Last year, I wrote an article ranking every 2022 release I saw. I wrote about 21 movies, and it was quite a daunting task at the time. This year, I watched 47 2023 movies. I was considering just doing a top 15-20 or something, but where’s the fun in that? I want to discuss everything, from the horrible to the mediocre to the amazing. So, I’m going to talk about every single 2023 release I watched, a decision I will probably come to regret. Don’t be surprised if I don’t write as much about a film as I usually would; generally for lists like this, I’d write a long paragraph discussing my thoughts on the film, but I’m working on a time limit, so a few sentences is probably the best you’re going to get. So, without further adieu: every 2023 film I watched, ranked from worst to best.
47. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (1/10)
What could have been a pretty fun slasher is instead a soulless, pointless, and lazy horror flick to capitalize off of a property recently gone public domain. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey is as bad as you’d expect, and has some of the dumbest scenes I’ve ever witnessed in a horror movie. There is already a sequel in development with a much larger budget, so maybe they’ll give us something slightly better than this, but my hopes aren’t high. This is a complete abomination, and aside from a few funny scenes, I can’t even recommend it as a ‘so-bad-it’s-good’-type watch.
46. Meg 2: The Trench (3/10)
The Meg movies seem like they’d be something that I would really enjoy: stupid action movies that don’t take themselves seriously at all. Unfortunately, they just end up being the most mindless, uninspired, and frankly boring action films that are a complete slog to get through. This was a grating experience in the theater; after seeing a 3d showing of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (more on that later), I got to sit through another 3d showing for this movie, as it was the only time that lined up, and me and my friend wanted to knock them both out in a day. I wound up with a mild headache and a generally annoyed mood for the drive home. I did not enjoy a single moment of Meg 2, and I sincerely hope that a third one never gets made, because I would probably end up seeing it.
45. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (4/10)
Ruby Gillman is one of the worst animated films I’ve seen in a long time. It is a completely shameless ripoff of Pixar’s recent Turning Red, an actually good kid’s movie that I enjoyed quite a bit. The only reason I saw this is because of Regal’s ‘Monday Mystery Movies’, and me and my friends had a very difficult time not just leaving the theater. We ended up sticking it out, but I honestly almost wish we hadn’t. I’ve already used the word ‘soulless’ once or twice in this article, but it’s very true here. This is the most forgettable animated movie of the year, and I really don’t see a reason for anybody to watch this. Just watch Turning Red instead; you will not regret that decision.
44. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (4/10)
If I had to pick a top three popular franchises that I could not care less about, it would probably be Doctor Who, One Piece, and Transformers. This series has never interested me; even when I was younger, I thought it was pretty dumb. I’ve never seen any of the Michael Bay entries, and don’t plan on it anytime soon. The 80’s animated movie is… fine, and Bumblebee is pretty solid, but beyond that, I just don’t care. The only reason I saw this is because it’s a soft reboot, and my friend is a fan. I didn’t care for Rise of the Beasts at all, and it’s probably better than any of the Bay movies. I really don’t have much to say about it- it’s a pretty boring action movie with a few good songs here and there. This movie left my head the second I exited the theater, and I have no desire to ever watch it again.
43. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (4/10)
I’ve already written an article about this one, so I’ll keep it brief, but this is the worst Marvel movie we’ve gotten in a while. Phase Four was a very lackluster portion of the universe, and this beats Eternals for the worst thing that’s come from it. It completely undermines the previous threat that Kang brought, and basically killed that whole story arc that was planned (in addition to the controversy surrounding Jonathan Majors).
42. 65 (4/10)
A complete dud that has already been completely forgotten, 65 is an hour and twenty minute long movie that feels like it’s two hours. A completely unremarkable experience, 65 will bore you from beginning to end; it’s a film born to rot on Netflix for years to come. The plot is uninteresting, the characters are extremely forgettable, the two generally good main cast members are not giving their usual quality performances, and the action never even attempts to do anything memorable. It’s astonishing to me that this film managed to get a release outside of February, as it tried to compete with Creed III, for some reason.
