How is the year almost over? I swear I just sat down to decide what my favorite movies of 2022 were, and I’m suddenly doing it all over again. As fast as 2023 was, though, it has been fantastic for cinema, and it feels like we were treated to an embarrassment of riches with all the world-class films we got. Sure, there were some misfires, but with so many amazing releases, it was quite difficult to whittle it down to only 10. That said, I was able to deliberate to that number, and without further ado, here are my picks for the best 2023 had to offer.
10 – Rustin
Rustin surprised me with its elegant, impactful, and nearly unknown story about the man who was instrumental in the 1963 March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther gave his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech. Not only did the planning and execution of this event face near impossible odds, Bayard Rustin (played impeccably by Colman Domingo) who was spearheading it, had to deal with discrimination not only against his skin color but also his sexuality as an out gay man. The effort he and the supporters of the cause invested into ensuring this landmark in the Civil Rights Movement took place is inspiring as is learning the true history of how it came about.
Nine – Wonka
I’m a huge fan of the 1971 classic, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, so when I heard about its prequel, I was cautiously optimistic. We are in good hands though as it’s written and directed by Paul King of Paddington fame, and he does not disappoint. Telling the story of a young Willy Wonka (Timothee Chalamet) and how he became the world’s foremost chocolatier could have succumbed to origin-itis but thankfully it doesn’t. Sure, we know the destination, but the journey to get there is whimsical and has fun leading us by the hand to show us its secrets. It’s also a right proper musical with performances and dance numbers that would fit right in with a classic like Mary Poppins even if none of the songs really stand out as that memorable. It starts out charming and ends as something magical which is exactly what I think Wonka would have wanted us to have.
Eight – Barbie
Writer/director Greta Gerwig took what seemed like a laughable premise of telling a story about the iconic doll and made it into a strong and poignant statement about women’s lived experiences in a male-dominated world. Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Barbie is magnificent as she tries to navigate her existential crisis from Barbieland to the real world all the while trying to discover her actual purpose in life, how to keep Ken (Ryan Gosling) from meddling in her affairs, and trying to escape from a CEO (Will Ferrell) who literally wants to put her in a box. It’s smart, charming, hilarious, and makes you want to stand up and cheer from start to finish.
Seven – Saltburn
Nothing can really prepare you for most of what you will experience when watching Saltburn. Emerald Fennell continues her winning streak after Promising Young Women with a film that starts innocently enough and then escalates into more and more depravity until the credits roll, and you sit back and wonder what you just saw. Barry Keoghan as Oliver owns every scene, and while you might want to turn away, his magnetism continuously draws you back in. Not for the squeamish (one scene had people in the theater gagging, and another made my friend want to see a therapist), Saltburn grabs you, refuses to let go, and blames you for taking its dare to watch it in the first place. The beauty of how it is shot and written stands as a stark foil to the ugliness of the plot and characters surrounding Oliver, and it ends asking more questions than it answers. No matter what your thoughts, it will leave you talking about it for ages to come.
Six – The Holdovers
There are a few movies I have to watch each holiday season – Muppet Christmas Carol, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and Scrooged, to name a few – and I’m happy to report that The Holdovers has now been permanently added to that list. It’s not that new of a story. Grumpy teacher Paul (Paul Giamatti) has to stay at a British boarding school over the holidays to watch over the kids who can’t go home, and the mutual dislike he and holdover student Angus (Dominic Sessa) have against each other eventually turns to a strong friendship. Yes, we’ve seen it before, but it’s the performances that make this shine. Giamatti gives some of his best work, and Sessa somehow runs circles around him which is astounding considering this is the first project he has ever been involved in. Da’Vine Joy Randolph is also sublime in her portrayal of a mother working through the grief of going through her first Christmas without her son who recently passed away. While not the stereotypical holiday classic, it hits all the emotional, joyous, and poignant notes and should be on everyone’s must-watch list.
