2023 Wrap-Up!

I was a bit hesitant to compile my media diary for this year. Especially when compared to years prior, it was relatively unproductive year for me. I wrote less, watched less, and read less than I have at any point since beginning this blog. Some might argue that’s growing up. After all, I did visit four countries, saw my brother get married, and got engaged myself. Maybe the days of me holing up and watching (at least) a movie every day are behind me? Maybe a fast year for life and slow year for television is actually a good thing?

And you know what? My perspective did change as I started to put this list together. Despite seeing, reading, and writing less, there was so much from this year that made a lasting and profound impact on me. I can’t imagine life before Powell & Pressburger or Hou Hsiao-Hsien! I am actively trying to get everyone I know to read Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea Cycle. Even if I wrote less, the one piece of longform writing I did do was read by more people than I could ever imagine coming to this lil’ blog.

What does it all add up to? If I had that answer I wouldn’t be blogging in the first place. In any case, I’ll end my soliloquy here and leave you the stats. Maybe there’s something on here we both loved? Maybe there’s something that I missed and need to watch ASAP (let me know!). Until next year…

By the Numbers

• 158 Movies Watched (20 from this year)
• 14 Books Read (0 from this year)
• 17 Season of TV Watched Across 17 Series

Additions to the A List

Films added to my running list of all A and A- movies since beginning this blog!

• C’mon C’mon – Mike Mills (2021)
• Possessor – Brandon Cronenberg (2020)
• The Fly – David Cronenberg (1986)
• Black Narcissus – Emeric Powell, Michael Pressburger (1947)
• The Red Shoes – Emeric Powell, Michael Pressburger (1948)
• The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp – Emeric Powell, Michael Pressburger (1943)
• Au Hasard Balthazar – Robert Bresson (1966)
• Boogie Nights – Paul Thomas Anderson (1997)
• Seven Samurai – Akira Kurosawa (1954)
• That Day, on the Beach – Edward Yang (1983)
• Dog Day Afternoon – Sidney Lumet (1975)
• The Color of Money – Martin Scorsese (1986)
• Aftersun – Charlotte Wells (2022)
• Silence – Martin Scorsese (2016)
• Secret Sunshine – Lee Chang-dong (2007)
• Tokyo Story – Yasujirō Ozu (1953)
• Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles – Chantal Akerman (1975)
• Crooklyn – Spike Lee (1994)
• Legally Blonde – Robert Luketic (2001)
• The Mummy – Stephen Sommers (1999)
• Intervista – Federico Fellini (1987)
• Mission: Impossible III – J.J. Abrams (2006)
• Barbie – Greta Gerwig (2023)
• The Boys from Fengkuei – Hou Hsiao-Hsien (1983)
• Le Bonheur – Agnès Varda (1965)
• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Brad Bird (2011)
• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – Christopher McQuarrie (2015)
• Shiva Baby – Emma Seligman (2020)
• Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Christopher McQuarrie (2018)
• Documenteur – Agnès Varda (1982)
• Night and Fog – Alain Resnais (1956)
• A City of Sadness – Hou Hsiao-Hsien (1989)
• The Time to Live and the Time to Die – Hou Hsiao-Hsien (1985)
• The Iron Giant – Brad Bird (1999)
• Petite Maman – Céline Sciamma (2021)
• Killers of the Flower Moon – Martin Scorsese (2023)
• 28 Days Later – Danny Boyle (2002)
• The Age of Innocence – Martin Scorsese (1993)
• The Beatles: Get Back – Peter Jackson (2021)
• Dust in the Wind – Hou Hsiao-Hsien (1986)
• Carol – Todd Haynes (2015)
• The Daytrippers – Greg Mottola (1996)
• The Battle of Algiers – Gillo Pontecorvo (1966)
• News From Home – Chantal Akerman (1976)

Writings

• Movie Logs:
  • January
  • February
  • March
  • April
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • August
  • September
  • October
  • November
  • December
• Television Log
• Reading Log
• The Killers Best Songs, Ranked
• The Killers Best Songs, Ranked Pt. 2

