2023 Favorite Movies

1. 

   Anatomy of a Fall (rent) - Easily my favorite movie of the year, I though this movie was riveting from beginning to end, the performances were all incredible, and the fight (iykyk) is one of the best scenes of the year by far. It reminds me a little bit of Worst Person in the World from a few years ago in that it is very raw and relies so heavily on the human emotion aspect carrying over to the audience... and absolutely landing in that regard. The child's performance in this is (as always) surprisingly great, and the movie leaves you with a lot of really great discussion after. This has won a few awards so far in the circuit and I'm hoping it pulls off some miracles at the Oscar's.

2. Spiderman: Across the Spider-verse (Netflix) - This came out back in I believe April or early May, and I ended up seeing this twice in IMAX after I saw it because the animation for this was so incredible I had to see it on an IMAX screen. And then I had to see it on "America's largest IMAX screen" because why not. And that screen. is. ridiculous.

3. Barbie (Max) - I saw this movie 6 times in theaters. My wonderful father got me a 4K Blu Ray UHD copy. I wore pink to the theater with 100 other random people. This movie is hilarious and rocks. It has three original song bangers. I have this on 4KUHD Blu Ray. I am pumped.

4. Oppenheimer (Rent/Theater) - It's only right this movie comes after Barbie for our dear beloved Barbenheimer. This was the first opening night IMAX experience I've ever had. The entire Regal was packed, the theater was packed, and when the final credits rolled the theater was in awe. This is the Best Picture front runner currently and rightfully so, the first 2/3 of the movie are non-stop up until the amazing Trinity Test scene, and the courtroom drama of the last 1/3 is equally riveting. There's no bad performances either, and any Nolan film other than Tenet I'm a sucker for.

5. John Wick 4 (Rent) - This without a doubt was the coolest movie of the year. It's amazing when you put a Stunt coordinator into the Director's chair was you can make. Every John Wick prior to this was incredible as well, and a lot of people prefer the first because of the narrative behind it, but I think this is by far the best John Wick movie. They up the ante on every fight scene, the climax with Skaarsgard is incredible, and the cinematography was incredible, with different vibes to every city, and the over-the-top arcade like shot building scene blew my mind. The entire Parisian roundabout scene is mind blowing.

6. The Iron Claw (Theater) - You can see above, but the story, the acting, and the ending are all so incredible. Go see it!

7. Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple TV) - Saw this with my friend Matt, and we discussed it for a good hour at the bar (After this 3 hour movie). I do think at points this one drags a little bit more, as did the book a bit, but I think every scene with Lily and Leo is masterwork, and I think that Scorsese made this with the greatest respect for this community of people as well which is most often not the case. Another incredibly sad story like Iron Claw.

8. Past Lives (Rent) - When I saw this I thought without a doubt this would be an Oscar Best Picture front runner. While I think this romantic and heartbreaking story is still up there, it likely no longer has a big chance just due to how many great movies released this year.

9. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Rent) - I now understand why people did the things they did on school/work days to get these tickets. This is the most likely the greatest spectacle of a show I've ever seen. No one can deny the song writing and making talent that Taylor is, and the more I learn about Taylor's work ethic and routines to pull this spectacle off, the more impressed I am. She is one of one folks.

10. They Cloned Tyrone (Netflix) - I went back and forth on a few movies, but I think this one was the most unique and fun out of the bunch. It also shows people both of how great of a talent John Boyega is, as well as reminding us how incredible Jamie Foxx very obviously has been for a long time now. A lot funnier than expected as well thanks to Teyonah Parris.