Welcome to my 2023 Fave Films list. This is my 13th year of doing this. 2023 was perhaps the worst year of my life. And I’m sure my drama affected what films I chose as my favorites. Perhaps more than any other year that I’ve done this blog, 2023 was more about escapism than anything else.
I don't think 2023 was a great year for film. At least ones that I really enjoyed. I had trouble picking 10 & I was planning to do a top 5 horror films as well as top 5 animated films list as well but I had to take 4 titles off of those lists just to create this one due to the lack of films of other genres that I wanted to include. But I think these 10 are probably the films I liked the best.
Last year my friend Eric Wilkinson, who I befriended in 2001 at the Seattle Film Institute, died in a car crash. He was from & lived in Oregon. Eric’s film blog was the biggest inspiration for my own & he was someone I greatly enjoyed discussing films with all year long. You can find Eric’s blog here: https://magnolia12883.wordpress.com/erics-bests/.
I say this every year but these were my favorite films of the year, not the ones I thought were objectively ‘the best.’ There are a number of highly-praised & award-winning titles not on my list. And that’s fine. I’ve probably seen most of them. All I’m really saying is in my humble, give these 10 a try & I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
My favorite feature films
This list is in order
All my reviews are spoiler-free
POOR THINGS
My favorite film of 2023 & 1 of only 2 on this list I’ve rated with a perfect 5 stars. Nominated for 11 Oscars & I hope it wins Emma Stone her 2nd best actress Oscar as well as best cinematography. Most other award nominations seem to be shared with OPPENHEIMER & I’ll be happy whenever that wins Oscars as well. ‘Frankenstein’ is one of my favorite novels of all time & this is an extremely funny, sometimes absurd, masterpiece & inspiration. I saw it twice in the cinema, something I rarely do. And I’ve already watched it again now that it’s online. Disney+ even, as of this posting.
Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos is no stranger to
these lists. Two of his previous films made my top-10 list (2018’S THE FAVORITE
& 2017’S THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER, which was my 2nd favorite
film of that year). Before that, 2015’S THE LOBSTER was a runner-up (top 15 –
many people love this film more than me and that’s OK). And this is my new
favorite film by Lanthimos (moving 2009’s DOGTOOTH to #2).
I saw this film in January & with an extreme level
of hype surrounding it. And it was better than I’d expected. I had no idea it
would become my #1 film of the year & would steal that title from
SPIDER-MAN (see below). I visited Lisbon, Portugal last year & was
enchanted by the imaginative creativity Lanthimos uses to depict that city. The
cinematography is my favorite of the year & extremely creative. And the
performances are superb. The script is clever & extremely funny. And the
music is other-worldly & paints the perfect tone for the story. And this is
British composer Jerskin Fendrix’s debut film as a composer. That’s crazy. And
what’s even crazier is that Lanthimos & Stone have already finished
shooting another feature film together called KINDS OF KINDNESS, which will be
released later in 2024. Perhaps we’ll find it here on next year’s list.
This was my favorite film of the year from June until the end of December. And it's the only other film on this list I've given a perfect 5-star rating to. It’s also the film I’ve seen the most times on this list (5 so far & counting). I was certain it would stay there. But then I saw POOR THINGS in January & that all changed. I actually love this one more than INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE a little bit. But they're both brilliant & I hope this also wins best animated feature at this year's Oscars. Sony-produced Marvel films with Spider-Man in them are no stranger to my lists & are always much better than anything non Spider-Man that Sony produces of the Marvel properties they still own. It's also interesting that at 2 hours & 20 minutes, this is the longest animated film ever produced by America. The MATRIX RELOADED-style, cliffhanger ending put some people off, but I knew about that going in & I didn't mind.
BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE is one of my most anticipated films of this year & I have little doubt you'll see it on next year's list as well. I haven't seen Hayao Miyazaki's THE BOY & THE HERON yet, but it winning best animated film would only solidify the master's decision to 'unretire' a good one.
OPPENHEIMER
Another masterpiece from Christopher Nolan. I give it 4.5 stars, removing half for the pacing of the last 30 minutes or so. I think it’s going to win the best picture Oscar as well as best actor for Cillian Murphy. It’s been nominated for 13 Oscars in total. I was lucky enough to see this in 70mm in Prague’s IMAX cinema (where I’d seen 6 of Nolan’s previous films), one of the only cinemas in all of Europe showing it in 70mm. People from around Europe were travelling to Prague just to experience it in 70mm & tickets were quite difficult to get for at least the first month of its release. This is also the first film shot on black & white IMAX film, which had to be made especially for it.
The all-star ensemble cast is brilliant & I hope Cillian Murphy wins the best actor Oscar. I think this performance, as well as in the TV series PEAKY BLINDERS for example, has solidified Murphy as one of the best actors working today. I do think this is perhaps the 'best' film of the year. And will win best picture.
SALTBURN
A black dramady from director Emerald Fennell, who won the Oscar for best original screenplay for her previous, debut feature film (2020’s PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN). I rate this film 4.5 stars & I’m shocked that it was completely overlooked by the Academy. No Oscar nominations. Not even for Barry Keoghan, the Oscar-nominated actor from THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN, who gives what I think was one of the best performances of the year. Certainly better than Ryan Gosling in BARBIE, for example. Jacob Elordi’s & Czech resident Rosamund Pike’s performances were also great. Maybe the Academy was just too freaked out by this disturbing & obsessive story. This film does for bathtubs (& freshly-dug graves) what CALL ME BY YOUR NAME did for peaches.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3
In this time of supposed ‘superhero fatigue,’ where most of Marvel & DC’s content has been quite lackluster, this gem (Infinity Stone pun intended) was very welcome. Though it’s not that surprising that James Gunn delivered a quality film in his beloved franchise, one of the very best in the MCU. I loved it more than 2, but a tiny bit less than 1. Making Rocket the focus of the story felt absolutely necessary & his tragic story brings a level of gravitas to the MCU unseen since ENDGAME. I laughed, I cried & I cheered watching this film & I currently have it ranked as my 7th favorite film in the entire MCU (part 1 is currently 6th). The soundtrack isn’t quite as iconic as part 1, though the same is true for part 2. But opening the show with an acoustic version Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ was an inspired choice.
