THE GREAT YEARS OF CINEMA: A Look Back at 1979

Welcome back to my Great Years of Cinema series!

Last time, we discussed 1989...and yes, I will eventually get to 1999 because the legend is real...but I want to talk about yet another year that I find to be stacked that just so happens to end in '9': 1979.

I have said many times on here that I hold the 1970s in high regard and consider it to be the finest decade for filmmaking...especially from an American standpoint as Hollywood struggled to match most of the output from the rest of the world for decades prior. 

1979 is that last gasp before we see a dip happening throughout the 1980s when some of the best efforts either went unnoticed or paled next to the best films from decades prior.

Unlike the last list where I chose to single out 20 films, I am only going to select 10 to discuss here instead. Perhaps this will vary as I go along with a given year, but I would say this is a good number to stick with for the sake of time.

I do want to quickly single out a film that won't be on the list particularly because of its critical/audience reception at the time, and the hold it has had from a pop culture standpoint:

Woody Allen's Manhattan

This film is mostly known today for being a B&W NYC lovefest with a score of Gershwin tunes arranged by then conductor of the NY Philharmonic Zubin Mehta along with that iconic shot of the 59th Street Bridge at dawn which (guilty) is one of my favorite shots in a film ever.

But yes, it is also the film where Woody Allen has a romantic relationship with a 17-year-old girl named Tracey, played by Mariel Hemingway...which...yeah that did not age well at all.

I also find it interesting that Allen himself disowned this film and yet it still remains one of his most successful films in terms of box office revenue and relative critical acclaim.

Allen has had a reputation for glamourizing NYC to a point that other fellow NY based filmmakers like Martin Scorsese referred to his work as "extremely foreign"...but I suppose Allen's work played a crucial role in shaping my fascination for the city, so that is why I wanted to quickly mention it.

Beyond that, I am looking forward to diving into these films. 

But you know what, I do want to acknowledge a few films really quickly that I do like from this year but did not make the cut:

NORMA RAE - which is a little rough around the edges but is saved by a luminous and passionate performance by Sally Field.

THE CHINA SYNDROME - a very entertaining and gripping thriller that manages to sort of fall under a 70s Disaster movie trope but also manages to be far better than the Disaster films that received Best Picture nominations earlier in the decade. 

THE MUPPET MOVIE - A truly subversive and bizarre film at times, but that is why I love it. The Muppets are so beloved, and this was Jim Henson and crew at their peak.

BREAKING AWAY - the pesky concept that is "coming of age" mixed with "underdogs in sports" - two concepts that can be failures when done wrong. Thankfully, that wasn't the case here.

KRAMER VS. KRAMER - We shouldn't ignore the heinous manipulation and abuse that Dustin Hoffman bestowed upon Meryl Streep for this film...but if we are strictly judging what is onscreen, the acting is what really carries the film. Hoffman is great, Streep steals the movie (shocker), young Justin Henry is such a natural, Jane Alexander was such a warm presence in whatever she did.

AND NOW - THE TOP 10:

#10 - NOSEFERATU THE VAMPYRE

Written & Directed by Werner Herzog

Known more these days for his documentaries, there was a time when German filmmaker Werner Herzog was leading the charge of the New German Cinema movement; a movement that is actually featured with more offerings on the list ahead.

This is Herzog's stylized remake of the famed 1922 F.W. Murnau film Nosferatu, which was in turn an adaptation of the legendary Bram Stoker novel Dracula...and that predated the Bela Lugosi version, which came out in 1931.

So yes, this is basically a remake...and considering I am writing this in late May 2024, we have the Robert Eggers' remake set to come out later this year. Remakes are certainly a very controversial topic when it comes to cinema, but I will gladly state that I found Herzog's take on this one to be a worthwhile endeavor. 

There is a truly gothic poetic quality to this version and as should come as no surprise to anyone, Klaus Kinski and Isabelle Adjani are quite remarkable. No other film within the Dracula canon has quite the surreal dreamlike vision of this one...so much so that I actually consider it to be the best of the modern-day vampire films.

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#9 - CAMERA BUFF

Written & Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski

Co-written by Jerzy Stuhr

 In my 1989 post, I sang the praises of the late Polish filmmaker Kryzsztof Kieslowski and said that I considered him to be "one of the greatest filmmakers to have ever lived". 

By saying that, I would place him on a top 10 canon list to be sure. I have not seen many of his short films, but his full-length features are first rate to say the least. Even my least favorite among them, 1987's Blind Chance, would likely get a 4 out of 5 star-ranking from me. 

I would say that Camera Buff does not get as much attention or discussion as The Three Colours trilogy or The Double Life of Veronique, but I would argue that Camera Buff is nearly as vital as those if only for the fact that it taps into a different kind of topic: the love of cinema & photography.

When you look at works like 8 1/2, Cinema Paradiso, and Day for Night, you often get the glamour along with the bitterness that comes with having an obsession for visual/cinematic art. 

Camera Buff is no exception. 

Our protagonist is Filip (Jerzy Stuhr), a nervous young father who begins documenting the first days of his daughter's life while living in Communist Poland.

The harsh environment around him at work when Filip's interest in filming his life around him takes on more of an obsessive effect...which also leads to him neglecting his wife and daughter ironically enough, his first muses if you will.

I suppose you could consider this film a warning on how not to get too obsessed with your work, because one could look at the character of Filip and tell him that life isn't just about his camera...but Jerzy Stuhr's performance feels so natural and honest that you almost want to take on the belief that ignorance is bliss.

When I look at my life working in a corporate office as opposed to acting as of late, sometimes I scoff at...actually strike that...I OFTEN scoff at the majority of the people around me. Many of them don't exactly embrace anything about the arts and probably view that lifestyle as tiresome. 

I am not saying I want to cut everyone off like Filip does, but I do miss being around artistic types on a regular basis like I was throughout most of my 20s.

