Though the streaming services industry seemed to have hit a wall given the rising costs of the content race while profits and the numbers of subscribers have flatlined or declined, there continued to be great series both old and new available. And though films seem to end up on streaming faster than ever, I nevertheless saw more films in the theater this year (12) than I did the year before (10).
Among my favorite films in the theater, Godzilla Minus One was a real standout—among streaming films, my favorites were Air, Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Tetris, Empire of Light, and See How They Run. See the films and other projects below for my other favorites. My least liked film was Babylon—if this is intended as a love letter to Hollywood, as its director Damien Chazelle asserts, then it was a serious misfire that missed the mark. For what it's worth, I also felt Barbie was a bit overrated (I say that as a fan of its director, Greta Gerwig). Keep in mind that some of these films were released in 2022, but I didn't watch them until 2023.
Television and streaming series seemed especially strong this year. Among the most outstanding: Lessons in Chemistry, the Doctor Who Specials, Julia (season 2), Ms. Marvel, Mythic Quest (season 3), Spy X Family, the Gilded Age (season2), Loki (season 2), Lawmen: Bass Reeves, the Deuce (season 3), Minx (season 2), My Adventures with Superman, Gaslit, White House Plumbers, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (season 5), Powerless, and Ghosts. Honorable mentions include For All Mankind (season 3), Ted Lasso (season 5), the Diplomat Lucky Hank (cancelled after its first season), Single Drunk Female, the Outlaws (season 2), Slow Horses (season 1).
Though I didn't read as many books as I would have liked, in 2023, I greatly enjoyed L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy, the Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (now a motion picture) and Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino.
I got a bit backed up and overwhelmed in organizing and posting reviews this past year, so may soon do a quick dump of mini-reviews. Meanwhile, here's a list of my entertainment consumption in 2023.
Films:
Wonka – Culver Theaters (12/25/23)
Godzilla Minus One – Regal at L.A. Live (12/2/23)
The Marvels – Culver Theaters (11/10/23)
Dumb Money – Culver Theaters (10/1/23)
A Haunting in Venice – Culver Theatres (9/16/23)
Oppenheimer – Village Theatre (70mm) – Village Theatre (7/30/23)
Barbie – Howard Hughes Theater (7/26/23)
Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part I – Howard Hughes Theatre (7/16/23)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Village Theatre (7/1/23)
Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse – Culver Theater (6/19/23)
The Flash - Village Theatre (6/16/23)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania - Village Theatre (2/18/23)
Streaming Films/DVD/BluRay
The Man Who Invented Christmas – Prime (12/28/23) – rewatchThe Awful Truth – TCM (12/22/23)
John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial Eps 1–4 – AppleTV (12/12/23)
Still: A Michael J. Fox Story – AppleTV (12/12/23)
Clear History – Max (12/12/23)
Hollywood Ending – Tubi (12/10/23)
Confess, Fletch – Paramount+ (12/8/23) Walk, Don’t Run – Tubi (12/8/23) - rewatch
Wackiest Ship in the Army – Tubi (12/8/23)
Bell, Book and Candle – Tubi (12/8/23)
Fred Clause – Hulu (12/5/23)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – Disney+ (12/4/23) - rewatch
Blue Beetle – Max (11/25/23)
Blackberry – AMC Series (11/16/23)
It Ain’t Over (Yogi Berra documentary) – Netflix (11/15/23)
Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King – Netflix (11/14/23)
After the Thin Man – Max (11/5/23)
No Hard Feelings – Netflix (11/1/23)
