Top 10 Movies of 2023 (Sort of)

The thought occurred to me when putting together this curated list of Korean movies (which once again I had trouble paring down to ten from the 50 I'd watched throughout the year) that it might be helpful to think in terms of "favorites" instead of "best." Because sometimes I really do like movies that are far from cinematic paragons. Some aren't even "good" in the generally accepted sense. Yet every film on this list merits inclusion. They're all memorable in terms of storylines and casts. More importantly still, they tickled my fancy. And so, with this new framing device in mind, I present to you my recommendations for 2023.

1. Decision to Leave (2022): Enjoying a Greek tragedy doesn't depend on being surprised by every twist and turn. Nor does this ingeniously constructed Park Chan-wook crime pic.
2. Voice of Silence (2020): Director Hong Eui-jeong's thrilling feature debut concerns a mute man-child suddenly in the middle of a botched kidnapping crime gone awry.
3. Love & Leashes (2022): The kinky Korean counterpart to stateside's 50 Shades of Grey is surprisingly nuanced, often humorous, and consistently smart. With gender roles reversed!
4. Exit (2019): Lee Sang-geun's heartpounding rom-com follows two recreational rockclimbers who find unwanted adventure when a poison gas hits downtown Seoul.
5. Midnight Runners (2017): In the eternal fight between good and evil, I expect some hyperbole. In Kim Joo-hwan's police cadet mystery, I relished it.
6. Deranged (2012): Director Park Jeong-woo's timely disaster-disease pic somehow feels as if it were a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
7. Night Journey (1977): This period drama about a dissatisfied bank clerk (Yu Jeong-hie) taking stock of her life is a feminist critique with surreal touches.
8. Kill Boksoon (2023): With all due respect to slick action pics The Killer and Ballerina, Jeon Do-yeon's performance as the title character pushed this one into the lead.
9. Space Monster Wangmagwi (1977): The camp factor runs high in this alien-invasion flick in which a Godzilla is remote-controlled from outerspace.
10. Shark: The Beginning (2021): This underdog story with male bonding between sexy guys in the juvie appears set to kick off a series, given its title. Bring it on!

Midnight Runners: Boy Cops

Gosh, I wish one aspect of Midnight Runners were true: A parallel dimension in which cute nerdy guys want to become cops not because they are sociopathic bullies but because they're dorks hoping to save the day. But Kim Joo-hwan's action comedy is unfortunately a fantasy. And one I enjoyed spending 90 minutes in! Who wouldn't be charmed by a student police officer who adlibs the three principles for an investigation as "passion, tenacity, and big heart"? Innocence versus criminality? Of such are some myths made.

Headlining this idealized vision are a pair virgin law enforcement agents-in-training (Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul) who witness a teen abduction then spend a night going from a seedy spa of female ear-cleaners to human-trafficking warehouse specializing in egg harvesting. Clearly, Midnight Runners isn't all fun and games. Our two young cadets are being asked to grow up fast and, somewhat preposterously, put themselves through an intense personal, physical training regimen that has them ready to physically take on a whole gang of 'hoods (and their supervillian leader) after a mere few days. I wasn't expecting realism though. In the eternal fight between good and evil, I expect a little hyperbole. With Midnight Runners, I frankly relished it.