The 2023 Jim Ridley Film Poll

The Top 25 of 2023

1. Poor Things

2. Past Lives

3. Killers of the Flower Moon

4. The Holdovers

5. Oppenheimer

6. Barbie

7. Godzilla Minus One

8. May December

9. All of Us Strangers

10. Asteroid City

11. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt

12. The Zone of Interest

13. American Fiction

14. Bottoms

15. (tie) Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.

15. (tie) Beau Is Afraid

17. (tie) Anatomy of a Fall (Anatomie d’Une Chute)

17. (tie) The Boy and the Heron (How Do You Live?)

19. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

20. Skinamarink

21. Saltburn

22. When Evil Lurks (Cuando Acecha la Maldad)

23. The Iron Claw

24. Kokomo City

25. De Humani Corporis Fabrica

Participants

Sean Abley, Jason Adams, Kevin Allen, Ken Arnold, Sean Atkins, Brooke Bernard, William Bibbiani, Billy Ray Brewton, Sean Burns, Erica Ciccarone, BJ Colangelo, Harmony Colangelo, Kin Cosner, Jacob Davison, Nick Demetros, A.A. Dowd, Alonso Duralde, Steve Erickson, Rebecca Feldbin, Dom Fisher, Dr. Gangrene, Sheronica Hayes, Odie Henderson, Josh Hurtado, Sam Inglis, Allison Inman, Michael Jay, Elric Kane, William Keaton, Brennan Klein, John Lichman, Craig D. Lindsey, Brian Lonano, Wolfe MacReady, William Mahaffey, Richie Millennium, T Minton, Noel Murray, Brian Owens, D. Patrick Rodgers, Witney Seibold, Jason Shawhan, Michael Sicinski, Graham Skipper, Sam Smith, Super Marcey, Scout Tafoya, Dave White, Lisa Ellen Williams, Cory Woodroof, Tony Youngblood

What’s the cinematic musical moment that has stuck with you ever since you experienced it this year?

“I need a plumber and a ballerina.” Scout Tafoya 

“Push” by Matchbox 20 showing up in such a major way in the Ken-ruled Barbie Land in Barbie is maybe the best deployment of a needle-drop since “Stars Are Blind” in Promising Young Woman. Brennan Klein

The Ely Cathedral scene in Maestro where Bernstein conducts the finale of Mahler’s Second Symphony. I watched Maestro in a theater, and this scene was truly wonderful to watch and listen to. Brian Lonano

I feel like the hardest-working song in film this year was Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band’s cover of 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.” in Anatomy of a Fall, which became more unnerving and absurd each time it popped up. I love the final scene in De Humani Corporis Fabrica when Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” transitions to New Order’s “Blue Monday,” the medical staff cuts loose, and the camera pans across a mural of an orgy — a pleasingly long postscript that had to be a tribute to Beau Travail. And the seven-minute opening scene of Ever Deadly featuring Tanya Tagaq and Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory face to face in an Inuit throat-singing performance was transcendent. I actually ran to concessions to get a Belcourt employee to come watch some of it with me. I needed a witness. Allison Inman

“Camp Isn’t Home” from Theater Camp was the musical moment I didn’t expect this year. A pure treat that offered much-needed laughter and comfort. Lisa Ellen Williams 

It has to be when Bradley Cooper conducts Mahler’s Second Symphony as Leonard Berstein in Maestro. The scene is masterfully crafted, beautifully acted and filled with nothing but emotion and wonderful music. Then there’s every musical moment in The Color Purple. Dom Fisher

The final musical number in The Color Purple. It simply brought me to tears. Sean Atkins

Barbie’s “I’m Just Ken.” That was a great music number, and well done, Ryan Gosling — the song has been stuck in my head ever since. It’s a moment that stands out in a film with many of those moments. Super Marcey

The Basic Channel-style ambient murk played at the nightclub in Pacifiction’s last hour. In reality, I can’t picture an actual club DJ in Polynesia playing this music for sex workers and French sailors, but it sure matches the feeling of being swamped by incomprehensible forces. Steve Erickson

Jim Steinman is the master of the needle-drop, and it was wonderful to see that even after his death, people are still using his theatrically bombastic songs in their films. Bottoms’ use of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” continues to prove that there’s never been a better song for a needle-drop, ever. No matter the film, no matter the genre, it’s always the right choice. Harmony Colangelo

The Akira Ifukube needle-drop when Godzilla arrives in Tokyo in Godzilla Minus One. Graham Skipper

I will never ever ever get over Halle Bailey’s incredibly angelic voice in her rendition of “Part of Your World.” Every single note was perfection. She really popped her mermussy on that entire soundtrack. Sheronica Hayes

“Push” by Ken. I died. Cackled!! Also, “I’m just Ken.” Two stellar performances by Gosling. Greta is an absolute genius. Brooke Bernard

Jenn Wexler’s very cool sophomore feature The Sacrifice Game has an interpretive dance sequence that I haven’t stopped thinking about since I saw it. It’s weird, it’s entrancing, and it’s just perfect. Wolfe MacReady

It’s sort of a high/low tie. Of course Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé was one sustained cinematic musical moment for two-plus hours, and that was pretty great. But I was also struck by how poorly the musical numbers in The Color Purple were lit. Actors with their faces in shadow, or backlit, for huge chunks of their song performances. They did Taraji P. Henson dirty with the lighting on her juke number “Push Da Button,” and both she and Fantasia fought against the lighting in “Miss Celie’s Pants.” (I feel like I’m the only person who noticed this because I haven’t seen one review mention it!) Sean Abley

