Really enjoyed Night of the 12th, and thanks to your recommendation, Chien, I watched The Beasts and loved it, and it's out in the US this month.
Glad to read that.
Night of the 12th and The Beasts were two of my favorite films of 2022. Night's Dominik Moll was the it-director for French genre films in the early 00's, and had kinda disappeared lately, so it was great to see him return to form.
As for As Bestas' Sorogoyen, he's one of the most interesting European filmmakers working today. Que Dios Nos Perdone, Madre, and especially El Reino, only great films.
To Catch a Killer has been an interesting movie to monitor from afar. It got crushed by American critics, but the reception outside of that group has been pretty damn good. I'm intrigued to check it out once it shows up on some streaming service in a few months.
To Catch a Killer certainly was a surprise to me. I thought the trailer was so bland, I has no interest in seeing it, until the French reviews caught my attention and I decided to go nonetheless. And it really is an old-school thriller, the kind Hollywood doesn't really produce anymore, but it wasn't just an entertaining film. It also digs surprisingly deep in the human traumas and the mysanthropy that results in it. With some terrific sequences.
Across the Spider-Verse is my pick for the most disappointing. Indiana "Doc Brown" Jones and Marty McFleabag and John Wick: Chapter 4 - He's Somehow Superman Now high on that list as well.
As for Cocaine Bear, Elizabeth Banks's track record as a director could have told you that it wouldn't work. If she hadn't already been known as an actress with various connections, her directing career would be similar to the director of Run Sweetheart Run's: forgettable hack work few actually bother with but keeps getting hired because she can work with a budget.
I'm not sure I have enough films I really liked enough for a Best Of list so far, but I have to agree that Cocaine Bear is the worst one I've seen so far this year. I enjoyed both of Elizabeth Banks's previous films, but I think I chuckled once during Cocaine Bear. Why there was so much focus on the humans was beyond me.
I liked Beau Is Afraid much more than I was expecting, but I don't think I would ever watch it again.
As for Asteroid City, I like it more the more I think about it. I can understand why it would be divisive though.
It's not destroying. It's making something new.
Image courtesy of -
https://nerdist.com/annihilation-shimmer-ending-explained/
I've seen 86 films released to the public this year, with another 30 or so to see, including Poor Things, All of us Strangers, etc. But so far my Top 16 are
Past Lives
Talk to Me
The Zone of Interest
Rye Lane
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Io Capitano
Fallen Leaves
Barbie
Huesera: The Bone Woman
The Holdovers
Asteroid City
When Evil Lurks
Of An Age
Anatomy of a Fall
Little Richard: I Am Everything
Dream Scenario
Meanwhile from Six's list, When Evil Lurks would be on my worst list while Dream Scenario was one of the year's biggest disappointments. It needed to be more about the dreams than the director's quest to fight "cancel culture".
I'll post my favorites next week once I get my year-end lists in order, so all I'll say for now is that several films from both six and StarLord's are in my current top 20
About 230 films seen in 2023, a lot of great stuff. I have a few more to watch, but here are my 21 favorites so far, 6 French, 6 American 3 Korean, 3 Japanese, 1 Argentinian, 1 Canadian, 1 Italian.
The very best :
Dalva (French drama)
Sleep (Korean horror/drama)
Suzume
Chien de la casse (French dramedy)
Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning
The Boy and the Heron
Not far behind :
Sur l'Adamant (French documentary)
Trenque Lauquen (Argentinian)
A Brighter tomorrow (Nanni Moretti Italian film)
Oppenheimer
Anatomy of a Fall
Le Règne Animal (French fantasy drama)
Simple comme Sylvain (Canadian romance)
Perfect Days (new Wim Wenders film in Japan)
The Holdovers
Maestro
The Killer
Killing Romance (Korean comedy)
A Normal Family (Korean drama)
The Three Musketeers (French adventure)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Last edited by Chienfantome on January 4th, 2024, 7:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Chien's lists are always particularly fascinating because they feature an elite lineup of diverse titles from nearly every corner of the globe and remind me that I REALLY don't watch that many movies
I was invited to an exclusive screening at the French Cinematheque introduced by Fincher himself, actually !
And same for Maestro, except without Cooper this time.
