In 2023, I watched 7 movies in a theater, 5 on DVDs I own, and 1 on a plane. The rest, my husband Siqi and I watched online using a streaming subscription or rental platform of some sort. Subscriptions and online rentals are cheap in China, and the China platforms have Hollywood stuff with the original English audio, but here as elsewhere, no single platform has everything.
See below for top recommendations and a complete categorized list of what I watched, with some brief notes.
(It’s 2025 now, so these are movies I watched 1-2 years ago. If I don’t remember them, that’s partly why. Or maybe they’re just not that memorable. Or both.)
Top recommendations!
Fantasia (1940) and The Sword in the Stone (1963)
These two Disney movies from before my time were part of my childhood. Both are episodic, though The Sword in the Stone kinda pretends to have a plot, and both feature memorable music. I love the flying horses in Fantasia, and Archimedes the grumpy owl in The Sword in the Stone.
Mary Poppins (1964) and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
Both of these musical stories feature women who can do magic with ordinary objects, and children who have adventures in which they interact with animated characters. And they both have their moments of seriousness: life is not all fun and games.
The Phantom Tollbooth (1970)
I’m not really a fan of the Chuck Jones Looney Tunes, but I do love the Phantom Tollbooth movie (and the book it’s based on). Allegory at its best.
TV Series: Firefly (2002) and Serenity (2005)
This space western is set in a future where people drop (poorly pronounced) Mandarin expressions into their conversation, because that’s (a small) part of what the future after Earth is like. I love the characters, and the ship for which the show is named.
Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
An inventive story of two misfits who become friends and solve a mystery, with a sequel that holds up pretty well. Not bad for a video game movie series based on a video game that never existed!
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
There has been a movie starring Tom Cruise approximately every year since 1983. I don’t know how much longer he can keep it up, but I’m looking forward to the next (last?) Mission Impossible movie, scheduled for May 2025. Meanwhile, here’s a plot summary of Dead Reckoning Part One.
The Little Mermaid (2023)
I love the original 1989 cartoon. So I was worried I’d hate the remake. But I don’t! It’s different, of course, but it’s different in at least some ways that are good. The movie makes Eric more of a character, gives Ariel more of a role in the final battle, underpins the story by positing animosity between humans and ‘sirens’, and fixes a gaping plot hole: in the original, Ariel signs a contract, proving she can can read and write, yet she never communicates with Eric in writing!
Everything else
Foreign
The Wandering Earth II (2023)
This is actually a prequel. It’s about the origins of the AI that runs the space station in the Chinese sci-fi movie The Wandering Earth (2019).
Chang’an (2023)
This is the beautifully animated tale of the famous Chinese poet Li Bai. He lived during the peak of the Tang Dynasty, whose capital was the city Chang’an (modern-day Xi’an). A historically inaccurate plot has been added to give the movie dramatic structure.
Family and children’s – animation
Inside Out (2015)
Entertaining and psychologically insightful.
Puss in Boots (2011)
Silly fun.
Spies in Disguise (2019)
Has an agenda, which is that we should stop violence without using violence. I applaud the impulse to tell a story where that actually works, but… mightn’t this be a little naive in general, given that there really are people who just want to watch the world burn?
Wish (2023)
I wanted to like this movie, but it was too contrived. Maybe the main problem is that the premise (giving up your wish is not a good idea) is obvious from the start, but is nevertheless treated like it’s supposed to be a surprise. The overall quality of the movie was not, in my opinion, enhanced by the shoehorning-in of dozens of easter eggs referring to Disney’s other movies. Less is more, yo.
Superhero
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy II (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy III (2023)
I liked the first one. The second one had some good funny moments and some good serious moments. The third one? It was hard for me to watch. The scene in which the characters have to break into this weird place (Orgocorp) is purposely gross, and I found Rocket’s engineered animal friends distinctly off-putting, like Sid’s toys in Toy Story. Maybe that was the point, but… no thank you?
The Flash (2023)
The theme is that you can’t change the past, even if you’ve got superpowers, and you’ll just make a mess of things if you try. People generally found fault with the execution of this theme. Marvel and DC have both used a lot of CGI, but DC is generally less good at creating the living, breathing stories that ought to justify the effects.
Fantasy/Action/Adventure
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Has some truly classic movie moments! (Not really my style, though.)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
The woman is annoying, but I like the kid.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
I like the backstory about the snakes and the hat, the choice of the correct grail, and the scenery at Petra. Definitely my favorite of the original trilogy (thus of all five).
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
I’m not a fan of Shia LaBeouf, the CGI, or that one jungle car chase that went on for-EV-er.
Science-Fiction
Siqi and I watched not one, not two, but three futuristic movies with digital characters in them, each from a different technological era:
Electric Dreams (1984)
I only heard of this movie because the theme song “Together in Electric Dreams” was frequently played on the radio in Singapore. In this movie, a home computer gains sentience in a freak accident, then falls in love with his owner’s neighbor.
SimOne (2002)
This movie is as much about moviemaking (and the egos involved) as it is about technology. Fed up with prima donnas, a director creates a totally digital actress he can control. But then she gets the credit for all his hard work!
Her (2016)
In this colorful, gently futuristic world, AIs start out as commercial digital companions like the ones in Blade Runner 2049, but quickly evolve past human understanding. (Um, okay? And?)
Other
Prometheus (2012)
Yeah, no. Thought it was sci-fi, but it’s horror/sci-fi. Prequel to Alien (1979).
True Lies (1994)
While pretending to his wife that she’s in the middle of an international intrigue, a spy accidentally lands her in the middle of an international intrigue. I love the concept, but this Arnold Schwarzenegger movie is too crude for my taste.
Barbie (2023)
I posted many thoughts about this one. (Actually, it’s a rant. My blog post, I mean. But actually, so is the movie!)
Oppenheimer (2023)
You can tell a story, or you can tell the truth, but not both at once. I always wonder how much of the drama in a biopic is exaggerated or invented. But apparently, Strauss was a pretty fierce antagonist in real life.