Five – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The Guardians movies have always been kind of the weird stepchildren of the MCU in that while they have tied into the larger stories as a whole, they’ve always been nearly completely self-contained. In fact, if you just watched the trilogy with no knowledge of the rest of the films, their stories stand on their own. With Vol. 3 being James Gunn’s swan song before officially heading up the new DC Universe films, Marvel Studios wisely decided to set him loose and do exactly what he wanted with this final entry. Every character we’ve grown to know and love gets their moment in the spotlight, and the emotion, laughter, and tragedy that befalls them all resonates with an honesty that few other directors can achieve. Whether or not we will see these characters again is irrelevant as each of their stories comes to a satisfying end and a loving farewell to the past nine years. Let’s just hope Gunn can continue to work his magic with what’s to come with DC.
Four – Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse
Into the Spider-Verse is in my top 10 films of all time, so I was hoping this could at least meet the standard it set and not disappoint me. I shouldn’t have had any fear as Across takes everything Into did so well and elevates it to a pure art form I didn’t think was possible. This is a masterclass not only in animation, but also cinematography, editing, and screenwriting. Everything has purpose, and not a single second seems wasted or like it was added for filler which is impressive when talking about a 140-minute movie. Color splashing on the background makes the set pieces just as vitally important characters as Spidey and Gwen, and the frantic and erratic use of hand-drawn and CGI animation never ceased to amaze me. I can’t wait to see how they are going to top this when the finale to the trilogy is finally released.
Three – Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite directors, so I’ll admit that I go into all his films expecting them to be fantastic. While some may think this makes me less objective, it actually holds them to a higher standard because I know what he is capable of and to expect. To say that Oppenheimer is his best is far from hyperbole, as it seems like he’s taken every filmmaking trick he’s learned and applied it here. Starring favorite collaborator Cillian Murphy in a role he was born for as Oppenheimer himself, he gives not only one of the best performances of this year but the past few as well. Expect to see his name called a lot during the upcoming awards ceremonies. Not to be left out are his costars, Robery Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, and even Matt Damon, all of whom not only shine every moment they are on screen but disappear so fully into their roles that you don’t even see the actors anymore but just their characters. And that’s just scratching the surface of what is magnificent about this film. Quite simply, it’s flawless, and for it to come in only at number three just hearkens back to my original statement about just how good everything was in 2023.
Two – Poor Things
I’ll never forget attending my first Sundance and checking out this odd little movie called The Lobster, written and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. It was quite simply one of the most absurd and strangest things I had ever seen, and I fell in love with it and its creator immediately. Flash forward a few years to Lanthimos getting critical acclaim for The Favourite, and now he presents what can only be described as a feminist fairytale for the ages in Poor Things. As is typical with all Lanthimos films, there is no way to expect what’s coming even if you did your research watching trailers and interviews before stepping into the theater. Emma Stone as lead Bella Baxter has one of the most interesting and chaotic character arcs I think we’ve ever seen, and her ability to fully submerge herself into the performance is masterful. Her evolution from a feeble woman-child to a force to be reckoned with is not only brash, hectic, and steeped in sexual awakenings but also hilarious, tender, and filled with moments that will make you gasp. Never afraid to take the audience to the edge of the cliff before (possibly) jumping over it, Lanthimos along with Stone and costars Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, and Kathryn Hunter take us on a journey from Frankenstein and through The Wizard of Oz that can’t and shouldn’t ever be forgotten.
One – All of Us Strangers
This movie slipped under my radar, and I almost missed it had it not been for a large chunk of my peers recommending it to me. Directed and adapted by Andrew Haigh of Weekend fame, Strangers takes every emotion you can think of, blends them together into a smoothie, and then waits and watches expectantly to see your reaction as you enjoy it. And enjoy it you will despite the gut punch it will leave you with as the screen fades to black. Considering there are really only a handful of settings and four actors telling its story, it’s astounding how much this accomplishes with so little. The intimacy Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy, and Jamie Bell are able to create is unmatched by anything in recent memory, and the way Andrew Haigh brings this to the forefront even when they are surrounded by chaos or mystery is magical. Beauty is its driving force and theme, and the fact that even when surrounded by tragedy, the point in life is to find that small pinpoint of light to dispel the darkness and guide our way. The moral of this story is that the path is hard and watered with our tears of pain and joy, but the hope that we find will eventually lead us to the home we make and the family we choose.