Well, it's that time of the year when everyone is doing their 'best and worst of' lists, so here is mine. I'm going to list the books and movies and records I read/watched/listened to in 2023 and then pick my favourites. This isn't restricted to what was new in 2023, but what I actually watched and read and heard - some of these items might be very old indeed.
Books:
I read the following in 2023:
Georges Simenon – The Madman of Bergerac
Tim Major – Shade of Stillthorpe
Ian Whates (editor) – La Femme
Claire Dean – Middleton Sands
Russell Hoban – Riddley Walker
Rhys Hughes – The Long Chin Of The Law
Georges Simenon – The Misty Harbour
Anna Taborska - Shadowcats
John Steinbeck – The Wayward Bus
Andrew David Barker – Dead Leaves
Rex Warner – The Aerodrome
Jean-Luc Godard – Alphaville
Eugen Bacon – Serengotti
Georges Simenon – Liberty Bar
Giselle Leeb – Mammals, I Think We Are Called
Christopher Fowler – Hell Train
Georges Simenon – Lock No.1
Henry James – The Turn of the Screw
Carmelo Rafala (editor) – The Immersion Book of SF
Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Silver Nitrate
Chris Kelso (editor) - Slave Stories: Scenes From The Slave State
Nicholas Royle – White Spines
Georges Simenon – Maigret
Kristine Ong Muslim – Butterfly Dream
Terry Grimwood – Interference
Jonathan Carroll – The Ghost In Love
Sophie White – Where I End
Chris Stein – Point of View
Georges Simenon – Cécile is Dead
Graham Joyce – The Year of the Ladybird
Nicholas Royle – Manchester Uncanny
Nina Allen – Conquest
Camilla Grudova – Children of Paradise
Georges Simenon – The Cellars of the Majestic
Noir – Olivier Pauvert
Sven Holm – Termush
DH Thomas – Imber
Andre Breton - Nadja
Fearsome Creatures – Aliya Whiteley
Thierry Jonquet – Tarantula
Georges Simenon – The Judge’s House
Gareth Jelley (editor) – Interzone #294
The Doom That Came To Whitby Town – Gary Fry
Phil Knight – Strangled
Georges Simenon – Signed, Picpus
Haruki Murakmi – Men Without Women
Andy Cox (editor) – Black Static #82/83
Georges Simenon – Inspector Cadaver
Livi Michael – The Lake
Dick Porter – Journey To The Centre Of The Cramps
David Frankel – Return
Patricia Highsmith – Strangers On A Train
Jim Gibson – A Symbol of a Memory
D.F. Lewis – The Birthday Presence
Michel Houellebecq – Submission
Jean Sprackland – Death Cookies
Will Eaves – Styx
Yevgheniy Zamyatin – We
Michael Morpurgo – The Wreck of the Zanzibar
Jeff Noon – Slow Motion Ghosts
Georges Simenon – Félicie
Sophie Mackintosh – Cursed Bread
Georges Simenon – Maigret Gets Angry
Allen Ashley – Journey to the Centre of the Onion
Adam Nevill – Lost Girl
Georges Simenon – Maigret In New York
Gary Couzens/Ralph Robert Moore – Roads Less Travelled Vol 1
Russell Hoban – The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz
Jacob Louis Beaney – The White Car
Yelena Moskovich – The Natashas
Seichō Matsumoto – Tokyo Express
Ray Cluley – All That’s Lost
Sophie Essex (editor) - At The Lighthouse
Jeff Noon & Steve Beard - Gogmagog: The First Chronicle of Ludwich
Georges Simenon – Maigret’s Holiday
Fred & Geoffrey Hoyle – Seven Steps To The Sun
Black Moon (& pamphlets) – Eugen Bacon
My Friend Dahmer – Derf Backderf
Ellery Queen – The Glass Village
Georges Simenon – Maigret’s Dead Man
That's worked out at exactly 80 books this year, up ten from last year's 70, so I'm happy with that. I should mention that I also proofread and copyedit and adding those novels into the mix would increase the number by about 20 books this year (those which were exceptional also making the above list).
Thankfully there weren't many books that I read this year that I absolutely hated, with most of the books attaining either three or four stars in my Goodreads round-up which is equivalent to 'I liked it' and above. I just couldn't engage with Nightjar Press chapbooks' "Styx" by Will Eaves or "A Symbol of a Memory" by Jim Gibson, but no doubt other readers will disagree. I admit I thoroughly disliked "Tarantula" by Thierry Jonquet from which the excellent movie "The Skin I Live In" was adapted by Pedro Almodóvar. Unfortunately I considered the source material to be flat and unengaging and persistently unbelievably ludicrous. Sven Holm's much-praised "Termush" elicited a curt "This soft apocalyptic novel is ok but nothing special." review from me, so clearly I wasn't keen on that either. I also wasn't enamoured by Anna Taborska's short collection, "Shadow Cats", but perhaps I need to like cats more in order to appreciate it.
