My Favorite Films of 2023
It's always so interesting to sit down and compile my end-of-year list. Films I was looking forward to like Ari Aster's Beau is Afraid and Ridley Scott's Napolean disappointed and a film like Godzilla Minus One wasn't even on my radar this time last year, ends up being one of my favorite films of the year. That's always so exciting for me and I can't wait to see what the next year brings.
1. Saltburn
I'm starting with a disclaimer right off the bat. Chances are pretty good that Saltburn is not for you. Please consult with me prior to watching.
Saltburn is directed by Emerald Fennell, who directed one of my favorite films of 2020, Promising Young Woman. The film was nominated for Best Picture and Fennell won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Saltburn is a fantastic follow-up for Fennell, cementing her as one of the more intriguing filmmakers Hollywood has to offer. The film is packed with twists and turns, along with some truly strong performances.
Barry Keoghan, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar last year for The Banshees of Inisherin, is operating on another level right now. He plays Oliver, a shy, simple young man who meets a charismatic student named Felix at university. He's invited to Felix's family estate for the summer where he meets his eccentric family. There's more to Oliver than meets the eye and watching the film unravel is a treat.
There are at least three scenes in Saltburn that will live rent-free in my head for the rest of my life. Whenever I start having doubts about Hollywood, a film like Saltburn comes along and renews my faith in filmmaking as not just entertainment, but as an art form.
2. Oppenheimer
If there was ever any doubt before 2023 that Christopher Nolan isn't one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time, then that debate should be put to rest now.
Nolan has crafted a three-hour-long film where people are essentially talking in rooms and you can't take your eyes off the screen. Oppenheimer includes zero CGI, which is a feat nowadays.
Cillian Murphy gives a haunting performance as a man struggling to come to terms with his creation. The film also explores themes of humanity's desire to progress scientifically but at what cost?
3. The Covenant
As I was putting together my list this year, I noticed an unexpected theme. Some of my favorite films of the year were films that felt like movies we would have gotten decades ago.
The Covenant is one of those films. It's directed by Guy Ritchie and it's by far the biggest departure his filmography has to offer.
Jake Gyllenhaal is superb as a soldier who is mortally wounded and cared for and brought to safety by a local interpreter, played excellently by Dar Salim. The Covenant explores the bond between men no matter where you come from.
4. Poor Things
Yorgos Lanthimos is one of the more interesting filmmakers working today. His filmography is stacked with strong films that include Dogtooth, The Lobster, Killing of a Sacred Deer, and the Oscar-nominated The Favourite.
Poor Things might just be Lanthimos's best film yet. It's somewhat difficult to describe the film. Think Frankenstein, but funnier, sexier, and way more bananas. Poor Things is visually rich with some of the best cinematography, set design, and costume design the year has to offer.
Emma Stone gives the best performance of her career as a young woman brought to life. She learns about who she is, she explores the world, and she explores her body (she explores her body a lot).
As great as Stone is, it's Mark Ruffalo who steals the film with an off-the-wall, bonkers performance.
5. John Wick: Chapter 4
I'm not sure what else there is to say about the John Wick franchise at this point. It's easily one of the greatest action franchises in history and the best of the 21st century.
After almost a decade and 4 films, you would think the action would be stale. There are only so many ways you can shoot a bad guy in the head.
Oh, how wrong you would be. The franchise continues to find new and innovative ways to bring action set pieces to the big screen. There are at least 3 set pieces here that are unlike anything I've seen in an action film - the top-down apartment scene, the shootout in the middle of traffic in the Arc de Triomphe roundabout, and the stairs scene, my god that scene on the stairs.
6. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse
2023 was not kind to live-action superhero films. Blockbusters like Ant-Man, The Marvels, Aquaman, and Guardians of the Galaxy all either underperformed or disappointed. "Superhero movie fatigue" actually became a thing.
Then there's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the stellar follow-up to Into the Spider-Verse. I could argue that the animated franchise offers the best Spider-Man films and that Miles Morales is the best version of Spider-Man.
The film has a unique animation style that makes it feel like you are reading a comic book. In a world where many superhero films have grown stale and formulaic, the animated franchise continues to set itself apart.
7. Air
2023 was the year of biopics about products. There were films about the creation of the Blackberry and a film about the video game Tetris (a pretty good movie, actually).
Air tells the story of the creation of the iconic Air Jordan shoe, but it's about so much more than that. It's about a brand and how that can change the course of an entire company. The film also explores athletes and how they are controlled by corporations, especially young black men.
