The Top 10 Movies of 2023

Summary

This video script offers a deep dive into the cinematic landscape of 2023, highlighting the year's most impactful and thought-provoking films. It features a personal top-ten list, reflecting both critical acclaim and the creator's passion for cinema. The script delves into the themes of humanity, evil, and storytelling, with standout mentions for 'Killers of the Flower Moon' and 'Asteroid City.' It also emphasizes the importance of exploring diverse films beyond the mainstream, cherishing the unique experiences each movie offers.

Takeaways

• 🎬 The speaker admires Martin Scorsese's continued ability to create thoughtful and provocative films at 81, with 'Killers of the Flower Moon' being a contemplative and deliberate work that confronts audiences with themes of evil and complicity.
• 👀 The film 'Killers of the Flower Moon' is noted for its focus on intimate humanity and the subtle yet powerful performances by Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone, despite not being a traditional crime thriller.
• 🌕 The movie is described as having an overarching tone of anguish, effectively using its runtime to draw viewers into a deeply emotional story, and is considered the best movie of 2023 by the speaker.
• 📝 The speaker discusses the challenge of determining the best movies of the year, acknowledging the subjectivity involved and the difficulty of creating a definitive list.
• 🤔 The script touches on the impact of social media and celebrity culture, as explored in a comedy featuring Nicolas Cage, which provides insight into the evolving concepts of influence and public accountability.
• 🎨 'Anatomy of a Fall' is praised as a naturalistic courtroom drama that embraces ambiguity and the pain of unanswerable questions, with impeccable craft and performance.
• 🍂 'Fallen Leaves' is highlighted for its small dramatic gestures that feel profound within its restrained and melancholic narrative, featuring beautiful music and a restrained lead performance.
• 🌹 'Past Lives' is a film that captures the evolving relationship with one's past and childhood through a lost romance, offering a nostalgic exploration of life choices and their consequences.
• 🐦 'The Boy and the Heron' is a new Hayao Miyazaki film that brings joy and wonder, exploring life and childhood trauma with sincerity and imaginative elements.
• 🌟 'Asteroid City' by Wes Anderson is seen as an evolution in personal and thematic storytelling, capturing the feeling of navigating the current world's chaos from an interior perspective.
• 🏆 The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of personal connection with films, suggesting that while lists can be helpful, taking a chance on less popular movies can lead to unexpected discoveries and joys.

Q & A

What is the significance of the $25,000 mentioned in the script?

The $25,000 mentioned in the script refers to an insurance policy that the speaker has on their neighbor and best friend, which is against what the neighbor owes them.

How does the speaker describe Martin Scorsese's current work compared to his earlier films?

The speaker describes Martin Scorsese's current work as more deliberate and contemplative compared to his earlier films, which were more known for their 'whiz, bang pop'.

What theme has been prevalent in many of Scorsese's films from the beginning, according to the speaker?

The theme of confronting the heart of evil and our own complicity with that evil has been prevalent in many of Scorsese's films from the beginning.

How does the speaker describe the movie 'Killers of the Flower Moon' in terms of its genre and tone?

The speaker describes 'Killers of the Flower Moon' as not being a crime thriller or very suspenseful, but rather having an overarching tone of anguish and focusing on the intimate humanity of the characters.

What is the speaker's opinion on Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone's performances in 'Killers of the Flower Moon'?

The speaker praises Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone's performances as some of the best and most subtle they have ever seen, with Gladstone having an incredible presence on screen.

What is the speaker's view on the role of social media in our lives and its impact on movies?

The speaker believes that social media has started to take over our lives and create a very weird world, and they feel that movies are beginning to grapple with this new landscape in an interesting and insightful way.

What is the speaker's opinion on the movie 'Dream Scenario' and its portrayal of celebrity culture?

The speaker finds 'Dream Scenario' to be a hilarious and genuinely insightful comedy about celebrity culture in the 21st century, with a good representation of an Internet marketing company.

What is the central theme of the movie 'Anatomy of a Fall' according to the speaker?

The central theme of 'Anatomy of a Fall' is the pain of ambiguity, focusing on the difficulty of stitching together an objective sense of what happened in the past from limited clues and witness accounts.

What makes the movie 'Fallen Leaves' stand out for the speaker?

The movie 'Fallen Leaves' stands out for the speaker due to its smaller dramatic landscape and stakes, beautiful lead performance, restrained style, and effective use of music.

How does the speaker describe the movie 'Past Lives' in terms of its narrative and themes?

The speaker describes 'Past Lives' as a beautiful portrait of evolving relationships with our childhood and past, represented through a lost romance and a sense of nostalgic wonder.

What is the speaker's view on the importance of watching movies that are not necessarily popular or critically acclaimed?

The speaker believes that it's important to take a chance on movies that may not be popular or critically acclaimed because they might offer a unique and personal connection that could be surprising and rewarding.