I continued ploughing through George Simenon's Maigret novels, reading fifteen of those this year and enjoying all of them (with one more than the others...). As stated, there were also a plethora of books I gave three Goodreads stars too, with the most notable being the SF/horror novel, "Lost Girl", by Adam Nevill, which I'm still thinking about, likewise Jeff Noon's straight detective novel, "Slow Motion Ghosts", "Where I End" by Sophie White - another one still stuck in my head, "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James where the final passages bumped the whole book up by one star, Andrew David Barker's "Dead Leaves", which I didn't love as much as "The Electric" but was still entertaining, and the rollicking, if deliberately genre-obvious, "Hell Train" by the late Christopher Fowler.
Whilst the above 3 star books were edging 4, at the other end of the scale there were a few books I was hoping would be 4 stars (or above) but ended up at the lower end of 3. I include amongst these "Men Without Women" by Haruki Murakami, a collection of underwhelming short stories, "Children of Paradise" by Camilla Grudova which wasn't as stimulating or engaging as previous favourite, "The Doll's Alphabet", "Conquest" by Nina Allen (one of my favourite authors whose books have twice topped my reads of the year, but I just could not get a handle on this novel), Jonathan Carroll's "The Ghost In Love" which I found very formulaic for this author and not dissimilar enough from other books of his rendered better, and "Silver Nitrate" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia which - whilst having some excellent characterisation - was a romp without circumstance and not quite what I was expecting.
Thankfully, I also read many great books this year. Seichō Matsumoto's "Tokyo Express" a short detective novel, with succinct, sparse prose, was a solid read, as was "Cursed Bread" by Sophie Macintosh which I loved almost as much as "The Water Cure" and was certainly better than "Blue Ticket". I must make mention of the final issue of Black Static magazine, edited by Andy Cox, which as well as containing a story from myself included great fiction from favourites Ray Cluley and Simon Avery amongst many others. Short fiction chapbooks from Nightjar Press which I thoroughly enjoyed were "The Return" (David Frankel), "Death Cookies" (Jean Sprackland), "Imber" (D H Thomas) and "The Birthday Presence" (D F Lewis), as was Nightjar's proprietor, Nicholas Royle's own collection, "Manchester Uncanny", in addition to his non-fiction memoir "White Spines: Confessions of a Book Collector". Continuing the theme of non-fiction, the music books "Journey to the Centre of the Cramps" (Dick Porter) and "Strangled: Identity, Status, Structure and The Stranglers" (Phil Knight) were each pushing towards five stars for being both thought-provoking and entertaining. Graham Joyce's "The Year Of The Ladybird" was a brilliantly rendered story from this much missed writer; "Interference" by Terry Grimwood was a great SF novella packed with ideas; John Steinbeck's "The Wayward Bus" had me re-reading bits back to myself and out loud to my partner, as the writing was spot on; Tim Major's novella, "Shade of Stillthorpe" maintained a delicious sense of ambiguity which went beyond the last page; and Russell Hoban's "Riddley Walker" was a compelling, engaging work, despite - or perhaps because of - the language used in the telling.
Thankfully, I also read many great books this year. Seichō Matsumoto's "Tokyo Express" a short detective novel, with succinct, sparse prose, was a solid read, as was "Cursed Bread" by Sophie Macintosh which I loved almost as much as "The Water Cure" and was certainly better than "Blue Ticket". I must make mention of the final issue of Black Static magazine, edited by Andy Cox, which as well as containing a story from myself included great fiction from favourites Ray Cluley and Simon Avery amongst many others. Short fiction chapbooks from Nightjar Press which I thoroughly enjoyed were "The Return" (David Frankel), "Death Cookies" (Jean Sprackland), "Imber" (D H Thomas) and "The Birthday Presence" (D F Lewis), as was Nightjar's proprietor, Nicholas Royle's own collection, "Manchester Uncanny", in addition to his non-fiction memoir "White Spines: Confessions of a Book Collector". Continuing the theme of non-fiction, the music books "Journey to the Centre of the Cramps" (Dick Porter) and "Strangled: Identity, Status, Structure and The Stranglers" (Phil Knight) were each pushing towards five stars for being both thought-provoking and entertaining. Graham Joyce's "The Year Of The Ladybird" was a brilliantly rendered story from this much missed writer; "Interference" by Terry Grimwood was a great SF novella packed with ideas; John Steinbeck's "The Wayward Bus" had me re-reading bits back to myself and out loud to my partner, as the writing was spot on; Tim Major's novella, "Shade of Stillthorpe" maintained a delicious sense of ambiguity which went beyond the last page; and Russell Hoban's "Riddley Walker" was a compelling, engaging work, despite - or perhaps because of - the language used in the telling.
Also fixated on language as a character rather than simply a propulsion is Eugen Bacon, and her novel "Serengotti", was just shaved out of my top three this year. It’s an examination of culture and displacement, of what happens when things turn sour and how to right yourself; a story of truth and consequences, a puzzle enough to puzzle, yet not to confuse. And another book with startling imagery and an intelligent approach was "The Natashas" by Yelena Moskovich, which came exceedingly close to being my best book of the year, but faltered at the final hurdle when some resolution might have been useful. I will definitely be reading more by her, though. Patricia Highsmith's "Strangers On A Train" was in my top three up to a couple of weeks so, but it's been pushed out of third place (as will soon be evident).
