The Best Movies and TV Shows I've Watched in 2023

​1) Cat’s Eye, Lewis Teague, 1985

Did you ever want to watch a movie where a cat fights a troll? Well, you’re in luck! This bizarre, slightly hallucinatory segment is featured in Cat’s Eye, an anthology horror thriller film.

I liked the first one, Quitter’s Inc, the best. The short story is very sinister but this segment was such a funny black comedy. James Wood was surprisingly terrific and so YOUNG looking. Despite the questionable tactics Quitters Inc employs, you do have to admit that they are successful in changing behavior!
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Funny behind the scenes story. They apparently had 12 cats portraying the one cat in the movie. Cats are very food motivated so they would perform for food but once a cat ate, it stopped working and would fall asleep. And that’s when you brought out cat #2, #3, and so on.

2) The Iceman, Ariel Vromen, 2012

Michael Shannon plays alleged hitman Richard Kuklinski. I say alleged because much of what Richard Kuklinski claimed to have done is disputed. Michael Shannon is VERY very good but I was very surprised by how terrific Chris Evans was. I’ve always thought of him as a pretty boy actor with questionable talent but he is unrecognizable with his big flowing wig hair and sunglasses. He’s irascible and hilarious in the role, a complete departure from his Captain America persona. 

Despite the subject matter, I thought this movie was very entertaining and very well-done. It’s disappointing that director Ariel Vromen hasn’t been able to make follow up movies as good as The Iceman. This goes to show how hard it is for a movie to capture lightning in a bottle. The right elements (good cast, higher budget) may be available but it’s hard to replicate the magic you created earlier. 

​3) Six Against the Rock, Paul Wendkos, 1987

Everyone remembers the famous 1962 escape from Alcatraz featuring Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers but I think the 1946 battle of Alcatraz is a far more interesting story. I listened to the absolutely terrific Casefile podcast episode which covered this event and was very excited to learn they had made a movie out of it. The movie is just so-so but captured the events very well.  

​I would encourage everyone to watch the Clint Eastwood movie Escape from Alcatraz as well. It’s also a good movie. Unfortunately, I do think the Morris and the Anglin brothers drowned and never made it to freedom.

​4) Runaway Jury, Gary Fleder, 2003

I’m a big Gene Hackman fan and have liked most of the movies based on John Grisham novels. Runaway Jury was very good. It moves fast, the acting is super solid, and the Hackman / Hoffman bathroom scene is one of the best verbal sparring scenes I’ve ever seen. I think this would be a good scene for people to audition to. It’s a bit over the top at times but otherwise a very solid thriller.

​5) Heat, Michael Mann, 1995

​This is one of those movies that everyone says you have to watch and I’ve been putting it off for years. Michael Mann is talented but his movies are WAY TOO LONG and often too slow. If I were his editor, I’d cut out at least 30 minutes from each film. Heat was just right. It takes place in Los Angeles and as I’ve stated before, I have an unfair bias toward movies set in Los Angeles. The action scenes were great and all the actors were very, very good. What I probably loved most about the movie were the featured LA homes:

a) Robert Deniro house on the beach

b) Al Pacino “deadtech postmodernistic bullshit house” in Santa Monica

c) Danny Trejo house on stilts - We went to visit the house. It was built in 1962. It survived the 1994 Northridge Earthquake so it’ll probably survive anything.​

6) Apocalypto, Mel Gibson, 2006

This is one of the best action movies I’ve ever seen. Ironically, it has no cars, just a bunch of people running around on foot. It’s very violent, doesn’t stop to take a breath, and will truly have you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

​7) The Cabin in the Woods,  Drew Goddard, 2011

​This movie consistently shows up on random lists of the best horror movies. Even though I love horror movies, I put off watching this because I don’t like 40 year old adults playing college teenagers who are constantly winking at the camera. But I was mistaken. The movie makes fun of horror movie stereotypes and has a highly unique and creative plot. I LOVED the movie monster montage at the end and would encourage you to watch it just for that alone.

8) Alien: Resurrection, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1997

This movie was highly entertaining. People always complain that it’s the worst Alien movie in the series but I’m not a fan of Oscar bait movies taking themselves too seriously. I like fun movies with action, horror, drama, gore, and humor. And this movie has it all! Sigourney is terrific and Ron Perlman is delightful as always. I’ll watch anything Perlman is in. The baby monster alien was SO CREEPY at the end, the action scenes are SO COOL, and I really wished they made more movies like this. It’s another example of movie magic. 
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One cool note: Sigourney really did make that iconic basketball shot. According to IMDB trivia: 

Sigourney Weaver made the behind-the-back half-court basketball shot successfully after 3 weeks of basketball practice, tutored by a basketball coach. Her conversion rate during this time was 1 of over 6 shots, but the distance was much lower than it would be in the actual scene. When the day came to shoot the scene, director Jean-Pierre Jeunet wanted to have the ball dropped in from above, rather than wait for Weaver to sink the shot herself, which "would probably take about 200 takes." Weaver insisted she could get the shot in herself, and was allowed to do. Though it is commonly said that she sank the basket on her first attempt, it actually took her endless takes to complete the stunt. Jean-Pierre Juenet gave her one last try to sink the basket before they would give up and use CGI or a second ball. The very next take, Sigourney Weaver successfully managed the trick. Ron Perlman broke character and began smiling when he saw it, and people on the set started cheering. The editors looked at the shot, and decided there was "enough room to get the scissors in." Weaver was excited about making the shot, but Jeunet was concerned audiences would believe the shot to be faked due to the ball leaving the frame. Upon Weaver's insistence, he kept the shot as it was. Weaver described the miracle shot as "one of the best moments in her life", after her wedding day, and the birth of her daughter.

​9) The Changeling, Peter Medak, 1980

This is a moody ghost story that also consistently shows up on random lists of the best horror movies. George C. Scott rents a mansion (not sure why he needs a house that big for just himself) and has to figure out what’s haunting the estate. The backstory of the ghost boy is very sad and you understand why he wants justice. There’s also an errant wheelchair that chases people around the house. Movies like this don’t get made today. There’s no gore nor over-the-top shocking scenes. Ironically, that makes the movie far more effective than what gets churned out today. 

10) Wonderland, James Cox, 2003

Before anyone yells at me for including this in my list, I want to say that I find the adult industry elements of this story distasteful. However, I am a true crime aficionado and this movie is based on a very famous Los Angeles true crime story that took place not far away from where I live. (And you know how biased I am toward movies set in LA). There are a bunch of very famous people in the movie, all of whom are fantastic, despite how seemingly miscast they may seem. Val Kilmer, Lisa Kudrow, and Kate Bosworth are surprisingly terrific in this. I ultimately found the relationship between the Kudrow and Bosworth characters to be the most interesting and would have liked to see a movie about them.

The movie is told from different perspectives and you don’t know exactly who to believe. The ending is abrupt and no conclusions are drawn. There’s a very well-written Rolling Stones article that talks about Holmes and his involvement in this event. Ultimately, I think this is a movie that would scare people AWAY from drugs and crime. Anyone watching it would think - I don’t want to get involved with this mess!