The first episode of the new year! On the eleventh episode of All the Film Things, I am joined by my friend Samy- El Kamel to look back on 2023 in film! This episode is explicit and spoiler- filled.
2023 was a good year for film, especially when compared to recent years. Acclaimed directors such as Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Greta Gerwig, and Ridley Scott released new films! It was a big year for theaters… and not just superhero movies. Barbenheimer was a massive phenomenon that started organically through social media over summer. More blockbusters included Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning, Part One and Spider- Man Across the Spiderverse. In the latter part of the year, many Oscar contenders like May December, Saltburn, and The Holdovers were released.
Even though this is Samy’s first appearance on the wide release of ATFT, this is his fifth guest appearance! Samy is one of my favorite people to talk film with. We became friends in a documentary production class in college after a spontaneous conversation about our mutual favorite director: Christopher Nolan. You can view Samy's work (photography, short films, documentaries, etc.) on his website: https://barefootpythonmedia.com. Make sure to watch his short film, Speak of the Devil! Samy is an absolute film aficionado. He is incredibly knowledgable about films, directors, and what is happening in the industry. He has a film- focused YouTube channel which you can check out by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZBAlRzOfdv-Gxa3fFV_TdQ. His writing abilities for both screenwriting, in which he won two awards for, and his film analyses, are consistently brilliant… which is clear just by listening to him in this episode. Samy will be back on ATFT soon since he is already scheduled to be on two upcoming episodes!
In this episode, Samy and I share our top favorite films of the year. While we share a few similar favorites, Samy has several films on his list that are either more “low- key” or underrated. Samy talked about The Creator, a film he wasn’t a fan of but has a strong appreciation for its existence. We later discussed movements in film that grew during 2023 including the increasing superhero fatigue, and the possible future of both movie theaters and DVDs. Towards the end of the episode, we talk about the possible ways AI could affect the film industry.
Background music created and used with permission by the Copyright Free Music - Background Music for Videos channel on YouTube.