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#8 - TICKET OF NO RETURN

Written & Directed by Ulrike Ottinger

Perhaps one of the more semi-controversial selections for this list, Ticket of No Return has been written off by some as being a plotless and indulgent film that had no real substance.

Obviously, considering its placement here, I don't share that sentiment. However, it is one of those films where I can totally get the criticism and why some don't respond to it. For some reason, I took it and I will try my best to explain way.

Like I mentioned, the film feels a bit breezy in terms of a plot, but the film follows an unnamed woman (Tabea Blumenschein) who barely speaks. Her goal is to arrive in Berlin and drink until she passes out. Meanwhile, a Greek chorus of three women observe her and pass judgement on her behavior.

Aside from the stunning visuals and the grand screen presence of Blumenschein, there is definitely a clear message that the film is trying to make.

This film was written and directed by Ulrike Ottinger, a lesbian and someone with a clear voice and style to her work. She intended the film to be how society is so quick to judge women for their actions compared to men. That is certainly a tale as old as time!

Look at all the classic Hollywood films who used to vilify women of "ill repute" values thanks to the standards of the Hays Code...or even in reality when they kicked actresses like Ingrid Bergman to the curb for having an adulterous affair with Roberto Rossellini. 

Ottinger was such a unique voice compared to other colleagues who were considered part of the New German Cinema movement of the 70s and 80s that I brought up before in regard to Werner Herzog. It also contained the likes of Wim Wenders and Werner Rainer Fassbinder. One way I would say that Ottinger differed greatly in comparison to those three men is that she took on a free-thinking avant-garde approach that made the other films seem more accessible by comparison...which is saying something when looking at the catalogues of those 3 men.

It isn't a film for everyone, but I appreciate Ottinger's vision here. It may seem a bit freewheeling, but she definitely has a point...and also, the visuals give the film a lot more flair which gives it a boost, albeit somewhat superficial.

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#7 - BEING THERE

Directed by Hal Ashby

Written by Jerzy Kosinski

When watching The Holdovers, I felt like various films of Hal Ashby were inspiring the cinematic style that Alexander Payne was going for. In my review for that film, I acknowledged Being There as one of them due to how the film had a sort of cold, wintery landscape and even a cool-colored cinematography.

However, there is a lot more to love about something like Being There. 

If you were to just sum up Being There to someone, you could describe it as a "fake it till you make it" film that has more of a heart.

Obviously, that sells it short. 

Peter Sellars plays Chance, a gardener who has spent all of his life within the confines of a Washington DC townhome owned by an elderly man who passes away. The estate lawyers insist that Chance leave and they force him out onto the streets for the first time with only the knowledge of gardening and frequent television watching to offer.

When he is accidentally struck by a limo chauffeuring Eve Rand (Shirley MacLaine), she brings him back to the huge gothic mansion where she lives with her much older dying husband Ben (Melvyn Douglas) to be examined by his doctor. 

From here, Chance the Gardener...or as Eve misinterprets it, Chauncey Gardiner...begins something of a whimsical odyssey where he manages to coast his way up the ladder of a society all by...well...chance.

Being There is one of the best films you can watch that would fall under a satirical category because despite that whole "fake it till you make it" idea or the concept that sometimes people just get lucky, there is such a bittersweet heart to Being There. 

Peter Sellars is absolutely brilliant in this, and it is easily the finest work of his career...and Chance is such an amazing character to watch...and it is a great message of sorts: "No matter what our facades, we are all children".  

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#6 - MONTY PYTHON'S THE LIFE OF BRIAN

Directed by Terry Jones

Written by Monty Python

Years ago, I was watching an interview with John Cleese where he stated that he noticed a bit of a divide in both British and American audiences when it came to selecting their favorite Monty Python film. Americans tend to prefer Holy Grail while the Brits prefer Life of Brian.

In this case, I definitely side with the Brits.

The fact that Life of Brian had the volatile reputation amongst the religious community is not surprising in the slightest, and it is even less surprising when you realize how wrong they were.

While the men from Monty Python are not religious people, they were wise enough to know that the inherent idea of Jesus Christ as a figure was nothing that they could make fun of directly. His preachings are simply about treating others with kindness; that may be putting in the most simplistic way possible, but I think most of us understanding what Jesus and Christianity as a whole is supposed to stand for. 

Instead, Life of Brian doesn't make fun of Jesus Christ: it makes fun of organized religion and the people who blindly follow...and let's just say I am always here for that kind of thing.

I grew up the denomination known as Apostolic, which you could just link to keywords like Pentecostal or Evangelical...and it is a lot of those people (even if the denomination may vary) who have been leading the charge of the Religious Right in the Republican Party....something that has become worse over the last 50 years. 

In the States, it is obvious that people don't give a flying fuck about the term "Separation of Church & State"....and yet, that kind of mentality is destroying so many constitutional rights in this country.

A film like Life of Brian SHOULD infuriate these people not because it makes fun of Jesus Christ, but because it makes fun of themselves. 

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#5 - STALKER 

Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky

Written by Arkady & Boris Strugsatsky

The most well-known film in the Tarkovsky canon would be Solaris...and it is likely his most widely seen or it happens to be known more being the basis of a truly horrible 2002 American remake by Steven Soderbergh.

While I absolutely love Tarkovsky's Solaris, I would argue that his best work was with 1975's Mirror or the film I am now about to discuss: Stalker. Let's just say that most of Tarkovsky's work is not going to be what the general audience wants to flock to...and perhaps you could say he is one of those filmmakers that seems pretentious to love.

I feel like I had to grow into loving Tarkovsky's works...but that isn't a surprise. I can't say I truly understood a lot of what he was trying to do as a teenager. Everything seemed dark and brooding in a way that I would've expected to respond to considering how I took to the likes of David Lynch...but I have to admit that Tarkovsky has a lot more depth than a lot of Lynch's work.

This isn't to say I fully understand Stalker right now...I would never claim to be that intelligent...but it is clearly a film that requires repeated viewings to even begin to interpret all of its themes.