This year was a huge year for healing my inner child and publicly embracing my lifelong love of Barbie. As much as “I’m Just Ken” is the song that took over the world, it’s Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For” that impacted me the most. The song itself was already beautiful, but watching it paired with Barbie’s first look at the various ways women experience the world was just too much in the best way possible. Whether I watched the film in the theaters or from the comfort of my own couch, I choked up every time. BJ Colangelo

While people won’t be able to see filmmaking duo Adil & Bilall’s Batgirl, their film that did come out this year, titled Rebel, is an unflinching, action-packed drama that explores political extremism, in this case ISIS. The film also contains musical numbers — and while some critics found this offputting, I felt these scenes made it even more heartbreaking. Instead of playing out another scene of trauma, it felt like an attempt for the characters to take their power back and express themselves. It was unexpected, and in reading an interview with the filmmakers, I learned that ISIS is very anti-music and these scenes were another way for them to help reinforce the anti-ISIS message. Rebecca Feldbin

Ken’s musical number from Barbie is the obvious answer, although I admit an embarrassing fondness for the “workaday” song from Wonka. Witney Seibold

“Let’s Go!! Rider Kick Desperate Ver” by Taku Iwasaki continues to be in my head since its frenetic introduction in Shin Kamen Rider, even without its iconic lyrics. John Lichman

The way that “Total Eclipse of The Heart” is used in both Bottoms and The Five Devils for narratively different but thematically unified purposes. The fact that M3GAN stages a murderscape to “Walk the Night” by Skatt Bros. All of Us Strangers’ continuum of Pet Shop Boys’ “I Want a Dog” (the Frankie Knuckles mix!) and Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “The Power of Love.” The way that “All Love Is Love” in Dicks: The Musical feels genuinely dangerous. “My Tears Ricochet” in Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. May December’s reworking of The Go-Between’s score. Saltburn’s masquerade slipping out of control to Tomcraft’s “Loneliness.” That smoove cab ride to Herb Alpert’s “Rise” at the end of Pictures of Ghosts. When Country Gold’s Troyal has a momentary psychedelic freakout and foresees the coming of Chris Gaines. “I Feel Love” in 32 Sounds. All the ’80s MOR with vaguely menacing lyrics from the festival version of Trenque Lauquen. Everything in Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music. The song of doom in All You Need Is Death. Vincint’s “Higher” in Down Low. How TMNT: Mutant Mayhem’s soundtrack is an unbeatable tour of ’90s hip-hop. When the ladies of Mamamoo drop “Paint Me” in My Con the Movie. The Hormone Disco sequence in Orlando: My Political Biography. The overture to The Zone of Interest. Jason Shawhan

There have been a few, from Ryan Gosling’s somehow unironically incredible rendition of Matchbox 20’s “Push” in Barbie to Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo’s hypnotizing and genuinely impressive dance sequence in Poor Things. But the musical moment that delighted me to no end was the “Dear Alien (Who Art in Heaven)” performance sequence in Asteroid City. The song — thanks particularly to Preston Mota’s performance as Dwight the precocious young cowboy — made me laugh to the point of tears when I first saw it. I understand that Wes Anderson’s painstakingly rendered moments of preciousness aren’t for everyone, but I’m all-in. D. Patrick Rodgers

“Always Be My Baby,” Beau Is Afraid. Sean Burns

I don’t know what the heck inspired Jerskin Fendrix’s score composition during that Emma Stone/Mark Ruffalo dance scene in Poor Things, but it’s got to be the musical moment of the year. It’s pure cacophony with a bit of unexpected rhythm to it. Also, bonus points for all those Smiths needle-drops in The Killer, especially “How Soon Is Now?” over the botched hit. Cory Woodroof

Musical moment, not from a film but a limited-series TV show. Marriage, starring Sean Bean and Nicola Walker, was from last year, but I caught up with it a few months ago. Each episode begins and ends with Caroline Shaw’s remarkably weird vocal composition “Partita for 8 Voices,” performed by Roomful of Teeth. The show and the song: Stream them both. Michael Sicinski

The way the original Godzilla theme was reused in Godzilla Minus One. William Mahaffey

Watching Oppenheimer in 70 mm. I thought I’d have to leave town again in order to do that. Criag D. Lindsey

I’m sure everyone else is saying this, but look … it’s just Ken. I mean, anywhere else it’d be a 10. William Bibbiani

Joe Hisaishi breaking out the synths for the first time in decades for the Warawara liftoff sequence in How Do You Live (The Boy and the Heron), the fully orchestrated climax of Jerskin Fendrix’s “London” theme that knocks you on your ass during the Poor Things finale, and the Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band version of “P.I.M.P.” that blares from the unseen scene of the crime upstairs in Anatomy of a Fall, creating such disorienting tension during its opening sequence. Someone’s going to say “Always Be My Baby” in Beau Is Afraid, aren’t they … Sam Smith

Brownie Tuesday’s silly, karaoke-style parody of “W.A.P.” in Joy Ride makes me giggle anytime I think about it. The harmonies and lyrics come in handy in a shower or car sing-along. The “Maar Dala” homage in Polite Society renewed my interest in exploring Bollywood films again. T Minton

The Tuba Thieves re-creates the premiere of John Cage’s 4’33” at Maverick Concert Hall, without ever explaining what it is we are experiencing. The juxtaposition of a silent piano, coughs and chair squeaks, and bewildered faces is pure beauty. Tony Youngblood

Saltburn is one of the year’s most frustrating movies for a lack of audaciousness within its premise, but the final scene set to “Murder on the Dance Floor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor saved it from being a dull bore. Kevin Allen

