Films for Breakfast

2023 was an excellent year for film. Dare I say, the best we’ve had since 2019. It was filled to the brim with exciting genre films, effective and unique dramas, and surprisingly a handful of excellent blockbusters that truly defied expectations. But there were ten films in particular that really left an impression on me –

10. Beau is Afraid (Ari Aster)

Without a doubt Ari Aster’s most divisive film to date, as well as one of the most divided films I’ve seen from the film community this year – Beau is Afraid is simply a film that I haven’t been able to shake since seeing it in April. The use of extremely dark comedy, set design, and horror elements mix together a truly striking work of art that truly left me perplexed and excited. A hauntingly and excitingly epic original with an all-time performance from Joaquin Phoenix. Ari Aster continues to blow my mind.

9. The Killer (David Fincher)

David Fincher is back to remind you why he’s one of the best to ever do it… and maybe also delivering some commentary on why he sort of resents that. The Killer is an insanely tightly-packaged, wryly humorous, and tense thriller with an immaculate performance from Michael Fassbender. I was fully engaged all the way through and found the entire picture to be so immensely satisfying as a long-time Fincher fan; it feels like it truly scratched an itch that I’ve had for years while being completely self-aware of itself. Fantastic stuff.

8. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Chad Stahelski)

The John Wick Franchise has had a truly fascinating evolution throughout the years as it becomes more large-scale and experimental with the boundaries it pushes for the medium of action-cinema. Chapter 4 feels like both the furthest the franchise can possibly go and the perfect culmination of everything they’ve done so far. Keanu Reeves’ performance here is incredible – the clear, physical limits he’s pushing himself to here are insane and Stahelski has truly never been better. There are shots that I’m still thinking about 9-months later. Easy contender for some of the best cinematography of the year. An incredible swan song to one of the best action franchises of all-time.

7. Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese)

What is there to even say? Martin Scorsese is the master of cinema – he makes a film, and it’s more than likely going to be a masterpiece out of the gate, and Killers of the Flower Moon is no exception. David Grann’s novel of the same name is a harrowing exploration into every corner of the Osage murders, but Scorsese’s film wisely examines the Burkhart involvement and how it represents the core of American greed and the banality of evil that this country was founded on. DiCaprio is next-level good here, and Lily Gladstone is absolutely heartbreaking and transcendent. Incredible all-around.

6. The Holdovers (Alexander Payne)

The Holdovers is easily the most delightful film I’ve seen this year, and ultimately one of the most heartwarming and cozy I’ve seen in many. Paul Giamatti is doing the lords work here – a truly incredible and humane performance from one of our very best actors who often goes unappreciated for how great he truly is. This is a once-in-a-lifetime showcase of talent. Dominic Sessa is absolutely perfect here as Giamatti’s foil; I could watch them go back and forth for hours. It’s insane to me that this is his acting debut. Da’Vine Joy Randolph deserves all the Oscar Buzz she can get. I weeped the entire time. So close to perfect.

5. May December (Todd Haynes)

Todd Haynes has had a truly varied career, but I think he has delivered his finest work yet with May December – both an incredible, meta take on performance, art, and tabloid culture as well as an intimate and intricate character drama. Both Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman are expectedly excellent here, but Charles Melton turns in one of the best performances I’ve seen in years. Absolutely heartbreaking stuff. The entire film floored me from start to finish.

4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson)

How do you even begin to try and top the masterpiece that is Into the Spider-Verse? Across the Spider-Verse wisely approaches it with the correct answer that all sequels should remember, and that is focusing on character and doubling down on the drama that makes them interesting. An incredible Spider-Man story that also serves as a meta examination on the web of tragedy that binds all of these characters and lores together; Miles Morales absolutely goes through the ringer here and it is immensely powerful, exciting stuff. Do I even have to mention how breathtaking the animation is?

3. Past Lives (Celine Song)

Without a doubt the hardest cry I had this year came from Celine Song’s masterpiece Past Lives – an examination of questioning our paths in life and how our cultures and loves define us. How impossible is it to let go of the many “what if” scenarios that keep us up at night? And what do we do when we are presented with the opportunity to actually explore these questions and possibly come to terms with them? Greta Lee should be in contention for Best Actress this year, and so should everyone else involved here. Best Director, Screenplay, Actor, Supporting Actor, Score… it should take it all. Heartaching stuff.

2. Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos)

Yorgos Lanthimos has always been a director I’ve admired, but nothing could have prepared me for how much I would love Poor Things – an incredible exploration of sexuality, humanity, and connection to the world and those around us. Emma Stone gives the performance of a life-time here as Bella Baxter, as we see her evolve through all stages of humanity and mentality. Mark Ruffalo also gives just about the funniest performance I’ve seen from an actor in over a decade. Masterpiece.

1. Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan)

Oppenheimer feels like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of film – the rare, adult drama that grossed nearly a billion dollars at the world-wide box-office and is unanimously agreed as the finest film of the year; and I don’t have any contention to that claim. Simply put, it’s a staggering tour de force and perhaps Christopher Nolan’s finest hour yet as a filmmaker that reminds us of the horrors we possess as a planet. Cillian Murphy has never been better. An absolute behemoth of a picture.

Honorable mentions:

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

The Iron Claw

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

All of Us Strangers

Asteroid City

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Blackberry

Godzilla Minus One

Bottoms

Barbie

The Zone of Interest

The Boy and the Heron

Here’s to 2024!