Top Ten of 2023

This year started slow for me. Up until July, my favorite movie of the year was Dungeons and Dragons. Nothing against that movie (it’s still in my top ten), but I was getting worried about how I was going to fill up a list of ten. But then all the heavy hitters started coming out, and I could have easily made this a top twenty, which I kind of did by including ten honorable mentions. Aside from the top two films, I could see this list being completely different every time I write it, so this is just what it is today. There’s something about all of these movies that I loved, and I thought this was one of the better years for film in recent memory. As always, I want to remind the twenty or so people who read this that these are my favorite films of the year, not the “best” films. Finally, there were a few movies I wanted to watch that I didn’t get to yet, but I can’t put off this list any longer. They are: Godzilla Minus One, Saw X (I will get to this one and update my rankings for the whole franchise, too), and Thanksgiving. There’s a ton of stuff I didn’t watch, but these three are the ones that I felt could possibly make my list. 

Oh, and I’ve done this differently from year to year, but the last few I’ve been starting with the number one film and working down from there. I think most people do more of a countdown style, but I don’t for whatever reason. Anyway, here you go:

1. Poor Things

I’ve already written a full review of this, so I’ll just add this: every year there’s a movie that is seemingly universally beloved that doesn’t click with me. Some stuff just isn’t for me, no matter how well made it is. That’s nothing special. What is special is when something like Poor Things comes out, because it’s one of those movies that I immediately love so much that I simply cannot understand how literally every one who sees it doesn’t think it’s the best film of the year. Normally, I come away from a film I love thinking, “Well, I liked it a lot, but I’m a weirdo.” With this one, I think you’re the weirdo if you don’t love this movie. 

2. Oppenheimer

I wasn’t crazy about this the first time I watched it. I knew it was good, but it didn’t click with me. I thought it was like Dunkirk for me, a movie I know is good, but I didn’t love. Then I watched Oppenheimer five more times. The acting, the structure, the mood, the music, it all just came together for me. It’s like when Niels Bohr asks Oppenheimer if he can “hear the music.” At first I couldn’t, but now I’m hearing it, in typical Nolan too loud fashion. In any other year, this is my number one, but the sheer joy I get from watching Poor Things changed that. Still, this is a movie I love, and maybe after watching it four or five more times I’ll feel prepared enough to write a full article about it.

3. Killers of the Flower Moon

It’s Scorsese, and it’s a big sweeping story about horrible things people do in the name of greed. Of course, I’m going to love this movie. And I’m really enjoying this later stage in his career in which he makes sure no one can claim he’s glorifying any of the terrible behavior of the criminals in his films. These are horrible people and are presented as such. What made this stick with me long after watching it was how successfully Scorsese was able to show how these people didn’t even consider the Osage as fellow humans. This is a terrible moment in history, and Scorsese presents it as such.

4. The Zone of Interest

No other movie on my list has stuck with me after a single watch as much as The Zone of Interest has. Initially, I thought the idea of the movie was more effective than the movie itself, but that’s not true because it stuck with me so strongly. It’s not a movie that I would typically want to watch again, but I feel like I have to because it keeps popping up in my mind, and I feel the need to watch it again. Much like the title of writer/director Jonathan Glazer’s previous film, this one just gets under your skin.

5. The Iron Claw

This is another one that stayed in mind long after watching it. The tragedy of this wrestling family is compelling, and the performances are great across the board, but it’s the mood of the film that worked most for me. The wrestling is treated with such seriousness, despite the innate silliness of the profession, that it creates the perfect tone. 

6. John Wick: Chapter 4

Enough with the miserable stuff, the John Wick franchise is a perfect example of what I want from action movies: a good time. This is somehow still fun four movies in and nearly three hours long. This is a fitting swan song to the most dependable action franchise in recent memory.  

7. The Holdovers

This was going to be in the honorable mentions, but I watched it again the other night, and it made its way into the top ten. Giamatti is great as always, but I mainly appreciate that a story that could easily delve into weepy melodrama stays funny and touching throughout.

8. The Killer

I’m a Fincher fan, so this was right up my alley. It’s also quite funny, as Fassbender keeps repeating rules like a mantra throughout despite breaking every one of them. Good stuff.

