Best movies of 2023
After multiple years disrupted by COVID, the movie year of 2023 finally felt like normal. The majority of the 100 or so movies I saw last year were in a movie theater. I skipped most of the obvious junk too, so my cinema experiences skewed mostly positive.
More significantly, I struggled to narrow my “Best of” list. I’m also still patiently waiting for a few of the year’s most acclaimed films to reach the Inland Northwest (including “The Zone of Interest” and “All of Us Strangers”).
Like last year, I chickened out of ranking my Top 10 Favorite movies, opting instead for an alphabetical list. My Honorable Mention section (ostensibly my 11-20ish titles) is also presented in a separate alphabetical list.
Onto the Top 10, with notes in italics regarding where to watch the movies.
American Fiction
Jeffrey Wright, one of our best character actors, shines in a rare lead performance as an author balancing a fizzling career with the emotional and financial responsibilities of caring for an aging parent. His solution arises from what begins as a joke: Frustrated by bestsellers on the market about stereotypically “black” experiences, Wright’s Monk quickly crafts what he perceives as the most pandering, offensive version of that type of book. It sparks a bidding war and becomes a cultural sensation.
Writer/director Cord Jefferson’s feature directorial debut splits its time between biting satire and intimate domestic drama, as Monk’s strained relationship with his siblings (including Sterling K. Brown and Tracee Ellis Ross in superb supporting roles) further complicates his struggle to care for his dementia-stricken mother. It’s a savage takedown of popular culture’s simplistic attempts at tolerance even while telling the kind of nuanced, character-driven story that almost never makes it to the big screen anymore. Expanding in theaters this month.
Anatomy of a Fall
French director Justine Triet’s thrilling courtroom drama presents a complex murder trial with the energy and sophistication of the movie its title references (1959’s “Anatomy of a Murder”). German actress Sandra Hüller (in the year’s most enigmatic performance) plays a novelist accused of pushing her husband out of a window to his death. The movie never overtly reveals her guilt or innocence, leaving the audience to judge her every word and expression, just as those determining her fate in court.
The film’s presentation of the French court system (which allows for dramatic fireworks only possible here in an Aaron Sorkin script) is fascinating on its own. Triet elevates the movie further by examining a strained marriage and whether any outsider can make sense of a relationship’s best and worst moments. Available on digital rental platforms.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
A warm and wonderful adaptation of the beloved 1970s YA novel by Judy Blume, courtesy of director Kelly Fremon Craig, who made another fantastic coming-of-age film in 2016 called “The Edge of Seventeen,” starring Hailee Steinfeld.
Set in 1970, “Margaret” lovingly captures the awkward, sometimes awful, sometimes monumental feelings of being a middle schooler. Abby Ryder Fortson anchors the movie in the titular role with grace and natural charisma, alongside a full cast of talented young performers. The adults, particularly Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates as Margaret’s mother and grandmother, respectively, fill their supporting roles with heart-wrenching depth and empathy, even with limited screentime.
While lovingly depicting its time period, this adaptation of “Margaret” captures the timelessness and genius of Judy Blume. Available on rental/purchase platforms and streaming on Starz.
Asteroid City (and Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl shorts)
Audiences know Wes Anderson by his intricately detailed compositions, to the point where some now dismiss his complex storytelling prowess. Especially since 2014’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Anderson layers his movies with stories-within-stories that attempt to humanize the most abstract of human struggles and even the mysteries of the universe, as “Asteroid City” introduces a visitor from another planet.
While “Asteroid City” remains an enjoyable comedy, Anderson expands and recontextualizes many themes from his previous films, arriving at a conclusion that deepens his entire filmography. Anderson appears to be talking to himself when one of his “Asteroid City” characters says, “Keep telling the story.”
As a bonus, Anderson also made four ingenious short films for Netflix this year based upon some lesser-known short stories by Roald Dahl. The longest and richest, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” might finally net the filmmaker a long-overdue Oscar this year. The shorts feature narration and storytelling techniques unlike anything else on the streaming platform, all while remaining distinctly within Anderson and Dahl’s creative visions. Asteroid City is available on rental/purchase platforms and streaming on Amazon Prime. The Roald Dahl shorts are streaming on Netflix.
Barbie
Yes, the box office champion of 2023 is also one of the best-made movies of the year, courtesy of writer/director Greta Gerwig’s commitment to a confident vision that approaches Barbie from both loving and critical perspectives. The movie celebrates the most idealistic concepts of the property without ignoring its cultural shortcomings, all while delivering the most laughs-per-minute of anything else this year.
