The Best of 2023
It’s officially the start of 2024, which means lots of resolutions you only kinda mean. This year, make a resolution you’ll want to keep: Watch great movies. I’m here to help you out with my list of 16 films that made 2023 a spectacular moviegoing experience. As a bonus, two of these films will be released in the upcoming weeks to general audiences, so I’m helping you start off your 2024 movie season on the right foot.
Without further ado, here are the sweet 16 movies you need to see:
1. Poor Things
Emma Stone is the toast of the town in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things.
Absurd, satiric, and surprisingly touching, Poor Things is a brilliant twist on the Frankenstein story we all know. Instead of a pitiable monster, Dr. Godwin has created something truly frightening to man — an ungovernable woman. Bella delights in sex, doesn’t understand when men try to shame her, consumes all experiences voraciously, and acts with almost radical confidence and kindness as she navigates the world. As a result, men practically line up to “put her in her place”. Lovers long to control her, male friends attempt to hurt her by crumbling her worldview, and even her beloved Godwin attempts to keep her isolated. But Bella has never been raised with a sense of patriarchal self-loathing, so any and all attempts to control her roll off her back. Think of Poor Things as an arthouse version of Barbie. Both are about women leaving weird, seemingly idyllic places to embrace a more complex existence. Both have meticulously beautiful production designs, a bold feminist call to arms, and killer outfits.
Poor Things is available in cinemas now.
2. American Fiction
Erika Alexander and Jeffrey Wright turn satire sublime in American Fiction.
An impressive directorial debut from Cord Jefferson (who also co-wrote the script), American Fiction is a layered look at race in American pop culture, family dynamics, intellectual snobbery, and what it means to be a successful artist. It seems like a lot to cover, but Jefferson’s work is dense with metaphors and humor. Though Jefferson’s writing and direction give the film a strong foundation, it’s Jeffrey Wright’s performance that makes the film superb. His Monk is a grumbling academic with all the pretensions of Niles Crane. He’s deeply offended that slavery, crime, and Civil Rights seem to be the only subjects open to him as a Black writer. But at the same time, his persnickety attitude gives him an air of superiority that keeps him from making meaningful connections in his life. It’s hard to connect with someone on a date when you’re telling them their taste in books is intellectually lazy. And yet, Wright never lets you fully dismiss Monk as unfeeling. There’s a vulnerability in his eyes, as he tries to connect with those around him. It’s a subtle, beautiful performance and one that’s easy to miss while you laugh at the increasingly absurd circumstances around him.
American Fiction is available in cinemas now.
3. The Holdovers
Dominic Sessa and Paul Giamatti find themselves stuck in a new holiday classic, The Holdovers.
Understandably, The Holdovers has been frequently compared to the works of Hal Ashby (the director behind Harold and Maude). It’s clear that director Alexander Payne has a very specific 70s style in mind. Everything from the credits to the film grain overlaid on the digital footage screams retro. The color palette is assorted drab browns. Payne wants you to think of the time when drinking and driving was considered a skill, smoking indoors was the norm, and sideburns were…unfortunate. The whole film is a tribute to the mentality and aesthetics of Ashby and other 70s filmmakers who celebrate the immaculate drama of small lives. The film also contains one of the most impressive screen debuts in recent memory from Dominic Sessa. This movie isn’t the Christmas card image you’d expect of a holiday film, it’s the slushy puddle you step in as you collect the mail. But the realism and emotional resonance of The Holdovers should elevate it to holiday classic status for cinephiles.
The Holdovers is available to stream on Peacock or rent/buy from your favorite VOD service.
4. Past Lives
Teo Yoo and Greta Lee toy with the ache of lost love in Celine Song's Past Lives.
What if you and your soulmate aren’t meant to be? That’s the question pondered by director Celine Song in her achingly romantic feature debut. As a girl, Na Young was infatuated with classmate Hae Sung. They go on one perfect date before Na Young and her family move from South Korea to Canada. Though she now goes by Nora, Na Young has never forgotten the boy who used to walk her home every day. When they get a chance to reconnect, Nora is a married playwright in New York City. Is there room in her life for Hae Sung? Song treats all her characters with a sort of breathless tenderness. No one is a bad person, there is no high drama, it’s a quiet contemplation of the road not taken and the connections we choose to strengthen as we evolve in life. An absolutely beautiful film with pitch-perfect performances, this is the perfect movie to put on when you need a good cry or just want to swan wistfully about the house.
