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Song of the Day #5,708: ‘A World of Your Own’ – Timothée Chalamet

Continuing my countdown of last year’s best films…

Best Films of 2023
#18. Wonka

I didn’t go into this musical prequel to Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with high expectations, which is part of why I came out so charmed. I should have put more faith in writer/director Paul King, who worked similar unlikely magic in the Paddington films.

Timothée Chalamet added musical comedy to his growing bag of tricks, fully committing to the whimsy. If his kinder and gentler version of Willy Wonka seems a far cry from the mischievous crank of the original film — a common criticism — that just makes me curious to see a follow-up movie exploring his character development.

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Song of the Day #5,707: ‘Destroyer of Worlds’ – Ludwig Goransson

Last year’s movie slate wasn’t high in quantity (a residual effect of the pandemic, I suspect) but it made up for that in quality. I saw 30 fewer films in 2023 than in the prior year, but had an even harder time cramming those titles into a year-end top ten list.

In order to shout out as many good movies as possible, I’m going to dedicate this week to the films in my 11-20 slots, before getting to my top ten in the weeks leading up to the Oscars. Seven of this year’s Best Picture nominees are in my top 20, which is a pretty decent showing by their standards (“you know the Academy, Charlie…“).

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Song of the Day #5,706: ‘Jump’ – Van Halen

Throwing back to the week of February 18, 1984, we find Culture Club atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Karma Chameleon.’

At #2, and on its way to a five-week stint at #1, was Van Halen’s ‘Jump.’ This was the rock band’s only #1 single, and the only top ten single of the David Lee Roth era. The Sammy Hagar incarnation would reach the top five twice over the next several years.

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Song of the Day #5,705: ‘The Way We Were’ – Barbra Streisand

Throwing back to the week of February 16, 1974, we find Barbra Streisand atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘The Way We Were,’ the theme song from her movie of the same name.

In addition to topping the charts for three non-consecutive weeks that year, ‘The Way We Were’ took home an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and the Grammy for Song of the Year. Streisand was also nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Actress, the last time the Best Song winner was performed by a nominated actress until Lady Gaga repeated the feat with 2018’s A Star is Born.

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Song of the Day #5,704: “Pink’ – Lizzo

Concluding my rundown of personal 2023 Oscar nominations, today I’ll look at the Best Director category.

Great movie direction is even harder to assess than great movie acting. How do you weigh the wide range of skill sets needed to successfully helm a movie, whether it’s working with the actors, deciding where to put the camera and when to move it, or setting the overall tone of the piece?

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