After two abysmal years for cinema to start the 2020s, last year’s slate offered a strong comeback. I really enjoyed putting my list together for 2022 and consider it one of the stronger groups in recent memory. Unfortunately, 2023 took a step back in the wrong direction, though it didn’t quite sink to the lowly depths of 2020 and 2021.
Based on the many lists and articles I’ve read, it would seem that lots of people disagree and think 2023 was a great year for cinema. I wish I felt that way, but for me, the year was characterized by missed opportunities and disappointments, often fueled by poor writing (particularly ironic in a year when a long strike by the WGA showed how little Hollywood cares for writers).
Going into December, I had given up on the idea of writing a top ten list for 2023 – there simply weren’t enough movies worth writing about. This made me sad, since I really enjoy the process of compiling my list at the end of each year. Ultimately, I decided there were just barely enough good movies to justify the effort. But even though this is a relatively weak top ten, every film on here is at least worth watching and talking about.
10. BlackBerry (Matt Johnson)
Remember when checking emails on your phone felt like a revolutionary thing? For a brief, shining moment in time, the BlackBerry was the peak of cell phone technology and made up almost 50% of the market – until the iPhone came along and made it obsolete practically overnight. From Canadian writer/director Matt Johnson (who also plays the goofy but kind-hearted co-founder Doug Fredin in the film), BlackBerry charts the quick rise and even more precipitous fall of the world’s first smartphone.
It’s not the most surprising or exciting story, as it basically amounts to how a good idea can be driven into the ground by a combination of greed, naiveté, and the unrealistic demands of the financial marketplace. But while the film feels lacking in drama and suspense, it still manages to leave an impression thanks to a solid lead performance by Jay Baruchel and an explosive supporting turn by It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia star Glenn Howerton that’s worth the price of admission on its own.
9. Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese)
This was my most anticipated film of the year, hands down. A compelling and little-known true story about the systematic robbing and murder of the Osage Nation directed by Martin Scorcese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro – how could it not be a masterpiece? But sadly, as much as I wanted to love this movie, I found it to be very disappointing.
Based on a book by David Grann, the film tells the story of the Osage tribe, who became extremely wealthy after discovering oil on their land. However, it wasn’t long before greedy, evil white people started scheming to steal all the wealth through a series of manipulative marriages and brutal murders, robbing the Osage of what was rightfully theirs and leaving them with nothing. The sinister plan is led by King William Hale (De Niro), who enlists his nephew Ernest (DiCaprio) to help by marrying a rich Osage woman named Mollie (Lily Gladstone).
It sounds like a great movie and it could’ve been, but the telling of this story is riddled with flaws, chief among them the regrettable decision (seemingly spurred by DiCaprio) to tell the story from Ernest’s perspective. Ernest is a dull, one-note character who becomes extremely tiresome over the course of such a long movie – Hale is similarly one-dimensional, a banal portrait of evil. Not only are they boring characters, but we know all the details of their plan from the beginning of the film, creating a feeling of repetitiveness and inevitability that robs the story of any tension or momentum.
This is especially problematic considering the gargantuan three-and-a-half-hour runtime, which frequently drags in a way that The Irishman didn’t. The film moves in fits and spurts, often feeling like it doesn’t prioritize the right things. For example, Ernest and Mollie’s relationship never feels like it makes sense and the FBI investigation that ultimately uncovered the crimes is completely glossed over.
This really should be Mollie’s story and Gladstone gives easily the best performance in the film, which makes it all the more frustrating that she’s left underdeveloped and sidelined for a large portion of the narrative. Overall, Killers of the Flower Moon is well-shot, well-acted, and features some powerful moments – it’s certainly not a bad movie, but it could’ve been so much better, making it hard to not see it as a missed opportunity.
8. Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan)
Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite filmmakers and he’s made some genuine masterpieces (The Dark Knight, Inception, Memento) – however, I was left unimpressed by Dunkirk and outright hated the disaster that was Tenet. Oppenheimer represents a return-to-form of sorts for Nolan after two unsatisfying films in a row, but I still can’t say that I loved this movie the way most people seem to.