9. Barbie

Next to Poor Things, I found this to be the funniest movie of the year. The sequence in which the Barbies conspire to take down the Kens cracked me up and also hurt with how accurate it was (fun fact: I would be the type of Ken who could be distracted by asking me about The Godfather).

10. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Next to Poor Things and Barbie, the funniest movie of the year. I had to watch it again to make sure I legitimately enjoyed this movie and it wasn’t just that I enjoyed it because I was expecting it to be garbage (thanks to the disastrous previous live action adaptation). But this is just awesome, even when you don’t compare it to crappier versions of it. The talking to the dead soldiers sequence put me over the top with this one.

Honorable Mentions - I also really liked all of these, and I’ll explain why in one sentence or phrase or name for each.

The Boy and the Heron - Miyazaki is a blindspot for me, so maybe this isn’t as good as his best, but I wouldn’t know, so I loved it.

20 Days in Mariupol - Should be required viewing for people like me who tend to ignore the news because it’s too depressing; yeah, it’s depressing, and the least I could do is be aware of it.

Leave the World Behind - I know this one made a lot of people big mad with the ending or whatever, but I had a lot of fun with it.

Napoleon - I am so happy that Ridley Scott is still out there making classic epic action movies with a touch of weirdness; looking forward to the director’s cut.

The Promised Land - Mads fucking Mikkelsen growing potatoes.

Robot Dreams - The most delightful surprise of the year for me.

Dream Scenario - Amusing metaphor for fame in our shitty digital world.

Beau Is Afraid - This one is wild, but it makes the list for the perfect encapsulation of anxiety exhibited in the first act.

Smoking Causes Coughing - So weird, so funny.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - Saved this for last because people would probably stop reading if they knew this made my list, but fuck it, I love these stupid, crazy movies; I’m sick of superhero movies for the most part, but if they’re willing to be this goofy and weird, then I’m in.

Top Ten of 2019

I am not a fan of making lists. I love reading top ten and worst ten lists and whatnot, but I personally dislike making them. My main reason for pointing this out is because my opinion towards movies is always changing. This is why I usually like to wait a bit longer than most to come up with my year end list. I want to see what stuck with me, but I would need years to truly look back and see which films had a lasting impact on me. So no more waiting until February to get this list out. I will probably always wait until January, though. 

These films stuck out to me this year for multiple reasons. Typically, this is a list of my favorite films, not a list of the “best” films. But “favorite” isn’t the right word this year, as I included more films that had a strong effect on me. This is basically because of one film (For Sama). I can’t call this list my “favorite” movies with that documentary on the list. I will never watch that film again, but it had such a strong impact on me that I had to include it on my list. So here’s my list of favorite and most effective films of 2019.

1 - Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

There’s a moment in this film in which Margot Robbie, as Sharon Tate, watches her own movie in a theater (even though the footage she’s watching is of the actual Tate and not of Robbie playing Tate [confused yet?]). She has a look of sheer joy on her face as she watches the movie. It’s like she remembers what she loves about film as she sits there. I felt the same way watching this film in the theater, and I felt it again re-watching it at home. This is Quentin Tarantino’s love letter fairy tale to a Hollywood that no longer exists, and he perfectly conveyed the passion he has for that moment in time to the point that it made me nostalgic for something I never even experienced. I just enjoy being in the world of this movie when I watch it, and that’s what I’m looking for more than anything in a film, which makes this my favorite of the year.

2 - Parasite

Writer-director Bong Joon-ho does not make films that can be easily labeled, and Parasite is his masterpiece in that regard (and in general, too). Most people who mention this movie tell people to know as little as possible before watching it, and I agree, so I won’t give any details about the plot. I will point out that this movie’s first hour, while interesting and captivating, had me worried. Was I missing something? Then things change dramatically and Parasite really clicked with me. By the end I had experienced a funny, shocking, depressing, violent, frightening film that is entertaining while also making a profound statement about class. 

3 - Portrait of a Lady on Fire

This is the first time I’ve had two foreign language films in my top ten. Something about having to read the entire movie takes a bit away from the experience. But this film and Parasite made me forget I was reading subtitles the entire time. Love stories typically don’t affect me all that much, but such a perfectly compelling relationship coupled with two of the best lead performances of the year made this one of my favorite films of the year. And the final moments of this film are perfect; the ending has stuck with me weeks after first watching it.

