It may be hyperbole to say this, but 2023 was the year the movies came back.
After three years of Hollywood being in pandemic mode and struggling to recover, including a year like last year when the films just felt so forgettable and meh, this year was filled with so many movies that were worth seeing that it was hard not to feel like things were back to normal.
Of course, it was interrupted by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which set production on many projects back a few months (or, in some cases, a year) and meant that nearly every film that was released during the strikes did so with little to no fanfare. If one of those releases found an audience, it could consider itself lucky.
But by year’s end, things were back on track, and here we are again taking stock of the best and worst releases of the year.
(Full disclosure: My thoughts about movies in the final third of this year were no doubt colored by the war in Israel and Gaza. Some proved to be a good distraction; others proved more resonant because of the hostile climate I and other Jewish people are living through; and still others I just couldn’t get excited about seeing because my priorities had shifted. As Eve Barlow wrote in an otherwise unrelated blog post, “Who wants to live in a playground of pretend at a profound time when the sands of history are truly shifting?”)
What follows are not necessarily the best and worst movies that were released this year. Rather, they are my favorite and least favorite releases from a busy and mostly enjoyable year of movie watching, one in which my total number of movies watched reached a number comparable to pre-pandemic days.
I’ve noted how I saw each movie, if that makes a difference. That said, all of the titles included in this post played in a theater at some point, even if I watched them via streaming at home.
And so, without further ado … Here are my favorite and least favorite movies from 2023.
The Top 10
- Past Lives (theater). My absolute favorite film this year tells the story of two childhood friends in South Korea who are separated and who spend the next two and a half decades wondering what would have happened if she’d stayed. It’s centered around a trio of pitch-perfect performances — especially the subtle but star-making work by Greta Lee, who should be in every year-end awards conversation. While the film is grounded in the specifics of Korean culture, its questions of destiny, lost love, and “What if?” feel wholly universal. Celine Song’s filmmaking debut is lovely, endearing, and unforgettable — a film that stays with you.
- Oppenheimer (theater). A typically big movie from Christopher Nolan that was nothing short of immersive and awe inspiring when I saw it this summer in 70mm IMAX — the way it was meant to be seen. Oppenheimer is a fast-moving three-hour drama about the risks, rewards, and responsibility of scientific discovery and invention, featuring excellent performances across the board (including a never-better Robert Downey Jr.), an excellent ever-present score, impressive cinematography, and a talky screenplay clearly inspired by both Aaron Sorkin and Oliver Stone.
- A Thousand and One (streaming). A.V. Rockwell’s debut film absolutely knocked me out. The movie is a devastating portrait of how a segment of the population got caught in the middle of gentrification in the late 1990s/early 2000s, and how, in the middle of all that, a mother does what she has to do to hold on to her son. It features powerful performances by Teyana Taylor and Josiah Cross, and a memorable score by Gary Gunn. And that ending is a real gut punch.
- Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (theater). Director Davis Guggenheim dispenses with many of the expected tropes so common in celebrity documentaries these days, and tells Michael J. Fox’s story in an honest, unflinching way that never veers into hagiography and doesn’t portray him as a victim. The master stroke, though, is how Davis, with the help of editor Michael Harte, uses clips from Fox’s filmography out of context to tell Fox’s story. The result is a film that’s tough but inspiring, and highly entertaining, too.
- All of Us Strangers (theater). Andrew Scott plays a lonely man still grappling with the death of his parents when he was very young, who develops a relationship with one of his neighbors (Paul Mescal). Andrew Haigh’s film is a moving portrayal of love, loss, healing, and connection, and Scott is very very good as a man finally coming to terms with his sexual identity and finding his way out of the darkness.
- Saltburn (theater). This second film from Emerald Fennell is a decadent, twisted, and wickedly funny film that has elements of Sofia Coppola and Patricia Highsmith, and I really dug it. Gloriously ridiculous (that bathwater scene — so creepy and gross), it stars Barry Keoghan as an awkward scholarship kid at Oxford who infiltrates a rich classmate’s family during a summer at their estate. Carey Mulligan and Rosamund Pike are both great in supporting roles. You laugh, you cringe, and you can’t look away.