If I were to entice you to check out the film based on a brief synopsis, I can give you as follows:

A writer (Anatoly Solonitsyn) and a professor (Nikolai Grinko) are both looking for inspiration to try to move on with various projects/aspects within their lives. This leads them to a man known as the Stalker (Alexander Kaidanovsky), who can guide them through a hazardous wasteland to access a space called "the Zone", where all of your innermost desires can be granted. 

Of all the films on my list, this is the one where I feel like I can't exactly do it justice to describe beyond that...which probably makes sense for those of you who have seen it.

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#4 - ALIEN 

Directed by Ridley Scott

Written by Dan O'Bannon/Story by O'Bannon & Ronald Shusett

This is bound to piss some of you off, but so be it.

Ridley Scott recently made a comment that he feels rather good about the fact he is able to churn out films so quickly...but if I may be honest, the man hasn't made a truly good film in over 20 years...and his best work is over 40 years behind him. 

Alien was the film that put him on the map, and to me, it is still his best work. There was a time where I said that I preferred James Cameron's Aliens, but I don't feel as such anymore. Also, they are both tonally very different. 

The slow burn horror/suspense of Alien has aged remarkably well, and I think the decision to cast Ripley as a woman (as the script was written so that all the roles could be any gender and then adjusted after casting) was a masterstroke and it ignited the film career of the legendary Sigourney Weaver.

When I first saw Alien way back in 2000, I acknowledged it was a good movie but I was definitely trying to form myself as something of a film elitist snob who didn't really consider a film like that to be "best of the year" material or awards worthy. I am willing to admit that about myself, but it is truly obvious now that so many great films/performances have gotten the shaft due to negative genre bias.

Alien has stood the test of time. It is kind of hard to elaborate much on that, as everything just feels so succinct and clear in its presentation. From the moment of the absolutely unnerving opening credits to the tense finale, it is pure cinematic gold.

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#3 - APOCALYPSE NOW 

Written & Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Co-written by John Milius 

There are certain films from over the years where I have considered them something of a "journey" for me...but what exactly do I mean by that?

For various reasons, watching a film for the first time could mean that you will end up not liking it...which may seem like an obvious potential outcome...but what is fascinating to me is how over time you can grow to reevaluate a film and respect it a lot more.

Frankly, the 70s filmography from Francis Ford Coppola fits this to a tee. 

I had made the claim in my teen years that I wasn't as wowed by the first two films of The Godfather trilogy or Apocalypse Now. It was my way of really flaunting one of those "hot take" opinions that made me feel like I had some kind of edge. To further add to that, I would always say my favorite Coppola film was The Conversation...which, for the record, I do still love, and think is a masterpiece.

I have come to accept that I was completely wrong about those other three films...and now, I will go into why I think Apocalypse Now deserves this placement.

Or rather...do I REALLY need to? I feel like most people have seen this film and the amount of effort and tenacity that was put into every frame is kind of hard to miss.

Sure, the legend behind the film is that Coppola took everything on at a maniacal level and when the film was first released, it polarized a lot of critics and people in the general audience. 

For every Roger Ebert calling it "the best film of 1979" and would later dub it "the greatest Vietnam War film ever made", you get Frank Rich calling it "emotionally obtuse" or Vincent Canby saying it was nothing but "delusions of grandeur". 

Maybe I don't necessarily respond to the film on a deep emotional level, but there is still something so unsettling and operatic about the scope of this film. 

I would argue that it holds up remarkably well under a modern lens. Something like the iconic Ride of the Valkyries is shot and edited with such flare that I can only imagine how that would've played to a 1979 audience member. 

For what Coppola was able to achieve here, I can't deny him anything less than a little bit of worship as if I am a villager bowing at Martin Sheen's Willard.  

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#2 - ALL THAT JAZZ

Directed by Bob Fosse

Written by Robert Alan Aurthur & Bob Fosse

Maybe there are other films I am forgetting, but if I were to name a film that manages to be equally compelling while being overly self-indulgent in the best ways, you can't really look further than All That Jazz; a film in which Bob Fosse essentially puts himself on the screen and glorifies and attacks his life all at once.

Fosse obviously made a name for himself in film (hence this and his Oscar winning work on Cabaret, among others), but his legend is so closely tied to the theatre. He had such a distinct style to his work that I would certainly be willing to accept the claim that he is the most iconic in terms of staging/choreography. 

In order to capture that kind of energy, he needed to find the right actor to play his alter-ego and I would say that it is an absolute shame that Roy Scheider never got the roles/acclaim he deserved after the 1970s.

Most people remember him from Jaws, and understandably so. He was something of a strong, silent type as Chief Brody...but here, he completely oozes charisma in such a way that you truly witness one of the greatest unsung character actors in cinema. 

The alter-ego is Joe Gideon...and he is living a life of excess: drugs, alcohol, chain-smoking, womanizing...and visits from an angel of death named Angelique (Jessica Lange, in her first role post-King Kong that made critics go "ummmm....okay yeah, she might actually be brilliant...").

I mentioned that the film could be viewed as self-indulgent, but honestly, I think it took big, brass balls for Fosse to make this...and it is even more effective now when you take into account that Fosse predicted his own death about 6 years before it happened.

It's a musical that isn't quite a musical; instead, it is a dark music-infused biopic made by a man who deep down saw all of his own flaws, and yet was still unrepentant despite his regrets. 

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#1 - THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN 

Written & Directed by Werner Rainer Fassbinder

Co-written by Peter Marthesheimer & Pea Frohlich

I have only seen The Marriage of Maria Braun twice. I first saw it back around 2008 when I began digging a little deeper into foreign cinema thanks to some very strong recommendations from fellow online film fanatics at the time. I thought highly of the film, but for some reason, just sort of forgot about it. It wasn't until a few years later that I saw people bringing up the film again via the magnificent performance of Hanna Schygulla as one of the truly great unsung performances of cinema that I felt compelled to seek out the film again. 

