Sundance 2023: Ranking the Best and Worst of the Festival

Sundance 2020 was one of the last in-person film events before the pandemic changed everything, so there was a symbolic importance for me to return to Park City this year. It had been three years, and some things had changed, including the massively built-up Salt Lake City airport, which wasn't there in 2020. But the snow and the mountains and the general atmosphere of newness -- a new year with new movies, often made by new filmmakers -- hadn't.

Writing full reviews during a festival tends to lower your overall intake of movies, but I was grateful to avoid any outright stinkers. (Even the films ranked lowest on my list had their pleasures.) But there were plenty of movies I didn't have a chance to get to, which is always a bummer. But even if I'd seen twice as many, I doubt any would have been as beautiful as Past Lives, writer-director Celine Song's killer debut about soulmates, fate and romantic compromise. Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro are all superb. It will truly be an amazing film year if it doesn't make my end-of-the-year Top 10. (Kudos to my No. 2 of the festival as well: writer-director Raven Jackson's lyrical debut All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, pictured above.)

Below are my rankings, with links leading to individual reviews.

25. Theater Camp
24. Blueback
23. Radical
22. Jamojaya
21. Infinity Pool
20. The Stroll
19. Polite Society
18. Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
17. A Thousand and One
16. Magazine Dreams
15. Fair Play
14. Cat Person
13. Judy Blume Forever
12. Shortcomings
11. The Eight Mountains
10. Other People's Children
9. Earth Mama
8. The Starling Girl
7. Shayda
6. You Hurt My Feelings
5. A Still Small Voice
4. Eileen
3. Passages
2. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
1. Past Lives

Judd Apatow's Most Famous Email Exchange

In late 2001, two TV producers, Judd Apatow and Mark Brazill, got into an email feud. It quickly became the stuff of legend. For Cracked, I wrote about a weird moment in TV history.

A Salute to Dan Fielding

Night Court is back on NBC after all these years. For Cracked, I wrote about John Larroquette reprising his Emmy-winning role. You can read my appreciation here.

David Crosby - "Cowboy Movie"

When David Crosby: Remember My Name came out, I moderated a Q&A with director A.J. Eaton and producer Cameron Crowe. David Crosby wasn't there, and part of me was relieved: He was always known for being a feisty character. But that would have made it fun, too. Sadly, I never met the man.

Sundance 2023: 'Jamojaya' Review

An up-and-coming rapper (played by actual rapper Brian Imanuel) travels to Hawaii to record his major-label debut, his controlling father (Yayu A.W. Unru) tagging along. For Screen International, I reviewed the dreamy, meditative Jamojaya.

Sundance 2023: 'A Thousand and One' Review

Writer-director A.V. Rockwell makes her feature debut with this story of a mother and young son struggling to get out of poverty in New York City in the 1990s and early 2000s. What's strongest about A Thousand and One is its modesty, its refusal to let the film succumb to sentimentality. (It also helps that Teyana Taylor is quite good as the mom.) You can read my review here.

Sundance 2023: 'Polite Society' Review

In Polite Society, Priya Kansara plays an aspiring stuntwoman who is convinced that her older sister is making a terrible mistake by marrying a guy she just met. In fact, maybe this family is ... evil? What ensues is a very silly, energetic action-comedy. I reviewed for Screen International. 

Sundance 2023: 'Judy Blume Forever' Review

While I've read a few Judy Blume books, I confess I'm not some super-fan. So maybe in some ways I was the ideal critic to evaluate Judy Blume Forever, a celebratory documentary about the author. You can read my review here.

My Interview With David Cross

Right before I left for Sundance, I hopped on a Zoom with David Cross for an 80-minute conversation about comedy, depression, selling out, dealing with rejection, and getting ready to go back on tour. You can read my interview here.

Sundance 2023: 'Theater Camp' Review

I think theater kids are going to eat up Theater Camp. Everybody else? Well, therein lies the problem.

