#8: A Year in Lists
We have official entered list season, a most treasured time of year. I spend my whole year keeping various lists (iPhone notes, spreadsheets, Letterboxd) and it is finally time to share them. Originally I thought I’d push this until I’d really seen every 2023 movie, but honestly the timing would be too fucky so I plow ahead— here is my 2023 in lists.
But before that, some quick housekeeping:
This newsletter’s too long so you’re gonna have to click through to the “View entire message” at the end.. lol.
This will be my last newsletter of the year, I’ll be back in early January with a December round-up and then who knows!
Every moment of joy this season has been shot through with pain & guilt as our government continues to financially & verbally support genocide so I hope you’ll join me in pressuring your reps any way you can for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Top 5 Works of Live Theater/Dance:
Merrily We Roll Along (Hudson Theatre) - Just a perfect piece of musical theater. Daniel Radcliffe, I love you so much.
Pacific Overtures (Signature Theatre, DC) - I spent an ungodly amount of money getting myself to Washington, DC for the weekend to see this, so I was very pleased when I felt entirely justified doing so. I was so scared it might be bad, but in fact it was spare, puppet-forward, and totally emotionally obliterated me. After finally seeing a live production, I’ve bumped up Pacific Overtures to the slot of my favorite Sondheim.
Copland Dance Episodes (David Koch Theater, Lincoln Center) - I went to see this twice by myself because I love to hear “Appalachian Spring” loud and because this was so funny and optimistic!
Sweeney Todd (Lunt-Fontanne Theatre) - I was sort of not on board with the Josh Groban casting and as suspected, his voice is way too mellifluous to be menacing but hey, what a voice! I really liked Annaleigh Ashford’s bananas, go-for-broke, waveringly accented Mrs. Lovett and god, this production’s just really worth the money. Lush and foggy and shadowy and expensive-seeming. Also frankly this show is too good to be bad if basically everyone involved is competent.
Moulin Rouge (Al Hirschfeld Theater) - This show is unbelievably stupid and I like it so much. I think the staging is far more gorgeous than it even needs to be? Our Satine was a bit of a disappointment (especially when I know exactly what Karen Olivo is capable of) but I was there for the Aaron Tveit “Roxanne” option up and that is what I got!
Honorable Mention: I am perhaps the only bitch in the world who kind of loved the Sorkin Camelot at Lincoln Center Theater and it was 10% because I have fanfic brain and 90% because of Jordan Donica! He has my sword!
Top 10 New-To-Me Books:
Middlemarch, George Eliot - My great accomplishment of this year was reading all 848 pages of Middlemarch (thank you to Fran Magazine for the idea and my friend Lena for peer pressure/live-texting support). The length is daunting but this book rocks. It’s funny and a little mean but supported by a deep well of affection for all her characters—everyone in this is SO dumb and I love them all. Also this book truly makes me want to be a better person in such a way that living up to Dorothea is maybe a kind of religion for me now? I think I fail her every day? This is a bit of a spoiler so if you want to go into Middlemarch blind (which I had fun doing!), stop reading, but I had totally forgotten/maybe never realized that Malick took the title of A Hidden Life from Middlemarch, and when I realized and read this I cried. This is the quote:
“..for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”
The Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann - Impossible to put down (I mean, I did every day at work but it was annoying), devastating, reminded me that nonfiction can be good.
The Makioka Sisters, Junichiro Tanizaki - I literally miss them so much… My best friends…. They would hate me and I would hate them, actually. Tag yourself, are you: a thrifty fuddy duddy (Tsuruko), a happy, chatty, non-confrontational lady with a vitamin deficiency1 who just wants to see some theater and/or cherry blossoms (Sachiko), a debilitatingly shy and elegant woman (Yukiko), or an independent and promiscuous hustle and grind girlie of the new century (Taeko). (I’m a Sachiko)
The Copenhagen Trilogy, Tove Ditlevsen - I read Ditlevsen’s memoir at the very beginning of the year because I’d been in Copenhagen. To be completely honest, I tend to avoid work that’s this unrelentingly bleak—poverty, shitty mom, drug addiction—but of course, what really matters here is the language. I was worried this would be miserable and dull. It wasn’t. Ditlevsen’s words are so direct and so clear-eyed it’s almost breezy in a terrifying way. It’s actually insane someone could have such clarity about their own life (good memoir-ing!) and the book is propelled by her intense (scary!) ambition in a way that makes this a really compulsive read.
