VIA THE OSERVER:
In 2023, Rex Reed reviewed over 60 movies for Observer. Regardless of the rating, the instant his reviews hit our inbox (even when they’re late), the day is better. Nobody writes like Rex, and it’s nothing short of an honor to work with him. From best to worst—including those so bad they weren’t worthy of a review—here’s what our beloved film critic had to say about the year in film.
“I dislike ratings of any kind, but movies are as competitive as baseball teams, so I guess some editorial format is necessary. Otherwise, like the census, everything would blend into one blurry mess. The rating procedure separates the almost-winners and the also-rans from the memorable triumphs that will, in my opinion, survive for decades.
Barbie will not inspire a ripple of applause years from now, in the same way that Hair has gone from a controversial front-runner in 1979 to a blank page in 2023, but Singin’ in the Rain has been at the top of its game for 70 years and still delighting new generations every day.
Despite the general criticism that I have not kept up to date with the times, I believe the great films of the past were often much tighter, better written, and more entertaining than the films of today. There are few artists today in the same class as Elia Kazan, John Ford, Vincente Minnelli, George Cukor, John Frankenheimer, William Wyler and Billy Wilder, to name just a few.
If a load of pornographic swill such as Poor Things is keeping up with the times, then drop me off in the 1940s and leave me there. (And Emma Stone is no Audrey Hepburn.)”
