So some of the BanterFlix team and a few of our regular contributors have picked out their favourite films of 2023 and here they are…
Jim McClean – Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Picking out a favourite film from my trips to the cinema over the past 12 months has been pretty hard this year as 2023 has been a pretty great year at my local multiplex, from the cinematic event of the year that was Barbenheimer to yet another fantastic outing for Ethan Hunt in the latest Mission Impossible movie (more about that in this article from Mr Mulholland).
Picking one has been pretty hard to do, there have been fantastic films like Past Lives, Anatomy of a Fall, Saltburn, Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse and even more recently the rather fantastic Godzilla Minus One.
On our NvTv show I picked Barbie for personal reasons and genuinely because I was so surprised what Greta Gerwig did with an IP about the Iconic doll, but since we recorded that show I’ve been thinking back at the cinematic year that was 2023 and changed my mind and opted for Davis Guggenheim’s Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
Now I know this was released on Apple TV, but this is a documentary that has stayed with me since it was released on the streaming platform back in January.
As someone who loves The Back to the Future series, I’m aware I’m probably part of the target audience for this film, yet it’s much more than just a puff piece or cinematic Wikipedia entry about Scott’s life and career; it’s a deeply personal and intimate insight into the actor’s battle with Parkinsons.
Guggenheim mixes interviews, archive footage and recreations to document Fox’s rise to stardom, his initial battles with the Disease and attempts to conceal his diagnoses before deciding to go public along with his ongoing campaign work to push for new treatments and raise awareness about Parkinsons.
Despite dealing with some heavy subject matter, it’s a testament Fox’s enduring positivity that the documentary rarely feels sombre, intrusive or exploitative; it’s filled with wonderfully sweet, intimate moments between the actor and his wife along with their children as the deal with his good days and bad days.
In a year that has been a bit doom and gloom in many ways for so many People Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie is a surprising warm hug of a movie that attempts to put a smile on your face and remind you of the person behind the disease.
Victoria Brown – Barbie
Hands down, my favourite film of 2023 was Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Not only was it a beautifully crafted film about feminism, girlhood and the joys and pressures of being a woman, but it was so wonderfully creative in its fantastical set design, dialogue, and comedic timing. I did not expect to be moved to sincere tears during a film about a literall doll but I sobbed my heart out.
My biggest takeaway was that I wish we all lived in Barbie’s Dream House, where the patriarchy doesn’t exist and therefore can’t harm anyone #YouAreKenough
Brian Muholland – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Ethan Hunts Hangs from the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. His electronic sticking gloves are the only thing keeping him from falling to his doom. As one of his gloves fails and he begins to slip, I audibly shout out “Careful Ethan” from the edge of my seat in a packed cinema. It’s 2011 and I’m watching Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol.
That moment confirms my love for the MI franchise. A complete series re-watch for me during the pandemic was inevitable. I’m a huge fan and watching these event movies on the biggest screen is a mission I’ve happily accepted. With this in mind, It’s odd these days that a highly anticipated cinema release surpasses your already high exceptions.
Expectations born from a franchise that rarely puts a foot wrong, due in most part to the driving forces of Producer and Star Tom Cruise and writer-director Christoper McQuarry. Having established a successful working partnership on 2012’s Jack Reacher they paired up again for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Cruise knows talent when he sees it and both artists seem hell-bent on saving cinema. McQuarry wrote Top Gun Maverick which both critically and commercially cemented Tom Cruise as arguably the last great Movie star.
Every Mission Impossible movie establishes a great team and this is also true when it comes to behind the camera. Editor Eddie Hamilton returns and is a master at keeping the action relatable and coming at breakneck speed, Helped by Lorne Balfe’s Score which updates the iconic Mission Imposable theme while still making it relatable. The globe-trotting adventures of the IMF are brilliantly captured by Cinemagrogper Fraser Taggart.
The film starts with a submarine attack and we are already on the edge of our seat as the A. I Maguffin is revealed. The synopsis for Dead Reckoning reads Ethan Hunt and his IMF (Impossible Mission Force) team must track down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands. This all may sound like we’ve seen it all before. Still, this franchise is about spectacle and pure escapism. We route for good guys against bad while knowing a twist is only a mask reveal away. We care for the team, the action-packed fun and the last-minute tension they have on their impossible missions.
Simon Pegg (Benjie), Ving Rhames (Luther) and Rebecca Ferguson (Ilsa) return alongside Cruise and are welcomed by newcomers to the franchise. Haley Atwell plays pickpocker Grace who is a fly in the ointment to the team and has incredible chemistry with Cruise. As always there are new bad guys and Guardians of the Galaxy’s Pom Klementieff holds our gaze hostage whenever on screen. Both actresses are part of an incredible action set piece through Rome.
And it’s the action and how it’s achieved onscreen that’s as much of a star in these films. Much is made of Cruise doing his own Stunts which adds to the peril and grounds the film, dragging the audience along for the ride. Cruise risking his life is ultimately more entertaining than a CGI character doing the unbelievable. It also refers back to old Hollywood and Buster Keaton movies whose set pieces all had to be done in camera. We appreciate the effort. The real success of these movies for me is it’s always more than that. Caring for the characters and being invested in the story makes these large action set pieces warranted. Dead Reckoning Part One is once again a thrilling, action-packed Mission Impossible experience begging to be seen on the biggest screen.
