The Year in Film: My Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2023
In the ever-evolving landscape of cinema, 2023 proved to be a year filled with some great storytelling and fantastic filmmaking. From epic adventures set in distant galaxies to intimate character-driven dramas, the silver screen was a tapestry of emotions and experiences.
As we move on from 2023, I wanted to share my list of Top 10 Favorite Films of 2023 and cinematic gems that left a mark on my heart and mind. Films that I will watch over the over again in the years to come.
Whether you're a fan of thrilling science fiction, heartwarming dramas, pulse-pounding action, or dark horror, there's something on this list for every movie enthusiast. My lists always seem to consist of a variety of genres.
Without further ado, here are my top ten favorite films of 2023. Read over the list and let me know what some of your favorite movies were last year!
Godzilla Minus One
Godzilla Minus One is the best Godzilla movie that has been made. It told a great story story, had strong character development, and Godzilla was absolutely terrifying. The film actually treated the long-running franchise with respect and I would hope that Legendary Pictures and the filmmakers they hired to make their films would learn how to make a real Godzilla movie instead of the crap they continue to pump out for the franchise. Hollywood could learn something from Godzilla Minus One, but they won’t.
The movie is set in Japan 1945-1947. “After the war, Japan has been reduced to zero. Godzilla appears and plunges the country into a negative state. Against the most desperate situation in the history of Japan, how — and with whom — will Japan stand up to it?”
The Boys in The Boat
Hollywood doesn’t make these kinds of movies anymore, so the fact that George Clooney actually managed to get this movie made and released in theaters is pretty incredible. I love these kinds of films! Inspirational underdog sports stories, and this one is a great freakin’ movie and I’ve got to say that it’s my favorite film of the year. This is a near perfect movie and it’s one of those kinds of films that I’ll find myself revisting for years to come. It’s a shame a lot of people won’t go out and watch it.
The film is based on the NY Times bestselling non-fiction novel written by Daniel James Brown. The movie is about “the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. This inspirational true story follows a group of underdogs at the height of the Great Depression as they are thrust into the spotlight and take on elite rivals from around the world.”
John Wick: Chapter 4
Director David Leitch and actor Keanu Reeves have done it again! They worked their asses off to bring us another badass John Wick action movie! These movies just keep getting better and better and this one is, in my opinion, the best one on the franchise. The way the story played out, the continuing characters’ arcs, and the insane action just delivered on all levels of awesomeness. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next movie!
In the film, With the price on his head ever increasing, legendary hitman John Wick takes his fight against the High Table global as he seeks out the most powerful players in the underworld, from New York to Paris to Japan to Berlin.
The Holdovers
Paul Giamatti and Noah Baumbach’s The Holdovers was a wonderfully charming, heartfelt, funny, and entertaining film! The movie is a fantastic character study with some of the best performances of the year. I would love to see Giamatti and his young co-star Dominic Sessa get nominated for their work in the movie. The story and script were incredibly strong and I enjoyed the overall tone of the movie.
The story follows “a curmudgeonly instructor (Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.”
Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan took brought the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer and his journey of creating the Atomic Bomb to life in an incredible and terrifying way. Oppenheimer is an incredible historical drama and the message that it carried was a powerful one. I loved this film and the performances of every actor in it, but Cillian Murphy gave the performance of his career in this movie.
In the film, During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work comes to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witness the world's first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history.
Air
This fantastic film tells the intriguing story of Nike’s journey of getting basketball legend Michael Jordan to sign a game-changing deal with them, which revolutionized the world of sports and culture. The movie was directed by Ben Affleck, who also stars alongside Matt Damon, it’s one hell of an entertaining movie. This was another inspiring underdog story that has an undeniable reachability to it. It’s one of the best pictures of the year!
The movie follows the “career-defining gamble of an unconventional team with everything on the line, the uncompromising vision of a mother who knows the worth of her son’s immense talent, and the basketball phenom who would become the greatest of all time.”
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Tom Cruise delivered yet another great and thrilling entry in the long-running Mission: Impossible franchise. He and director Christopher McQuarrie are always trying to take things to the next lvel with this franchise. Not only with the story but also with the stunts that Cruise performs. That guy won’t stop putting his life on the line for the sake of entertaining audiences, and this movie was one of the most fun times I had at the movies this year!
In the film, Ethan Hunt and the IMF team must track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than the mission -- not even the lives of those he cares about most.
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
The creative behind the Spider-Verse animated franchise delivered another incredibly fun and entertaining film! I wasn’t sure if they would be able to reach the bar that the first film set, but they did as they continued to tell the story of Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen. As superhero films are struggling to tell good quality stories, Across The Spider-Verse delivered the goods and the fans loved it.
In the movie, after reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. However, when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders. He must soon redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
Talk To Me
I’ve always got to include a horror film on my list and this year that film will be Talk To Me. This was a very dark horror thriller that told a super unique story, something that we haven’t really seen done before and it was done incredibly well. I was super impressed with the writing and direction and I’m excited to see what the filmmaker who made it do next.
In the movie, when a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits with an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill and high-stakes party game -- until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
James Gunn finally got to close out his Guardians trilogy at Marvel Studios and the third film in the franchise took audiences on a wild and emotional ride! It was a perfect ending to the story Gunn wanted to tell with these characters and it was the best Marvel Studios movie of the year. It was also the most successful at the box office. After Gunn made such a great film, good luck to Marvel topping it with their future endeavors.
In the movie, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill must rally his team to defend the universe and protect one of their own. If the mission is not completely successful, it could possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.