For a Phase Four MCU production, I’m happy the film
isn’t crippled with some kind of shoehorned-in multiverse subplot that sets up
some upcoming film(s) & instead was allowed to be its own self-contained
story that beautifully wraps up this trilogy. I also loved last December’s
HOLIDAY SPECIAL on Disney+. One big criticism I do have with GUARDIANS 3 is the
character Adam Warlock, who I found disappointing. He is a major character in
the comic story of ‘Infinity War’ & introducing him after the conclusion of
that storyline onscreen doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I found the
character goofy & unnecessary to the plot of this film for the most part.
But perhaps he’ll redeem himself with his participation in the upcoming SECRET
WARS. I didn’t intend to include this film in my top-10, but after watching this 3 times now, I’m still looking forward to seeing it yet again. A
solid 4.5-star rating for the MCU canon.
GODZILLA MINUS ONE
This is one of the best Godzilla films ever made. A
4.5-star masterpiece of the franchise that is missing half a star because I
wish Godzilla had a bit more screen time & wish it didn’t take so much from
the 1954 original, which this film seems to be a soft reboot of. This and 2016’s
SHIN GODZILLA are like my 5th & 6th favorite films in
this franchise. In the world of this film, Godzilla is a brand new threat
because the film is set at the end of WWII. And it’s really a story of a
handful of characters struggling to rebuild their lives after the firebombing
of Tokyo & the PTSD of war. This is the first Godzilla film nominated for an
Oscar (for visual effects). 2023-2024 was & is a monumental time for
Godzilla. With this film, the great TV show MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS &
the upcoming GODZILLA x KONG film, we’ve never had so much Godzilla in such a
short amount of time. And I’m super excited for whatever is to come.
TALK TO ME
My favorite horror film of the year is this creepy
Australian production by 2 directors who had never made a feature film before.
Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou are both Gen Z YouTube content creators
whose only previous experience with the horror genre seems to be having worked
on the production crew of THE BABADOOK 10 years ago. This film’s story is
freaky as hell & the performances are genuinely disturbing. Actress Sophie
Wilde ‘embodies’ (pun intended) her character’s drama very convincingly &
disturbingly. And the film’s main prop, the severed white hand, is already an
iconic symbol of the modern horror genre. You can even buy it on Etsy, LOL.
As you can see, I’m only doing a top-10 this year.
There are 2 horror films on this list (see below for #2). But here’s a
shortlist of my next 3 favorite horror films of 2023 to round out the top 5: #3
WHEN EVIL LURKS, #4 THANKSGIVING & #5 COBWEB. If you only watch 5 horror
films from 2023, you could do a hell of a lot worse than those. Another film I
rate 4.5 stars.
INFINITY POOL
I’m going to be honest, these last 3 picks were chosen
out of a large ‘pool’ of films I rated 4-stars. So after some thought, I
decided to go with the next 3, which have stuck with me the most & I find
myself thinking about a lot. I love the concept of INFINITY POOL & it’s
similar in style to various similar novels I’ve read & other films I enjoy.
But the main thing about this film is the cast. I’m still on a Mia Goth high
after her two outstanding performances last year (in X and PEARL). And she’s
completely unleashed in this film. Alexander Skarsgård is an actor who I
respect the more I see him. He’s fantastic in 2022’s THE NORTHMAN & I loved
him in the TV series SUCCESSION. Rounding out the cast are many other great
performances by a string of actors nobody knows by name (yet?) so I won’t
highlight them here.
Director & writer Brandon Cronenberg is the son of
legendary director David Cronenberg & I included his previous film, 2020’s
POSSESSOR, on my list of 10-favorite horror films of that year. This is his 3rd
feature film & I’m happy he’s followed in his father’s footsteps of making
horrific thrillers that I really enjoy.
ALL OF US STRANGERS
This drama / fantasy / romance wouldn’t have made my
favorite film list in past years, nor would it have this year, had it not gut
punched me with its emotional poignancy due to current events. I lost both of my parents in 2023. My
father last May & my mother last September. And this not only affected what
films I watched & love, but which ones I connected with. Actor Andrew Scott
(of SHERLOCK fame) ‘time travels’ to spend time with his deceased parents in
this film and this story evoked such pathos within me that I couldn’t deny its
impact & rightful place on this list. I don’t fully understand the plot
exactly, nor can we rely on the objectivity of our narrator. It leaves us with
more questions than answers, but I think it’s more important to feel this film
than to understand it.
This is the first film by British director Andrew Haigh that I’ve seen. But his last 7 films all have high scores on IMDB. Actors Andrew Scott & Paul Mescal (Oscar-nominated actor of 2022’s AFTERSUN – another poignant film that affected me deeply & just missed my top-10 of last year) both give amazingly vulnerable performances. And I’m very excited about the upcoming 8-episode series RIPLEY that Andrew Scott stars in (playing Tom Ripley from the Patricia Highsmith novels).