Sundance 2023: 'Fair Play' Review

In ye olden days of Sundance, there would be buzzy movies that would sell for ridiculous amounts of money. This was part of the excitement around the festival: Who's going to buy such-and-such-film?!? And for how much??!? That reality has changed, but Fair Play, starring Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich as a high-powered couple working in the cutthroat world of New York finance, generated plenty of interest, eventually selling to Netflix for $20 million. I reviewed the psychological drama for Screen International.

Sundance 2023: 'Earth Mama' Review

Savanah Leaf makes her directorial debut with Earth Mama, a drama about a single, poor pregnant mother whose children are in foster care. That may make the film seem unbearably bleak, but there's real beauty and compassion in this intimate portrait. My review is up at Screen International.

Sundance 2023: 'Radical' Review

The start of this year's Sundance seems like a distant memory to me now. On opening night, I saw Radical, based on a true story, which chronicles an unconventional teacher in Mexico trying to reach his students. Eugenio Derbez stars in the film, which inspired some to compare Radical to CODA because he's a teacher in that as well. I think the movie is just OK.

Sundance 2023: 'Infinity Pool' Review

Infinity Pool is a vacation-from-hell horror-thriller from Brandon Cronenberg. It's trippy, kinky, bizarre and also a little repetitive. But, overall, I was on board. You can read my review here. 

Sundance 2023: 'Shayda' Review

Noora Niasari's feature directorial debut is drawn from her own childhood: She moved from Iran to Australia as a girl, living with her mom (who was trying to get a divorce from her father). In Shayda, Zar Amir Ebrahimi is excellent as the mother. I reviewed the film for Screen International.

Sundance 2023: 'Cat Person' Review

The New Yorker short story was a sensation. Now, it's a film, starring Emilia Jones as a college student who starts a relationship with a slightly older man (Nicholas Braun). Part comedy, part psychological horror movie, Cat Person definitely feels plugged into the zeitgeist. My review is up at Screen International.

Sundance 2023: 'Past Lives' Review

I can't imagine loving anything at this year's Sundance as much as I loved Past Lives. What a gorgeous film.

Sundance 2023: 'Magazine Dreams' Review

During its first half, I thought Magazine Dreams was pretty special. Sadly, the movie falters down the stretch, but Jonathan Majors is nothing short of astonishing. You can read my review from Park City here.

Sundance 2023: 'Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie' Review

Michael J. Fox doesn't want viewers to pity him. Still honors his request, delivering a documentary portrait that's blunt, touching and funny. My review is up at Screen International.

Screaming Trees - "Nearly Lost You"

Thinking of Mark Lanegan and Van Conner.

My LAFCA Awards Presentation for Blair McClendon, Editor of 'Aftersun'

On Saturday at the Biltmore Hotel, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association held its 48th annual awards banquet. (Our full list of winners is here.) I was honored to present our Best Film Editing prize to Blair McClendon for Aftersun, my pick for 2022's best film. Here's what I said from the stage:

Memories are a way we interpret the world, constantly sifting through faded mental snapshots of what once was in order to reconcile who we’ve become. But our brains are a flawed storage facility housing those stray images and foggy impressions that constitute our entire existence. Memory is all we have, and it’s rarely enough.

Movies are memories, and few have been as piercing as writer-director Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun. And, tonight, we honor her frequent collaborator who helped shape this beautiful meditation, editor Blair McClendon. The movie is about a young girl, named Sophie, who’s on vacation with her father. But the film is constructed to be Sophie’s recollection years later as an adult. She is trying to solve the mystery of who her dad was, although Aftersun doesn’t contain typical, static flashbacks — rather, they seem to be floating, morphing inside Sophie’s head, a rough approximation of past events filtered through emotion and distance. McClendon’s technique may be hard to articulate, but it’s very easy to grasp — we are watching on screen what it means to try to remember.

We experience this vacation in fragments. Crucial scenes are intermixed with seemingly random interludes that are representative of the strange things our brain holds onto. Weaving together Sophie’s past and present, carefully molding sequences so that they feel ephemeral but also incredibly resonant, McClendon achieves with his dreamlike editing something I’ve never seen before: a movie that is, itself, as fragile and elliptical as a memory.

When our mind returns to Aftersun, this extraordinary film comes back to us in emotionally charged snippets — a shot of a brilliant blue sky, an image of a rug, the sad smile of a father doing his best. Every moment tells its own story — every moment becomes its own treasure. Memory is imperfect, but Aftersun is flawless.

