The 10 best films of 2023: from Hollywood and beyond
This has been a great year for movies and cinemas. Especially for movie theaters, where moviegoers have returned and enjoyed community viewing of many film releases. This has helped us feel that the health crisis is truly over.
If there are things we’ve learned or seen changed this year, one of them would be the realization that superhero “fairy dust” won’t last forever — as both Marvel and DC have struggled to achieve sustainable box office revenue across their multiple releases. Have Martin Scorsese’s statements in the past about the shallowness of superhero movies reached sympathetic enough ears?
So, these are the top 10 films released globally. It covers the films I’ve had the opportunity to see, and I acknowledge that there are probably other great films this year that I didn’t get to see. In addition, there are locally produced films that deserve our attention but are not included in this list. I hope to have the opportunity to cover Philippine cinema 2023 in another feature.
So, in no particular order, here they are:
Poor things – Yorgos is king! Once again, he has created an instant modern classic that is as visually luxurious as it is filled with exhilarating narrative and impressive imagery. I’m not saying in any particular order, but this is my favorite. I saw this when QCinema opened this year, and I loved talking to Mayor Joey Belmonte the following week, when she presented the film “kuwento” and how someone went to her complaining that she had allowed pornography to be shown at the festival with this film. Think of the story of Frankenstein, but what if the creature created was a woman, and she discovered gender – the roles that society places on women, who own their bodies? All of these themes play a role in this wonderful black comedy. Emma Stone for Best Actress!
Killers of the Flower Moon – Scorsese’s name appears again in this article, but this time with his latest film. This adaptation of David Grann’s non-fiction book is an epic feat of storytelling. It is a bitter history lesson from the early twentieth century. It tells how racism and wealth hunting against Native American Indians developed and persisted during this era – turning into financial opportunity and outright theft by white residents who thought themselves superior and above the law. I liked Leonardo DiCaprio’s acting against the grain, and I feel like he should feature more prominently in the best actor conversation, and it shouldn’t just be Gladstone and DeNiro.
Barbie – It’s Greta Gerwig, co-written by Baumbach, it’s colorful, it’s fun, it still manages to say something serious about the role of women in society, and it has a neat role reversal to drive the narrative. The fact that audiences flocked in droves to see this film is the icing on the cake for a film that has helped revive moviegoing this year. And yes, if the studio is cleverly promoting Ryan Gosling for Best Supporting Actor, I can see De Niro as his main contender. However, I expect more nods will go to Gosling as movie awards season progresses. And yes, I will admit that the marketing and hype helped push this film to the top, so there was the inevitable backlash to the total success!
Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan is back in shape, and yes, we can now officially forgive him for Tenet. This was the biopic that set the new gold standard – and it’s a shame that Ridley Scott’s Napoleon was released in the same year. There was a lot to like about this film from both a visual perspective and a narrative standpoint. Although it wasn’t a perfect movie, and I felt like we never got close enough to understanding the animosity between Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and Louis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), The Manhattan Project and its movie were more than adequate. A security hearing in 1954, to keep us glued to the screen, appreciating the complexity of the man.
Anatomy of A Fall – Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year, here’s a courtroom legal thriller that doubles as a psychological drama and makes full use of police procedurals to build tension and keep us guessing as to where the film will lead us. . The premise is deceptively simple: a woman is suspected of killing her husband when he falls from the third-story window of their winter home. Their blind son is the only witness and faces an ethical dilemma while testifying during the trial. Directed by Justine Tritt from a screenplay she co-wrote, the lead star, Sandra Holler, has received praise and won awards for her nuanced, layered portrayal of a wife and mother.
Past Lives – The independent film and feature debut of Celine Song captivated audiences and turned a film with a small story about love into a big film about identity, immigration, and “what could have been.” The film follows two childhood friends from Korea, and how their lives intersect, separate, intertwine, and unravel over the course of 20 years. Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro give such nuanced performances that even if we are talking about a love triangle, there are no villains, bad guys or even heroes. It’s about regret, overcoming it, and how a bittersweet and restrained film can make us, the audience, feel so much while watching it.
Talk to me – I know it’s rare for any film critic to include this in their lists, but for the direction the Filippo brothers have achieved, in a genre where most people say everything has already been done, I’ll give full credit – and list this effective horror film in My list. The premise of a group of friends discovering how to conjure spirits with a mummified, dismembered hand might not hold much promise when put down on paper for reading or as a movie viewing, which is why I’ll give high praise for how this movie turned out. executed. One avid horror fan, a dear friend, said he couldn’t watch this alone! I would call that exceptional praise for someone who has seen a lot of these films.
The Holdovers – Alexander Payne’s election thriller and sideshow thriller has been a firm favorite for years, his directorial style and sly use of humor evident very early in his film career. So I welcomed this return to 1970 with pleasure, as Payne returns to form and helps us forget about downsizing. Paul Giamatti makes a welcome return in one of Payne’s films as a curmudgeonly professor at an exclusive boys’ prep school in New Hampshire. It’s a school for the rich and the entitled, so watching Giamatti maneuver himself into such an environment is funny. A chef and a wayward student are his wards during the Christmas break, and everyone must learn valuable lessons… without exception. It was a bittersweet ending, with a lot to take in.
May/December Directed by Todd Haynes, Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman portray unsympathetic characters we can’t take our eyes off. Moore is Gracie, now in her 50s, but when she was in her 30s she became a tabloid fodder for her affair with a 13-year-old seventh-grader. Portman is Elizabeth, a Juilliard-trained independent actress who agrees to play Gracie in a film. Their encounter depends on Elizabeth as she wanders around the house to get a better idea of her next role. Two narcissists in one frame, and the once seduced boy is now a man and Gracie’s husband. Things get complicated quickly, and we’re thrilled to watch the characters unfold.
Spider-Man: Across the SpiderVerse – How it expanded what was done so well in the first part and kept us hooked for the third part without any effort! magic! I loved how the mix of animation styles was upgraded and improved without warning. The humor and silliness remain intact, even as the narrative becomes more serious and takes on darker tones. There’s not much to say about this movie, either you’ve seen it and don’t need to sell it to you, or you haven’t seen it yet, and I don’t want to spoil the fun of watching this movie for everyone. First time. Comic sci-fi doesn’t get much better than this, and we’re smiling because there’s still more to come.
My honors will be as follows: You made me smile and appreciate little antiques!
Asteroid City – Wes Anderson is back in shape, and this directorial, along with his Henry Sugar/Roald Dahl shorts for Netflix, is a great reminder of why he’s such a treasured cinematic treasure. With Asteroid, he works with a larger canvas that operates in his own unique and distinct style.
Are you there, God? It’s Me, Margaret – Based on the best-selling book from several decades ago, you can’t help but be impressed by the treat – and how engaging, funny, and nuanced a girl’s coming of age can be. All this while addressing the big and small issues of this era.
Air – I’m not usually drawn to sports dramas or retail brand origin stories, but I have to admit that this film combined the two genres and came up with a winner. I liked the way they cleverly kept the central character off-screen, referring to him indirectly, and without showing his face.
Happy watching!