Past Lives is available to stream on Viki or rent/buy from your favorite VOD service.
5. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Kathy Bates and Abby Ryder Fortson laugh it up in the coming-of-age movie of the year, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
So many coming-of-age movies are for boys and feature them having adventures in the woods or playing baseball. If a coming-of-age movie features women, it’s usually in a romantic context, wherein they become a woman through a first relationship. But Judy Blume’s classic novel wasn’t interested in presenting readers with a romantic fantasy. Growing up is weird — your body becomes alien as it develops, there are suddenly social hierarchies and rules to obey, your friends tell you outlandish information that you believe, and your parents become incredibly embarrassing. While director Kelly Fremon Craig worked to brilliantly capture the 70s setting and the themes of Blume’s work, the lynchpin of the movie is Abby Ryder Fortson. Her Margaret is a whirlwind of emotions. She’s a good kid at heart, but that doesn’t mean she won’t say cruel things to classmates or her parents when she’s feeling unsure about the world. A wonderful movie for any preteen girl, that’s funny and smart enough to entertain most audiences, this is a rare breed of young adult film. This is a crowd-pleaser with a heart of gold.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. is available to stream on Starz or rent/buy from your favorite VOD service.
6. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld school superhero movies on how to execute a multiverse in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Marvel movies have been lumbering out the concept of the multiverse for years with varying success. Mostly it’s still a bit of a nebulous concept with diminishing narrative returns. But with Sony’s sequel to the equally excellent Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, moviegoers were introduced to a multiverse concept that is easy to follow, visually thrilling, and most important of all — fun. Directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson used a “more is more” approach to their storytelling, bombarding the audience with a myriad of plots, Easter eggs, and stunning visuals. The result is a movie that washes over you, offering plenty of plot, but also a sensory understanding of the multiverse as a concept and how it applies to those in the film. The movie is also an interesting look at fandom and fandom culture. The obsession with canon — both preserving it and the necessity of it — clearly nods to the fans of both comics and movies that can get locked into one way to tell a story. It’s an example of smart, bold storytelling and both Marvel and DC should take notes.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is available to stream on Netflix or rent/buy from your favorite VOD service.
7. Godzilla Minus One
Godzilla Minus One makes a splash with the best film of the franchise.
Technically a prequel to the Toho Studios Godzilla franchise, Godzilla Minus One does something truly radical for the franchise — it tells a story where the humans are as interesting as the giant monster knocking over buildings. Director/writer/special effects supervisor Takashi Yamazaki takes pains to create a story that is captivating and visually arresting. The story of Koichi and Noriko could easily be excised from the film and screened as a compelling post-war drama about a soldier dealing with trauma. Adding a giant heat-ray blasting monster to the mix is just a bonus. But Yamazaki makes sure that Godzilla’s scenes really count. By taking over the role of Special Effects Supervisor, Yamazaki truly has crafted his vision when it comes to the design of Godzilla. The results are excellent. In his hands, the monster is both menacing and majestic as it stomps toward Tokyo. Yamazaki also recontextualizes the King of All Monsters, adding a sequence on a boat that is delightfully reminiscent of Jaws. Action sequences are carefully crafted with tense shots and clever effects. There’s a real weight to this monster and the devastation it causes — something missing from the sanitized US incarnations of Godzilla. If you’re a fan of Godzilla, this movie is a must-see. If you’re not a fan of Godzilla, you will be after Godzilla Minus One.
Godzilla Minus One is available in theaters now.
8. All of Us Strangers
Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal explore the power of reaching out in All of Us Strangers.
Screenwriter Adam is drawn back to his childhood home when he finds himself with writer’s block. There, he’s surprised to find his parents, alive and well, and looking suspiciously like they did in the 80s just days before a car accident killed them. Confused but delighted by the chance to reconnect with the family he lost, Adam embraces his second chance. This reconnection empowers him to take more chances, including beginning a romance with a charming stranger in his building. Beautifully acted and achingly heartfelt, All of Us Strangers is a treatise on loneliness and connection. It’s a movie of What Ifs and emotional catharsis. Adam was denied coming out to his parents, and this second chance allows him the opportunity to work out what it would have meant to have the people he loved truly know him. It’s a brilliant, emotional film and one that had better earn Andrew Scott some Oscar buzz.
All of Us Strangers will be available in most theaters starting January 4.
