Top 10 Movies of 2023

Greetings, reader!

It is once again that special time of the year - for my last post of 2023, I will rank the year's best movies. As a cinematic year, 2023 has been truly chaotic; my list of the year's best movies is less "dramatic, nuanced, will win four Oscars" than many other years, and more zany and colorful. These are the year's best pictures!

Here are my honorable mentions: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Nun II, Wonka.

10. A Haunting in Venice

Classic whodunit-fun mixes with more spooky light-horror elements in this adaptation of Agatha Christie's Hallowe'en Party. While the shoes of David Suchet can never quite be filled, Kenneth Branagh is the next-best thing and a very decent Hercule Poirot. The film isn't exactly mind-blowing or life-changing, but worth the watch for sure - it succeeds in the conventions of detective fiction films, while also not sticking to clichés but rather finding a style of its own. Also, the cinematography is wild.

9. The Little Mermaid

Rob Marshall's The Little Mermaid remake continues in the footsteps of other Disney remakes like The Lion King (2019) - it doesn't reinvent the wheel, some of the live-action visuals of traditionally animated characters look better than others, but all in all, it's nostalgic fun and a good time. The film would likely be ranked even higher, but it's not quite as nostalgic for me as The Lion King, for example, because The Little Mermaid wasn't as big of a thing for my childhood. It was one of the movies I saw once or twice as a kid and liked it, but it wasn't one of the big favorites, so there's not as much emotional power as there was for my girlfriend, for example.

Still, this was a very enjoyable remake - the re-worked versions of Alan Menken's classic songs are a blast, and the new soundtrack additions by Lin-Manuel Miranda are whimsical and entertaining. Halle Bailey does a fantastic job as Ariel, and I'm sincerely wishing some kick-ass therapy for all the grown men who threw tantrums over the skin color of an actress playing a fictional mermaid in a Disney remake. You need help, guys.

8. Cocaine Bear

Okay, okay, hear me out.

I know. I know that a thriller loosely based on a true story of a 500-pound black bear that unintentionally ingests cocaine and goes on a rampage should have no business being on this list. But, and bear with me here*, the thing is: cinema is a wide spectrum, with many different kinds of films having an important role in people's lives, and sometimes the best thing a movie can be is A) memorable and B) entertaining. And in these two categories, Cocaine Bear is a masterpiece.

The acting, dialogue and credibility of the stretched-far-from-reality story range from okay to ridiculous. But those aren't the reasons one goes to see Cocaine Bear. One goes to see Cocaine Bear as a fun, chaotic treat, and the film was every bit as fun and chaotic as was advertised. In the wildest double feature of my life, I saw this on the same day as last year's Oscar-nominee The Banshees of Inisherin - first, Banshees with my parents, and then Cocaine Bear with two friends from my high school days. As an experience, I'd liken this combo to an evening where one first drinks a moderate amount of fine whiskey - and then does a bunch of cocaine.

If I were the sort of elitist movie enthusiast who posts 4-hour video essays of cinema being dead, Cocaine Bear would be nowhere near my list. But, as it happens, I enjoy life instead of hating the world, and I watch movies because I enjoy them and not so I could be a snob who takes life too seriously. And, for those of us who don't want to take life too seriously, a movie like Cocaine Bear every now and then is a blast.

*See what I did there?

7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

The culmination of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy isn't quite as great as the first one, but loads better than the second. As one flick amidst the others, it's gleefully entertaining and whimsical with the franchise's signature banter and chaotic sci-fi worldbuilding. And as the closing chapter to the trilogy, it finds a deep-lying emotional core that will make you invested in the high-stakes plot. In terms of films that will make you laugh and cry, this is certainly among the year's better offerings.

6. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

The highly anticipated sequel to the Oscar-winning animation flick Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was certainly worth the wait. Coming into its own in the movie theater, this feast of sights and sounds was a downright physical experience with how immersive the animation techniques and sound design were.

