Corrye’s 2023 Movie Year In Review!
So, I know what many of you may be thinking at this point, “Corrye we are almost two months into 2024. Why the Hell are you putting out your movie year in review now?” Well, if you’ve followed my writings at House of Geekery for any length of time, you know that I like to give myself a one-to-two-month buffer. This gives me time to watch some of the late entries that don’t receive a wide release until January and catch some gems that I never got around to. I’m always glad that I do because invariably there’s a film or two that completely disrupts my ultimate list. (Spoiler alert: It happened again this year.)
Between January of 2023 and mid-February 2024, I was able to watch sixty-five films released in the 2023 calendar year. (Note: this includes all the Oscar-nominated films in the six major categories.) As such I think I have a solid sample size to base this article on. So, without further ado, here it is, the underrated, the overrated, the surprising, the disappointing, and my top ten favorite films of 2023!
MOST OVERRATED: Poor Things
I think it’s time for me to accept the fact that the films of Yorgos Lanthimos are aggressively not for me. I liked The Favourite; however, I found The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer to be monumentally pretentious and a chore to get through. Unfortunately, for me, Poor Things was just more of the same. While both Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo deliver excellent performances and the costume and production design are phenomenal, beyond that I found the film overly self-important and often dull. That last is particularly confounding considering how much graphic sex occurs in this movie. The movie is so bizarre as to not even be accessible to the average viewer. And listen, I get that this is meant to be an absurdist, surrealist film about a woman discovering and owning her own sexuality and finding her place in the world…it’s just not compelling. This is a two-hour and twenty-minute film that feels like four hours and sports one of the worst scores in recent memory. Jerskin Fendrix’s score is truly awful. Putting discordant notes together and cranking the decibel level up to 1000 isn’t interesting or edgy, it’s boorish, annoying, and cumbersome. I lowkey detested this movie. Going forward I don’t expect to watch any of Lanthimos’ films unless they are nominated for Oscars.
MOST UNDERRATED: Plane
So, no bullshit, I actually watched this one a year ago while traveling on a plane for work. I was sincerely shocked by how much I enjoyed this movie. Despite the ridiculously oversimplified title (Deadly Skies would have been better) director Jean-Francois Richet’s sleek action/thriller feels like a late-90s throwback actioner. It’s the kind of film we rarely get nowadays, with minimal CGI and more emphasis on practical effects. Gerard Butler has cornered the market on these types of roles ever since Olympus Has Fallen, and continues to do so here, playing pilot Brodie Torrance with requisite grit and gravitas. He pairs nicely with Mike Colter’s Louis, whose military background comes in handy. Charles Cumming and J. P. Davis deliver a slick, tight screenplay. Maybe the best thing I can say about Plane, is that it knows exactly what it is. There’s zero pretension here. It’s a 107-minute long, big dumb action movie that never overstays its welcome.
MOST DISAPPOINTING: Napoleon
In his eighty-six years of life, director Ridley Scott has become a master of the craft. Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Thelma & Louise, The Martian…the list goes on and on. However, despite an excellent resume, Scott has also churned out several misfires such as The Counselor and Robin Hood. Unfortunately, Napoleon falls into the latter category. Vast in scope and ambition, Napoleon sports some excellent battle sequences and some incredible costume and set design. Sadly, that’s about all to be had in this war epic. Joaquin Phoenix is woefully miscast as the titular European figure, with the film focusing too much on Napoleon’s military exploits. We never see the scholar, the philosopher, the diplomat, the person who spearheaded meritocracy, or the man who codified multiple democratic principles into law that still exist today. Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby (who plays Josephine) possess zero chemistry, with the sex scenes being some of the most awkward and laughable in recent memory. Speaking of laughable, some of writer David Scarpa’s dialogue is hilariously bad. I’m stunned that lines like “You think you’re so great because you have boats!” and “Destiny has brought me this lambchop!” actually made it into this film. Here’s hoping Scott rebounds with the upcoming Gladiator sequel.