I’d like to say when the evil killer doll in M3GAN plays Martika’s “Toy Soldiers” on a piano. But since I wrote that song, I should probably go with something for which I can have no bias. And that would be Taylor Swift’s entire Eras Tour movie. I saw the Eras Tour here in Nashville at Nissan Stadium and thought seeing the movie wouldn’t be anything more than a repeat experience. I was wrong. What Taylor and her crew have created is an entirely cinematic experience out of a live concert. It’s the most visually dazzling concert film I’ve seen since Stop Making Sense. Michael Jay

Willem Dafoe in the movie Inside at first being annoyed by the smart fridge in the penthouse he’s trapped in playing Los Del Río’s “Macarena,” only to start singing and dancing along to “Macarena” as the days and weeks go by. Jacob Davison

I thought about the “Dance the Night” number from Barbie or the opening flamenco-tinged murder scene in Carmen. I even considered Timothée’s opening number in Wonka. But I have to go with Danielle Brooks’ “Hell No!” from The Color Purple. I was already familiar with the song — I saw the Broadway musical. But Brooks literally kicks the door open on her impending stardom. What sealed the deal was the neck roll at the end. I was through after that. Odie Henderson

When Akira Ifukube’s original Godzilla theme finally stomps its way into Godzilla Minus One, it’s a make-your-hair-stand-on-end revelation — maybe the only time I wanted to stand and clap inside a theater this year. (Extremely glad I got to watch this in a theater, with fans.) Jason Adams 

This is embarrassing to admit, but one of the few times I actually teared up at a movie this year was during the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, when everyone in the town square of Knowhere dances joyously to Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over.” I know the whole Marvel movie enterprise is creatively sputtering, but I’ve always admired the visual splendor and general kinkiness of the Guardians series, a franchise unafraid to venture into places both dark and cosmic … just like the best of the old Marvel comics. By its closing moments, the trilogy had earned a bit of emotional release; and that song (so ecstatic, so booming) is a foolproof way to make my heart swell. Noel Murray

It’s, without question, the “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” music video sequence in Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls. That sequence is entirely my type of humor, and I even re-created that exact same video for one of my original stage musicals. That film is working on a very unique wavelength, and I was down for every wild-ass, scatological moment of it. Billy Ray Brewton

Did you see anything this year that made you laugh or scream to such an extent that you felt you had definitely lost your composure? Or if you were watching at home, did your neighbors/family have to duck in and check up on you?

Each successive reveal of Alpha the Killer Sloth’s heretofore-unknown abilities in Slotherhouse and Marshawn Lynch reading Divorced & Happy magazine in Bottoms. Just howling with laughter. Also, literally shaking with rage at Hong’s In Water. Jason Shawhan

The movie No Hard Feelings is loaded with laugh-out-loud moments. But nothing this year was funnier than Jennifer Lawrence’s completely nude martial arts fight scene on the beach. Michael Jay

I was warned that I’d never be able to hear “Maneater” by Hall & Oates the same way ever again after watching No Hard Feelings, but there was no way I could have predicted that was going to be the reason why. Jennifer Lawrence, you are an icon. BJ Colangelo

I wish! I may be watching the wrong movies. I did let out a big sob at the end of Past Lives. Allison Inman

I definitely had more than a chuckle or two while watching Bottoms. It’s easily one of the funniest films of the year. Dom Fisher

Seeing Bottoms with a crowd was joyous. We’re fortunate to have a few excellent comedies this year that manage to be provocative, innovative and a downright hoot to view with an audience. We don’t even deserve Ayo Edibiri. In addition, Godzilla Minus One blew me away. It’s a delightful and much-needed reminder of why we need to see films in theaters. Lisa Ellen Williams 

Laughing at my rewatch of Violent Night when Santa says “Ho-ho-holy shit” as I watched with my mom on Christmas Eve (her first time watching). Graham Skipper 

I think some people in the next county may have heard me cussing at The Zone of Interest. What a callow piece of shit. Michael Sicinski

Not laughing or screaming, but The First Slam Dunk had me audibly cheering more than any movie ever. Tony Youngblood

I was laughing pretty loudly multiple times during Poor Things. William Mahaffey

No film made me laugh harder than Bottoms. Rachel and Ayo forever. Sean Atkins

Seeing Poor Things, I laughed so hard at Willem Dafoe’s character’s sudden belching of chemicals that I nearly choked and got some side-eye from the person sitting next to me. Seeing When Evil Lurks at Beyond Fest this year, there was one particular scare sequence that frightened and shocked me so terribly that my seat rattled from me gripping the armrests. I don’t want to say what it was for fear of spoiling, but if you see When Evil Lurks, you’ll know. Jacob Davison

Barbie. I feel like I was the only one that completely lost it in the theater. I couldn’t breathe. I cried. It was amazing. Brooke Bernard

I think I peed a little from laughing during Theater Camp and Bottoms. Between those two and The Blackening, it’s been a fantastic renaissance of comedy on the big screen this year. Sheronica Hayes

The entire delivery of Anne Hathaway’s “Oy! Kreplach!” to Chris Gethard in She Came to Me and its punchline followed up only by the closing shot. John Lichman

I was so physically exhausted from laughing during Theater Camp that I took a nap afterward. The dance sequence in Poor Things caused me to cackle so loudly that I wondered if someone was going to lodge a complaint to theater staff. T Minton

When the white noise hiss in Skinamarink started to get louder and louder, I — alone in the room in the middle of the night — fearfully said out loud, in full voice, “Stop it.” Witney Seibold

