The Best Films of 2023
HomeThe Best Films of 2023
Posted December 27, 2023 05:10 PM by Brian Orndorf
The return of best friends, a long holiday break, Alex P. Keaton's incredible journey, the
weariness of trauma, Blume county, blunt acts of marital communication, unimaginable pro-
wrestler pain, Fincher's troubled assassin, a family reunion for strangers, and the perils of
publishing. Brian Orndorf takes a look at his favorite films of 2023.
Please post your own lists in the comments.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
Judy Blume's 1970 book, "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" has reached a loyal audience of young people in need of some enlightenment and companionship when it comes to the wilderness of adolescence. It developed generations of fans, and writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig uses the utmost care when adapting the novel for the screen. The helmer handles the material beautifully, keeping the feature human and humorous, exploring universal experiences concerning family and maturation with a gifted cast capable of reaching those often-uncomfortable places. There's warmth here that's amazing, and its study of the female experience is real and sincere, keeping viewers invested in the private heartache and confusion of a transitional time.
The Holdovers
Alexander Payne returns with "The Holdovers," finding the filmmaker in a holiday mood. However, this is no sugary understanding of Christmas cheer, but a triumphantly itchy comedy about characters dealing with personal issues and domestic situations, sold with Payne's love of secret power plays and growing relationships. The picture is hilarious at times, but also sharply dramatic, drilling to the core of the players and their fears, making for a superb character study. "The Holdovers" is also brilliantly acted by the cast, who communicate strange behaviors and secret pain, and the feature follows Payne's interest in recreating 1970s cinema with evocative cinematography and locations.
The Killer
Director David Fincher goes lean and mean with "The Killer," reuniting with "Seven" screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker for this study of an assassin trying to hold together a tightly ordered life that's gradually unraveling. It's an extreme portrait of tenuous sanity, remaining inside the main character's head as he burns through thoughts and routines, and it's a razor-sharp procedural, capturing the experience of a hitman practiced in the ways of taking lives. Fincher keeps the feature moody and violent, getting straight to the point as a revenge picture quickly takes shape. "The Killer" scores with sharp technical achievements and performances, while Fincher delivers with a rare offering of narrative simplicity and psychological overload.
The Iron Claw
The tragic story of the Von Erich family is vividly brought to life by writer/director Sean Durkin, who captures the essence of the pro-wrestling family, turning acts of paternal manipulation and brotherly bonding into a riveting portrayal of trauma. Durkin captures the strange world of sports entertainment with accuracy, and he's even better with domestic tensions. While "The Iron Claw" is dark, filled with sadness, there's a rich sense of life in the endeavor, and the acting is magnificent, especially the lead turn from Zac Efron, who pushes himself physically and dramatically to inhabit a complicated man who's experienced all the sorrow in the world.
You Hurt My Feelings
Writer/director Nicole Holofcener returns to the ways of neurotic characters in "You Hurt My Feelings," but she has a particularly sharp understanding of marital dynamics in the feature. It's a tale of broken trust and severed communication that's supported by the helmer's sense of humor, but "You Hurt My Feelings" is also exceptionally authentic when it focuses on the ways of long-term relationships. Holofcener has an outstanding cast to help communicate her interests in cohabitational blues, and while the material may seem quite taxing at first glance, the film gets wonderfully deep with sensitivities and insecurities.
Monica
The basic story of "Monica" is familiar, following an estranged daughter's return to the troubled mother she hasn't seen in a long time, facing their shared history and all the pain its caused. Co-writer/Andrea Pallaoro avoids melodrama with this moody effort, adding unique perspectives and mental health challenges to the central relationship crisis, giving "Monica" startling originality and a heavy atmosphere. Characters are prioritized here, finding lead Trace Lysette delivering a beautiful, deeply felt performance as a haunted woman dealing with the loss and rediscovery of relationships. The feature isn't built with twists, but it goes to plenty of unexpected places, doing so with exceptional care for hidden emotions.