Part of the disconnect for me has to do with my own personal feelings – I simply do not care about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man who invented a weapon that killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people, nor can I empathize with him. I was bored for most of the first half of this movie, as Nolan’s script gets bogged down in long explanations of theoretical physics and underdeveloped, passionless romances. The three-hour runtime feels significantly too long for this story and I can’t say I felt that I understood or cared about Oppenheimer as a person any more at the end of the movie than I did going in.
However, there is still much to praise about this film. For starters, Cillian Murphy is terrific in the title role and the supporting cast is filled with great character actors doing solid work, including Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, and Benny Safdie. It’s also immaculate on a technical level, from its stunning cinematography and pitch-perfect set design to the jaw-dropping sound work and Ludwig Göransson’s pulsing, hypnotic score.
The sequence depicting the first test of the atom bomb is a master-class in suspense and the final hour of the film thankfully delves into the fallout and moral implications of what Oppenheimer did, ending the story on a chilling and thought-provoking note. Personally, I would’ve liked to see a lot more of that and a lot less about the creation of the bomb or the private hearing to revoke Oppenheimer’s security clearance. But even though I have some significant issues with the film and am not enthralled by it the way most people seem to be, it’s undeniably well-crafted and worth experiencing on the biggest screen you can find.
7. Sanctuary (Zachary Wigon)
Eroticism is a quality that I find to be sorely lacking in current cinema. For that reason, I found Sanctuary to be a refreshing and entertaining experience, despite its limitations. The bare-bones plot centers on Hal (Christopher Abbott), a shy and self-loathing man on the verge of inheriting the CEO position of a lucrative hotel chain from his recently deceased father. Knowing he’s about to be thrust into a position of power and fearing the public spotlight that will come with it, he attempts to end his long-time relationship with professional dominatrix Rebecca (Margaret Qualley).
Rebecca doesn’t take this casual dismissal well and demands compensation for helping Hal become the man he is today, saying he could never be a CEO without her. Things quickly get out of hand, escalating into blackmail and violence, as the intense power struggle between the duo threatens to upend both of their lives.
Sanctuary is about as simple and minimalist as a film can be, with all of the action taking place in a single room and only featuring the two main characters. However, it’s never boring thanks to the short runtime, clever script, and outstanding performances by the two leads. Qualley in particular is revelatory in a performance that’s sexy, frightening, and vulnerable all at once.
Ultimately, despite all the kinkiness that may make some viewers uncomfortable, Sanctuary is a genuinely affectionate love story between two broken people who are only right for each other. It’s unlike any relationship I’ve seen onscreen before and I hope it inspires other filmmakers to push the boundaries of conventional romance.
6. Thanksgiving (Eli Roth)
Of the several fake trailers made for Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s iconic Grindhouse double feature experience, Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving was my favorite of the bunch. Now, over 15 years later, Roth has expanded the idea into a feature-length film and it’s easily his best work to date. Though not as sleazy and shocking as the original trailer, Thanksgiving is a gory, hilarious blast of a movie that gleefully pays homage to the glory days of slasher cinema.
Set in Plymouth, a small town in Massachusetts that takes great pride in its Thanksgiving celebrations, the film begins with a bang as chaos erupts at a superstore on Black Friday. It’s an alternately hysterical and thrilling opening sequence, making you cringe at the behavior of the characters and wince at the unhinged violence that follows. By the time the title card filled the screen, I already knew I was in for a treat.
The plot quickly jumps to the following year, with the town still reeling from last year’s riot, yet planning to carry on with the usual festivities anyway. But suddenly, bodies start dropping all over town, victims of a killer who conceals his face with a mask of original pilgrim John Carver. It quickly becomes apparent that the killer has some sort of personal grudge related to the riot, as he targets a group of teenagers who were all there that night and played a role in escalating the situation.
