My favorite films seen in 2023.

My favorite films I've watched in 2023.

1. The Philadelphia Story (1940) - When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself. (This movie has a very good cast. I very much enjoyed seeing this.)

2. Shall We Dance (1937) - A ballet dancer and a showgirl fake a marriage for publicity purposes, then fall in love. (This is a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musical that I really enjoy. This film has the same cast as "Top Hat", but I definitely prefer this film.)

3. Call Northside 777 (1948) - Chicago reporter P.J. McNeal re-opens a decade-old murder case. (This is a quality crime drama starring James Stewart).

4. My Man Godfrey (1936) - A scatterbrained socialite hires a vagrant as a family butler - but there's more to Godfrey than meets the eye. (William Powell and Carole Lombard have good chemistry. And Carole Lombard is lovely.)

5. The Lodger (1927) - A landlady suspects that her new lodger is the madman killing women in London. (One of Alfred Hitchcock's earliest films. Inspired by Jack The Ripper.)

6. Stranger On The Third Floor (1940) - An aspiring reporter is the key witness at the murder trial of a young man accused of cutting a café owner's throat and is soon accused of a similar crime himself. (This is a solid early film-noir. And Peter Lorre is delightfully creepy in this.)

7. Easter Parade (1948) - A nightclub performer hires a naive chorus girl to become his new dance partner to make his former partner jealous and to prove he can make any partner a star. (Quality cast, and I like some of the songs. Judy Garland is always worth a watch.)

8. Hotel Transylvania (2012) - Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count's teenaged daughter. (I enjoy seeing a film with all the traditional monsters. Plus, Mavis is cute as heck.)

9. The Bat Whispers (1930) - A master criminal terrorizes the occupants of an isolated country mansion. (I always enjoy "Old Dark House"/Mystery films. This is the best imo of those I've seen this year).

10. C.H.U.D. (1984) - A bizarre series of sudden disappearances on the streets of New York City seems to point toward something unsavory living in the sewers. (I enjoy horror films set in the grimy cesspool of 1970s-1980s New York.)