Ultimately, however, as usual I default to Goodreads for those few books which I rated 5/5 during the year, and on this occasion there were only three which makes my final selection much easier. So, without further ado, here's my third place and then my top two favourite reads of 2023:
In reverse order:
"All That's Lost" by Ray Cluley
This is a truly tremendous collection of short stories. Each is a world in itself, with engaging characterisation, complex motivations, and where any horror is much more an internal observation rather than some malevolent exterior force. There's a restraint here not to fall into genre trappings, led by the quality of the prose, which elevates these stories into 'literature' rather than pulp fiction (each style has its place, but there is a quality here which is raw in the characters rather than the prose). Set in a variety of locations, Cluley inhabits them: there is never anything other than a sense of authenticity. I won't go into each story because this would turn into an essay, but "The Wrong Shark", for example, where a man recollects his childhood living in the town where the film "Jaws" was shot, is superlative. These stories run through with the skill of the telling and there are new angles on horror to be found within each one. This collection is highly - and unreservedly - recommended.
"Lock No.1" by Georges Simenon
I've read quite a few Maigret's now with many of them almost hitting the top spot but I think this is my favourite so far. As a detective, Maigret is the opposite of Columbo. There's never "just one more thing". In fact, there's rarely any questioning at all. By his very presence Maigret seems to invite confessions, for the 'villains' (for want of a better descriptor) to bottle everything up in fear of interrogation only for themselves to let everything out. It's a tour de force of sustained suspense, to keep a novel at that bubbling point, and the plot here is intricate and tragic; essentially a man who has worked his way up to have everything, but through egoism and happenstance can't find the right people to share it with. And even more tragic, finds himself harking back to those simpler times, undoing his status. There's much to relate to here and the prose is knife-edge sharp. Whilst I've enjoyed almost all the Maigret's, this is one I'd happily read again. Loved it.
And the winner is:
"Submission" by Michel Houellebecq
I thoroughly enjoyed this speculative fiction novel, set in a near future (well, past now - 2022) France where Islamic Law comes into force following a surprising, but logical, electoral vote. Houellebecq presents a compelling argument for the inevitability of change, for an assumptive willingness for inertia to be ridden roughshod through inaction. He skilfully remains non-judgmental over this outcome - which I think is important. Not quite plus ça change for everyone, of course, but the personal angle of the protagonist is an intriguing one and I'm glad Hoeuellebecq held back on violent outcomes. What remains is an introspectively personal character subjected to a changing political situation which will affect him whether he wants it or not, whilst simultaneously he balances his own decisions and judgments and reflects on a meaning in life. The prose here is succinct and clearly put: whilst my general knowledge of French politics is minimal and I wouldn't know if any figures here are real, my knowledge of our protagonist's object of study - Husymans - is also vague (I cannot recall if I have read "Là-Bas" or not and that's the only one I have), so Houellebecq's transparent summaries of both were welcome and not too heavy. This ensured the novel was engaging. Some might say it is too light, but not me. Some novels get under your skin, often for unknown reasons, but I tore through this in wonderment.
Movies:
I watched the following in 2023:
Those movies which I found annoying or awful are easy to chronicle, and thankfully these were few and far between this year, however they included "Matinee" directed by Joe Dante, which I thought a real misfire. Riffing off William Castle movies, the film is all over the shop and doesn't know what it wants to be. The black and white "Mant! - the film within the film - goes some way to redeeming it and there are some great lines and laugh out loud bits. But it's "Mant!" we want to see, and despite Goodman playing his role well, the rest of "Matinee" falls by the wayside. Also misfiring repeatedly whilst trying to shoot itself in the head was "Men", in which director Alex Garland mansplains toxic masculinity in the belief of appealing to a female audience. Own goal! What might have been interesting becomes risible. Not a fan. I also hugely disliked "The Menu" (directed by Mark Mylod). I thought the first act was well-played, but as soon as we reach the first 'shock' then suspension of disbelief falters and it's downhill from thereon in. It makes a meal of its targets of celebrity and privilege and is rather overcooked. And it's about as subtle as the gags I just used. I was wholly disappointed by was Edgar Wright's "Last Night In Soho" which I also thought misfired on every conceivable level. It was also one hour and fifty-two minutes too long. Bong Joon-ho's "Snowpiercer" felt like Wes Anderson crossed with Terry Gilliam but taking the worst elements from both directors, and Gabe Polsky's "Butcher's Crossing" was a snorefest of epic proportions, where what should have been lengthy moments were condensed into minutes and vice versa - the pacing was atrocious and undermined what could have been a good - if overly polemic - film.
"The Turin Horse" (2011) - Béla Tarr & Ágnes Hranitzky
And the winner is...
