(This article is part of our Best of 2023 series.)
Man, the last weekend was a shit-show. Lost power Friday at 2pm, didn’t get it back until Monday at 6pm. Then the heat needed a good 12 hours to get back to normal temperatures. And after all that the internet was down for another day. But here I am back up and running! I gotta say 2023 wasn’t much of a memorable movie year for me. I liked a handful but nothing WOWED me. So here we go with five movies I liked. As per usual, they are ranked in no particular order, so let’s get started.
A Good Person
I haven’t seen Florence Pugh in a bad film yet (no, I have seen Don’t Worry Darling) and these days just because Morgan Freeman is in it doesn’t always mean it’s gonna be good. But this film really hit me right in the feels. Tragedy befalls both of these people all due to a simple stupid mistake. And you get to see how each of them allow it to affect them. If you aren’t crying at the end of this, you have no soul.
Air
I’ never was a big Nike sneaker fan, but I was a big Jordan fan back in the day. This film did a great job showing the inception of how the shoe was brought to life and how the partnership changed corporate America in an instant. Plus, it’s got one helluva cast.
Plane
This movie was EXACTLY what it needed to be. A simple story that harkened back to 80s action flicks. There is no overly convoluted background to anyone or why any of this is even happening. It’s just 90 minutes of people trapped somewhere after a plane crash… with a convict.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The Marvel films have all been pretty lackluster since Endgame, but this one is the one solid film they’ve had in the last few years. It ties up the Guardians story line really well. Plus, it has a lot of heart to it. You feel for all these characters. James Gunn delivers a fitting end to his trilogy before leaving us for the new DCU. I hope he makes it worth it.
The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart
I’ve loved The Venture Bros. for the longest time now. And I knew they would take ages between seasons because there was always gonna be an epic story that unfolds over the episodes to come. But, Zaslav went and ruined HBOMax and cancelled the series. He did let them make this film to tie up all the loose ends, and while it’s a damn fun movie, I wish we got a final season instead. It needed the full scope to really make it all feel final.
Those are my five favorite films of 2023. The runner-ups would be Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, John Wick: Chapter 4, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, A Haunting in Venice and Reptile.
What are your thoughts on the movies that made my top five? Share them down below!
