What Does John Waters Think Are the Best Movies of 2023?
The unusual auteur's answers might surprise you.
John Waters at the Edinburgh International Film Festival
John Waters is a filmmaker renowned for his distinctive and provocative style and diverse taste in cinema.
Every year, we look forward to his picks for what he thinks were the top movies of the year.
As 2023 comes to a close, his selection of the year's best films offers a fascinating glimpse into what stood out in a year packed with diverse cinematic offerings.
Check them out below.
John Waters Selects the Top 10 Films of 2023
Waters is such a fun and interesting director, and I like to seek out the movies he endorses because you know they'll be big and bold.
Here's his list:
- Beau Is Afraid
- A Prince
- Master Gardener
- Full Time
- Last Summer
- Sparta
- Fallen Leaves
- Strange Way of Life
- Oppenheimer
- Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
Waters went into detail on these movies in Vulture, but some quotes that stood out were his words about Oppenheimer, which he said “deserves the Oscar for being a big-budget, star-studded, intelligent action movie about talking.”
And his praise for his favorite film, Beau Is Afraid, which he said was “a superlong, super-crazy, super-funny movie about one man’s mental breakdown with a cast better than Around the World in 80 Days: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Parker Posey, Nathan Lane, and Amy Ryan.”
Waters continued, “It’s a laugh riot from hell you’ll never forget, even if you want to.”
It's clear that each film selected by Waters would offer a unique and compelling viewing experience. For those seeking to explore cinema beyond the mainstream, Waters' recommendations provide an excellent starting point.
Let me know what you loved below.
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