I’m still giggling about every line uttered by Marshawn Lynch in Bottoms. Rob Kotecki

I stood up, hooted and clapped during a surprise comeback moment in Godzilla Minus One in IMAX. No one joined me, but I didn’t care. Best moment of the year, tied with sobbing next to another stranger during the “What Was I Made For” montage in Barbie (which — I’m going there — has the best last line since Eyes Wide Shut). Sam Smith

Renfield. I reacted to so much with the film that I think everyone around me needed to make sure I didn’t need a support group. Super Marcey 

Nicolas Cage having awkward, creepy dream roleplay sex in Dream Scenario was already great, but his fear-tooting put me over the edge. Completely lost my mind and audibly laughed my head off. I can’t help it. A good fart joke is a good fart joke. Harmony Colangelo

I didn’t outwardly scream, but the Black Friday’s Eve scene in Thanksgiving left such a look on my face that I wondered if that would be louder than anything I could possibly shriek. You cannot fathom the terror of what Eli Roth captures in that opening scene unless you’ve been in the trenches at 5:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving at a Best Buy. Nothing makes you question yourself and your fellow humans more than that. Cory Woodroof

“Always Be My Baby,” Beau Is Afraid. Sean Burns

I cackled in delight through much of the first hour of Poor Things (a shocker, given I’m not usually a Yorgos Lanthimos fan); but for sheer eruptive laughter this year, nothing topped my reaction to the closing credits song in William Friedkin’s final film, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. In Friedkin’s previous feature, 2011’s Killer Joe, he capped an over-the-top ending by playing Clarence Carter’s “Strokin’” over the credits. The decidedly more sober Caine Mutiny throws in its own final surprise, with a sudden cut to black after a dramatic moment, followed immediately by the mellow, groovy sounds of Boz Scaggs’ “Lowdown.” The song has nothing to do with the movie; and it in no way matches the tone of what came before. But for one last time, Friedkin just had to be Friedkin. Noel Murray

Nothing made me laugh harder than the final big battle scene in Bottoms, but thankfully everybody around me was eating it up just as hard. I’ll admit I’d forgotten what a great experience comedies can be with a receptive audience. Jason Adams

Not one particular moment, but I did reach a point while watching The Burial when I asked myself, “Is this the greatest comedic performance of all time?” referring to Jamie Foxx’s performance. The film as a whole is just good to really good. But Foxx’s performance is a true thing of beauty. Oscar aside, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being one of the best we have. Billy Ray Brewton

I found myself laughing, cringing, crying and screaming at several points during Beau Is Afraid. Aster has a wonderful knack for doing small things that snowball into catastrophe. Wolfe MacReady

I was laughing my head off so much during Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (the best superhero movie of the year, BTW), the screening monitor told me afterwards, “I’ve never heard you laugh before. I love it.” Craig D. Lindsey

There’s a scene in Expend4bles (the “4” is NOT silent) where Sylvester Stallone dies a horrible death and we see his corpse and it just looks like they ran out of skeleton money. The scene is supposed to be super dramatic and sad because the film killed off its main character, but my entire row in the theater laughed our heads off at how badly the moment got whiffed. There was no grim reality to the scene. It looked like an SNL skit. William Bibbiani

The struggle was real for me to hold back laughter for an hour-and-a-half in a quiet theater after Joaquin Phoenix yelled, “You think you’re SO GREAT because you have BOATS!” in Napoleon. Kevin Allen

The movie was absolutely terrible, but in Strays when Jamie Foxx’s dog is scared by a falling leaf and then yells out “Fuck you, leaf!” I thought I was going to have to leave the screening room. Odie Henderson

Evil Dead Rise had me screaming “Jesus Christ” more than once. I laughed a lot louder than everyone in my theater both times at Kelsie Morrison’s arrest in Killers of the Flower Moon. The Italian car chase in Dead Reckoning had me jumping and crying out and laughing all at once, so kudos to the president of movies. Scout Tafoya

Bottoms, but I was literally the only person in the theater for it. Steve Erickson

There’s nothing better than that shot in Saw X where John Kramer is serenely scribbling in his notebook while the sun sets, which is followed by a reverse shot showing that he’s just drawing plans for Jigsaw traps. I guffawed out loud for perhaps longer than I should have in the theater. Didn’t make many friends that day. Brennan Klein

What aspect of the moviegoing experience has you feeling burned out?

The glut of safe, corporate content masquerading as movies. If streaming expanded our options a decade ago, it’s now narrowing them. The degree to which it’s corrupted documentaries is appalling. Steve Erickson

At repertory screenings, it’s very odd to see how many people laugh during scenes that are definitely not meant to be laughed at, either because the viewer thinks they’re “above” the film or they treat any older film as a midnight movie even when it’s not. It’s a very strange thing to witness, and I hope it’s just a nervous or uncomfortable defense mechanism, because it’s really weird to sit in an audience that suddenly feels hostile because of it! Harmony Colangelo

Maybe it’s me, but the older I get, I’m just glad I get to go as opposed to finding things about the experience to get burned out by. Especially in a busy year, you cherish the experience more when you can’t go as often. Theaters are a gift, and goodness knows the world we live in makes going to the movies in general something you can’t take for granted. Until they close the last one down, I’ll just be happy I can still go. Cory Woodroof

Honestly, the run times. Between ADHD and poor blood circulation, these 180-minute-plus run times are gonna be my demise. Give me a clean 100 minutes or give me death. Sheronica Hayes