4 - Motherless Brooklyn

This is easily the outlier of my list. While this movie came and went without much fanfare, it stuck with me. It works for me on every level. Edward Norton did an amazing job of recreating 1950s New York. And his risky portrayal of someone with Tourette’s pays off. But more than anything, his decision to take a book set in the ‘90s and change it to the ‘50s and make it about corruption in the world of real estate was the boldest gamble. It didn’t work for most people, but it hooked me, and I loved every minute of it.

5 - For Sama

Generally, I have a “no documentary” rule for my top ten list because I like to reserve space on my list for films I simply enjoyed. But there’s a moment in For Sama that made me full-on sob, and a movie has never done that to me. As a documentary, it hits all the points a good film needs to: it’s important, personal, effective, informative, etc. As with most great documentaries, I think everyone should watch it. But it makes my top ten because it affected me in a way I didn’t think a film could.

6 - The Lighthouse

When done correctly, a movie that lends itself to both a literal and metaphorical interpretation can be incredibly satisfying, which is the case with The Lighthouse. It’s up to the viewer what is exactly happening (guilt-driven insanity, toxic masculinity boiling over, Greek myth, etc.), but no one can deny that writer-director Robert Eggers has created a unique, disgustingly beautiful film. What puts The Lighthouse over the edge are the amazing performances from Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. Pattinson continues to make Twilight a distant memory in his career by giving his best performance yet. And Dafoe is perfect. No matter what interpretation you follow, it’s still enjoyable to watch Dafoe rant and rave like a drunken old-timey sailor.

7 - Jojo Rabbit

The premise of Jojo Rabbit (a young Nazi comes to terms with Nazism while having Adolf Hitler as an imaginary friend) is something out of a Mel Brooks movie, but somehow writer-director Taika Waititi made this story one of the funniest and most heart-breaking films of the year. Bolstered by a great lead performance by Roman Griffin Davis, Jojo Rabbit walks the razor thin line of comedy and tragedy, weaving seamlessly between the two. The sad fact that the subject of the dangers of fascism and indoctrination of youth is as timely as ever make this not only one of the most entertaining films of the year, but also one of the most important.

8 - John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

Sometimes I just want to see some unapologetic, awesome violence, and the John Wick series just keeps getting better. The expanded mythology has made for a fun and interesting world to visit, but the action is still the main draw here. Three films in, this series still makes me say “Oh shit!” while laughing at the over-the-top action. In my opinion, movies still primarily exist to take you away from the real world for a couple hours, and John Wick is one of my favorite distractions.

9 - The Irishman

Perhaps the best way to describe my love of this three-and-a-half hour musing about the mob is to point out that I’ve already watched it three times and plan on watching it again soon. I always find myself hypnotized by the worlds Martin Scorsese creates in his films, and The Irishman is no different. In many ways The Irishman is like Scorsese’s other mob movies because of the cast, the language (“friend of ours,” “some people, not me,” “it is what it is”), the sprawling story, the violence, etc. But the final moments of the film are different and much more self-reflective (for instance, De Niro’s self-reflection at the end of Casino is simply one line [“And that’s that.”] while it takes the last half hour of this film for him to come to terms with his life) than his previous work, and it made The Irishman a special movie for me.

10 - Ford v Ferrari

Everything in Ford v Ferrari just works. It is perfectly cast, the story is compelling, and the driving/racing scenes are riveting. I have a hard time coming up with anything specific to say about it. It’s simply a great, entertaining film. It is easily the most crowd-pleasing film on my list. 

Honorable Mention:

On any given day, each of these films could make my top ten, they just didn’t today.

1917, The Beach Bum, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Uncut Gems, Midsommar, Dolemite Is My Name, Just Mercy, Richard Jewell

Top Ten of 2017 - What? It's Almost March of 2018? So What? Have They Announced the Academy Awards Yet? No? Okay, so I'm Still Earlier than the Academy.

*Note: I don't own every movie on this list. However, I already own a few (Blade Runner 2049, Logan, mother!, and The Lost City of Z), therefore it makes sense to post my top ten on this site. 

