Thomas Duffy’s Top 10 Films of 2023

Thomas Duffy’s Top 10 Films of 2023

In a year with three superbly crafted historical movies (Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon), it was hard to create a top 10 list of films that actually moved me and changed the way I see the world. Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott are among the finest directors of our generation and made excellent films this year. However, I decided to go with 10 other movies than the three aforementioned pictures to make my list more representative of the way I felt this film year actually was as a whole. There were so many monumental achievements that limiting it to 10 was almost impossible. However, the list has been limited to 10 with 2 exclusive extra movies that stood out from all the other films this year for reasons you will discover. 2023 was, hands down, the best year for movies since I’ve been writing for FilmBook and here are the very best of the best.

Thomas Duffy’s Top 10 Films of 2023

10. Bottoms

Emma Seligman directed the most downright hysterical and offbeat movie of the year. Bottoms was the type of film that paints a portrait of our times, especially for high school students who are the film’s target audience. This movie shows the need for acceptance for people in their teenage years as well as their need to feel important and, also, their desire to feel appreciated. The two main characters lie and do outrageous things to try to “fit in.” As played by Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri, the two female leads are full of charisma. The audience will adore their shenanigans as they yearn for popularity and love by starting a female fight club at their school. By the time this movie reaches its conclusion, one will be totally won over by the humor and characterizations that our stars create. Special kudos to Havana Rose Liu as Edebiri’s love interest and Marshawn Lynch as a teacher called Mr. G. Bottoms is a delight. Don’t miss it.

9. Priscilla

Cailee Spaeny was so amazing as Priscilla Presley that one could feel all her sorrow during the course of the picture’s running time. Sofia Coppola’s latest became the director’s best film in 20 years. Coppola hasn’t made a film this rich since Lost in Translation. It was also one of the director’s most beautifully constructed movies too from its beehive hairstyles to the elaborate costumes and lavish production design. There was only one reason that the film pulled it all together though to become a masterpiece and that was the performance by Spaeny. While Spaeny has done exquisite motion picture acting before in films like How It Ends, it wasn’t always a sure bet that Spaeny could pull off her role in Priscilla. She did it, though, and she pretty much was the whole show here. Jacob Elordi’s Elvis was breathtakingly good, but Spaeny was the heart and essence of Coppola’s film and made it the must-see movie event that it was.

8. Leave the World Behind

Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali and Myha’la Herrold were part of one of the best ensembles put together in a film in 2023. Netflix’s suspense thriller, Leave the World Behind, was that movie that gets conversations rolling and people putting their thoughts together as it initiates a story of what could happen in an end of the world type of scenario. Roberts and Ali shone brighter than they have recently in roles that showcased these performers’ distinct qualities. Ethan Hawke, as a husband and father, an “every man,” also put a lot of thought into his role. What could have been a standard suspense picture became a terrifying nightmare come to life. Director Sam Esmail knows how to tell a story with a sense of urgency as evidenced by this picture. At the film’s end when a shelter is discovered with tons of physical media at a character’s helm, it’s a movie lover’s dream. In fact, the whole movie is full of tense scenarios that make this one on the level of movies like A Simple Plan and Miracle Mile. It was amazing.

7. The Royal Hotel

Kitty Green is an advocate for equal rights judging from her films and her previous movie, The Assistant, was good. It lacked a compelling plot even though it drove home its points convincingly. The Royal Hotel takes the ingredients of The Assistant and throws some fuel into the fire by making one of the year’s most captivating thrillers. Jessica Henwick and Julia Garner were nothing short of magnificent in their respective roles as two girls working in a bar in a small Australian town. They wanted to do something different with their lives initially and they get a lot more than they bargained for with a group of rowdy and inconsiderate men who frequent the aforementioned bar. This film doesn’t necessarily always make men the villains (although in a way, it does). Rather, it questions the expectations and roles of women in society today. It’s a spine-tingling thriller that plays with conventions in such a way that you’ll be telling our ladies to get the hell out of Dodge and you’ll be glad by the film’s end that they figure that out.

6. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Not to take anything away from the clever and funny Barbie, but Greta Gerwig’s movie alongside Nolan’s Oppenheimer stole a lot of the thunder from Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. By opening a week after the new Mission: Impossible, people jumped on the bandwagon and left Tom Cruise alone for a bit. Not fair. Cruise starred in the action thrill ride of the summer that was also the most enjoyable Mission: Impossible movie of all-time. Director Christopher McQuarrie didn’t miss a trick with two of the film’s most memorable action scenes set in an airport and aboard a derailing train. Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales and Vanessa Kirby were predictably fantastic in a movie that simply didn’t let up. At well over two hours in length, the latest Mission: Impossible leaves viewers hanging (but in a good way) for the final installment of the series which hopefully will be as great as this one which was the seventh entry in the franchise.

5. Elemental

Some insiders tried to pass this Disney masterpiece off as a flop when it didn’t open as high as was anticipated at the box-office. However, good reviews and fantastic word of mouth spread and helped get Elemental the attention it deserved. Set in Element City, Ember and Wade (who look like -that’s right- fire and water) were the main characters here– two young lovers who found in each other that sort of kindred spirit which made their romance blossom. The magic of this picture is evident in Thomas Newman’s heartwarming musical score and the animation itself which is so crisp and colorful that the world the movie creates comes to life and leaps off the screen. “Steal the Show” was the name of the delightful song showcased in the movie and during the end credits and was a highlight of a film that touched the heart and made audiences laugh. Elemental was an animated film that was quite simply, on fire. Wherever you watch it, this film will light up the room.

4. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

The concert movie got a much needed boost with the finely-tuned musical presentations of the one and only Taylor Swift. Sometimes, it felt like it was over-hyped before its release but seeing was believing. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour brought all of Swift’s best songs together from the years into a concert picture that was impossible to look away from. There wasn’t a boring moment in the nearly three hours long picture. “Cruel Summer” and “Midnight Rain” were two standout performances in the concert movie but, then again, every number stood out in one way or another here. There was a lot of effort to bring this event to the screen and it paid off. Every number was out-of-this-world and by the film’s end, you’ll have a newfound respect for Taylor Swift, her music and the concept of the concert film itself. This cinematic accomplishment was simply amazing to behold.

3. Maestro

The love between composer Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) and actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan) was magnificently brought to the screen in the passionate and stirring biopic, Maestro. Cooper and Mulligan are at the height of their careers in two well-crafted performances which are even more amazing when one discovers that Cooper directed the film, himself. Cooper never misses a beat and in one scene conducts for a six-minute take that will leave the audience wowed beyond a reasonable doubt. The connection on-screen that is formed by Leonard and Felicia is depicted as one that had problems but at the end of the day, it was genuine love these two people had for one another. Bernstein was a man who was consumed by the joys of life and loved people and Cooper captures his every nuance to perfection. This movie is a showcase of masterful acting and moving storytelling that is surely one of the top movies of this year. It will certainly be remembered come Oscar time.

2. Air

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon truly “get” the beauty of the cinematic experience. Air details the rise of the Nike Air Jordan sneaker in such a way that it will keep audiences invested in the material right from the film’s outset This is not just about Michael Jordan though he and his mother are a large part of the story. This is a movie about determination and the American experience. It is peppered with great music that helps set the tone for the time period in which the film is set. Matt Damon, in one of his best performances, plays the type of “every man” who must rise above the mundane to help his company find the next best thing. Viola Davis, as Jordan’s mom, scored a slam-dunk in a performance that hopefully will not be forgotten come Oscar time. The story of Air is the essence of what is known as the “American Dream.” Affleck has directed a movie that will live on for generations to come as a piece of stylistic and important film-making.

1. Past Lives

Director Celine Song’s testament to the human condition had some of the most stellar acting of the year. Greta Lee portrayed a woman named Nora who is torn between two men (played by Teo Yoo and John Magaro). One of the men was from her past and one is from her present. Nora’s husband, Arthur, is played so wonderfully by Magaro that you’ll never be certain where Song is taking us with this film’s plot. Yoo’s Hae Sung is a man of integrity who loves Nora unconditionally but the film makes valid points that Arthur has taken care of Nora and given her a life that couldn’t have happened without him. But Nora and Hae Sung have an undeniable connection that goes back years to when they were children. Difficult decisions are made in the film and, as a result, cinema will never be the same again. Surprisingly, not everyone has gotten to see this gem yet so I won’t spoil it except to say that when I saw this film in theaters and the credits came up, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. That may sound cliched but there’s magic in this movie that will move audiences for years to come.

Cinematic Honorable Mention for Being a Film of Great Importance: Origin 

Ava DuVernay’s Origin doesn’t make the viewer understand all the themes it presents without graphic intensity but this is a film of tremendous significance in the world of cinema. It explores a topic that is not easy to talk about. That subject matter delves deep into racism by looking at slavery, the Holocaust and India’s caste system. Based on Isabel Wilkerson’s book, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor delivered a performance for the record books as a woman torn between her needs to tell the world the truth and her love for her family. She must navigate the waters of the difficult topics she chooses to write about and must try to speak from a somewhat objective standpoint in her writing as to what seems to have happened throughout the years. This movie took big risks and deserves recognition as one of the year’s best.

Special Recognition for Freedom of Artistic Expression: A Good Person

Zach Braff has made a film that divided audiences last year but, regardless of one’s opinion, is full of heartfelt sincerity and takes huge risks. In A Good Person, all the characters are not always likable. Braff digs deep inside the human experience to show the good and the bad found in life and the effects of tragedy on its two main characters. Those leading characters are played by Morgan Freeman and Florence Pugh in two pieces of outstanding acting work. With a supporting cast that sufficiently backs up the stars, Braff asks the viewer to understand the tragic circumstances behind the accidental deaths that occur in the movie. It also asks the audience to forgive its main character. As Pugh’s central character, Allison, seeks forgiveness, she finds redemption in her friendship with the older Daniel (Freeman) that changes both characters’ lives forever. Braff shows two sides of life in a compelling drama that is among the very best of the year. Braff has made a personal story full of hope.

That concludes the look at my choices for the best films of 2023. This list is my own personal assessment of the year in movies and many films were left off the list which made it very hard knowing that so many great films didn’t make the final cut. Deciding between the great pictures the year produced was difficult but I stand by my picks and hope you will enjoy these films if you missed them in theaters or haven’t caught them yet on streaming, whichever may be the case.

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