It wasn't until 2020, when I was stuck home in COVID quarantine, that I finally saw the film again and it not only hit me more on that second watch, but it made me want to revisit the filmography of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, a very crucial and important Queer filmmaker whose life was cut short following an overdose in 1982 at the age of 37.

I haven't discussed him much on my blog, which is a shame...but frankly, this is why I love doing posts like these so I have more of a wide net to cast when discussing various filmmakers who might get overlooked for one reason or another. 

I did bring up his film In a Year of 13 Moons on my *1978* list, but I still think that The Marriage of Maria Braun might be my favorite of his works.

Fassbinder deserves his flowers, and while it may be a bit of a surprise, I decided to select this as my #1 film even though...and this is no joke...all of my top 5 were in this spot briefly. With that in mind, just consider the fact that if I were to have posted this list tomorrow, you might see Apocalypse Now or All That Jazz here. 

For a quick synopsis of the film for those who may not be familiar, the film begins during an Allied bombing in 1943, where young Maria (Hanna Schygulla) marries Hermann (Klaus Lowitch). Shortly thereafter, Hermann returns to the Eastern front and quickly vanishes. It is assumed that he perished in battle, which leads Maria to have to turn to prostitution to help care for her mother and grandfather. 

Maria ends up taking a liking to Bill (George Byrd), an African-American soldier. She won't marry him out of respect of Hermann's memory, but the two have a very tender and loving relationship...until Hermann returns, after having been a Russian prisoner. 

As I write this, Sean Baker JUST won the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival for his film Anora which tells the story of an exotic dancer who often does sex work. Baker stated in his acceptance speech that he dedicated the film to sex workers "past, present, and future".

While Maria's journey with it comes out of tragedy, Fassbinder had enough sense to show us that this was still a valuable asset and nothing to be demeaned. It was able to get Maria back on her feet, more or less...sort of how Akerman explored that element in Jeanne Dielman. 

Maria is able to use the anguish of post-WWII Germany for her own personal gain...and we admire her for it in many ways. She certainly has her brutal and ruthless moments, and we may question a lot of her choices at times...but she simply a gray character; she is complex. A lot of that is in the text and the direction, but the truth is that the performance by Schygulla is one of my favorites ever.

It thrilled me to see Schygulla as Martha in Poor Things, because while it wasn't the biggest role, she was a key factor in pushing Emma Stone's Bella Baxter towards mental/emotional autonomy. As Maria, she is pretty much a seductive bulldozer; a woman who knows what she needs to do to get what she wants to help herself first, and then those she chooses to help later. 

A truly stunning achievement not just for Fassbinder, Schygulla, and the New German Cinema movement, but easily one of the greatest achievements of film from what was the brilliance of the 1970s.

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

I may not have written as in-depth about as many films this time around, but frankly, I kind of feel better about that fact now that I am drafting my final thoughts.

I think the crazy thing about 1979 was that it was seen by some critics at the time as either a last gasp or the beginning of the end of cinema. That may sound a bit extreme, but by the middle of 1980, the negative tides seemed to be changing.

The infamous but beloved New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael wrote a piece that was called "The Current Cinema: Why Are Movies So Bad?", which opens with the following line:

"The movies have been so rank the last couple of years that when I see people lining up to buy tickets, I sometimes think that the movies aren't drawing an audience - they are inheriting an audience".

Now, I could see perhaps why she may have felt a bit concerned about the slimmer output in 1980, which even mainstream Hollywood publications like Variety commented on going into awards season in 1981...but I feel like hindsight for the latter years of the 1970s has been more luminous. 

Maybe it wasn't as overflowing with an absurdly high amount of stellar films like 1974 or 1975, but I still think this representation of 1979 films can be considered far better than many other years of cinema.

As I mentioned in the intro, I do intend on tackling 1999, but frankly I don't know if it will be next up or not. I still feel like I would rather focus on other years that don't get as much attention or maybe aren't as recent. 

I basically just revealed I think very highly of 1974 and 1975 so you will be seeing me tackle those years for sure. In the meantime, I hope that if you haven't seen some of these films, you will be encouraged to check them out.

IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR: The Best of 2023 in Film

Summer is approaching and I am only just now releasing my top films list of 2023...and I have to say that I am pretty pleased with the output here!

Just in case you didn't read it or may have forgotten about it, this was a direct quote from what I had to say when I made my top 10 list for 2022:

"I am more pensive about 2023 than I was for 2022. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised when I start to write this post for next year".

I am quite pleased, indeed! For the most part, I feel like a lot of people agree with me that 2023 is the best year for film in quite a few years...although there was one random YouTuber I came across who proceeded to say 2022 was so much better and I had to click away.

Looking at my top 10 for last year and the films selected by the Academy, the difference is night and day between then and now. To give you an idea of how drastic the quality difference is, NONE of the films from my top 10 last year would make my top 10 this year, except for maybe my #1 film which was Park Chan-wook's Decision to Leave. 

Unlike a lot of people, I was actually rather fond of the indie output given in 2020...but I felt that 2021 was a pretty weak year aside from a small handful of fantastic films.

2023 is at least on par with 2019 in my eyes, which equally had a strong number of films I liked. However, what I found remarkable about this year is how much some of my favorites ended up aligning with a lot of the films that got awards attention. 

Here's a little mini-spoiler before we get started: 5 of the 10 best picture nominees made my top 10 list...and 3 more would make my top 20. This kind of outcome is very, very rare; I do think 2019-2020 had a great overlap, but for 5 films to also make my top 10 is something highly unusual. It did happen in 2017, but I do think I would be curious to go back and see if it has happened much more.

This list will contain my top 10 along with 5 Honorable Mentions. I am also giving one film a special mention which I will explain here in a moment.

Needless to say, I found this year to be rather glorious. I am not sure I would consider it as one of the best years of film ever (it is too early to make such a call), but I will say it is easily the best film year of the 2020s thus far and easily one of my favorites of the 21st Century.