Top Ten of 2017

Here are my ten favorite films of 2017 (and some honorable mentions). The key word is “favorite.” I’m not saying these are the best films of the year, whatever that means, anyway. I’m not qualified to judge films based solely on how technically good they are (I’m not sure anyone is). I can only tell you which films I liked the most last year. So here goes.

1. Blade Runner 2049

When I first read about this project, I was very skeptical. I just didn’t see Blade Runner as a franchise. Then Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario, Prisoners) came on board, and things changed. He did not disappoint. Rather than take a moody sci-fi noir and turn it into a cash grab summer action movie, Villeneuve made a nearly three hour film that’s even moodier and more contemplative than the original. Looking back at the original Blade Runner, I always think, “You couldn’t make a film like this today.” It’s too slow and too expensive for a studio to put money behind it. I was wrong...and right. Villeneuve did make a film like the original Blade Runner in spirit, but since it cost so much and it made so little, this will probably never happen again. I’m thankful it happened once, at least. Villeneuve was given the money and freedom to build a world I couldn’t get enough of. They nailed the look (cinematographer Roger Deakins should win the Oscar), the feel, and the sound (Hans Zimmer should have been nominated for this instead of Dunkirk) of the original, and, in my opinion, improved upon it. The cast was great, and the story was a satisfying and logical continuation of the first film. This is a nearly three hour long moody, dystopian sci-fi film with very little dialogue and even less action, and I wish it was longer. I can’t think of anything I did not like about this movie. How could it not be my favorite film of the year?

2. The Killing of a Sacred Deer

If you follow my writing or my yearly top ten, then you know I like my movies weird, and boy oh boy, is this one weird. Every year there’s movie I love but won’t recommend (to most people). This year, that honor goes to The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos (his previous film was The Lobster, my favorite film of 2015) has developed this style of having his characters do or say outrageous things while acting like robots. I don’t know why, but I find it hilarious. I guess it’s the absurdity of the performances and the plots of his films. It also helps that his films are reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick stylistically. The guy is the total weird package. I know that I’ve written nothing specific about this movie in this paragraph about this movie, but I would rather leave it at this: if you liked The Lobster, you’ll like this. If you skipped The Lobster, you should probably skip this one too.

3. Logan

Wolverine has always been one of my favorite comic book characters, and Hugh Jackman has been great all these years. But he never got to truly be Wolverine...until Logan. Being able to see Wolverine rip through people in R-rated glory was a highlight of my movie year. It was like taking all of the implied gory action from all the previous films and letting it all explode in one film. Once I got over the high of the violence, I realized that director/co-writer James Mangold made the most poignant comic book movie ever. I think we all hold comic book movies in high regard these days, but Logan is unique in its brutality, its heart, and its finality. Perhaps the most refreshing part about the film is the fact that it isn’t a direct sequel nor is it setting up a dozen other movies. Logan truly stands on its own.

4. mother!

Writer/director Darren Aronofsky is one of my favorite filmmakers, so when mother! was released to a very divisive response, I knew I would end up loving it. When a movie divides people, it’s almost always a sign that it is at the very least interesting and unique, and mother! is certainly both of those. I enjoyed it for the style alone (the early claustrophobic camerawork and the amazing chaos near the end of the film), but the performances and its allegorical nature made it one of my favorite films. Allegorical films are just more engaging to watch than most films. I spent the entire film wondering, “What does this represent?” You can do this with any movie (whether the movie is attempting to represent something or not), but when the film is intentionally allegorical, it’s like solving a film puzzle. That mind sound terrible to some, but that makes the viewing process much more enjoyable to me.

5. The Lost City of Z

An ambitious movie about ambition. I was excited to see this since I read the book, and I was pleasantly surprised to end up enjoying this more than the source material. Those looking for answers about the titular lost city in the Amazon will likely come away a bit disappointed, but this film is about much more than the city. It’s about ambition, sacrifice, family, obsession, exploration, and racism. It’s ambitious enough that so many themes are evaluated in the film, but to top that writer/director James Gray decided to actually film in the jungle. It also features Charlie Hunnam’s best performance by far. Robert Pattinson is great in it, as well (this film along with Good Time have definitely changed my opinion about the Twilight star). I’ve watched the film twice now and liked it even more the second time. Perhaps if I were to watch it a few more times it would climb higher on my list. I do think this film more than most this year will be looked at later on as an underseen and underappreciated masterwork.

