADELA- Laura Galan goes on a rampage  in one of the ugliest most mean spirited films you will ever see. Yea some of this works, but why is this a single take?
JE'VITA - a woman goes home and remembers her terrible life. It might have worked if things had been connected but they aren't.
BOUDICA- the life and times of the warrior queen is mostly a dull drama until the final battle
AGGRO DRIFT- Harmonie Korine  makes a scifi film based on the work of a rapper but other than looking cool it never comes together.
HERD- wildly too short zombie apocalypse tale that wants to be a character study but the plot and the world don't work.
KIDNAPPED-Marco Bellachio's latest is a simplified retelling of what happened when a Jewish boy was taken from his family and raised as a Catholic. It looks great but dramatically its just a sermon.

And now the films to avoid at all costs.

 WORST
FIRENADO- passionless horror/scifi film where no one cared except for the money
STALKING FIELD- a great looking stupidly plotted version of the Most Dangerous Game
RIDE ON- disappointing Jackie Chan film has a couple great sequences but most it's Chan looking old beyond his years in a baddly plotted film.
THE MAIDEN- a film only NDNF could love
GUSH- NDNF plays a clip film
POUNDCAKE - One of my least favorite filmmakers Onur Turkel, makes a film about a serial killer in Brooklyn.
ARTHUR MALEDICTION- LucBesson's meta rethink horror film of his Minimoy saga is pure crap.
SONGS ABOUT FUCKING - a fans only rip off film about Marc Rebillet's post covid tour is just bad.
DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD- two and a half hours of driving through Romania.
KITTY THE KILLER- terrible action film does everything wrong
#MANHOLE- after a night of Partying a man ends up at the bottom of a manhole. Its a film that ultimately  makes no sense and is largely on an unrealistic set
RISE THE SIYA KOWALSKI- sports biography is going to be tough for even fans of the star athlete.
SEEDING - huge WTF film about a man kidnapped and forced to live at the bottom of pit with a young woman. It makes zero sense on any level.
SILENT NIGHT- John Woo's laughably bad action film.
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON- over hyped Scorsese film is full of self importance and laughable performances.