"Aftersun" (2022) - Charlotte Wells
A masterclass in saying just enough and knowing what not to say. This film about a daughter's relationship with her estranged father over a holiday in Spain has haunted me since I watched it close to the beginning of the year, and that soft power still hasn't let me go. It's an absolute no brainer for this to be my top film watched in 2023. So good it could easily have also taken the second and third slots as the same time as being my number one. An engaging, thoughtful and blessfully unsaccharine movie with the naturalistic acting and direction key to making those connections. Emotionally devastating.
Records:
I listened to the following albums in 2023:
"The Beggar" (2023) - Swans
Swans have been on my radar for a while but it was when I noticed they were touring this year that I decided to give them a proper listen, and considering the length of their records that was no mean feat. I decided to concentrate on this, this new release, which is two hours in length and includes one song of 43 minutes duration! There's a mesmeric, uncertain quality to this quiet alternative rock music, quite orchestral in tone (borne out in the performance), underlined by the soft, simmering violence that is the threat of death. It's a solid, epic, record that I greatly enjoyed.
"Sit Down For Dinner" (2023) - Blonde Redhead
Blonde Redhead are one of my favourite bands (who I regularly listen to whilst writing stories), but I was less convinced by their last record and a little nervous regarding this one. Having never seen them live, however, I was lucky enough to do so twice this year in small venues (and they were fantastic), and the experience has certainly imbued this record with a quality that has elevated it close to the top of this year's list. Like Swans, the musicianship here is faultless (the drum break in "Melody Experiment" is deliciously anticipatory), and the songs feel effortless. "Sit Down For Dinner" is a great record and a real return to form, fragility to be found in strength.
And the winner is...
"Tojours" (2014) - Sabina Sciubba
I hadn't even heard of Sabina Sciubba at the start of the year, but a chance listen on YouTube's "What's In My Bag?" was intriguing, and this record - with a mix of poppy, world music, sometimes Gainsbourg-esque vocal delivery, and catchy, clever lyrics was a surefire hit. I can't stop smiling each time I play it, slipping under the covers of sound like being snuggled up with a perfect love. There's no doubt this is my favourite record listened to this year. And I think you should hear it too.
In reverse order:
"All That's Lost" by Ray Cluley
"Lock No.1" by Georges Simenon
And the winner is:
"Submission" by Michel Houellebecq
Movies:
I watched the following in 2023:
Daguerréotypes (1976, Agnès Varda)
When Darkness Falls (1960, Arne Mattsson)
Decision To Leave (2022, Park Chan-wook)
Let The Sunshine In (2017, Claire Denis)
Men (2022, Alex Garland)
Paris, Texas (1984, Wim Wenders)
Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996, S. S. Wilson)
Knives Out (2019, Rian Johnson)
Bhaji On The Beach (1993, Gurinder Chadha)
Planet Of The Apes (1968, Franklin J. Schaffner)
The Producers (1967, Mel Brooks)
Matinee (1993, Joe Dante)
The Menu (2002, Mark Mylod)
Love Is Colder Than Death (1969. Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
Shopping (1994, Paul W. S. Anderson)
Mad Max (1979, George Miller)
Identification Marks: None (1964, Jerzy Skolimowski)
The Element of Crime (1984, Lars Von Trier)
Vesper (2022, Kristina Buožytė and Bruno Samper)
Aftersun (2002, Charlotte Wells)
Beware of a Holy Whore (1971. Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
Horror Express (1972, Eugenio Martín)
The Castle of Purity (1972, Arturo Ripstein)
La Ricotta (1962. Pier Paolo Pasolini)
Fall (2022, Scott Mann)
Aphotic Zone (2022, Emilija Škarnulytė)
The Sisters Brothers (2018, Jacques Audiard)
Story of Women (1988, Claude Chabrol)
The Client (1994, Joel Schumacher)
Holy Spider (2022, Ali Abbasi)
Stowaway (2021, Joe Penna)
The Capsule (2012, Athina Rachel Tsangari)
Mustang (2015, Deniz Gamze Ergüven)
Saw (2004, James Wan)
An Elephant Sitting Still (2018, Hu Bo)
Ava (2017, Léa Mysius)
The Deep House (2021, Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo)
The Turin Horse (2011, Béla Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky)
The Unholy (2021, Evan Spiliotopoulos)
The Traitor (2019, Marco Bellocchio)
Only The Animals (2019, Dominik Moll)
How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989, Bruce Robinson)
Agent Elvis (2023, series)
Please Baby Please (2022, Amanda Kramer)
The Handmaid's Tale (1990, Volker Schlöndorff)
The Limey (1999, Steven Soderbergh)
Of Human Bondage (1934, John Cromwell)
Blazing Saddles (1974, Mel Brooks)
Nope (2022, Jordan Peele)
Elvis (2022, Baz Luhrmann)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012, Christopher Nolan)
Summit Fever (2022, Julian Gilbey)
Last Night In Soho (2021, Edgar Wright)
She Will (2021, Charlotte Colbert)
In the Earth (2021, Ben Wheatley)
White Noise (2022, Noah Baumbach)
The Black Phone (2021, Scott Derrickson)
Batman Begins (2005, Christopher Nolan)
Prince of Darkness (1987, John Carpenter)
Ad Astra (2019, James Gray)
Blade Runner (1982, Ridley Scott)
Drugstore Cowboy (1989, Gus Van Sant)
The Cement Garden (1993, by Andrew Birkin)
Planet Terror (2007, Robert Rodriguez)
Jaws 2 (1978, Jeannot Szwarc)
The Earrings of Madame de… (1953, Max Ophüls)