If An Egyptian Cannot Speak English, Noor Naga - I was already feeling like this book was genius in the way it approached guilt, diaspora, fetishization, and what it means to take “campus politics”/Western politics out into the world and then it does the most breathtakingly audacious structural shift in its back half? I’m loving when a novel experiments with what a novel can be! Also feels kind of akin to the radio show coda of KOTFM.
The Biography of X, Catherine Lacey - I kind of feel giddy thinking about this book. It’s so cool! It’s so expansive! I think it would be pretty hard to get me to dislike “life and death of an iconic American artist named “X” in an alternate history version of the U.S. that’s divided into a Northern and Southern territory” (I love alternate histories…) but Lacey comes pretty close to nailing it. Not sure if it totally sticks the landing, but who cares it’s awesome.
Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe - Sorry I’m former-NYT bestseller-nonfiction pilled, but this rocked. So exciting to read and so attentive to each human story. Brendan Hughes taking his little trip to Cuba…. <3
They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, Hanif Abdurraqib - This favorite hits on three themes of my year in reading: my year of nonfiction, poets doing prose, and me being one thousand years late to an obviously great thing. I loved these funny and tender essays and I had a rather intense week-long Fall Out Boy phase as a result.
Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi - Speaking of being 1,000 years late to something. I am a sucker for a great multigenerational saga spanning hundreds of years and I was truly invested in every character. Cried a lot!
The Glass Hotel/Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel - We read The Glass Hotel for my book club and at the time I was like, yeah this was just okay but you know what… I love this bitch (respectful) and her intertwined science fictions… She really knows how to weave a tale. I need another one immediately. I like Sea of Tranquility better, and Station Eleven better than both of these but I will eat up anything she writes I think!
Top 10 New-to-Me Dishes:
Pelmeni at Mermaid Spa (Sea Gate, Coney Island) - This meal was probably the hardest to acquire (I think our Russian waitress warmed up to us by the end…) and also the best I ate all year.
Uni dish at Rule of Thirds (Greenpoint) - I still think the inside of Rule of Thirds is deeply obnoxious, but I can’t pretend this wasn’t one of the most exquisite things I’ve ever had! Made me feel like a princess…
Caldo de Chipilin at Ix (Prospect Lefferts Garden) - If I lived closer to this Guatemalan cafe that serves giant, delicious soups…. I’d be in grave danger.
Lobster roll at Stew Leonard’s (Yonkers) - One of the more minor pains of adulthood is that lobster rolls are always $30 and pretty small. This one was $15 and pretty big.
Bigos at Little Poland (East Village) - If I am ever in the East Village, hungry enough with 90 minutes to spare, you can probably find me at Little Poland enjoying a big beer and this plate of cabbage.
Rice plates at Zaragoza (East Village) - Zaragoza is a tiny Mexican deli/grocery with some tables in the back where you can sit and get a big plate of rice, beans, your choice of meat, and tortillas on the side and this is probably the greatest place to be on a rainy day.
Spumoni at L&B Spumoni Gardens (Gravesend) - I talked about going here all year long and I finally made it happen and it was totally worth it. Pizza was good too!
Paneer momo jhola at Nepali Bhanccha Ghar (Jackson Heights) - Attempted a momo crawl with the pals and we got full a bit too fast but these were the best thing I ate that day by far and I WILL be back for the goat momos.
