Even Barbie girls enjoy a little Murder on the Dancefloor
Shake your groove thing! It's late January, so that means my end of year film list is ready to boogie
What a year, huh? Between Marvel taking a sharp downturn in quality and dual actors and writers strikes — not to mention Tom Cruise dropping the worst Mission: Impossible flick since the second one — it’s been eventful.
Still, 2023 was an impressive year for film. No matter what genre you love, there are plenty of sensational movies to see. Below are my picks for the best films of last year and it’s a fairly wide-ranging field. For the record, I still need to see All of Us Strangers, Killers of the Flower Moon, and The Color Purple. Hope to rectify that soon.
ICYMI: Here’s my list for the best television of 2023.
The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster
A clever, sharp modern adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Laya DeLeon Hayes' raw, grief-stricken, rage-fueled performance as a teen brokenhearted over the death of her brother gives new life to the classic tale.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Judy Blume's seminal coming-of-age novel is exquisitely transferred from page to screen by writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig with wonderful turns by Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, and Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret.
Anyone But You
The death of the romcom has been greatly exaggerated yet again. This hilarious, sweet, bawdy adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is illuminated by the sparkling chemistry between Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell.
Blue Jean
A closeted teacher (played beautifully by Rosy McEwan) hanging out with friends in a gay bar in 1988 Britain spots one of her students in the crowd. A riveting, emotionally rich portrait of living as a queer person under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's rule.
Barbie
Greta Gerwig took what could have been an easy paycheck and gifted audiences with an iconic feminist tale for the masses. The world didn't realize how much it still needed the plastic iconoclast until it walked in her pink stilettos.
The Boy and the Heron
Grief, longing, and hope are the core themes of Hayao Miyazaki's resplendent semi-autobiographical animé. The emotionally turbulent tale tells of one boy's fantastical journey through the grieving process as he finds comfort in his family.
Dream Scenario
Everybody dreams. So, what would happen if everyone saw the same guy in their dreams? Writer-director Kristoffer Borgli's esoteric what if? quickly becomes nightmare fuel for the guy (a nebbish Nicolas Cage, delightfully off-kilter) and the world.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
One of the best surprises of 2023, this fantasy romp delivers on every level. From its enchanting cast — including standouts Chris Pine, Sophia Lillis, and Regé-Jean Page — to its jokes to its action set pieces. If you haven't seen it yet, roll the dice.
The Eight Mountains
A beautiful look at soul mates through a platonic lens. Luca Marinelli and Alessandro Borghi, as childhood best friends reunited as adults, convey so much with a look in Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch‘s stirring, epic ballad of friendship and abiding love.
Evil Dead Rise
The cabin in the woods gets swapped out for a tenement in the city yet the franchise doesn't miss a gore-drenched beat. Alyssa Sutherland's demonic mother is a soul-swallowing MVP along with writer/director Lee Cronin, who understands the value of a well-placed chainsaw.
Godzilla Minus One
Going back to basics has never been so good. Nobody does the atomic monster better than the Japanese as evidenced in this adrenaline-pumping, emotionally charged creature feature that nicely balances the thrills of Godzilla with a nuanced human story.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3
Marvel's ragtag group of outcasts say farewell in their own irrepressible fashion. James Gunn doesn't rely on punchlines and snarky comments as he reveals Rocket's tragic backstory while letting a river of emotion snake through this final mission.
The Holdovers
Melancholic, darkly funny, very human discourse that pulls together a cantankerous prep school teacher, a rebellious student, and a grieving cafeteria cook over the school's holiday break. This spiky yet tender concoction could only come from Alexander Payne.
M3GAN
There's more on screenwriter Akela Cooper's mind than cool kills at the hand of an AI-sentient doll — though you get those, too. Loss, family, work/life balance, being a woman in a man's world, and autonomy are also coded in to terrific effect.
Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan delivers one of his strongest films as Cillian Murphy executes a finely calibered performance as the so-called "father of the atomic bomb." Together, they craft a portrait that illustrates a driven man in conflict with himself and his creation.
Passages
Love may not be easy, but it becomes frustratingly complicated for the triangle at the core of Ira Sachs’ gloriously messy, horny, chaotic concoction. Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, and Adèle Exarchopoulos pulse with simmering electricity in this scathing relationship comedy.
Past Lives
Gorgeous, elegant narrative that perfectly realizes how the pull of the past can be seductive when love and rumination are involved. Greta Lee's luminous performance paired with writer-director Celine Song's sublime script results in a transcendent film.
Poor Things
Bold filmmaking has the power to take our breath away. Yorgos Lanthimos' latest is precisely that: breathtaking. Emma Stone's powerhouse turn as a young woman reborn is exhilarating. An intoxicating feminist celebration that enthralls as it entertains.
Priscilla
For once, we see the relationship between the former Ms. Beaulieu and Elvis from her perspective. Sofia Coppola's approach to the story — featuring an enthralling Cailee Spaeny in the title role — is refreshing, nuanced, and thoughtful.
Rye Lane
Two broken hearts unexpectedly connect as they spend the day walking around South London getting to know each other. Such a simple conceit begets an utterly charming and funny romcom with sparkling turns from Vivian Oparah and David Jonsson.
Saltburn
Emerald Fennell's follow-up to Promising Young Woman is a fabulous, debauched, twisted peek through the funhouse mirror of one wealthy family and the young man (a fantastically unhinged Barry Keoghan) who will do anything to be one of them.
Skinamarink
Lo-fi yet highly unsettling, this is one of those films that sticks with you long after you've seen it. Two kids wake up to find the doors and windows of their home are gone and their parents are nowhere to be found. The dread builds slowly until the tension threatens to suffocate.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
One of those elusive sequels that brilliantly expands on the original and takes full advantage of the art of animation to compose a thrilling and emotional tale that raises the stakes in every way. Easily the best superhero film of the year.
Suzume
Japanese films had a big year. This gorgeous, supernatural yarn about a teenage girl who falls in with an enigmatic young man as they travel around the country shutting doors that are unleashing disasters is a fun, wild ride filled with heart.
HONORABLE MENTION
Asteroid City; Bottoms; Chevalier; Emily; Infinity Pool; Joy Ride; The Killer; Maestro; Nimona; Of an Age; The Pale Blue Eye; Polite Society; Scream VI; Strange Way of Life; Talk to Me; Wonka; and You Hurt My Feelings.