Let's begin with that special mention I brought up as there is some confusion over what year the film truly qualified.

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SPECIAL MENTION:

GODLAND 

Written & Directed by Hlynur Palmason

This is one of those films, much like Beanpole and Bacarau back in 2019/2020, where we weren't really exposed to it until the year after it technically premiered in its home country and on the festival circuit...and because of this, I feel a little strange about including it on this list. I will admit that I probably break my own rules here and there, but I am going to stick with considering this a 2022 film even though I didn't see or hear of it really until 2023...not to mention it was submitted as Iceland's selection for this year's International Feature Oscar...a nom it did not receive in the end.

Godland could be seen as a pretentious effort, but I think its settings and themes and even its visual aesthetic really thrilled me because it felt like Hlynur Palmason was the reincarnation of Ingmar Bergman, the filmmaker I often dub as, to use a term the kids use today, the GOAT.

It is set in the 19th Century and involves a Lutheran priest named Lucas, who is asked to leave his parish in Denmark to form a new church in Iceland. While there, he suffers adjusting to living in a rural setting and also feels like he is lost in translation while trying to communicate with his Icelandic guide Ragnar.

In a year like 2023, Godland would not make my top 10 as I feel like the output was just that strong...but in a year like 2022, it would've cracked my top 5. 

This was certainly a slow and moody piece, and not exactly something I would watch again any time soon, but I greatly admired what Palmason achieved here.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS:

#15 - MONSTER

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-ada

Written by Yuji Sakamoto

One of my favorite filmmakers of the last 20 years is Japan's Hirokazu Kore-ada, who has been behind such masterpieces as Shoplifters and Nobody Knows. 

Monster is unique in that he doesn't write the script himself but is working with the text of Yuji Sakamoto. The final result is a beautiful example of how young kids can overcome the struggle of acceptance and be able to support each other. 

Kids can be cruel, adults can be cruel...but there is always the one friend who will love you no matter what and accept you. 

This film taps into that message so beautifully.

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#14 - BOTTOMS 

Written & Directed by Emma Seligman

Co-written by Rachel Sennott

After having loved Shiva Baby, the previous outing from Seligman and Sennott, I was rather intrigued by Bottoms. It also doesn't hurt that Ayo Edebiri is in it being the Queen that she is.

This one is bonkers and ridiculous, but that is why I enjoyed it. It took the concept of a raunchy teen sex comedy, but made it about lesbians who use the idea Fight Club as a means to empower and meet women they want to sleep with.

Just accept it and enjoy the sadisitic ride.

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#13 - PERFECT DAYS

Written & Directed by Wim Wenders

 Co-written by Takuma Takasaki

A film in Japanese that is set in Tokyo, but made by German filmmaker Wim Wenders?

It may seem odd, but it works. While a bit plodding, this is a true slice-of-life piece about Hiriyama (Koji Yakusho), a middle-aged man who works as a public toilet cleaner. A lot of the film is us watching him doing his work, interacting with others, and him driving around the city while listening to his favorite tunes.

Maybe not as rapturous about the film as some are, but there is a simplistic beauty about it that is hard to ignore.

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#12 - FALLEN LEAVES

Written & Directed by Aki Kaurismaki

At times quirky and surreal, at other times rather bleak, Fallen Leaves takes a look at two lonely souls living just above the poverty line in Helsinki who seem to possibly be destined to be together but face obstacle after obstacle.

Perhaps one of the best efforts given to us by Kaurismaki, the most prominent Finnish filmmaker.

It is a little slow-paced despite being less than 90 minutes long, but it is certainly a film high on the atmosphere of Jim Jarmusch-esque indie charm.

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#11 - LA CHIMERA 

Written & Directed by Alice Rohrwacher

I was not really familiar with Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher prior to this, but I have to say that now I hope she keeps this up. 

La Chimera is truly bonkers tale about an English archaeologist named Arthur (Josh O'Connor) who is released from prison and is desperate to find his ex-girlfriend Beniamina. On his journey, he returns to his group of accomplices he worked with in the past - a group of grave robbers. While robbing graves, he is determined to find Beniamina...even if it means finding a portal to the afterlife to find her.

This one has grown on me the more I think about.

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THE TOP 10:

#10 - THEATER CAMP 

A film like Theater Camp being on a list like this might not seem like a surprise to many of you who know me, but there was a very strong chance that this film could've failed.

As a theatre kid, I know that as a group we have a tendency to be very annoying. Even as an adult, I find myself a tad distanced at times from even following theatre message boards due to the catty behavior.

Theater Camp worked for me in that it still felt true to the world of being a young theatre kid, but it also managed to have a nice mix of sentimentality and snark that made it feel way more tolerable than one might've expected.

We have seen a similar film to this one in the past...which happened to be called Camp. However, there was a certain silly whimsy to Theater Camp that made it stand out more for me.

Sure, it may have dealt with certain plot tropes we've seen before, but it made realize why I loved being around artsy loving people like these...even the kids.

This is certainly a niche film, and one I don't expect will appeal to many people as it is very specific in tapping into the world of theatre arts...but that's okay, in the end, not every film is going to be accessible for everyone. I will still watch this with more glee before any kind of superhero film.

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#9 - GODZILLA MINUS ONE

Written & Directed by Takashi Yamazaki

I suppose one could call films from the Godzilla world as something of a niche genre...but I think it was apparent with the response that this film received...at least stateside rather than its native Japan...that it struck a deeper chord.

Would I say that I am a fan of Godzilla films or monster movies in general? Eh, not really. I appreciate the value in stuff like the original King Kong or something such as An American Werewolf in London, but I had always acknowledged that something with Godzilla at its best could be an entertaining watch. 

We've seen an uptick recently in new Godzilla material, and frankly I haven't exactly followed all of it. 2016's Shin Godzilla managed to surprise with how well it tapped into bureaucratic side of Tokyo trying to deal with a sea monster that just keeps evolving every time it is attacked.

