January 26, 2024
With this week’s Oscar nominations, we are well on our way to the coronation of Christopher Nolan and this year’s likely Best Picture winner Oppenheimer. Anything can happen of course (just look at CODA’s surprise win two years ago), but we are definitely trending in that direction. But I’m not here to preview the Oscars this week – I’ll save that one for later in February, when we are closer to the March 10th ceremony. Speaking of which, if you are interested in my thoughts on any of this year’s nominees, I’ve seen a lot of them and you can go to my Film Index here to find the post where I covered each one.
This week I’m sharing my ten favorite movies of the year. If you missed #20 – #11 last week, you can read it here. Let’s jump in with one of my highlights from the Philadelphia Film Festival.
#10 – Maestro
A funny thing happened on the way to Bradley Cooper’s triumphant return as a director, following 2018’s acclaimed A Star is Born. Reactions to Maestro, his portrait of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein, were decidedly mixed upon its release on Netflix in late December. I loved it – after all, it’s in my top ten. But I can understand some of the reactions because this is not a paint-by-numbers biopic of Bernstein. In fact, it’s more a portrait of his marriage to actress Felicia Montealegre, portrayed by Carey Mulligan.
Bernstein lived (to say the least) a complicated life. His musical genius was often overshadowed by his frequent infidelity with other men, which Cooper portrays effectively, leading to the frequent conflicts in his marriage. I read some reactions that were disappointed in not seeing more of Bernstein’s accomplishments depicted on screen. I was fine with Cooper’s choices in how he constructed the script, which he co-wrote with Josh Singer. I didn’t need to see Bernstein writing West Side Story (but was delighted we got a tiny sample from the musical’s opening number.) I was also fine with not seeing him teach Lydia Tár. Just kidding – if you know, you know.
Yes, Cooper’s performance can feel like an “imitation” at times, with the accent, rapid fire talking, and the (overly-debated) prosthetic nose. But I got past those surface level issues pretty quickly. I was struck by the tenderness of how the couple’s relationship was explored, the excellent performances by Cooper and Mulligan, and Cooper’s continued advancement as a filmmaker. In particular, the opening sequences where he first conducts the New York Philharmonic and his rendering of On the Town on stage were impressive. But the real “hair on fire” moment was when we see Bernstein conducting an orchestra in a cathedral during a wondrous six-minute sequence. A true bravura depiction by Cooper. He won’t win any Oscars this year, and he’ll most likely be chasing his first win (after now being nominated a total of 12 times) with his next project. All I know is that I’m lining up for whatever he does next. Maestro is now streaming on Netflix.
#9 – The Iron Claw
This may be recency bias as The Iron Claw was released in late December, but this film struck a nerve with me and many others who were moved by the tragic true story of the Von Erich family. Zac Efron, in a transformative performance, leads an excellent cast as Kevin Von Erich, the oldest son of a domineering father (Fritz, played by Holt McCallany) and former professional wrestler. He is determined to develop his sons into world champion wrestlers to achieve the glory that he never found. Kevin is the chosen one, but his brothers Kerry (The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White), David (Harris Dickinson) and Mike (Stanley Simons) are also brought into the family business.
Now, before you think “I don’t like wrestling – this is not for me,” hear me out. The Iron Claw is more than a wrestling movie – it’s about the bonds of family, and the destructive behavior that can tear them apart. It’s about dedication and determination to win at all costs. And it’s about the strength of one man to survive unspeakable tragedy. If that doesn’t sound like a happy movie, you’d be correct. It’s emotional, but powerful and inspiring with credit to the impressive cast, which also includes the wonderful Maura Tierney as the stoic mother of the family. Credit also goes to Sean Durkin, who wrote and directed the film. He took a story well-known to wrestling fans and turned it into a compelling heartfelt drama that the average non-wrestling fan can still connect with. Durkin is not a well-known filmmaker, but his very good 2020 picture The Nest has been trending recently on Netflix, which I was happy to see. The Iron Claw is still playing in limited theaters and should be available to rent on demand in February.
#8 – Barbie
$1.4 billion at the box office earned by a film based on a toy? Incredible. The biggest movie event of 2023 could have gone so badly in the wrong hands, but thankfully we had Greta Gerwig at the helm, directing a film she co-wrote with husband and director Noah Baumbach. What more can I say about Barbie that hasn’t been written before, including by me back in July? Not just a movie about a toy, Barbie is a brilliantly conceived comedy-drama-musical that uses Barbieland and the Barbies and Kens to demonstrate the fallacy that all is fine in the world.
