Every Movie I Watched in 2023

I watched 74 new-to-me movies in 2023. I wrote in more detail about my favorites.

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poster for Austenland
    2023-01-01
    Watch #1
    Released: 2013
    Punched above its weight. Funny premise, cute movie.
    poster for High School Musical
      2023-01-05
      Watch #1
      Released: 2006
      Cheesy, but charming. I can see why it was so popular. A lot of songs hold up, even it the jokes and characterizations don’t, so much.
      poster for High School Musical 2
        2023-01-06
        Watch #1
        Released: 2007
        Music is less memorable, characters are more caroonishly ridiculous
        poster for The Bad Guys
          2023-01-08
          Watch #1
          Released: 2022
          Great heist movie, suitably twisty, great cast, delightful animation.
          poster for The Rundown
            2023-02-28
            Watch #1
            Released: 2003
            Pretty weak overall, but it had its moments. Pretty imbalanced between the treasure hunting and the pure action (it didn’t know what it wanted to be). Pretty dated, too.
            poster for The Lost City
              2023-03-01
              Watch #1
              Released: 2022
              Great setup that the rest of the movie couldn’t quite deliver on, but it was decently fun throughout.
              poster for La La Land
                2023-03-04
                Watch #1
                Released: 2016
                Cute, interesting, but very full of itself.
                poster for Magic Mike
                  2023-03-05
                  Watch #1
                  Released: 2012
                  Had a fun vibe, but veered into more serious drama, and that wasn’t fun. Maybe just a case of missed expectations, but I wish it had just been fun.
                  poster for Magic Mike XXL
                  • ☀️ Summer
                  • 🥈 Award Winning
                  2023-03-06
                  Watch #1
                  Released: 2015
                  Huge improvement on the first. Fun, cute, great ensemble. Cute message, too. Lighter on the story, but that’s not bad.
                  poster for Limitless
                    2023-03-07
                    Watch #1
                    Released: 2011
                    Sort of doofy, but a decent action flick. Dumb presime, but a fun watch.
                    poster for History of the World: Part I
                      2023-04-01
                      Watch #1
                      Released: 1981
                      Inconsistent, but it certainly landed some of its jokes (and showed its age)
                      poster for Murder Mystery 2
                        2023-04-02
                        Watch #1
                        Released: 2023
                        Light, but fun. Knows what it is and goes with it.
                        poster for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
                        • 🍿 Watched in Theater
                        2023-04-09
                        Watch #1
                        Released: 2023
                        Great cast, cute worldbuilding, saccharine plot and light story moments, but a nice outing.
                        poster for The Rescuers Down Under
                          2023-04-15
                          Watch #1
                          Released: 1990
                          Pretty childish and not especially australian, but there are some neat animals and a decent villian.
                          poster for Bullet Train
                          • 🥇 Award Winning
                          2023-04-21
                          Watch #1
                          Released: 2022
                          Extremely fun. Great cast and motion- felt like an old Guy Ritchie movie. Superb top to bottom.
                          poster for The Great Muppet Caper
                            2023-04-23
                            Watch #1
                            Released: 1981
                            Fairly charming, but the story wasn’t quiet there when compared to the other muppet stuff. Not enough heisting.
                            poster for John Mulaney: Baby J
                              2023-04-27
                              Watch #1
                              Released: 2023
                              Quite funny and definitely an interesting vibe.
                              poster for Spirited Away: Live on Stage
                              • 🍿 Watched in Theater
                              2023-05-02
                              Watch #1
                              Released: 2023
                              Really cool to see how they translate a cartoon to the stage. The effects were great and the art direction inspired.
                              poster for Strange World
                                2023-05-05
                                Watch #1
                                Released: 2022
                                Light and a little predictable, but colorful and interesting.
                                poster for The Great Mouse Detective
                                  2023-05-07
                                  Watch #1
                                  Released: 1986
                                  Cute, if a little dark for a kids movie.
                                  poster for Identity Thief
                                    2023-05-09
                                    Watch #1
                                    Released: 2013
                                    Stupid, but a decent watch
                                    poster for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
                                      2023-05-16
                                      Watch #1
                                      Released: 1989
                                      Aged surprisingly well. A great swashbucking adventure.
                                      poster for The Super Mario Bros. Movie
                                        2023-05-18
                                        Watch #1
                                        Released: 2023
                                        Very charming, made with a lot of heart.