9. The Zone of Interest
The Höss family having a party in the shadow of the world's greatest evil in The Zone of Interest
Rudolph and Hedwig Höss are living the dream. Their family lives in a spacious house with an expansive garden and even a pool for dipping. Sure, they share a wall with the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, but why should that bother them? Jonathan Glazer’s PG-13 family drama is hands-down the most disturbing film of the year. Sound design plays a key part in the film, with the noises of crematoriums churning, screams, and bullets punctuating the domestic drama. The movie isn’t so much about what’s happening at the camp, Glazer assumes moviegoers are well aware of what went on behind those walls, but how blithely the Höss family ignores it. The Zone of Interest is a study on how easy it is to ignore evil, to passively participate in it, and how willing people are to put their own comfort over the lives of others. It’s thought-provoking, disturbing, and infuriating, but Glazer’s assured handling of the subject matter makes it one of the most provocative films of the year.
The Zone of Interest will be in most theaters January 19.
10. Killers of the Flower Moon
Lily Gladstone is the heart and soul of Martin Scorsese's brutal historical epic Killers of the Flower Moon.
Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic, that seems to draw from varied auteurs, showcasing Scorsese’s love of film and deep knowledge of the art form. There’s plenty of Coppola’s Godfather in the lighting and framing of scenes. There’s a bit of the Coen brothers’ dark absurdist worldview with the sheer audacity and incompetence of some of the killings. There’s even some Ari Aster as the dread of what’s to come builds relentlessly. And, yes, there’s a good deal of Scorsese’s own gangster pedigree on display. While the subject matter — namely the rampant murders of the Osage people for the crime of having more than their white neighbors — may seem dry (especially considering the 3+ hour running time), Scorsese treats the story with care while exposing the brutality of what happened to the Osage people. Overall, Killers of the Flower Moon is a thoughtful, beautiful film about a horrifying moment in history. Scorsese elevates the material with his typical brand of muscular filmmaking and an impeccable sense of pacing.
Killers of the Flower Moon is available to stream on AppleTV+ or rent/buy from your favorite VOD service.
11. You Hurt My Feelings
Midlife crisis and relationships get a fresh look in You Hurt My Feelings.
The creative process is intensely vulnerable. You spend all this time crafting something, picking out a precise color or word, second-guessing your opinions, and trying new things. Then, when you’ve exhausted your abilities, it’s time to send it into the world…only to have someone dismiss it as terrible. Writer/director Nicole Holofcener captures those feelings of vulnerability and devastation beautifully in You Hurt My Feelings, a dramedy about the moments when you feel inept at the thing you’ve built your personality around. Holofcener reframes a midlife crisis as a crisis of faith in yourself. Instead of buying a Ferrari or seeking out a younger, hotter partner, her characters are considering a career change, questioning the fundamental abilities they thought they had, and maybe looking into some Botox. These are not people hoping to relive their youth, they just want to change how they feel about themselves. Bolstered by terrific turns from Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies, You Hurt My Feelings is the perfect midlife crisis comedy.
You Hurt My Feelings is available to rent/buy from your favorite VOD service.
12. Anatomy of a Fall
Sandra Hüller must fight societal norms and the courts in Anatomy of a Fall.
When writer Sandra Voyter’s husband is found in a bloody heap outside their home, questions are raised. Did he fall? Did he jump? Did Sandra push him? As the media and the French courts pick through the case, Sandra’s character and personality seem to be on trial just as much as her possible participation in her husband’s death. This Hitchockian whodunit is filled with great performances, subtle storytelling, and one of the most brilliantly annoying covers of 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.” ever put to film. Director Justine Triet masterfully plays with viewers’ expectations throughout the film, refusing to make Sandra a palatable character and forcing viewers to look at their own biases. The film boasts a brilliant lead performance from Sandra Hüller (who makes the best-of list twice with her roles in this and The Zone of Interest) and interestingly one of the best dog performances ever captured on film. This is a movie that’s going to provoke debate, so be sure to see it with as many people as possible.
Anatomy of a Fall is available to stream on AppleTV+ or to rent/buy from your favorite VOD service.
13. John Wick: Chapter 4
Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski do not miss in John Wick: Chapter 4.