I think that film managed to walk so that Godzilla Minus One could blow out an atomic blast from its mouth...which I suppose would make more sense if you've seen the film.

While the film definitely has that kind of melodramatic acting style that can seem very cheesy at times, it does fit the world rather well...and a lot of that is due to its setting.

A lot of what made this work so well for me was the strong emotional story.

The film's protagonist Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is a kamikaze pilot during the end of WWII who has the chance to stop Godzilla from attacking a base camp but freezes up in the moment causing all but himself and one other person to perish. 

A lot of the plot elements are quite similar to the original Godzilla from 1954 but focusing on Koichi's PTSD following WWII and the destruction of much of Japan by our bombs, it gives the film such an added weight.

For what it was, this was a truly astounding effort with amazing Oscar-winning visual effects that netted the franchise its first win 70 years after it began. I would like to see more films like this one made by this team.

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#8 - ANATOMY OF A FALL

Written & Directed by Justine Triet

Co-written by Arthur Harari

As winner of the 2023 Palme d'Or from the Cannes Film Festival, Anatomy of a Fall managed to strike a nerve around the world...and certainly with me as it took a relatively simple concept (did our leading lady commit murder?) and managed to make it a fascinating look in the French legal system.

German actress Sandra Huller plays Sandra, a novelist who lives in the village of Grenoble amidst the French Alps with her husband Samuel and their pre-teen son Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner), who is visually impaired and uses a guide dog named Snoop.

While being interviewed in their home, Samuel plays loud music from the attic (the absurdly catchy calypso instrumental version of 50 Cent's P.I.M.P.) which disrupts Sandra's discussion, so they agree to cut the interview short.

Shortly thereafter, Daniel returns from a walk with Snoop and finds Samuel laying on the ground dead with a massive headwound seemingly having fallen from the attic above...but Sandra's public celebrity puts her under more scrutiny and suspicion leads people to believe she could have murdered him rather than it being an actual fall.

There was a slow burn quality to the film where, at times, I did admittedly wonder if I was going to take to it. I do think it truly was fascinating to see how a French courtroom is set up and these scenes were particularly impressive with the work of the seemingly chauvinistic prosecutor played by Antoine Reinartz.

There is a sleek style to the film that is quiet but noticeable, and that is certainly thanks to the work of Justine Triet, whom I was thrilled to see get that Best Director nomination along with the Original Screenplay win she shared with life partner Arthur Harari. It felt like divine justice after France refused to submit the film for the International Film Oscar due to Triet being a harsh critic of French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist policies among such things as pension form that she deemed "neo-liberal".

I am especially pleased this film gave a bigger spotlight to the great actress Sandra Huller, who plays the role with such a cold sustained stillness most of the time until we get to witness the last huge fight she had with Samuel days before his death. It is a scene that works so strongly due to the dialogue and what she mines out of it.

I do want to single out young Milo Machado-Graner as Daniel, because as far as child performances go, he was simply magnificent and frankly, I would've strongly considered giving him my vote for the Oscar in Supporting Actor.

Oh and yes - I cannot forget the truly good boy that is Snoop, played by Messi. It makes me wish we could give animals an Honorary Oscar because this dog was trained to perfection to make one particular scene work so startingly well!

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#7 - SCRAPPER 

Written & Directed by Charlotte Regan

It is kind of a shame when a film premieres at Sundance and despite winning one of the key prizes, doesn't seem to take off beyond that. 

In fact, Scrapper didn't even end up getting an official release in the US. I only found out about via its Sundance inclusion and hearing some of my followers mention it on Letterboxd.

Being a tad coy, you could describe Scrapper as a modern-day reinvention of Punky Brewster, which for those of you who don't know what that is, it was an 80s sitcom about a young girl who was abandoned by her parents and eventually taken in by a cantankerous older man whose life she manages to brighten...as sitcoms of that era loved having their core story come from a place of tragedy...

Scrapper isn't exactly about that, but it is about a young girl named Georgie (Lola Campbell) who is actually living all by herself in a North London flat after the death of her mother. She is able to fend off social services by concocting a plan that she is staying with an uncle that doesn't really exist.

In order to make money, she and her friend Ali steal bikes to sell for scrap and for the most part, the arrangement is working out well enough for her...until one day, her estranged father Jason (Harris Dickinson) shows up whom she has never met as he has been living in Spain for several years.

He insists he stay there otherwise he will reveal to social services what she has been doing all this time.

Scrapper is the film debut of British director Charlotte Regan, who had previously been known for working in the music video world. She has such a clear, distinct voice here...and her use of a documentary/interview motif at times gives the film a lovely charm that adds something unique to a trope that has been used in the past for such films as When Harry Met Sally.

For such a dark topic, the film works surprisingly well and is handled with such care that I couldn't help but fall for it. I just wish more people could've seen it!

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#6 - THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE

Written & Directed by Ilker Catak

Co-written by Johannes Duncker

I was truly happy to see that The Teachers' Lounge managed to make it into the Best International Feature race at the Oscars, as I found it to be a truly wonderful film that showcases the difficulty that teachers often face, especially when dealing with students and the rumors that can spread.

German actress Leonie Benesch plays our lead, Carla Nowak. My only previous experience of her that I can recall was way back in 2009's divisive The White Ribbon. I loved seeing her be able to tackle a great role like this and I hope she can soon receive more widespread exposure similar to that of Sandra Huller this past year.

Carla is a 7th grade teacher who recently transferred to the school and ends up becoming something of a pariah as she is highly uncomfortable with the methods in which the school is trying to combat a series of thefts from the teachers' lounge. 

This leads to the school asking for students to show their wallets for inspection and they find a Middle Eastern student named Ali who has a lot of money in his wallet...and they assume the only reason for the volume of money is that he stole it, which obviously leads to complaints from his parents that he was racially profiled. As expected, Ali is innocent and his parents gave him the money.