Movies

• White Noise – Noah Baumbach (2022)
• Magnolia – Paul Thomas Anderson (1999)
• C’mon C’mon – Mike Mills (2021)
• 20th Century Women – Mike Mills (2016)
• Nuts in May – Mike Leigh (1976)
• Abigail’s Party – Mike Leigh (1977)
• Brigsby Bear – Dave McCary (2017)
• Hard Labour – Mike Leigh (1973)
• The Kiss of Death – Mike Leigh (1977)
• Who’s Who – Mike Leigh (1979)
• Grown-Ups – Mike Leigh (1980)
• Everything Everywhere All at Once – Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan (2022)
• Home Sweet Home – Mike Leigh (1982)
• Four Days in July – Mike Leigh (1984)
• Possessor – Brandon Cronenberg (2020)
• Infinity Pool – Brandon Cronenberg (2023)
• Mr. Turner – Mike Leigh (2014)
• Us – Jordan Peele (2019)
• The Fly – David Cronenberg (1986)
• Dead Ringers – David Cronenberg (1988)
• Black Narcissus – Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell (1947)
• Deep Red – Dario Argento (1975)
• The Red Shoes – Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell (1948)
• I Know Where I’m Going! – Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell (1945)
• The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp – Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell (1943)
• A Matter of Life and Death – Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell (1946)
• Au Hasard Balthazar – Robert Bresson (1966)
• The Trial of Joan of Arc – Robert Bresson (1962)
• Watermelon Man – Melvin Van Peebles (1970)
• Boogie Nights – Paul Thomas Anderson (1997)
• Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song – Melvin Van Peebles (1971)
• Get Out – Jordan Peele (2017)
• Don’t Play Us Cheap – Melvin Van Peebles (1973)
• Climax – Gaspar Noé (2018)
• Irreversible – Gaspar Noé (2002)
• The Birds – Alfred Hitchcock (1963)
• Marnie – Alfred Hitchcock (1964)
• The Bird with the Crystal Plumage – Dario Argento (1970)
• Everybody Wants Some!! – Richard Linklater (2016)
• Seven Samurai – Akira Kurosawa (1954)
• That Day, On the Beach – Edward Yang (1983)
• RRR – S.S. Rajamouli (2022)
• Dog Day Afternoon – Sidney Lumet (1975)
• Okja – Bong Joon-ho (2017)
• The Color of Money – Martin Scorsese (1986)
• Babylon – Damien Chazelle (2022)
• Aftersun – Charlotte Wells (2022)
• The Fabelmans – Stephen Spielberg (2022)
• Silence – Martin Scorsese (2016)
• Parasite – Bong Joon-ho (2019)
• Secret Sunshine – Lee Chang-dong (2007)
• Tokyo Story – Yasujirō Ozu (1953)
• Decision to Leave – Park Chan-wook (2022)
• Spirited Away – Hayao Miyazaki (2001)
• The Fugitive – Andrew Davis (1993)
• Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles – Chantal Akerman (1975)
• Meshes of the Afternoon – Maya Deren, Alexandr Hackenschmied (1943)
• Akira – Katsuhiro Otomo (1988)
• Beau is Afraid – Ari Aster (2023)
• Guardians of the Galaxy – James Gunn (2023)
• Millennium Mambo – Hou Hsiao-Hsien (2001)
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie – Michael Jelenic, Aaron Horvath (2023)
• Air – Ben Affleck (2023)
• Paddington – Paul King (2014)
• Paddington 2 – Paul King (2017)
• The Man Who Fell to Earth– Nicolas Roeg (1976)
• Crooklyn – Spike Lee (1994)
• Sense and Sensibility – Ang Lee (1995)
• Legally Blonde – Robert Luketic (2001)
• Bound – The Wachowskis (1996)
• Asteroid City – Wes Anderson (2023)
• The Mummy – Stephen Sommers (1999)
• And the Ship Sails On – Federico Fellini (1983)
• The Mummy Returns – Stephen Sommers (2001)
• Intervista – Federico Fellini (1987)
• Interstellar – Christopher Nolan (2014)
• Mission: Impossible – Brian De Palma (1996)
• Mission: Impossible II – John Woo (2000)
• Mission: Impossible III – J.J. Abrams (2006)
• Barbie – Greta Gerwig (2023)
• Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan (2023)
• The Boys from Fengkuei – Hou Hsiao-Hsien (1983)
• Le Bonheur – Agnès Varda (1965)
• Pee-wee’s Big Adventure – Tim Burton (1985)
• The Creatures – Agnès Varda (1966)
• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Brad Bird (2011)
• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – Christopher McQuarrie (2015)
• Shiva Baby – Emma Seligman (2020)
• Léon: The Professional – Luc Besson (1994)
• Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Christopher McQuarrie (2018)
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – Christopher McQuarrie (2023)
• Lions, Love, (and Lies) – Agnès Varda (1969)
• Mur Murs – Agnès Varda (1981)
• The Pianist – Roman Polanski (2002)
• Documenteur – Agnès Varda (1982)
• Downfall – Oliver Hirschbiegel (2004)
• Night and Fog – Alain Resnais (1956)
• City of Sadness – Hou Hsiao-Hsien (1989)
• The Time to Live and The Time to Die – Hou Hsiao-Hsien (1985)
• Western Stars – Bruce Springsteen, Thom Zimny (2019)
• The Iron Giant – Brad Bird (1999)
• The Cat o’ Nine Tails – Dario Argento (1971)
• Theater Camp – Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman (2023)
• Casino – Martin Scorsese (1995)
• Petite Maman – Céline Sciamma (2021)
• Hugo – Martin Scorsese (2011)
• The Last Temptation of Jesus Christ – Martin Scorsese (1988)
• Bottoms – Emma Seligman (2023)
• The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorsese (2013)
• Bringing Out the Dead – Martin Scorsese (1999)
• Cape Fear – Martin Scorsese (1991)
• The Aviator – Martin Scorsese (2004)
• Roadrunner: A Film about Anthony Bourdain – Morgan Neville (2021)
• Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore – Martin Scorsese (1974)
• Boxcar Bertha – Martin Scorsese (1972)
• Killers of the Flower Moon – Martin Scorsese (2023)
• New York, New York – Martin Scorsese (1977)
• Kundun – Martin Scorsese (1997)
• No Direction Home: Bob Dylan – Martin Scorsese (2005)
• The Village – M. Night Shyamalan (2004)
• Signs – M. Night Shyamalan (2002)
• Unbreakable – M. Night Shyamalan (2000)
• The Hunger Games – Gary Ross (2012)
• Alien 3 – David Fincher (1992)
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – David Fincher (2008)
• Peterloo – Mike Leigh (2018)
• No Hard Feelings – Gene Stupnitsky (2023)
• 28 Days Later – Danny Boyle (2002)
• Tales From Earthsea – Goro Miyazaki (2006)
• The Killer – David Fincher (2023)
• Inning by Inning: Portrait of a Coach – Richard Linklater (2008)
• The Age of Innocence – Martin Scorsese (1993)
• In the Earth – Ben Wheatley (2021)
• Rebecca – Ben Wheatley (2020)
• Happy New Year, Colin Burstead – Ben Wheatley (2018)
• The Foot Fist Way – Jody Hill (2006)
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, Kemp Powers (2023)
• Get Back – Peter Jackson (2021)
• A Hard Day’s Night – Richard Lester (1964)
• Gladiator – Ridley Scott (2000)
• Bleak Moments – Mike Leigh (1971)
• SubUrbia – Richard Linklater (1996)
• The Boy and the Heron – Hayao Miyazaki (2023)
• Dust in the Wind – Hou Hsiao-Hsien (1986)
• Carol – Todd Haynes (2015)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – Peter Jackson (2001)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – Peter Jackson (2002)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Peter Jackson (2003)
• The Daytrippers – Greg Mottola (1996)
• The Daytrippers – Greg Mottola (1996)
• The Battle of Algiers – Gillo Pontecorvo (1966)
• The Umbrellas of Cherbourg – Jacques Demy (1964)
• Rear Window – Alfred Hitchcock (1954)
• News from Home – Chantal Akerman (1976)
• May December – Todd Haynes (2023)
• Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet (2023)
• You Hurt My Feelings – Nicole Holofcener (2023)
• BlackBerry – Matt Johnson (2023)

