Michelle's Year in Review

TOP 10 FAVORITE FILMS

 1. Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet, France): 5/5 

An absolutely gripping two and a half hours, taking a simple concept and luring us into a labyrinthine maze of the mind with no pomp, no flash, no pizzazz. Simply the all too rare privilege these days of watching a masterful script brought to life by razor-sharp performances and a remarkably precise director conducting her orchestra.

2. Beyond Utopia (Madeleine Gavin, US): 5/5

Indescribably good. Made up of mostly cell phone footage of North Korean defectors making the harrowing journey through China, Laos, Vietnam, etc in hopes of reaching safety. Any misstep very likely results in death. Informative, captivating, bittersweet, heartbreaking. One of the most moving documentaries I have ever seen.

3. Skinamarink (Kyle Edward Ball, US): 4/5

A troubling, unnerving, and grim nightmare that’s only as effective as the viewer is creative.

  

4. Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese, US): 4/5

Less as fiction than as a reminder of a grim page of American history.

5. A Thousand and One (A.V. Rockwell, US): 3.5/5

A.V. Rockwell hits a home run with her story, navigating us through the life of this family from its determined origins to its devastating end.

6. The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer, US/UK/Poland): 3.5/5
The horrors of Auschwitz heard and seen from inside a family's perceived 'perfect home'. The ease and comfort in which these atrocities are committed from the perspective of a man not only committing them, but making them more efficient. Pacing may not be for everyone but effective in its messaging.

7. Blackberry (Matt Johnson, Canada): 3.5/5 

I hope they make a biopic on the Motorola RAZR next.

8. The Adults (Dustin Guy Defa, US): 3/5

Awkward to a point of being funny, then awkward to the point you realize how sad and lonely these people are. And it becomes a beautiful picture of how people find a means of coping with everything going on around them in their family, starting with their own need to grieve but also their longing to be around those they loved dearly in doing so. 

9. The Covenant (Guy Ritchie, UK/US): 3/5

A fictional war thriller from Guy Ritchie that is well-crafted and realistically executed. The commentary and theme tread with the right intent. As it gets more personal, more deeper and more resilient with an earnestly moral heart, that is exactly where it won me over.

10. Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos, UK/US): 3/5

I’m no longer convinced that Barbie has the production design Oscar locked up.

Most Overrated: Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse

Most Accurately Rated: Cat Person

Most Disappointing: Beau is Afraid

A Pleasant Surprise: The Burial

Best Series: The Curse 

Favorite Re-discoveries/Rewatches 

Notorious 

A Face in the Crowd 

Eyes Wide Shut 

McCabe and Mrs. Miller 

Rio Bravo

Barry Lyndon

Favorite Discoveries of the Year 

Seven Chances 

Mandingo

The Ox-Bow Incident 

Bound

Victoria 

TOP 10 WORST FILMS of 2023 

1. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey

2. She Came to Me 

3. Cocaine Bear

4. Insidious 4: The Red Door 

5. The Exorcist: Believer

6. The Little Mermaid

7. Strays

8. Sound of Freedom 

9. TIE: Enys Men; Showing Up

10. Saltburn