41. Paint (4/10)
Another one that I ‘got’ to see because of Regals’ Monday Mystery Movies, Paint stars Owen Wilson in a very obvious Bob Ross parody. This is not a funny movie; I might have laughed once. Everything about this films seems extremely phoned in. The cast, directors, writers, and everybody else really didn’t seem to care; if 65 was born to only live on Netflix for the next ten years, this was born to live in the Walmart ‘fake movies’ section, as I like to call it, next to hits such as Dinosaur Hotel and The Witch Part 2: The Other One.
40. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (5/10)
There were a few DC movies that came out this year. None of them were good, but this was my least favorite one. I like the original Shazam!; it’s a cute movie that tries really hard, and I can appreciate that. This one is basically the same as the first, but if nobody tried. It’s not that bad, but you will completely forget about it the day after you saw it.
39. Blue Beetle (5/10)
I enjoyed Blue Beetle about as much as I enjoyed Shazam! 2, but I only rank this one higher because you can tell that at least a little bit of effort was put into it. I know that a lot of people liked this one, but I really don’t understand why. The family dynamic here is definitely the highlight, but the occasional fun interactions between them can’t save what is a very sloppy film. I didn’t care about anything present in Blue Beetle, and don’t really need to see it again. This is one of the most down-the-middle, 5/10 movies I can think of; it’s not necessarily bad, but I just am not interested in what it has to offer.
38. Five Nights at Freddy’s (5/10)
I am not by any means a Five Nights at Freddy’s fan. I have always found the series to be very stupid, and have rolled my eyes at its fans in the past. However, the jokes about it can be very funny, so I had to watch it with friends when it debuted on Peacock. This is a very mediocre pg-13 horror movie, and something very suitable for the many nine-year-old fans of the franchise. I still do not care about this series, and even though I will probably end up watching the already announced sequel, no future movie or game will turn me into a fan. This film also caused the resurgence of Josh Hutcherson, an actor that annoys me for a reason that I cannot describe.
37. The Flash (5/10)
While many moments in this are among the worst of the year, the rest of The Flash was not good, but more enjoyable than DC’s other attempts this year. Right off the bat, you have The Flash stuffing his face, saving CGI babies that look worse than the one in Twilight: Breaking Dawn and putting one in a microwave, a true abomination of an action scene that is also very funny. Any moment where The Flash travels between dimensions contains some of the worst CGI I’ve ever seen; it’s actually pretty impressive just how much money was spent on a movie that looks as bad as this. It genuinely just looks like an Injustice cutscene (the first one, not even the second one). And, of course, everything that takes place after the final battle starts is pretty horrible, especially when they do their big Endgame moment. The highlight is definitely Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, but since Warner Brothers is Warner Brothers, we’ll probably never see her again.
36. The Boogeyman (5/10)
I was kind of excited for this one at first; the trailer seemed like a slightly above average pg-13 horror, and the poster was genuinely really good. This ended up being a very lame copy of The Babadook; imagine if that movie had all of its good performances, camerawork, characters, and tension removed, and you have The Boogeyman. Apparently, this is based on a Stephen King short story that I wasn’t aware of, but the movie honestly didn’t even get me interested in reading it, and I’m a King fan. This is definitely one you can skip, even if you’re a horror fan. Just like many films towards the bottom of this list, it’s extremely forgettable, which is unfortunate; it has potential, and could have ended up being a halfway decent diet-Babadook.
35. The Last Voyage of the Demeter (6/10)
You’ll probably notice that many of this year’s horror efforts are all in a row. The Last Voyage of the Demeter was a very odd August release, and probably got a lot less traction because of this. It’s a perfectly fine movie, but one that drags on for at least fifteen minutes too long. It tells a part of the Dracula story that’s never been told in full length before, but I think there’s a reason as to why that is. Movies like Bram Stoker’s Dracula mostly skip over this portion of the story to get to the more important moments, and I think this would’ve been better if it just focused on them. The ending hints towards the rest of the story and a potential sequel (which will never happen), and I kind of just wish the whole movie had been about that.