The Boss of It All (2006, Lars von Trier)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, Steven Spielberg)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984, Steven Spielberg)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989, Steven Spielberg)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008, Steven Spielberg)
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976, John Cassavetes)
Hannibal (Season 1)
Oppenheimer (2023, Christopher Nolan)
Hannibal (Season 2)
The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales (1960, Rogelio A. González)
The Batwoman (1968, René Cardona)
Hannibal (Season 3)
Frogs (1972, George McCowan)
The Quatermass Xperiment (1955, Val Guest)
Paparazzi (1964, Jacques Rozier) (short)
Way Out West (1937, James W. Horne)
King Kong (1933, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack)
The Witch’s Mirror (1962, Chano Urueta)
Arctic Void (2022, Darren Mann)
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (short film) (2023, Wes Anderson)
The Reckoning (2022, TV series)
Stark Fear (1962, Ned Hochman)
The Jungle Book (1967, Wolfgang Reitherman)
Race to the Summit (2023, Nicholas de Taranto & Götz Werner)
Nothing Sacred (1937, William A Wellman)
Talk to Me (2022, Danny and Michael Philippou)
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976, John Carpenter)
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007, Sidney Lumet)
The Killer (2023, David Fincher)
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998, Guy Ritchie)
My Friend Dahmer (2017, Marc Meyers)
The Innocent (2022, Louis Garrel)
Guilty Bystander (1950, Joseph Lerner)
Murder in Mississippi (1965, Joseph P. Mawra)
Snowpiercer (2013, Bong Joon-ho)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023, James Mangold)
The Deepest Breath (2023, Laura McGann)
Un Beau Matin (2022, Mia Hansen-Løve)
The Dive (2023, Max Erlenwein)
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010, Jalmari Helander)
Butcher's Crossing (2022, Gabe Polsky)
Christine (1983, John Carpenter)
Hercules (1997, John Musker & Ron Clements)
In 2022 I watched 132 movies and this year the list comes to 109. There's a good reason for this: the streaming service Mubi changed it's one movie a day on / one movie a day off policy, so that there isn't the same impetus to watch films in fear of them disappearing. Couple this with us listening to more vinyl records this year in the evening, and the drop is understandable. It's still quite a long list to narrow down to my top three, and unlike books I don't have a site equivalent to Goodreads with which to guide my memory. And just to add a note that unlike previous years I've chosen to add the year of release and director's name which might make this list more interesting and avoid any confusion over similarly named films.
As usual, however, I'm discounting movies I've previously seen. So this knocks out the brilliant "Paris, Texas", Wim Wenders finest film which I've seen a couple of times since release but which I couldn't wholly remember; the 1968 original "Planet of the Apes" for which I feel my affection has only increased and the make-up effects are equally as good today as they ever were; Mel Brooks' "The Producers", an exercise in excess; John Carpenter's fantastic "Prince of Darkness", a film which defines the very essence of creeping dread the ending of which has defined the terrifying quality of a recurring nightmare of mine; Laurel and Hardy's superb "Way Out West" which I love every single time I watch it and which also contains a defining scene for me - eroticism, this time rather than terror - when Laurel is tickled mercilessly by Sharon Lynn; the original "King Kong" (which bizarrely I saw as a 'support act' for Siouxsie Sioux this summer); and the original "Jungle Book" which remained as entertaining as ever.
Those movies which I found annoying or awful are easy to chronicle, and thankfully these were few and far between this year, however they included "Matinee" directed by Joe Dante, which I thought a real misfire. Riffing off William Castle movies, the film is all over the shop and doesn't know what it wants to be. The black and white "Mant! - the film within the film - goes some way to redeeming it and there are some great lines and laugh out loud bits. But it's "Mant!" we want to see, and despite Goodman playing his role well, the rest of "Matinee" falls by the wayside. Also misfiring repeatedly whilst trying to shoot itself in the head was "Men", in which director Alex Garland mansplains toxic masculinity in the belief of appealing to a female audience. Own goal! What might have been interesting becomes risible. Not a fan. I also hugely disliked "The Menu" (directed by Mark Mylod). I thought the first act was well-played, but as soon as we reach the first 'shock' then suspension of disbelief falters and it's downhill from thereon in. It makes a meal of its targets of celebrity and privilege and is rather overcooked. And it's about as subtle as the gags I just used. I was wholly disappointed by was Edgar Wright's "Last Night In Soho" which I also thought misfired on every conceivable level. It was also one hour and fifty-two minutes too long. Bong Joon-ho's "Snowpiercer" felt like Wes Anderson crossed with Terry Gilliam but taking the worst elements from both directors, and Gabe Polsky's "Butcher's Crossing" was a snorefest of epic proportions, where what should have been lengthy moments were condensed into minutes and vice versa - the pacing was atrocious and undermined what could have been a good - if overly polemic - film.
