THE BEST AND WORST OF 2023
Alan's picks
The Year's Ten Best Movies
(In Descending Order)
1. Oppenheimer
2. Killers of the Flower Moon
3. Fair Play
4. Napoleon
5. Poor Things
6. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning
7. Past Lives
8. Anatomy of a Fall
9. Rustin
10. The Holdovers
The Second Ten:
11. Barbie
12. Ferrari
13. Nyad
14. Afire
15. The Zone of Interest
16. American Fiction
17. Maestro
18. Flora and Son
19. Saltburn
20. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
I also liked:
Paint
Boston Strangler
Reptile
A Haunting In Venice
The Little Mermaid
Air
The Burial
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre
AND a special mention to a 2022 film not released widely (and then not too widely) until 2023: THE SON, a remarkable picture with one of Hugh Jackman's best-ever performances.
The Year's Best Performances
Best Actor:
Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)
Best Actress:
Emma Stone (Poor Things)
Best Supporting Actor:
Robert Downey, Jr. (Oppenheimer)
Best Supporting Actress:
Jodie Foster (Nyad)
Additional Great Performances Of 2023:
ACTOR:
Colman Domingo (Rustin and The Color Purple), Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers Of The Flower Moon), Adam Driver (Ferrari), Hugh Jackman (The Son), Teo You (Past Lives),
Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)
ACTRESS:
Phoebe Dynevor (Fair Play), Sandra Huller (Anatomy Of A Fall), Margot Robbie (Barbie), Carrie Mulligan (Maestro), Jennifer Lawrence (No Hard Feelings), Annette Bening (Nyad), Lily Gladstone (Killers Of The Flower Moon), Eve Hewson (Flora And Son), Greta Lee (Past Lives)
SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Ryan Gosling (Barbie), Matt Damon (Oppenheimer), Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Rosamund Pike (Saltburn), Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer), Florence Pugh (Oppenheimer), Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers), Penelope Cruz (Ferrari), Anne Hathaway (Eileen)
Best Director:
Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)
Additional Great Directors:
Martin Scorsese (Killers Of The Flower Moon), Christopher McQuarrie (Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning), Chloe Domont (Fair Play), Ridley Scott (Napoleon), Celine Song (Past Lives), Michael Mann (Ferrari), Justine Triet (Anatomy Of A Fall)
Best Picture:
Oppenheimer
The Year's Ten Worst Movies
(In Descending Order)
1. Beau is Afraid
2. Five Night's at Freddy's
3. They Cloned Tyrone
4. Creed III
5. Knock at the Cabin
6. Magic Mike's Last Dance
7. Somebody I Used to Know
8. Renfield
9. Mafia Mamma
10. Peter Pan & Wendy
Chelsea's picks
The Year's Ten Best Movies
(In Descending Order)
1. Barbie
2. Oppenheimer
3. The Holdovers
4. American Fiction
5. The Little Mermaid
6. Fair Play
7. Flora and Son
8. Boston Strangler
9. Anatomy of a Fall
10. Air
The Second Ten:
11. Past Lives
12. Poor Things
13. Killers of the Flower Moon
14. Nyad
15. May/December
16. Leo
17. Wonka
18. Rustin
19. Maestro
20. Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret
I also liked:
A Haunting in Venice
Napoleon
Ferrari
Totally Killer
The Burial
Dumb Money
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah
The Color Purple
Saltburn
Eileen
Ghosted
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Shotgun Wedding
Bottoms
ALSO a special mention to The Son, and to Hugh Jackman.
The Year's Best Performances
Best Actor:
Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)
Best Actress:
Tie: Emma Stone (Poor Things) / Sandra Huller (Anatomy of a Fall)
Best Supporting Actor:
Ryan Gosling (Barbie)
Best Supporting Actress:
Penelope Cruz (Ferrari)