If you’re looking for a great mystery or a genuinely frightening horror film, this isn’t it. But if you like horror that’s self-aware and takes a more comedic approach to the material, this is one of the best examples in recent memory. Featuring its fair share of laugh-out-loud one-liners and some genuinely creative, iconic kill sequences, Thanksgiving is the most fun I had in a movie theater last year.
5. Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)
The Palme D’Or winner at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Anatomy of a Fall is a ruthless and riveting French courtroom drama that puts a fractured relationship on trial after the husband (Samuel Theis) suspiciously falls to his death. When his body is discovered by the couple’s blind son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), it triggers an investigation that quickly casts suspicion on Sandra (a terrific Sandra Huller) and results in her indictment, with the lengthy trial leaving no stone unturned in the couple’s tumultuous past.
A successful writer who’s known for crafting fictional narratives that draw heavily from her real-life experience, Sandra is almost immediately vilified by the public and the prosecution, as details in her story fail to add up and surprising new evidence is discovered. From the beginning of the film, it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that she’s guilty – but is the case really that simple? Writer/director Justine Triet, along with her co-writer and real-life husband Arthur Hararri, dole out information slowly and methodically, casting doubt on what really happened and never offering a definitive answer.
Some viewers may find the ambiguity frustrating, but for me, it’s what makes the film a memorable and thought-provoking experience. Instead of a typical whodunit murder mystery, the script is more interested in how quickly people form assumptions without knowing the full context behind events, and how the process of being tried can irreparably shatter people’s lives regardless of what the verdict ends up being. When it’s impossible to ever know the truth of something, how do we decide what the truth is for ourselves? After giving us all the known details of the case, Anatomy of a Fall poses this difficult question to the viewer and asks them to form their own opinion.
4. The Boy and the Heron (Hiyao Miyazaki)
The twelfth and most likely final film from legendary anime director Hiyao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron is yet another transfixing, fantastical journey from an animator who remains unrivaled in his ability to conjure sensations of child-like awe. Each of Miyazaki’s films, even the weaker ones, give you the feeling of being pulled into a vivid dream and this one is no exception.
After losing his mother in a hospital fire, a young boy named Mahito is forced to move to the countryside with his emotionally distant father, who quickly gets remarried to the sister of his deceased wife. Unsurprisingly, Mahito isn’t quick to warm up to his new mother and struggles to fit in at school. After a fight in which he’s seriously injured, strange things begin to happen, including frequent visits from a talking grey heron. Eventually, Mahito decides to follow the heron into a mysterious tower that seems to be the gateway to another world, pulling the boy into a hallucinatory odyssey that will teach him many things about himself and the mother he lost.
As viewers have come to expect from Miyazaki, the quality of the animation is top-tier and the sheer imaginativeness of the world-building is staggering. It’s probably one of the most beautiful-looking animated films that I’ve seen and features a mature, complex story to go with it. In fact, the film is layered with personal meaning to the point that I know I’ll need a second viewing to fully absorb it.
Released in Japan under the much-cooler and more appropriate title How Do You Live?, the 83 year-old filmmaker uses this dark fable of a movie to reflect on his own legacy and challenge his audience with that very question. In a world filled with darkness and despair, is it possible to build a reality that’s pure and untouched by evil? According to Miyazaki, the best way to start is to embrace the people you have in your life, learning to love and accept them for who they really are.
3. Dream Scenario (Kristoffer Borgli)
Featuring the most bizarre and mind-bending narrative of the year, Dream Scenario mixes elements of science fiction, absurdist comedy, social satire, and even a bit of psychological horror into an unforgettable experience that stayed in my thoughts well after the credits rolled. Touching on themes including the fickle nature of celebrity, the cynicism of advertising, the hive mind effect of social media, and more, it’s a movie that gives the audience a lot to think about while also never failing to entertain.
Nicholas Cage gives one of the best performances of his career as Paul Matthews, a sad sack college professor who doesn’t seem capable of commanding much attention or respect from anybody. Suddenly, everything changes when people start claiming that he’s been appearing in their dreams, including many who he’s never met. This bizarre and inexplicable phenomenon (the script wisely never offers a reason why it’s happening) thrusts Paul into the spotlight and turns him into a celebrity almost overnight.