Multiplexes. Year after year, movie after movie, having to leave the film to tell a teenage employee that the sound is too low, the image is too dim, the house lights are still on, or there’s simply nothing on screen, and this is on top of the soul-crushing acceptance that there will always be trash strewn around the aisles, sticky floors, complete lack of masking (remember curtains?) and people too brain-fried to spend two hours off their phones. Right now at Regal Opry Mills, there are 10 minutes of commercials (not trailers) that start at your appointed showtime, followed by 25 minutes of trailers! The experience is just exhausting and depressing, and when theaters are already in danger of losing more people to home viewing, I am astonished that they’re not even trying to uphold basic standards anymore. Sam Smith

I am at a point in my life when I’ve started to shake my fist at folks more and more, and no other place is this more evident than in the theater: talking loudly during the movie, texting/Snapchatting/scrolling at full brightness (or at all for that matter), being the “class clown” for all to hear. It’s all getting to be too much, especially with the cost of tickets at an all-time high. I just don’t want to go anymore! Wolfe MacReady

General audiences becoming less respectful of people around them, including being on their phones more often and talking while the films play. It’s becoming increasingly annoying to the point where I sometimes have to loudly ask individuals to turn off their phone or to please be quiet. Sean Atkins 

Piss-poor quality control at the cineplexes. Tony Youngblood

The lack of original ideas. Whether it’s Marvel or Blumhouse, I am getting sick and tired of the same old B.S. over and over again. It stopped being original ages ago, and studios show no desire to do anything about it. That said, it has been gratifying to see so many lower-budget, under-the-radar flicks do well at the box office this year. Billy Ray Brewton 

Personally the dim fuckin’ projectors at too many arthouses. Scout Tafoya 

Thirty minutes of movie trailers before showtime. Michael Jay

I was out of work for five months due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes. One of my favorite things to do is go to the movies, and I was wracked with guilt if I spent money while out of work. It’s why a number of my favorite films this year were seen at film festivals while I was attending to promote my own short film. I have the MoviePass app and was able to use it on matinees, which helped keep my costs down. And I am also a member of a film society, which gave me opportunities to see commercially released films for free if I reserved tickets in time. But with all the great-looking films coming out at the end of the year, I probably will miss a number of these films until they are available on streaming or on demand, which is unfortunate. But I am very relieved to be returning to work in the new year. Brian Lonano

The end of Best Buy and Target stocking physical media, the switch to viewing links, the rise of the streaming horde, and the big digital changeover among mainstream exhibitors are all the same issue: taking control out of the hands of viewers and keeping it clutched tight to the bosoms of boardrooms and CEOs. The first shot upon the public was when AMC and Regal decided they weren’t going to mask their screens properly, and it’s only gotten worse. I also think every exhibitor should be up-front about how long after the listed start time their features will actually start, just so audiences are informed and can proceed accordingly. I’m tired of audiences who don’t care about the experiences of others. And I wish friends who aren’t freelance writers understood how easy (and important) it is to read what we have managed to get published. It’s minimal effort, and it means so much. Jason Shawhan

Employees who aren’t thorough with their job is a real mood-killer. Between bad projection at a screening of Indiana Jones 5 and being told to wait after letting someone know the previews hadn’t started well after the showtime, I’ve seen it all at the multiplexes in this area. It makes me all the more thankful for the Belcourt and their amazing team! Kevin Allen 

I feel like the industry is being handled poorly on all fronts. Studios seem to have completely given up on anything but “strong IP,” and if any film that fits into that category is good, they seem to take the wrong lessons from it. Streamers churn out incredibly expensive subpar films based on algorithms, and a lot of indies are guilty of chasing formula as well. It’s a mixed bag on all fronts, and I really hope things change, because the future of cinema on the big screen is looking pretty bleak. William Mahaffey

As always, it’s going to the theaters and wasting my precious time seeing movies that blow. Studios still expect us to go see blockbuster movies with gigantic budgets and garbage scripts — and wonder why people would rather stay at home and wait until this junk hits streaming. Craig D. Lindsey 

The streaming wars. The whole industry decided to phase out one of their biggest revenue streams, physical media, and then every studio started their own streaming service, even though nobody can afford them all, so most of them were destined to collapse. I feel like we’re all just patiently waiting for the day when the studios realize they’re wasting their time and making the user experience miserable and instead just license all their films and TV shows to Tubi or whatever. William Bibbiani

I rarely go to the movies at regular screenings anymore, but when I do, it’s a toss-up between the 75 minutes of commercials and trailers that precede the films and the people who treat the theater like it’s their living room. From the overly loud senior citizens screaming “WHAT DID HE SAY?” to their partners, to the guy who took his pants and socks off before using the reclining chair next to me at the Regal, moviegoing hell is other people. Odie Henderson

I’m still not going to cinemas, but I definitely had a sense of overall burnout in 2023. There’s no such thing, I’d contend, as a truly terrible movie year, but my (current) viewing certainly made 2023 look like one. That said, I don’t think my sense of burnout is as much with movies as it is that after 25 years I often look at a piece of writing and think I’ve not said a single new or insightful thing. So that’s been fun. Sam Inglis

NPR’s All Things Considered already touched on this over the summer, but I too am so worn-out on DC and Marvel superhero films. I am also over 20th-century reboots, remakes and reimaginings. Unless it’s something we’ve truly never seen before, like a horror film based on the Wanda Gág book Millions of Cats, please stop it already. T Minton

The driving. The parking. The Fandango purchase. The bad projection. The other people. The drive back home. The (self-imposed) obligation to write about every movie I see. Michael Sicinski

