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ResetEra Movies Of The Year (MOTY) 2023 - Voting Thread (voting ends April 30st 2024)
- Thread starter Messofanego
- Start date
Here's my list! 2023 was another great year for films. I loved so many movies. It took me a while this year to craft a definitive list because I kept watching stuff that made me move things around a lot.
I don't have a lot of time these days but I'll really try to write comments and thoughts for everything before the deadline. But since I think my list is now pretty much set in stone I still wanted to post it.
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1. Talk to Me
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2. Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges)
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3. Poor Things
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4. Saltburn
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5. Barbie
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6. The Iron Claw
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7. Oppenheimer
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8. The Royal Hotel
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9. Beau Is Afraid
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10. Bottoms
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Honorable Mentions:
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
Priscilla
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Asteroid City
I don't have a lot of time these days but I'll really try to write comments and thoughts for everything before the deadline. But since I think my list is now pretty much set in stone I still wanted to post it.
---
1. Talk to Me
---
2. Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges)
---
3. Poor Things
---
4. Saltburn
---
5. Barbie
---
6. The Iron Claw
---
7. Oppenheimer
---
8. The Royal Hotel
---
9. Beau Is Afraid
---
10. Bottoms
---
Honorable Mentions:
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
Priscilla
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Asteroid City
Last edited:
- Past Lives
- Anatomy Of A Fall
- Beau Is Afraid
- The Iron Claw
- Poor Things
- Oppenheimer
- Killers Of The Flower Moon
- The Zone of Interest
- The Holdovers
- All Of Us Strangers
May December
Monster
John Wick: Chapter 4
Society Of The Snow
Barbie
American Fiction
Dream Scenario
Bottoms
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Spider-Man: Across The Spider Verse
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Extraction 2
When Evil Lurks
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
My personal Oscar picks:
Best Actor - Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon)
Best Actress - Emma Stone (Poor Things)
Best Supporting Actor - Charles Melton (May December)
Best Supporting Actress - Patti LuPone (Beau Is Afraid)
Best Director - Celine Song (Past Lives)
It is absolutely ridiculous that Leonardo DiCaprio did not even get nominated for best actor. He's so taken for granted.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 -- I'm not someone who has given up on the film slate of the MCU (I honestly don't think any of the 2023 films were that bad, despite the critical & audience reception of QuantuMania and The Marvels), but I would say there hasn't been a MCU movie since Endgame that I would say was "Excellent" (or at the very least crack my Top 10 favorite MCU movies). That changes with GOTG 3, which fires on all cylinders: The acting, the action and humor, the villain, the somber emotional beats. Everything is relatively flawless and is the perfect send-off for James Gunn as he now takes of the DC cinematic universe at Warner Bros. Not only is Guardians 3 the best movie I've seen this year, but it's also easily in my Top 5 of Best MCU movies ever.
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie -- I mean, it's Mario. It would have to take a hell of a lot to make me dislike anything that involves Mario. Yes, it's basic and shallow and there's an overabundance of popular songs as opposed to original music, but honestly, I didn't really care. I got to see Mario done right on the big screen, and that's good enough for me. Credit to the 90s live action adaptation for being weird and not what you would expect from a Mario movie, but it's not better than the 2023 animated version. Not even close.
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- John Wick Chapter 4 -- Best action movie of the year and would have been the perfect end of the series. But we're getting a 5th one. š¤·āāļø
- Saltburn -- Emerald Fennel, you have made me a fan for life. I think Promising Young Woman was slightly better, but Fennel is really good at making feel uncomfortable and sometimes question "What the fuck am I watching". Can't wait to see what she cooks up next.
- Killers of the Flower Moon -- Despite this being in my Top 10, I would consider this a flawed masterwork from Scorses, primarily from a story telling point of view. I do think not telling it from the FBI PoV was the right call, but at the same time, telling it from the PoV of the white killers wasn't the right choice either. It's long and sometimes incredibly brutal to the point you feel numb by the end of it, knowing that no real justice was fully done. Scorsese definitely isn't the right person to tell THE story of what happened during the "Reign of Terror", but I will say he has enough of a good reputation to tell A story about what happened.
- The Holdovers -- I almost took a pass on this because the trailer didn't really grab me despite its aesthetic. Boy, I'm glad to have been wrong.
- Monster
- Perfect Days
- Polite Society
Now that I've seen all of the BP noms, I can vote in good conscience.
1. Skinamarink
2. The Zone of Interest
3. Poor Things
4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
5. Suzume
6. Beau is Afraid
7. Evil Dead Rise
8. The Holdovers
9. Oppenheimer
10. Elemental
Bonus: every single other movie from the year that I saw from 11th best to 39th best:
1. Skinamarink
2. The Zone of Interest
3. Poor Things
4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
5. Suzume
6. Beau is Afraid
7. Evil Dead Rise
8. The Holdovers
9. Oppenheimer
10. Elemental
Bonus: every single other movie from the year that I saw from 11th best to 39th best:
11. The Flash
12. Anatomy of a Fall
13. Barbie
14. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
15. Saw X
16. Rebel Moon: Part One
17. The Nun II
18. Past Lives
19. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
20. Killers of the Flower Moon
21. Maestro
22. Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
23. American Fiction
24. Talk to Me
25. The Marvels
26. Wish
27. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
28. The Super Mario Bros Movie
29. M3GAN
30. Exorcist: Believer
31. Five Nights at Freddys
32. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
33. The Boy and the Heron
34. Napoleon
35. The Boogeyman
36. Blue Beetle
37. John Wick Chapter Four
38. Bottoms
39. Shazam! Fury of the Gods
12. Anatomy of a Fall
13. Barbie
14. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
15. Saw X
16. Rebel Moon: Part One
17. The Nun II
18. Past Lives
19. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
20. Killers of the Flower Moon
21. Maestro
22. Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
23. American Fiction
24. Talk to Me
25. The Marvels
26. Wish
27. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
28. The Super Mario Bros Movie
29. M3GAN
30. Exorcist: Believer
31. Five Nights at Freddys
32. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
33. The Boy and the Heron
34. Napoleon
35. The Boogeyman
36. Blue Beetle
37. John Wick Chapter Four
38. Bottoms
39. Shazam! Fury of the Gods
As others have said, 2023 had a lot of really really great stuff. A full list of all 50+ 2023 movies I saw can be found here.
1. Asteroid City
2. Godzilla Minus One
Godzilla as a horror movie has got me questioning what the hell I am consuming when I watch Godzilla as action movies. Minus One does a fantastic job of showing the absolute horror and destruction caused by the titular monster. What does it say when we enjoy watching the monsters fight one another? When we stop giving a shit about the destruction being caused. When I was watching Godzilla and King Kong beat the shit out of one another in the appropriately titled Godzilla vs. Kong with no regard for the city they were in, I was just focused on rooting for my preferred monster to win. Minus One reminds us that regardless of which giant monster wins, it is ultimately the people that lose. How easy it is for all of us to get swept up in "my monster is best monster". And in case it isn't completely obvious, this conversation is about war and not giant kaiju. Propaganda is all around us and we are consuming messages and worldviews whether we choose to analyze things deeply or not.
Minus One is constantly exploring impact. And despite all the horror, it is ultimately a story about resilience and the critical importance of hope and joy, even when things seem hopeless. All of this, and then the movie is just an absolute visual spectacle as well with a fantastic cast and score to boot.
www.youtube.com
3. May December
Much has been said about the way Charles Melton was snubbed by the Oscar's for his absolutely incredible performance, and this is 100% true. But I don't think Natalie Portman has been given enough credit for her performance either. Her performance called for the most layers and she absolutely nails it. All three leads do, giving peeks behind the curtain until you are able to clearly see what the hell is going on with everyone. This movie has stayed lingering in my head long after I finished it. Tying the story so close to the real world story of an adult/child relationship gives the whole thing an extra layer of ick that makes its commentary feel that much more potent.
www.youtube.com
4. Nimona
5. No One Will Save You
This might be my favorite alien horror movie. A 90 minute film that has absolutely zero dialogue and yet it is paced excellently. The alien designs are fairly straightforward, the story itself is super straightforward, and it wears its inspirations on its sleeve (everything from Invasion of the Body Snatchers to Home Alone). What makes it stand out to me is the execution. The movie does what it sets out to do perfectly.
www.youtube.com
6. Talk To Me
Holy shit what a directorial debut. And from motherfucking YouTubers who were given a budget and an opportunity to make something big. They swung for the fences and managed to actually hit a home run. Demonic possession movies are a dime a dozen but this one manages to set itself apart with a neat premise and rules rather than just another Ouija board bringing spirits. Usually I am ok with a movie not answering every question and leaving some things not fully explained (as this film does) but everything about the hand and the universe was so fascinating I found myself wishing I could read the film bible for this to learn more about this world that they crafted. If that ain't high praise I don't know what is.
www.youtube.com
7. Cassandro
8. Suitable Flesh
9. The Pope's Exorcist
10. Dream Scenario
Sometimes movies come out and they are heavy handed with their metaphors as a way of saying "here is this theme, and this is what I, the writer/director, think". Beau is Afraid, for all its weirdness and absurdity, is one of those movies. And despite Ari Aster serving as a producer on Dream Scenario, it none the less takes a different direction and instead raises some topics and issues and just sorta says "hey these are some uncomfortable realities huh?" and leaves them there to marinate in your head long after the credits role. An interesting exploration of perception vs reality, with additional bits on power, privilege, harm and fragility.
www.youtube.com
Honorable Mentions
It's A Wonderful Knife - What if "It's a Wonderful Life" was a queer Christmas slasher with exquisite vibes?
Bottoms - We don't get enough absurdist comedies like this anymore. When was the last one? They Came Together?
Oppenheimer - Everyone says this movie is really good, and they ain't wrong.
The Killer - The Smiths make some pretty great music huh?
Infinity Pool - Cronenberg Jr. out here making me feel all sorts of uncomfortable.
1. Asteroid City
First and foremost, all of the humor in this movie completely lands for me. I found it completely hilarious and that alone is enough for me to rank it highly. Plus it is a gorgeous movie with wonderful use of color and lighting. It also gives a ton of material to chew on, with every single shot, every single line, clearly being intentional. There is more that I could talk about here if I wanted to elevate what a "smart" film it is, like it's commentary on capitalism's bastardization of science, or the fact that this movie has perhaps the best and most interesting depiction of atomic weapons of the year (yes, better than Godzilla and Oppenheimer). And those things are all great, but they don't quite capture the je ne sais quoi that makes this movie stand above the others for me. Maybe it is the combination of everything above, along with an absolutely fantastic cast that nails it. I don't know. All I know is that this movie really really works for me and I struggle to articulate why it resonated so strongly with me.
www.youtube.com
Asteroid City - Official Trailer - In Select Theaters June 16, Everywhere June 23
ASTEROID CITY takes place in a fictional American desert town circa 1955. Synopsis: The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to ...
www.youtube.com
2. Godzilla Minus One
Godzilla as a horror movie has got me questioning what the hell I am consuming when I watch Godzilla as action movies. Minus One does a fantastic job of showing the absolute horror and destruction caused by the titular monster. What does it say when we enjoy watching the monsters fight one another? When we stop giving a shit about the destruction being caused. When I was watching Godzilla and King Kong beat the shit out of one another in the appropriately titled Godzilla vs. Kong with no regard for the city they were in, I was just focused on rooting for my preferred monster to win. Minus One reminds us that regardless of which giant monster wins, it is ultimately the people that lose. How easy it is for all of us to get swept up in "my monster is best monster". And in case it isn't completely obvious, this conversation is about war and not giant kaiju. Propaganda is all around us and we are consuming messages and worldviews whether we choose to analyze things deeply or not.
Minus One is constantly exploring impact. And despite all the horror, it is ultimately a story about resilience and the critical importance of hope and joy, even when things seem hopeless. All of this, and then the movie is just an absolute visual spectacle as well with a fantastic cast and score to boot.
GODZILLA MINUS ONE Official Trailer
GODZILLA MINUS ONEIn postwar Japan, a new terror rises; Godzilla.Will the devastated people be able to survive... let alone fight back?Written and Directed b...
www.youtube.com
3. May December
Much has been said about the way Charles Melton was snubbed by the Oscar's for his absolutely incredible performance, and this is 100% true. But I don't think Natalie Portman has been given enough credit for her performance either. Her performance called for the most layers and she absolutely nails it. All three leads do, giving peeks behind the curtain until you are able to clearly see what the hell is going on with everyone. This movie has stayed lingering in my head long after I finished it. Tying the story so close to the real world story of an adult/child relationship gives the whole thing an extra layer of ick that makes its commentary feel that much more potent.
May December | Official Trailer | Netflix
From acclaimed director Todd Haynes, May December is "masterful," "spellbinding," "a wicked complex delight." Starring Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, and C...
www.youtube.com
4. Nimona
I have seen a lot of praise for this movie for the unabashed LGBTQ+ representation and themes on gender identity, race, and mental health. And that is all well and good, but what really made this film brilliant for me were the political ideologies put on display.
The two gay men are the very definition of modern liberals who see themselves as heroes. Having one as the protagonist (Ballister) and one as the antagonist (Ambrosius) is a wonderful way of showing the two sides of the same coin. They do not see systemic issues, and refuse to question systems even when contradictions are explicitly pointed out. Even when they are being harmed by said systems, the best they can do is say "if we just had the right person in the right position, everything would be ok." Wonderful showings of how your identities and even personal experience with oppression do not make you immune to propaganda. The well meaning liberal is just as guilty of upholding, perpetuating, and defending the harmful status quo as the fascist.
