My favorite movie of 2023

It’s actually about 2023

I decided not to put together a favorite movies post this year, because the movies that I had the most to say about weren’t necessarily my favorites. Instead, I wanted to write about two film trends that struck me this year, both of which I think are positive for American culture.

One is that various Walt Disney Corporation stumbles helped reduce its dominance over the scene.

The other is that 2023 brought us films from a long list of “major” directors, including old masters like Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott, but also mid-career folks like Wes Anderson, Christopher Nolan, and Greta Gerwig, along with rising stars like Ari Aster and Emerald Fennell.

What’s fascinating to me, though, is that even as the Marvel Borg receded and Star Wars retreated exclusively to Disney+, prestige filmmakers have largely shied away from making movies about contemporary life. That trend isn’t new in 2023, but I did feel like it was more stark than ever this year. And it’s a trend that I do not love.

That’s one reason why I liked David Fincher’s movie, “The Killer” so much.