The real situation proves to be a little more involved than just a student stealing.

I think one of the biggest things I loved about The Teachers' Lounge is how much the tension at times plays like a suspense thriller...but considering how it could also be taken as bleak subject matter, it still manages to find brief moments of levity. It is that combination that made me truly enjoy the film and was happy that it got a little bit of a boost with the nomination.

I was also pleasantly surprised when director Ilker Catak and Leonie Benesch were interviewed on the main Red Carpet show prior to the Oscars just because films like this don't always receive attention unless they manage to slip into other major categories as well. I even noticed ads popping up for the film online, so yes...I would recommend seeing this film and love that it has begun receiving a little more widespread advertising.

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#5 - THE ZONE OF INTEREST 

Written & Directed by Jonathan Glazer

When Rudolf looks towards the camera and we quickly cut to present-day Germany, it feels like a gut punch that we weren't expecting. Considering how much everything had been pretty much kept off-screen and behind the walls, we were now seeing Auschwitz in its current form: a museum that is meticulously kept.

And then, it cuts back to Rudolf, who proceeds to walk away into the darkness. A very matter-of-fact moment in terms of symbolism, but it works strongly nonetheless. 

The Zone of Interest was 2023's auteur film statement that also managed to find its way into the Best Picture race. Its acclaim was so strong that it even surprised many of us that it managed to slip into the more mainstream leaning Producers' Guild of America nominations for Best Picture. 

When I wrote about the film upon first seeing it, my statement was that I actually didn't know if I felt strongly about the film in a positive way or a negative way. I even thought for a moment that I hated the film and considered it pretentious trash.

The more I thought about the film over a couple of days, the more I realized I by no means hated it, but respected it highly. It just...stayed in mind and wouldn't leave. 

As I watched it, I feel as though certain moments just glazed over me more because I was just feeling so uncomfortable being placed in this setting. I would be watching two characters speak only to hear gunshots in the background...or we'd watch Sandra Huller trying on a mink coat that had been taken from one of the camp victims.

As the days passed, it was like realizations of bits from the film would wash over me and I would get placed back into that uncomfortable feeling...and I think a lot of that was due to relatively distinct way that Glazer presented the material. It was more or less presenting these issues bare for what they were...and that matter-of-fact nature is simply chilling.

In terms of the filmgoing experience, I have to commend The Zone of Interest for invoking the feelings it did out of me. I can see why others would respond to it more harshly, but I feel like Glazer achieved something truly stunning here.

Shout-out to the intricate Oscar-winning Sound design by Tam Willers and Jonnie Burn. It is deceptive in its approach, but the sounds of the camp next door to the sounds of the family casually living their life make for some truly devastating and horrific moments....and all based on the sound and visuals.

The more I think about the film, the more I find myself considering it a masterwork. 

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#4 - PAST LIVES 

Written & Directed by Celine Song

2023 gave us a couple of early in the year releases that managed to hold out for awards attention. Not only did you have the Barbenheimer duo opening in July, but there was also Past Lives in June. 

I think you could make a case that Past Lives might be the most beloved film of 2023 if you were to ask the most devout of film buffs. It seems like if you didn't have it as your #1 film of the year, it was at least on your top 10 list. Frankly, the fact I even have it as #4 on this list is merely a formality as this is quite possibly the strongest top 5 I have had for a year of film in a while.

The film begins in 2000 Seoul with two 12-year-olds named Na Young and Hae Sung who are attracted to one another which leads their parents to set up a date. However, we learn that Na Young's family is planning to immigrate to Canada which effectively ends the relationship before it can truly begin.

We then skip ahead 12 years where Na Young now goes by Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) reconnect on Skype after she finds out he has been looking for her over Facebook. He still lives in Seoul after serving in the military while she now works as a writer in New York. Despite long Skype conversations and an obvious connection there, neither seem willing to take any drastic steps. She doesn't really want to return to Seoul while he doesn't seem to have the means to fly to New York. They stop communicating and both end up in relationships not long after. Him with a woman that isn't really a good fit for him, while she meets a fellow writer named Arthur (John Magaro) at a retreat out in Montauk.

Like clockwork 12 years later, Hae Sung wants to reconnect with Nora and now has the means to come visit...which leads to a rather dignified love triangle.

In fact, calling Past Lives a "love triangle" film sells it a bit short. I think what makes it work so well is how much these three people actually feel like real people. Nora certainly feels the history with Hae Sung and there is such a subtle but brimming life within Greta Lee's work. She is absolutely the soul of this film, but that would make Teo Yoo the film's heart. 

Yoo comes across as a gentle soul and when he first sees Nora in the flesh for the first time in over two decades, we watch a thirtysomething guy turn back into a 12-year-old before our eyes. He is bashful and almost blushing; it is hard not to deny him what he wants.

Then you have Magaro's Arthur, who perhaps does hold a bit of jealously at the dynamic, but he is never bitter or rude. If anything, he gives them space to let them have their peace...and it feels so refreshing to see this kind of dynamic in a film.

Past Lives is one of those films that is so deceptive in its approach that at first glance, it may not seem that special...but it just stays with you. Considering this was her film debut, we can now put Celine Song down as one of the most promising filmmakers in quite some time.

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#3 - POOR THINGS 

Written by Tony McNamara

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

There always seems to be that one film that gets a copious amount of praise but has enough of a negative vocal minority that you can't help but wonder whose side you will fall on.

Going into Poor Things, I had a semblance of hope because I have often been a fan of the filmography of Yorgos Lanthimos, save for The Killing of a Sacred Deer, but even that had its intriguing qualities. Still though, I just felt like there was a chance I would find it overhyped or perhaps it would be too weird for the sake of being weird.

Sure, being based on a previous novel helped I am sure...but in short, Poor Things lived up to its high expectations and I found it to be a completely wacky and absurd and very uncomfortable delight. 