Pain Hustlers – Netflix (10/30/23)
The Thin Man – Prime Rental (10/27/23)
Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood – Starz (10/26/23) - rewatch
Clerks 3 – Starz (10/25/23)
Spy Game – Netflix (10/22/23) - rewatch
The Out-Laws – Netflix (10/22/23)
Only in Theaters – Prime Purchase (10/20/23)
Othello – National Theatre/YouTube (10/19/23)
Toy Story Hawaii Vacation – Disney+ Pixar short (10/12/23)
Auntie Edna – Disney+ Pixar short (10/12/23)
Dug Days–Carl’s Date – Disney+ Pixar short (10/12/23)
Loki S2 Eps1–2 – Disney+ (10/12/23)
36 Hours – YouTubeTV (10/9/23)
Heartbreakers – Max (10/7/23)
The Swan – Netflix (10/2/23)
Poison – Netflix (10/2/23)
The Ratcatcher – Netflix (10/2/23)
The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar – Netflix (10/2/23)
Midway – Netflix (10/1/23)
Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent – Starz (9/15/23)
Dragnet – Netflix (9/15/23)
Ghosted – Apple+ (8/31/23)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – Amazon Rental (8/31/23)
The Nice Guys – Netflix (8/30/23) – rewatch
The Flash - Max (8/25/23) – rewatch
Puppy Love – Freevee (8/22/23)
Dog Day Afternoon – YouTubeTV (8/20/23)
Into the Deep: The Submarine Murder Case – Netflix (8/19/23)
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story – Roku (8/19/23)
Babylon – Prime (7/26/23)
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion – YouTube (7/25/23)
Rogers: The Musical – YouTube (7/9/23)
Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story – TCM (7/9/23)
Wham! – Netflix (7/8/23)
Ford Vs. Ferrari – Hulu (7/3/23) – rewatch
Reacher – Paramount+ (7/3/23)
Celluloid Closet – TCM (7/3/23)
Mandalay – TCM (7/2/23)
Tea and Sympathy – TCM (7/2/23)
Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed – Max (7/2/23)
A League of Their Own – Netflix (7/1/23) – rewatch
Air – Prime (7/1/23)
What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael – TCM (6/28/23)
Floyd Norman: An Animated Life – TCM (6/28/23)*
Downfall – YouTube (6/22/23) - rewatch
BBC David Hockney’s Secret Knowledge – YouTube (6/22/23)
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl – Netflix (6/22/23) - rewatch
Dungeons and Dragons – Paramount+ (6/19/23)
Greenberg – Netflix (6/17/23)
Henry V – Prime (6/17/23) – rewatch
Justice Society: World War II – Max (6/27/23)
Hot Fuzz – Prime (6/12/2023) – rewatch
MacArthur – Prime (6/12/2023)
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring – Max (6/10/23) - rewatch
A Man Called Otto – Netflix (6/9/23)
Tar – Prime (6/8/23)
Band of Brothers series – Max (6/6/23)
Being Mary Tyler Moore – Max (6/3/23)
Dave – YouTube (6/3/23) - rewatch
Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind – HBOMax (5/5/23)*
17 Again – YouTubeTV (5/4/23)
Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood – YouTubeTV (5/4/23) - rewatch
Whip It – HBOMax (4/28/23)
Whiplash – Prime (4/26/23)*
Guys and Dolls – Prime (4/26/23) - rewatch
Jobs – Netflix (4/23/23)
Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal – Netflix (4/21/23)
Marnie – Netflix (4/21/23)
Magnum Force – HBOMax (4/19/23)
Dirty Harry – HBOMax (4/19/23) - rewatch
Lethal Weapon 4 – HBOMax (4/18/23)
The Hating Game – Hulu (4/16/23)
The Brothers Warner – TCM (4/12/23)*
Jack Warner: The Last Mogul – TCM (4/12/23)*
Bullitt – TCM (04/09/23)
Good Night Oppy – Prime (03/31/23)*
You Only Live Twice – HBOMax (3/30/23) - rewatch
Reggie – Prime (03/29/2023)
Role Models – Prime (03/27/2023) – rewatch
Horrible Bosses 2 – HBOMax (03/27/2023) – rewatch
Hot Tub Time Machine – HBOMax (03/26/2023) – rewatch
We’re the Millers – Prime (03/26/2023) – rewatch
Goldfinger – HBOMax (03/20/23) - rewatch
Judgment at Nuremberg – Prime (03/20/23) – rewatch
Dr. No – HBOMax (3/18/23) – rewatch
Police Squad 33-⅓ – Paramount (03/18/23)