Air is directed by Ben Affleck and features one of the best ensemble casts of the year. Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, Chris Messina, and Chris Tucker all give great performances here. Air is a crowd-pleaser in the mold of films we used to get in the 90s.
8. The Iron Claw
I grew up watching WWF with my dad in the 80s and followed wrestling through college. While I had heard of the Von Erich brothers, I didn't really know anything about their family and the tragedies that seemed to follow them.
The Iron Claw is not an easy watch, it's one of the more heart-breaking films of the year. The brothers thought their family was cursed because of all the bad things that kept happening to them, but the reality is they were cursed with a demanding and domineering father, played brilliantly by Holt McCallany.
The brothers dedicated their lives to impress their father and it destroyed them. The film does an excellent job of portraying the mental and physical toll wrestling takes on a person.
The entire cast is fantastic, but it's Zac Efron who stands out and gives the best performance of his career.
9. Mission: Impossible
Dead Reckoning Part One
Franchises aren't supposed to get better with age, but that's exactly what happened with the Mission: Impossible franchise. The first 3 films were just okay, but Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, and Fallout were all excellent. I didn't think we would get any more after Fallout, but I'm happy Tom Cruise loves making these films as much as we love watching them.
Dead Reckoning doesn't quite match Fallout, but it was some of the most fun I had at the movies this year. The film is bursting at the seams with insane action set pieces.
Adding to those scenes is the fact that Cruise is doing all the crazy stunts himself. The man is truly a cinematic treasure. As long as he keeps making them, I'll be there.
10. Killers of the Flower Moon
The fact that Martin Scorsese is 81 and still making movies at this level is pretty impressive. I applaud streaming services for luring directing talent like Scorsese and letting them bring their vision to life. That being said, the run time for Killers of the Flower Moon is excessive for even me.
As much as I enjoyed Killers, you feel every minute of the film's three-and-a-half-hour runtime. The film tells the true story of the oil-rich Osage people who are mysteriously being murdered one by one.
Leonardo DiCaprio turns in a fine performance. He contorts his face to deliver every line. The handsome actor we know and love disappears within minutes. That being said, it's relative unknown Lily Gladstone that steals the entire film. Her performance will stay with you long after the credits roll.
11. Godzilla Minus One
I hadn't even heard of Godzilla Minus One until about a week before it came out. I'm not a huge Godzilla fan, but the reviews were so good, I had to check it out.
I'm glad I did because it's one of the more surprising films I've seen in a long time. What makes Godzilla Minue One even more impressive is the fact it was made for a fraction of the budget of the recent blockbuster Godzilla films.
My main issue with many of the Godzilla films is you don't care about any of the human characters. You need someone to root for when the gigantic lizard starts stomping on people. That's where Minus One shines, bringing Godzilla back to its roots and telling the story of a disgraced Japanese Kamikaze fighter after World War II.
It's interesting to have this film and Oppenheimer on the same list, both films deal with post-war guilt.
12. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
I've loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since I was a kid, they will always have a special place in my heart. Unfortunately, the recent live-action films just didn't capture the Turtles like I knew and loved them.
Thankfully, Mutant Mayhem took what makes the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles great and just had a blast with it.
The Turtles actually feel like teenagers, which seems obvious, but that wasn't the case with the recent franchise. The film features a unique animation style that really sets it apart from other animated films. I had so much fun with this one and I can't wait for the next one.
13. Theater Camp
Theater Camp is a film I missed out on for Sundance this past year. I remember hearing a lot of good things and made sure to check it out once it hit streaming services.
Theater Camp is one of the more feel-good films of the year. It's really funny and has tons of heart. Theater people are a different breed and the film has a lot of fun poking fun at how odd and eccentric they are.
Even though they are putting on a kid's play at a summer camp, it's played like it's the biggest show to open up on Broadway, which makes it that much more funny.
14. Talk To Me
I didn't see many horror films this year. Most of what Hollywood pumps out is the same trash.
Thankfully, Talk to Me came along and really impressed me. It's not quite as good as It Follows or Hereditary, but it deserves to be mentioned alongside those films.
Talk to Me has an intriguing premise and nails how young people would react in a situation like this. Spoiler alert, it's not great. The film features one of the more memorable endings of the year.
15. Dumb Money
Dumb Money is one of those films where people will be like, "They made a movie about that? It was in the news for like 4 days."
Dumb Money tells the very recent true story of a bunch of average people who took on Wall Street stock gurus by buying stock in GameStop, a seemingly dying company.
At its core, the film is about David vs. Goliath. How a bunch of people banded together to take on Wall Street. Dumb Money stars Paul Dano, who is one of those actors who has been around forever and is still unknown by most people. As usual, he's fantastic here.