Top 10 Movies of 2023

2023 is finally over and it's time for me to put my Top 10 list together.  2023 was definitely a weaker year for movies.  There were definitely some great movies, but there were also plenty of disappointing and bad movies as well.  I still managed to put together a great Top 10 with a couple of worthy contenders that just missed the cut.  Let's take a look!

#10. They Cloned Tyrone

They Cloned Tyrone is a wild and fun sci-fi tale that takes place in the hood.  A drug dealer, a pimp, and a prostitute discover a cloning conspiracy and the results are intelligent and hilarious.  This is a really smart and funny movie with some amazing performances across the board.  This was a movie that kept me guessing the whole way through.  What an absolute blast.

#9. Renfield

I'm guessing Renfield will be the most controversial entry on my list as I feel like I'm the only person who liked this movie.  I love the old Universal monster movies and the fact that we get a direct sequel, while still being its own thing, is awesome.  Nicholas Cage is my favorite actor and I'm always excited to see him in a movie.  He's a perfect Dracula and he has perfect chemistry with Nicholas Hoult.  Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz also bring a lot of fun to the film.  It's an over-the-top and violent movie with great makeup and gore.  It may be violet, but it never loses its sense of fun, which is the type of movie I love.  The corrupt cop and crime family storyline doesn't always work, but for the small group of people in the target audience, which may just be me, this movie is awesome.

#8. Asteroid City

It walks like a Wes Anderson movie and talks like a Wes Anderson movie.  Asteroid City is one of the most Wes Anderson movies he's made, but I love it.  I just love the way his movies look and his characters behave.  Everything about is so so strange and charming.  It's pretty much exactly what you would expect, but it works.  Everyone does a fantastic job and the appearance of the alien is one of the most memorable cinematic moments of the year.

#7. Poor Things

Poor Things wins the Award for strangest movie of the year.  This is apparently based off a book that I've never read, but it takes a lot of inspiration from Frankenstein.  Emma Stone is perfect as our protagonist, a woman who is reanimated by a mad scientist.  She should win Best Actress for her performance.  She ends up going on a journey with a sleazy playboy played by Mark Ruffalo, who should win Best Supporting Actor.  This a beautiful and surreal film that I can't wait to watch again.  The world of Poor Things is strange, but it works because we understand the characters.  They ground the movie and take us on the journey with them.  This is a work of art with some incredible cinematography and production design.

#6. Knock at the Cabin

Knock at the Cabin is a movie that takes off like a shot and doesn't let up.  It's a wonderfully paced film and very straightforward.  The entire first act is pretty much what we saw in the trailer.  Four mysterious people show up at a cabin to hold a family hostage and ask them to sacrifice one member.  That's it.  It's a great premise with great acting from Bautista, Groff, and Aldridge.  It's an ethical dilemma that we watch play out.  I love how simple, yet engaging it is.  I didn't love the cinematography and felt some of the artistic decisions hurt the story, but I loved this film.

#5. Scream VI

This is definitely a case where I'm biased.  I love the Scream movies and I understand the criticism that they are too formulaic.  I don't care, I love the formula.  We get some great development for all of the surviving characters from the previous movie, the change of setting is a breath of fresh air and gives us some awesome set-pieces, an excellent opening sequence, and some of the best kills of the series.  Some of the new characters were under-developed, but this was a great entry in the series and works as a finale if we never get a proper sequel.

#4. Oppenheimer

I generally don't like the trend of movies being close to three hours.  If we're going to do that, we need to bring back intermissions.  Most movies don't need to be that long.  85 minutes is the perfect length for most movies.  It's very rare where I think a movie needed to be longer, especially if that movie is already 3 hours long.  I could have watched another hour of Oppenheimer.  This was such an interesting and engaging film that I didn't want it to end.  Even the last hour, which was pretty much just hearings, I found fascinating.  It's a beautifully shot film with some stellar performances, especially from Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.  Christopher Nolan did a phenomenal job and I can't wait to rewatch this one.

#3. M3gan

I love horror movies and this one is a rare horror movie that I find genuinely unsettling.  Children, uncanny valley robots, artificial intelligence, and technology in general.  All of these elements combined perfectly to make my skin crawl almost nonstop.  I was thoroughly uncomfortable and thoroughly entertained.  It also manages to be very funny, even when violent and horrible things are happening.  There's also some brilliant satire, which I always appreciate.  Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, and Jenna Davis all do excellent jobs and the result is a horror movie where I can't wait for the sequel.

#2. Evil Dead Rise

Just like the previous Evil Dead movie, Rise does not pull any punches when it comes to gore, plus it has the willingness to kill off kids.  Not many horror movies are willing to go that far and I always respect it when they do.  We get some absolutely gnarly kills, great performances, a tight script, and a refreshing setting.  Most of the Evil Dead movies take place in a cabin in the woods.  This one takes place in an apartment building.  It's a fun change of pace for the series and really works.  This is pretty much exactly what I wanted from an Evil Dead sequel.  I absolutely loved this movie and have no notes on how to improve it.  Yes, the kids were dumb to mess with the stuff they found but that's something that always happens in these movies.  It's fine.  We need to get Deadites here somehow.

Finally, before we get to the best film of 2023, a couple of honorable mentions that just missed the cut.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Infinity Pool

#1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Simply put, I love how creative this movie is.  Just like the previous film, this movie uses the multiverse and does it well.  I know some people are sick of multiverse stories, but I love the insanity and creativity it can bring to a film and I think it works perfectly.  The animation is gorgeous, the story is awesome, and I love the characters.  Everything about this movie works for me.  I can't wait for the 3rd movie and Across the Spider-Verse better win Best Animated Film at the very least.

So that's my list!  What do you think?  Am I dead wrong or did I nail it?  What's your favorite movie of the year?  Let me know!