The insistence by people who spend their lives seeing films in screening rooms that the rest of us must see films in the theater or we’re doing it wrong. Also, how long it takes to get a hot dog at the AMC movie theaters — is it truly such a surprise that people want hot dogs that the concession stand is caught unprepared for the demand? Sean Abley

Going to Regal has become a tiresome endeavor due to the number of commercials before the film. I adore my chill weeknights at Hollywood 27, but 30 minutes of mundane commercials that distract from trailers and add to the already lengthy commitment recent films require? And what’s with all the Regal ads when I’m already there?! Bless the Belcourt for continuing to provide the best film-viewing experiences in Nashville. Lisa Ellen Williams

The real burnout is too many commercials at the cinema. The film will start 30 minutes or longer after advertised, and it isn’t good when you have chronic pain sitting for that long. Super Marcey

For the past decade, I was made unbearably weary by the dominance of ultra-expensive action blockbusters. The superhero movies of 2023 made me equally weary, but there came with that fatigue a sense of hope. It seems that the Franchise Decade is finally at an end. The tiring part is film journalists are still acting like Marvel movies are commanding full attention, and the anticipatory language is still in place. “What will happen in the rebooted Superman movie?” I have several rat’s asses in a bag in my fridge, and I wouldn’t give a single one of them to the new Superman. Witney Seibold 

I never in my life thought I would say this: too many movies and too much content to choose from. Rebecca Feldbin

It feels as though too many people lack manners when attending theatrical screenings. Too often, there are people on their phones, talking to each other, or just providing unwanted and unnecessary commentary. People need to be far more courteous to other people when they go to the cinema. Jacob Davison

Theater pre-rolls have become insane, he says as someone no longer in the comforting bosom of screening rooms. If you’re wondering, the general breakdown is this: Thirty minutes before a showtime, you have whichever snake oil company your local chain has a deal with. And then you think it’s showtime? No. At the published “start time” of your film begins the chain’s pre-roll. And then, at minimum, 20 to 25 minutes of trailers. John Lichman

Superhero stuff, unfortunately. Hoping taking a break will get me excited again. Graham Skipper

Barbenheimer proved how thirsty we still are for movies to be real Events again — there’s no lasting conversation to be had with films that get swallowed up by streaming, never to be heard from again. I am surprised by how much I miss everybody being obnoxious quoting a “Show me the money” until you never want to hear it again. Hollywood desperately needs to re-find its razzle-dazzle. And wrestling the power out of the hands of indifferent studio executives who see them as content and profit margins and tax write-offs is the only way that happens, but I fear they’re in too deep. Jason Adams

We desperately need to teach people how to share communal space with strangers again now that the majority of people are no longer quarantining. If someone is wearing a mask, don’t sit next to them and cough. If you’re watching a drama like The Iron Claw, now is not the time to deliver your unofficial audition for Mystery Science Theater 3000. If you’re seeing any movie, PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! BJ Colangelo

This may be a cheap shot, but that Nicole Kidman AMC promo never fails to foul my mood. It was obnoxious the first dozen times I saw it, but it’s curdled into this self-congratulatory ghost from COVID times that haunts every movie now. The only thing worse is the crowd that cheers its arrival. It’s not camp. It’s not fun. It’s not perfect. Or powerful. But it is utterly unavoidable and exhausting. Rob Kotecki

And as always, the time for Bold Statements!

Bad year for movies imo! I shrugged at a lot of nominees for new classics. This should be a year when we end on a triumphant note because Americans went to go see un-caped things, but ultimately it feels like a dry run for a proper return to a healthy cinema. I look forward to the next few years and remain optimistic. I had no hope a few years ago. This has leavened slightly by … huge sigh … encouraging box office numbers. Whatever. Whatever gets us our cinema back. Scout Tafoya

Two things: One, we need more film critics of color. So tired of reading the same thing from far too many straight, white, male critics who sound like they’re part of some hive mind. And two, this was the year of directors making movies that were far longer than they needed to be. The runtime was used more to justify their egos than enhance the story. I’m looking at you Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, Francis Lawrence, David Fincher and Bradley Cooper. And even though I liked your movie, you too, Martin Scorsese! Odie Henderson

Put Franz Rogowski in everything. Jason Adams

I am desperately pleading on my hands and knees for more people to watch the brilliant film Monica starring Trace Lysette and Patricia Clarkson. Lysette gave one of the best performances of the year, but the film went mostly unseen by the general public. If I could physically shake anyone’s faces and give an underrated movie recommendation this year, it’s for Monica. BJ Colangelo

With the overwhelming critical and audience support of Godzilla Minus One, we are about to enter a Prestige Kaiju phase of cinema. Which I am HERE for. Graham Skipper

Maybe it was the amount of proper Hong Kong martial arts films I was watching (among others, I saw 37 Jackie Chan films for a podcast that ultimately didn’t happen), but even the more acclaimed Hollywood action movies that are hyped for their choreography and real stunt work have done NOTHING for me this year. I don’t need flashy lighting and CGI backdrops — just give me two (or three ... or seven) people kicking each other in a series of intelligibly edited mid and close shots, and that’s fine. Sam Inglis

Basically, this was the year when Hollywood realized everyone is broke — actors, writers, moviegoers — and studio’s cheap bitch asses need to step their game up if they want creatives to create and audiences to take it in. People on both sides complained about “superhero fatigue” like this shit wasn’t inevitable. When DC and Marvel began making limited streaming series, I knew everyone — from the haters to the fans — would get burnt out. The reason Barbenheimer worked was because it was something different. It also took us back to a beautiful time when you could see two entirely different films and enjoy both of them. You didn’t have to go on Twitter and pick a side. Gotdammit, I wish we could go back to that. Craig D. Lindsey