Books

• Fire and Blood – George R.R. Martin (2018)
• Liberation Day – George Saunders (2022)
• Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel (2014)
• Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen (1811)
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay – Michael Chabon (2001)
• A Wizard of Earthsea – Ursula K. Le Guin (1968)
• Fox 8 – George Saunders (2013)
• Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly– Anthony Bourdain (2000)
• The Tombs of Atuan – Ursula K. Le Guin (1971)
• The Farthest Shore – Ursula K. Le Guin (1972)
• Tehanu – Ursula K. Le Guin (1990)
• Killers of the Flower Moon – David Grann (2017)
• Tales from Earthsea – Ursula K. Le Guin (2001)
• The Other Wind – Ursula K. Le Guin (2001)

Television

• Fleishman Is in Trouble – Taffy Brodesser-Akner (FX on Hulu)
• Atlanta (Season 4) – Donald Glover (FX)
• The Last of Us (Season 1) – Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann (HBO) 
• You (Season 4) – Sera Gamble, Greg Berlanti (Netflix) 
• Band of Brothers – Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg (HBO)
• Andor (Season 1) – Tony Gilroy (Disney +)
• Jury Duty – Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupnitsky (Freevee)
• Survivor (Season 44) – Charlie Parsons, Mark Burnett, Jeff Probst (CBS) 
• Ted Lasso (Season 3) – Jeff Ingold, Liza Katzer, Bill Lawrence, Jason Sudeikis (Apple TV+)
• Yellowjackets (Season 2) – Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson (Showtime) 
• Succession (Season 4) – Jesse Armstrong (HBO)
• I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (Season 3) – Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin (Netflix) 
• The Bear (Season 2) – Christopher Storer (Hulu) 
• What We Do In The Shadows (Season 5) – Jermaine Clement (FX) 
• Over the Garden Wall – Patrick McHale (Cartoon Network)
• Man in the Arena: Tom Brady – Gotham Chopra, Erik LeDrew (ESPN+)
• Survivor (Season 45) – Charlie Parsons, Mark Burnett, Jeff Probst (CBS)