                                        poster for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
                                        • 🍿 Watched in Theater
                                        2023-05-21
                                        Watch #1
                                        Released: 2023
                                        Surprisingly heartfelt. Felt more serious and gross than the others and it was better for it.
                                        poster for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
                                          2023-05-23
                                          Watch #1
                                          Released: 2023
                                          Just sort of boring? Lots of CGI. Good cast and some ok emotional bits, but the plot itself didn't seem like it went anywhere.
                                          poster for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
                                          • 🍿 Watched in Theater
                                          • 🥉 Award Winning
                                          2023-06-12
                                          Watch #1
                                          Released: 2023
                                          Super great up until the part where it didn't have an ending
                                          poster for The Sound of Music
                                            2023-06-24
                                            Watch #1
                                            Released: 1965
                                            Actually quite good, despite its age.
                                            poster for Triangle of Sadness
                                              2023-07-24
                                              Watch #1
                                              Released: 2022
                                              Had some interesting moments, but took forever to get anywhere
                                              poster for Magic Mike's Last Dance
                                                2023-07-31
                                                Watch #1
                                                Released: 2023
                                                This movie didn’t know what it was trying to be. We were back to the high-art dramady of the first one when all we wanted was the pitch-perfect-but-strippers that was the second one.
                                                poster for Meg 2: The Trench
                                                • 🍿 Watched in Theater
                                                2023-08-12
                                                Watch #1
                                                Released: 2023
                                                Pretty stupid and fun, but that's basically what we're here for.
                                                poster for Sneakers
                                                • 💸 Heist
                                                • 🥉 Award Winning
                                                2023-09-11
                                                Watch #1
                                                Released: 1992
                                                Great cast, cool soundtrack, good plot. Just fun overall.
                                                poster for No Exit
                                                  2023-09-12
                                                  Watch #1
                                                  Released: 2022
                                                  Tense, but felt rushed and without heart. Pretty faithful adaptation, but I didn't get much from it.
                                                  poster for Grandma's Boy
                                                    2023-09-12
                                                    Watch #1
                                                    Released: 2006
                                                    It's got a little heart buried in there, but is largely dated. A lot of the writing is gross and doesn't hold up, but there are a couple of funny bits. It's inconsistent overall.
                                                    poster for Se7en
                                                      2023-09-14
                                                      Watch #1
                                                      Released: 1995
                                                      Tense, creepy, gross, and well acted. There's a lot going on, and while I did like it, I'm not sure what exactly it was trying to say
                                                      poster for Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
                                                        2023-09-15
                                                        Watch #1
                                                        Released: 2016
                                                        Great parody, consistently funny, stellar cameos. Light, but nice.
                                                        poster for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
                                                          2023-09-19
                                                          Watch #1
                                                          Released: 2023
                                                          Too long, but had a good cast and some decent action. Fun continuation of a long-running series.
                                                          poster for Barbie
                                                          • 🥇 Award Winning
                                                          2023-09-20
                                                          Watch #1
                                                          Released: 2023
                                                          Super funny. A great mix of parody (of like, society itself?) and actual adventure. Manages to be both light and heavy all at the same time. Stellar cast, too.
                                                          poster for The Lion King 1½
                                                            2023-09-24
                                                            Watch #1
                                                            Released: 2004
                                                            Not a showstopper, but it’s a pretty fun retelling of the story.
                                                            poster for The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
                                                              2023-09-25
                                                              Watch #1
                                                              Released: 1998
                                                              Light and sort of dumb but had some nice songs. Definitely a step down from the previous films.
                                                              poster for The Machine
                                                                2023-09-28
                                                                Watch #1
                                                                Released: 2023
                                                                Charming in its own way, but also pretty dumb.
                                                                poster for The Lion King
                                                                  2023-09-30
                                                                  Watch #1
                                                                  Released: 2019
                                                                  A movie that simply didn’t need to happen. The cast was good but everything just felt lifeless by comparison. A lot of the songs we were worse too.
                                                                  poster for Director by Night
                                                                    2023-10-01
                                                                    Watch #1
                                                                    Released: 2022
                                                                    Felt like a cute family movie. Unfortunately, we don’t know these people. Thought it would be closer to Assembed, the marvel behind-the-scenes documentaries.
                                                                    poster for Happy Death Day
                                                                      2023-10-02
                                                                      Watch #1
                                                                      Released: 2017
                                                                      Low budget and fairly simple, but fun. Good time loop, decently spooky.
