10 Best Movies and Shows of 2023 – and 2 That Weren’t All That
2023 is coming to a close, so it’s time for one of those ubiquitous best-of lists! These are my ten favorites from the big and small screen this year—plus two I didn’t. Not sorry.
Movies
2023 has been a year of turmoil and triumphs. At the start of the year, the industry was on its way to recovery after the pandemic… then the AMPTP refused to negotiate with two of Hollywood’s biggest unions for over six months. Projects were canceled, and dates were moved – both things we’re used to now.
Despite that, the last 12 months have given us some great movies, from CG action fests like Transformers: Rise of the Beasts to intimate examinations of life like Past Lives and The Iron Claw. Here is a handful of my favorites of the year (out of the 140 I watched in 2023) – and the one I really didn’t like.
John Wick 4
Chapter 4 takes John on a whirlwind journey across the globe, making a pit stop in New York before moving to the Continental Osaka, Berlin, and finally, Paris. Every stop has him fighting for his life. Pauses for dramatic storytelling are well placed between action scenes so the audience can catch their breath and invest in the characters (and there are some fantastic characters). Read my full review here.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Sony Animation continued to push the boundaries of the medium in this sequel. It one-ups Across the Spider-Verse in almost every way, which is a true challenge. The Spider-verse expands with new locations, hundreds of new characters, and a story about the importance of family and the cost of testing fate. The only thing not to like is the lack of a release date for the second half.
Barbenheimer
The juggernaut that saved theaters this summer. The two movies were pitted against one another (thanks to being released on the same weekend) by both audiences and the press. It led to a challenge to see both movies opening weekend. It was a ridiculous circus, but it drove the two to record-breaking box office takes.
Greta Gerwig effortlessly mixed comedy with serious commentary and drenched it all in pink. Christopher Nolan’s portrait of J. Robert Oppenheimer had a fantastic ensemble cast with stunning VFX (I’m glad I had a chance to see it in 15/70). They’re both amazing and groundbreaking in their own ways; there’s no reason to make it a contest.
Talk to Me
I didn’t expect a horror movie from a group of YouTubers to be this good. I won’t say too much because spoilers can ruin it. Talk to Me uses the classic teens messing with spooky things they shouldn’t premise and builds something modern and terrifying on top of it. It’s unsettling, filled with dread, and has just the right amount of jump scares. The movie’s practical effects are impressive, as well.
Godzilla Minus One
This might be a bit controversial: Americans shouldn’t make Godzilla movies. Godzilla Minus One is why. The story isn’t just a monster movie that centers on a giant lizard destroying cities. It’s about losing a war, rebuilding a country, forming new families, and what valor and honor can mean.
It’s still in limited theaters—go see it on a big screen if you can.
The Worst: The Flash
The movie was touted by Warner Bros. and its studio heads as being the best DCU movie but flopped at the box office and in ratings. The Flash is a heap of squandered potential, from the muddy CG to the convoluted story that wastes iconic characters (particularly Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, who we likely won’t see again). Not even Micheal Keaton could save this one.
Runner Up: Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire
Streaming Series
Streaming has expanded the number of shows to the point that it’s impossible to keep up. It’s a great and a bad time for long-format storytelling due to this explosion. 2023 was also a year of many cancelations that studios (incorrectly) blamed on the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
This year, we saw some disappointing Star Wars series, the spectacular end of an era in Star Trek, and a touching story about love and pirates. Here are some of the series that caught my attention and one I regret spending time on.
The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)
Mike Flannigan finally did something I could dig into—I loved this mini-series. The chapters are bloody, twisted, and darkly hilarious. It has a great ensemble cast (especially Carla Gugino) and smart writing that pulls details across Poe’s work. If you’re looking to watch something new this dead week before New Year’s, make it The Fall of the House of Usher.
The Last of Us
From the start of the series, it’s been about people and how they react to catastrophes. While the infected are a constant undercurrent, they’re not really the focus. Attacks are punctuation in a story about the best and worst of us and what the collapse of society could bring out in everyone. It’s what makes the show so successful – it’s not about killing infected monsters; it’s about us and what we’re capable of. What we’re willing to do to meet our own ends. Read my full review here.
Loki Season 2
A decade after his introduction to the MCU, Loki finds his glorious purpose in the final season of his solo series. It’s a joy to watch Ke Huy Quan and Owen Wilson interact, as well as Hiddleston’s Loki fully realize who he is. This season is a bit scatterbrained, and the storytelling isn’t as rich as the first season, but everything pays off in the end.
Dead Ringers
As a Cronenberg fan, I was a little worried when this was announced. The Jeremy Irons starring movie (based on real people) is a personal favorite. Showrunner Alice Birch and star Rachel Weisz have created something that stands independently and brings new ideas. The mini-series is a visual feast that tackles everything from codependence and jealousy to medical ethics and capitalism.
The Bear Season 2
An emotionally scarred James Beard Award-winning chef inherits the family restaurant after his brother dies. Season two sees Carmy and the crew revamping the humble sandwich shop into something more. It has some brilliant capsule episodes that will lower your blood pressure—and raise it—plus some perfectly cast guest stars.
The Bear gets the restaurant business and the people who make it run in a way that most Hollywood projects don’t. The cast, the writing—the whole show is just so damn good.
The Worst: Velma
I’ll admit I only made it through one episode of this. The “adult” take on Scooby Doo (minus the titular dog) flunked for both critics and audiences—earning 37% and 7% RT scores, respectively. Its humor claims to be edgy and fun, but in reality, it’s cringy, and its jokes fall flat. Somehow, it has been greenlighted for a second season.
Runner Up: Secret Invasion
What are your favorite movies and shows of the year?