Whilst there weren't many films that I vehemently loathed this year, unfortunately there were also very few which came even close to making my top three, with the vast majority of them eliciting no more than a box-ticking exercise in adding them to the watched list. Whether this is a residue of Covid, with a paucity of films being shot a few years ago, or simply the fact that I've seen much of what I already want to watch from my favourite directors I have no idea, but reviewing the list the lack of great films is quite saddening. Those which did stand out though include "Decision To Leave" directed by Park Chan-Wook which took a few surprising turns and where the ending was sublime; "Let The Sunshine In" directed by Claire Denis (Juliette Binoche is brilliant in this film about relationships due to fail from the outset and how we are drawn to wrong choices, and poor decisions. The acting is wonderful throughout, the long conversations authentic.); "Love Is Colder Than Death" directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, which I thought to be an excellent, nihilistic, deconstructed crime film; "Horror Express", an absolute blast of a movie; the similarly so-cheesy-its-good Mexican film "The Witch's Mirror" which went through a surprising number of plot changes; "Holy Spider" by Ali Abbasi, a somewhat brutal depiction of male violence and a powerful film, well-acted; and "Stowaway" directed by Joe Penna, a what-if scenario on board a spaceship where there were no histrionics, just a problem to be solved, which made it highly believable. I also enjoyed "Of Human Bondage" (great starring role for Bette Davis); "Drugstore Cowboy" (which I remember liking but now can barely remember); "In The Earth" (I find director Ben Wheatley to be hit and miss, but this certainly hit); "Blade Runner" (which somehow I had never seen before but was worth 41yrs of hype); "The Killer" (David Fincher's slow-burning, under-your-skin thriller), John Carpenter's "Christine" which was much better than I expected, and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (Guy Ritchie's fast-turning, in-your-face thriller).
Other than the above which are all recommended, there were only a few more films that really got under my skin, and here are those recommendations: "Mustang" (a Turkish film directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven about five orphaned Turkish sisters who are gradually found husbands through arranged marriages and the psychological effects that this has. Very well-acted.); "She Will" (a masterful, measured, atmospheric, horror(?) film which said just enough and not too much. Startling); "Oppenheimer " which was worth seeing at the cinema and which I think handled the subject matter very ably; "Talk To Me" (an interesting spin on a horror film which slipped away into the more obvious towards the end), and especially "Arctic Void", a low budget, really neat slipstream film which played to a satisfying conclusion without needing to explain itself and which is still hanging around in my head.
Anyway, whilst as usual I get the feeling that another day might produce marginally different results (certainly over the number three spot), today here are my top three movies that I saw for the first time in 2023.
Again, in reverse order:
"An Elephant Sitting Still" (2018) - Hu Bo
"An Elephant Sitting Still" (2018) - Hu Bo
This four hour feature is set over the course of a single day, where poor decisions, assumptions, and a kind of nihilistic ennui dog the protagonists from seemingly inescapable fates. The slow pace greatly enhances the subject matter, allowing tensions to build and characterisation to breathe. I thought it excellent. Unfortunately this was Hu Bo's first and only feature. He took his life shortly after the film was completed, aged only 29.
"The Turin Horse" (2011) - Béla Tarr & Ágnes Hranitzky
Tarr grabbed my top spot last year with "Sátántangó" and like much of Tarr's work that I've seen "The Turin Horse" is also a slow repetitive existential piece of cinema, where gradually something happens. In this case, the encroach of nothingness in the mundane lives of a potato farmer and his daughter. It's beautifully shot and raw and wonderful.
And the winner is...
"Aftersun" (2022) - Charlotte Wells
Records:
I listened to the following albums in 2023:
Bow Wow Wow – See Jungle!