Additionally, the story held nothing back, delivering genius humor, gripping twists and insane worldbuilding at every turn. The plot is paced in an out-of-the-box manner, culminating in a bewildering ending that will make you go "HUH?!", but not necessarily in the way you'd think. It's a memorable one for sure, and this years must-see for fans of animation and/or superhero flicks.

5. Nimona

Netflix's Nimona is many things - a visual spectacle with delightful animation, an emotional story about the bond between two misunderstood heroes, and a thematically poignant look at understanding others and the dangers of dehumanizing. Based on one of the graphic novels that the Christian fundamentalists are trying to ban in Texas, Nimona has a strong message about letting people be themselves in its heart, with the title character's genderfluid shapeshifting abilities working as a tasteful and powerful allegory for the transgender community.

Being an American in the current climate of right-wing culture wars, anti-trans legislation and politicians vilifying the transgender community, this film's central idea of 'let's try and understand different people instead of being afraid' really hit home, to the point of moving me to tears. A beautiful, important movie that a lot of people could learn from.

4. The Super Mario Bros. Movie

I know that the cinema enthusiast community will want my head for putting The Super Mario Bros. Movie ahead of Across the Spider-Verse and Nimona in the category of this year's animated films. It's just that cinema is a subjective art form, and the Super Mario movie did for me one of the finest things a film can do: an honest capture of childhood nostalgia, envoking the magic of kids' movies and resonating with one's inner child. In today's dark and twisted social climate, such an escape is a truly special treat.

My nostalgia for playing Super Mario games as a kid was effortlessly mixed with my nostalgia for these types of animated adventure movies, and the end result was a blast of boundless fun. Movies adapted from video games are often a risk, but here they managed to find all the right parts to adapt, creating fascinating worldbuilding and neat action sequences from many of the coolest elements in the Super Mario world. No movie this year made me smile as much as this one, and that alone counts for a lot.

3. Kuolleet Lehdet

Man, no one does it like Finland's own Aki Kaurismäki. It had been a while since I had seen one of his films, so I had forgotten just how good and unique his dialogue is when I walked into the cinema to see Kuolleet Lehdet ("Fallen Leaves"). Immediately, I'm taken back to the world of Mies Vailla Menneisyyttä and Hamlet Bisnesmaailmassa, to the world of the greatest filmmaker in Finland's history. And once again, he nailed it.

Having been selected as Time magazine's Movie of the Year (not to mention multiple Golden Globe nominations), this absolute gem has some serious chances at the Oscars for the Best International Film category. Between the sledgehammer performances by Jussi Vatanen and Alma Pöysti, the balance between grim humor and profound themes and the overall tone, there's just so much to love in this genius look into Finnish life, melancholy and alcoholism. A true work of cinematic art.

2. Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan is a master of the craft, and his latest film is among his very best. As a biopic of a complicated man with a complicated role in history, the film does a brilliant job illuminating the events as they happened, presenting all the viewpoints and letting the audience draw their own takeaways, instead of being black-and-white and telling the viewers what to think.

The visuals and sound design are appropriately grandiose, and the end product is a truly grim and thought-provoking piece of cinematic art. The final line of dialogue is a haunting sentiment that stays with you long after the credits have rolled, with its power pushed even further by the Oscar-worthy expression on Cillian Murphy's face.

1. Barbie

I know that it's a bit basic to have the Barbenheimer double feature as my top two, but I can't help it - when being honest to myself, these were the two best films of 2023 in my opinion, and there is no way around it. Deciding which one I put at #1 was the hardest part of this entire list, as the two are so great in such different ways, but I eventually decided to go with an emphasis on the unique. No matter how amazing Oppenheimer was, there are other movies like it, even though it's among the best in its kind. There is, however, no other movie remotely close to Greta Gerwig's Barbie, and in today's crowded field, that is quite the achievement (and a central element in what art can be at its best).

Barbie is a series of important social messages wrapped in a delightfully creative stylistic package. Greta Gerwig is a genius, and this movie is a testament to just how deep her razor-sharp feminist mind and wild imagination go. Also, there's just so much neat humor packed into it, and I'm Just Ken is one hell of a banger. An unforgettable, standout piece of cinema.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my list of the year's top 10 best TV shows.