(This article is part of our Best of 2023 series).
Two weeks into 2024, I am glad to report that my opinion of 2023 in film has greatly improved after finally seeing some of my highly-anticipated films, including Poor Things, The Color Purple, The Holdovers, and The Iron Claw—all four of which cracked my Top Ten for the year. But did any crack my Top 5? Read on to find out.
Oppenheimer
During the first third of Oppenheimer, I was concerned that the long-hyped biopic wasn’t going to live up to the hype. But once we make it to Los Alamos, the movie reaches its potential and is legitimately great from then on. The trinity test and Oppenheimer’s “victory speech” are two of the stand-out moments in cinema this year, and the movie finishes incredibly strong with that last line of dialogue between Oppie and Einstein. Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. both deserve Oscars/SAWards in my opinion for the performances they brought to the table here.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
While this highly anticipated sequel doesn’t quite live up to the original for me yet, a rewatch confirmed this is still one of the best movies of the year. Its biggest problem is simply being a “part one” and likely stands to get better once the finale is released. The animation is operating at the highest level, the story is great and continues to develop the characters, and the score is once again one of the best of the year. The Spot is also phenomenal as a main villain, going from goofy “villain of the week” to absolutely terrifying. The blend of comedy, drama, and action is simply unparalleled in this franchise.
Poor Things
I have only just watched Poor Things and it is a lot to take in, but it feels like this is the “Movie with a capital M” of 2023. Emma Stone is absolutely fantastic as Bella Baxter in a challenging role and really brings a physical comedy to the performance. Mark Ruffalo is also terrific as Duncan Wedderburn and chews up every scene he is in. The odd kind of retro-futuristic world is always interesting to look at and the score is both off-putting and iconic. The exploration of a woman’s journey through the world without many of the mental shackles of society is wonderful to watch, even if that journey occasionally gets a bit muddled.
Past Lives
As we live through an era of “multiverse” storytelling, one of the best such movies turns out to not actually have any of the science fiction trappings. Past Lives instead looks at the choices we make, the paths that our lives take us on, and coming to terms with those decisions. It’s actually not far off the themes and message of A24’s last Best Picture darling, but incredibly different in execution. Greta Lee deserves to be considered in the beat actress race, but it is John Magaro who gets my top honors as he plays the husband with everything to lose, but never comes off as a villain and supports his wife every step of the way as she reconnects with her childhood crush. This is one of the most mature love triangles ever put on screen.
The Iron Claw
Give Zac Efron a nomination right now. The Iron Claw has a very sad (true) story to tell, but it is handled with so much grace thanks in part to the tender direction of Sean Durkin and the incredible performance from Efron. Before the tragedy kicks in, there’s a lot of fun to be had with the recreation of the old-school wrestling matches, and the brothers really give off a sense of love that shatters you later in the film. Holt McCallany is frighteningly good at playing the father focused on nothing but the sport, to the detriment of his family.
Those are my current five favorite films of 2023. But The Holdovers is a strong runner-up and I still fully expect that The Zone of Interest will eventually challenge for a spot—once I can finally find a way to see it.
What are your thoughts on the movies that made my top five? Share them down below!
