I watched ~53 movies last year; these were the best (in no particular order).
New films
Oppenheimer
A Nolan movie, shot in IMAX, about nukes: I was always going to love this. But I really, really did love it. Despite its straightforward subject matter, it’s much more experimental than his other films (the frequent snippets of atoms and fire, the incredible auditorium scene) and it really shines for it. It’s a compelling story about an absolutely terrible person, and the ending is so devastating that I cried both times I watched it. And, of course, it’s visually stunning in 70mm IMAX. It’s not a perfect film — the third act does drag a bit — but it’s very, very good.
Asteroid City / Poison
Wes Anderson might be at the peak of his game. Asteroid City blends every element of what makes his films great (comedy, production design, melancholy) into a near-perfect composition, offering a meta-commentary on Anderson’s work at the same time. And Anderson’s short film anthology is equally good — particularly Poison, a fun thriller that takes a sharp left turn into a damning indictment of colonialism (which in turn reframes the shorts that precede it).
Red Rooms
By far my favourite of this year’s London Film Festival. A tense and compelling thriller that never goes quite where you expect, with a superb score to boot. Truly astonishing how disturbing it manages to be without ever showing you the atrocities it’s about.
Killers of the Flower Moon
I adored this, despite it being really hard to stomach. Scorcese, De Niro and DiCaprio being great is par for the course; what’s really special about this is just how brutal the story is, and how Scorcese’s narrative choices make that brutality feel so much more visceral and plausible. It’s rare that a historical drama feels quite this alive and relevant.
Samsara
The majority of this film was good, but not great — a slow and ponderous exploration of daily life and religion, not dissimilar to many many other films. But the middle section — in which you’re instructed to close your eyes for several minutes, while colours flash in front of your eyelids and a soundtrack blares — is revelatory. Designed to mimic the soul migration experience laid out in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, it’s by far the most innovative thing I’ve ever seen in film, and it works beautifully.
Honourable mentions: Godzilla Minus One (shockingly emotional!), Anselm (stunning in IMAX 3D, though it doesn’t have enough to say), John Wick: Chapter 4 (worse than the others, but still great), Anatomy of a Fall (too long, but very thought provoking), Across the Spider-Verse (not quite as good as its predecessor, but still good), Barbie (has very little to say, but the production design is great and it’s funny), The Mission (insightful documentary about religious fanaticism, colonialism and hubris), Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 (great set pieces, and surprisingly good discussion of AI).
Dishonourable mention: The Creator (an utterly pointless movie with nothing interesting to say — and that’s coming from someone who does care about the rights of conscious AI).
New to me films
Mulholland Drive / Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me / Inland Empire / Twin Peaks: The Return
I am very, very late to the works of David Lynch, and I am so glad to have finally dived in. More than anything else, this year for me will be defined by the many hours I spent watching Twin Peaks. Something about Lynch’s particular brand of surrealism just clicks with me — the fact that the “true” meaning is just out of reach, but the emotional effect is still so powerful, and that it’s all paired with a truly sincere heart and love for humanity. If I had to pick a favourite of what I’ve seen so far, it’s probably The Return Part 8 (watching this so soon after Oppenheimer was interesting); of the movies, Inland Empire is going to stick with me for a very long time.
In the Mood for Love
There’s not really anything to say about this that hasn’t already been said. A close to perfect, devastating, movie.
Hiroshima Mon Amour
Very much in the same vein, though with even more to say about the world — a really beautiful film.
Casablanca
A rare example of a classic film that surpasses the hype! It’s more than stood the test of time; if it was released tomorrow it’d still be a hit. And god the cinematography is good.
Apocalypse Now
I liked everything about this except Brando, which feels heretical to write but just is true. I think I possibly prefer Full Metal Jacket as a Vietnam film, though.
The Seventh Seal
Not sure I entirely “got” this, but very much enjoyed what I did take away. Warrants a rewatch.
Tokyo Story
This hasn’t aged quite as well as some of the others on this list, in my opinion; the themes are a bit too spelled out for modern audiences. But it’s still a very lovely piece.
Blade Runner: 2049
Technically a rewatch, though seeing this in IMAX for the first time felt like seeing it anew. Deakins says the 2.39:1 version is the better, but I think he’s wrong: the expanded aspect ratio makes the film’s atmosphere so much more overpowering, and it really benefits from it.
Honourable mentions: Decision to Leave, La Dolce Vita, Ford vs Ferrari, Scream, Cure, Peeping Tom, My Neighbour Totoro, The Thing, Tripping With Nils Frahm, Vertigo, The Dark Knight (IMAX rewatch), When Harry Met Sally
Essayant 