Happy New Year Everyone! 2023 was an excellent year for films and entertainment across the world. Even personally, I started this website, Lights Camera Film Reviews, have conducted multiple interviews, and got accepted into a critics group, International Film Society Critics Association. Today, I thought I would share my personal top ten films of 2023 (along with some honorable mentions). Hope you enjoy!
Honorable Mentions (In No Particular Order): All of Us Strangers, Asteroid City, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, The Iron Claw, May December, The Taste of Things
#10. Barbie
Barbie truly finds the balance of being a laugh-out-loud comedy, but also a real and genuine social commentary! Greta Gerwig with her amazing script, finds a way to balance this commentary on gender roles and self-discovery and a comedy in a really profound way. It’s done with excellent performances by both Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Both of them are made for these roles! Also the production and set design in this movie is next level! You truly feel immersed in Barbieland! There are also some great emotional moments and messages that feel so real to what is happening in today’s society! It provides a great social commentary that I believe should be seen by everyone! Definitely one of my favorite theater experiences as I saw it at an advanced screening a day before it was released in theaters.
Full Review for Barbie: https://owenmwilczek.wixsite.com/lightscamerafilms/post/barbie-review
#9. The Holdovers
Alexander Payne delivers another great film in his latest film The Holdovers. This film not only hits on a comedic level but also on a deeper emotional level as each of the three main characters are struggling personally during the holidays. Paul Giamatti gives one of the best performances of his career and Da’Vine Joy Randolph shines in every scene she is in. Even Dominic Sessa, in his acting debut, delivers a great supporting performance and he certainly has a bright future ahead of him. Everything from the editing to the set pieces reminds you of a 70s film. This film was definitely one of the most heartwarming films of the year and a great movie to watch with the entire family during the Christmas season!
#8. John Wick: Chapter 4
Yeah… John Wick: Chapter 4 is easily the best movie in the franchise and the definition of a great action movie! This is the 4th installment in the franchise and somehow it continues to feel new and fresh. Keanu Reeves pushes himself to the limit and he delivers on every beat. There are also so many great supporting performances with Donnie Yen really standing out. This film also includes stunning filmmaking. Stunt Work, Cinematography, and Sound are on full display and it is really well done. Watching John Wick: Chapter 4 in IMAX was truly a great experience. You feel every punch, hear every gunshot, and overall you feel immersed while watching on a premium screen. One of the best action movies of the year!
#7. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse somehow ups the first one with once again stunning visuals and a mesmerizing story! It’s complex, has so much emotion, and delivers all the way up to the end. This movie proves once again that animation is not a dead medium but one that continues to grow and thrive. It’s almost a perfect film and I cannot wait to see the next part! Definitely the best-animated film of 2023!
Full Review for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse:
#6. Killers of the Flower Moon
Scorsese in Killers of the Flower Moon crafted an epic that was stunning in both scale and scope but also has excellent performances delivered by the entirety of the cast! This long untold story about the Osage people is brought to life by an excellent screenplay and phenomenal performances, especially from Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone. Lily Gladstone is the emotional center of the film and delivers a great performance, one of the better performances of the year. The ending too is just amazing and will stick with me for a while! We also see another technical masterpiece by Scorsese with the cinematography, editing, production design, and more on display. Another top-tier Scorsese film that will be remembered for years to come!
#5. Anatomy of a Fall
2023 Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall was one of my favorite international films of the year! I had pretty high expectations for this film, and it met and sometimes exceeded my expectations. This is so much more interesting than your typical courtroom drama. You are constantly thinking about whether she is guilty or innocent and themes about “truth” ring home especially in today’s society. Justine Triet's direction and screenplay is exceptional. Sandra Hüller gives one of the best performances of the year!
#4. Past Lives
Past Lives was easily one of the best films of this year! Celine Song, in her directorial debut, crafts a beautiful exploration of fate and how we deal with the cards we are dealt in everyday life. This film is also beautifully acted by the three leads, Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro, who each deliver subtle yet deeply meaningful performances. The screenplay also was easily one of 2023 best in my opinion and the film emotionally moving from the beginning all the way to the end. What a Beautiful Movie!
Full Review for Past Lives: https://owenmwilczek.wixsite.com/lightscamerafilms/post/past-lives-review
#3. The Zone of Interest
Jonathan Glazer’s newest film The Zone of Interest is unlike any Holocaust movie, let alone any movie, you have seen before. The film depicts the horrors of the Holocaust in such a unique and disturbing way. The film has really solid performances and excels as well from many technical aspects including cinematography, sound design, and score. The film asks the audience difficult and terrifying questions. This was certainly one of the best-directed films of the year and one that will stick with me forever. Definitely a highlight of my New York Film Festival trip!
#2. Poor Things
Poor Things directed by Yorgos Lanthimos is easily Lanthimos’s best if not one of his best films so far. From a direction and screenplay aspect I believe he is top of his game. This film is a discovery of Emma Stone’s character Bella Baxter where she discovers herself emotionally, sexually, and more. Emma Stone gives a performance that is truly one of the best of her career to date and supporting characters Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe give really good performances as well. The film is also a technical marvel! The production design, costumes, cinematography, score, and editing are some of the best of the year! This is personally my favorite Lanthimos film to date and after seeing it at the New York Film Festival was one hundred percent one of my favorites of the year!
Interviews with Crew of Poor Things:
https://owenmwilczek.wixsite.com/lightscamerafilms/post/interview-with-poor-things-editor-yorgos-mavropsaridis (Yorgos Mavropsaridis, Editor)
https://owenmwilczek.wixsite.com/lightscamerafilms/post/interview-with-poor-things-production-designers-james-price-and-shona-heath (James Price and Shona Heath, Production Designers)
#1. Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer was truly incredible and thus my favorite film of 2023! It’s not only an impressive achievement for Christopher Nolan, but an achievement for cinema as a whole! I was lucky enough to see this film in 70mm IMAX opening night and it was spectacular! The visuals in this movie are unlike anything I’ve seen before. The sound design, score, editing, cinematography, and more are really top-notch and help lay the tone and emotion of this film perfectly. This is one of Christopher Nolan‘s most emotional pieces of work to date. And that is in large part due to the incredible acting by Cillian Murphy! Murphy perfectly shows the internal turmoil that Oppenheimer is going through! He really deserves all of the awards nominations he will get this awards season. There are also some great supporting performances by Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt. One of the best films of the decade and will be forever remembered as Nolan’s magnum opus!
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