The artful creativity that goes into A24’s work broke the studio into the mainstream with Everything Everywhere All at Once, and their partnership with Hideo Kojima to make a Death Stranding film adaptation makes me excited for all their upcoming ventures into IP filmmaking. It’ll breathe life into all levels of cinema to the point where midbudget films will make a comeback. Kevin Allen 

Movie studios should start offering some of their films at a lower ticket price. Moviegoers are willing to take a risk on a potentially bad film if the price is lower. In turn, they’ll attract more eyes to the film and earn more revenue before it hits streaming and DVD. To be real, if ticket prices were lower across the board, theaters would be packed like they used to be, and everyone would be happy. Not necessarily a bold statement, just a thought. Dom Fisher

No one has better screen presence than Lily Gladstone. And Killers of the Flower Moon should be accompanied by screenings of The Unknown Country (Gladstone at her best) and Lakota Nation Versus United States. Allison Inman

Beau Is Afraid is going to be this year’s Babylon: a far-too-ahead-of-its-time masterwork by an auteur in his prime that was just too cool and baroque for the audience of its release window. Cory Woodroof

2023 is the greatest year for film since 1999. Brooke Bernard

I try not to use this word often, but All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt was a masterpiece. The hug scene … holy mother of God. Nick Demetros 

I was so disappointed by Saltburn. The cast and performances are great, and much of it is beautifully shot and edited, but ultimately, I was left feeling like I had rewatched The Talented Mr. Ripley — without the mystery, suspense and eeriness of Minghella’s direction. Eli Roth’s horror films continue to feel more like imitation than homage, derivative rather than inspired. Birth/Rebirth is perhaps the most underrated horror film of the year. Double feature recommendation: May December and Satan Wants You. Each offers an insightful perspective on the creation of media spectacles and the definitions of celebrity, not to mention the emotional and logistical challenges involved when questioning and identifying truth. If you’d like additional points of view, sandwich these viewings with the three episodes of Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God on Max. Lisa Ellen Williams

One of my all-time favorite movies is the nearly four-hour director’s cut of Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America. So I don’t normally complain about film lengths being too long. But these days, most movies over two hours have a lot of fat that can be trimmed to make them better. I hate when movies that run longer than two hours have scenes in slow motion, only adding to the film’s length. Song lengths are half what they were decades ago, so why can’t today’s films be shorter? Otherwise, BRING BACK THE INTERMISSION. Michael Jay

I am truly disappointed that the ExorSwift trend didn’t take off as much as the Barbenheimer one did. I was really hoping to attend a screening full of gothic Swifties and it didn’t happen for me. T Minton 

Sex in cinema is back! Hell, Passages even had a move I didn’t know was possible, so not only are sex scenes not superfluous — they can be instructional! Elric Kane 

You know what? Maybe The Last Voyage of the Demeter should have been called Dracula on a Boat. Harmony Colangelo

This was a good year for international cinema, all things considered. It was also a dismal year for IP tentpoles, and all of the streaming services seem committed to becoming worse. If things progressed naturally, there would probably be an arthouse resurgence. But we know that the five giant tech companies will find some way to further hypnotize the masses. Probably MAGA bloodsports. Michael Sicinski

I don’t know if this is bold, but Wes Anderson films have become style over substance. We get it Wes, we get it. Rebecca Feldbin

END THE NICOLE KIDMAN PRE-ROLL OR WE’RE GOING TO RIOT. IT’S BEEN THREE YEARS. WE’VE EITHER SUCCUMBED TO COVID OR SURVIVED, STOP REMINDING US. John Lichman

No studio had it worse in 2023 than Disney, and I imagine they’re rethinking their upcoming slate, which includes the upcoming (and untitled) new Alien film from Fede Álvarez. Instead of being a Hulu movie, I think Disney will give it a theatrical run first. Sean Atkins

What happened with Scream VII (that previously percolated on Scream VI), was, end to end, a series of unforced errors motivated by a complete lack of respect for the horror genre. Once again, horror fans are told the properties we keep in play with our attention and ticket money are not important enough for best efforts. Sean Abley

I don’t think this is really that bold of a statement, but I’ve been watching a lot ’70s films this year, and it’s made me think a lot about how much cinema sucks in comparison. In particular I think about how in general those films respect the audience more and don’t feel the need to overexplain everything, and I feel like that element in particular is something we’ve really gotten away from. William Mahaffey

Every single CEO and executive who signs off on shelving work for tax write-offs, ignoring repertory screenings or trying to incorporate AI into the filmmaking process needs their ass beat, repeatedly. Every major studio needs to just turn their catalogs over to the several hard-working and devoted boutique labels that turn out substantial special editions for films that have always been worthy of love. The “good” news is that when society collapses, CEOs and middle managers will be eaten first because they produce nothing. More quality 3D, more weird swings, less working your golden geese to death and killing genres. Thanks to Wonka, I think Dungaree Nights are going to be big at The Eagle this summer. Two quick Oppenheimer thoughts: 1. Murphy and Blunt are absolutely playing their roles as Anthony Perkins and Stockard Channing, respectively, and 2, it’s fascinating to watch any film at the 70 mm IMAX, but particularly this one, because of the force of the light passing through the viewport that draws whatever flies, gnats or similar creatures to it, then literally kills them and they fall away. Pilgrims to the sparagmos of the alluring but lethal light. Jason Shawhan