34. Insidious: The Red Door (6/10)
I binged the entire Insidious franchise before this came out, and while they’re not very good, I do like all of them. I think the first one is pretty solid, and the rest aren’t great, but this was a solid entry, probably the second or third best of all of them. I definitely like it less than I did when I first saw it- it’s a borderline 5/10, but I’m still a fan of this series, and I appreciate the direction that this one decided to take. It was very nice to see the Lamberts again after two movies being mysteriously absent of them, and I was happy to see Patrick Wilson direct this one; he’s put a lot of time into the franchise (and the very similar Conjuring franchise), so the fact that he was given the directorial position is pretty neat. It’s not great, but I really like it for what it is. I really hope that this is actually the final entry for the series, as it brought back the fan-favorite characters for a look at them in their future, and gives us a much better finale than what is essentially two side stories with Chapter 3 and The Last Key.
33. Cocaine Bear (6/10)
Some claim Cocaine Bear to be an insult to cinema, and some see it as a dumb fun horror-comedy; I most definitely fall into the latter group, and had a lot of fun laughing at it with friends. I understand not being entertained with by its extreme stupidity, but I find the people that get upset by this film’s existence to be a little annoying. It’s literally called Cocaine Bear. What do you expect? It’s very funny that this movie exists, but I found the absurdity of the whole film to be very entertaining. It’s a super gory, funny, and extremely dumb film that probably shouldn’t be watched with anybody but your friends.
32. A Haunting in Venice (6/10)
I enjoy Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot films- they’re kind of like if the Knives Out movies weren’t masterpieces. This is a bit of a hot take, apparently, but I think they’ve gotten a bit worse with each entry. I still liked A Haunting in Venice, but I just didn’t have as much fun with it as the first two. However, there are many aspects about this one that outclass the first two in every way; it’s shot very well, the performances are good, and I really like the more horror-like tone they go for. I definitely don’t think they go far enough with the creepiness of it, but I still appreciate the attempt at it. I do have to question a few things about it, though. For example, what is Tina Fey doing in this? I like Tina Fey, but she is completely out of place here. I think that this could have easily been the best of the series if they just took the creepier atmosphere a bit far. The signs of a better movie are there, but it just doesn’t deliver on what it could be.
31. Renfield (6/10)
I found Renfield to be a pretty fun twist on the typical Dracula story. This is not what I would call a ‘good movie’, but it’s certainly one that I enjoyed, and it gets a higher ranking because of that. Cage makes for a great comedic Dracula, as expected, and the whole movie was stupidly charming enough to win me over. My main problem with Renfield how inconsistent it can be; sometimes the jokes are really funny, and sometimes they just do not land. Sometimes the blood and gore looks fine, and sometimes it looks like some of the worst blood effects I’ve ever seen. But, despite my complaints, the movie has heart to it, and the dynamic of Renfield and Dracula is a lot of fun to watch. Some of the fights are standouts too- they’re really dumb, but in the good way. For example: there’s a scene where Renfield kicks a table through a person.
30. Thanksgiving (6/10)
This movie came out of nowhere, but ended up being one of my favorite horror films of the year. I had no clue that Eli Roth, of all people, had made a Thanksgiving-themed slasher until it released, and I ended up seeing it the day before Thanksgiving, because how could I not? My biggest compliment of this movie is that it’s what I’d call the first landmark slasher of the decade. Since the subgenre’s inception, each decade has had various notable slasher movies, and this is the first one I can think of that left an impact this decade. It scratches the itch many of us feel for a simple Scream-style teen-slasher-mystery, and provides some very creative kills. This one is not for the squeamish; I know that Eli Roth is famous for this, but Thanksgiving has some pretty nasty moments. I was pleasantly surprised by this, and would not mind making pairing it with Knives Out for a regular Thanksgiving watch.
29. No One Will Save You (6/10)
This ranks above the other middle-of-the-list horror films because of how much I respect the swing it takes. There is not a single line of dialogue present in No One Will Save You, which I did not know until I was already watching it, and made for a slightly confusing first twenty minutes. The first half is genuinely pretty scary, and is one of the most tense movies I watched this year; it’s very unpredictable, and keeps you on the edge of your seat for a good while. Kaitlyn Dever is fantastic, and I’m become a fan of hers recently (Booksmart is great, and you should check it out). Its an odd casting at first glance, but she absolutely nails it. I was very much enjoying the first fifty minutes or so, and would’ve given it a strong seven or eight out of ten, but the film quickly jumps the shark once it reaches the halfway point. It just takes it way too far, giving us a lot more information about the alien threat than we need. If this film wanted to be unsettling all the way through, it should not have introduced any alien life forms beyond the basic one that we first see. That one was already creepy enough, and showing us other stupid-looking CGI aliens takes away from how much I liked the first portion.
