2023 Festivus: Film and Television
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Two years ago, I started celebrating Festivus here on Films Fatale. Because Festivus is all about not giving a crap and being as effortless as possible, let me just unashamedly copy and paste last year’s opening paragraph.
I decided that it would be fun to start doing a Festivus celebration on Films Fatale every December 23rd (which, Happy Festivus, by the way!). For those who aren’t familiar with this holiday, it is a part of Seinfeld lore. Created by the character Frank Costanza as a way to combat against the traditions of Christmas (especially the forced cheer and capitalist rat races that he observed), Festivus is a contradiction of the typical seasonal warmth and joy. Outside of the putting up of an aluminum pole (instead of a tree) and the serving of dinner, there are two main traditions: the airing of grievances, and the feats of strength. The former is the sharing of problems one endured from loved ones and/or acquaintances that year, and the latter is a physical contest where the first person to pin the other down is the winner. We can’t really do those as-is here, but I’ll put my own spin on Festivus to detail 2023 as a year in film and television. It’ll be a quick wrap-up of the year that we just finished (almost), and it will be a good way to look ahead. Something to note is that these are not my picks of the best or worst elements of the year, rather just a fun selection of breakthrough surprises and slight disappointments (this is mainly just a means of celebrating Festivus more than anything).
Okay. Let’s continue.
THE AIRING OF GRIEVANCES
What will follow in this category are film and/or television moments or projects that I considered a letdown, or events that bothered me. I won’t just put bad films here. Let’s see what problems I had this year (and now, you’re gonna hear about them).
The Strikes
I should preface this by saying that I am not angry at those who went on strike (the writers and actors), but rather the producers and studios that could have easily paid artists what they are worth instead of losing so much financially (far more than what was being asked in either the WGA or the SAG-AFTRA strikes, mind you) and backlogging both film and television as much as they did. Greed always gets in the way of productivity and artistry. These strikes were completely unnecessary when you really think about them, and the bleeding out of already-struggling writers and actors (and you know damn well I don’t mean the small percentage of either association that are wealthy) is as petty as petty gets. This was a low for the year, and, while it didn’t greatly affect the film scene (outside of Dune 2 getting postponed to next year and a couple of other examples), television incurred the biggest hit. More on that later.
AI Hasn’t Been Properly Dealt With
The strikes were resolved, thankfully. While the WGA strike’s proposal looks better on paper, what transpired with the SAG-AFTRA strike regarding the use of AI technology does not sit well with me at all. In short, actors will have to approve the use of AI before it can get used. Look: as much as I love film and television, I am also a realist and can acknowledge that both industries have had decisions made via blackmailing, threats, exploitation, and other unethical means. Who is to say that it will end here? I can foresee actors being screwed out of work for saying “no” to AI or strong-armed into forcing their rights away in favour of AI usage; this goes to pretty much every background actor who will likely be replaced with AI replications of themselves. This is bad. Really bad. I don’t care for this resolution, and it better get revisited shortly before too much damage is done. Consider me concerned in the meantime.
Streaming Services Continue to Get Worse
Firstly, the quality of content worsens because of the economic crisis and production setbacks (still thanks to the poor decisions made before, during, and after the pandemic; I’ve learned that most industries and countries are not prepared for financial downfalls or epidemics, and shame on us for that). Toss in the fact that many shows and series are being tossed from service to service, and suddenly we’re paying for around twelve different streaming services just to match our tastes and keep up with the shows and films we crave. Don’t forget all of the stupid merges that have happened and will happen, by the way. Additionally, there’s the audacity to hike prices for the same (or worse, to be frank) catalogue; keep in mind many streamers are privy to charging for rentable or purchasable (whatever this means in the digital age) releases, and some services are affiliated with companies that make massive amounts of money already (Disney, Apple, Amazon). Finally, consider the streamers that are now offering services that are cheaper as long as you watch advertisements. Streaming services are costly, thinning in the quality they promise, and are now getting polluted with ads. Aren’t these the reasons why we abandoned ship from cable TV? I implore you to buy physical media again if you don’t already: between the reasons above and the recent problem of services changing content (from cutting scenes to recolouring what you see), you’ll never be fully connected with what you love unless you own it outside of the cold, dead hands of providers.
Television’s Golden Age Shaves a Few Years Off its Life
Earlier this year, I pondered if we were facing the end of the Golden Age of Television, given the finales of beloved shows that were parading one another. After the strike happened, I feel like the end of the Golden Age is more likely than ever. In the months when we were waiting for shows to kick off or even be produced, reality TV and unscripted programming adjusted to fill the voids. If we learned anything this year, it’s that producers really don’t care what consumers are offered as long as it earns them money, and when you don’t have a choice with what you can watch, many put up with what they got. Additionally, corners were cut to make up for lost time and funds. These pivots do worry me because of how much they enforce the end of quality, meaningful programming. I don’t think that we’ll ever get a good show ever again. No. However, the constant flow of quality we’ve been getting since the late nineties feels like it is slowing down, and I do feel like we won’t be getting quite the levels of excellence we’ve been fortunate to have for decades. Time will tell. I hope I’m wrong.