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
"Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie" is definitely a documentary created for fans of the iconic actor, but director Davis Guggenheim wants to go deeper than a simple understanding of career growth and personal achievements. The picture is more of a look at Fox's experience with Parkinson's disease, which slowly developed during his professional triumphs, catching up with the subject as he is today, still filled with humor and heart, but also physically taxed, working to overcome all sorts of everyday obstacles. "Still" is warm and informative, finding a review of Fox's acting years most welcome, but Guggenheim is careful to return to the real world, tracking therapeutic progress, memories of youthful ambition, and love for family and friends. It's a fascinating sit.
American Fiction
Writer/director Cord Jefferson has something sharp with "American Fiction," taking a look at race, relationships, and the publishing industry. While the material has all the opportunity to go blisteringly satiric, Jefferson manages to steer the material into more personal matters of concern and connection. "American Fiction" is hilarious at times, but there's a strong dramatic pull to the material, allowing for some warmth and understanding when it comes to family dynamics. The endeavor also supplies actor Jeffrey Wright with a role that makes the most of what he's got, showing startling range in perhaps his finest performance.
Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia
"A Trip to Gibberitia" is a sequel to 2012's "Ernest & Celestine," which was an absolutely delightful animated adventure with troubled animal characters. The follow-up is more of the same, with the production returning to this wonderful world of watercolor art and companionship, heading in a different dramatic direction with a more expansive location and deeper family ties. Creative achievements are stunning, with a lively sense of character and place, and screenwriting remains playful, offering humor and heart, keeping the continuation as irresistible as the original feature.
Memory
"Memory" examines an unusual relationship between people with a shared history of sorts, but connect as strangers in the present. Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard supply nuanced performances with challenging material from Michel Franco, who examines the many ways of trauma in the picture. "Memory" isn't gloomy, but it deals with troubling human connection and paralyzing acts of denial, with Franco pursuing something strangely soft in the middle of anguish and confusion. The film takes some unexpected turns, but it remains committed to exhausted people going through something upsetting, hunting for some form of connection in their lonely lives.
Also of Note: Dream Scenario, Godzilla Minus One, Rebel, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, BlackBerry, Theater Camp, Jules, A Million Miles Away, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Past Lives, Smoking Causes Coughing, Fair Play, Nimona, Guy Ritchie's The Covenant, and Monster.
Please post your own lists in the comments.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
Judy Blume's 1970 book, "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" has reached a loyal audience of young people in need of some enlightenment and companionship when it comes to the wilderness of adolescence. It developed generations of fans, and writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig uses the utmost care when adapting the novel for the screen. The helmer handles the material beautifully, keeping the feature human and humorous, exploring universal experiences concerning family and maturation with a gifted cast capable of reaching those often-uncomfortable places. There's warmth here that's amazing, and its study of the female experience is real and sincere, keeping viewers invested in the private heartache and confusion of a transitional time.
The Holdovers
Alexander Payne returns with "The Holdovers," finding the filmmaker in a holiday mood. However, this is no sugary understanding of Christmas cheer, but a triumphantly itchy comedy about characters dealing with personal issues and domestic situations, sold with Payne's love of secret power plays and growing relationships. The picture is hilarious at times, but also sharply dramatic, drilling to the core of the players and their fears, making for a superb character study. "The Holdovers" is also brilliantly acted by the cast, who communicate strange behaviors and secret pain, and the feature follows Payne's interest in recreating 1970s cinema with evocative cinematography and locations.
The Killer
Director David Fincher goes lean and mean with "The Killer," reuniting with "Seven" screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker for this study of an assassin trying to hold together a tightly ordered life that's gradually unraveling. It's an extreme portrait of tenuous sanity, remaining inside the main character's head as he burns through thoughts and routines, and it's a razor-sharp procedural, capturing the experience of a hitman practiced in the ways of taking lives. Fincher keeps the feature moody and violent, getting straight to the point as a revenge picture quickly takes shape. "The Killer" scores with sharp technical achievements and performances, while Fincher delivers with a rare offering of narrative simplicity and psychological overload.