6. Phantom Thread

It’s a safe bet that if Paul Thomas Anderson releases a movie it will end up on my top ten list. I was initially worried about Phantom Thread because of the, well, boring subject matter: a dressmaker in the 1950s has his controlled life thrown into disarray when he begins a new relationship. Only Anderson could not only get me to watch a movie with this plot, but also make me love it. Of course, Daniel Day-Lewis’s involvement made it an easy film to love, also. The film isn’t about dressmaking, really, but about the creative process, in general, and the dynamics of power in relationships. This is another movie that makes you study every moment and every sound. It’s also very funny, which I imagine many people would not expect. Paul Thomas Anderson continues to prove that you can have arthouse goals with a film while also genuinely entertaining the audience.

7. Hostiles

Westerns are few and far between these days, so it’s important that the few that get made are of high quality. Thankfully, that’s the case with Hostiles, a bleak and violent film about the complexities of the treatment of Native Americans in the late 1800s. The cast is amazing, as well, with Christian Bale standing out, as usual. It’s a bit quieter performance for him, but no less impressive than his more famous roles.

8. The Disaster Artist

I loved this movie, but it’s difficult to judge whether this is really a good movie on its own. The Disaster Artist is about the making of the notoriously terrible movie The Room. I’ve seen The Room multiple times, so every joke and performance (especially James Franco’s shockingly good impression of filmmaker Tommy Wiseau) made sense to me. If I had no knowledge of The Room beforehand, I’m not sure I would have loved this movie so much. I think I would have liked it, but it probably wouldn’t have made my top ten. But I do know what The Room is, so The Disaster Artist is one of my favorite films of the year.

9. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Writer/director Martin McDonagh made one of my favorite comedies of the last ten years with In Bruges, a film that showcased his ability to write sharp, often acidic dialogue. So who better to deliver that type of dialogue than Frances McDormand? This is her movie, but the supporting performances from Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson are great, too. More than performances, the complexity of this angry, shocking, and funny film make it one of the year’s best. The film has faced a bit of backlash because (SPOILERS) a racist character redeems himself a bit at the end a bit too easily. I don’t see a problem with a despicable character also doing something good. That just shows complexity and realism. It makes no sense that a film should be attacked for presenting something that happens in the real world every day, because, unfortunately, people can be terrible and do good things from time to time too. Most of us are not all good or all bad, and neither are the characters in McDonagh’s films, and that’s a good thing.

10. I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore.

The ten-spot is always up in the air for me, and I changed my mind about a dozen times before going with this truly surprising film from writer/(first time)director Macon Blair. The story is pretty basic (a woman’s house is robbed, and the cops don’t seem too concerned, so she takes matters in her own hands), but the themes concerning justice, being a good person, and fitting in in society make this film interesting. What put it over the edge for me was the surprising and funny violence throughout. Also Melanie Lynskey is always good, and Elijah Wood was great as a dorky weirdo.

I’ll finish up with my honorable mentions. Most of these could have easily been my tenth pick, but for whatever reason didn’t make the cut. Still, I liked and/or appreciated all of these movies.

Honorable Mentions:

The Shape of Water - An R-rated fairy tale from Guillermo del Toro; that’s enough for me.

IT - This one made my list because I assumed I would hate it, but I ended up really enjoying it.

Molly’s Game - Aaron Sorkin’s script is getting the attention, but this is Jessica Chastain’s film.

I, Tonya - I really liked the faux-documentary/4th wall-breaking style about this crazy moment from the 90s.

Baby Driver - Some of the best chase sequences ever, but it makes my list for the Michael Myers mask joke alone.

T2 Trainspotting - A film that pretty much makes a case against its own existence and nostalgia in general; a rare sequel that has something to say.

John Wick: Chapter 2 - A rare sequel that is nearly as awesome as the original.

Alien: Covenant - Double Michael Fassbender made this prequel/quasi re-make stand out.

War for the Planet of the Apes - A fitting end to one of the most surprisingly good trilogies ever.

The Post - You can’t go wrong with Spielberg, Streep, and Hanks.  

Logan Lucky - Excellent heist film, but it mainly made my list because of the Game of Thrones joke in the prison.

Dunkirk - This is the one I appreciated more than liked; the use of tension is masterful.