Horror’s Getting Really Bad Again
Between that stupid fucking Winnie-the-Pooh film that is easily the worst film of the year, and so many other releases (It’s a Wonderful Knife, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Knock at the Cabin, The Exorcist: Believer, et cetera, et cetera), the horror genre — which was once looking like it was in a great new place this past decade — is fully succumbing to the stupid trends it seems to return to every once in a while: sequels for the sake of sequels, laziness, cheap scares and gore, and limited ideas. Sure, we had some surprises like Skinamarink, and even the latest Saw was okay. In general, however, horror is becoming dull again. The idea to release horror films (or horror-affiliated films like Haunted Mansion) so far away from Halloween — particularly when they suck — is only casting them off to die at the box office. No genre gets quite as pummelled as the horror one, which is taken with the least amount of seriousness of all genres. When it shows, it shows painfully.
THE FEATS OF STRENGTH
Since I don’t know if there is a simple way for me to have a physical competition with anyone, I’ll change how the feats of strength function in Films Fatale’s version of the feats of strength. Here, I want to highlight the breakthrough successes of 2023. These can be the debuts of filmmakers and/or performers, or even a brand new series that came out of nowhere and shook up the year.
Ayo Ediberi, Emma Stone, and Sandra Hüller Could Not Be Ignored
German star Sandra Hüller may be a double Oscar nominee in a couple of months thanks to her brilliant performances in Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest. She is likely on the map for good now, and we can finally see her in more projects. Furthermore, Emma Stone — who needs no introduction — dominated screens both big (Poor Things) and small (The Curse) with two performances that couldn’t be more different (complete absurdity and creativity regarding the former, and the utmost realism and nuance in the latter). However, the winner of 2023 has to be Ayo Ediberi, who was in an insane amount of noteworthy projects (The Bear, Bottoms, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Theater Camp, Abbott Elementary, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I Think You Should Leave, The Sweet East, Black Mirror, Clone High, et… cet…era). Damn! I’m not complaining, because Ediberi is always a treat to watch. She’s killed it this year, though! Well done indeed.
Film Came Back with a Vengeance
Let’s face it. Film was in a bit of a rough place during the pandemic (when every project and release got delayed) and afterwards. 2023 is not only a comeback year for film, but it is hands down the best year of the 2020s in film (and one of the best years in quite some time). We saw the return of many masters in top form (Hayao Miyazaki, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Glazer, Todd Haynes, just to name a few), the breakthroughs of many promising artists (Celine Song, Justine Triet, Laura Moss [whose Birth/Rebirth was actually a great horror film this year], et cetera), and so many other strong releases. We saw Barbenheimer bring the masses back to the box office and a killer kick-off to this awards season with great film after great film. The only downfall is that next year may pale in comparison; either that, or we’re in for another phenomenal year. Giddy up!
Succession Met Expectations, and Reservation Dogs Exceeded its Own
We all had such high expectations for Succession during its final season, and it delivered a godly run of episodes to close off what is now an all-timer series. While we had a feeling this would be the case, it’s still nice to see a show of this calibre actually wrap up with such style, tension, and jaw-dropping twists (and all of those Roy-worthy one-liners). You know what else is nice? Surprises. It’s not like Reservation Dogs was going to end poorly, but its third and final season is so great that the show as a whole has been elevated to a whole new status: one of the best series of its time. We may have expected a top ten season from this show, not a top five or even a number one season (I cannot fault the critics that crowned this the top show of the year: it’s a hell of a sendoff). The other key thing both shows have in common is that they both knew when to bow out: at the top of their game. These seasons made for sensational television.
We Finally Have an Amazing Adaptation of a Video Game with The Last of Us
In a past Festivus for Films Fatale, I proclaimed Arcane a really good adaptation of a video game (League of Legends), and I still feel this way and anticipate the next season. Having said that, we finally — finally — have an adaptation of a video game that is phenomenal: HBO’s The Last of Us. Outside of some speedy pacing that makes me wish we had more time with many characters, the first season has made for fantastic television viewing. I hope the series continues delivering because I don’t want this feeling to end. There is actually hope when it comes to adapting video games into television shows or films. It can be done. Not only does The Last of Us honour its source material nicely enough (there are quite a few deviations, but they don’t bother me), but it has been properly transformed into a story that best serves a television narrative.
Celine Song’s Past Lives Keeps Up with Every Other Great Film of 2023
I’ve brought up Past Lives already amidst these feats of strength, but it deserves another shoutout. The debut film was released earlier this year and has had to face many good-to-great releases throughout the year (especially this last quarter full of heavyweights), and yet it continues to leave impressions on new viewers, affect those who first watched it months ago, and impact the awards season as a serious contender for major nominations and wins. It’s such a humble, quiet film as well. I adore the lasting payoffs this film has because you know it’s based on its genuine artistry and Celine Song’s natural talent as a director. When seen next to the collapse of exhausting franchise releases and sequels/prequels, Past Lives feels like a win for original storytelling and filmmaking that is hinged on truth rather than effects. To me, this is a major release of 2023 because it seems to embody a much-needed shifting of tides in cinema.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.