Halfway Mark Pt 2: Fav Films & Craft Achievements (Thus Far)

by Nathaniel R

The Best of 2023 Thus Far: Spider-Verse, Of An Age, Are You There God?, Past Lives, Joyland, and Asteroid City

Somehow it's mid July so it's time to survey the first half of the cinematic year. We worry for Hollywood given the writer's strike and the possibilities of a tepid fall/winter slate (the big titles people are most looking forward to are this very month -- Barbie and Oppenheimer). But regardless we take stock every year at this time, no matter what the future might hold. The following list honors only films released between January 1st and June 30th, 2023. It's our way of insuring we keep track of early favourites so that we don't fall victim to the dread recency bias that generally makes awards-giving bodies look forgetful and lazy.  The followlng lists are all in alpha order as its too soon for preferential ballots. Obviously we'd love to hear your own 'thus far' ballots in the comments. (We'll do the acting honors tomorrow).

Okay here we go...

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Halfway Mark Pt 1: Gay Films of the Moment and Near-Future

by Nathaniel R

JOYLAND

This pronouncement is two weeks late for Pride Month but 2023 is shaping up to be a good year for queer films. Not that people have noticed, exactly. The first new challenge for audiences in the brave new world of cinematic distribution is actually knowing that any particular movie exists. The second is knowing where to find it once you do (distribution is so messy in the 21st century!). Between the streaming wars, teensy theatrical runs, and the still rarely discussed / under reported wilderness of "VOD" many titles slip by unnoticed. The artists who made them and the lucky audiences who discover them can only hope they pick up steam through word of mouth or with the passage of time. The best LGBTQ title of the year is Pakistan's 2022 Oscar submission Joyland (reviewed by Cláudio) which is currently in the gap between a theatrical run and various ways to screen it at home and you already heard me rave about last November. When you get a chance to see it you absolutely must. Another unmissable is the Taylor Mac documentary on HBO (reviewed by Glenn).

After the jump some gems you can currently rent or stream that were released theatrically already and some to look forward to...

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