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb – HBOMax (3/16/23)
Spotlight – HBOMax (3/15/23)
The Wrecking Crew – Prime (3/13/23)
The Oscar – TCM (3/7/23)
Easy A – Netflix (3/1/23)
Behind Enemy Lines –YouTubeTV (3/1/23)
Red Dust – TCM (2/26/23)
The Apartment – TCM (2/22/23) – rewatch
Batman – HBOMax (2/22/23) – rewatch
Tower Heist – Prime (2/20/23)
Driven – Tubi (2/20/23)
Dirty Weekend – Hulu (2/14/23)
The Storied Life of A.J. Filkry – Hulu (2/13/23)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – Prime (2/11/23) – rewatch
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – Prime (2/11/23) – rewatch
Empire of Light – HBOMax (2/8/23)
The Journey – TCM (2/5/23)
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger – Netflix (2/4/23)
This is Where I Leave You – HBOMax (2/1/23)
See How They Run – HBOMax (2/1/23)
Cradle Will Rock – Prime Purchase (1/30/23) - rewatch
Amadeus – Prime Purchase (1/30/23) - rewatch
Julia Misbehaves – TCM (1/30/23)
Wedding Crashers – Netflix (1/27/23)
You People – Netflix (1/27/23)
Bridesmaids – Prime (1/26/23)
Morning Glory – FreeVee (1/24/23) – rewatch
Juliet, Naked – Prime (1/23/23)
Mindhorn – Netflix (1/23/23)
So I Married an Axe Murderer (1/17/23) - rewatch
Night Shift – TCM (1/15/23)
Four Seasons – Netflix (1/15/23)
Annie Hall – TCM (1/14/23) - rewatch
Abe Lincoln in Illinois – TCM (1/13/23) – rewatch
Leap Year – Netflix (1/13/23)
A Nice Girl Like You – Hulu (1/12/23)
Looking for Lulu – Documentary on Louise Brooks – YouTube (1/9/23)
The Sting - Prime purchased (1/7/23) - rewatch
Pandora’s Box – TCM (1/8/23)
Florence Foster Jenkins- Prime purchased (1/3/23) - rewatch
TV/Streaming Series
Julia S2 Eps 3-5 – Max (12/30/23)*Doctor Who Specials 1–4 – Disney+ (12/30/23)*
For All Mankind S3 Eps 1–7 - Apple+ (12/27/23)*
Monarch eps 4-6 – Apple+ (12/26/23)
Spy X Family Eps 1–10 – Hulu (12/22/23)
Such Bad Girls S1 Eps 1-2 (Hulu) (12/19/23)
Gilded Age Eps 3–6 – Max (12/7/23)
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Eps 1–3 – Apple+ (12/6/23)
Lessons in Chemistry Eps 6–8 – Apple+ (11/9/23)*
Gilded Age S2 Eps 1–2 – Max (11/9/23)
Lessons in Chemistry Ep 5 – Apple+ (11/9/23)
Loki S2 finale – Disney+ (11/9/23)
Lawmen: Bass Reeves – Paramount+ (11/9/23)
Quiz Girl – Hulu (11/5/23)
Toast of Tinseltown Eps 3–6 end – Roku (11/4/23) - rewatch
Lessons in Chemistry E1–3 – AppleTV (10/20/23)
Joe Schmo S3 E2 – YouTube (10/9/23)*
Joe Schmo S1 E1 – YouTube (10/9/23)
Murder in the Building S3 Finale – Hulu (10/3/23)
The Deuce S2–3 Finale – Max (9/29/23)
Minx S2 Finale – Starz (9/27/23)
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields Eps 1–2 – Hulu (9/19/23)
Toast of Tinseltown Eps 1–2 – Roku (9/17/23)
100 Years of Warner Bros Eps 1–4 – Max (9/4/23)
Superpowered: The DC Story Eps 1–3 – Max (8/27/23)
My Adventures With Superman S1 Eps 1-9 – Max (8/25/23)
Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me – Netflix (8/24/23)
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story – Netflix (8/23/23) - rewatch
Captain Falls – Netflix (8/23/23)
Trailer Park Boys eps 1–3 – Netflix (8/23/23)
Gaslit Eps 3–8 – Starz (8/18/23)*
Minx S2 Eps 3–4 – Starz (8/11/23)
Party Down Seasons 1–3 (8/6/23)
Minx S2 Eps 1–2 Starz (8/3/23)
Party Down eps 1–3 (8/1/23)
Gaslit Eps 1–2 – Starz (7/29/23)*
Superpowered: The DC Story – Max (7/29/23)
The Outlaws S2 Eps 3-6 – Prime (6/27/23)
My Adventures with Superman – AdultSwim (7/7/23)
FUBAR – Netflix (7/7/23)
Hot Wet American Summer: Ten Years Later – Netflix (7/5/23)
Monty Python Almost the Truth – Netflix (6/22/23) – rewatch
The Diplomat Ep 7 – Netflix (5/31/23)
Ted Lasso Series Finale – AppleTV (5/30/23)
White House Plumbers Eps 3-4 – HBOMax (5/26/23)
The Diplomat S1 E4 – Netflix (5/25/23)
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel S5 Eps 7-8 – Prime (5/25/23)