Movies need to be shorter. Listen, I get it. Scorsese is a legend. But do we need an endurance test every time we sit down to one of his recent flicks? Do we need every superhero movie to push the three-hour mark? Does Zack Snyder really need nearly four hours (and countless media spinoffs) to tell a story? One of the most impressive flicks of the past few years was 2020’s Host. A taut, tense thriller. The runtime? Fifty-seven minutes. We need to stop measuring the quality of the film by its length. Wolfe MacReady

In the wake of a rough couple of years, between lockdown and the dual WGA and SAG strikes, I am optimistic for the future and for the arts. Though many big-budgeted and franchise films found ill success at the box office and/or critically, there were still numerous successes to be found. Both mainstream and independent. I feel the tides turning, and no matter how bad things get in or out of the industry, movies will still be made, and I am hopeful there are many great modern classics in store for us. Jacob Davison

It might just be apocalyptic despair, but the past year felt like audiences were falling in love with the Weird. This isn’t about Beau Is Afraid, as auteur oddities always manage to sneak through, but how weird a lot of mainstream fare was. Barbie’s tangents, musical numbers and meta pranks so won over the audience that few people ever considered how strange the actual movie was. I watched Skinamarink work over a multiplex crowd, and M3GAN dance her way into some warped little hearts. Bottoms and Joy Ride weren’t afraid to revel in their bighearted raunch that skewered and topped the American Pie excesses, largely by going dirty and strange. Even the year’s two juggernaut historical epics, Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon, were weirder than anyone wants to admit, with unorthodox narrative structures and main characters who weren’t smoothed down to archetypes. Oppenheimer wasn’t portrayed as the genius hero but as a boy savant trapped in a man’s body. Leo’s character in Killers was a full-blown moron, frustrating History Channel Dads who want their past regurgitated as Competency Porn. We can only hope that the movies keep getting freakier, and they just might, what with the declining fortunes of the Pow Pow, Wink Wink, Green Screen Industrial Complex. After the past 20 years, both audiences and filmmakers deserve the chance to get weird, or at least weirder. Rob Kotecki

Awards season as we know it has always been a bad idea. It was literally created to distract creatives in Hollywood with a time- and energy-consuming annual competition for trophies, so they couldn’t use that time and energy for the purpose of collective bargaining. But if we must have awards season, the time has long since passed to completely overhaul the concept. If movie awards were invented for the first time today, they would look a LOT different than they do now, from the categories outward, and we should all seriously consider what those differences would be and implement those changes instead of clinging to an outdated past. William Bibbiani

I would like to see Godzilla Minus One win the Oscar for visual effects. It would likely be awarded to the director Takashi Yamazaki, who was also the visual effects supervisor, and I’d be happy if he won because he also did a great job at directing the film! The last time a director won an Oscar like that was 2001: A Space Odyssey, when Kubrick won for Visual Effects. Godzilla Minus One put so many high-budget VFX features to shame this year with its modest budget, and I want to see it win some gold. I want it to be this year’s RRR at the Oscars. Maybe Beyond Fest can help get this campaign going! Brian Lonano 

I suspect a lot more strange, more adult dramas will soon be part of the conversation. It’s been interesting to see the “film bro” ecosystem — the one that made sensationalist YouTube videos about Star Wars and Marvel — try to fit films like May December into its oft-reused formula. 2023 saw a lot of the ultra-commercial model come crashing down. I suspect another indie boom will rush in to take its place. It will be a repeat of the 1980s kid-friendly blockbusters giving way to the indie boom of the 1990s. We’re here again. Frankly, I’m looking forward to it. Witney Seibold

The news that The People’s Joker, trans actor/director Vera Drew’s riff on the Batman universe, will get a legal release in the spring gives me great hope. Steve Erickson 

Barbie was the best and least like a typical Hollywood blockbuster, I loved it. Super Marcey

1. Past Lives is a boring slog and anyone who disagrees has their head up their ass. 2. This year we got the best Saw and Evil Dead films in their respective franchises. 3. Weak year for documentaries. Billy Ray Brewton

I was struck by how, in their final sequences, both Killers of the Flower Moon and The Zone of Interest take the extra step to actually break from their own diegetic realities in order to directly confront the spectator. [SPOILERS] In Killers, Scorsese’s latest and greatest cameo — front and center in a time-jumping radio play coda — actually acknowledges the absurdity of even attempting to turn such atrocities of history into contemporary entertainment, and in a way The Zone of Interest, my favorite film of the year, does the same. As Commandant Rudolf Höss descends a gothic staircase (to hell, one might think), he stops and looks directly at us. In the next shot, which film language would suggest to be Höss’ POV, a tiny white pinhole opens to a new scene which places us in the present-day Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, as though Höss were an animal in a tomb, with us looking back in on him. Having left him there for a moment, we now tour other sections of the memorial, with various all-too-recognizable relics compartmentalized behind glass walls, and cleaning staff taking thorough measures to clean, dust, and sanitize this hollowed space. This is us, and this is our best — the literal custodians of history. Cutting back, Höss shrugs off whatever this glitch in the matrix may have been. Though we saw him heave and retch while walking a few moments earlier, teasing some hope that the historical karma of cinema might give him some even-minor sort of comeuppance, he does not drop dead or fall ill. He has not the slightest concern for us, or for this film, or some Holocaust museum. He is pure apathy, walking on, descending the stairway into the dark. The most wholesome and comforting thing I saw this year, and the unsung kickoff to the “food porn” year we’re having, was the series that Hirokazu Kore-eda adapted and co-directed for Netflix: The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House. Drop yourself into the episode titled “Illness,” where a teenage girl who cooks at a geisha-in-training residence walks through Kyoto gathering the ingredients to make a hearty miso soup for her best friend. Sam Smith