                                                                      poster for Haunted Mansion
                                                                        2023-10-04
                                                                        Watch #1
                                                                        Released: 2023
                                                                        Decently spooky, but felt like it went too many directions. Some heardfelt bits, some scary bits, some funny bits. But just not enough of any one thing. Awesome cast though.
                                                                        poster for Dave Made a Maze
                                                                          2023-10-07
                                                                          Watch #1
                                                                          Released: 2017
                                                                          It had extremely strong art direction, but unfortunately didn't have the writing to support it. It had such cool sets but everything else fell flat.
                                                                          poster for Friday the 13th
                                                                            2023-10-13
                                                                            Watch #1
                                                                            Released: 1980
                                                                            Just dreadfully boring. Extremely horny for no real reason. A modicum of plot right at the end, but slow and pointless otherwise.
                                                                            poster for Barbarian
                                                                              2023-10-15
                                                                              Watch #1
                                                                              Released: 2022
                                                                              Extremely unsettling and creepy. Didn’t have any of the cleverness of parody I was hoping it would. Certainly an effective movie, but not one I enjoyed watching.
                                                                              poster for The Babysitter
                                                                              • 🎃 Halloween
                                                                              2023-10-15
                                                                              Watch #1
                                                                              Released: 2017
                                                                              Light and stupid, but a fun take on a slasher movie. Writing felt like the weak point, but it was weirdly charming.
                                                                              poster for Ready or Not
                                                                              • 🎃 Halloween
                                                                              • 🥈 Award Winning
                                                                              2023-10-15
                                                                              Watch #1
                                                                              Released: 2019
                                                                              Absolute delight. Gross, tense, exciting, game-related. The works.
                                                                              poster for Goosebumps
                                                                                2023-10-22
                                                                                Watch #1
                                                                                Released: 2015
                                                                                Had it’s funny bits (and JB is great as always), but annoying characters and a weak plot didn’t do it for me.
                                                                                poster for The House with a Clock in Its Walls
                                                                                  2023-10-28
                                                                                  Watch #1
                                                                                  Released: 2018
                                                                                  Had its moments, but was mostly forgettable.
                                                                                  poster for A Celebration of the Music from Coco
                                                                                    2023-11-01
                                                                                    Watch #1
                                                                                    Released: 2020
                                                                                    Fun little concert. They do the music from the movie and some other songs too. Some fun dancing and great costumes.
                                                                                    poster for The Little Mermaid
                                                                                      2023-11-04
                                                                                      Watch #1
                                                                                      Released: 2023
                                                                                      This move is largely very pretty and the music is pretty good. But, if you remake a movie, you have to change and/or improve it. This remake negleected to do that- it’s actually remakably identical to the original with CGI instead of hand-drawn animation. Some bits are better, but others are worse. Hard to see why they bothered.
                                                                                      poster for Beauty and the Beast
                                                                                        2023-11-06
                                                                                        Watch #1
                                                                                        Released: 2017
                                                                                        Did the most expansion of any of the other Disney remakes we’ve watched so far. It was largely good - fleshing out the world, places, and characters. The CGI was… competent, but not pleasant to look at. Great cast but worse music (which is to be expected).
                                                                                        poster for Aladdin
                                                                                          2023-11-09
                                                                                          Watch #1
                                                                                          Released: 2019
                                                                                          Probably the strongest of the live-action remakes. It’s interesting - the parts of it that were new from the original were great. It’s a worse musical, you can’t replicate that. But it expanded the world and characters very effectively. Glad we watched it.
                                                                                          poster for The Devil Wears Prada
                                                                                            2023-11-18
                                                                                            Watch #1
                                                                                            Released: 2006
                                                                                            There’s a lot of layers here, but it’s ultimately a good movie. Interesting pull between friends and career, plus I learned a bit about fashion.
                                                                                            poster for Enemy of the State
                                                                                              2023-11-24
                                                                                              Watch #1
                                                                                              Released: 1998
                                                                                              Tense and twisted. Maybe too many chase / action scenes. But, remarkably prescient- I would have sworn it was a post 9/11 movie.
                                                                                              poster for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
                                                                                                2023-12-01
                                                                                                Watch #1
                                                                                                Released: 2022
                                                                                                Sort of shockingly touching. Fun little watch, and good music!
