Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore in Saltburn. Photo: Screenshot.
I hate the end-of-year list economy, mostly because I can never make my mind up. The absolute shriek I let out every time Oppenheimer had Albert Einstein appear out of the cloak of darkness? The May Dethember lithp of it all? Every moment of Teyana Taylor in A Thousand and One? Leonardo DiCaprio’s bad posture in Killers of the Flower Moon? The Passages crop top! These are not phenomena that can be shuffled into a numerical ranking.
What’s more: I’m not sure I could even round out a top 10 list. There were so many movies that I found on-paper great but ultimately mid (You Hurt My Feelings), overrated (Anatomy of a Fall), outright bad, or just fine (Past Lives, Maestro??). On TV there was more to go around: Jury Duty, The Curse, The Bear, and, obviously, Succession. (Even though there could’ve been another Logan season!) This feels so out of character for me, a woman who has quit every sport she has ever tried, but few things were more moving than tearing up in the nosebleeds of Arthur Ashe, watching Coco Gauff win the US Open. (Am I Challengers spon? Lmao.)
We’ll have so much more time to reflect on all of these movies for the next three months of award season, but I’m ready to take accounts. (And I’ll be damned if I write another word about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. I understand that I’ll never understand — and frankly, I’m tired of standing.) What were THE new releases of 2023 for you — the good, the bad, the Saltburn.
Housekeeping: Because I’m in a mood (in desperate need of a tan, and mad about it) and we’re entering the dead week between Christmas and New Year's, tomorrow I’ll start a White Lotus season one chat on the Substack app. Watch with me if you’re looking for something to do between making New Years Eve resolutions and googling Ferrari showtimes.
What Was The Best Thing You Watched in 2023?