From the vibrant colors in the production design to the music and casting choices, just about every decision made with Barbie worked for me, particularly the genius of the screenplay. I particularly enjoyed the subtle jokes that took you a minute to pick up, the touching family story (with America Ferreira as the highlight) and the seriousness in the silliness. The only way Barbie works is if the cast is willing to go all-in on the vision conceived by Margot Robbie (as the film’s star and producer) and Gerwig. They clearly earned their Oscar nominations. Wait, what? Yes, despite the online vitriol this week, they actually both received nominations. Gerwig was recognized for her screenplay (but not for Best Director) and while Robbie was not nominated for Best Actress, as the film’s producer she was recognized with the Best Picture nomination. As I will cover next month, the Oscar field was incredibly deep this year.
While it’s easy for the average viewer to see how Barbie worked after the finished product is on screen, it took courage for the cast (particularly Robbie and Ryan Gosling) to be willing to look foolish if it went wrong. That demonstrates the trust Gerwig earned from a talented cast to jump into the deep end of the pool with her to make a daring picture. She is now 3 for 3 with Lady Bird, Little Women and Barbie as excellent films that have all been nominated for Best Picture. Next up is her adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix, a book series I have never read, but knowing Gerwig is behind the camera, I’ll be watching. Barbie is now available to stream on Max.
#7 – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
Every favorite movie list needs a fun popcorn flick that we shouldn’t take too seriously (even if the filmmakers want us to), and I’m here to say that Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning meets that definition. Let’s just call it out – the motivations of the villains in this seventh installment of Tom Cruise’s action franchise are ridiculous. It’s some sort of artificial intelligence tool that can be weaponized into an “Entity.” Believe me when I tell you that whenever someone says “The Entity” with gravity in their voice, it wins the Unintentional Comedy Bit of the Year. But we’re not here for a serious plot – we’re here for Tom Cruise cheating death in exciting sequences on his way to saving the world. And when it comes to Cruise, he always wins. On second thought….
The big headline from Dead Reckoning was its disappointment at the box-office, having earned less than $600 million worldwide, far less than the last Mission film and 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick. That’s decent money, but the budget was enormous, partially due to several COVID delays with the cast and crew still getting paid while production paused. What happened? Well, Ethan Hunt is not as big as Maverick. Also, there is a theory that some people were turned off by the “Part One” in the title upon its release, not wanting to see a movie without a full conclusion. Dead Reckoning has since been rebranded without the Part One for its digital release, and Paramount has announced that the eighth installment will not be titled Dead Reckoning – Part Two when it is released in 2025. But the big answer to the film’s “disappointing” box-office is Paramount’s foolish decision to keep its original release date when they saw the steamroller coming out the following weekend. Barbie and Oppenheimer simply pushed Cruise to the side (including Oppenheimer grabbing the valuable IMAX screens) and Dead Reckoning was lost in the Barbenheimer whirlwind over the next several weeks. But the good news is that it’s a great movie that you can now watch from home.
Cruise is joined by several actors from the previous MI installment (the excellent MI: Fallout) including Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rhames. We are also reunited with Henry Czerny as the slimy Kittredge from the first MI film. But the best co-star of Dead Reckoning is Hayley Atwell as a thief who becomes Hunt’s partner-in-crime to stop the villains after the dangerous AI tool. Cruise and Atwell have excellent chemistry as we see in a chase sequence in the Abu Dhabi airport, a riotous car chase through the streets of Rome, and an exhilarating sequence on the Orient Express at the end of the film (which is preceded by Cruise’s insane motorcycle jump off of a mountain.) Don’t worry about the silly plot details – fire up the popcorn and enjoy the fact that we still have Tom Cruise pushing the limits in creating fun movies for us. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning is now streaming on Paramount+.
#6 – The Killer
In addition to being regarded as a brilliant director (at least by this movie sicko – I don’t think he’s made a bad film), David Fincher is known as a perfectionist. The master technician. The stories are endless. Driving Robert Downey, Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal crazy on the set of Zodiac. The 99 takes for the opening scene of The Social Network. Getting annoyed at a background extra in Gone Girl – “Who walks like that? Not a normal person.” So, it’s natural to think that the character at the center of his latest film The Killer, a contract assassin who is also a perfectionist, is modeled after the director himself. But Fincher says that’s not the case. Maybe it’s because the lead character, played to perfection by Michael Fassbender, is kind of an idiot.