                                                                                                poster for Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas
                                                                                                  2023-12-01
                                                                                                  Watch #1
                                                                                                  Released: 2023
                                                                                                  Stellar music and a star-studded lineup make this a delightful Christmas watch
                                                                                                  poster for Holidate
                                                                                                    2023-12-02
                                                                                                    Watch #1
                                                                                                    Released: 2020
                                                                                                    A little much at times, but a fun watch!
                                                                                                    poster for A California Christmas
                                                                                                      2023-12-07
                                                                                                      Watch #1
                                                                                                      Released: 2020
                                                                                                      Bits of it were funny and charming, but it mostly fell pretty flag. It also wasn’t very Christmas-y for a Christmas movie?
                                                                                                      poster for A California Christmas: City Lights
                                                                                                        2023-12-08
                                                                                                        Watch #1
                                                                                                        Released: 2021
                                                                                                        Certainly more christmasy than the first, and with better characters, but it’s not _fun_ bad yet. Just like, fine.
                                                                                                        poster for Best. Christmas. Ever!
                                                                                                          2023-12-09
                                                                                                          Watch #1
                                                                                                          Released: 2023
                                                                                                          Had some interesting ideas but wasn’t good enough to be good or quite dumb enough to be so-good-it’s-bad
                                                                                                          poster for Christmas Wedding Planner
                                                                                                            2023-12-09
                                                                                                            Watch #1
                                                                                                            Released: 2020
                                                                                                            Real stinker of a movie. Boring, uncompelling.
                                                                                                            poster for Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square
                                                                                                              2023-12-11
                                                                                                              Watch #1
                                                                                                              Released: 2020
                                                                                                              There are bits of it that work (the cast, some music) and a lot that doesn’t (sort of a bonkers, caricature of a plot). Not a terrible watch, but not a great one.
                                                                                                              poster for Falling for Christmas
                                                                                                                2023-12-14
                                                                                                                Watch #1
                                                                                                                Released: 2022
                                                                                                                Great as far as stupid christmas movies go. Cast is nice, Lohan seems like she’s doing well, scenery is pretty. A worthy dumb watch.
                                                                                                                poster for Meet Me in St. Louis
                                                                                                                  2023-12-15
                                                                                                                  Watch #1
                                                                                                                  Released: 1945
                                                                                                                  Bits of it were very funny and a lot of the songs felt out of place. Nice, in an old-timey way.
                                                                                                                  poster for Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery
                                                                                                                    2023-12-16
                                                                                                                    Watch #1
                                                                                                                    Released: 2022
                                                                                                                    Pretty silly, but it's a fun format. I also like how you can actually solve the mystery. Everyone seemed like they were having fun.
                                                                                                                    poster for No Hard Feelings
                                                                                                                      2023-12-17
                                                                                                                      Watch #1
                                                                                                                      Released: 2023
                                                                                                                      I’m shocked at how much I liked this one. It managed to be funny, touching, and everything inbetween. It struck that balance incredibly well, knowing exactly what it was every step of the way.
                                                                                                                      poster for The Holiday
                                                                                                                      • 🎄 Christmas
                                                                                                                      2023-12-23
                                                                                                                      Watch #1
                                                                                                                      Released: 2006
                                                                                                                      A great movie about finding and losing love. Stellar cast, decent pacing, very fun vibes.
                                                                                                                      poster for Family Switch
                                                                                                                        2023-12-25
                                                                                                                        Watch #1
                                                                                                                        Released: 2023
                                                                                                                        Funny movie, but not actually very christmasmy. A worthy add to the pantheon of Body Swap movies.
                                                                                                                        poster for Holiday in the Wild
                                                                                                                          2023-12-26
                                                                                                                          Watch #1
                                                                                                                          Released: 2019
                                                                                                                          Not very christmas-y. Some nice elephant protection messaging, but remarkably lacking in any further charisma or interesting (or even funny) plot
                                                                                                                          poster for Holiday in the Vineyards
                                                                                                                            2023-12-26
                                                                                                                            Watch #1
                                                                                                                            Released: 2023
                                                                                                                            Not without its charms, but it’s remarkably the exact same movie as California Christmas? And very wine-y.
                                                                                                                            poster for Christmas with a View
                                                                                                                              2023-12-27
                                                                                                                              Watch #1
                                                                                                                              Released: 2018
                                                                                                                              Good natured, but pretty boring