Movies I watched in 2023
Last year, I made an effort to track all of the movies that I watched that I've never seen before or haven't seen in over ten years. While I like movies, I'm not exactly an adventurous movie watcher. I tend to watch the same movies over and over again. I also tend to gravitate more towards shorter-form content, like mini-series and TV shows.
However, my husband is a movie buff. He loves to watch new movies and go to the theater. In 2023, I made an effort to watch more movies and try to appreciate them more. While I still put on the same old favorite movies multiple times this year, I think I did a good job of broadening my horizons.
In general, the criteria for making the list was that I had never seen the movie before, or that I hadn't seen the movie in so long that I didn't remember it. One of the reasons why the holiday season is almost devoid of tracked movies is because we tend to watch the same holiday movies every year. I used TMDB to track the movies I watched.
I feel like I might've missed a movie or two, especially in the beginning of the year since I didn't get the idea to track movies until March. However, I think this is a good representation of what I did watch.
Here's the list of movies I watched in 2023, in chronological order, with some brief thoughts:
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Loved it. I actually watched this one by myself because it did not appeal to Jason. I loved the history behind the movie, and the actors were so charming. I'm not a huge romantic comedy fan, but this movie was perfect for me.
John Wick, John Wick Chapter 2, John Wick Chapter 3
They're great. We binged those over the course of a week in anticipation of John Wick Chapter 4. Fun fact, we never did watch John Wick Chapter 4 this year. I do plan on watching it this year.
Shotgun Wedding
Watched this for Jennifer Coolidge. It's actually a lot of fun. A couple's destination wedding is taken hostage and the bride and groom, after getting into an argument and walking off, have to save the wedding guests.
Fire of Love
Stitched together from archival footage from two volcanologists, this documentary tells their love story; their love for each other and their shared love of volcanos. It's amazing how much they were able to film considering the technology of the 1970s and 80s. I highly recommend this documentary.
Nacho Libre
One of those movies that I haven't seen in years, and I don't think I ever saw it all the way through. Hilarious. Jack Black is always great.
Cocaine Bear
A stupid movie, but a lot of fun. A little too gory for my taste.
Strange World
Better than I expected. Disney's marketing for this movie was weird (in a not-good way), and I wasn't terribly interested in watching it. However, I liked the ecological message of the movie.
Guardians of the Galaxy, part 3
Saw this one in the theater. It was fantastic, but the Rocket Raccoon scenes were too much for me. One of those movies that I'll watch again only if I can fast forward through the sad parts.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Finally got around to watching this on Disney+. It was fine. Forgettable. It's a shame because I loved the first Ant-Man movie.
Air
I love historical dramas, biopics, and documentaries. While I don't have too much interest in basketball or sneakers, this was a great based-on-a-true-story drama that actually made me care about the subject matter. Incredibly well done.
The Country Bears
I've never seen this before and watched it on a whim. The puppets are amazing. The story is not.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
This does not meet my criteria at all. 😄 I saw this movie in theaters in 2018, but haven't watched it since. I watched it the day before Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse just to become reacquainted with that universe. Still an excellent movie. Added it to the list because I wanted to.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Perhaps even better than Into the Spider-Verse. Loved every second of it. I don't know a ton about Spider-Man but I didn't feel like I was missing any knowledge necessary to enjoy the movie, despite the many cameos.
The French Dispatch
I really want to get into Wes Anderson movies. I should've watched more this year. So far I've seen Isle of Dogs (really liked it) and Rushmore (hate it). I very much enjoyed The French Dispatch.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
It was fine. Fun action adventure. Still doesn't hold a candle to the original trilogy.
Die Hard With a Vengeance
I love Die Hard, but I've never seen the other movies in the series. More explode-y fun.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Better than I expected. Extremely cute. Visually stunning (but not as stunning as the Spider-Verse movies). I repeat, Jack Black is always great.
Mystery Men
This is one that I haven't seen in years. Dumb fun.
Congo
I've never seen this movie, and thanks to the return of Taco Bell's volcano menu (which was originally a promotion for Congo), I finally watched it. Five months later, I can't even remember what it was about. But it wasn't bad. Just forgettable.
Asteroid City
Wanted to see this in theaters, but I ended up seeing it on streaming. Very enjoyable. I went into it knowing the basic framing devices (play, movie, real life) so it wasn't confusing to me. Maybe my favorite Wes Anderson movie so far, but I still have many more to watch.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
I loved the animation style of this movie. I also really liked the story. It's a bit of a twist on the usual TMNT origin story. Saw it in the theater, loved it.
Barbie
We almost missed seeing Barbie in the theater, but we made it. I already knew some of the twists in the movie, and knew that it was much more cerebral than it appeared. I thought it was fantastic. It's definitely the movie that was most marketed to my demographic this year.
Some Kind of Heaven
I've wanted to watch this documentary for years, and it finally appeared on Hulu. It focuses on people living in the "paradise" retirement community of The Villages, Florida, who have realized that it isn't quite paradise. It was an interesting look the facade of "Florida's friendliest hometown". The editing is excellent.
Little Shop of Horrors
An all-time favorite of mine, but I haven't watched it in years. After watching a behind-the-scenes video about the making of the movie, we decided to give it another watch. A true classic.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
It's a biopic that spins off into pure fantasy. I love Weird Al, but this movie was bonkers. Also, it's a Roku original, and they put commercials in the worst spots. Probably the worst movie-watching experience of the year.
Only Lovers Left Alive
A broody, emo movie about two reunited vampires, it kind of has an interesting vampire lore underneath all the ennui. Vampires are dying out because human blood is becoming increasingly tainted in the modern era. I'd watch it again. Now I understand why Tilda Swinton was leading the Vampiric Council in What We Do in the Shadows.
Totally Killer
A teen slasher movie meets Back to the Future. This will be watched every Halloween. I loved it. Even though it was a bit gory it didn't bother me nearly as much as the scenes in Cocaine Bear.
Godzilla Minus One
Caught this one on its last day in our local theater. I'm so glad we did. It was a fantastic movie. It looked so much better than movies made with multiples of its budget. The story was solid. The characters were relatable. It may have been one of the best-constructed movies of the year.