The Killer was written by Andrew Kevin Walker (who wrote the screenplay for Fincher’s Se7en) and is based on a graphic novel series. Fincher tells the story in chapters, as we see our nameless main character travel from city to city to mitigate the damage from a botched assassination attempt during the opening sequence in Paris. The failure is shocking since he never misses. His motto, which he repeats throughout the film, is “Stick to your plan. Anticipate, don’t improvise.” He is meticulous in his planning, accounting for every detail, and striking at the precise moment when his target is in sight and his pulse rate is below the appropriate level. When he misses his target, he escapes the city, using a passport with one of his many aliases based on legendary TV characters – see if you can spot them all. When he arrives home in the Dominican Republic, he finds his girlfriend in the hospital after being attacked by the goons looking for him. He sets out on a tour to different cities, using his “skills” to exact his revenge. Here we see some of the supporting actors, including Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell and Arliss Howard, each delivering strong performances.
Fincher’s depiction of this madman just trying to do his job is a finely-tuned combination of all of his best directing skills. For starters, he chooses to have Fassbender provide a narration throughout the film, so we can get inside his head. I couldn’t find The Killer in a theater near me (Damn you, Netflix), so I had to watch it in my living room. I decided to wait until late at night, turn off all of the lights and pop in my Bluetooth headphones, not realizing I would have Fassbender in my head for two hours. Let me tell you – that’s the way to watch The Killer, as you also get an appreciation for the pulsing score from frequent Fincher collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. You also get to enjoy our character as he listens to The Smiths during his downtime, which provides some levity to the violence we frequently see. Lastly, since we’re talking about the master technician, of course Fincher shoots the film in a perfect way, especially the killer’s escape through the streets of Paris, and a thrilling fight scene in Miami. If you are in the mood for a dark, brooding story from the master of making us feel uncomfortable, look no further than The Killer, now streaming on Netflix.
#5 – How to Blow Up a Pipeline
If The Iron Claw has some recency bias, this selection certainly does not. I first saw How to Blow Up a Pipeline at the 2022 Philadelphia Film Festival and it has stuck with me ever since. The picture received a wide release in April of last year, which is why it is on my 2023 list and having seen it again, it cemented my feelings about it as one of my favorites of the year.
How to describe this movie? How about Ocean’s Eleven plus eco-terrorism minus the jokes? That about sums it up. A group of environmental activists join up to….well….blow up an oil pipeline in Texas. Each of them comes from different backgrounds, and have various motivations that led them down this path to destruction. As we see the group gather to carry out their plot, we flashback to learn of their background, what led them to this cause, and how they all met up.
How to Blow Up a Pipeline is an independent production, which means you shouldn’t expect any well-known actors, or fancy special effects. It looks like an independent film, and I don’t mean that in a demeaning way. It’s got a gritty feel to it, which matches the tone and subject matter. What makes this movie work so well is the tension that builds as the plot moves along, and the genius story structure as we move back and forth between the different timelines. The film was actually based on a non-fiction book and was adapted into a fictional story for the screen by director Daniel Goldhaber, Jordan Sjol, and Ariela Barer, who plays the lead character in the movie. After the screening I saw in Philadelphia, Barer and the film’s editor participated in a Q&A, where they discussed how they constructed the story and some of their influences, which included Michael Mann’s Thief and (naturally) Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy. One of my favorite movie going experiences of that film year, How to Blow Up a Pipeline is now streaming on Hulu.
#4 – Past Lives
Oftentimes I am blown away by a film when I first see it and tend to overrate it when I am ranking my favorite movies. Months (or years) later I may watch it again and realize that it doesn’t hold up. That was not the case with Past Lives, which I saw last summer and fell in love with, as I wrote about here. In preparation for this year-end list, I decided to watch it again, and even though I knew what was coming, I was still moved by this story from first-time director Celine Song, who also wrote the script.