Set in a very abstract version of Victorian London, a disfigured scientist/professor by the name of Godwin Baxter has taken on a new experiment. After finding the body of a young pregnant woman floating in the Thames, he manages to pull her out and uses the brain of the unborn fetus (cue gasps of Republicans here) to try to bring the woman back to life.

He names her Bella (Emma Stone), and she is basically a toddler in adult body form at this point. To add to the chaos, a student of Godwin's named Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef) becomes enamored with her. Godwin encourages the two to get married and hires a lawyer to draw up the nuptial agreement.

Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) is rather infatuated with Bella when she comes along, and she is at a point where she is starting to mature more...not to mention discovering sexual pleasure...and he promises to show her around Europe, much to the dismay of Godwin and Max.

From there, the film is nothing short of a bizarre odyssey to say the least.

Everything about this film is an absolute marvel from the direction, the script, the performances, and the designs. Emma Stone got her 2nd Oscar for this, and, on the whole, it was richly deserved...but I still think Mark Ruffalo stole the film as Duncan. This role, in which he is a vile, sexist cad in over-the-top comedic form, is unlike any role we have seen him tackle and he soars in it.

I will stress that I can see why the film won't work for everyone. The obvious grooming angle from all the men (even the nicer ones like Godwin and Max) is undeniable, but I still view it as important because by the end, Bella comes out on top. She gets the autonomy we crave to get, and she realizes she deserves. 

Another homerun for Lanthimos and McNamara.

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#2 - RYE LANE

Written by Nathan Byron & Tom Melia

Directed by Raine Allen-Miller

When I wrote about Rye Lane a few months ago, I was of the belief that it was one of the true hidden gems of 2023...and in fact, I only stand behind that belief with more fervor now.

I feel like Past Lives really struck a chord due to its bittersweet nature, but there was something so sweet and lively and joyous about Rye Lane that I found so infectious to the point where I wished more people would watch it...and I wish it got more attention on the awards circuit.

Even though it premiered to great fanfare at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, the film got bought by Hulu and then tossed onto their platform with very little fanfare that March. So little fanfare that as the months passed, I had forgotten about the film's existence after originally being so excited to see it once it got such high praise at Sundance. 

I suppose you could say it still got more of a push than its fellow Sundance contender Scrapper...but barely.

To quickly highlight, Vivian Oparah & David Jonsson shine here as Yas and Dom. I was not familiar with either of them, but both have such amazing chemistry and make for a truly compelling and adorable couple. The vibe does sort of make him out to be more of a sensitive lad while she uses a lot of bravado to cover up pain, but it is clear that they bring out the best in one another. 

When it comes to romances, this is easily one of my favorites I have seen in years. It also was such a glorious pop of vibrant color thanks to how Raine Allen-Miller filmed areas of South London...and it felt as though we were getting a glimpse at a world we very rarely see. Almost like the kaleidoscope feeling we got from seeing BedStuy in Do The Right Thing or Borgo San Guiliano in Amarcord.

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#1 - OPPENHEIMER
Written & Directed by Christopher Nolan

The main theme for those who often choose Oppenheimer as their #1 film of the year is that it feels like such a boring choice...and frankly, I feel the same way.

When I wrote about its pretty much inevitable Best Picture victory following the Oscar ceremony, I made that same comment because normally I tend to find myself supporting more of the underdogs and indie/foreign fare that doesn't always manage to get attention. 

In the last decade alone, my #1 film of the year has lined up with the Best Picture selection from the Oscars on 3 different occasions, which may not seem like a lot. To put this into perspective, if I were to go through Oscar history and select the times that they chose the films I would've voted for (strictly based on the actual nominees), the overlap only would've been 20 times...and I might be on the fence with a couple of those. 

Oppenheimer felt like a film that I would not be a fan of. It also seems far more likely these days for a film to not live up to the hype, so that was another hurdle I expected it to face. To my surprise, I was amazed at how fast the film was, and a lot of that could be attributed not just to Nolan, but to his award-winning editor Jennifer Lame. I have heard complaints about how the final's final act is rather slow moving and while this may be SLIGHTLY true, I honestly didn't feel this as much as others did.

If anything, I still think Killers of the Flower Moon was the film that needed another trip to Thelma Schoonmaker's office...with all due respect to her and Scorsese. 

So yes, Oppenheimer remains one of the best paced films I have ever seen and proved to be an amazing star vehicle for the luminous Cillian Murphy, an actor who has deserved this kind of showcase for many years. Even if I will bemoan the fact that Nolan still should've given more to Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh, the rest of the film is a true masterwork. 

I debated a lot about whether or not I wanted to give this film my top slot as a means to shine a light on something else, but everything keeps telling me that THIS is the one. As a whole, despite some little faults, it is a truly monumental achievement.

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

Sigh, this took way too long! I feel like so many factors were keeping me from seeing enough films that made me feel like I could truly make some kind of definitive list...but the truth is that no list of films such as this or going to remain definitive. 

Time does a lot to a film and for all I know, I will come back to this list in a decade from now and decide that Oppenheimer should be my #4 selection...although if I am being honest, I think my entire top 5 could swap around and end up being my #1.

I do want to acknowledge some other films that aren't on this list that I did like or enjoy and warrant a mention: Blackberry, American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers, How to Have Sex, Society of the Snow, IO Capitano, The Boy & The Heron, and Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse.

Honestly, I think The Boy & The Heron will work its way up (it just missed the #15 slot), but I feel like it may need to grow on me more than other Miyazaki efforts.

I will admit that I am not sure how I feel about the prospects of 2024 yet. With last year's strikes, I feel like it slowed down the output and it could lead to a lesser slate of films for consideration. Although...and this is where I want to be hopeful...I am sort of hoping for a similar outcome to the 2020-2021 award season where certain films with smaller profiles like Sound of Metal, Promising Young Woman, and Minari were able to slip into the Best Picture race when many felt that they likely wouldn't have a shot at first. 

It'll be interesting to see how this will pan out...but for now, thanks for reading and hopefully I will have more content up soon!