Meanwhile the hate filled fascist antagonist is able to lie and manipulate and get our liberal characters to also believe the lies and hate they spread. And the antagonist themself is a true believer, believing in their heart of hearts that they are doing the right thing and are the hero of the story (don't we all?). All the while the well meaning liberals, despite some personal concerns or disagreement, go along without much fuss.
Then we have the comrade Nimona, who understands that Stonewall was a riot. Not gay like Ballister, but queer as in fuck you. A character who understands that from top to bottom, this society is well and truly fucked but has a radical optimism and imagination that allow her to face the challenges head on. Nimona and the fascist are the only ones who truly understand what is happening and why they are making the decisions they are making. Meanwhile our liberal characters are just sort of along for the ride, living in their own fairy tale that was constructed for them.
All this while taking place in a futuristic world that still uses medieval stylings. Because technological advancements and the passage of time do not guarantee progress. You can still have ass backwards ideologies straight from the Middle Ages alongside flying cars and laser guns.
Absolutely brilliant film.
www.youtube.com
The two gay men are the very definition of modern liberals who see themselves as heroes. Having one as the protagonist (Ballister) and one as the antagonist (Ambrosius) is a wonderful way of showing the two sides of the same coin. They do not see systemic issues, and refuse to question systems even when contradictions are explicitly pointed out. Even when they are being harmed by said systems, the best they can do is say "if we just had the right person in the right position, everything would be ok." Wonderful showings of how your identities and even personal experience with oppression do not make you immune to propaganda. The well meaning liberal is just as guilty of upholding, perpetuating, and defending the harmful status quo as the fascist.
Meanwhile the hate filled fascist antagonist is able to lie and manipulate and get our liberal characters to also believe the lies and hate they spread. And the antagonist themself is a true believer, believing in their heart of hearts that they are doing the right thing and are the hero of the story (don't we all?). All the while the well meaning liberals, despite some personal concerns or disagreement, go along without much fuss.
Then we have the comrade Nimona, who understands that Stonewall was a riot. Not gay like Ballister, but queer as in fuck you. A character who understands that from top to bottom, this society is well and truly fucked but has a radical optimism and imagination that allow her to face the challenges head on. Nimona and the fascist are the only ones who truly understand what is happening and why they are making the decisions they are making. Meanwhile our liberal characters are just sort of along for the ride, living in their own fairy tale that was constructed for them.
All this while taking place in a futuristic world that still uses medieval stylings. Because technological advancements and the passage of time do not guarantee progress. You can still have ass backwards ideologies straight from the Middle Ages alongside flying cars and laser guns.
Absolutely brilliant film.
Nimona | Official Trailer | Netflix
A little anti, a little hero. NIMONA, only on Netflix June 30.Watch Nimona, only on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/NimonaSUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/29qBUt7Ab...
www.youtube.com
5. No One Will Save You
This might be my favorite alien horror movie. A 90 minute film that has absolutely zero dialogue and yet it is paced excellently. The alien designs are fairly straightforward, the story itself is super straightforward, and it wears its inspirations on its sleeve (everything from Invasion of the Body Snatchers to Home Alone). What makes it stand out to me is the execution. The movie does what it sets out to do perfectly.
No One Will Save You | Official Trailer
From 20th Century Studios, āNo One Will Save Youā is an action-packed face-off between Brynn and a host of extraterrestrial beings who threaten her future wh...
www.youtube.com
6. Talk To Me
Holy shit what a directorial debut. And from motherfucking YouTubers who were given a budget and an opportunity to make something big. They swung for the fences and managed to actually hit a home run. Demonic possession movies are a dime a dozen but this one manages to set itself apart with a neat premise and rules rather than just another Ouija board bringing spirits. Usually I am ok with a movie not answering every question and leaving some things not fully explained (as this film does) but everything about the hand and the universe was so fascinating I found myself wishing I could read the film bible for this to learn more about this world that they crafted. If that ain't high praise I don't know what is.
Talk To Me | Official Trailer 2 HD | A24
SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/A24subscribeFrom directors Danny and Michael Philippou and starring Sophie Wilde, Joe Bird, Alexandra Jensen, Otis Dhanji, Miranda O...
www.youtube.com
7. Cassandro
Gael GarcĆa Bernal is the best in everything, and Cassandro is no different. This biopic is worth watching for his performance alone. Obviously no biopic is ever going to capture the entirety of someone's life, and so it is always interesting to see what a filmmaker choses to include or not include. Every choice made in Cassandro felt like it was done to make me feel personally connected to the film. There is something really magical about watching a movie and feeling like you can see yourself in what is being presented, and I felt that way watching Cassandro despite not being a wrestler. His relationship with his mom is the heart of the movie and I felt every bit of it, from the desire to buy her a home to just the scenes of the two of them watching TV together. With that said, even if you aren't able to connect with the movie as personally because you ain't a queer chicano working multiple jobs with the dream of buying a home for your parent, it also has some damn cool wrestling scenes and outstanding music.
www.youtube.com
Cassandro - Official Trailer | Prime Video
From Luchador to legend. Donāt miss the inspiring true story that is #Cassandro - in select U.S. theaters September 15 and streaming globally on Prime Video ...
www.youtube.com
8. Suitable Flesh
A love letter to Stuart Gordon written by his long time collaborator Dennis Paoli, with Brian Yuzna as executive producer, Barbara Crampton co-staring, and faithfully directed by Joe Lynch. Based on the H.P. Lovecraft story The Thing on the Doorstep, this movie is able to tap into the same vibes as Gordon's Lovecraft adaptations, albeit with the horniness dialed up a few notches. Real talk though, I am a simple man. You set something in the Miskatonic University or the broader Arkham community and I am going to eat that shit up.
www.youtube.com
Suitable Flesh Official Red Band Trailer | HD | RLJE Films | Ft. Heather Graham, Judah Lewis
In Theaters and Everywhere You Rent Movies October 27thStarring Heather Graham, Judah Lewis, Bruce Davison, Johnathon Schaech and Barbara CramptonDirected by...
www.youtube.com
9. The Pope's Exorcist
You know what has been missing from exorcism movies? That action adventure element. This movie answers the question of "what if we made an exorcism movie but injected the spirit of Branden Fraser's The Mummy?" I absolutely love it. 100% my aesthetic, I am all in for this to become a franchise with increasingly more ridiculous sequels.
www.youtube.com
THE POPE'S EXORCIST ā Official Trailer (HD)
Russell Crowe is #ThePopesExorcist. Inspired by the true story of Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, The Popeās Exorcist is exclusively i...
www.youtube.com
10. Dream Scenario
Sometimes movies come out and they are heavy handed with their metaphors as a way of saying "here is this theme, and this is what I, the writer/director, think". Beau is Afraid, for all its weirdness and absurdity, is one of those movies. And despite Ari Aster serving as a producer on Dream Scenario, it none the less takes a different direction and instead raises some topics and issues and just sorta says "hey these are some uncomfortable realities huh?" and leaves them there to marinate in your head long after the credits role. An interesting exploration of perception vs reality, with additional bits on power, privilege, harm and fragility.
Dream Scenario | Official Trailer HD | A24
SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/A24subscribeFrom writer/director Kristoffer Borgli and starring Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera,...
www.youtube.com
Honorable Mentions
It's A Wonderful Knife - What if "It's a Wonderful Life" was a queer Christmas slasher with exquisite vibes?
Bottoms - We don't get enough absurdist comedies like this anymore. When was the last one? They Came Together?
Oppenheimer - Everyone says this movie is really good, and they ain't wrong.
The Killer - The Smiths make some pretty great music huh?
Infinity Pool - Cronenberg Jr. out here making me feel all sorts of uncomfortable.
1. Past Lives
2. Killers of the Flower Moon
3. Poor Things
4. The Taste of Things
5. When Evil Lurks
6. The Zone of Interest
7. Passages
8. The Killer
9. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
10. 20 Days in Mariupol
2. Killers of the Flower Moon
3. Poor Things
4. The Taste of Things
5. When Evil Lurks
6. The Zone of Interest
7. Passages
8. The Killer
9. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
10. 20 Days in Mariupol
At time of writing I have seen 74 "2023" films.
2023 was a strong overall year for film but not one where a lot of new discoveries caught my attention. My top 2 films are defined by being contemplative works by masters of the craft. Neither would sit as my favourite pieces of their respective filmographies (though those are very high bars) but they are what I have been left most entranced by.
1. Killers of the Flower Moon
Scorsese over the past 10 years has been in a wonderful form as a creator of capital-A Art. Silence, the Irishman and now, Killers of the Flower Moon are not designed to have the wide appeal as Goodfellas etc but it is beautiful to see someone so devoted to the art form (and can still command a budget) commit themselves to epics both in scope and emotion.
Much as been said of the perspectives or lack thereof in 'Killers' but I am of the opinion that the film knows exactly what is doing. The book is about the FBI investigation and this is about the mechanics of evil (not unlike another film a bit further down) and who better is there to tell a story from the criminals perspective than Scorsese? Hopefully one day we can see this story from an Native perspective however Scorsese knows thats not his story to tell (as seen in the moving Coda to the film).
Much as also been said of its length but for 3 hours 20 this flew by and even on rewatch I could of done it all in one sitting. I haven't been this engrossed in a DiCaprio performance in years (perhaps because it doesn't feel like he's trying to win anything but playing against type as stupid, nasty dolt) and De Niro plays the embodiment of manifest destiny to perfection. Gladstone is obviously great, being able to remain strong willed even as all the evils of capitalism and racism destroy everything around her.
It's Scorsese's best since Goodfellas. Its the best film of 2023 and will only grow with age.
2. The Boy And The Heron
Hayao Miyazaki is the greatest animation director to ever live (and one of the best living directors period) and like Marty he has been in a 'No-effs-given' period since 'Ponyo'. Both 'The Boy and The Heron' and his previous 'The Wind Rises' are not traditional animation fare, they aren't full of jokes or superheros or action but they do have a lot of say. In fact 'The Boy and The Heron' pairs wonderfully with 'The Wind Rises', the latter is introspective, Miyazakis self reflection as an artist while 'Boy' is reflectiving outwards on his work and Ghibli, the kinds of messages he wants to get across. Miyazaki will die and soon enough Ghibli (at least as we know it) will end. Appreciate what we have been given and go out live life and create your own stories.
3. Poor Things
These next few are essentially interchangable, all facinating and wonderful to similar degrees. I will start with the funniest film of the year, the other over-the-top, surreal female empowerment epic of the year. Poor Things in many ways is unquatifiable, a lurid dreamscape where anything seems possible but the same ceilings hold us back. Credit to Stone and Ruffalo for two of the most committed out-there performances of their careers.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24796953/oppenheimer_test_site.jpg)
4. Oppenheimer
My first thoughts to 'Oppenheimer' was thank God we caught Christoper Nolan back. After a string of films that did nothing to me (the messy Dark Knight Rises, the overly ambitious Interstellar, the technically accomplished but uninspiring Dunkirk and the bland Tenet) Nolan has finally won me over again with his best work since Inception. I don't think Oppenheimer is perfect, the first act is so fast moving that it reads like bullet points from a slideshow and Nolan still doesn't know what to do with Women, but it hard not to get behind the sheer force of energy behind the film and its ambitions. It's a 21st Century 'JFK.
5. All of Us Strangers
All of Us Strangers works as a premier example of Film as the Empathy Machine. There is a lot of myself I can see in Andrew Scotts lead and there are a lot of difference too but the film know how to add those little realistic details and reactions to make something anyone can relate too in its tale of lonliness and lost lives. Helps that Scott gives the lead male performance of the year.
6. The Holdovers
The Holdovers shouldn't really work for me. I was straight on the defensive with its faux 70s opening and its a Christmas film. But never underestimate the power of a good script lead by good actors able to tell a rewarding, emotionally engaging narrative about flawed people supporting each other to actually get better. Exactly how this sort of material should be.
7. Anatomy of a Fall
Gripping from begining to end and its painful representation of a relationship falling apart, 'Anatomy of a Fall' is banger and a reminder that Sandra Huller is one of the best working Actors today.
8. The Zone of Interest
I have compared 'Zone' to the works of Apichatpong Weerasethakul in the past, but where his films are characterised by magical realism, there is no escape from the dread that Glazer brings to proceeding through world class sound design and pure mundanity in the face of one of humanities worst acts.
9. Past Lives
Not much to say that hasn't already been said. Past Lives does everything it wants to do without putting nary a foot wrong.
10. The Iron Claw
I am not a wresting fan but this just pipped some of my honorable mentions with its engaging drama and lets hope it brings back Zac Efron to more serious roles, an under appreciated performer who tends to pick bad projects.
Honourable Mentions:
- American Fiction
- Monster
- Barbie
- Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
- 20 Days in Maruipol
2023 was a strong overall year for film but not one where a lot of new discoveries caught my attention. My top 2 films are defined by being contemplative works by masters of the craft. Neither would sit as my favourite pieces of their respective filmographies (though those are very high bars) but they are what I have been left most entranced by.
1. Killers of the Flower Moon
Scorsese over the past 10 years has been in a wonderful form as a creator of capital-A Art. Silence, the Irishman and now, Killers of the Flower Moon are not designed to have the wide appeal as Goodfellas etc but it is beautiful to see someone so devoted to the art form (and can still command a budget) commit themselves to epics both in scope and emotion.
Much as been said of the perspectives or lack thereof in 'Killers' but I am of the opinion that the film knows exactly what is doing. The book is about the FBI investigation and this is about the mechanics of evil (not unlike another film a bit further down) and who better is there to tell a story from the criminals perspective than Scorsese? Hopefully one day we can see this story from an Native perspective however Scorsese knows thats not his story to tell (as seen in the moving Coda to the film).