Please join me in congratulating our Best Film Editing winner, Blair McClendon.

Photo by Matt Harbicht. Still tickled that Claire Denis was able to attend so we could give her our Career Achievement prize in person. And pleased that Barry Jenkins made the time to be our special surprise guest in her honor.

Telling Eddie Murphy's Story in Only Five Movies

You only get five films to encapsulate Eddie Murphy's legacy. We're not talking his greatest movies, we're talking about the movies that tell his story most completely. What do you choose? Here are the five I went with.

Tom Hanks' History of Grumpy Men

In A Man Called Otto, the Oscar-winner portrays a real crank. But is Otto his grumpiest role? Not by a wide margin: In fact, Hanks has a history of showing off his grouchy side onscreen.

Blink-182 - "I Miss You"

Every young band "grows up" and writes their "mature love song." Blink-182's is very much them, but also very good.

What's So Funny About M3GAN?

The movie is a viral sensation, but why is the creepy A.I. doll such an instant comedy icon? I have the answers (I think) over at Cracked.

Were Any of Tracy Jordan's Movies Actually Any Good?

One of the best running jokes on 30 Rock was the series of mostly terrible films that Tracy Jordan starred in. But which one was the best? For Cracked, I drew from the small hints we had about his different movies to rank them all. A fool's undertaking. Perhaps, but it sure was fun.

'Alice, Darling' Review

In Alice, Darling, Anna Kendrick plays a woman in an emotionally abusive relationship. The film is a thriller, except not quite. I explain over at Screen International.

My 2023 Comedy Preview

What funny TV shows, movies and live events are worth getting excited about this year? Over at Cracked, I highlighted 10 intriguing possibilities. 

A Salute to "Angel in Flip-Flops"

The writing staff of Only Murders in the Building decided Steve Martin's character had recorded a novelty hit back in the day. Martin took it from there. For Cracked, I wrote about "Angel in Flip-Flops."

The Joke From 'Nope' I Keep Thinking About

Over at Cracked, I spent a little time reminiscing about a key scene in Jordan Peele's third film, one involving Saturday Night Live. Why did it leave such an impression? Read on.

Judd Apatow's Very Bad 2022

Was there a worse movie last year than The Bubble? It sure didn't feel like it. Over at Cracked, I wrote about a rare stinker from Judd Apatow.

Let's Talk About That Scene From 'Triangle of Sadness'

The first poster for Ruben Östlund’s ‘Triangle of Sadness’ has been released. pic.twitter.com/uNM4QWBrUX

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) August 8, 2022

You know the one I mean. I wrote about that moment, and the beauty of comedic vomit scenes, over at Cracked.

What Was the Funniest Movie of 2022?

I provide some answers over at Cracked.

My Interview With Lea Seydoux and Mia Hansen-Love, the Team Behind 'One Fine Morning'

One of the gems of this year's Cannes was in Directors' Fortnight, where Mia Hansen-Love's One Fine Morning premiered. Months later, I spoke with Hansen-Love and her star, Lea Seydoux, about making a film as natural as breathing. Our conversation is over at the Los Angeles Times.

The Smile - "The Same"

Maybe not necessarily the best song from A Light for Attracting Attention, but it's the one that I've been fixated on in recent weeks. And while all Radiohead/Thom Yorke tracks tend to sound better at night, I have it on good authority that "The Same" is pretty wonderful on a road trip during the middle of the day, the emptiness of the American Southwest all around you.

'M3GAN' Review

She's a doll. But she's also a killing machine! For Screen International, I reviewed the horror-satire M3GAN.

My Interview With Aubrey Plaza and Theo Rossi, the Stars of 'Emily the Criminal'

It's been nearly a year since I first saw Emily the Criminal at virtual Sundance. It was one of 2022's indie surprises, it's now on Netflix, and for the Los Angeles Times, I spoke with Aubrey Plaza and Theo Rossi, whose combustible chemistry goes a long way to selling this film's exploration of race, class and the American dream. Hope you enjoy.