MOST SURPRISING: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
It’s hard to imagine but The Hunger Games, the film based on the wildly popular novel series, and the movie that kicked off Jennifer Lawrence’s career, is almost a dozen years old. Although I read Suzanne Collins’ prequel when it came out, I honestly wondered how the film would land with today’s audience. Thankfully Hunger Games veteran director Francis Lawrence absolutely crushed it. Not only is this film a faithful adaptation but an excellent movie in its own right, on par with Catching Fire. The costume design and production value are top-notch with plenty of practical effects, although there is some occasional dodgy CGI. TBOSAS sports a dynamite supporting cast with Josh Andres Rivera a revelation as Sejanus Plinth, the moral heart of the story. Peter Dinklage once again brings the heat with his Casca Highbottom a broken, bitter, and vindictive man. Viola Davis also chews the scenery as Professor Gault. Additionally, Rachel Ziegler turned out to be perfect casting as her Lucy Gray Baird sets herself apart from Katniss Everdeen and GODDAMN Ziegler can sing. However, it was Tom Blyth who really impressed me giving a layered and nuanced performance as the young Coriolanus Snow. Blyth came into the role with the daunting task of making the audience empathize with the same character who was the main villain in the original movies. He succeeds in every conceivable way.
BEST MOVIE BLINDSPOT WATCH: Lawrence of Arabia
Every cinephile possesses their blind spots. No matter how enthusiastic you are about films, it’s impossible to see everything and sometimes classics fall by the wayside. (Incidentally, I have a goal of rectifying that in 2024.) One of my most glaring movie blind spots was director David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia. My God, I’m kicking myself for waiting this long. What a masterclass of filmmaking. Everywhere you look from Freddie A. Young’s cinematography, to Anne V. Coates editing, to Maurice Jarre’s music, to Peter O’Toole’s commanding performance, you see perfection. An epic among epics, if you haven’t seen this film, do yourself a favor and watch it as soon as possible, preferably on the largest screen possible. Masterpiece feels like a paltry description when weighed against the depth, breadth, and scope of Lawrence of Arabia.
WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR: Family Switch
For the majority of 2023, Cocaine Bear had the dubious distinction of holding this spot. Then December hit and director McG’s cloying, sentimental, derivative, and grating body-swap/Christmas movie came along and said, “Hold my eggnog.” Words can’t express how much I detested this movie. From the puerile dialogue to the tired plot tropes, to the predictable ending, to the insufferable attempts at humor (Uncontrollable farting at a pitch meeting? For real?), Family Switch proves to be a symphony of suck. A 105-minute movie that feels like four weeks, it’s the cinematic equivalent of coal in your stocking. Not even Emma Myers’ game effort could save this film. Ed Helms, Jennifer Garner—what the fuck are you doing? You’re better than this.
HONORABLE MENTION #1: Evil Dead Rise
I’ve been an Evil Dead fanatic ever since the late 90s when my friend Ken and I rented the first three on back-to-back-to-back nights. Even though Fede Alvarez’s 2013 entry eschewed most of the humor for more straightforward horror and gore, I still appreciated it. So it was with relish that I delved once again into the world of the Necronomicon and the deadites. And boy did director Lee Cronin’s latest entry DELIVER. Terrifying, gory, captivating, and always horrifying, Evil Dead Rise succeeds as both an Evil Dead entry and as an excellent horror film in its own right. I really appreciated the fact that the majority of the gore was practical (the elevator of blood was next level) and setting this particular film in an urban setting was an inspired choice. Lily Sullivan makes for an excellent heroine as Beth, but it is Alyssa Sutherland’s Ellie that truly stands out as one of the great all-time performances in the history of horror cinema. If the successive entries are going to be this enthralling, give me 1000 of them.
HONORABLE MENTION #2: Air
We are thirty years into Ben Affleck’s film career and some people still can’t see him as anything but a handsome dudebro who’s married to Jennifer Lopez. It’s a travesty because not only is Affleck a far better actor than people give him credit for, but he’s also an even better director. Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo are all excellent films and while Live By Night was a misfire for the intrepid director, Air was a true return to form. Funny, inspiring, slickly shot, and superbly acted, Air brings the story of Nike signing Michael Jordan to a shoe contract to brilliant life. The David and Goliath story of the shoe industry, I couldn’t help but root for Sonny Vaccaro played brilliantly by Matt Damon. It’s a feel-good movie that left a giant smile on my face by the end. You can’t help but be inspired by this movie and I can’t wait for Affleck’s next feature.
And now for my top ten favorite films of the year!