28. Gran Turismo (6/10)
After seeing the trailer for this about twenty million times, I decided to actually see Gran Turismo, and was somewhat surprised. It’s certainly not great, but it’s not the complete dumpster fire I expected. It’s a perfectly fine racing movie that tries really hard to tie into the PlayStation licence, and ends up being very unintentionally funny. I was expecting Gran Turismo to be towards the bottom of this year’s list, but I honestly had a lot of fun watching it. Even if Sony has only produced one genuinely good adaptation of their video games so far, I’d like them to make more, as I really love a lot of their games. This is a fairly entertaining film that you’ll probably forget about in a day or two, but it’s not something you’ll hate sitting through.
27. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (6/10)
So, it actually came out: the fifth Indiana Jones film, teased and rumored for years, actually happened, and everybody seemed to instantly forget about it. Dial of Destiny cost a whopping $295 million to make, and that is the main reason it failed at the box office. I’ve discussed this recently, but Disney needs to find a way to control their budgets soon, or they’re just going to keep making flops. Now, is this movie bad? No, it’s not. It’s actually a pretty good time. I have been a very big fan of this franchise for a long time; Raiders of the Lost Ark is in my top three movies, Harrison Ford is one of my favorite actors, Indiana Jones is one of my favorite characters, and I was Indiana Jones for Halloween one year. I don’t go as crazy for them as I used to, but I still love the series a lot, and was looking forward to this new film. I wasn’t expecting it to be great, but I was still excited to watch it nonetheless. Dial of Destiny ended up being what I expected, and I’m honestly kind of fine with that. It’s an entertaining blockbuster that brings back a character I truly love one final time, and I’m sure I’ll watch it plenty more whenever I decide to revisit the series.
26. The Marvels (6.5/10)
Just like Dial of Destiny, The Marvels ended up being exactly what I expected, and once again, I am fine with that. People have been praying on this movie’s downfall from the beginning, and I never understood the hate train directed towards it. Aside from the nonsensical sexism directed towards the film and its cast, pretty much everybody unanimously agreed that this looked bad. I always thought it looked like a lot of fun, with a cast of characters that would be easy to love. And guess what? I was completely right. This is a pretty easy to digest movie, and I honestly had a lot of fun with it. The only reason this movie doesn’t suck is because of the cast; the main trio has so much chemistry with each other that it astonishes me how we didn’t see them in a scene together before this movie. Nobody saw this, so if you decided to skip it because everybody said it was bad, I encourage you to watch it before it leaves theaters. In a year filled to the brim with box office bombs, this is bombing hard, and it deserves at least a little more recognition.
25. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (6.5/10)
While my initial enjoyment of this film has gone down a bit, I still think The Super Mario Bros. Movie got way too much hate. It’s probably just the Nintendo fan in me, but I really liked seeing this with my family when it came out. There’s really not much to say here, but there’s a lot to love if you like Mario. The voice acting is surprisingly pretty good, the animation is gorgeous, the jokes can be pretty funny every now and then, and there’s a lot of references for those of us who enjoy Nintendo.
24. Elemental (7/10)
Elemental is one of the most forgettable films Pixar has ever made, but it’s still good. While it can be very generic at times, the amount of love put into it is still obvious, and it’s hard to not smile a few times when you watch it. The biggest compliment I can give it is its animation style; Elemental is quite possibly the best looking film Pixar has ever made. The environments are beautifully detailed, and the characters all look amazing. When compared to some recent Pixar hits like Soul and Turning Red, it becomes difficult for Elemental to stand out; however, if you think of it on its own, separate from any other recent Pixar movie, you can see the aspects that make it special.
23. Circus Maximus (7/10)
Probably the weirdest movie on this list, Circus Maximus was something I was very interested in checking out. If you’ve never heard of it, this is a companion piece to Travis Scott’s recent album, Utopia, with several music video portions, and a live performance portion. The first half of Circus Maximus provides some of the most visually interesting music videos I’ve ever seen, probably because Trav managed to somehow get Nicolas Winding Refn, Harmony Korine, and Gaspar Noe to direct individual segments. That is an insane lineup, and I have to put some respect on this movie just for it. I’m also just a big fan of Travis’ music, so getting to re-experience many songs from an album I absolutely loved was a real treat, especially when the videos are as cool as they are here. Unfortunately, after the fantastic first half hour or so, it transitions to Travis performing about a third of the album like a live show, and this is the rest of the movie. It’s still fun to watch, but was a pretty underwhelming finale to something I really enjoyed. This is definitely worth your time if you’re a fan, but I would not recommend it if you’ve never listened to Travis.