The Iron Claw
The tragic story of the Von Erich family is vividly brought to life by writer/director Sean Durkin, who captures the essence of the pro-wrestling family, turning acts of paternal manipulation and brotherly bonding into a riveting portrayal of trauma. Durkin captures the strange world of sports entertainment with accuracy, and he's even better with domestic tensions. While "The Iron Claw" is dark, filled with sadness, there's a rich sense of life in the endeavor, and the acting is magnificent, especially the lead turn from Zac Efron, who pushes himself physically and dramatically to inhabit a complicated man who's experienced all the sorrow in the world.
You Hurt My Feelings
Writer/director Nicole Holofcener returns to the ways of neurotic characters in "You Hurt My Feelings," but she has a particularly sharp understanding of marital dynamics in the feature. It's a tale of broken trust and severed communication that's supported by the helmer's sense of humor, but "You Hurt My Feelings" is also exceptionally authentic when it focuses on the ways of long-term relationships. Holofcener has an outstanding cast to help communicate her interests in cohabitational blues, and while the material may seem quite taxing at first glance, the film gets wonderfully deep with sensitivities and insecurities.
Monica
The basic story of "Monica" is familiar, following an estranged daughter's return to the troubled mother she hasn't seen in a long time, facing their shared history and all the pain its caused. Co-writer/Andrea Pallaoro avoids melodrama with this moody effort, adding unique perspectives and mental health challenges to the central relationship crisis, giving "Monica" startling originality and a heavy atmosphere. Characters are prioritized here, finding lead Trace Lysette delivering a beautiful, deeply felt performance as a haunted woman dealing with the loss and rediscovery of relationships. The feature isn't built with twists, but it goes to plenty of unexpected places, doing so with exceptional care for hidden emotions.
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
"Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie" is definitely a documentary created for fans of the iconic actor, but director Davis Guggenheim wants to go deeper than a simple understanding of career growth and personal achievements. The picture is more of a look at Fox's experience with Parkinson's disease, which slowly developed during his professional triumphs, catching up with the subject as he is today, still filled with humor and heart, but also physically taxed, working to overcome all sorts of everyday obstacles. "Still" is warm and informative, finding a review of Fox's acting years most welcome, but Guggenheim is careful to return to the real world, tracking therapeutic progress, memories of youthful ambition, and love for family and friends. It's a fascinating sit.
American Fiction
Writer/director Cord Jefferson has something sharp with "American Fiction," taking a look at race, relationships, and the publishing industry. While the material has all the opportunity to go blisteringly satiric, Jefferson manages to steer the material into more personal matters of concern and connection. "American Fiction" is hilarious at times, but there's a strong dramatic pull to the material, allowing for some warmth and understanding when it comes to family dynamics. The endeavor also supplies actor Jeffrey Wright with a role that makes the most of what he's got, showing startling range in perhaps his finest performance.
Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia
"A Trip to Gibberitia" is a sequel to 2012's "Ernest & Celestine," which was an absolutely delightful animated adventure with troubled animal characters. The follow-up is more of the same, with the production returning to this wonderful world of watercolor art and companionship, heading in a different dramatic direction with a more expansive location and deeper family ties. Creative achievements are stunning, with a lively sense of character and place, and screenwriting remains playful, offering humor and heart, keeping the continuation as irresistible as the original feature.
Memory
"Memory" examines an unusual relationship between people with a shared history of sorts, but connect as strangers in the present. Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard supply nuanced performances with challenging material from Michel Franco, who examines the many ways of trauma in the picture. "Memory" isn't gloomy, but it deals with troubling human connection and paralyzing acts of denial, with Franco pursuing something strangely soft in the middle of anguish and confusion. The film takes some unexpected turns, but it remains committed to exhausted people going through something upsetting, hunting for some form of connection in their lonely lives.
Also of Note: Dream Scenario, Godzilla Minus One, Rebel, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, BlackBerry, Theater Camp, Jules, A Million Miles Away, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Past Lives, Smoking Causes Coughing, Fair Play, Nimona, Guy Ritchie's The Covenant, and Monster.