#10 Sisu
I’m a sucker for WWII movies, especially the European campaign. Give me a person or persons beating the shit out of Nazis and you will have my money 100% of the time. Having said that, director Jalmari Helander’s Finish film Sisu really took me by surprise. Led by a near-silent performance from Jorma Tommila as Lapland War hero Aatami Korpi, Sisu is a searing tale of revenge with some compelling visuals from Kjell Lagerroos. A lean and mean ninety-one minutes, Sisu never overstays its welcome and contains some of the best kills I’ve ever seen in a movie. It’s like the Finish WWII version of First Blood and I mean that in the best way possible. This is a rip-roaring good time that feels plucked right from the revengomatics of the 1970s. Also, Aatami Korpi’s Bedlington Terrier is a delight.
#9 Godzilla Minus One
As I’ve said, the reason I wait a little longer before doing my year in review is because invariably a movie comes along and fucks up my entire list. This year it happened thanks to director Takashi Yamazaki’s thematically heavy and nuanced kaiju film. I am stunned that a movie about Godzilla manages to be this visually captivating and narratively layered simultaneously. Yes, it’s a movie about a giant lizard attacking a city… but it’s also a meditation on survivors’ guilt, war trauma, the dawn of the nuclear age, how our governments fail us, the true meaning of courage and integrity, and so much more. I can’t emphasize how phenomenal this movie was. I was completely blown away by Godzilla Minus One.
#8 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse is the best Spider-Man movie ever made. Full stop. But GODDAMN if Across the Spider-verse isn’t close. Despite having three brand new directors, Across the Spider-Verse never loses the joy and purpose of the first film. The stakes are even higher this time around with Miles Morales coming face to face with the Spider Society and faced with his own personal canon event that could change the course of his life. Duty, personal responsibility, mental health, wrestling with the fact that actions have consequences—all of these rear their heads at some point during the film. Yet despite the heavy themes, Across the Spider-Verse is a joy to behold. The action is thrilling, the animation off the charts, and Oscar Isaac makes for a fantastic Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099. Daniel Pemberton’s score is also next-level great, and I’ll never understand how he didn’t get an Oscar nomination. Beyond the Spider-Verse can’t get here fast enough.
#7 John Wick Chapter 4
It’s not supposed to go like this. The fourth film in any franchise has no business being great. This is where everything is supposed to fall off the map and diminishing returns rule the day. Not so with John Wick Chapter 4. In fact, you could make the legit argument that this is the best film in the franchise. Everything in this movie is bigger, bolder, and better whether it’s the staircase scene, the bird’s eye view at the apartment shootout, the fight scenes at the Japanese Continental, or Bill Skarsgard devouring every frame he’s in. Also, Donnie Yen is in this. Did I mention Donnie Yen is in this? Because his character of Caine rocks. These movies are an absolute blast and Chad Stahelski is easily one of the best directors working in the genre today. Keanu Reeves’ has had a field day making these movies, but the ending of John Wick Chapter 4 is pretty definitive and I hope we’ve seen the end of Mr. Wick.
#6 Killers of the Flower Moon
Yeah, like the film from arguably our greatest living director wasn’t going to make this list. Based on the searing book by David Grann, director Martin Scorsese proves that almost six decades in, he’s still a master of his craft. A riveting, horrifying, compelling, and brutal film about one of the great unheard-of atrocities in American history, Killers of the Flower Moon is epic in scope yet intimate in story. Lily Gladstone is a revelation as Mollie Burkhart and is the moral center of the film. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers the performance of his career, and Robert De Niro showcases a diabolically deceptive, subtle, and mendacious William King Hale, a man obsessed with obtaining more wealth and power. While Marty’s been much maligned about the perspective of Killers of the Flower Moon (namely that it’s not as much from the Osage point of view as it should be), Scorsese never set out to make an Osage movie. He set out to make a movie about the wolves, and how we benefit and, in some instances, may still be complicit in atrocities. It’s a stunning film that’s haunted me since I saw it.