Much as also been said of its length but for 3 hours 20 this flew by and even on rewatch I could of done it all in one sitting. I haven't been this engrossed in a DiCaprio performance in years (perhaps because it doesn't feel like he's trying to win anything but playing against type as stupid, nasty dolt) and De Niro plays the embodiment of manifest destiny to perfection. Gladstone is obviously great, being able to remain strong willed even as all the evils of capitalism and racism destroy everything around her.
It's Scorsese's best since Goodfellas. Its the best film of 2023 and will only grow with age.
2. The Boy And The Heron
Hayao Miyazaki is the greatest animation director to ever live (and one of the best living directors period) and like Marty he has been in a 'No-effs-given' period since 'Ponyo'. Both 'The Boy and The Heron' and his previous 'The Wind Rises' are not traditional animation fare, they aren't full of jokes or superheros or action but they do have a lot of say. In fact 'The Boy and The Heron' pairs wonderfully with 'The Wind Rises', the latter is introspective, Miyazakis self reflection as an artist while 'Boy' is reflectiving outwards on his work and Ghibli, the kinds of messages he wants to get across. Miyazaki will die and soon enough Ghibli (at least as we know it) will end. Appreciate what we have been given and go out live life and create your own stories.
3. Poor Things
These next few are essentially interchangable, all facinating and wonderful to similar degrees. I will start with the funniest film of the year, the other over-the-top, surreal female empowerment epic of the year. Poor Things in many ways is unquatifiable, a lurid dreamscape where anything seems possible but the same ceilings hold us back. Credit to Stone and Ruffalo for two of the most committed out-there performances of their careers.
4. Oppenheimer
My first thoughts to 'Oppenheimer' was thank God we caught Christoper Nolan back. After a string of films that did nothing to me (the messy Dark Knight Rises, the overly ambitious Interstellar, the technically accomplished but uninspiring Dunkirk and the bland Tenet) Nolan has finally won me over again with his best work since Inception. I don't think Oppenheimer is perfect, the first act is so fast moving that it reads like bullet points from a slideshow and Nolan still doesn't know what to do with Women, but it hard not to get behind the sheer force of energy behind the film and its ambitions. It's a 21st Century 'JFK.
5. All of Us Strangers
All of Us Strangers works as a premier example of Film as the Empathy Machine. There is a lot of myself I can see in Andrew Scotts lead and there are a lot of difference too but the film know how to add those little realistic details and reactions to make something anyone can relate too in its tale of lonliness and lost lives. Helps that Scott gives the lead male performance of the year.
6. The Holdovers
The Holdovers shouldn't really work for me. I was straight on the defensive with its faux 70s opening and its a Christmas film. But never underestimate the power of a good script lead by good actors able to tell a rewarding, emotionally engaging narrative about flawed people supporting each other to actually get better. Exactly how this sort of material should be.
7. Anatomy of a Fall
Gripping from begining to end and its painful representation of a relationship falling apart, 'Anatomy of a Fall' is banger and a reminder that Sandra Huller is one of the best working Actors today.
8. The Zone of Interest
I have compared 'Zone' to the works of Apichatpong Weerasethakul in the past, but where his films are characterised by magical realism, there is no escape from the dread that Glazer brings to proceeding through world class sound design and pure mundanity in the face of one of humanities worst acts.
9. Past Lives
Not much to say that hasn't already been said. Past Lives does everything it wants to do without putting nary a foot wrong.
10. The Iron Claw
I am not a wresting fan but this just pipped some of my honorable mentions with its engaging drama and lets hope it brings back Zac Efron to more serious roles, an under appreciated performer who tends to pick bad projects.
Honourable Mentions:
- American Fiction
- Monster
- Barbie
- Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
- 20 Days in Maruipol
Pretty Good:
Fallen Leaves
Maestro
The Goldman Case
How to Blow Up a Pipeline
The Killer
Still: A Michael J Fox Movie
The Creator
Passages
One Life
The Bikeriders
The Book of Clarence
Cobweb
The Royal Hotel
The Eternal Memory
Suzume
El Conde
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Hit Man
Napoleon
Evil Does Not Exist
Priscilla
Godzilla Minus One
May December
Perfect Days
Ok?:
The Mission
Scala!!!
Squaring the Circle: The Story of Hipgnosis
Beau is Afraid
Air
Scout's Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America
Baltimore
Dumb Money
Celluloid Undergroud
Nyad
Saltburn
Foe
Rustin
Shin Kamen Rider
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3
Unknown: Killer Robots
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Theives
Sex on Screen
Beyond Utopia
The End We Start From
Songs of Earth
Unknown: Cave of Bones
Keeping It Up
Ferrari
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Europa
Sly
Not Good:
Man On The Run
Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case
Unknown: The Lost Pyramid
The Marvels
Unknown: Cosmic Time Machine
Only the River Flows
Fallen Leaves
Maestro
The Goldman Case
How to Blow Up a Pipeline
The Killer
Still: A Michael J Fox Movie
The Creator
Passages
One Life
The Bikeriders
The Book of Clarence
Cobweb
The Royal Hotel
The Eternal Memory
Suzume
El Conde
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Hit Man
Napoleon
Evil Does Not Exist
Priscilla
Godzilla Minus One
May December
Perfect Days
Ok?:
The Mission
Scala!!!
Squaring the Circle: The Story of Hipgnosis
Beau is Afraid
Air
Scout's Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America
Baltimore
Dumb Money
Celluloid Undergroud
Nyad
Saltburn
Foe
Rustin
Shin Kamen Rider
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3
Unknown: Killer Robots
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Theives
Sex on Screen
Beyond Utopia
The End We Start From
Songs of Earth
Unknown: Cave of Bones
Keeping It Up
Ferrari
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Europa
Sly
Not Good:
Man On The Run
Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case
Unknown: The Lost Pyramid
The Marvels
Unknown: Cosmic Time Machine
Only the River Flows
1) Godzilla Minus One
1.5) Oppenheimer (edited in)
2) The Boy and the Heron
3) The Holdovers
4) Evil Dead Rise
5) The Super Mario Bros. Movie
6) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
7) No One Will Save You
...I think that's about it as far as new releases go. I'm still vacillating on the 5th and 6th rankings, mainly due to my expectations going in (kind of expected Mario to be trash and greatness from TMNT, w/ the former not being nearly as bad as anticipated while the latter failed to match the hype for me, personally).
I might go more into detail later. I dunno... recent life events just have me feeling pretty emotionally deflated right now š¢
1.5) Oppenheimer (edited in)
2) The Boy and the Heron
3) The Holdovers
4) Evil Dead Rise
5) The Super Mario Bros. Movie
6) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
7) No One Will Save You
...I think that's about it as far as new releases go. I'm still vacillating on the 5th and 6th rankings, mainly due to my expectations going in (kind of expected Mario to be trash and greatness from TMNT, w/ the former not being nearly as bad as anticipated while the latter failed to match the hype for me, personally).
I might go more into detail later. I dunno... recent life events just have me feeling pretty emotionally deflated right now š¢
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I edited my list to include Perfect Days as well. It'll hopefully be my final update to the list.
1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
2. Nimona
3. Talk to Me
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
5. They Cloned Tyrone
6. The Killer
7. The Marvels
8. The Super Mario Bros Movie
2. Nimona
3. Talk to Me
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
5. They Cloned Tyrone
6. The Killer
7. The Marvels
8. The Super Mario Bros Movie
1. Anatomy of a Fall
2. American Fiction
3. Poor Things
4. Perfect Days
5. The Holdovers
6. The Boy and the Heron
7. The Teacher's Lounge
8. Robot Dreams
9. Oppenheimer
10. Killers of the Flower Moon
2. American Fiction
3. Poor Things
4. Perfect Days
5. The Holdovers
6. The Boy and the Heron
7. The Teacher's Lounge
8. Robot Dreams
9. Oppenheimer
10. Killers of the Flower Moon
Well, I think at this point I'm ready to write out my initial ballot, it seems unlikely I'm going to see any more major releases from 2023 in the next month (having just seen Perfect Days earlier today).
10. How to Have Sex
Molly Manning Walker's directorial debut made waves in the United Kingdom, but took some time to make its way across the pond, bar a few festival appearances. Centered on a star-making turn from Mia McKenna-Bruce, we follow protagonist Tara as she and her two best friends arrive in Crete for a planned post-exams holiday. Tara still hasn't had sex, which she's insecure about, especially give the extreme debauchery of the setting (binge-drinking, party drugs, and loud music are omnipresent), further complicated by uncertainties regarding her future (unlike her pals, she isn't confident about her exam results). Manning Walker's direction wrings consistent audience unease out of the partygoing atmosphere, which builds to a deeply upsetting scenario. The sort of movie that will set every parent on edge, but it doesn't feel alarmist or fearmongering.
9. The Iron Claw
A preposterously jacked Zac Efron gives the performance of his career in Sean Durkin's newest film, a dramatic tragedy based on the careers of the Von Erich professional wrestling dynasty -- events that were, remarkably, even sadder than the film depicts. This was both jokingly and seriously described as "Little Women for boys", which is remarkably apt. I would not, based on Durkin's previous work, have imagined him making something that is at times so rawly emotional, but this might be the saddest viewing experience of the year.
8. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
In adapting Judy Blume's most famous novel, which was published in 1970, the filmmakers have opted to retain the setting rather than seek to update all the incidents for contemporary times -- the correct decision, in my view, as many of the emotions and experiences are timeless, while at the same time you don't need to worry about trying to fit this story into the social media age. This also gives license for a terrific soundtrack of late 1960s/early 1970s hits, including the best use of Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man" since Pulp Fiction. Anchored by strong performances from lead Abby Ryder Fortson and Rachel McAdams, the latter in a role considerably expanded from the source material to great effect.
7. Killers of the Flower Moon
David Grann's book is one of the best pieces of non-fiction of the previous decade, so the film adaptation being in the hands of such a talented creative team made it a long-awaited must-see. The resulting film, another of Martin Scorsese's career-ending revisitations of the crime genre with an eye toward avoiding making criminal protagonists look entertaining or dynamic, is not quite at the level of the book, but it's a powerful piece of filmmaking. It's characteristic of the intelligence with which Scorsese approaches his work that a seemingly throwaway substitute for a text epilogue at the film's conclusion ends up being the most thought-provoking moment in the whole thing.
6. Society of the Snow
With Society of the Snow and 2012's The Impossible, one can begin to write the case for director J.A. Bayona as the best contemporary filmmaker for disaster films (especially those with a factual basis). Whereas the earlier film took the story of a Spanish family during the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami and turned it into a English-language feature starring Hollywood actors (and a pre-frame Tom Holland!), Society of the Snow tells the story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which famously crashed in the Andes in 1972, marooning the survivors in freezing temperatures for more than two months, in the course of which they had to resort to eating the corpses of the dead. Whereas The Impossible was made with overt commercial concessions to international audiences, this is a Spanish-language tale and starring a cast of unknown actors. The film is an extremely effective thriller, from the bone-crunching depiction of the plane crash (aided by strong special effects work) to the daily challenges posed by the environment, which do a strong job of conveying the cold and isolation the survivors experienced. And it's a solid, grounded character drama that plays as a sincere tribute to the people involved.
5. The Holdovers
I recall thinking that the trailer, done in a deliberately retro 1970s style that aligns with the film's own aesthetic, looked excruciating, and being quite surprised to learn it was directed by Alexander Payne. This is one of my bigger opinion shifts from the initial marketing to viewing the finished product. Reduced to a plot description this film sounds trite, but it's a classic example of a talented filmmaker taking a rote story and completely nailing the execution. There are innumerable small writing choices that showcase how sharp Payne can be at his best. On a stylistic level, this is one of his best directorial efforts, providing a lived-in evocation of its 1970 setting and a number of really beautiful shot choices.
4. Poor Things
The director and screenwriter of The Favourite reunite for this film adaptation of Alasdair Gray's 1992 picaresque sci-fi novel, a feminist riff on the Frankenstein myth starring Emma Stone, who has been quietly (or as quietly as you can while earning several Oscar nominations and two wins) building one of the most impressive, diverse resumes in her peer group of actresses. The storytelling of Poor Things interests me insofar as heroine Bella Baxter is, in the course of her quest for self-actualization, a sort of narrative bulldozer for whom a wide array of potentially traumatic situations prove no real obstacle. On paper, the lack of a genuine sense of jeopardy would be a flaw, but this unconventional approach works remarkably well in execution. In addition to Stone, the film features a particularly noteworthy turn from Mark Ruffalo, cast memorably against type as an egotistical womanizer. The distinctive tone of director and screenwriter is augmented by some of the most memorable costuming and set design one may see in the cinema in the past year.
3. Oppenheimer
The life and career arc of the mercurial J. Robert Oppenheimer spans the beginnings of quantum physics theory in Europe in the 1920s, leftist political activism in the 1930s, the building of the atomic bomb in World War II, and then the reckoning with its implications for global security policy in the postwar years through the McCarthy era. It will perhaps surprise no one familiar with Christopher Nolan's filmography that he has decided to approach this subject in a non-linear manner. On a storytelling level, this approach is immensely beneficial and avoids many of the conventional pitfalls of the biographical genre, allowing key information to be ordered and presented effectively and also facilitating the presence of key characters throughout the film rather than condensed into shorter chunks. For anyone in Hollywood who still dreams that the multiplex can be the home for serious films aimed at adults and focused on real-world subjects, Oppenheimer was a billion-dollar reason to hope this past year, and it's no surprise that they rewarded it with the Academy Award for Best Picture.
2. Past Lives
Korean-Canadian playwright Celine Song's directorial debut is the sort of film that thoroughly skewers the idea of films being too specific or "unrelatable" to people who don't share the background of the creator; it will make you achingly feel like you have the exact experiences of the protagonist (who is heavily based on Song herself). Greta Lee is magnificent in the lead role, and her missing out on a Best Actress nomination was one of my biggest disappointments of the award season, even if it was not unexpected.
