I spent a lot of time on the couch in 2023. After a hectic spring, I was burnt out and needed to rest. I kept busy during the day, but evenings were for relaxing and Anne and I watched a lot of TV together. The majority was stuff I’d seen before (Seinfeld and X-Files), but we also watched 1883 and Big Little Lies, and both were standouts. 1883 was particularly good and surprised us given that we didn’t care all that much for Yellowstone. I watched the first season of The Last of Us, which was very good at the beginning, but I lost interest towards the end. The zombies went from scary to silly.
Anne and I have differing tastes in movies, so I also watched many on my own. The big themes of the year were 90s teen comedies, James Bond (early Connery mostly) and Westerns. The majority were movies I’d already seen. Some new-to-me standouts were The Wild Bunch, Bullitt, Baby Driver and Repo Man.
Reading was a struggle in 2023. At the beginning of the year, I read half of Lonesome Dove (very good, but long), paused it for several months, then fell out of the reading habit for much of the summer. I needed a change of pace, so Anne gave me a copy of The Sisters Brothers, which she had started but didn’t finish. It took a minute to get into, but ended up being a wonderful surprise. I finally picked Lonesome Dove back up at the end of the year and look forward to finishing it in the new year.
For the curious, the list below is heavily inspired by Steven Soderbergh’s yearly SEEN, READ list that he posts on his blog, Soderblog. Anything with a red bookmark can be clicked on to display some random thoughts of mine.
January
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) B+
Better than expected. Visually stunning, but long and a tad action heavy at the end.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) C
Terrible sequel. Neither funny, nor clever.
Ocean's Eleven (2001) A
Happy to watch this every year.
The Godfather (1972) A+
Stunning. Perfect.
The Godfather Part III (1990) B-
First time ever watching the full thing. Not terrible, but clunky and cliched.
Unforgiven (1992) A+
Still excellent.
February
Moneyball (2011) A
Excellent all around. A different kind of sports movie.
21 Jump Street (2012) B+
Funny, charming. Channing Tatum is surprisingly funny.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) B+
Some great moments, but couldn't get into it. Might need to revisit.
March
The Alpinist (2021) A
Stunning, tragic.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) B
Morbid and depressing. Wanted to like it, but struggled to get into it.
1883
Great series. Really enjoyed it.
April
The Gray Man (2022) C
Could have been a flashy neo-Bond type romp, but felt apart at the end and became a parody of itself.
June
Pulp Fiction (1994) A+
Still Tarantino's best.
Cliffhanger (1993) B-
Not sure if I finished the movie?
Dumb and Dumber (1994) A
The perfect comedy?
July
Rio Bravo (1959) A
Very good. John Wayne in command.
August
Collateral (2004) A
Electric! When Tom Cruise is good, he's good.
The Wild Bunch (1969) A
Violent, but damn good.
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) B
Has aged surprisingly well. Cute and charming.
Bullitt (1968) B+
Chase scene did not disappoint. Overall very good.
Tales of Power, Carlos Castaneda A
One of the better ones in the series.
Easy A (2010) B+
Emma Stone is charming and carries the film.
The Girl Next Door (2004) C-
Great cast for such a mediocre flick. Tim Olyphant is a standout as always
The Getaway (1972) B+
Good, if uneven. McQueen is sharp.
September
From Russia with Love (1963) A
Beginning of my Bond phase. A top 5 for sure.
Dr. No (1962) B+
Solid, moody. hangout. Gets a bit cheesy at the end.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) A-
Really great. Still holds up well.
You Only Live Twice (1967) A-
Great stuff. Still holds up well.
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) B+
Holds up fairly well. Brosnan and Yeoh are a great duo
October
Baby Driver (2017) A
Great fun, great music
Repo Man (1984) B+
Weird, wild and lots of fun
Get Out (2017) A-
Enjoyed it as much as the first time. Unusual and unique.
Catch Me If You Can (2002) A
I don't think I'll ever get tired of rewatching this one.
Race to the Summit (2023) B
Another look at free-soloing a la The Alpinist and Free Solo. Fascinating subject matter, but less polished as a film though.
Empire Records (1995) A-
Great fun. Definition of a hang out movie. Funnier than I remember.
Wedding Crashers (2005) B+
Very funny. Vince Vaughan at his best.
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) A-
Dark, politically incorrect, and very very funny.
Big Little Lies S02
Finished the second season. Very good. Heavy.
November
Scary Movie (2000) B
Stupid, but funny. Anne Faris can do no wrong.
Go (1999) B+
Timothy Olyphant strikes again! Fun hangout movie.
Up in the Air (2009) A-
Aging well. Sharp and unique.
Daisy Jones & the Six S01
Cheesy, lazy writing. Not going to continue.
The Life Aquatic (2004) B+
Geeked out on Steve's Vostok Amphibia watch. Same feeling as in the past. It's good, but not great.
Wild (2014) A-
Interesting to watch after Big Little Lies. Many familiar faces. Good film
December
Ross Noble is a software developer, ultrarunner, podcaster and former van-dweller with a passion for the outdoors. He writes about running, cinema and anything else that interest him.
Montreal, QC