Satay with peanut sauce at Wat Thai (North Hollywood) - I’ve literally been to Wat Thai a million times and have almost certainly had their satay before but since I don’t specifically remember doing that, and since I found these to be one of the most delicious things I have had all year, I’m counting them as new.
Kale caesar salad with bacon at Au Cheval (Tribeca) - So good I kept trying to recreate it at home, to mediocre but acceptable results.
Top 20 New-To-Me Films (not from this year):
As of this writing, I watched 113 new movies this year (excluding 2022 & 2023 releases) and there were so many good ones I wish I could talk about 50 of them, but here’s just (“just”) the top 20:
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Philip Kaufman, 1978) - Completely perfect movie with Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams at their hottest.
Midnight (Mitchell Leisen, 1939) - Claudette Colbert!
One Way Passage (Tay Garnett, 1932) - The most romantic movie ever made? With Kay Francis and William Powell!
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (Sydney Pollack, 1969) - It’s crazy dance marathons were real.
Playtime (Jaques Tati, 1967) - This movie actually changed my life.
Love Is Strange (Ira Sachs, 2014) - Romantic, tender. Alfred Molina & John Lithgow play a longterm but newly married couple who have to live separately for a time. I bawled!
First Reformed (Paul Schrader, 2017) - :)
Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985) - I mean do I “recommend” this?
Red Beard (Akira Kurosawa, 1965) - Hoot and holler.
A Man Escaped (Robert Bresson, 1956) - A bit of a hoot and holler, in a way.
L’Atalante (Jean Vigo, 1934) - Romantic and features one of the funniest tattoos I have ever seen.
Desk Set (Walter Lang, 1957) - Biggest surprise of the year! Saw this because I wanted to check out the new Academy theater, but turns out this is a great rom com that’s about getting drunk with your work besties, the importance of librarians, and dating a STEM boy who values humanity.
Opening Night (John Cassavetes, 1977) - Gena Rowlands! John would agree with me here.
Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996) - Ewan McGregor in tiny shirts! Monologue made me cry.
The Green Ray (Eric Rohmer, 1986) - Terrible, wonderful vibes. I need to dress like this.
Sorcerer (William Friedkin, 1977) - Most stressful experience of my life.
Dick Tracy (Warren Beatty, 1990) - Dustin Hoffman is Mumbles.
Blow Out (Brian De Palma, 1981) - Watched this on July 4th with fireworks outside which was the correct vibe but a sonic mistake.
The Misfits (John Huston, 1961) - Love you Marilyn.
Much Ado About Nothing (Kenneth Branagh, 1993) - I really waffled on #20 but have you seen Denzel in this?
Top 5 Movie Crushes of 2023:
David Krumholtz in Oppenheimer
Serizawa in Suzume
John Magaro in Past Lives
Tatanka Means in Killers of the Flower Moon
Benny Safdie in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Top 23 Movies of 2023:
Here come my caveats! As of writing this list, I have not seen The Iron Claw, Ferrari, American Fiction, and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, all of which (to varying degrees) I think could’ve slipped in here. I also suspect I may love Dicks: The Musical? ALSO, I’m sorry I put a bunch of festival stuff that’ll be out in 2024 here but it’s MY list. Anyway, this was a truly fantastic year for movies. I actually baseline liked almost everything I saw, but these are the ones that moved me the most:
Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese) - He just really is one of the all-time great American directors, reckoning with the rot and resilience at the heart of this fucked up place.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (Kelly Fremon Craig) - I’ve been beating the drum all year. Such a warm, funny, perfect adaptation that centers Margaret’s mom in a really smart way. Rachel McAdams Best Supporting Actress! But also Kathy Bates? Abby Ryder Fortson? This is also the year’s better Benny Safdie performance.
Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan) - I’m going to watch this so many times in my life.