1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
After the minor artistic miracle of Into the Spider-Verse, we get a sequel that in many respects exceeds it. Ambitious in both its animation and its storytelling, featuring a brilliant cast of voice actors, this pretty much has it all -- apart from a true ending, which we'll have to wait for the next movie to conclude. There's been a lot of bellyaching about the concept of a multiverse of late, in connection to the creative travails of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Across the Spider-Verse, much like Everything Everywhere All at Once, shows that it's all just a matter of execution. Let genuine artists show the way.
10. How to Have Sex
Molly Manning Walker's directorial debut made waves in the United Kingdom, but took some time to make its way across the pond, bar a few festival appearances. Centered on a star-making turn from Mia McKenna-Bruce, we follow protagonist Tara as she and her two best friends arrive in Crete for a planned post-exams holiday. Tara still hasn't had sex, which she's insecure about, especially give the extreme debauchery of the setting (binge-drinking, party drugs, and loud music are omnipresent), further complicated by uncertainties regarding her future (unlike her pals, she isn't confident about her exam results). Manning Walker's direction wrings consistent audience unease out of the partygoing atmosphere, which builds to a deeply upsetting scenario. The sort of movie that will set every parent on edge, but it doesn't feel alarmist or fearmongering.
9. The Iron Claw
A preposterously jacked Zac Efron gives the performance of his career in Sean Durkin's newest film, a dramatic tragedy based on the careers of the Von Erich professional wrestling dynasty -- events that were, remarkably, even sadder than the film depicts. This was both jokingly and seriously described as "Little Women for boys", which is remarkably apt. I would not, based on Durkin's previous work, have imagined him making something that is at times so rawly emotional, but this might be the saddest viewing experience of the year.
8. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
In adapting Judy Blume's most famous novel, which was published in 1970, the filmmakers have opted to retain the setting rather than seek to update all the incidents for contemporary times -- the correct decision, in my view, as many of the emotions and experiences are timeless, while at the same time you don't need to worry about trying to fit this story into the social media age. This also gives license for a terrific soundtrack of late 1960s/early 1970s hits, including the best use of Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man" since Pulp Fiction. Anchored by strong performances from lead Abby Ryder Fortson and Rachel McAdams, the latter in a role considerably expanded from the source material to great effect.
7. Killers of the Flower Moon
David Grann's book is one of the best pieces of non-fiction of the previous decade, so the film adaptation being in the hands of such a talented creative team made it a long-awaited must-see. The resulting film, another of Martin Scorsese's career-ending revisitations of the crime genre with an eye toward avoiding making criminal protagonists look entertaining or dynamic, is not quite at the level of the book, but it's a powerful piece of filmmaking. It's characteristic of the intelligence with which Scorsese approaches his work that a seemingly throwaway substitute for a text epilogue at the film's conclusion ends up being the most thought-provoking moment in the whole thing.
6. Society of the Snow
With Society of the Snow and 2012's The Impossible, one can begin to write the case for director J.A. Bayona as the best contemporary filmmaker for disaster films (especially those with a factual basis). Whereas the earlier film took the story of a Spanish family during the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami and turned it into a English-language feature starring Hollywood actors (and a pre-frame Tom Holland!), Society of the Snow tells the story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which famously crashed in the Andes in 1972, marooning the survivors in freezing temperatures for more than two months, in the course of which they had to resort to eating the corpses of the dead. Whereas The Impossible was made with overt commercial concessions to international audiences, this is a Spanish-language tale and starring a cast of unknown actors. The film is an extremely effective thriller, from the bone-crunching depiction of the plane crash (aided by strong special effects work) to the daily challenges posed by the environment, which do a strong job of conveying the cold and isolation the survivors experienced. And it's a solid, grounded character drama that plays as a sincere tribute to the people involved.
5. The Holdovers
I recall thinking that the trailer, done in a deliberately retro 1970s style that aligns with the film's own aesthetic, looked excruciating, and being quite surprised to learn it was directed by Alexander Payne. This is one of my bigger opinion shifts from the initial marketing to viewing the finished product. Reduced to a plot description this film sounds trite, but it's a classic example of a talented filmmaker taking a rote story and completely nailing the execution. There are innumerable small writing choices that showcase how sharp Payne can be at his best. On a stylistic level, this is one of his best directorial efforts, providing a lived-in evocation of its 1970 setting and a number of really beautiful shot choices.
4. Poor Things
The director and screenwriter of The Favourite reunite for this film adaptation of Alasdair Gray's 1992 picaresque sci-fi novel, a feminist riff on the Frankenstein myth starring Emma Stone, who has been quietly (or as quietly as you can while earning several Oscar nominations and two wins) building one of the most impressive, diverse resumes in her peer group of actresses. The storytelling of Poor Things interests me insofar as heroine Bella Baxter is, in the course of her quest for self-actualization, a sort of narrative bulldozer for whom a wide array of potentially traumatic situations prove no real obstacle. On paper, the lack of a genuine sense of jeopardy would be a flaw, but this unconventional approach works remarkably well in execution. In addition to Stone, the film features a particularly noteworthy turn from Mark Ruffalo, cast memorably against type as an egotistical womanizer. The distinctive tone of director and screenwriter is augmented by some of the most memorable costuming and set design one may see in the cinema in the past year.
3. Oppenheimer
The life and career arc of the mercurial J. Robert Oppenheimer spans the beginnings of quantum physics theory in Europe in the 1920s, leftist political activism in the 1930s, the building of the atomic bomb in World War II, and then the reckoning with its implications for global security policy in the postwar years through the McCarthy era. It will perhaps surprise no one familiar with Christopher Nolan's filmography that he has decided to approach this subject in a non-linear manner. On a storytelling level, this approach is immensely beneficial and avoids many of the conventional pitfalls of the biographical genre, allowing key information to be ordered and presented effectively and also facilitating the presence of key characters throughout the film rather than condensed into shorter chunks. For anyone in Hollywood who still dreams that the multiplex can be the home for serious films aimed at adults and focused on real-world subjects, Oppenheimer was a billion-dollar reason to hope this past year, and it's no surprise that they rewarded it with the Academy Award for Best Picture.
2. Past Lives
Korean-Canadian playwright Celine Song's directorial debut is the sort of film that thoroughly skewers the idea of films being too specific or "unrelatable" to people who don't share the background of the creator; it will make you achingly feel like you have the exact experiences of the protagonist (who is heavily based on Song herself). Greta Lee is magnificent in the lead role, and her missing out on a Best Actress nomination was one of my biggest disappointments of the award season, even if it was not unexpected.
1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
After the minor artistic miracle of Into the Spider-Verse, we get a sequel that in many respects exceeds it. Ambitious in both its animation and its storytelling, featuring a brilliant cast of voice actors, this pretty much has it all -- apart from a true ending, which we'll have to wait for the next movie to conclude. There's been a lot of bellyaching about the concept of a multiverse of late, in connection to the creative travails of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Across the Spider-Verse, much like Everything Everywhere All at Once, shows that it's all just a matter of execution. Let genuine artists show the way.
Cool, just saw this!
Here's my top ten from 2023.
My only regret is not being able to see The Zone of Interest and Perfect Days until 2024, otherwise they would be on here. Honestly 2023 was just a crazy strong year for movies. Honorable mentions: Nimona, Godzilla Minus One, Barbie, Talk to Me, Hummingbirds, and The First Slam Dunk.
Here's my top ten from 2023.
My only regret is not being able to see The Zone of Interest and Perfect Days until 2024, otherwise they would be on here. Honestly 2023 was just a crazy strong year for movies. Honorable mentions: Nimona, Godzilla Minus One, Barbie, Talk to Me, Hummingbirds, and The First Slam Dunk.
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Past Lives
- Boy and the Heron
- May December
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- Oppenheimer
- Holdovers
- Anatomy of a Fall
- Suzume
- Blackberry
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Finally got everything lined up here - there's a couple more I'll probably see this month (i.e. Zone of Interest coming to streaming), but otherwise everything I wanted to watch has been watched.
1) The Peasants
Not everyone liked Loving Vincent all that much, and I don't hold that against people - it's ultimately an okay movie with an extremely cool gimmick. While the connection between style and substance isn't as obvious in this one (i.e. this isn't a movie about a painter, this is a movie about peasants who lead lives of quiet desperation), it's such a leap forward in every other category that it honestly blew me away. Even if this was a "regular" movie, actors on sets giving these same performances, it would be great! The story of Jagna, a victim of the webs of distrust and injustice and obligation that entangle communities, is based on a Nobel-winning novel and it shows, though I'm sure it suffers in the adaptation down to a two-hour film. But the entire film, assembled with oil paintings plus digital inbetweening, absolutely and completely blew me away. The camera here is dynamic and fluid, the filmmaking vivid and inspired, and THEN someone painted it, and THEN someone made it all move. It's a must-see, and I'm ecstatic I was able to grab a one-night-only showing at my local theater last weekend and squeeze it onto this list. I absolutely cannot wait to see what they put out next!
2) Saltburn
A week ago, though, this was my clear favorite, and I'm still a little guilty about dropping it down to second place... ultimately, the exposition dump near the end was the one blemish that knocked it down. But otherwise, Saltburn was just the sort of movie that was made for me. It's funny and grim and gorgeous. People say: oh, it's shallow, and it doesn't have anything to say, and it's all sizzle with no steak. Which I think is a mischaracterization. This isn't a movie about class conflict, though it touches on class, obviously; this is a movie about the tyranny of beautiful people, about the injustice inherent to the world we live in, and that twinge of venomous jealousy we get every now and then when perfect people with perfect lives pass us by. Barry Keoghan is maybe my favorite "rising star" in the industry right now, and he nails it as the lead, but the entire family walks the perfect tightrope of absurdity and there's not a performance out of place. I spent the entire thing with a shit-eating grin on my face, and you know what? That's enough for me.
3) Past Lives
It's great to have a movie that's so intensely personal and specific - about the struggles of a lost long-distance romance filtered through two people, three countries, and 20+ years - and have it be so universally applicable - about what's intrinsic to you, about what makes you more than the sum of your experiences. It's all so subtle, everything unspoken and remote, and it makes those cracks in the shell and those glimpses behind the curtain so much more heartbreaking. The fact this is Celine Song's debut feature is remarkable, because it feels so practiced and disciplined; not a wasted moment in the whole thing.
4) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
This, on the other hand, is not a movie that James Gunn could have made 20 years ago. It speaks to my sensibilities, of course - I've loved Gunn's work as an edgy trashmonger in the 00s, and I've loved watching him mature into the sort of filmmaker who can imbue genre fare with some genuine heart. Vol. 3 is probably the best of the Guardians trilogy, and while it's occasionally overwrought, the years of buildup with this cast carries so much of a weighty movie. I don't think Chris Pratt has ever given as good a performance, and I'm not sure anyone else could have gotten it out of him.
5) Oppenheimer
This is another "film auteur at his peak" sort of movie, but unlike James Gunn, I've never been a big Christopher Nolan believer. So I grit my teeth a bit and admit: this is a damn fine movie. It's appropriately epic without losing sight of the thematic through-lines, and I think the jumbled timeline in the telling adds a lot to the turmoil and tumult of Oppenheimer's life. I actually think I prefer the "legal drama" aspect more than the actual bomb-building, because Robert Downey Jr. absolutely stole the show, but as a unit the thing is assembled meticulously and executed brilliantly.
6) The Boy and the Heron
A movie that, when the credits rolled, I would almost say I didn't like - it's extremely weird, obstinately anti-narrative in a way that only late-career Miyazaki can be. But when you reflect on it, and tune into his state of mind, of a man in the twilight of his life, both as a human and a creative, looking back on his legacy and forward to his future, it clicks. While I think it's too formless to really be called on of his best, I think it's an appropriate capstone to his career (assuming we don't get word of another project).
7) A Thousand and One
This one I'm a little back and forth on, as it does retread some very well-trodden ground when it comes to the narrative. But the performances (particularly Teyana Taylor as the lead, with a jagged sort of tenderness) are excellent and that third act is just SO complex in how it recontexualizes the film that you really have to sit up and take notice. And I love its vision of 90s/00s New York City, and the community that circles around Inez and her family there; I'm a sucker for movies that feel lived-in like that.
8) Poor Things
While I can't quite shake the "some middle-aged dudes take on feminism" angle of criticism, Poor Things is bonkers in concept, visually unmistakable, and extremely funny, and those are factors that make it hard to bet against. Seeing all of these theatrical personalities butting heads, delivering one-liners and physical comedy with such extreme gusto, is perpetual joy. And I just love any sort of Frankenstein story, which just sweetens the pot on my end.
9) Killers of the Flower Moon
The curse of high expectations: Scorsese is so good that it all starts to feel familiar. I think I could justify Killers of the Flower Moon at any spot on this list, but ultimately I put it near the bottom simply because it met my expectations and struggled to exceed them. I did adore DiCaprio's complete shitheel of a lead: not even a villain but a dull, stupid, and selfish sort of lout that it's almost impossible to sympathize with; really ballsy choice of a protagonist.
10) Napoleon
I'll be the guy to do it: I liked Napoleon a lot. It's not a great historical epic, it's not a great satire, it's not a great character study. Hell, it's not a great movie - it's scattered and tonally inconsistent and shallow in its understanding of history. But it's so goddamn funny. Joaquin Phoenix just plays Napoleon as this goofy, deluded, man-baby, and seeing him make these grandiose gestures that just end up awkward and uncomfortable... it's so much fun. I laughed a lot.
Honorable Mentions:
May/December - So sad, so funny, so trashy. Lots of great performances here that will no doubt stick with me a long time.
Asteroid City - Between this and his Roald Dahl short films, Wes Anderson had a great year! Asteroid City felt extremely fresh compared to The French Dispatch, and if we were counting short film, Poison would definitely be near the top of my list.