Ghosts season finale – (5/24/23)
Ted Lasso Ep 9 – AppleTV (5/24/23)
WKRP (random episodes) – YouTube (5/11/23) - rewatch
White House Plumbers Ep 2 – HBOMax (5/6/23)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel S5 E6 – Prime (5/9/23)
Lucky Hank, S1 E8 – AMC (5/9/23)*
White House Plumbers Ep 1 – HBOMax (5/4/23)
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel S5 Eps 8-10 (4/28/23)
The Outlaws S2 Eps 3-6 – Prime (4/27/23)
The Crown S5 Eps 8-10 – Prime (4/27/23)
The Diplomat Eps 1–2 – Netflix (4/24/23)
Ted Lasso Ep 5 – AppleTV (4/18/23)
Lucky Hank S1 Eps 4-5 (4/18/23)
Powerless Eps 5-11 – CW (4/18/23)
The Trial of Mary Astor – YouTubeTV (4/17/23)
Powerless Eps 1–4 – CW (4/16/23)
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel S5 Ep1-3 – Prime (4/16/23)
Single Drunk Female – S1–2 (4/14/23)
Schmicago –S2 Eps 1–2 – Hulu (4/14/23)
Succession S4 Ep 3 – Max (4/14/23)
Lucky Hank S1 Eps 2-3 – AMC/YouTubeTV (4/8/23)
Ted Lasso S3 Ep 4 – AppleTV (4/11/23)
Lucky Hank S1 Eps 2-3 – AMC/YouTubeTV (4/8/23)
Outlaws — HBOMax S2 Ep 1
Vice Principals S1 – HBOMax (3/28/23)
Lucky Hank S1 Ep 1 – AMC/YouTubeTV (3/20/23)
Great News S1-2 – Netflix (3/11/23) - rewatch
Duchess Eps 1–6 – Netflix (3/8/23)
History of the World Part II – Hulu (3/7/23)
Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Cancal Eps 1–3 – Netflix (3/5/23)
Shrinking Eps 4–6 – Hulu (2/28/23)
Dick Tracy Zooms In – YouTube (2/12/23)
Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence - Hulu (2/12/23)
Ghosts S2 eps 11–12 (2/3/23)
Loudermilk S3 Finale – Prime (2/3/23)
Shrinking Eps 1–3 – Hulu (2/2/23)
Eat the Rich: The Gamestop Saga – Netflix (1/28/23)
Mythic Quest S3 (1/15/23)
New Girl S1 – Netflix (1/14/23)
Just a Boy from Tupelo: Bringing Elvis to the Big Screen – HBOMax (1/14/23)
Bernie Madhoff – Netflix
Slow Horses S1 – AppleTV (1/11/23)
Hogan’s Heroes – S1 (1/4/23)
Mythic Quest – S1-2 – AppleTV (1/6/23)
MASH S4 – Hulu (1/3/23)
Welcome to Chippendales Eps 6–8 – Hulu (1/3/23)
Podcasts
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra Eps 5–6 (9/5/23)Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra Eps 1–4 (9/1/23)
Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast (of note):
Tim Matheson (3/11/23)
Drew Friedman (9/5/23)
YouTube (of note):
The Beatles - Now And Then - The Last Beatles Song (Short Film) (11/1/23)
SBF Trial summaries – Overpriced JPEGs – YouTube (10/15/23)
Task & Purpose – YouTube (10/15/23)
The SCTV Guide to Showbiz (2021 Documentary) – YouTube (10/4/23)
Out of the Inkwell: The Fleischer Story – Technology for Storytelling (7/10/23)
BBC David Hockney's Secret Knowledge – Göktuğ Demir (6/22/23)
In Discussion with Paul Pope – Alex Toth in Depth Episode 022 (4/24/23)
Why Britain Fought for the Falklands (5 parts) – Imperial War Museums (4/24/23)
Eva zu Beck
The Making of Casino Royale – Mister Peter Sellers (3/4/23)
Voices of the Past Channel (3/4/23)
Horrified Soviet Tourist Describes California and Hollywood (1936) // US Road Trip
Early Japanese Visitor Describes "Competitive and Unhealthy" European World (1872)
First Japanese in Europe: Incredible Story of the Tensho Embassy (1582 - 1590)
Putin’s Road to War – Frontline PBS (1/26/23)
Theatre/Live Performance:
Peter Pan Goes Wrong – Ahmanson Theatre (8/16/23)
Much Ado About Pooh – Actor’s Gang (8/13/23)
Disneyland (5/15/23)
Les Miserables – CCHS Robert Frost Theatre (3/4/23)
Hollywood Babble On – Flappers (2/25/23)
Ubu the King – The Actor’s Gang (1/28/23)
Books/Comics
Star Wars Memories by Craig Miller (12/20/23) - rereadL.A. Confidential by James Ellroy (10/27/23)
Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino (4/26/23)
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (2/16/23)
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