2023. The year of Barbenheimer weekend. I’ll never forget that. It was a fun year with lots of good, some bad, and not too much ugly. I saw 136 new movies. From Otto to that purple color, here is my official top ten.
Top Ten Movies of 2023
1. POLITE SOCIETY – The first A I gave in 2023. It’s fun, exhilarating, funny, and sweet. It’s simultaneously a cultural celebration, a martial arts movie, and so much more. The leading lady is adorable. It has style for miles – the kind that makes me think of Quentin Tarantino. I’ve seen it twice. It’s everything you’d want in a breezy, entertaining “Blockbuster night.” It’s my best movie of the year.
2. THE HOLDOVERS – This year’s warm hug. The wintry locations and the well-rounded soundtrack are equal to the performances and substance of the movie. I was hoping it would stick around in theaters at least through Christmas, because it’s a perfect holiday movie. I think I will watch it every year.
3. PAST LIVES – A touching, honest, wise, forthright look at roads not taken, and thoughts of “what if I did this other thing instead.” An interesting discussion-starter for those who have seen it.
4. BLACKBERRY – An emotionally charged, high-paced, fast-talking look into the cutthroat business behind the phone you used to have before you got the thing you’re probably reading this on. Glenn Howerton gives my favorite supporting performance I’ve seen in any movie these last few years. For 23 years, I’ve compared movies to Boiler Room – another favorite. I wondered if there would ever be another Boiler Room. It has not only met its match, but its superior, with BlackBerry.
5. MASTER GARDENER – The gardening stuff alone would have made a great movie, but writer/director Paul Schrader has more in store for us – including forgiveness and the navigation of redemption after a crime/hatred-filled past. That Schrader is still working at his age is a gift. That he is bringing us a story like this one, all the more.
6. ANATOMY OF A FALL – A man plunges to his death from the attic window of his house in the snowy mountains. His wife is the only other person in the house the moment it happens. We never find out what really happened. The movie starts by displaying the URL didshedoit.com, where we can cast our vote, and see the ongoing verdict, percentage wise. In the meantime, we get a courtroom drama, a forensic/“true” crime analysis, and input from psychologists. It’s a varied, eclectic movie that has the courage to let us decide the main plot point.
7. MAY DECEMBER – When you have Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore in a movie, and neither one is the best performance in it, you know you have something special. Charles Melton is an obvious staple in my Best Supporting Actor roster. This is a quirky, interesting film with plot details that unfold evenly. It keeps you leaning forward with engagement.
8. POOR THINGS – A unique feminist Odyssean tale with visuals and a score that look and sound not of this world. It’s my favorite screenplay of the year – as smart as it is sneaky-funny. This is the best performance of Emma Stone’s career. Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe are also high in their games.
9. SALTBURN – A wickedly humorous, dark, decadent journey from writer/director Emerald Fennell. I liked it better than her Promising Young Woman. You won’t believe some of the stuff you will see, and just about every shot is a work of art. I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I saw it.
10. OPPENHEIMER – I was going to finagle this one into my top ten list no matter what. One reason is the staying power I believe it will have. I can see this standing the test of time, and becoming one of the next big epic classics, like The Shawshank Redemption. Perhaps, like Shawshank, it will be on regular TV often and you’d be flipping through, and have to stop and watch. Otherwise, it’s a masterful, never boring biopic. Robert Downey Jr., aged up and unrecognizable, gives us one of his best performances. Cillian Murphy and the large cast make the whole thing one for the books.
Final Grade Tally
My most given grade, as always, is B, with 27.
B- is a close second place with 26.
C+ has 17, and C has 14.
A- and B+ are tied, with 12 each.
C- has 11.
A, the coveted grade, made it to double digits with 10.
D+ has 3.
D and D- are tied with 2 each.
I didn’t give an F grade this year. The last F I gave was the Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde, in 2022. That was a fun review to write.
The Honorable Mentions
Two movies were in the top ten, but got the wrong end of the Sophie’s choice, and got knocked off the list in the last month of the year. Asteroid City is Wes Anderson’s best movie since The Royal Tenenbaums. It’s refreshing, funny, and finally after 22 years, I didn’t feel like it was being gimmicky or him coasting (though make no mistake, it’s a typical Anderson film). Landscape With Invisible Hand is a futuristic sci-fi movie, and it’s bursting with originality.
Other great ones:
After nearly 3 whole months into the year, and almost nothing higher than a B, along came Moving On at the end of March, and it was delightful.
Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman did nice work in Zach Braff’s A Good Person.
Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid was my first A- of the year. It’s a hypnotic lengthy journey, featuring Joaquin Phoenix, Nathan Lane, Patti LuPone, Richard Kind, and a very memorable Parker Posey.
Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal – great actors and pretty people – starred in the intriguing Foe.
Strays was a hoot.
Pixar’s Elemental and Disney’s Wish are wonderful animated movies.
The Guilty Pleasures
Infinity Pool. Mia Goth has infinite courage, and this is some of the most disturbing imagery I’ve seen.
Beautiful Disaster and See You On Venus. These two go together.
Talk To Me. Solid horror from A24.
The Royal Hotel. A slow-burning thriller about sexism and micro aggressions.
Eileen. Wintry, noir thriller.
Bottoms, Totally Killer, and Five Nights at Freddy’s. Awesome campy fun.
The Multitaskers
These actors caught my attention in more than one film this year. They were a pleasure to see in 23. Here’s hoping we enjoy them more in 24.
Tom Hanks (A Man Called Otto, Asteroid City)
Virginia Gardner (Beautiful Disaster, See You On Venus)
Florence Pugh (A Good Person, Oppenheimer, The Boy and the Heron)
Will Ferrell (Barbie, Strays)
Margot Robbie (Asteroid City, Barbie)
Willem Dafoe (Inside, Asteroid City, The Boy and the Heron, Poor Things)
Carey Mulligan (Saltburn, Maestro)
Heather Graham (On a Wing and a Prayer, Best. Christmas. Ever!, Suitable Flesh)
Nathan Lane (Beau Is Afraid, Dicks: The Musical)
Shailene Woodley (Dumb Money, Ferrari)
Jacob Elordi (Priscilla, Saltburn)
Kylie Rogers (Beau Is Afraid, Landscape With Invisible Hand)
Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid, The Color Purple)
Happy New Year, everyone. Thank you for being on this journey with me.
Mark
Film Reviews by Mark 
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