The Killer - As meticulously well-crafted as one of the lead character's hits; well, not the one we see him fuck up in the movie, one of the good ones.
Earth Mama - So much texture, absolutely love the final shot of the movie. Another great cast, doubly impressive because so many are fresh actors.
1) The Peasants
Not everyone liked Loving Vincent all that much, and I don't hold that against people - it's ultimately an okay movie with an extremely cool gimmick. While the connection between style and substance isn't as obvious in this one (i.e. this isn't a movie about a painter, this is a movie about peasants who lead lives of quiet desperation), it's such a leap forward in every other category that it honestly blew me away. Even if this was a "regular" movie, actors on sets giving these same performances, it would be great! The story of Jagna, a victim of the webs of distrust and injustice and obligation that entangle communities, is based on a Nobel-winning novel and it shows, though I'm sure it suffers in the adaptation down to a two-hour film. But the entire film, assembled with oil paintings plus digital inbetweening, absolutely and completely blew me away. The camera here is dynamic and fluid, the filmmaking vivid and inspired, and THEN someone painted it, and THEN someone made it all move. It's a must-see, and I'm ecstatic I was able to grab a one-night-only showing at my local theater last weekend and squeeze it onto this list. I absolutely cannot wait to see what they put out next!
2) Saltburn
A week ago, though, this was my clear favorite, and I'm still a little guilty about dropping it down to second place... ultimately, the exposition dump near the end was the one blemish that knocked it down. But otherwise, Saltburn was just the sort of movie that was made for me. It's funny and grim and gorgeous. People say: oh, it's shallow, and it doesn't have anything to say, and it's all sizzle with no steak. Which I think is a mischaracterization. This isn't a movie about class conflict, though it touches on class, obviously; this is a movie about the tyranny of beautiful people, about the injustice inherent to the world we live in, and that twinge of venomous jealousy we get every now and then when perfect people with perfect lives pass us by. Barry Keoghan is maybe my favorite "rising star" in the industry right now, and he nails it as the lead, but the entire family walks the perfect tightrope of absurdity and there's not a performance out of place. I spent the entire thing with a shit-eating grin on my face, and you know what? That's enough for me.
3) Past Lives
It's great to have a movie that's so intensely personal and specific - about the struggles of a lost long-distance romance filtered through two people, three countries, and 20+ years - and have it be so universally applicable - about what's intrinsic to you, about what makes you more than the sum of your experiences. It's all so subtle, everything unspoken and remote, and it makes those cracks in the shell and those glimpses behind the curtain so much more heartbreaking. The fact this is Celine Song's debut feature is remarkable, because it feels so practiced and disciplined; not a wasted moment in the whole thing.
4) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
This, on the other hand, is not a movie that James Gunn could have made 20 years ago. It speaks to my sensibilities, of course - I've loved Gunn's work as an edgy trashmonger in the 00s, and I've loved watching him mature into the sort of filmmaker who can imbue genre fare with some genuine heart. Vol. 3 is probably the best of the Guardians trilogy, and while it's occasionally overwrought, the years of buildup with this cast carries so much of a weighty movie. I don't think Chris Pratt has ever given as good a performance, and I'm not sure anyone else could have gotten it out of him.
5) Oppenheimer
This is another "film auteur at his peak" sort of movie, but unlike James Gunn, I've never been a big Christopher Nolan believer. So I grit my teeth a bit and admit: this is a damn fine movie. It's appropriately epic without losing sight of the thematic through-lines, and I think the jumbled timeline in the telling adds a lot to the turmoil and tumult of Oppenheimer's life. I actually think I prefer the "legal drama" aspect more than the actual bomb-building, because Robert Downey Jr. absolutely stole the show, but as a unit the thing is assembled meticulously and executed brilliantly.
6) The Boy and the Heron
A movie that, when the credits rolled, I would almost say I didn't like - it's extremely weird, obstinately anti-narrative in a way that only late-career Miyazaki can be. But when you reflect on it, and tune into his state of mind, of a man in the twilight of his life, both as a human and a creative, looking back on his legacy and forward to his future, it clicks. While I think it's too formless to really be called on of his best, I think it's an appropriate capstone to his career (assuming we don't get word of another project).
7) A Thousand and One
This one I'm a little back and forth on, as it does retread some very well-trodden ground when it comes to the narrative. But the performances (particularly Teyana Taylor as the lead, with a jagged sort of tenderness) are excellent and that third act is just SO complex in how it recontexualizes the film that you really have to sit up and take notice. And I love its vision of 90s/00s New York City, and the community that circles around Inez and her family there; I'm a sucker for movies that feel lived-in like that.
8) Poor Things
While I can't quite shake the "some middle-aged dudes take on feminism" angle of criticism, Poor Things is bonkers in concept, visually unmistakable, and extremely funny, and those are factors that make it hard to bet against. Seeing all of these theatrical personalities butting heads, delivering one-liners and physical comedy with such extreme gusto, is perpetual joy. And I just love any sort of Frankenstein story, which just sweetens the pot on my end.
9) Killers of the Flower Moon
The curse of high expectations: Scorsese is so good that it all starts to feel familiar. I think I could justify Killers of the Flower Moon at any spot on this list, but ultimately I put it near the bottom simply because it met my expectations and struggled to exceed them. I did adore DiCaprio's complete shitheel of a lead: not even a villain but a dull, stupid, and selfish sort of lout that it's almost impossible to sympathize with; really ballsy choice of a protagonist.
10) Napoleon
I'll be the guy to do it: I liked Napoleon a lot. It's not a great historical epic, it's not a great satire, it's not a great character study. Hell, it's not a great movie - it's scattered and tonally inconsistent and shallow in its understanding of history. But it's so goddamn funny. Joaquin Phoenix just plays Napoleon as this goofy, deluded, man-baby, and seeing him make these grandiose gestures that just end up awkward and uncomfortable... it's so much fun. I laughed a lot.
Honorable Mentions:
May/December - So sad, so funny, so trashy. Lots of great performances here that will no doubt stick with me a long time.
Asteroid City - Between this and his Roald Dahl short films, Wes Anderson had a great year! Asteroid City felt extremely fresh compared to The French Dispatch, and if we were counting short film, Poison would definitely be near the top of my list.
The Killer - As meticulously well-crafted as one of the lead character's hits; well, not the one we see him fuck up in the movie, one of the good ones.
Earth Mama - So much texture, absolutely love the final shot of the movie. Another great cast, doubly impressive because so many are fresh actors.
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Haven't watched absolutely everything from last year that I want to do but if I don't do this now I'm sure I'll forget:
1. Oppenheimer
2. Killers of the Flower Moon
3. The Holdovers
4. The Killer
5. The Zone of Interest
6. Past Lives
7. When Evil Lurks
8. Anatomy of a Fall
9. Poor Things
10. BlackBerry
A great year for me overall. Lots of stuff I really liked, and even more I haven't gotten the chance to see yet that I still really want to. Not great for horror which is a shame but great overall.
1. Oppenheimer
2. Killers of the Flower Moon
3. The Holdovers
4. The Killer
5. The Zone of Interest
6. Past Lives
7. When Evil Lurks
8. Anatomy of a Fall
9. Poor Things
10. BlackBerry
A great year for me overall. Lots of stuff I really liked, and even more I haven't gotten the chance to see yet that I still really want to. Not great for horror which is a shame but great overall.
(Will be tweaking from now until deadline. Just wanted to make a start on it.)
01) Talk To Me
02) The Iron Claw
03) John Wick: Chapter 4
04) Godzilla Minus One
05) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
06) Killers of the Flower Moon
07) BlackBerry
08) Oppenheimer
09) The Killer
10) How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Honourable Mentions
XX) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
XX) Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves
XX) Evil Dead Rise
XX) Poor Things
XX) Barbie
01) Talk To Me
02) The Iron Claw
03) John Wick: Chapter 4
04) Godzilla Minus One
05) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
06) Killers of the Flower Moon
07) BlackBerry
08) Oppenheimer
09) The Killer
10) How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Honourable Mentions
XX) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
XX) Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves
XX) Evil Dead Rise
XX) Poor Things
XX) Barbie
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Almost forgot to vote, but I guess I watched most of the important 2023 films by now so here's my list.
- Afire
- Perfect Days
- Anatomy of a Fall
- The Zone of Interest
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- In Water
- Oppenheimer
- The Holdovers
- Pictures of Ghosts
- Evil Does Not Exist
1. Poor Things
First time in nearly a decade that a Hollywood film is my favorite film of the year. Yes, it's not subtle. Sure, Dogtooth was more punchy and fresh, I agree. Yeah, it's over the top, too long, drags at times. Maybe it could be more focused. But I was completely swept up in Bella Baxter's story. First of all, it's a film in which every single piece of the filmmaking compliments and builds up the story - cinematography, costumes, music, set design, all morph throughout the film as the character matures and discovers the beauty and the horror of living. Most importantly, Emma Stone is breathtaking in her unique, very physical performance, something that is rarely appreciated. Her mannerisms change every time we meet her and her growth is thoroughly convincing. It's insane just how much everything about Poor Things clicked for me and made for one thoroughly satisfying watch.
2. Pacifiction
On the completely opposite end of the spectrum is Pacifiction. A beautiful film for sure, but beyond that a completely ephemeral piece, impossible to categorize. What is it really about? Did the filmmaker himself know it when embarking on creating it? Apparently Albert Sera shot over 500 hours of footage to make Pacifiction so no, probably not. The main character, the French high commissioner of Tahiti played by Benoit Magimel stumbles throughout the film as a colonial relic whose place in the world seems to be falling apart, and who himself is not sure of what the future holds. He is a person that's morally neither right or wrong, exists both in the center of the island's political life and at its outskirts. Even before we get to the final third of the film which oozes Lynch inspirations, the world presented by Sera is very clearly Lynchian in it's exploration of underbelly of the society. It's a thoroughly odd, pretentious film, and I loved all of it.
3. Anatomy of a Fall
I'll be honest, the marketing campaign centering on 'did she do it?' as a hook somewhat annoyed me. I understand how marketing works, you need to have a good hook to get people to the theaters, but in this case it so completely misses what the movie is about and simplifies the thematic richness it's particularly off putting. Did she do it? Who cares, it really, reeeaaally doesn't matter. It's a starting point of the story, sure, but there is no easy answer because of what's central here - the truth itself is not universal. Anatomy of a Fall asks questions about that, focuses on the misogyny and biases of the legal system and society as a whole, it plays on celebrity culture and the strain legal proceedings have on families and minors. How society grinds down complex human beings to simple, two-dimensional characters to fit the narrative. It does so much more than just being a simple murder story and that's why it's one of my favorite films of the year, that's why it fully deserved the screenplay nod at the Oscars, and why in this case, the marketing campaign was uniquely irritating.
4. The Zone of Interest
It's incredible how filmmakers constantly are able to find new ways to tackle the topic of Holocaust. The Zone of Interest is reminiscent of Son of Saul, which also used holocaust as being always just beyond the frame, always just out of reach of characters who are completely desensitized about the horrors that are everywhere around them. But while Son of Saul focused on a character living within the concentration camp, here we have a person who's directly involved in executing Shoah. What's most chilling about this portrayal is that Hess is not that dissimilar to people we pass on our streets every day, his dilemmas might just as well be dilemmas of a middle manager in a modern corporate world trying to improve the bottom line ever so slightly. And it's pulled off magnificently. Because, that's precisely how the whole machine of death looked like for them, the banality of evil on display. Add to that cinematography that makes the whole thing seem almost like a hidden camera reality show and the terrifying sound design and you get a thoroughly oppressive and terrifyingly realistic look at the depths of human indifference toward other humans. So terrifyingly timely, too...
5. Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese continues his look at America's founding myths with the type of protagonist reminiscent of Irishman - a completely uninteresting, base man that has nothing of the charm that some of the old Scorsese protagonists had. Ernest Burkhart is just an off-putting, stupid man, who gets stupidly manipulated by his uncle into absolutely evil deeds for the benefit of his uncle's purse. What's shocking about this portrayal is how he does not have any issues reconciling his actual deeds with his moral standing. The film accuses America of destroying the native Americans, and by extension many more, not just by greed and evil, but also sheer indifference, on a systemic and personal level. And that's on some level an even more terrifying thought. Scorsese has been firing on all cylinders for the past decade, but his last two films show no admiration whatsoever to his characters. rather pure malice and disgust towards senseless loss of life, with chilling results.
6. About Dry Grasses
Honestly, my main thought after seeing this film is that wow, actually, maybe Lolita could be made into a film that would work. We meet the main character coming back from his holiday to teach at a rural school. What would the expectations usually be? Here comes the idealistic protagonist to be slowly ground down by the system? Nope! In reality he is a complete asshat, and over the next three hours the film slowly peels back and reveals the depths of his deceit, envy, selfishness, self-entitlement. It's a slow, painful, melancholic watch that's utterly mesmerizing.
7. The Holdovers
They don't make them like they did, personified. I have nothing clever to say about this film, it's just a perfectly made throwback to the better, more creative age of Hollywood. Smart script, surefooted direction, fantastic performances from all three actors at the center of the story. Pure joy to watch. Witty, clever, touching.
8. No Bears
A film that was made that more relevant by its real life background. The blacklisted director, filming secretly a story about his fictionalized self, being arrested just as the movie was to be premiered at Venice. It's understandably a very bleak look at the world and the society. Panahi posits that even if the society is not strictly bound by autocratic laws, the societal pressure will automatically generate the confines within which humans have to exist. The titular scene brilliantly outlines how people generate fictitious enemies to keep everyone in check. It's a heavy watch, but an important one.