22. The Creator (7/10)
The Creator was one of the most promising releases of the year. I wouldn’t say it disappointed, but it certainly was not nearly as good as it should have been. This is a pretty safe sci-fi action film, and doesn’t really attempt to do anything we haven’t seen before. That’s not to say it’s bad, I just wish it had been more memorable. I keep finding myself forgetting about this one, which is a shame, since it was one of my most anticipated of 2023. There are still a lot of positive things about it though; it’s gorgeous to look at, with some of the best shots of the year. I really like the design of a lot of the futuristic stuff, too- the robots, guns, and ships have a really unique look to them that the rest of the film doesn’t. I know that I just completely trashed this film, but I did still like it. It ranked above a few movies that I probably enjoyed watching more; I just wish it went a bit farther.
21. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (7/10)
Similar to The Creator, I was pretty disappointed by Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. I wrote a whole rant article about this one back in May after I saw it, and while I’ve come around a bit, I still stand by a lot of the claims I made in that review. The first two Guardians movies are easily my favorite MCU films, and some of my personal favorite superhero movies in general. This third entry did not give me a satisfying conclusion for any of these characters, and just didn’t have the sense of finality that it needed. I saw it a second time after I wrote that review to try and see what so many do see in this, but I just can’t. I think that all of my problems with this movie can probably be traced back to Infinity War and Endgame. I love those movies, like any normal person, but they screwed up Gunn’s original vision, as Disney messed with these character’s fates so much that it was impossible. How am I supposed to be content with Gamora’s character arc when it’s not the Gamora we know in this third entry? I do admire how Gunn was able to get around this problem and still make a good movie, but it’s really just not the same as the first two. So many people have told me about how some of the more emotional moments in this film completely destroyed them, but it just was not at all the direction I wanted Gunn to take it. I’ve become a lot less critical of Guardians 3 as time has passed, but I still think that it could have been so much more, and given me the emotionally satisfying ending that these characters deserve.
20. Creed III (7/10)
I quite like the Rocky/Creed franchise. Three of them are incredible, a handful are mediocre but really fun, and a couple are pretty bad. I’m happy to report that Creed III falls somewhere in between the first two categories; it’s a pretty impressive directorial debut for Michael B. Jordan, and kept me entertained throughout. However, if Jordan wants to keep audiences for Creed IV, the series needs big, sweeping changes. The Rocky formula has become very stale, and it’s time for something new. I liked this movie a lot, but I’m starting to need something more than each movie introducing a new bad guy that initially beats the main character before being conquered in the end. Ultimately, this one is saved by the performances and the action. Jordan and Majors are really good here, and bring a lot of energy to their characters. The fights are not by any means the most emotionally satisfying of the series, but they are among the coolest of them. I was initially skeptical of them when Jordan claimed they would be ‘anime-inspired’, because I was just confused as to what he meant. This ended up just meaning that they had more energy to them, and the punches had a lot more weight. When Adonis gets punched in this movie, he gets punched; you can almost feel it when you watch this in a theater. It’s not the best of the franchise, but still a solid entry that I didn’t regret making a trip to the theater for.
19. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (7/10)
I was pretty surprised by this one; I generally wouldn’t care about anything Ninja Turtles-related, but when I saw how much love was clearly being poured into it, I decided to give it a shot. It’s not a masterpiece or anything, but this is a very solid animated action film. It utilizes the recently popular ‘cel shading’ animation style (or the Spider-Verse style if you don’t know what I’m talking about), and anything that uses this style instantly grabs me. I didn’t love The Bad Guys last year, but I still liked it because of this style. Mutant Mayhem changes up this formula a lot by just making everything look gross, but not unappealing, if that makes sense. The character and environment designs are often intentionally nasty, but creative and energetic enough to still be fun. This is a really easy watch if you’re a fan of the Turtles, or if you just appreciate good animation.