I’ll put this as plainly as possible: the John Wick series is the most solidly entertaining action franchise in recent memory. It’s not just Wick’s bullets that don’t miss. Director Chad Stahelski is a former stuntman and treats fight choreography like fine art. The result is a ballet of bullets, blows, and bombastic energy that feels breathlessly fun to watch (and that’s damn lucky because this movie runs just shy of three hours). Part of the reason the runtime soars by is the quality of the action. Unlike most action films, that use quick cuts to disguise stunt doubles and VFX, the John Wick series is known for its long takes. The result is fluid and brutal, action that shows off fight choreography and impressive blocking. The John Wick films often get dinged for not being realistic with their storytelling and action sequences, but that’s rather missing the point. These movies aren’t a treatise on the laws of physics, they’re a celebration of the art of movie stunts. Yes, each film takes the action further, but that’s simply an extension of what Stahelski and the stunt coordinators of Wick are able to do. Add in some fantastic tributes to cinema classics and you’ve got a film that just doesn’t miss when it comes to great contemporary action.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is available to stream on Starz or rent/buy on your favorite VOD service.
14. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Shamon Brown Jr., Micah Abbey, Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon prove Millennials and Gen Z can get along in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: Mutant Mayhem.
Funny, touching, and jam-packed with enough 90s nostalgia to have every viewer over 30 murmuring “radical” to themselves, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a great example of how to take a familiar media property and update it for modern audiences. Sure, there are plenty of Easter Eggs for the TMNT-dedicated to find, but more importantly there’s a moving story with a strong message at the heart of this film. Directed by Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears (making his feature debut), the minds behind the wonderful Netflix family film The Mitchells vs The Machines, Mutant Mayhem combines real heart with some genuinely funny moments. The film takes a page out of the Spider ‘Verse animated films, combining 2D and 3D animation as well as a few styles of art. It’s a bombastic collection of colors and striking visuals that feels like a comic book came to life. And though the filmmaking is strong, the best part of the film is the voice acting. The four actors behind the turtles — Shamon Brown Jr., Micah Abbey, Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon — have the perfect combination of youthful exuberance and teenage idiocy that make the core group endearing. It’s a tall order to keep a group of kids taking phone videos and yelling about drip from becoming obnoxious to the older viewers, but Mutant Mayhem does an admirable job. Whether you’re a fan of the original comics/movies/ill-fated concert tour or looking for a fun family film that’ll keep everyone happy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the perfect choice for movie night.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is available to stream on Paramount+ or rent/buy from your favorite VOD service.
15. M3GAN
Parenting is hard. Fighting killer dolls is harder.
In the grand tradition of Talking Tina, Chucky, and Annabelle, M3GAN is a movie all about why you should set fire to every doll you see and douse the ashes in holy water. A January horror movie has no right to be this funny and well-thought-out. Director Gerard Johnstone takes pains to craft a film that beautifully rides the line between satiric comedy and jump-scare-laden horror. My movie buddy pointed out the film felt a bit like Robocop, taking our obsession with tech-based solutions to societal problems to satiric extremes. And like loosing giant armed robots onto the streets, at face value, M3GAN is ridiculous. Any idiot could tell you that a talking doll that is self-learning and takes over parenting for your child is a terrible idea. But Johnstone points out that often letting a child zone out to screens is easier than dealing with behavior issues, and theorizes that M3GAN is the next logical extension of that. Basically, if you’ve ever used Bluey to shut your kids up for an hour, you’re going to feel judged by this movie. But once you get over the judgement, there’s a pretty great little horror satire waiting behind those dead doll eyes.
M3GAN is available to stream on Prime or rent/buy from your favorite VOD service.
16. May December
Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore tangle with identity and truth in Todd Haynes' May December.
Director Todd Haynes knows what type of movie his audience is expecting. Smartly, he never fully gives in to the salaciousness of the story, but he does play with the tropes one might expect from such a melodramatic premise. It’s the subversion of his subject matter that elevates May December from a titillating story to a fascinating character study. At every turn, Haynes seems to subvert genre expectations while still laying out an intricate, complex story. Take note of how often mirrors and reflections are used as one character tries to get to the truth of another. May December is a movie about humanity’s impulse to obsess over “the truth” of scandals while ignoring truths about themselves. It’s so much easier to reflect on others rather than inspect yourself. Haynes referenced Bergman’s Persona as inspiration for the sparring relationship between Elizabeth and Gracie. Both women are wolves in sheep’s clothing as they pick at each other throughout the film. But Haynes, who toyed with dismantling the picturesque domestic lives in his Douglas Sirk-inspired Far from Heaven, also seems to be pulling from Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt. Like Hitchcock, he takes great joy in making the safe and wholesome seem disturbing and dangerous the second the glossy surface is disturbed.
May December is available on Netflix.
