So here we have my official top 10 list of 2023 movies. This of course is just my opinion. Like part 1, these will somewhat be rehashes of the reviews and few will have some added commentary that I might not have said in the original post. And like part 1, each selection will include the link to the original post as well. I also decided to add medals to the top 3 just to be silly. I’ll most likely only be doing this for end of the years lists.
#10- John Wick: Chapter 4
Original Link: https://naesnotlikeyou.blogspot.com/2023/05/john-wick-4-and-little-bit-of-first.html
I have now seen 1 and 2 of the John Wick franchise, but I do still need to see 3. If you read my review, you might remember me mentioning that though the fight scenes were good, they seem a little bit slow (which my aunt also noticed). However, looking back I realize now that there was a reason they seemed slow. This life has clearly taken a toll on Baba Yaga and his mortality finally caught up with him at the end of this movie. So now I believe that they needed to be slow and I find that kind of a brilliant representation of Wick’s deterioration. I also mentioned how much I loved Donnie Yen in the movie, and I still stand by that. I wish that I didn’t get into John Wick so late in the game, but I’m glad I finally did. I’ve heard rumors that this is the last film, but also that a fifth film is in development. Right now I’m good either way, but I might feel differently once I finally watch 3.
#9- Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol 3.
Original Link: https://naesnotlikeyou.blogspot.com/2023/05/gotg-vol-3-review.html
I did mention in part 1 that this has been a bad year for superhero movies with the exception of 3. This is the first one. Though the lowest ranked of the 3 on my list, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 was definitely a satisfying enough ending for our favorite group of plucky heroes from outer-space. It gave a slightly long-overdue spotlight on Rocket and showed the guardians in the most vulnerable state we’ve ever seen (except Gamora who’s most vulnerable moment was in Infinity War). As I mentioned in the original review, I am sad to see the guardians go, but it is the right time as they’ve been around for almost a decade and the MCU is going downhill anyway. The last thing we need is for them to screw up the guardians too. We love you guardians, thanks for the laughs.
#8 - The Holdovers
Original Link: https://naesnotlikeyou.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-holdovers-burial.html
I liked The Holdovers way more than I thought I would. It was an extremely good blend of comical and dramatic. The movie even had a little plot twist in it that was surprisingly effective (not as effective as another certain movie on this list, but still). The performances were also very good, Da'Vine Joy Randolph was probably my favorite from the film. But of course Giamatti and Sessa were also great as well. While I did find the pacing kind of slow, that’s only by a grain of salt. Other than that, the movie was really sweet and hilarious even. It also has one of my favorite endings of last year. Part of me wishes it wasn’t so bittersweet, but at the same time I also understand why it is and in a weird way there was still something satisfying about the ending. This was definitely the moodiest Christmas movie I’ve ever seen.
#7- Missing
Now you’ve probably noticed that this one does not have a link as I am ashamed to admit that I just watched the movie almost a week ago and this was added to the list at the last minute. Missing is the anthology sequel to the movie Searching, which was FANTASTIC. While this is definitely not as good as Searching, Missing is surprisingly a worthy enough sequel to such a movie. While some parts of the film are slightly unrealistic, the movie was definitely suspenseful enough and I found its villain reveal while not amazing (and slightly cliché) but surprisingly well executed. I was more impressed with this movie than I expected so I went ahead and added it. However I do hope this doesn’t become a recurring thing with me.
#6- Sound Of Freedom
Original Link: https://naesnotlikeyou.blogspot.com/2023/08/that-was-messed-up.html
Sound Of Freedom was probably the most brutal movie I had seen in 2023 and easily the saddest. The movie definitely did its job in addressing the uncomfortable but relevant issue of child sex-trafficking. It wasted no time expressing how MESSED UP it is (hence the name of my review). And of course I appreciate that it was released by a faith-based network and the film’s success in the box-office despite the media’s attempts to hold the movie back. I personally as a Christian saw some faith in it, but the movie also can appeal to those outside of the Christian faith. This movie clearly had something to say. And if you ask me, it did pretty well. This definitely was not an easy watch, but I do feel that it was worth it. And I’m really glad that this film received some attention (even though It might not have always been good attention).