9. Godzilla Minus One
Ah yes, where could the best American blockbuster of the year come from but from Japan. Godzilla Minus One is an absolute blast. It reintroduces and reinvigorates the franchise worldwide with a story that smartly mixes what made the original 1954 Godzilla a classic with modern sensibilities. It's uplifting, introspective about the militarist past of Japan, and exhilarating. Granted, I'd imagine it appeals more to the Western audiences than it did domestically, the reverse of Shin Godzilla which was more timely and relevant, but it does not make Minus One's achievement any less. It was a joy seeing this film gather such powerful word-of-mouth.
10. May December
The joy of not reading too much about movies before watching them. I genuinely thought I would be watching a serious drama about the relationship of a teacher with her student. The film quickly dispels that early on, as Julianne Moore's character goes to the fridge and, following an incredibly melodramatic music sting, whispers 'We don't have enough hot dogs'. It's a deliciously campy movie, mnd you, with a devastating story of a trapped life, life not lived, set at the center. Charles Melton's performance is heartbreaking. The movie intertwines genuine drama with heightened reality of a campy family drama fueled by gossip columns. It's a puzzle that makes you question the motivations of every character you're seeing up until the credits roll and beyond that.
First time in nearly a decade that a Hollywood film is my favorite film of the year. Yes, it's not subtle. Sure, Dogtooth was more punchy and fresh, I agree. Yeah, it's over the top, too long, drags at times. Maybe it could be more focused. But I was completely swept up in Bella Baxter's story. First of all, it's a film in which every single piece of the filmmaking compliments and builds up the story - cinematography, costumes, music, set design, all morph throughout the film as the character matures and discovers the beauty and the horror of living. Most importantly, Emma Stone is breathtaking in her unique, very physical performance, something that is rarely appreciated. Her mannerisms change every time we meet her and her growth is thoroughly convincing. It's insane just how much everything about Poor Things clicked for me and made for one thoroughly satisfying watch.
2. Pacifiction
On the completely opposite end of the spectrum is Pacifiction. A beautiful film for sure, but beyond that a completely ephemeral piece, impossible to categorize. What is it really about? Did the filmmaker himself know it when embarking on creating it? Apparently Albert Sera shot over 500 hours of footage to make Pacifiction so no, probably not. The main character, the French high commissioner of Tahiti played by Benoit Magimel stumbles throughout the film as a colonial relic whose place in the world seems to be falling apart, and who himself is not sure of what the future holds. He is a person that's morally neither right or wrong, exists both in the center of the island's political life and at its outskirts. Even before we get to the final third of the film which oozes Lynch inspirations, the world presented by Sera is very clearly Lynchian in it's exploration of underbelly of the society. It's a thoroughly odd, pretentious film, and I loved all of it.
3. Anatomy of a Fall
I'll be honest, the marketing campaign centering on 'did she do it?' as a hook somewhat annoyed me. I understand how marketing works, you need to have a good hook to get people to the theaters, but in this case it so completely misses what the movie is about and simplifies the thematic richness it's particularly off putting. Did she do it? Who cares, it really, reeeaaally doesn't matter. It's a starting point of the story, sure, but there is no easy answer because of what's central here - the truth itself is not universal. Anatomy of a Fall asks questions about that, focuses on the misogyny and biases of the legal system and society as a whole, it plays on celebrity culture and the strain legal proceedings have on families and minors. How society grinds down complex human beings to simple, two-dimensional characters to fit the narrative. It does so much more than just being a simple murder story and that's why it's one of my favorite films of the year, that's why it fully deserved the screenplay nod at the Oscars, and why in this case, the marketing campaign was uniquely irritating.
4. The Zone of Interest
It's incredible how filmmakers constantly are able to find new ways to tackle the topic of Holocaust. The Zone of Interest is reminiscent of Son of Saul, which also used holocaust as being always just beyond the frame, always just out of reach of characters who are completely desensitized about the horrors that are everywhere around them. But while Son of Saul focused on a character living within the concentration camp, here we have a person who's directly involved in executing Shoah. What's most chilling about this portrayal is that Hess is not that dissimilar to people we pass on our streets every day, his dilemmas might just as well be dilemmas of a middle manager in a modern corporate world trying to improve the bottom line ever so slightly. And it's pulled off magnificently. Because, that's precisely how the whole machine of death looked like for them, the banality of evil on display. Add to that cinematography that makes the whole thing seem almost like a hidden camera reality show and the terrifying sound design and you get a thoroughly oppressive and terrifyingly realistic look at the depths of human indifference toward other humans. So terrifyingly timely, too...
5. Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese continues his look at America's founding myths with the type of protagonist reminiscent of Irishman - a completely uninteresting, base man that has nothing of the charm that some of the old Scorsese protagonists had. Ernest Burkhart is just an off-putting, stupid man, who gets stupidly manipulated by his uncle into absolutely evil deeds for the benefit of his uncle's purse. What's shocking about this portrayal is how he does not have any issues reconciling his actual deeds with his moral standing. The film accuses America of destroying the native Americans, and by extension many more, not just by greed and evil, but also sheer indifference, on a systemic and personal level. And that's on some level an even more terrifying thought. Scorsese has been firing on all cylinders for the past decade, but his last two films show no admiration whatsoever to his characters. rather pure malice and disgust towards senseless loss of life, with chilling results.
6. About Dry Grasses
Honestly, my main thought after seeing this film is that wow, actually, maybe Lolita could be made into a film that would work. We meet the main character coming back from his holiday to teach at a rural school. What would the expectations usually be? Here comes the idealistic protagonist to be slowly ground down by the system? Nope! In reality he is a complete asshat, and over the next three hours the film slowly peels back and reveals the depths of his deceit, envy, selfishness, self-entitlement. It's a slow, painful, melancholic watch that's utterly mesmerizing.
7. The Holdovers
They don't make them like they did, personified. I have nothing clever to say about this film, it's just a perfectly made throwback to the better, more creative age of Hollywood. Smart script, surefooted direction, fantastic performances from all three actors at the center of the story. Pure joy to watch. Witty, clever, touching.
8. No Bears
A film that was made that more relevant by its real life background. The blacklisted director, filming secretly a story about his fictionalized self, being arrested just as the movie was to be premiered at Venice. It's understandably a very bleak look at the world and the society. Panahi posits that even if the society is not strictly bound by autocratic laws, the societal pressure will automatically generate the confines within which humans have to exist. The titular scene brilliantly outlines how people generate fictitious enemies to keep everyone in check. It's a heavy watch, but an important one.
9. Godzilla Minus One
Ah yes, where could the best American blockbuster of the year come from but from Japan. Godzilla Minus One is an absolute blast. It reintroduces and reinvigorates the franchise worldwide with a story that smartly mixes what made the original 1954 Godzilla a classic with modern sensibilities. It's uplifting, introspective about the militarist past of Japan, and exhilarating. Granted, I'd imagine it appeals more to the Western audiences than it did domestically, the reverse of Shin Godzilla which was more timely and relevant, but it does not make Minus One's achievement any less. It was a joy seeing this film gather such powerful word-of-mouth.
10. May December
The joy of not reading too much about movies before watching them. I genuinely thought I would be watching a serious drama about the relationship of a teacher with her student. The film quickly dispels that early on, as Julianne Moore's character goes to the fridge and, following an incredibly melodramatic music sting, whispers 'We don't have enough hot dogs'. It's a deliciously campy movie, mnd you, with a devastating story of a trapped life, life not lived, set at the center. Charles Melton's performance is heartbreaking. The movie intertwines genuine drama with heightened reality of a campy family drama fueled by gossip columns. It's a puzzle that makes you question the motivations of every character you're seeing up until the credits roll and beyond that.
1. The Boy and the Heron
2. Air
3. Anatomy of a Fall
4. The Holdovers
5. Godzilla Minus One
6. Killers of the Flower Moon
7. Poor Things
8. Oppenheimer
9. The Iron Claw
10. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
2. Air
3. Anatomy of a Fall
4. The Holdovers
5. Godzilla Minus One
6. Killers of the Flower Moon
7. Poor Things
8. Oppenheimer
9. The Iron Claw
10. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
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Usually I try to gloss up my list with screenshots but I keep punting on posting this, so I'll just do the text only version now before I forget and miss the deadline.
1. Oppenheimer
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
3. Anatomy of a Fall
4. Killers of the Flower Moon
5. Barbie
6. Past Lives
7. The Zone of Interest
8. John Wick Chapter 4
9. Godzilla Minus One
10. The Caine Mutiny Court Martial
1. Oppenheimer
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
3. Anatomy of a Fall
4. Killers of the Flower Moon
5. Barbie
6. Past Lives
7. The Zone of Interest
8. John Wick Chapter 4
9. Godzilla Minus One
10. The Caine Mutiny Court Martial
1. Poor Thins
2. Infinity Pool
3. Killers of the Flower Moon
4. Oppenheimer
5. The Holdovers
6. Anatomy of a Fall
7. Saltburn
8. Smoking Causes Coughing
9. Asteroid City
10. Fallen Leaves
2. Infinity Pool
3. Killers of the Flower Moon
4. Oppenheimer
5. The Holdovers
6. Anatomy of a Fall
7. Saltburn
8. Smoking Causes Coughing
9. Asteroid City
10. Fallen Leaves
juanreviewsstuff Just a heads up that you'll need to number your list prior to the end of tomorrow (April 30th) to ensure it gets accounted for when compiling Resetera's consensus results.
Skiptastic Just a heads up that you'll need to come up with a 3rd fave film from last year to complete your list prior to the end of tomorrow (April 30th) to ensure it gets accounted for when compiling Resetera's consensus results.
OP
OP
Thanks for the reminder. I saw a number of 2023 movies that I felt were worthy of a shout out after my original post and added a few of them to the list.
I finalized my list as I won't have time to see anymore films before the deadline.
I also added a full Leterboxd ranking for 2023. 77 is a pretty good number though there are some festival favorites I would have wanted to see before the deadline (About Dry Grasses, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, Kubi, Monster...).
I will try to add some comments tomorrow for the top ten and the honorable mentions.
I also added a full Leterboxd ranking for 2023. 77 is a pretty good number though there are some festival favorites I would have wanted to see before the deadline (About Dry Grasses, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, Kubi, Monster...).
I will try to add some comments tomorrow for the top ten and the honorable mentions.
Thread will be left open after voting deadline is over
New
OP
OP
Hi, everyone! UberTag came up with the idea of keeping the thread open after the voting deadline is up, and I agree. You'll be allowed to add comments/thoughts/impressions/reviews to your lists after the deadline, if you didn't get a chance in time. After the deadline, people won't be allowed to change the order/update their list, as we are only going by the votes counted by the deadline. We are hoping this can encourage chatting about lists with each other, and further develop community engagement. Maybe you might find a new friend or that one other person who also loved that one film that got votes just by you both!
Due to work and personal life, I've not had the time to watch all the films I've wanted to, so I won't be voting for 2023 but it will be fun reading all your lists and mini-reviews!
Due to work and personal life, I've not had the time to watch all the films I've wanted to, so I won't be voting for 2023 but it will be fun reading all your lists and mini-reviews!
1. Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse
2. Past Lives
3. Killers of the Flower Moon
4. Godzilla Minus One
5. The Holdovers
6. Talk To Me
7. They Cloned Tyrone
8. Barbie
9. Oppenheimer
10. Scream VI
2. Past Lives
3. Killers of the Flower Moon
4. Godzilla Minus One
5. The Holdovers
6. Talk To Me
7. They Cloned Tyrone
8. Barbie
9. Oppenheimer
10. Scream VI
You've got like 25 1/2 hours to go if we're pushing things to midnight Pacific. Still plenty of time to squeeze in some quality films!
Remember to put a number next to it or it won't count. You also need a minimum of three if you want it to be part of the vote.
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1. Godzilla Minus One
2. John Wick Chapter 4
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
4. Barbie
5. Oppenheimer
6. Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
8. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
9. Bottoms
10. A Haunting in Venice
2. John Wick Chapter 4
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
4. Barbie
5. Oppenheimer
6. Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
8. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
9. Bottoms
10. A Haunting in Venice
I still haven't seen a few movies (American Fiction, Oppenheimer, Past Lives), but I'm okay with finishing my list here.
Top 10
Top 10
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
While I prefer the first movie, it's still solid. Daniel Pemberton did a stellar job on the soundtrack, at times even outdoing what he created for the first film. - The Iron Claw
The only thing I actually knew about the Von Erich family was a daughter of one of the brothers became a wrestler, otherwise everything was a real eye-opener. I felt indifferent after watching the movie months ago. The movie blurs the lines between trying to tell what makes a good story for the sake of the audience versus what really happened. For instance, the filmmakers give Kevin two sons, which he does have, but around that time period, he only had two girls. The movie also gives us five brothers, however, there was a sixth brother named Chris that had a fate just as bad as the rest. They don't even tell you he exists in the film. Too much repetition and dragging the story on are reasons for his exclusion. I understand that fact, but it also feels disingenuous, since the story is about the bond between brothers. I cannot deny though, it's a well made "feel-bad" film. - Poor Things
Just...bizarre. Of the movies on this list, Poor Things is the one with the best performances, though maybe not the best story (if it gave me something more than sex, sex and more sex, I would have felt different), with Mark Ruffalo being a real standout. The man plays a real sleazebag and yet his performance honestly made me feel bad for him. - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - James Gunn's swan song from the MCU. It's pretty much a greatest hits of Gunn as well, featuring actors from previous films and tv shows he has worked on in the past. When I look back at all the MCU movies that have come out post-Endgame, this might genuinely be the best one. It gives the audience a lot of closure. Disney lost a real talented director, but he has moved on to bigger opportunities and good for him.