Taylor Swift – Midnights
Modern Woman – Dogs Fighting In My Dream
Polly Scattergood – In The Absence of Light
Taylor Swift – Lover
Paul Smith & The Imitations – Contradictions
Viagra Boys – Street Worms
Viagra Boys – Welfare Jazz
Maximo Park – Nature Always Wins
Jean-Michel Jarre – Oxygene
Viagra Boys – Cave World
Portishead – Dummy
Charlie Megira – The Abtomatic Miesterzinger Mambo Chic
The Residents – Duck Stab
Danielle Dax – Jesus Egg That Wept
The Residents – Not Available
The Residents – Triple Trouble
The Residents – Eskimo
The Residents – Diskomo
Taylor Swift – Folklore
Miles Davis – Lift To The Scaffold
Cocteau Twins – Victorialand
The Residents – Mush-Room
Lande Hekt – House Without a View
Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain
Blonde Redhead – La Mia Vita Violenta
KAZU – Angel Baby
A Void – Dissociation
Paramore – This Is Why
Lande Hekt – Going To Hell
Nancy & Lee – Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood
Siouxsie & The Banshees – Peepshow
Jah Wobble – Metal Box (Rebuilt In Dub)
Flaming Lips – Oczy Mlody
Mattiel – Georgia Gothic
Maximo Park – Quicken The Heart
Aldous Harding – Aldous Harding
Bjork – Vulnicura Live
New Found Glory – Make The Most Of It
Aldous Harding – Party
Blondie – Parallel Lines
The Cure – Three Imaginary Boys
Mark E Smith – The Post Nearly Man
Aldous Harding – Designer
They Might Be Giants – Flood
The Damned – Machine Gun Etiquette
The Cure – Staring At The Sea
The Cure – Japanese Whispers
The Damned – The Black Album
Sparks – Annette (Cannes Edition – Selections from the Motion Picture Soundtrack)
The Damned – Damned Damned Damned
Aldous Harding – Warm Chris
B52s – Mesopotamia
BIS – New Transistor Heroes
The Damned – Evil Spirits
The Stranglers – Dark Matter
Flaming Lips – American Head
Au Pairs – Playing With A Different Sex
Snapped Ankles - Blurtations
The Damned - Darkadelic
The Cure – Faith
Dry Cleaning – Stumpwork
Iggy Pop – Every Loser
Bedouin Soundclash – We Will Meet in a Hurricane
Death and Vanilla – Flicker
The Undertones – The Positive Touch
Blondie – Pollinator
Hotel Lux – Hands Across The Creek
Supergrass – I Should Coco
Chastity Belt – Time To Go Home
Sparks – The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte
Blondie – Eat To The Beat
Blondie – Plastic Letters
Deborah Harry – Def, Dumb & Blonde
Blondie – Against The Odds: 1974-1982
Sparks – A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip
Lambrini Girls – You’re Welcome
Renaldo & The Loaf – The Elbow Is Taboo
Hermanos Gutiérrez – El Bueno y el Malo
Broadcast – Work and Non Work
The xx – xx
Stiff Little Fingers – Inflammable Material
Paramore – After Laughter
Habibi – Anywhere But Here
Swans – The Beggar
New Found Glory – Radio Surgery
Taylor Swift – Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
Blonde Redhead – 23
Blonde Redhead – Misery Is A Butterfly
Le Tigre – Le Tigre
Various Artists – BIPPP French Synth-Wave (1979-1985)
Sabina Sciubba – Toujours
New Found Glory – Nothing Gold Can Stay
New Found Glory – New Found Glory
New Found Glory – Sticks and Stones
New Found Glory – Catalyst
New Found Glory – Coming Home
Taylor Swift – Evermore
New Found Glory – Not Without A Fight
Maximo Park – Too Much Information
Felix Laband – Deaf Safari
New Found Glory – Resurrection
New Found Glory – Make Me Sick
Devo – Freedom of Choice
B52s – Bouncing Off The Satellites
Devo – Duty Now For The Future
The Cramps – A Date With Elvis
B52s – Cosmic Thing
William Onyeabor – Who is William Onyeabor?
Siouxsie – Mantaray
Magazine – Secondhand Daylight
Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
Blonde Redhead – Penny Sparkle
Echo & The Bunnymen – Ocean Rain
Siouxsie & The Banshees – The Scream
Blonde Redhead – Barragán
Kraftwerk – Autobahn
The Cure – Pornography
XTC – Skylarking
Polly Scattergood – Polly Scattergood
Romy – Mid Air
Let’s Eat Grandma – Two Ribbons
The Monochrome Set – Allhallowtide
The Monochrome Set – Volume, Contrast, Brilliance
Sparks – Terminal Jive
Sparks – A Woofer In Tweeters Clothing
Blonde Redhead – Sit Down For Dinner
Paavoharju - Yön Mustia Kukkia
Poly Styrene – Translucence
Bjork – Homogenic
The Cramps – Psychedelic Jungle
Sabina Sciubba – Sleeping Dragon
Taylor Swift – 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
Knower – Knower Forever
Hallan – The Noise of a Firing Gun
The Stranglers – The Raven
Sultans of Ping F.C. – Casual Sex In The Cineplex
Nadine Shah – Holiday Destination
Kumisolo & Joe Davolaz – Kabuki Femme Fatale
Sonic Youth – Washing Machine
Dinosaur Jnr – Where You Been
Danielle Dax – Inky Bloaters
Cocteau Twins – Head Over Heels
That's exactly 142 albums which is 31 more than I listened to last year which I'm pleased with. A large number of these were played on vinyl, us having purchased a record player last year really kicking in (including the compulsion to buy vinyl at ridiculous prices!), either playing new records or going through my back catalogue. As I've done with my book and movie list I will discount anything previously listened to. And unlike movies and books (which - even with favourites - I rarely read/see more than a handful of occasions in a lifetime), music is an entirely different kettle of fish and predominantly most of these will be re-listens. I haven't done a count in previous years, but I note approximately 25% of these records were new to me which isn't too bad a percentage I feel.