#5- The Iron Claw
Original Link: https://naesnotlikeyou.blogspot.com/2023/12/maestro-iron-claw.html
While Sound Of Freedom was the saddest movie I saw last year, The Iron Claw is a very close second. Like The Holdovers I did not expect to like The Iron Claw as much as I did. This has nothing to do with it being a wrestling movie, I just didn’t expect to get so attached to the characters. But given everything this unlucky family has been through, It’ll be very hard to not get attached. You can’t help but feel for the Von Erichs as more and more brothers lose their lives. And the deeper we get into the movie the more bleak their household becomes, which originally started off as genuinely warm and loving. While I did say that Jeremy Allen White was my favorite, I was very surprised with Zac Efron. Depending on the project, I don’t think I’ll underestimate him anymore. In fact, I’ll expect growth.
#4- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Original Link: https://naesnotlikeyou.blogspot.com/2023/11/i-gave-in.html
The second superhero movie on this list that came out triumphant last year (and another example of how strong 2023 was in animation) is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. This movie was incredibly fun, and I’m just now realizing that in a way it has what Super Mario Bros. lacks in its qualities. The animation was probably the most gritty of the year and it was easy to like the characters. I did mention in the review that its last minute community message was my only dislike in the movie, but it could’ve been a whole lot worse. I really enjoyed the movie and given this is only my second exposure to the TMNT series (2012 being the first), I should really consider watching more.
Bronze Medal/#3- Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1
Original Link: https://naesnotlikeyou.blogspot.com/2023/07/my-amazing-introduction-to-mission.html
While I was able to get to work on the John Wick franchise, I have procrastinated on Mission Impossible. And I feel bad about that as Dead Reckoning was AWESOME! This pretty much had my heart pounding almost the entire time. Everyone was great in the movie. Even the freaking AI villain was good and it’s a ROBOT! The action and stunt work was easily the best part about the movie. Of course I’m gonna have to see older Mission Impossible movies first and hopefully catch up with the film. Overall this is the movie I probably had the most fun with and I look forward to the next one. Unfortunately the film did not do as well in the box-office as expected. This probably would’ve done better than it did if it wasn’t released around the same time as Barbenheimer. Speaking of which……….
Silver Medal/#2- Oppenheimer
Original Link: https://naesnotlikeyou.blogspot.com/2023/08/long-but-brilliant.html
Oppenheimer was kind of amazing. It was probably one of the most compelling movies I’ve seen in my life (I know that sounds dramatic but it’s true). Yes it is very long, but somehow I was unable to look away till the very end. I will gladly credit that to the movie’s incredible writing, Nolan’s direction, its visuals, and the acting (Specifically Murphy, Downy Jr., and Blunt). In terms of the visuals, I of course mentioned the actual test of the bomb which was absolutely breathtaking. How can something so scary also be intriguing to watch? Probably because it was pure film, no CGI, no anything. Just pure film. This movie was gorgeous and technically speaking, it should be #1 (#2 solely because of a slight bias). But overall, I love this movie.
Normally around this time I would show honorable mentions. But instead for today, here are a few movies that you will most likely see on other people’s lists, but are obviously not on mine and are definitely NOT #1 as I personally chose not to see them.
- Will most likely piss me off -Same reason
-Didn't care enough to see it -Too weird
-A threat to my #1 -Not a Godzilla fan
You'll probably see these on other people's lists, but not mine. Anyway, back to the list.
Gold Medal/#1- Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Original Link: https://naesnotlikeyou.blogspot.com/2023/06/that-was-incredible.html
Y’all knew Spider-Man was gonna top the list. One thing that pisses me off (in a good way) about the movie is that it should not have been able to go even harder than the first movie. But low and behold, it did the impossible. Animation is flawless, story is compelling, and character development is the best I had seen from 2023 and something I did not expect from this movie. And the film had one HELL OF AN ENDING. I understand if some people don’t like that it’s a part one, but you can only cram so much in a movie, and if It has to end somewhere, it might as well end with a BANG. That is exactly what ATSV did. I love both the Spider-Verse movies so much, and I am SO MAD BTSV got delayed. Everyone involved, please get your crap together because we really need a resolution to these movies. But yeah, Spider-Verse rules and is my favorite film of 2023.
Like always, the link to the google slides is down below. If you have not read part 1, the for that link is down below as well. Thanks for reading
Google:https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16rAqtgUcfoImyVt2VgrbI54mopOgFuNp60r9neAUt0U/edit?usp=sharing
Part 1 Link: https://naesnotlikeyou.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-of-2023-part-1.html
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