- Quiz Lady
I went into this expecting it to be pretty basic and I'll admit, it is. Though, this movie made me laugh so many times (mainly thanks to Sandra Oh), while also being very emotionally heartwarming in the second half. That can be a hard thing to balance and Quiz Lady managed it. The film has no right to be as good as it is. - Saltburn
I said it in my Letterbox'd review and I'll say it here: this movie is pure sicko content. Most of the time, I'm thinking Oliver cannot get any worse, but no, he outdoes himself. A 10/10 ending that must be seen. - M3GAN
M3GAN has a really dumb release window and I almost purposely left it off this list completely due to the technicality of its nature. On Letterbox'd, IMDB, and Wikipedia, they list it as a 2022 movie, because that was when it had its LA premiere in December. It didn't actually go to a full theatrical release in the U.S. until the first week of January, so it pretty much becomes forgotten on lists of both years. A fun slasher heavily inspired by Child's Play, and surprisingly enough has decent social commentary on modern parenting and the responsibilities that come with it. - Godzilla Minus One
One man's personal journey of anguish, PTSD, and anger brought on by Godzilla, as it continues to haunt and torment him. It's really a story about finding out what life is worth dying for. Even though the very final scene made me roll my eyes for the circumstances of things being so convenient, it's a solid film overall. - A Good Person
While I don't hate it, I fall into the camp that thought Garden State was overrated when it came out. A number of indie films from the late 90's to 2000's era have the impression of being up its own ass and at the time, I found Garden State to be a super pretentious arthouse film that went out of its way to go "ever heard of this nobody group called The Shins? You should listen to The Shins!" So this is another Zach Braff film, and while it's not as pretentious this time, it might be a bit too melodramatic at times and escalates when it doesn't need to. I found Florence Pugh to be very believable as a person who has completely lost control of her life, is helpless to help herself, and, more significantly, struggles to move on past personal pain and trauma. - Beau Is Afraid
An odd mix of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Truman Show and Being John Malkovich. Viewers are truly forced to think for themselves on what is happening and are not spoon-fed explanations, which is honestly a rare sight in a lot of media these days.
Honorable Mentions (no particular order)
- Scream VI - Scream 1 and 4 are solid movies in the franchise. This might actually be my favorite Scream movie, which is a shocker, because I didn't like the previous one all that much and this is a direct sequel to that. Fun film with a good pick of the "who is Ghostface this time" usual twist in all the movies. Losing Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega for the upcoming film feels like a huge mistake. Fuck Spyglass.
- John Wick: Chapter 4 - RIP Lance Reddick. I think my ranking at the moment is 1 > 3 > 4 > 2.
- They Cloned Tyrone - This made me realize how talented Teyonah Parris and John Boyega are and have pretty much been wasted under Disney.
- Elemental - Good film that plays out like every single Disney movie.
- Nimona - Great acting and I dig the animation style. I don't think the modern-medieval fusion works a lot of the time and clashes with it.
- Slotherhouse - Incredibly stupid and it knows it. By the end, it goes into overdrive and becomes Gremlins 2.5.
- The Killer - I take this movie as watching an unreliable narrator of a man claiming to be the perfect Agent 47 from Hitman, but is actually pretty lousy at his job.
- Evil Dead Rise - This movie had some balls for some of the stuff it does. The Evil Dead callbacks are a bit too on the nose. They honestly could have been dumped and it still would have been a good horror flick on its own.
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Surprisingly funny. Imagine taking the risk of making a $150 million dollar non-superhero film in this current climate and it being a success. I honestly expected it to bomb and I was so wrong that it blew up in my face apparently.
- Dream Scenario
- Barbie
- The Wrath of Becky
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Whoooo fellow Quiz Lady appreciater. Two of us, two of us!I still haven't seen a few movies (American Fiction, Oppenheimer, Past Lives), but I'm okay with finishing my list here.
Top 10
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
While I prefer the first movie, it's still solid. Daniel Pemberton did a stellar job on the soundtrack, at times even outdoing what he created for the first film.- The Iron Claw
The only thing I actually knew about the Von Erich family was a daughter of one of the brothers became a wrestler, otherwise everything was a real eye-opener. I felt indifferent after watching the movie months ago. The movie blurs the lines between trying to tell what makes a good story for the sake of the audience versus what really happened. For instance, the filmmakers give Kevin two sons, which he does have, but around that time period, he only had two girls. The movie also gives us five brothers, however, there was a sixth brother named Chris that had a fate just as bad as the rest. They don't even tell you he exists in the film. Too much repetition and dragging the story on are reasons for his exclusion. I understand that fact, but it also feels disingenuous, since the story is about the bond between brothers. I cannot deny though, it's a well made "feel-bad" film.- Poor Things
Just...bizarre. Of the movies on this list, Poor Things is the one with the best performances, though maybe not the best story (if it gave me something more than sex, sex and more sex, I would have felt different), with Mark Ruffalo being a real standout. The man plays a real sleazebag and yet his performance honestly made me feel bad for him.- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - James Gunn's swan song from the MCU. It's pretty much a greatest hits of Gunn as well, featuring actors from previous films and tv shows he has worked on in the past. When I look back at all the MCU movies that have come out post-Endgame, this might genuinely be the best one. It gives the audience a lot of closure. Disney lost a real talented director, but he has moved on to bigger opportunities and good for him.
- Quiz Lady
I went into this expecting it to be pretty basic and I'll admit, it is. Though, this movie made me laugh so many times (mainly thanks to Sandra Oh), while also being very emotionally heartwarming in the second half. That can be a hard thing to balance and Quiz Lady managed it. The film has no right to be as good as it is.- Saltburn
I said it in my Letterbox'd review and I'll say it here: this movie is pure sicko content. Most of the time, I'm thinking Oliver cannot get any worse, but no, he outdoes himself. A 10/10 ending that must be seen.- M3GAN
M3GAN has a really dumb release window and I almost purposely left it off this list completely due to the technicality of its nature. On Letterbox'd, IMDB, and Wikipedia, they list it as a 2022 movie, because that was when it had its LA premiere in December. It didn't actually go to a full theatrical release in the U.S. until the first week of January, so it pretty much becomes forgotten on lists of both years. A fun slasher heavily inspired by Child's Play, and surprisingly enough has decent social commentary on modern parenting and the responsibilities that come with it.- Godzilla Minus One
One man's personal journey of anguish, PTSD, and anger brought on by Godzilla, as it continues to haunt and torment him. It's really a story about finding out what life is worth dying for. Even though the very final scene made me roll my eyes for the circumstances of things being so convenient, it's a solid film overall.- A Good Person
While I don't hate it, I fall into the camp that thought Garden State was overrated when it came out. A number of indie films from the late 90's to 2000's era have the impression of being up its own ass and at the time, I found Garden State to be a super pretentious arthouse film that went out of its way to go "ever heard of this nobody group called The Shins? You should listen to The Shins!" So this is another Zach Braff film, and while it's not as pretentious this time, it might be a bit too melodramatic at times and escalates when it doesn't need to. I found Florence Pugh to be very believable as a person who has completely lost control of her life, is helpless to help herself, and, more significantly, struggles to move on past personal pain and trauma.- Beau Is Afraid
An odd mix of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Truman Show and Being John Malkovich. Viewers are truly forced to think for themselves on what is happening and are not spoon-fed explanations, which is honestly a rare sight in a lot of media these days.Honorable Mentions (no particular order)
- Scream VI - Scream 1 and 4 are solid movies in the franchise. This might actually be my favorite Scream movie, which is a shocker, because I didn't like the previous one all that much and this is a direct sequel to that. Fun film with a good pick of the "who is Ghostface this time" usual twist in all the movies. Losing Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega for the upcoming film feels like a huge mistake. Fuck Spyglass.
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Surprisingly funny. Imagine taking the risk of making a $150 million dollar non-superhero film in this current climate and it being a success. I honestly expected it to bomb and I was so wrong that it blew up in my face apparently.
- Dream Scenario
- Barbie
- The Wrath of Becky
1. Godzilla Minus One - A beautiful, stunningly visually impressive film about a man overcoming his own regret and grievances, his own trauma and failure, and learning to forgive himself and right his own wrongs in the wake of an atrocity from WWII. I had never seen a proper kaiju movie before, went after seeing high praise online, and this completely blew me away. The interpersonal relationships feel so nuanced and deep, and the action itself is more impressive than anything I've seen out of Hollywood in the last decade. I'm not someone who easily cries at movies but the ending to this straight up made tears run out of my eyes. If there's any film from 2023 I think everyone should watch it's this.
2. Suzume - I ranked Godzilla Minus One over this because it was the more memorable and standout movie and theater experience to me, the film I consider my "movie of the year," and something I wanted to support as much as I could here. But Suzume is the only film from 2023 I consider to be a 10/10. There's basically nothing about this I would change. This depicts childhood trauma that arose from the 2011 earthquake in such a beautiful and nuanced way. The animation is breathtakingly stunning. It's also just fun and fantastic to see develop. This is Shinkai at his most mature and thought-provoking.
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - Just a nice finale to a trilogy that had no right being as good as it is. Probably the most visually impressive film in the MCU. Equal parts funny and gut-wrenching with the Rocket scenes. Something about these movies always hit my personal sensibilities as far as blockbusters go just right, and this one has only grown on me since I've seen it.
4. M3GAN - I realize having this as high as it is seems ridiculous, but simply put, M3GAN was the most fun I had at the theater in 2023. This is equal parts fun, camp, and punching-above-its-weight, as it genuinely feels like a commentary on the way corporations rush to get products out to market as fast as possible without considering the implications. The ending slaps hard as hell. I didn't mind that it was PG-13 at all either. Come at me.
5. Blackberry - 2023 seemed to be the year of "movies about brands," i.e. films about a real corporation and the story of how they dealt with market forces. I ended up watching and enjoying pretty much all of them, which has me more concerned about what that says about me than I am the trend itself. I mean, I think I'm just a weirdo who finds the inner machinations of corporations under late stage capitalism fascinating and horrifying rather than just horrifying. I majored in something business-adjacent so I can't not feel that to a degree. But I digress. Blackberry was clearly the best and the standout movie of these. It's delightfully funny and dark, and captures a moment in time where we knew that phones were the future but the megacorporations hadn't yet created a monopoly on it, and the fallout that came once those corporations did come in. Also gets points for referencing the "Steve Spiros" viral video in a pivotal scene, constantly referencing "Masters of Doom," and casting ProZD for some reason. The tone here feels like a bizarre combination of "Mega64," "the Office," "the Social Network," and "Moneyball". Those four things shouldn't go together, and they don't always here, but the end result is something that has stuck with me ever since I watched it on the evening I was supposed to be on a cruise that I didn't go on because I had covid. God, 2023 was a weird year.
6. The Boy and the Heron - Very avant-grade and metaphorical! Which I'm typically not a fan of, but I liked it a lot more here because I seem to have got what this was getting at and that made me feel smart. A film about what it means to cope with and deal with loss. Also about knowing when to let go, and accept your own path in life. "How do you live?" indeed. Also, the more conventional first act is perfect 10/10 coming-of-age vibes, and the animation is unsurprisingly gorgeous. Miyazaki's still got it.
7. Blue Beetle - 2023 was the year the DCEU died a slow and painful death. They released a slew of flops that no one cared about, liked, or watched, because they knew the reboot was right around the corner and we were all sick of their bullshit. I watched all of their movies for some reason, and in my humble opinion the only one that actually deserved the fate of being an all-time flop was the Shazam sequel, but I have a higher tolerance for capeshit than most. That being said, hidden away amongst these movies was Blue Beetle, a movie that feels like an MCU phase 1 movie out of time. It's funny! It has a cast with solid chemistry! It's paced well! It doesn't look like it was shot in a back alley! This probably doesn't deserve to be this high, but these kinds of superhero movies were my comfort watches in my teenage years and early 20s and I guess they still are to some extent. If this came out a decade earlier it would have been a surefire hit and probably on more folks' lists than ya'll would care to admit.
8. the Holdovers - None of the awards season dramas did a whole lot for me this year. Often I end up loving at least one of the bunch ("Lady Bird" in 2017, "Parasite" in 2019, "the Father" in 2020, "the Fabelmans" in 2022), but that just didn't happen for me this year. I ended up respecting stuff like Killers and Oppenheimer more than I genuinely liked them, and in both cases I prefer a good chunk of the director's other work. That being said, the Holdovers came the closest. Mostly just because it's funny. Whether it's that line about the nazis in Argentina or Giamatti's penchant for Jim Bean, I was smiling from ear to ear throughout most of this. It's also very heartwarming and sweet, though truth be told Da'Vine Joy Randolph's character's background was really what made me feel things; the rest was window dressing.
9. No Hard Feelings - I miss studio comedies. These were my bread and butter as far as trips to the theater went in high school, and I'm a lot less inclined to throw on a Netflix comedy or whatever. This was the perfect kind of middle-lowbrow humor that I missed and that I wish we still got on a regular basis. Truth be told not everything lands, especially in the first act when this starts to feel like this could veer into problematic territory. But it actually slowly reveals itself to be more thoughtful than I expected, with genuine (if exaggerated) insights on things like helicopter parents, gentrification of coastal regions, and the nature of age gap relationships. Didn't expect to relate to both of the main leads of this, somehow, but I really did.
10. John Wick Chapter 4 - I'm not a big fan of the direction they took the worldbuilding in Chapter 3 and this continues that. It feels overly operatic, self serious, and up-its-own-ass for something that was originally supposed to be a back-to-basics DTV style action film. That being said, it still ends up here, even from the perspective of a story-first movie goer, because the action here just goes hard as hell. Probably my favorite action sequences in a blockbuster since....Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol? The Hong Kong Massacre-inspired and stairs sequences are 10/10 this shit fuckin' GOES moments and worth the price of admission alone.