A movie as popular as “Barbie” inevitably attracts some haters, but it’s especially notable to see those attacks coming from two different extremes — those who think the movie is a man-hating oversimplification of toxic masculinity and those who think the movie doesn’t go far enough with its feminist ideas. Those opposing criticisms, to me anyway, demonstrate the film’s universal greatness. Asking for the ideal “Barbie” movie that satisfies both its devoted fans (including young children) and its detractors is basically the definition of an impossible task for Hollywood. And yet, “Barbie” resonated with so many different types of viewers, including myself and my “Barbie” doll loving daughters.
Anyone else other than Greta Gerwig would have, at best, made a movie as simple (and forgettable) as this year’s “Super Mario Bros. Movie” — a commercial product solely designed to sell toys. The fact that “Barbie” is about so many things, and can incite so many opinions, while also being kid-friendly, visually dazzling, and consistently hilarious, is a miracle. Available on rental/purchase platforms and streaming on Max.
The Holdovers
Given the sorry state of holiday-themed movies manufactured by profit-minded streaming services, it’s unfair to categorize “Sideways” filmmaker Alexander Payne’s intelligent and soulful drama “The Holdovers” as a Christmas movie. The snowy backdrop of the movie, focusing on a handful of students and a prickly history teacher (Paul Giamatti) circa 1970 who are forced to stay on the grounds of their private prep school over holiday break, certainly fits the bill of “sad indie Christmas movie.” That description, however, undersells the depths of Payne’s character exploration.
Giamatti, fantastic as usual, anchors the film alongside newcomer Dominic Sessa, an unruly teenager abandoned by his mom for holiday break in favor of a new lover. Giamatti’s unpleasant instructor eventually reveals his kind (ish) heart, and the unlikely pair bond together as well as alongside the school’s bereaved head cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph, in an Oscar-worthy performance).
The movie earns its holiday vibes by taking its time exploring relationships. While not exactly “feel-good,” it genuinely tugs the heartstrings in all the right ways. Available on rental/purchase platforms and streaming on Peacock.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Another masterful epic from Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon” gambles on a unique structure to expose one of America’s darkest and largely ignored tragedies. It follows the white perpetrators of a mass killing of members of the Osage Nation, with Leonardo DiCaprio as the foolish henchman to Robert De Niro’s soft-spoken, murderous mastermind.
Then there’s Lily Gladstone as Mollie, the Osage wife of DiCaprio’s opportunistic sleazeball who learns far-too-late of the evil lurking within her chosen family. Gladstone’s performance eventually becomes the compass of Scorsese’s sprawling, three-and-a-half-hour epic. For as long as “Flower Moon,” is, Scorsese’s sharp pacing and editing choices are incisive and thrilling.
Most importantly Scorsese proves to be acutely aware of his status as an outsider telling the story of American greed erasing its cultural history. The final sequence (in which the director himself briefly appears) might be the most powerful ending of anything in Scorsese’s career. Available on digital rental/purchase platforms and streaming on Apple TV+.
May December
Somehow both devilishly funny and heartbreakingly earnest about its famous tabloid inspiration, “May December” showcases a meticulous balance of tone that can only be accomplished by someone as meticulous as director Todd Haynes (“Carol,” “Far From Heaven”).
Melodramatic only on its surface, the film investigates the stunted maturation of a taboo relationship between Joe (Charles Melton in a breakout performance) and the much older Gracie (Julianne Moore, reliably fantastic). Thrown in the middle is an attempt to exploit the relationship as an entertainment commodity (in the form of Natalie Portman’s starlet-turned-wannabe “serious” actor, Elizabeth).
The airtight screenplay by Samy Burch provides a field of landmines in which other filmmakers might trip into mean-spirited camp. Haynes, however, finds humanity and tragedy within a relationship that most would dismiss as merely predatory. Available to stream on Netflix.
Past Lives
The unforgettable feature debut from writer/director Celine Song, “Past Lives” tells the story of a childhood connection cut short, only to be revived again years later under the strain of dramatically altered circumstances.
When old classmate Teo Yoo (Hae Sung) reappears in Nora’s (Greta Lee) life, she’s happily married to Arthur (John Magaro) and living thousands of miles away from her long-dormant life in Korea. While not quite romance-centered like Richard Linklater’s “Before” series, “Past Lives” injects the same kind of quietly kinetic, “walk-and-talk” energy to a story about lingering attachments and the “could-have-been” alternate timelines that cloud current and future relationships. A low-key film with a quietly devastating and complex finale. Available on rental/purchase platforms.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
In a year overstuffed with bad-to-forgettable superhero projects, “Across the Spider-Verse” delivered cinema spectacle while remaining focused on its rich characters and dazzling animation style. With a cliffhanger to rival “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Across the Spider-Verse” introduces novel, spectacular special effects at a steady pace and deepens the coming-of-age journeys for Miles Morales and Gwen Stacey, spider-people from different dimensions who separately struggle with fragile relationships with their respective father figures.
