Auteurist Trap: 2023

What constitutes a "2023" movie for the purposes of this list is a bit subjective. Most played theatrically, some went straight to streaming. Some will have a theatrical release in 2024, some might continue to float around the festival circuit. Who knows? These are all films I saw for the first time this year.

Time and access always prevent me from giving everything I enjoyed a second watch, and I usually only know if I really like something during a rewatch. I could have just as easily included The Zone Of Interest, Godzilla Minus One, Palm Trees And Power Lines, Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World, Dream Scenario, Reality, Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros, The Beast, Monster, Fair Play, Allensworth, Full Time, Rye Lane, Tori and Lokita, Eileen, When Evil Lurks, About Dry Grasses, The Boogeyman, Oppenheimer, Birth/Rebirth, BlackBerry, It’s a Zabriskie, Zabriskie, Zabriskie, Zabriskie Point, The Daughters Of Fire, Skinamarink, Viking, Infinity Pool, Padre Pio, The Runner and/or Give Me Pity. While I was mixed on Wham! and Mili Vanilli, I’m still thinking about both documentaries months later. American Rapstar was technically released via the internet in 2022, or it might top my list for this year.

I wasn’t able to catch up with Enter The Clones Of Bruce Lee, Four Daughters, Animal, Godland, Joyland, Warm Blood, Judy Blume Forever, Knock At The Cabin, Sanctuary, Napoleon, Film Geek, I Like Movies, Tramps, Polite Society, Club Zero, The Pot-au-Feu, Influencer, We Have a Ghost, Matriarch, Huesera: The Bone Woman, A Prince, That They May Face the Rising Sun, Mambar Pierrette, All You Need is Death, Vincent Must Die, Terrestrial Verses, The Taste of Mango, Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry, Quiet As It’s Kept, Femme, They Cloned Tyrone, Magic Mike’s Last Dance, John Wick: Chapter 4, American Fiction, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Still and Smoking Causes Coughing, among many, many others. I’m sure my list would include some of these if I had.