18. Air (7/10)
While it’s not as good as it could have been, Air is still a very good time. The all-star cast carries what is in reality not the best script; they all bring a lot of energy to their roles, and you can tell that it’s basically just a bunch of friends having fun making a movie together. Much of this film is composed of shots of people dressed in 80’s clothes or driving 80’s cars while Ben Affleck’s Spotify playlist plays, and I don’t really have a problem with that. This is a great example of solid ‘dad cinema’, and I can always get behind a good dad movie.
17. Knock at the Cabin (7/10)
This film has received criminally low reviews; this is a very good Shyamalan sci-fi thriller. I went in completely blind, which is the method I would recommend to anyone wanting to check this one out. Dave Bautista once again proves to me that he is by far the most talented of the wrestlers-turned-actors, and gives a really good performance here. It’s nice to see Shyamalan make another good film after the recent disaster of Old, but he’s always been a very hit or miss director. It’s a tight 95 minutes, it’s suspenseful, it’s shot very well, and there are good performances all around. Great movie.
16. Scream VI (7/10)
Due to the unfortunate recent death of the Scream franchise, I now treat this as if it’s the final entry in the series. If you’re not aware, the main actress, Melissa Barrera was fired due to her support of Palestine, and Jenna Ortega quickly left after this. The seventh film, which I refuse to support until Barrera is rehired, will now be a reboot of sorts, and they’re trying to get Neve Campbell to come back after skipping on VI. It’s embarrassing for Spyglass Entertainment to have done this, and shows the true colors of those in charge. (Sorry to go on a tangent like that, but this is an important topic, and I haven’t had an opportunity to address it). Anyways, back to VI– as a fan of this franchise, I did enjoy this a lot, although it’s not without its issues. If last year’s fifth entry was meant to be a soft reboot of the original, this is definitely meant to share a lot of attributes with Scream 2; it does, but that also means that they share a lot of the same flaws. This is still a good entry in the series, but it doesn’t quite compare to how good the last two were. However, as a finale, I think it works quite nicely.
15. They Cloned Tyrone (8/10)
This one came out of nowhere for me, but I ended up liking it a lot. They Cloned Tyrone is definitely one of the funniest films of the year, and it went in a lot of directions that I did not expect at all. It’s nice to see John Boyega getting some non-Star Wars work after they screwed over his character so badly; he really shines in this role, and has really great chemistry with Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Paris. This one flew under the radar for a lot of people, so if you didn’t get to it or just never heard about it, I definitely recommend checking it out. It’s on Netflix, and provides some great comedy with an interesting story.
14. The Killer (8/10)
I’ve also given detailed thoughts about this one recently, so I’ll keep it brief, but The Killer is a great unexpected comedy. This has been a year full of directors commenting on their own careers, and while this isn’t the best of the films that do this, it provides the best commentary. David Fincher is fully making fun of those that worship films like Fight Club that miss its true meaning, and I really appreciate that. This is also on Netflix right now, so I recommend checking it out while the conversation around it is still hot.
13. Priscilla (8/10)
Sofia Coppola is a director whose filmography I haven’t really delved into, but I did not particularly enjoy Lost in Translation. I was interested in this film, but I figured I’d just watch it when it came to streaming services. However, a desire to visit the theater on a Sunday afternoon led to Priscilla, and I was pleasantly surprised. This is a very respectful look into Priscilla Presley’s life, and how she was basically groomed by Elvis from a very young age. There’s a lot of media covering Elvis, and very little of it seems to want to touch on this topic, so it was very nice to see Coppola take a shot at it.
12. Asteroid City (8/10)
I’ve become a Wes Anderson fan over the past year, all because of this film. I watched all but three of his movies in preparation for Asteroid City, which ended up being a good move, as this is meant in part to be a reflection on his career. If you’re an Anderson fan, you’ll probably love this; it’s probably the most Wes Anderson-y of the Wes Anderson filmography, except for maybe The Grand Budapest Hotel. I liked it a lot, and would probably place it among his three best. His casts always have a lot of big names, but this one is a little ridiculous; Asteroid City stars Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Maya Hawke, Tom Hanks, Steve Carell, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Margot Robbie, Jeff Goldblum, and probably ten other big names, all in both major and minor roles. I enjoyed it enough to see it twice in the theater, and would definitely rewatch it again soon.