Past Lives focuses on the life of Nora (Greta Lee, a shoe-in for a Best Actress nomination in a year that wasn’t as loaded as 2023) over the course of three timelines. When she is 12, her family decides to emigrate from South Korea to Toronto for her father’s filmmaking career. She is crushed by leaving her close friend Hae Sung. Twelve years later, they connect via Facebook and start having video chats while she is living in New York and he is still in South Korea. Their friendship is rekindled, but they soon drift apart. Twelve years later, Nora is married to Arthur and Hae Sung comes to visit Nora in New York.
On the surface, it may look like a typical “love triangle” movie, but that would do this story a disservice. Past Lives examines how little decisions over the course of a lifetime can have a monumental impact on who we are today. It embraces the concept of “what if we knew each other in a past life?” or “what if this is a past life of our future selves?” Not in a multiverse way like Everything Everywhere All at Once. No, this is a thoughtful exercise that can make you ask yourself “what if?” but also appreciate where your life is today based on those small decisions. Song created a masterpiece with this story and cast three perfect actors in the main roles – Lee as Nora, Teo Yoo as Hae Sung, and John Magaro as Arthur. The film also features my favorite last scene of any movie of 2023. There is poetry in how Song stages that scene – see if you can pick up the intentionality of how she directed an interaction that is the perfect capstone to a beautiful movie. Past Lives is now available to rent on demand and will be streaming on Paramount+ on February 2nd.
#3 – American Fiction
As I wrote in my review of You Hurt My Feelings last week, it’s so nice to see a SMART comedy released in theaters these days. I had the exact same reaction when I saw American Fiction at the opening night of the Philadelphia Film Festival last fall. Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a professor and author who is desperately trying to get his next book published. The problem is that every publishing house keeps passing on it, saying they would like something more “Black.” As Monk complains to his agent, he emphasizes the declining quality of stories from Black authors that focus on stereotypical tropes of Black characters. He loses his shit when he sees people fawning over one of these novels by an author played by Issa Rae and decides to prove his point by writing his own stereotypical novel under a pseudonym. The problem? Everyone eats it up as the next “Great American Novel” and Monk faces the decision of earning some much needed money or sticking to his principles.
American Fiction was written and directed by Cord Jefferson in his first feature movie, who participated in a Q&A after the screening I saw in Philadelphia. It was interesting to hear him describe how the novel that inspired the film resonated with him, coupled with stories he heard from friends in Hollywood seeing the same lack of quality stories from Black writers and directors. It’s no surprise that Jefferson was able to gather a top-notch cast given the quality script. In addition to Wright, who just nabbed his long overdue first Oscar nomination, Jefferson recruited Tracee Ellis Ross, the legendary Leslie Uggams, Erika Alexander, Adam Brody (very funny as a pinhead movie producer) and Sterling K. Brown (also a first-time Oscar nominee), who is fantastic in a performance completely different than his role on This Is Us. I have written many times how satire can go so wrong in a movie, but Jefferson’s script and Wright’s performance make for a winning combination to deliver hilarious jokes that will make you cringe just enough to make you uncomfortable. American Fiction is also a wonderful family story as Monk and his brother (Brown) deal with their mother’s declining mental health, and reckon with their complex relationship with their deceased father. This one is a winner that I highly recommend to any movie fan. American Fiction is now playing in theaters.
#2 – Oppenheimer
In finalizing my top ten list, I kept flip-flopping these last two films, and could easily see them as 1A and 1B. But this is where I settled as of today. It could change next week, next month, or next year but for now, Oppenheimer is 1B. With the film that just nabbed 13 Oscar nominations, Christopher Nolan has somehow made a three-hour drama consisting mostly of people talking in rooms about politics and nuclear physics into a juggernaut that earned almost a billion dollars at the box-office. Yes, its theatrical success was helped by the Barbenheimer phenomenon, but let’s not kid ourselves – this film is a masterpiece and a likely Best Picture winner.
Cillian Murphy is outstanding as J. Robert Oppenheimer as we see him develop from an eager university student, to arrogant college professor, to leading the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos. In one sense, Oppenheimer is a biopic, but Nolan tells the story through two lenses. One is in color, representing Oppenheimer’s perspective. The other is in black & white, representing the perspective of Lewis Strauss, a government official portrayed by Robert Downey, Jr., who is currently finalizing his Oscar acceptance speech (probably.) We jump back and forth across multiple timelines as we see the momentum build toward the testing of the atomic bomb (in a riveting sequence that shook the IMAX theater) and the aftermath of Oppenheimer’s advocating for nuclear arms control, leading to questions about his patriotism.