Rather than acting cautiously or questioning the situation, Paul revels in the newfound attention, seeing it as a springboard to help him achieve his unfulfilled professional ambitions. Before long, his presence in others’ dreams evolves from a passive bystander into an active participant, with results that range from hilarious to deeply disturbing as Paul quickly learns that fame doesn’t come without consequences.
To say anything more would be revealing too much – this is an unpredictable film that holds many surprises in its clever, intricate script. Filmed in an unconventional, surrealist style that blurs the line between what’s real and what’s imagined, Dream Scenario repeatedly disorients the viewer all the way up to its bittersweet and moving conclusion – a final scene that suggests if there are no happy endings in real life, at least we can create one in our dreams.
2. Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos)
Yorgos Lanthimos is undoubtedly one of the most unique filmmakers working today, though I mostly haven’t been a fan of his previous films. He finally won me over with Poor Things, a demented comedy and witty feminist parable that’s unlike any other film I’ve seen. With its gorgeous cinematography that evolves from stark black-and-white to eye-popping color and its inventive set design that blends Victorian era society with a sci-fi steampunk aesthetic, it’s the most visually striking movie of the year.
But as stunning as the craftsmanship behind this film is, what really makes Poor Things a memorable experience are the delightful characters, impeccably brought to life by some phenomenal actors. Emma Stone gives the best performance of the year (and her career) as Bella Baxter, an adult woman with the brain of an infant child. It’s an incredibly challenging role that requires the star to fearlessly bare her body and lose all recognizable traces of herself, from her voice to her appearance to the way she moves, as Bella gradually learns about the world and her place in it.
Willem Dafoe is equally brilliant as Godwin, who Bella amusingly calls “God”, the mad but tender-hearted scientist who gave Bella life and desperately tries to protect her innocence. But as Bella gradually becomes aware that there’s a whole world outside of the carefully maintained bubble she’s been kept in, she insists on seeing it for herself and embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery that opens her eyes to the joys of sexual pleasure and friendship, as well as more serious topics including the horrors of patriarchal society and the injustice of economic inequality.
Joining Bella on this journey is Duncan (Mark Ruffalo), a shallow and manipulative womanizer who only grows more loathsome and pathetic throughout the film as he realizes that the seemingly innocent and naïve Bella isn’t so easy for him to control. Ruffalo strikes comic gold in a role that seems way against type for him, completing a trifecta of award-worthy performances from this stacked ensemble. Offering a rare combination of rich characters, dreamy visuals, sharp social commentary, and gut-busting laughs, Poor Things is an enchanting fairytale that you won’t forget.
1. Monster (Hirokazu Kore-Eda)
Who’s the monster? The newest film from acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-Eda (Shoplifters) asks that question several times over the course of its runtime without ever providing an answer – it’s up to the viewer to decide for themselves and your answer is likely to change several times. One could even argue that there isn’t a monster in this story at all, as the deceptively layered script shifts perspectives throughout, revisiting scenes through the eyes of different characters to give them new meaning until the whole truth is finally revealed.
The plot centers on Minato (Sōya Kurokawa), a young boy who has lost his father and seems to have emotional issues of some sort. His mother Saori (Sakura Andō) grows suspicious of her son’s strange behavior and when she finally confronts him, he reluctantly admits that he’s being abused by his teacher, Mr. Hori (Eita Nagayama). Saori complains to the school about her son’s abuse and is outraged when Mr. Hori suggests that Minato isn’t a victim at all, but has in fact been bullying another student, a social outcast named Yori (Hinata Hiiragi).
To say anything more would spoil the film, as the story keeps you questioning who’s telling the truth and what’s really going on until the very end. Perhaps the real monster is the audience, as we’re quick to judge the characters and form conclusions about what’s happening before we really know the motivation behind their actions. Wonderfully acted and backed by a gorgeous piano score from the legendary Ryuichi Sakamoto (his final film credit), Monster is a quietly devastating, deeply human film with a haunting conclusion that lingered in my thoughts for days.