11. Napoleon (8/10)
Ridley Scott’s latest historical epic has been widely panned for its almost comedic historical inaccuracies, but I honestly found it to be really good. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this is the man that directed Gladiator. He has made it extremely clear many times that he does not care about historically inaccurate content or what people have to say about his movies, so I find it completely pointless to even try to complain about it for these reasons. If you watch it from this standpoint, it’s easy to appreciate everything else that makes this film work so well- the performances are among the best of the year, the battles are intense and brutal, the costumes and sets are very impressive, and it never drags on despite the somewhat lengthy runtime. Honestly, I don’t get why more people aren’t loving this like I did. It’s exactly what I expected and wanted it to be, which is a movie focusing more on the person napoleon was rather than a documentary about the Napoleonic Wars.
10. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret (8/10)
Another release that flew under most’s radar, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret surprisingly ended up being one of my favorites of the year. A strong cast mixed with a very heartfelt story and a passionate director made for a great adaptation of Judy Blume’s classic novel. I have not yet seen The Edge of Seventeen, but Kelly Fremon Craig did a really good job here, and it’s obvious how much love she put into it. Everybody is very good in this, but I think that Rachel McAdams is the real standout. I believe that she’s one of the most entertaining actresses we have right now, as she always brings so much energy to roles like those in About Time and Game Night. This story is generally seen as something that a young teenage girl would read, but I honestly believe that most could watch this film and enjoy it. I’m clearly not the target audience, and I thought it was fantastic.
9. Talk To Me (8/10)
A film that I was completely unaware of until its release, Talk To Me ended up being one of the most original horror films in years. I was very impressed by first time directors Michael and Danny Philippou (better known online as RackaRacka)’s efforts. The premise already sold me from the start, but what really grabbed me was the film’s ambiguity. It reminded me of It Follows in this way; many key plot points and events are left up to the viewer’s interpretation, making it a lot more fun to speculate about with other people.
8. Barbie (8.5/10)
Here’s the one you’ve really been waiting for- Barbie. Everybody saw it, most loved it, and it became the highest grossing movie of the year. I am not exempt from the first two categories- I saw it twice, and thought it was absolutely hilarious. Greta Gerwig is a very talented person, and I have appreciated her work ever since I first watched Lady Bird. Barbie is being submitted for a few Oscars, which I find a little odd, but I think that it genuinely deserves a nomination for costume and production design. This film’s production literally caused a shortage of pink paint, and I think that should be recognized. This is a very easy movie to enjoy, and I’m very happy to see it do so well at the box office. The jokes around the whole Barbenheimer thing may have gotten a little old, but the impact it left on the industry is genuinely very important. It proves to these studios that audiences want original scripts and premises, not just constant superhero movies.
7. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One (8.5/10)
Just like Insidious, I binged all of the Mission: Impossible movies that I had somehow never seen in a week to prepare for this film’s release, and became an instant fan. This is a great entry in the franchise, probably ranking at #2 among all of them. Even amidst the whole scientology thing, Tom Cruise somehow continues to be one of the coolest people alive, and he pulls off some ludicrous stunts. The two and a half hour runtime flew by, and I was left wanting more. I’m very excited for whenever the second part decides to release, and am very interested in how they’re going to close out the series.
6. Evil Dead Rise (8.5/10)
This was exactly what I want out of new Evil Dead movies: 90 minutes of pure suspense, terror, and gore. While it’s not quite as brutal as 2013’s remake, Rise is still downright disgusting, a staple of any Evil Dead movie. We’re apparently supposed to be getting these every couple of years now, which I am very excited about. The series has had a pretty inconsistent release schedule throughout the years, and I will be very happy if we continue to get ones this good that often.
5. Oppenheimer (9/10)
A film that I desperately need to rewatch, Oppenheimer was probably the most highly acclaimed film of the year. I thought it was brilliant, and Nolan has once again proved himself to be one of the most talented directors we have, even if many film buffs will point to him as a ‘baby’s first director’. That may be true, but there shouldn’t be negative connotations associated with it. He’s widely praised for a reason, and Oppenheimer showed off how much talent he truly possesses. Honestly, my only complaint is that it felt a little short. That may be an odd critique for a three-hour movie, but I just wanted to see a bit more development between Oppie and characters like Jean and Kitty. However, that’s the only real criticism I can give it. This will probably be bumped up to a 10 upon rewatch, as I couldn’t fully take it in the first time, but I’m still very happy that Nolan was able to provide a biopic this good.