I'll also give shoutouts to Bottoms (very very funny! also tonally incoherent!), Killers of the Flower Moon (I said I respected it more than I liked it, but I do like it quite a bit), and the first act of Beau is Afraid (which would have landed at number 3 if it counted as its own short, but the rest of the film feels a lot less focused). I saw most of what I wanted to but missed Iron Claw, May December, Ninja Turtles, Elemental, Saltburn, and Society of the Snow.
2. Suzume - I ranked Godzilla Minus One over this because it was the more memorable and standout movie and theater experience to me, the film I consider my "movie of the year," and something I wanted to support as much as I could here. But Suzume is the only film from 2023 I consider to be a 10/10. There's basically nothing about this I would change. This depicts childhood trauma that arose from the 2011 earthquake in such a beautiful and nuanced way. The animation is breathtakingly stunning. It's also just fun and fantastic to see develop. This is Shinkai at his most mature and thought-provoking.
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - Just a nice finale to a trilogy that had no right being as good as it is. Probably the most visually impressive film in the MCU. Equal parts funny and gut-wrenching with the Rocket scenes. Something about these movies always hit my personal sensibilities as far as blockbusters go just right, and this one has only grown on me since I've seen it.
4. M3GAN - I realize having this as high as it is seems ridiculous, but simply put, M3GAN was the most fun I had at the theater in 2023. This is equal parts fun, camp, and punching-above-its-weight, as it genuinely feels like a commentary on the way corporations rush to get products out to market as fast as possible without considering the implications. The ending slaps hard as hell. I didn't mind that it was PG-13 at all either. Come at me.
5. Blackberry - 2023 seemed to be the year of "movies about brands," i.e. films about a real corporation and the story of how they dealt with market forces. I ended up watching and enjoying pretty much all of them, which has me more concerned about what that says about me than I am the trend itself. I mean, I think I'm just a weirdo who finds the inner machinations of corporations under late stage capitalism fascinating and horrifying rather than just horrifying. I majored in something business-adjacent so I can't not feel that to a degree. But I digress. Blackberry was clearly the best and the standout movie of these. It's delightfully funny and dark, and captures a moment in time where we knew that phones were the future but the megacorporations hadn't yet created a monopoly on it, and the fallout that came once those corporations did come in. Also gets points for referencing the "Steve Spiros" viral video in a pivotal scene, constantly referencing "Masters of Doom," and casting ProZD for some reason. The tone here feels like a bizarre combination of "Mega64," "the Office," "the Social Network," and "Moneyball". Those four things shouldn't go together, and they don't always here, but the end result is something that has stuck with me ever since I watched it on the evening I was supposed to be on a cruise that I didn't go on because I had covid. God, 2023 was a weird year.
6. The Boy and the Heron - Very avant-grade and metaphorical! Which I'm typically not a fan of, but I liked it a lot more here because I seem to have got what this was getting at and that made me feel smart. A film about what it means to cope with and deal with loss. Also about knowing when to let go, and accept your own path in life. "How do you live?" indeed. Also, the more conventional first act is perfect 10/10 coming-of-age vibes, and the animation is unsurprisingly gorgeous. Miyazaki's still got it.
7. Blue Beetle - 2023 was the year the DCEU died a slow and painful death. They released a slew of flops that no one cared about, liked, or watched, because they knew the reboot was right around the corner and we were all sick of their bullshit. I watched all of their movies for some reason, and in my humble opinion the only one that actually deserved the fate of being an all-time flop was the Shazam sequel, but I have a higher tolerance for capeshit than most. That being said, hidden away amongst these movies was Blue Beetle, a movie that feels like an MCU phase 1 movie out of time. It's funny! It has a cast with solid chemistry! It's paced well! It doesn't look like it was shot in a back alley! This probably doesn't deserve to be this high, but these kinds of superhero movies were my comfort watches in my teenage years and early 20s and I guess they still are to some extent. If this came out a decade earlier it would have been a surefire hit and probably on more folks' lists than ya'll would care to admit.
8. the Holdovers - None of the awards season dramas did a whole lot for me this year. Often I end up loving at least one of the bunch ("Lady Bird" in 2017, "Parasite" in 2019, "the Father" in 2020, "the Fabelmans" in 2022), but that just didn't happen for me this year. I ended up respecting stuff like Killers and Oppenheimer more than I genuinely liked them, and in both cases I prefer a good chunk of the director's other work. That being said, the Holdovers came the closest. Mostly just because it's funny. Whether it's that line about the nazis in Argentina or Giamatti's penchant for Jim Bean, I was smiling from ear to ear throughout most of this. It's also very heartwarming and sweet, though truth be told Da'Vine Joy Randolph's character's background was really what made me feel things; the rest was window dressing.
9. No Hard Feelings - I miss studio comedies. These were my bread and butter as far as trips to the theater went in high school, and I'm a lot less inclined to throw on a Netflix comedy or whatever. This was the perfect kind of middle-lowbrow humor that I missed and that I wish we still got on a regular basis. Truth be told not everything lands, especially in the first act when this starts to feel like this could veer into problematic territory. But it actually slowly reveals itself to be more thoughtful than I expected, with genuine (if exaggerated) insights on things like helicopter parents, gentrification of coastal regions, and the nature of age gap relationships. Didn't expect to relate to both of the main leads of this, somehow, but I really did.
10. John Wick Chapter 4 - I'm not a big fan of the direction they took the worldbuilding in Chapter 3 and this continues that. It feels overly operatic, self serious, and up-its-own-ass for something that was originally supposed to be a back-to-basics DTV style action film. That being said, it still ends up here, even from the perspective of a story-first movie goer, because the action here just goes hard as hell. Probably my favorite action sequences in a blockbuster since....Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol? The Hong Kong Massacre-inspired and stairs sequences are 10/10 this shit fuckin' GOES moments and worth the price of admission alone.
I'll also give shoutouts to Bottoms (very very funny! also tonally incoherent!), Killers of the Flower Moon (I said I respected it more than I liked it, but I do like it quite a bit), and the first act of Beau is Afraid (which would have landed at number 3 if it counted as its own short, but the rest of the film feels a lot less focused). I saw most of what I wanted to but missed Iron Claw, May December, Ninja Turtles, Elemental, Saltburn, and Society of the Snow.
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Oh that's cool! Thank you!
Still didn't have time to write what I wanted for each movie on my list š
i struggled to get myself to the cinema this past year as i have in the past, which marks a downward trend year on year for me. as a result there's a couple of standouts that i feel would have been up my alley that i missed - Bottoms (Shiva Baby was my favourite film of 2020), Beau Is Afraid, Dream Scenario, The Holdovers (which admittedly didn't see a screening in any cinemas near me, but did recently see a release on Blu-Ray).
from the list of what i have seen i pulled out the movies that i'd consider standout, but i wouldn't consider the order set in stone, as i've left collating this to the very last minute (just in case i could cram in a few more 2023 releases before the deadline) and haven't given myself enough time to stew over it, with quite a few benefitting from a recency bias and only a handful having benefitted (or suffered) from more than one viewing. with all that being said:
Top 10:
1. How to Blow Up a Pipeline
2. Oppenheimer
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
5. Barbie
6. Past Lives
7. Poor Things
8. The Zone of Interest
9. The Beanie Bubble
10. They Cloned Tyrone
Honourable Mentions:
Killers of the Flower Moon
Evil Dead Rise
Blue Beetle
Saint Omer
Talk to Me
from the list of what i have seen i pulled out the movies that i'd consider standout, but i wouldn't consider the order set in stone, as i've left collating this to the very last minute (just in case i could cram in a few more 2023 releases before the deadline) and haven't given myself enough time to stew over it, with quite a few benefitting from a recency bias and only a handful having benefitted (or suffered) from more than one viewing. with all that being said:
Top 10:
1. How to Blow Up a Pipeline
2. Oppenheimer
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
5. Barbie
6. Past Lives
7. Poor Things
8. The Zone of Interest
9. The Beanie Bubble
10. They Cloned Tyrone
Honourable Mentions:
Killers of the Flower Moon
Evil Dead Rise
Blue Beetle
Saint Omer
Talk to Me
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I always struggle to rank things lol.
1. The Eight Mountains
2. The Zone of Interest
3. As Bestas
4. About Dry Grasses
5. Pictures of Ghosts
6. Trenque Lauquen
7. The Holdovers
8. Oppenheimer
9. Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
10. Monster
Honorable mentions: Killers of the Flower Moon, Anatomy of a Fall, May December, Afire, All of Us Strangers, Manticore, Last Night of Amore, The Adventures of Gigi the Law, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, and a few others I'm missing at the moment.
1. The Eight Mountains
2. The Zone of Interest
3. As Bestas
4. About Dry Grasses
5. Pictures of Ghosts
6. Trenque Lauquen
7. The Holdovers
8. Oppenheimer
9. Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
10. Monster
Honorable mentions: Killers of the Flower Moon, Anatomy of a Fall, May December, Afire, All of Us Strangers, Manticore, Last Night of Amore, The Adventures of Gigi the Law, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, and a few others I'm missing at the moment.
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Lemme do the Buzzer Beater and clock in my top 10 of the year, with a sentence or two for each why it's there as well.
1. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish - This was so many peoples favourite film of 2022, so why's it here? UK released it in Feb 2023, so I gotta put here ok. There were some really strong animated features this year, but this one is the one I keep going back to the most. Who is your fearless favourite hero after all?
2. The Boy and The Heron - This might be Miyazaki's last, this might not, it's still a great look into legacy no matter how you split it with some great thought provoking scenes and characters, alongside the gorgeous hand drawn that we don't get enough of this time around.
3. Spider-man: Across the Spiderverse - I think this one only places here because of the "To Be Continued" at the end, no making it a complete story. Maybe this shots up to number 1 if Beyond nails the landing. Still exceptional regardless. Go make the Gwen Spinoff as well.
4. Godzilla Minus One - Let's have a great human story alongside the already great Godzilla destruction, turns out it's a formula for one of the most memorable film experiences all year because of it.
5. Barbie - No surprises this was the best performing film of the year, visually stunning, hilarious and also got something to say as well, in a time where Hollywood is burying more and more into established IP, it's good to see some directors out there are allowed to have a bit of fun with the IP they are given.
6. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - This can be a hard watch at some points with all the pain Rocket goes through, but it hits all of it's character beats perfectly and wraps up this trilogy with a perfect bow.
7. Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Theives - The surprise hit of the year for me, though I should have had better expectations from the Game NIght directors, feels like a proper DnD campaign played before your eyes and down right hilarious. Probably the most overlooked film of the year as well, go watch this if you haven't already.
8. Nimona - After all the trials this film went through in production, it's great to see it finally came out and also prove to be really good to. Maybe get's a little distracted with it's humor at points and not every joke lands. But that final act hits it's character beats exceptionally.
9. Suzume - For an end of the potential world setting, it is surprising how laid back and chill the travel across Japan can be at some points, like many others here it's another visual treat with great characters and a compelling mystery as well.
10. John Wick: Chapter 4 - The world is probably getting a little too overcomplicated for it's own good at this point, but it's got some of the most fun action in the industry, the last assault in Paris is just great seeing how each step will surpass the next one.
Honourable Mentions: Oppenheimer, Wonka, Elemental, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 (This one would be number 10 had it not been for Puss in Boots)
Gonna have to be on the 2024 list since they were too late for 2023 over here: Poor Things, Robot Dreams (Let's hope they don't have too much harsh competition to keep on here.)
1. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish - This was so many peoples favourite film of 2022, so why's it here? UK released it in Feb 2023, so I gotta put here ok. There were some really strong animated features this year, but this one is the one I keep going back to the most. Who is your fearless favourite hero after all?
2. The Boy and The Heron - This might be Miyazaki's last, this might not, it's still a great look into legacy no matter how you split it with some great thought provoking scenes and characters, alongside the gorgeous hand drawn that we don't get enough of this time around.
3. Spider-man: Across the Spiderverse - I think this one only places here because of the "To Be Continued" at the end, no making it a complete story. Maybe this shots up to number 1 if Beyond nails the landing. Still exceptional regardless. Go make the Gwen Spinoff as well.
4. Godzilla Minus One - Let's have a great human story alongside the already great Godzilla destruction, turns out it's a formula for one of the most memorable film experiences all year because of it.
5. Barbie - No surprises this was the best performing film of the year, visually stunning, hilarious and also got something to say as well, in a time where Hollywood is burying more and more into established IP, it's good to see some directors out there are allowed to have a bit of fun with the IP they are given.
6. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - This can be a hard watch at some points with all the pain Rocket goes through, but it hits all of it's character beats perfectly and wraps up this trilogy with a perfect bow.
7. Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Theives - The surprise hit of the year for me, though I should have had better expectations from the Game NIght directors, feels like a proper DnD campaign played before your eyes and down right hilarious. Probably the most overlooked film of the year as well, go watch this if you haven't already.
8. Nimona - After all the trials this film went through in production, it's great to see it finally came out and also prove to be really good to. Maybe get's a little distracted with it's humor at points and not every joke lands. But that final act hits it's character beats exceptionally.
9. Suzume - For an end of the potential world setting, it is surprising how laid back and chill the travel across Japan can be at some points, like many others here it's another visual treat with great characters and a compelling mystery as well.
10. John Wick: Chapter 4 - The world is probably getting a little too overcomplicated for it's own good at this point, but it's got some of the most fun action in the industry, the last assault in Paris is just great seeing how each step will surpass the next one.
Honourable Mentions: Oppenheimer, Wonka, Elemental, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 (This one would be number 10 had it not been for Puss in Boots)
Gonna have to be on the 2024 list since they were too late for 2023 over here: Poor Things, Robot Dreams (Let's hope they don't have too much harsh competition to keep on here.)