#5 The Iron Claw
The Iron Claw was the most emotionally devastating film I’ve seen since 2016’s Arrival. A spectacular film about family, tragedy, toxic masculinity, and brotherhood, I was captivated by every frame. Director Sean Durkin delivers something truly special with this film, even if you aren’t a pro wrestling fan. The camerawork by Matyas Erdely is shockingly intimate and designed to make you uncomfortable. This is the movie that forever changed my opinion about Zac Efron. His physical performance is only surpassed by his complex, complicated, nuanced, and emotionally harrowing portrayal of Kevin Von Erich. I’m flabbergasted that A24 dropped the ball for awards campaigning when it came to this movie. The last fifteen minutes of The Iron Claw left me a blubbering mess. I’ll be thinking about this movie for years to come.
#4 The Killer
I loved The Killer. Loved, loved, LOVED The Killer. I was so impressed by David Fincher’s latest that I watched it back-to-back, two nights in a row. This movie reminded me how much I missed Michael Fassbender as he brings a cold, calculating, and meticulous nature to the role. Yet despite his lack of emotion, somehow Fassbender’s Killer evokes empathy. It’s also a film where the internal monologue of a character actually works. Fincher’s newest film isn’t a balls-to-the-wall actioner, but rather a contemplative and methodical slow burn that’s also a meditation on loneliness and our increasing disconnection with those around us. It’s the perfect post-COVID film for the remote work society. Additionally, Fassbender’s hand-to-hand combat sequence and his harrowing scene with Tilda Swinton’s The Expert will live rent-free in my head for years. Again, I LOVED this movie.
#3 The Holdovers
As I get older, I often think of the line from Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire, “We live in a cynical world.” If you look on social media long enough (Hell not even that long) you’ll find plenty of evidence to back up that contention. That’s why I was so thankful for Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers. Not only is it a warm cup of cocoa with a dynamite-acting trifecta (Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa) but it’s also one of the best Christmas movies in years. I really connected with Sessa’s Angus Tully, while Da’Vine Joy Randolph puts in a painful and poignant portrayal as grieving mother Mary that’s destined to net her an Oscar. Giamatti meanwhile gives the performance of his career as the cantankerous Paul Hunham. Plus, the movie is easily the best comedy of the year with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. I absolutely adored the 1970s aesthetic as well.
#2 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Some of you may be surprised that the fifth and final installment in the Indiana Jones franchise is this high on my list but remember this is a list of my favorites because I think making a best of list is a fool’s paradise. Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favorite film of all time and Indiana Jones is my favorite character. I was sincerely hoping that James Mangold and company would give the whip-cracking adventurer a thrilling send-off and they did not disappoint. From the thrilling opening fifteen minutes on a Nazi plunder train, to Indy outracing goons during the Apollo 13 parade, booby traps, deep sea explorations, the John Williams score, and yes even time travel—I loved it all. Harrison Ford proved that even at eighty he can still get it done. Phoebe Waller-Bridge made for a great sidekick (almost a co-lead) and Mads Mikkelsen as the ex-Nazi bad guy? I mean come on! Hell, we even got Sallah back. My heart was full when this one ended. Long live Indiana Jones!
#1 Oppenheimer
If anyone was going to knock Indiana Jones off the top spot it was going to be Christopher Nolan. A moving, complex, complicated, and profound film, this movie is so much more than a biopic about the guy who developed the atom bomb. Morality, humanity, the corruption of new technologies, political intrigue—it’s all there. Cillian Murphy absolutely disappears into this role and Robert Downey Jr. proves again why he’s one of our finest living actors and not just Iron Man. The supporting cast is a stunning who’s who and Christopher Nolan has crafted a unique screenplay. Oppenheimer is the summation of Nolan’s previous body of work. Every film that’s come before feels like the sharpening of a whetstone to craft the sword that is Oppenheimer and drive it into audiences’ hearts. It’s also so relevant to today’s society with the threat of A.I. being the 21st-century version of nuclear power. I remember coming out of the film the second time I saw it and just being empty for an hour. I couldn’t help thinking about my son and if he actually was going to have a future. As my podcast partner Luke said, “It was the first time since 9/11 that I questioned the inevitability of tomorrow.” Couldn’t have said it better. Not only is Oppenheimer my favorite film of the year, but it may also be the most important film of this century.
2023 proved to be an amazing year for film. With Dune Part II, Furiosa, Deadpool & Wolverine, Monkey Man, Wicked, Joker 2, and so many more to release this year, here’s hoping for a phenomenal cinematic 2024. See you at the movies!