Nolan has been a world-class director most of his career and when you consider the rest of his filmography, labeling Oppenheimer as his crowning achievement demonstrates its greatness. Like Fincher, I don’t think he’s made a bad movie and his precision as a filmmaker across all disciplines is on full display. The casting – Murphy is brilliant, but also impressive are Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Downey, Florence Pugh, and many more. The cinematography, the visual effects, the production design, and (most especially) the score are all top-notch. You may read that the third hour of Oppenheimer can drag a little bit, but when you have a pulsating score ratcheting up the tension, you will be riveted, not bored. I have long been a fan of Nolan’s work, as I wrote about here and I am fascinated to think about what he will do next. How can you get bigger than a (likely) Oscar-winning blockbuster about the creation of the atomic bomb? Oppenheimer is now available to rent on demand and will be streaming on Peacock on February 16th. P.S. If you watch this at home, turn your phone over and give yourself to Nolan’s craft for three hours and enjoy the ride.
#1 – Killers of the Flower Moon
If you’re intimidated by the 3 ½ hour runtime of Martin Scorsese’s latest epic, Killers of the Flower Moon, I understand. It’s daunting. It’s hard to watch in one sitting. I’m sure you’re on day 3 of reading this blog post. That’s ok – split the movie up over two nights if you have to, because it’s a brilliant piece of filmmaking worth watching.
Killers is based on the 2017 book of the same name and is focused on the Osage Native American tribe in 1920s Oklahoma. The Osage saw fortune shine on them when oil was discovered on their land, but local law required that they have their wealth (and rights to their land) managed by the White residents of the area. Leading that charge is William Hale, the deputy sheriff and default political boss of the county. Robert De Niro plays Hale in a performance that is menacing in a subdued manner. In the opening of the film, Hale’s nephew is back from World War I and Hale teaches him about the ways of the Osage and how things work in the county. In its simplest terms – the White men marry the Osage women to get access to their land headrights.
Hale’s nephew Ernest is played by Leonardo DiCaprio in another incredible performance. By the way, I’ve been saying for the last few years that the industry takes Leo for granted and this week he was passed over for an Oscar nomination in an egregious snub, proving my point. Ernest gets a job driving Mollie, one of the Osage women in town, and they soon fall in love. Mollie is portrayed by Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone, who is stoic in her portrayal of a woman suffering through tragedy, like most of the Osage tribe. As we learn early on, a number of tribe members have been mysteriously dying, either from “sickness” or murder.
As I wrote about last month here, Martin Scorsese is at the point in his career where he recognizes he only has a few projects left and he wants to make the most of them. He rearranged the construct of the Killers book for the movie to focus more on the Osage tribe and less on the FBI investigation of the murders, which is the focus of the last third of the movie. Scorsese felt it was important to tell the story of the Osage tribe to memorialize the destruction Native Americans were subjected to in our country. He accomplishes this not only through the story construction, but with a beauty in the performances, production design, costumes, and score, composed by long-time Scorsese collaborator Robbie Robertson, who recently passed away. It’s wonderful to see a director with over 50 years of experience behind the camera demonstrate he hasn’t lost his touch.
As we put a wrap on the 2023 film year, I think it’s clear that it will be remembered as the year of Barbie and Oppenheimer, but I will try to remember the other great directors we enjoyed besides Gerwig and Nolan. And at the top of that list is Martin Scorsese, who puts a touching finishing piece at the end of Killers that I admired, even if it was a bold choice. I worry that when we look back on 2023, Scorsese’s masterpiece will get lost under the Oppenheimer tidal wave coming at the Oscars. But not us movie sickos – we don’t forget. We’ll be ready to fire it up again on our TV because we love movies – it’s as simple as that. Killers of the Flower Moon is now streaming on Apple TV+
Whew! That ended up much longer than I planned, but I got on a roll and kept rolling (and I don’t have an editor.) I hope you enjoyed this look at my favorite movies of 2023. If you are wondering where to see any of these films, I recommend JustWatch.com to find where to watch a movie from home now or WhenToStream.com to learn when movies will be available for home viewing. And if you’re headed to the theater, Fandango is your best bet to find showtimes for your local theaters. I’ll be back in about a month with my preview of the Oscars. The ceremony is not until March 10th, so you have plenty of time to catch up on any films you’ve missed before then. Enjoy the movies, thanks for reading and if you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe below.