Best (and Worst) Films I've Seen This Year

I know it's not the end of the year yet - it's not even December! But, I was bored, and I wanted to write this up, so here you are. I've watched a lot of great movies this year, and I've broken my favourites down into different categories! I've also added my least favourites, either as films to avoid, or films to make fun of with your besties. First, let's get those terrible ones out of the way.

a gif of a spinning wheel of film

WORST OF THE YEAR

The worst movie I watched this year, by far, has got to be Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023). My roommate got me to come and watch it with them in the cinema, and it was terrible. People were laughing because of how bad the dialogue was, and heckling the characters; it was also horrendously gory, which my roommate enjoyed, but I did not. Sometimes I can cope with gore, or even enjoy it depending on the style and tone of the film, but this was bad. I want to say you might enjoy picking it apart, but honestly, I don't think I could ever watch it again.

(Dis)honorable mention: I also watched From Dusk Till Dawn this year, which was almost camp enough to be fun, but not quite. The treatment of women and the weird pacing was bad enough, but you also want me to watch Quentin Tarantino act? No, get out of here.

the poster of 'from dusk till dawn', with george clooney and tarantino

From Dusk Till Dawn promo material.


MOST DISAPPOINTING

My most disappointing film of the year was Captain Nova (2021). It seems like something I'd like: criticising inaction on climate change, featuring a robot character... however, it had all the subtlety of a brick to the head, and the writing often seemed trite and unrealistic. There are more impactful films about climate change that you can watch.

(Dis)honorable mention: I also watched Insidious. After seeing it recommended several times online, I was expecting something a little more creative or interesting than what it was. It's fine, I suppose, but I certainly don't have a soft spot for it the way I do for the Sinister movies. Not planning a rewatch any time soon. Now, on to the good stuff!

patrick wilson being haunted by a red and black demon, positioned ominously behind him

A shot from Insidious.


MOST SURPRISING

I've been pleasantly surprised by a few films in the last couple of months, but certainly the 2020 horror film Come Play was the most shocking. My partner and I chose it randomly off Netflix, and from its unfortunate title I certainly thought it would be much worse. Instead, it had a fairly interesting plot, an intriguing ending, and (despite modern technology being a focus of the film) it didn't feel too reactionary or preachy.

Honorable mention: The newly released The Pope's Exorcist wasn't great, but nowhere near as bad as I was expecting it to be.

russell crowe as a priest, having just broken down a brick wall with a hammer

A shot from The Pope's Exorcist.


MOST FUN

I watched Doom (2005) and Doom: Annihilation (2019) as a double feature this year, and wow. They are exactly as bad as you would expect - although, I did truly enjoy watching both of them. There's a great sequence at the end of the 2005 film that imitates the game, with the POV shots and everything. The 2019 film has a fairly interesting plot, but I'm sure I mostly enjoyed these films because of my familiarity with and enjoyment of the games. The dialogue in both films is also not great... but, I've seen worse.

the rock and karl urban (along with other actors) pose in tactical gear with huge weapons

A shot from Doom (2005).


BEST REWATCH

I am a perpetual rewatcher of most things, so of course, I've got to have a category for the best rewatch of the year. This one was close, but in the end, I had to go with Jaws (1975). It had been a while since I'd seen it, and it was just as entertaining as I remembered (and considerably more queer).

Honorable mention: I also rewatched American Psycho this year, which is a brilliant film. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend - equal parts horrifying, political, and darkly funny. Night of the Living Dead (1968) was also brilliant on rewatch, and much more explicitly political than I recalled (I watched it many years ago now, but still, I'm not sure how I forgot that ending).

christian bale as patrick bateman in a rain poncho, carrying a fire axe

A shot from American Psycho.


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

This was a tough competition too, but the most fascinating cinematography I saw this year was from A Field In England (2013). Shot in black and white, and featuring strange still shots styled after medieval woodcuts, it's a weird trip into a horrible supernatural landscape.

Honorable mention: I had a great experience watching Akira (1988) for the first time with my boyfriend, because it was showing at a local cinema. It was awesome, and I had a fun time recognising the iconic lines and visuals that I've seen time and time again. I also rewatched Mandy (2018), which is truly gorgeous. In fact, its cinematography might actually be better than the winning pick, but because I'd seen it before, it didn't stand out to me quite as much.

a darkly-dressed man walking in a field, shot in black and white

A shot from A Field In England.


BEST SOUNDTRACK

Mandy is a top pick for this one, too. However, I watched a ton of movies with good soundtracks this year, both original scores and otherwise. The winner is, fairly predictably and embarrassingly, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). This movie is somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me, as much as I don't believe in feeling guilty about things you enjoy. I think the choices of songs that were included are masterful, and really fit the pacing and aesthetics of the film.

Honorable mention: So many, maybe too many to count. Moon (2009), Ex Machina (2014), and Talk To Me (2022) all have great original soundtracks, and Watchmen (2009), Reservoir Dogs (1992), and 13th (2016) all feature great songs. Soundtracks are always something I pay a lot of attention to, so this was particularly hard to narrow down.

four young men sit at a shitty bar

A shot from Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.


OTHER HONORABLE MENTIONS

Before we get to my ultimate pick for best film of the year, I just couldn't resist slotting in a few more favourites. Firstly, I made the (fairly strange) decision to watch Sergio Leone's 'Dollars Trilogy' this year, and I had a really good time. My favourite by far is the second film, For A Few Dollars More (1965), which I think is the best-paced and most entertaining of the three. I loved Ghost in the Shell (1995); the animation really stood out, and the ship-of-Theseus style questions it asked about cyborgs were great. Finally, I have to mention Incantation (2022). It's a a horror film with a really great twist, and combines a lot of elements that I love. I can't say too much else about it... just trust me.

a blonde woman's brain is plugged into a strange device

A shot from Ghost in the Shell.


BEST OF THE YEAR

It was a tight competition, but I think the best movie I watched this year was Candyman (1992). The cinematography is gorgeous, and the plot is both entertaining and intellectually engaging. I love the interpretations and the discourse around the movie, the acting is great, it works as a horror film (medical gaslighting always gets to me), and the soundtrack is brilliantly distinctive. I really loved the 2021 sequel as well, and I think it's a great follow-up politically as well as aesthetically, but nothing really beats the original for me.

a woman crawls through a wall, which is graffitied on the other side to appear that she is crawling out of a man's mouth

A shot from the original Candyman film.


Well, that's it: my top picks for the year. If I do this again, maybe I'll include this December in next year's round-up.

P.S.: You can follow me on Letterboxd here, if you'd like.

gif ofa spinning wheel of film

That's all I have to say, I think.