After watching over 300 films in 2023, here are my 10 best of the year:
10. Bottoms
Streaming on: MGM+, Fubo
Available for rent on: Apple TV, Amazon, YouTube
Quote: “You don’t care about feminism. Your favorite show is Entourage!”
The plot: Two high schoolers start a fight club so they can hook up with cheerleaders. That sounds like a ridiculous premise, right? But it’s comedy gold in the hands of actor Rachel Sennott and director Emma Seligman. The duo behind Shiva Baby is back for another hilarious boundary-pushing feature. PJ (Sennott) and bestie Josie (Ayo Edebiri) take extracurricular activities to the extreme. Bottoms is a wickedly sharp satire of traditional teen comedies, poking fun at tropes and gender norms. The jokes are fierce and funny. Plus, who doesn’t want to see Marshawn Lynch as a clueless teacher? That alone is worth the price of admission.
9. Reality
Streaming on: Max
Quote: “I’m not trying to be a whistleblower. That’s crazy.”
Reality is so well crafted and pays such attention to the details that it feels like a documentary. The feature film uses actual FBI transcripts as source material from the day of Reality Winner’s arrest in 2017. It’s also because Sydney Sweeney is so believable as the former National Security Agency contractor who pled guilty to charges connected to leaking classified information. She was sentenced for printing and releasing documents related to Russian interference in the 2016 US election. Sweeney earns her paycheck because she’s in almost every scene as the 26-year-old Air Force veteran. She succeeds because her version of Reality feels real.
8. Asteroid City
Streaming on: Amazon
Available for rent on: Apple TV, YouTube
Quote: “We’re just two catastrophically wounded people who don’t express the depths of our pain because we don’t want to.”
Wes Anderson’s play within a movie is an ambitious and gorgeous look into the creative process. Asteroid City is unlike anything you’ve seen. There’s so much going on and so many famous people in this film that sometimes it’s a little difficult to keep up. However, at the heart of it all is a story about learning to deal with grief. Augie (Jason Schwartzman), father of three, is mourning the loss of his wife. He’s also in the middle of an absurd situation as he encounters an alien and is stuck in a town under military lockdown. Visually, this movie is a joy to watch.
7. The Holdovers
Available: In theatres
Available for rent on: Apple TV, Amazon, YouTube
Quote: “I find the world a bitter and complicated place, and it seems to feel the same way about me.”
Who could have predicted that Paul Giamatti would star in the best Christmas movie of 2023? This is Giamatti’s first collaboration with director Alexander Payne since Sideways (2004). It’s also probably his best performance since then and is worthy of an Oscar nomination. Nobody portrays nuanced, cynically depressed characters quite like Giamatti. The holidays are not a happy time for many people. Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and newcomer Dominic Sessa play a trio who form an unlikely friendship while stuck together on campus at a prestigious New England prep school. While The Holdovers is set in the 1970s, the themes of loneliness and loss are timeless.
6. A Thousand And One
Streaming on: Amazon
Available for rent on: Apple TV, YouTube
Quote: “They’re not breaking us up this time.”
You won’t find a movie with a more shocking plot twist. We won’t spoil it for you, but what makes it more stunning is that A Thousand and One is not a mystery or thriller. It’s a drama about a single mother set in New York City at the dawn of gentrification in the 2000s. Teyana Taylor is exceptional as Inez, who has recently been released from prison. As soon as Inez is free, she illegally takes her child out of the foster care system to raise him on her own. A Thousand and One takes a hard look at what it means to be a good parent and the definition of family.
5. Oppenheimer
Available: In theatres
Available for purchase on: Apple TV, Amazon, YouTube
Quote: “They won’t fear it until they understand it, and they won’t understand it until they’ve used it.”
This biopic about the father of the atomic bomb sparked conversations about the terrible weapon and the man behind it. It also reestablished Christopher Nolan’s cinematic clout. It’s the third-highest-grossing film of 2023 behind Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Nolan takes you into a world you haven’t seen before and leaves you surprised at every turn. Plus, like any great director, he gets the best out of actors. Cillian Murphy’s career-best performance as Oppenheimer is only surpassed by Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss. Yes, the sex scenes are weird, and there should have been some scenes from the Japanese point of view. But warts and all, Oppenheimer is impressive.
4. BlackBerry
Streaming on: AMC+
Available for rent on: Apple TV, Amazon, YouTube
Quote: “You want to be great, you need to sacrifice. The more painful the sacrifice, the greater you’ll be.”
The rise and fall of the original smartphone is a terrific tech story. Young innovators create something cool. Powerful business people use it to disrupt a long-established marketplace. And eventually, what was once new suddenly becomes obsolete when something better comes along (the iPhone). BlackBerry isn’t just educational, it’s entertaining with oddball characters and one outrageous one. Glenn Howerton deserves a Best Supporting Actor nod for his role as Jim the expletive-spewing executive who works with inventors Mike (Jay Baruchel) and Doug (Matt Johnson, who also serves as the director and cowriter). Jim is frustrated by their naivety but also exploits it to make himself wealthy. BlackBerry will remind many of The Social Network.
3. Barbie
Streaming on: Max
Available for rent on: Apple TV, Amazon, YouTube
Quote: “Humans have only one ending. Ideas live forever.”
Greta Gerwig was the biggest winner in Hollywood in 2023. The filmmaker exceeded expectations by delivering the highest-grossing film of the year and the most financially successful movie ever by a female director. Beyond the money, Barbie is a wonderful experience that everyone should see. It delivers clever and funny commentary in bright pink packaging. Kudos to Mattel for staying out of the way and letting Gerwig tell a story about feminism, sexism, and the patriarchy that never felt preachy. Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (Ken) brought Gerwig’s vision to life with humor and heart. Barbie is a cinematic triumph and connected with an audience that was ready to embrace it.
2. Killers of the Flower Moon
Available: In theatres
Available for rent on: Apple TV, Amazon, YouTube
Quote: “Coyote wants money.”
Martin Scorsese’s interpretation of David Grann’s 2017 bestseller of the same name is a worthy companion piece. While the book unfolds as more of a mystery, the villains in the movie are revealed from the start. Scorsese wasn’t interested in making a whodunit regurgitation. His three-hour, 26-minute epic is about telling the stories of the people connected with one of the saddest chapters in United States history: the murder of the Osage Nation Native Americans who were once the richest people on the planet per capita. Killers of the Flower Moon features solid performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, but it’s Lily Gladstone who seems like a slam-dunk Oscar nominee.
1. Polite Society
Streaming on: Amazon
Available for rent on: Apple TV, YouTube
Quote: “Ms. Khan, would you say a career as a stuntwoman is a serious one?”
Polite Society is a delightful, action-packed, martial arts ode to sisterhood. The relationship between siblings can both be loving and complicated. Ria (Priya Kansara) is a teen who dreams of being a stuntwoman. Lena (Ritu Arya) is an art school dropout. Their tight bond is challenged when older sister Lena agrees to marry a handsome doctor and move from England to Singapore. This would strain a close relationship under the best conditions. But there’s something strange going on, and Ria is determined to literally fight for her sister. If you love Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Kill Bill, and Get Out, this movie is for you.
