Favorite First-Time Watches of November 2023
Here were some of my favorite films I watched for the very first time in the month of November in 2023.
Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) – Directed by Anges Varda
Continuing my journey through the Sight and Sound 2022 list, I have found another couple of gems to recommend. Agnes Varda is a well-renowned filmmaker who worked for 68 years. One of her most acclaimed films is Cleo from 5 to 7.
It follows a young singer from 5 pm to 7 pm as she awaits the results of a biopsy. The film nearly plays out in real-time as we watch Cleo work, shop, spend time with friends, and worry about the results.
I wasn’t sure about the film as I was watching it, but this is a perfect example of why you should never turn a movie off early. Not that I wanted to, but it’s the film’s ending that ties everything together, especially thematically.
Whether it’s good news or bad, knowing the outcome is best—this way you know how to proceed. Most people would like to live in the dark about certain things. But if you know the problem, you at least know how to handle that problem.
The Holdovers (2023) – Directed by Alexander Payne
Payne has a new film this year. It’s a throwback to those 1970’s character dramas like Hal Ashby made. However, instead of feeling like an Ashby movie like Payne’s Sideways, This full-on embraces its homage.
The retro studio logos. The older aspect ratio. It looks like it has been sitting on the shelf for nearly 50 years in a basement, someone found it and released it this year. Giamatti is a stuffy history professor at an all-boys boarding school.
He is saddled with the job of looking after the boys who don’t/can’t go home for the holidays, they’re dubbed the holdovers. Eventually, all the boys get to leave except for one who is a particular pain to Giamatti.
Giamatti should finally earn that Best Actor nomination for this brilliant performance. Dominic Sessa is a revelation in his first role, he holds his own against Paul. In addition, Da’Vine Joy Randolph is the heart of the film as the school’s head chef. She would also be a worthy nomination.
The Holdovers will end up in my Top Ten of 2023.
A Matter of Life and Death (1946) – Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
Another film from the Sight and Sound 2022 list. This one is one of the best films not only that I’ve seen this year but of all time. This isn’t that shocking, Powell & Pressburger have made some of the best films ever.
Not only in beauty but also in storytelling as well. A couple of other greats by the duo: The Red Shoes, & Black Narcissus. Peter, a British bomber pilot is flying in a badly damaged plane. As he believes these are his final moments he sends out a radio broadcast.
The broadcast is picked up by June and an American radio operator. Peter bails out of the plane with no parachute, he awakens on a beach, and meets June in person. Both are confused about how he is alive.
It was due to a clerical error in “the other place” deemed in the film. When a conductor is sent to bring Peter back he begs for an appeal and Peter is put on trial to defend his life, claiming he’s already found love with June.
It’s simply one of those perfect films that hits all four quadrants. It is also extremely influential. Watching the film you can see influences on Soul, Beau is Afraid, Heaven Can Wait, and many other films. If you watch one film from this list make it this one.
The Seven-Ups (1973) – Directed by Philip D’Antoni
Philip D’Antoni directed one film in his career. But he produced films such as The French Connection and Bullitt. So, it’s no surprise that the one film Philip decided to direct is a gritty crime drama with a great car chase sequence at the center.
Roy Scheider plays a detective who is part of the Seven-Ups. A group of elite cops who put criminals away and their sentences are always seven years and up. When his partner is killed, he begins an investigation that leads him to uncover a plot to kidnap mobsters for money.
The overall film is good but nothing to write home about. It makes sense why D’Antoni’s other films popped instead of this one. But what this film does have is one of the most impressive and exhilarating car chases I have ever seen.
When I was in High School I got on a kick of watching films with the best car chases, at least according to the internet. I don’t understand why this film was never mentioned. It is incredible and I am linking a YouTube link to the chase below. If you do want to watch the movie, no worries, the chase won’t spoil anything.