Epic, breezily funny, and backed by a propulsive score and sound design, “Spider-Verse” also delivers a sprawling climax that serves as the ultimate celebration of superfan Spider-nerdom (there’s even a T-Rex version of Spider-Man apparently!). Yet it never loses sight of Miles and Gwen, proving that the best approach to these comic-inspired blockbusters is a commitment to the emotional growth of their loveably flawed protagonists. Available on rental/purchase platforms and streaming on Netflix.
• • •
Honorable Mentions — The 11-20 (ish) best movies of 2023
Another helping of great movies, again listed alphabetically, because measuring such diversity against itself seems arbitrary.
Bottoms
The absurd and deeply hilarious high-school comedy from Emma Seligman will likely soon be labeled a cult-comedy classic in the vein of “Wet Hot American Summer.” Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri deserve to be stars, here playing high schoolers who start a female fight club for horndog reasons. Huge bonus points for casting Marshawn Lynch as a disinterested P.E. teacher with his own relationship problems. Available on rental/purchase platforms and streaming on MGM+.
Dream Scenario
Nicolas Cage appeared in six movies in 2023, all of varying quality. The best one, “Dream Scenario,” features an understated Cage performance as an unhappy college professor who inexplicably begins appearing in humanity’s collective dreams. Writer/director Kristoffer Borgli’s script takes some sharp turns from there that evoke the warped mind of Charlie Kaufman. In theaters and available on digital purchase/rental platforms.
Fair Play
A psychological thriller where lovers played by Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich find themselves competing for dominance at their workplace (a cutthroat hedge fund firm, of course). Gender dynamics at the office begin to take a toll on their romance, leading to a dazzling and provocative final act. Available to stream on Netflix.
Godzilla Minus One
Long live the King of the Monsters. The latest Japanese entry in the iconic “Godzilla” franchise ditches the goofiness to tell a mournful story (a tone inspired by the 1954 original) about a failed kamikaze pilot suffering through the fallout of World War II (and a pesky, murderous lizard). Director Takashi Yamazaki frames the human drama with spectacular and genuinely terrifying monster action on a relatively tiny budget. In theaters.
The Iron Claw
A wrenching-but-well-executed tragedy that details the “cursed” lives of the Von Erichs, a wrestling family of brothers led by a never-better Zac Efron. The fact-based tale by Sean Durkin (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”) avoids pandering histrionics but nevertheless packs a haunting gut punch. In theaters.
John Wick: Chapter 4
The hyper-violent franchise meets its apex with “Chapter 4,” a two-and-a-half-hour spectacular filled to the brim with one unforgettable fight sequence after another. Keanu Reeves is action-hero royalty for the stairway sequence alone. Available on rental/purchase platforms and streaming on Starz.
Oppenheimer
The other half of “Barbenheimer” is a stunning technical accomplishment from Christopher Nolan, who crafts a three-hour biopic about the creator of the atomic bomb with the intricately detailed bombast of his best sci-fi/superhero output. Available on rental/purchase platforms.
Polite Society
An energetic family comedy about two sisters (one a failed art student; the other a wannabe stuntwoman) who stumble into a martial arts extravaganza. An assured and entertaining feature debut from Nida Manzoor (creator of the series, “We Are Lady Parts”). Available on digital rental/purchase platforms and streaming on Amazon Prime.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Armed with a distinct, “unkept” animation style and a charismatic young cast of rambling teenagers, “Mutant Mayhem” is the first “Ninja Turtles” film since the 1990 original to fully engage the charm and depths of the franchise’s origins. It’s fast, funny, and character-driven, with a vocal performance by martial arts legend Jackie Chan adding surprising heart to the project. Available on rental/purchase platforms and streaming on Paramount Plus.
A Thousand and One
The feature debut from writer/director A.V. Rockwell won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance last January and has endured as a sensitive and surprising drama about a struggling single mother (played by should-be Oscar contender Teyana Taylor) who decides to kidnap her son out of the foster care system in late-90s New York City. Available on digital rental/purchase platforms and streaming on Amazon Prime.
Even more Honorable Mentions: “Flora and Son” (on Apple TV+), “Poor Things” (in theaters), “Rye Lane” (on Hulu), “Saltburn” (on Amazon Prime).
• • •
Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.