4. Skinamarink (9.5/10)
Skinamarink is one of the most polarizing movies I have ever seen. Many people have a very strong hatred for this, claiming that ‘nothing happens’ and that it’s ‘a collection of still shots’. The other half seems to be on the flip side, and we claim it to be one of the most terrifying movies ever made. Personally, no other piece of media has instilled the very specific feeling of dread in me that Skinamarink did. I have no issue calling it the scariest movie I’ve ever seen. The best way to experience this is to go in completely blind, like I did, in the darkest environment possible. I would not recommend a watch before 9 PM, as it just won’t feel quite the same otherwise. Silence your phone and give Skinamarink your complete and undivided attention, allowing the atmosphere to completely overtake you. It’s the only way to truly experience this film, and if it works for you, you will be gifted by a truly disturbing experience.
3. Killers of the Flower Moon (9.5/10)
Killers of the Flower Moon is probably the most moving film of the year. In a daunting runtime of three hours and twenty-six minutes, Scorsese shows the extremely upsetting story of the Osage murders, which took place over several years, and resulted in the violent killings of sixty Osage Native Americans. It’s all presented in a very respectful manner, and Scorsese’s wish to spread more awareness about the massacre is clear. I wrote a whole article about why this film is important, so I won’t give the whole spiel again, but don’t be scared off by Killers‘ length. It goes by very quickly, and I felt that it utilised every second very well.
2. Beau is Afraid (9.5/10)
I am a self admitted Ari Aster worshipper, so it was no surprise that I loved Beau is Afraid. It’s very confusing and very stressful, and I really admire the tone that Aster sets. It’s not explicitly horror like his previous works, containing a lot of drama and comedy elements, but it’s still very unsettling at times. I wouldn’t call Beau is Afraid disturbing, but it literally made me sweat from stress at one moment. I’ve really never seen anything quite like this, and it only makes me more excited for what Aster has for us in the future. He has a tendency to create ‘therapy session movies’, where he works out his own personal issues and traumas on screen, and this is by far the most extreme example of that; I would pay a lot of money to be able to sit down with Ari Aster’s mother and have a conversation with her. I love his style of filmmaking, and this allowed him to stretch his legs a bit and explore some areas besides horror. I don’t know where he could possibly go as a filmmaker after something like this, but I’ll be seated for it day one, just like I was for Beau is Afraid.
1. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (10/10)
It may be a basic choice, but I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t my absolute favorite of the year. Like many, Spider-Man is an important character to me, and these Spider-Verse movies are probably the best pieces of Spider-Man media that have ever existed. I’ve been seeing a little too much hate directed towards this recently, so I really want to drive home how good this movie is. The complaint of ‘it’s not a complete story’ is ridiculously stupid, because it’s a two-parter! This film stands on its own, and it would still be a masterpiece if Beyond the Spider-Verse decided to never release. You don’t ever see these criticisms for something like Deathly Hallows or Dead Reckoning. Across the Spider-Verse is a genuinely perfect movie, and is one of the three best superhero films ever made. I saw it in the theater three times, and will watch my copy of it many more. Everything here just works so well; I honestly do not have a single complaint about any of this. I also have to mention Metro Boomin’s soundtrack, as well; do yourself a favor and listen to Annihilate if you haven’t already. There’s not much more I can say about this- it’s something I’ve grown to love even more over time, and it’ll probably work its way into my top 20 of all time at some point.
There. I’m done. I spent a lot of time at the theater this year, and 2023 ended up being a very good year for film. Now, if I was smart, I would’ve split this between two weeks, but the end of the semester snuck up on me pretty quickly, and this is the last week we publish before break. There are also a good few movies from this year that I haven’t gotten to yet, and I already want to go back and change a few placements on this list, but I’m satisfied with it for now.
My reviews for movies in this article:
-Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
-Creed III / Shazam!: Fury of the Gods / Scream VI / Paint
-Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