- Barbie (theater). Yes, Greta Gerwig’s film is a bit heavy handed at times. It’s also undeniably creative and absolutely entertaining, one of the best times I had at the movies all year — and a film that’s actually worthy of all the hype. There’s a lot of silliness (partial credit for that goes to Noah Baumbach, Gerwig’s now-husband, who co-wrote the screenplay with her); there are also some really nice moments that nod to Barbie’s origins, and how the toys have been handed down from one generation to another. But the heart of the film is a performance by Margot Robbie that effectively straddles the line between real and ridiculous, and a delightful and endearing one from Ryan Gosling that’s more than Kenough.
- Poor Things (theater). The only Yorgos Lanthimos film I’ve liked, Poor Things is definitely strange, but it’s also utterly unique. The film features some spectacular visuals (it should be a lock for the Best Production Design Oscar); a good, often laugh-out-loud funny, screenplay, with many quotable/memorable lines; and a wacky performance by Mark Ruffalo that’s unlike anything he’s ever done before.
- Anatomy of a Fall (theater). A very good drama (in both English and French) about a woman accused of killing her husband. Whether she did it or not is in doubt till the very end — in large part due to the excellent, stoic performance of Sandra Hüller, who keeps us guessing the entire time.
- Maestro (theater). Bradley Cooper takes a big step forward with this beautiful movie about Leonard Bernstein. There are some excellent visual sequences (Carey Mulligan’s introduction, Lenny and Felicia’s early interaction on stage with the ghost light in just one take) and a bravura recreation of Bernstein’s 1976 performance of Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony. And that nose? The much talked-about prosthetic is anything but a distraction, since it allows Cooper, who is excellent in front of the camera, too, to more easily disappear into the role.
Honorable Mention
Some additional movies I liked that I didn’t have room for in my top 10, listed in alphabetical order: Blackberry (theater), The Color Purple (theater), The Killer (theater), Nyad (streaming), Renfield (theater), and You People (theater).
The Bottom 10
Not every film was a good time. Here, in alphabetical order, are 10 movies I really didn’t enjoy:
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (theater). I miss the days when MCU films were a bit more grounded in the real world, and were more “human.” All the CGI stuff here gets tiresome.
- Beau Is Afraid (theater). An overly long, overindulgent trip to crazytown that makes Ari Aster’s last feature film, Midsommar, look sane and normal.
- The Boys in the Boat (theater). Boy oh boy, is this one dull. There’s almost no drama, no suspense, and no real reason for the film to exist. Apparently, the book was much better. Wouldn’t take much.
- Ghosted (streaming). A lame, corny, generic action/comedy. The whole time, I couldn’t help but wonder: Why is Chris Evans acting so helpless? Doesn’t he know he’s Captain America?
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (theater). This final chapter in the Indiana Jones saga is worse than unnecessary: It’s boring, and a disservice to Indiana Jones the character and his fans.
- Joy Ride (theater). Maybe I wasn’t the target audience for this one, but I found it unfunny and pandering to the people it was made for.
- Leave the World Behind (streaming). The characters here all speak as if they’re clearly reading a script, and that script is full of so many dumb lines that it’s hard to believe this film was written and directed by the same guy who made the very smart TV show Mr. Robot.
- Meg 2: The Trench (theater). A case of the trailer being much better than the movie itself.
- Paint (theater). One day, groups of high college students will probably watch this movie via a streaming network and enjoy it. But sober, middle-aged me watching in a quiet movie theater didn’t know what to make of it. This is a random, pointless movie with a talented cast of comedic actors who are all wasted — and not in a good way.
- Sanctuary (theater). This one might have been better as a stage play, if anything. Another film where it felt like the actors were just reading a script the whole time, and not a good one.
And that’s that. Overall, it was a good year for the movies. Welcome back.
Martin's Musings 
It’s been YEARS since I’ve been to the theater, but I’m keeping your thoughts as a list for what I might watch at home. Happy new year!