- Joined
- May 13, 2003
- Messages
- 42,390
I can't remember if we did a thread like this last year (and if we did, it was likely nuked by the downtime) but what were your favorite and least favorite movies/shows you watched on streaming in 2023? Keep in mind the movies/shows don't have to have debuted this year, but the general rule is, they should be roughly from the last year or so.
Favorites:
-Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood: This technically debuted in 2022 but I didn't watch it until January 2023. Even if you never personally grew up in the '60s (I was a child of the late '80s/early '90s), the narrator (Jack Black, in a surprisingly understated performance) was engaging and there were a lot of nostalgic topics covered so it never got boring. Loved the rotoscoped art style, a Linklater trademark of course. The secret moon landing plot was unique and tied in nicely with the boy's dad, who was invested in the official moon landing because he works for NASA. It was so good I watched it twice within a month (once myself, and once with my parents)- I almost never do that.
-Beavis & Butt-Head (2022) season 2: Always a fun "turn your brain off" guilty pleasure, though in fairness not all episodes in this batch were gold. One thing I really like about the revival series is how the duo frequently pay for their actions, whereas in the original it feels more like they get away with their sociopathy half the time.
-My Adventures With Superman: All the main characters were likable, I loved the animesque art style (Lois's design in particular was adorable), it wasn't off-puttingly gory like Invincible, and I stayed interested in the overarching plot. Can't wait for season 2!
-My Little Pony: Make Your Mark: This new series has (finally) grown on me. The latest batches of episodes, where the stakes are finally a lot higher, gave the series the dramatic shot in the arm it needed. That and Misty acting as a mole to Opaline gave a better dynamic than when she was just suffering under her for most of the run. The final confrontation against Opaline was satisfying, although for some reason they ended this batch on an unrelated cliffhanger episode when the group visits another kingdom that isn't all that it seems. Hopefully it's not ending there.
-Nimona: As previously stated, this was one of my favorite animated films of this year. Nimona's animal morphing ability gave some variety to how the mooks were thwarted. Great visuals with a unique setting. Loved the interplay between Ballister and Nimona. Some interesting backstory reveals why Nimona is the way she is.
-PInocchio: I've always held an admiration for Del Toro, even if I don't like all his films. This was a unique take on the familiar story and had some great stop motion work.
-Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: I never read the original comics, so I can't say how "faithful" this was to them, but compared to the live action film, I liked this a LOT more, if nothing else because the franchise's subject matter naturally lends itself better to animation. And the animesque style fit it like a glove. Interesting execution in that Scott is barely in the series except the first episode and the last couple, while the focus is more on solving a mystery of where he went.
Least favorites:
-Scrooge: A Christmas Carol: I apparently watched this in 2023 but I can't remember a THING about it. I actually had to look up images of the movie and was like, "....Oh yeah, I -did- watch that." Speaks volumes.
-Skull Island: Decently-executed action aside, this doesn't do much for me. It felt too smiliar to Camp Cretaceous in that you have a group trapped on an island and just trying to survive. Kong doesn't even show up until almost halfway through the series. Eh.
What say you?
Favorites:
-Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood: This technically debuted in 2022 but I didn't watch it until January 2023. Even if you never personally grew up in the '60s (I was a child of the late '80s/early '90s), the narrator (Jack Black, in a surprisingly understated performance) was engaging and there were a lot of nostalgic topics covered so it never got boring. Loved the rotoscoped art style, a Linklater trademark of course. The secret moon landing plot was unique and tied in nicely with the boy's dad, who was invested in the official moon landing because he works for NASA. It was so good I watched it twice within a month (once myself, and once with my parents)- I almost never do that.
-Beavis & Butt-Head (2022) season 2: Always a fun "turn your brain off" guilty pleasure, though in fairness not all episodes in this batch were gold. One thing I really like about the revival series is how the duo frequently pay for their actions, whereas in the original it feels more like they get away with their sociopathy half the time.
-My Adventures With Superman: All the main characters were likable, I loved the animesque art style (Lois's design in particular was adorable), it wasn't off-puttingly gory like Invincible, and I stayed interested in the overarching plot. Can't wait for season 2!
-My Little Pony: Make Your Mark: This new series has (finally) grown on me. The latest batches of episodes, where the stakes are finally a lot higher, gave the series the dramatic shot in the arm it needed. That and Misty acting as a mole to Opaline gave a better dynamic than when she was just suffering under her for most of the run. The final confrontation against Opaline was satisfying, although for some reason they ended this batch on an unrelated cliffhanger episode when the group visits another kingdom that isn't all that it seems. Hopefully it's not ending there.
-Nimona: As previously stated, this was one of my favorite animated films of this year. Nimona's animal morphing ability gave some variety to how the mooks were thwarted. Great visuals with a unique setting. Loved the interplay between Ballister and Nimona. Some interesting backstory reveals why Nimona is the way she is.
-PInocchio: I've always held an admiration for Del Toro, even if I don't like all his films. This was a unique take on the familiar story and had some great stop motion work.
-Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: I never read the original comics, so I can't say how "faithful" this was to them, but compared to the live action film, I liked this a LOT more, if nothing else because the franchise's subject matter naturally lends itself better to animation. And the animesque style fit it like a glove. Interesting execution in that Scott is barely in the series except the first episode and the last couple, while the focus is more on solving a mystery of where he went.
Least favorites:
-Scrooge: A Christmas Carol: I apparently watched this in 2023 but I can't remember a THING about it. I actually had to look up images of the movie and was like, "....Oh yeah, I -did- watch that." Speaks volumes.
-Skull Island: Decently-executed action aside, this doesn't do much for me. It felt too smiliar to Camp Cretaceous in that you have a group trapped on an island and just trying to survive. Kong doesn't even show up until almost halfway through the series. Eh.
What say you?
![[classic swim]](/forums/data/avatars/m/324/324637.jpg?1668169542){kind=avatar}
