Alec's Top 10 of 2023
Idiosyncratic picks from an idiosyncratic critic.
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As of this writing I watched 339 movies in 2023 – of these 178 were released this year. Between reviews, podcasts, interviews and television appearances I unleashed 138 pieces of content upon y’all (up one from my 2022 output). Please feel free to check out my backlog here. My random cinematic comings and goings are also available for your viewing pleasure over on Letterboxd.
Despite doing an awful lot of viewing there are some important titles I missed – among them “All of Us Strangers,” “American Fiction,” “BlackBerry” “The Boy and the Heron,” “The Color Purple,” “Rustin,” “The Zone of Interest” … and “Good Burger 2.”
Anyone who follows my work knows I watch and review a lot of garbage. Most of these movies are of the low-budget variety and I’m certain the creatives behind them did their honest to goodness best. I’d prefer to punch up as opposed to down, so I’ll single out some higher profile releases as my least favorite of the year. “65” was only 93 minutes long, but felt far longer. It needed more dinosaurs, more personality, more tension, more violence, more … everything. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” ineptly concluded the DC Extended Universe with a two hour-plus Guinness commercial chock full of Jason Momoa’s incessant, grating dude-bro mugging. “Ghosted” was an action-comedy with very little adrenaline and even fewer laughs. That is to say, you’re best off ghosting “Ghosted.”
My Honorable Mentions listed in order of admiration are “Oppenheimer,” “May December,” “The Holdovers,” “Talk to Me,” “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” “Dumb Money,” “The Creator,” “Poor Things,” “The Iron Claw” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
With no further ado, here’s my Top 10 of 2023 …
10.) Barbie – This was much funnier and far more subversive, timely and transgressive than I expected it to be ... and I expected it to be all of these things with Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig writing and Gerwig directing. For a movie that’s as feminist as this one it’s fairly ironic that Ryan Gosling’s Ken runs away with the proceedings. The monologue America Ferrera’s Gloria gives about the difficulties of being a woman belongs in a time capsule. (Now available on 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and to stream on Max.)
9.) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – I preferred the first one – it had more heart and more of Jake Johnson's Peter B. Parker. I did dig the animation more this time out and thought it was cool that this was as much Gwen Stacy's story (arguably more so) as it was Miles Morales'. (Now available on 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and to stream on Netflix.)
8.) Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. – I pretty much implicitly trust writer/producer/director Kelly Fremon Craig with coming of age stories involving young women after "The Edge of Seventeen" and this. She and her movies are the goods. (Now available on Blu-ray, DVD and to stream on on Starz.)
7.) The Covenant – Guy Ritchie’s “The Covenant” isn’t based on a true story, but it feels as though it could be. It’s less “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch” and more “Lone Survivor” and “American Sniper.” It’s a story of brotherhood, honor and life debts in need of payment. It’s a condemnation of bureaucracy and a celebration of those with their boots on the ground. It’s a stirring reminder that this country needs to do better by its soldiers and veterans and even more so by the brave Afghan people who endangered themselves and their families by assisting us. This is thrilling, important filmmaking. Dar Salim gives one of the year’s best (and most overlooked) performances besting even a very game Jake Gyllenhaal. (Now available on Blu-ray, DVD and to stream on Amazon Prime Video.)
6.) Infinity Pool – In the year of our Lord 2023 Brandon Cronenberg is currently a better director than his father David. “Infinity Pool” is a marked improvement over the junior Cronenberg’s first two pictures (“Antiviral” and “Possessor”) and is worlds better than David’s 2022 offering “Crimes of the Future.” I’m uncertain if “Infinity Pool” surpasses the likes of “The Fly” (1986), “A History of Violence” or “Eastern Promises,” but it ain’t far off. Alexander Skarsgård does some of his bravest and funniest work here and Mia Goth continues to be one of the best and brightest of our current crop of genre actresses. (Now available on 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and to stream on Hulu.)
5.) Scream VI – I am a “Scream” guy. After the 2022 installment it sorta seems like whatever new "Scream" movie comes out is my second favorite after the OG. The opening f*cked … it’s one of the series’ best. I absolutely adored all the nods to “Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.” Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega both rule – they and the Carpenter sisters will be missed. (Now available on 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and to stream on Paramount+ and Showtime.)
4.) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – My wife and I adopted a 10-week-old Jackabee puppy a few weeks after seeing the first “Guardians of the Galaxy” nine years ago and named him Rocket after the character of Rocket Raccoon. Suffice it to say I bawled my eyes out during “Guardians of the Galaxy Presents: Sarah McLachlan’s ‘Angel.’” This is one of my favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe flicks (placing behind only the original “Guardians” and “Avengers: Endgame”). Give Bradley Cooper an Oscar for his vocal work as Rocket as opposed to his turn as Leonard Bernstein! (Now available on 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and to stream on Disney+.)
3.) John Wick: Chapter 4 – Easily the best of the “John Wick” flicks. Here's hoping this turns folks on to the works of Donnie Yen (who dominates the proceedings), Scott Adkins (Fat Bastard suit or no) and Marko Zaror. That overhead Dragon's Breath sequence is the coolest thing I've seen in a “Wick” entry, this year, maybe ever. Hell, I'd be happy to watch Keanu Reeves do nothing but tool up fools with nunchakus for almost three hours. (Now available on 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and to stream on Starz.)
2.) Air – "Air" sports speeches from Matt Damon and Viola Davis that are every bit as good as Al Pacino's concluding monologue from "Any Given Sunday." Speaking of Damon and Davis – they're both worthy of Oscar nominations – which they sadly won’t get. First-time screenwriter Alex Convery is gonna work forever on the basis of his script and should receive an Oscar nom. The soundtrack rips and the period details rock. Ben Affleck is one of my favorite working directors – “Air” is another big winner for him. (Now available on Blu-ray, DVD and to stream on Amazon Prime Video.)
1.) Past Lives – "Past Lives" is one of the most beautiful, humanistic and romantic films I've seen in eons. It’s head and shoulders above anything else I saw in 2023. I can’t wait to see whatever writer/director Celine Song does next and can’t applaud her actors Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro enough for their wonderfully sensitive performances. It was inyeon or fate that this would be my favorite film of the year. (Now available on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD.)
That’s a wrap on 2023’s movies. Many thanks for reading and happiest of New Year’s to you all. I eagerly anticipate what cinema has in store for us all in 2024!