Top 10 Films of 2023
I'm always late with these end-of-the-year lists (sorry!). Some 2023 films may not have been considered for this list because they were not reasonably accessible in my area until 2024, such as Ava DuVernary's Origin (which I'm confident will be on my list of Best Films of 2024 next year).
I’m not the best at watching non-American films, so I’m proud to say there are two international films on this list (one from Japan, one from France). A couple of the films that made the list are small ones that never gained a wide audience. Others are massive blockbusters. Some are franchise cappers. And quite a few are three-plus-hour epics. For one reason or another, these ten films are the ones that stuck with me the most throughout 2023. I present to you my top ten films of 2023…
10. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
I adore this film! Based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Judy Blume, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. is a solid coming-of-age film that doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but executes it very, very well thanks to writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig (The Edge of Seventeen). The stakes are low to most of us—the Simon family moves from New York City to a New Jersey suburb—but to eleven-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) it, understandably, feels like the end of the world. As Margaret enters a new school and attempts to make new friends, she starts to face the many milestones that come with girlhood, from crushes to periods. I’m thankful Fortson was able to escape the Marvel Cinematic Universe to lead this delightful film, as she’s wonderful here. And Rachel McAdams is equally great as Margaret’s mother Barbara, who’s struggling to protect Margaret from knowing about her own adult problems, including ostracization from Margaret’s maternal grandparents, who are Christian, due to Barbara marrying a Jewish man. That dinner table scene between Margaret and Barbara talking about this very topic is the highlight of the film.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. is available on home video and streaming on Starz.
9. Creed III
The Creed films have been some of the better legacyquels we’ve gotten over the years, but this time star Michael B. Jordan is also behind the camera. This is a solid directorial debut from Jordan, who brings anime influences to the franchise. And Jonathan Majors is effectively scary as the ruthless antagonist and former friend of Donnie’s. While Sylvester Stallone and the iconic Rocky theme song are missed, Creed III finally allows Adonis “Donnie” Creed (Jordan) to own his own film, for the Creed films to stand on their own.
Creed III is available on home video and streaming on Amazon Prime Video and MGM Plus.
8. Missing
Searching was one of my favorite films of 2018, so I’m so excited we got a (standalone) sequel with pretty much the same cinematic technique (“screenlife”), in which everything is told through computer screens, phone screens, and security cameras. It’s always fun seeing new ways directors Will Merrick and Nick Johnson make screenlife engaging. Set in the same cinematic universe as Searching, Missing follows a new character, teenager June Allen (an always great Storm Reid), in her efforts to find her mom (played by Nia Long), who goes missing after vacationing in Colombia with her boyfriend (played by Ken Leung). Missing features the same twisting thrills we’ve come to expect from a sequel to Searching.
Missing is available on home video and streaming on Netflix.
7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The bar may be low, but it doesn’t mean the feat is any less impressive: James Gunn has officially cemented the Guardians of the Galaxy films as the best trilogy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite the Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame films messing up the main character dynamics, Gunn does his best (to mostly success) to conclude this iteration of the Guardians, using Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper, in his best performance) as the heart of the film (seriously, how many times can I cry in one film?).
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is available on home video and streaming on Disney Plus.
6. Anatomy of a Fall
Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall is a courtroom drama centered around Sandra Voyter (an excellent Sandra Hüller), a writer who’s accused of murdering her husband Samuel. Whether or not she actually did it is not the point (and the film doesn’t attempt to answer this question, which may drive some viewers mad). The film is a simple, yet effective portrayal of marriage—its obligations, its power dynamics—told through the French legal system, that addresses sexism and misogyny, stigmas around sexuality, and the weaponization of language. The cast is so good, from hot lawyer to even the damn dog! Hüller is captivating as a character trying to defend herself in a language she doesn’t speak, while also trying to be a good mother (and gain the trust of) her son. Milo Machado-Graner is a scene stealer as Sandra and Samuel’s son Daniel, who’s blind, and who’s the trial’s only witness.
Anatomy of a Fall is streaming on demand and will be available on home video in May 2024.
5. Monster
As a master of family dramas, it should come as no surprise that Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters) has delivered yet another devastating family drama in Monster, but this is the first time he’s directed a film not written by himself since 1995 (Monster is written by Yuji Sakamoto). Without spoiling the film’s surprises, Monster centers around 5th grader Minato (Sōya Kurokawa) and the mystery surrounding his strange behavior, with the story being told from three perspectives: Minato’s mother Saori ( Sakura Andō), Minato’s teacher Mr. Hori (Eita Nagayama), and, finally, Minato. What starts off as a typical drama where you think you know where the story’s going becomes something more, constantly changing with each new perspective, and getting better with each shift. And that ending! Oh, that ending…
Monster is streaming on demand and may still be playing in some theatres.
4. Killers of the Flower Moon
Killers of the Flower Moon is an incredibly bleak film that brings attention to a dark chapter in American history—the systematic killing of Osage Nation members after oil was discovered on their tribal land. Leonardo DiCaprio expertly plays the most pathetic character he’s probably ever played, Ernest Burkhart, who marries an Osage woman, Mollie (a quietly devastating Lily Gladstone), and secretly kills members of her family to gain ownership of her family’s headrights. We should count ourselves lucky that, at age 81, a master filmmaker like Martin Scorsese is still delivering excellent films like this at his age, with no signs of slowing down.
Killers of the Flower Moon is streaming on Apple TV Plus.
3. Oppenheimer
A haunting and thrilling three-hour epic about one of the most consequential men in history, theoretical physicist Robert J. Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. Oppenheimer is a biopic told in the only way Nolan knows how—in nonlinear and IMAX-sized fashion. Despite not being my personal favorite, this might be Nolan’s best work yet. Everyone is delivering God-tier work here, from Nolan's visionary direction, Hoyte van Hoytema's cinematography (they needed Kodak to make IMAX-sized black-and-white film!), Jennifer Lame's tight editing keeping two timelines and major plotlines together, Ludwig Göransson's violin-centric score, and Cillian Murphy's subtle lead performance.
Oppenheimer is available on home video and streaming on Peacock.
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
I really liked but didn’t LOVE the first Spider-Verse film like everyone else did. But wow, Across the Spider-Verse blows the first one out of the water with even more visually dazzling animation, more ambitious storytelling, and more emotional stakes. You know a film has had massive pop cultural impact when people everywhere are repeating a phrase and concept coined by the film (in this case, “canon event”).
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is available on home video and streaming on Netflix.
1. John Wick: Chapter 4
Before 2023 I hadn’t seen a single John Wick film, but I binged the first three films in preparation for Chapter 4. And, while, I probably wouldn’t have ranked the first three films among my favorite films of their respective release years, I must admit Chapter 4 is a stunning film that acts as a culmination of everything the previous three did, but better: neon-soaked cinematography; thumping, cool music; and non-stop action crafted with the utmost care. Director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves blessed us with a new, original action franchise that never sacrificed quality as it got bigger with each installment. If this truly is the final chapter of the John Wick franchise (at least, with Keanu Reeves in it), it at least went out on a high note.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is available on home video and streaming on Starz.
Honorable Mentions:
Air, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, The Flash, Godzilla Minus One
Biggest disappointments of 2023:
Barbie, Bottoms, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Past Lives, Wish
