Cláudio's 2023 Top Ten

by Cláudio Alves

Commercial releases aside, Patiño's SAMSARA is 2023 best film.Better late than never, am I right? As we all know, here at The Film Experience, a cinematic year only ends after the Oscars, so maybe I'm not so late after all. Whatever the case, it's time to say goodbye to 2023, with the Miyazaki ranking as my prelude to this farewell. At long last, let's consider newer releases and, most importantly, turn away from the now to ruminate on the before – film history, here we come. Indeed, I've missed writing about older pictures like you wouldn't believe. But let's hold our horses. Before such revelry into the distant past, one has to look back at the year that's gone and all its big screen wonders. Personally, I thought they were a vibrant twelve months of cinema…

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Oscar Trivia: The Beloved Losers Camp gets a new member!

by Nathaniel R

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON marks a third time for Scorsese to reach a particular Oscar stat

Most die-hard movie fans can tell you who the "all time biggest losers" are in Oscar history though they'll usually cite actors (Peter O'Toole, Glenn Close, etcetera) rather than films. The film list is interesting because usually when Oscar really loves a movie they'll find a way to give it at least one Oscar. Yet sometimes they really love you only on the first ballot but are over you when it comes time to pick winners. In the past ten years this list of "losers" had grown. Please take the term "loser" in good fun as being nominated for tons of Oscars is still a rarity in the grand scheme of Hollywood releases. 

After the jump all of the films with 8 nominations or more that won nothing on Oscar night... 

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Lily Gladstone is Still a Winner

by Ginny O'Keefe

Lily Gladstone at the Oscars . Screenshot from ABC

The Oscar hangover is in full effect as I write this on Monday afternoon. Endless thoughts and reflections from the night before keep circling the drain of my movie brain in a never-ending swirl. Thoughts on Cillian Murphy’s humility, Ryan Gosling’s unwavering commitment to the bit, Johnathan Glazer’s courageous words, and even John Cena’s nudity. But one giant thought seems to spin around in my mind the loudest; the thought of Lily. 

Like many this year, I had huge hopes for Lily Gladstone when it came to awards season. Back in May, when Killers of the Flower Moon had its premiere at the Cannes Film festival, it had received a formidable 9-minute standing ovation. And as the festival camera did its traditional audience coverage during the rolling credits to showcase the film’s stars, it was the lingering shot of Gladstone wiping away tears while sporting a glowing smile that had me absolutely certain of one thing; this is her year...

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Best Picture in Black-and-White: 2023 Edition

by Cláudio Alves

Re-releasing films in black-and-white, whether in theaters or through physical media, has become something of a trend. This year, Godzilla Minus One prompted a new edit with color stripped away, revealing a new way to consider its post-war twist on the kaiju mythos. I understand why audiences and filmmakers get carried away by these experiments. After all, for the past few seasons, it's a The Film Experience tradition to re-think the year's Best Picture Oscar nominees in silvery monochrome, pondering what each flick would look like transformed.

This is an exercise that can reveal qualities in composition and lighting, as well as provide a reference for the role of color in visual storytelling. Sometimes, its absence makes no difference. In other cases, a movie can't work in grayscale… 

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Hello, Gorgeous: Best Actress of 2023

A new series by Juan Carlos Ojano

Hello, dear readers! It’s been a while since the last time I posted an entry to this series. I was busy completing my theater class, resulting in a final showcase open to the public. Let me start with that because our current nominees for Best Actress have all done theater in different points of their respective careers, something we do not always get to say about most groups of acting nominees in a category. Truth is that’s the only connective tissue I could find with these nominees because their character introductions are vastly different from each other.

Are you ready? The year is 2023...

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