Fallen Leaves (Aki Kaurismäki) - There are few things I love more than a movie where two compatible lonely weirdos find each other in this cold, cruel world. This movie’s so dryly funny and also so heartbreakingly detailed—when Ansa had to buy a second plate and set of cutlery because she lives alone? That’s a masterpiece, baby… I also really appreciated Ansa’s self-possession. She is an adult who knows her worth! This movie also has: an all-timer karaoke scene, a great dog, an insane movie date choice.
Hit Man (Richard Linklater) - I am genuinely sorry this is not coming out this year because it is the greatest movie ever made. The most fun I have ever had in a theater?
La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher) - Magical!
The Taste of Things (Tran Anh Hung) - She let me hit because I cooked her a dazzling, heartfelt multi-course meal (and vice versa).
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (Christopher McQuarrie) - Nothing can stop me from loving this, not even some deeply questionable choices made around its female leads. They fight in a BEAUTIFUL TRAIN that’s DANGLING OFF A CLIFF. And Tom Cruise does magic tricks.
The Swan (Wes Anderson) - Crushing. Nice to see Rupert Friend get good work!
Showing Up (Kelly Reichardt) - Quiet masterpiece about making art! I love that Reichardt was able to make a little fun of art/Portland because she’s approaching it from a place of deep knowledge, respect and love.
May December (Todd Haynes) - The kid touching the doorframe to impress Natalie Portman… “This is just what grown-ups do”… “I want to commend you for being so brave and showing your arms like that”…. Screenplay of the year, really. I should put this higher? I just really like trains.
The Holdovers (Alexander Payne) - I genuinely believe this is a new holiday classic. Watch it every year with the family curled up under blankets with a warm drink.
Rye Lane (Raine Allen-Miller) - The rom-com is so not dead.
Priscilla (Sofia Coppola) - Genius height difference.
Napoleon (Ridley Scott) - I walked out of this feeling on top of the world and the feeling never faded. Is this basically a breezy Wikipedia run-through of Napoleon’s major battles put to screen, interspersed with Joaquin Phoenix slobbering pathetically over Vanessa Kirby (valid)? Yeah. I’ve seen people say that you shouldn’t make a historical film without a point beyond “isn’t this cool” and I gotta say I strongly disagree. My feeling about Napoleon is also “I want to see that battle on screen” and Ridley Scott delivered. He is my champion! As is my way, I cried because I found Napoleon & Josephine’s fucked up marriage to be deeply romantic.
Suzume (Makoto Shinkai) - Chair boyfriend is maybe the most I’ve laughed all year!
Blackberry (Matt Johnson) - Boys in offices <3
Asteroid City (Wes Anderson) - Still don’t get it but I love it! As Clemence Poesy in Tenet once wisely said, “Don’t try to understand it. Feel it.”
Knock at the Cabin (M. Knight Shyamalan) - I’m so all in on Shyamalan’s particular brand of budget blockbuster sentimentality. It all comes down to love!
Afire (Christian Petzold) - In the grand tradition of The Green Ray, a movie about being on vacation and having a terrible vibe. “Club Sandwich.”
Godzilla Minus One (Takashi Yamazaki) - The absolute THRILL when “Godzilla - 1.0 Godzilla Suite II” hits!!! I was so scared this movie was gonna go another way, but it is satisfyingly about the value of individual human life/bravery of living/power of civilians, abandoned by their gov’t, banding together to fight monsters. Cool.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Jeff Rowe) - I never really thought about TMNT before this cute, cute trailer dropped and my god… they are just babies… they want to go to prom and make Tik Toks just like anybody else. :’(
Passages (Ira Sachs) - Kind of like Uncut Gems in terms of stress level, with more sex, bisexuality and tiny shirts.
9 2023 Hoot and Hollers Ranked by How Hoot and Hollerian They Were:
It’s not 10 because I couldn’t think of a 10th without fudging it.
Hit Man
The Equalizer 3
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning
Godzilla Minus One
Napoleon
Air
How To Blow Up A Pipeline
Polite Society
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (final act twist, specifically)
They all have a vitamin deficiency, actually.
u make me laugh and i love u
“too fucky”