Revisits this year included old favourites such as Sparks, The Cramps, Blondie, and Bjork. And as I attended 19 gigs this year quite a few of the re-listens revolved around preparing for those: so large numbers of Viagra Boys, Aldous Harding, Blonde Redhead, Devo and The Residents to name but a few (actually, for eight months of the year I was working on a short story project for which I played the individual songs on The Residents' "Commercial Album" over one hundred and twenty times on repeat, each, but as I didn't hear it from start-to-finish it's not included on this list). My 11yr old daughter also 'discovered' The Cure at the start of the year, and as such I've also listened to their records more frequently as a result, mostly individual songs rather than full albums. I also bought Polly Scattergood's eponymous first album on vinyl: a pivotal and emotional record for me. Hearing it again on such a pure format had me in floods.
Special mentions to the following: Kazu's "Adult Baby" (a solo album from one third of Blonde Redhead which has some gloriously breathy moments); Jah Wobble's version of "Metal Box (Rebuilt In Dub") which could have been much more dubby but was very smart (and great to hear live); Bjork's "Vulnicura Live" which I found on Spotify and made me wish I was at that gig; Aldous Harding's "Party" with some intelligent, whimsical songwriting; new favourite band Hallan whose post-punk EP "The Noise of a Firing Gun" is listed here as their longest work to date; likewise Lambrini Girls' "You're Welcome". I 'discovered' Broadcast after their mention on several "What's In My Bag" YouTube videos, and whilst I need to delve deeper, the compilation (the only place I could find the sublime "The Book Lovers") "Work And Non-Work" seemed a good place to start. My 11yr old also turned me onto Le Tigre, with their eponymous album now a firm favourite, and I also enjoyed the softly-poppy, trippy "Deaf Safari" by Felix Laband, Siouxsie's solo album, "Mantaray", from 2007, and William Onyeabor's funky "Who is William Onyeabor?" (an album which should be far out of my box, but instead is just far out). Finally, I also loved "BIPPP French Synth-Wave (1979-1985)", a compilation that sounds exactly as it reads.
Taylor Swift continued her reimagining of her older albums by re-releasing "Speak Now" and "1989". This includes new tracks of the period, and whilst I found the former album's new material to be quite slight, those additional tracks on "1989" were all well worth hearing. I am looking forward to her concluding this project, though, as I see little value to the consumer in re-recording the originals (whilst it's just money in the bank for Ms Swift).
This year saw the release of some great albums, most especially "This Is Why" by Paramore which is a perfect pop-album, my favourite song being "Liar" which contains the best lyric of the year: "And, oh my love, I lied to you / But I never needed to / Oh my love, I lied to you / But you always knew the truth". That song is passably covered by Romy (one third of The XX), whose solo album, "Mid Air", was also worth a listen (even if it leans heavy on a 00s club vibe). Other new records include the limited edition Record Store Day mini-album, "Blurtations", by Snapped Ankles, reworking songs by Blurt, which I need to listen to more; also The Damned's "Darkadelic" which - though musically proficient, felt rather overlong and self-indulgent to me (instead, check out the previous album, "Evil Spirits", which was a glorious return to form); Iggy Pop's "Every Loser" was an interesting addition to his oeuvre, and I came to like it a lot. Another Sparks' record is becoming an annual event, and "The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte" didn't disappoint. I think it's my favourite of the last three albums (just to group a few together), and for sheer inventive exuberance it almost made my top three this year, but perhaps I'm so overfamiliar with them that another Sparks' album has become another Sparks' album, and so it didn't quite hit the spot this time around; equally inventive were Knower with "Knower Forever", a band I haven't encountered before, but through a recommendation the song "I'm The President" has been totally addictive. Sabina Sciubba's "Sleeping Dragon" was also interesting, but more on her later.
Other records that were from bands which were new to me but not necessarily new that I enjoyed included Lande Hekt's "House Without A View" (great poppy stuff), A Void's "Dissociation" (great live, too), Death and Vanilla's quite dreamy "Flicker", Hotel Lux's quirky (but perhaps not wholly satisfying) "Hands Across The Creek", Hermanos Gutiérrez's "El Bueno y el Malo" (melodic instrumentals), Nadine Shah's "Holiday Destination" and Habibi's "Anywhere But Here".
Ultimately, though, my top three new (to me) records played this year are as follows (in reverse order):
"The Beggar" (2023) - Swans
And the winner is...
"Tojours" (2014) - Sabina Sciubba
So that's it, my summary of what I read, watched and listened to in 2023! Drop back in next year, but as has become usual I'll end with a song that's captivated me during the year and is sufficiently quirky to deserve the final note to send off this long post. In some ways totally out of my wheelhouse, in others perfectly within it, here's the previously mentioned "I'm The President" by Knower. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment