2023 started with a bang. Early on, the Sundance Film Festival provided some of the best movies of the year. And while 2023 may be remembered as the year that audiences finally evolved and grew beyond super hero flicks, there have been a handful of amazing films that are very worth your time. Now, for the sample of films that made me emotional, excited, and extremely entertained. Apparently, all I need are E emotions to help me compile my top ten list.
10 – Radical
One of the most affable actors living today, Eugenio Derbez (CODA) plays a teacher in a Mexican border town full of neglect, corruption, and violence. He is stifled from the faculty around him and the apathetic students he wants so badly to help. But, in order to make the slightest difference in the community, he tried his own methods to unlock his students’ potential.
We’ve all seen inspirational teacher stories before, and they’re usually pleasant surprises every time, so I didn’t expect much more for Radical. Eugenio Derbez brings the right amount of heart and empathy to this story where 6th graders in an impoverished Mexico town don’t have any support from their teachers or families. Yes, he plays an unconventional teacher type that we’ve seen before, but you’ll easily catch the passion that his character has for their futures. This is the type of movie where you can sense that someone wants to make an impact and has the potential to do so, but are seemingly against all odds. Oh, and did I mention I cried? So will you.
9 – Still: A Michael J Fox Movie
Documentaries have the ability to educate us or entertain us. My favorite documentary of 2023 accomplished both tasks. “Still” is centered around an interview with Michael J Fox telling his story from his youth, his burgeoning career, his Parkinsons’ diagnosis, and his focus on family. This doc splices semi-dramatized shots of his day to day life with relevant scenes from his movies, and paints the picture of the life and career of this inspiring man.
I found it so interesting to see Fox’s backstories on the movies and TV shows that many of us grew up with. Though, there’s so much that we would never know unless hearing it from Fox himself. It broke my heart to hear how young he was when he got his life-changing diagnosis and the methods he’d use to try and mask it. Though, beyond the weakness he often feels, you can’t help but sense and mirror his resilience. Bring some tissues when watching this wonderful documentary.
8 – The Holdovers
The Holdovers is one of the newest films on the list. It went to streaming just a few weeks after its wide theatrical release. Thankfully, this will allow you to seek this one out immediately. In the Holdovers, Paul Giamatti plays a really unlikable history teacher at a boys prep school. His standoffish behavior seems to be a source of pride for him. He is volunteered to watch over the students who get stuck at school over the holidays and ends up spending the duration of the time with one angsty teen in particular.
This film somehow crept up on me. I didn’t care for the students or Giamatti’s character in the beginning. I wondered how I could possibly get into a Christmas movie where I felt nothing for anyone. Yet, the charm just snuck up on me thanks to great acting, script and characterization. I left this movie feeling empathy for each of the three lead characters (played wonderfully by Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa). I loved each of them and wanted each of them to achieve happiness even after the credits rolled. Director Alexander Payne has crafted one of the great Christmas movies, but also an amazing character drama.
7 – Killers of the Flower Moon
This story begins in the 1920s as the Osage tribe has become incredibly wealthy after an oil boom happens on their land. However, evil men plan to profit from this. In a very gradual plot of greed, these Native Americans are murdered. In this time, a veteran, Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) comes into town and falls right in line with this plot. He soon woos Mollie (Lily Gladstone) who’s in line to inherit a great deal because of her family and pure blood.
Now that this movie is streaming, it will make for a much easier 3 1/2 hour viewing experience, but this film demands your attention. Put your phone down and enjoy the acting, score, and writing. This a gift that Scorsese fans, hidden history buffs, and those just looking for a quality film will devour. The acting from the three leads is astounding, and they’re only part of the cast full of great character actors. This is a heavy experience, but one I’m glad I know slightly more about now. I considered making this a one-time watch, but I’m anticipating watching it for the experience again.
6 – Godzilla Minus One
The absolute biggest surprise of the year is Godzilla Minus One. Forget the whole US Monster-verse that focuses only on big budget effects and explosions. Toho has jumped back in the kaiju atmosphere with its original Godzilla. In this prequel to the 1954 Godzilla, we see the calamity of the unstoppable monster from the perspective of a former kamikaze pilot from WWII. Our protagonist Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is the most relatable character from the decades worth of Godzilla movies here and abroad.
Truly, this movie came out of nowhere and stole my heart and excited me more than I thought it could have. Much has been said about the film’s low budget, but somehow the monster felt more real than any iteration I’ve seen. I felt fear for the humans in his wake and for the cities that are bound to be destroyed. This is exactly the template that these movies need to follow. It has quickly jumped to my favorite Godzilla film and will be tough to beat. I’d love to see modern blockbusters pull back on effects and focus on characters the way this film has.
5 – Talk to Me
Usually without fail, a new horror film breaks into my top 5. In fact, if one doesn’t, I consider it a bad year for genre films. Talk to Me is my favorite horror of 2023 and one I will happily watch multiple times. When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and opens the door to the spirit world forcing them to choose who to trust: the dead or the living.
This is the first feature for brothers Danny and Michael Philippou and it might have just revitalized the teen horror genre. They’ve created a sincere teen horror experience. Horror movies have really struggled to adapt to the convenience of phones and technology. While Talk to Me doesn’t necessarily need phones to keep the horror going, it plays on the culture of teens seeing viral videos of something unbelievable and dangerous and feeling compelled to be part of it. It shouldn’t be scary to see a ghost in a well-lit room when all of your friends are recording you, but for the person seeing the apparition, it’s a look into a hellish afterworld. This has all the potential to be the next big horror franchise, but as it stands on its own, it’s a total thrill ride.
4 – John Wick Chapter 4
John Wick has survived three movies filled with incredible odds and is now proactive about hunting the mysterious High Table down. However, the High Table has sent the Marquis (Bill Skarsgård) to represent them and finally take out Wick. John Wick still has friends that will help harbor him, but even those relationships are uncertain or may even be his combat equals.
John Wick Chapter 4 immediately belongs on the list of all time great action movies. The choreography of the camera, the stunt work, the soundtrack, and surprising emotional core are what we should all expect from action movies from now on. This franchise has always provided a visual meal, but with this chapter, we are given a feast. The final hour is the “Return of the King endings” of action flicks. It seems to just keep going. Yet, it’s a gift to us as the audience and I wanted it to last forever. There are three action set pieces that rank among some of the best ever filmed. Obviously, this franchise needs to end at some point, but at this rate, it’s the most consistently incredible among its peers.
3 – Flora and Son
2 – Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is a telling about the man and those he surrounded himself with, rather than only being about the bomb, which many moviegoers might expect. It dives into his curiosity about the universe, his drive to innovate and compete with the smartest minds in the world, and the ghosts that haunt him because of his creation. Few other filmmakers could show us a proper birds eye view of someone that seemed detached enough from humanity, but seemingly had a destiny for scientific pursuits and eventual destruction.
This is technically the best film of the year. In its way, it’s perfect. The artistry is on display in literally every moment of this three hour epic. Nolan has crafted a thrilling experience that relies on dialogue, but is bolstered by the score and acting amongst its stacked cast. The only reason this isn’t my top movie is that its not quite as emotionally resonant as #1, but I go back and forth with my choice. There is one scene that leads into the third act that is one of Nolan’s best. Oppenheimer is being celebrated by throngs of people for his part in ending the war in the Pacific, when he starts to realize just what he’s caused. It’s an absolutely harrowing moment that gave me chills and terrified me more than most horror films. This film deserves all the awards and has already made just shy of a billion dollars, but more than that, Nolan has delivered a biopic that will take its place in film history.
Honorable Mentions
Air, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, The Killer, Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Evil Dead Rise, When Evil Lurks
1 – Past Lives
I’m not sure how this happened, but a unheard of film from a first time director has managed to dethrone a masterwork by my favorite director of all time. Celine Song has managed to make the impossible happen by writing and directing the most emotional film of the year.
Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are disconnected after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. 20 years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.
This is the type of film experience that makes you wish you could make the character’s lives easier. I couldn’t help but want to turn back time and yell at each of them to make better choices. Greta Lee, as Nora, is unforgettable. Her chemistry with Teo Yoo never feels synthetic. The writing is Linklater-esque, but more centered around regret and how revitalizing certain connections can be. Past Lives has a simple story that could have easily veered into contrived territory, but (almost sadly) it never does. I loved it and will never forget it.
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