Seeing it and hearing on Imax was my cinematic highlight of the year. One I’d have hoped to repeat but for the monster cinema event that was Barbieheimer, both being released the following week. Here’s hoping they do an Imax double bill when Dead Reckoning Part 2 is released. Another mission I’d gladly accept, I just hope Ethan is Careful.
Thérèse Hyland – Asteroid City
As I reflect back on cinema in 2023, I initially struggled with picking a favourite film from the year. Part of me feels that there is still a hang of Covid over cinema and we aren’t quite back to normal just yet. I recognise that we had some huge releases this year; Barbie, Oppenheimer, The Marvels, to name a few but it isn’t the same as it has been in previous years. Due to this, I really began to wonder about which films I enjoyed and if possible, one I would call my favourite. Barbie was definitely a highlight as was the Renaissance World Tour but after some careful thought, I whittled it down to Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City.
As a huge fan of Anderson, I went into the film knowing full well what to expect. Familiar cast, troupes, cinematography, plot however for me it was seeing how far his cinema has developed over the years; particularly with his interest in stop motion animation. Without giving too much away, Asteroid City perfectly merges these two worlds together in telling the story about a small rural American town enamoured by the Unknown. Whilst it may not hold up against some of the other hard hitters of the year as we edge toward award seasons, it deserves its recognition for one of the top 10 of the year.
John Kavanagh- Evil Dead Rise
In a year filled with many engaging filmic releases, one stands out as my favourite cinema-going experience: Evil Dead Rise. With its newest addition, Evil Dead continues to be the most consistent horror franchise and it has achieved this through continual generic and stylistic shifts. Evil Dead Rise has the most extreme shifts as it removes itself from the main iconography of the franchise. The isolated rurality is abandoned for a dilapidated urbane environment, Professor Knowby’s recitations are replaced by vinyl recordings, and the masculine torment of past entries are exchanged for domestic terror. Whilst those that inhabit this environment are still guaranteed to be infected by the deadite forces, Evil Dead Rise feels like a more relatable and modern world than its predecessors.
The Knowby Cabin (or the Allen Cabin of the 2013 pseudo-remake) is avoided entirely and replaced by a monument like dwelling in the frame narrative. Evil Dead Rise initially suggests that the source of horror is once again found in a remote cabin, but we find that it has spread there from a site of urban decay. The film alludes to a deadite pandemic, but it remains unfulfilled. Each entry could lead to an apocalyptic collapse, reminiscent of Demons (1985), but luckily each narrative understands that the monstrous entities exist to torture their chosen survivor and that the subjugation of humanity is beyond their remit.
During this torture, a more personal narrative unfolds. Our survivor, Beth, is faced with the dilemma of an unexpected pregnancy prior to the disruption of normality. Her fears become literalised when the deadites twist her family into a terrifying chimera of a single parent household and she is forced to face her own personal horror of motherhood that complements the heroic deconstruction of the original trilogy (and its serialised continuation) and the horrors of addiction depicted in Evil Dead (2013).
Fans and newcomers alike can enjoy the torturous horror of this stand-alone narrative that is one of the highlights of 2023’s cinematic releases.
Caitlain Rafferty – Barbie
This year has seen alot of wonderful and magical talent on the silver screen, but there is only one that was an experience we’ll never forget. Did someone say Barbenheimer? A cinematic phenomenon that you just had to be part of. Barbie by Greta Gerwig has to be my favourite film of 2023 (and thereafter). Everything pink and plastic, it truly was fantastic.
Moreover, the films cast was “SUBLIME!” As Ken would say. As the film progresses, comedic timing is perfect, with a meaningful message throughout. The soundtrack aka “I’m just Ken” has been stuck in my head on loop ever since that first viewing and every rewatch since the films debut (I won’t reveal how many).
Barbie is a stand alone favourite yet to be beaten for me in 2023, I’m hoping 2024 brings a sequel just as good as the original.
Adam Neeson – TAR
2023 has been a fantastic year for film, but nothing has quite stuck with me as much as TAR did in early January. Cate Blanchett within seconds of being on screen completely transforms into Lydia Tar, the world-renowned orchestra conductor. I’ll be the first to admit, that I’m not the biggest fan of orchestras and really have zero knowledge of how they operate, but director Todd Field takes us into the life of Lydia, chronicling her eventually downfall when bad behaviour from her past comes back to haunt her.
The film itself plays like Lydia is trying to play everyone in her life, trying to keep control, but eventually even she can’t keep every together and it all comes crashing down around her. Blanchett’s performance makes you believe that Lydia Tar is an actual person and it’s fun to see someone crumbling from the inside, while on the outside, trying to keep her cool.
Of course, Field’s writing of the character makes Lydia out as an absolute monster, an avatar of everything the ‘Me too’ movement is against. Field could have easily taken the easy route (Like 2019’s Bombshell) and based this on real people, or even a male lead but it’s smart to pick a successful woman as his main focus.
Lydia Tar is genuinely a once in a lifetime talent, but just like many high-profile people before, she took her privilege and used it against people, and eventually it all comes home to roost. The ending of this film is the hardest I’ve laughed in a cinema in year. Having Lydia losing her job and family would have been satisfying enough, but this truly despicable character gets something coming to her that’s worse than all that; she gets humiliated and it’s glorious.
Joe Mc Elroy -Oppenheimer
After his previous mind bending effort with Tenet Christopher Nolan returns to the big screen with a biopic on the “father of the atomic bomb”, J. Robert Oppenheimer and it is a masterpiece. It is a perfect example of everything clicking into place both in front of and behind the camera as Nolan crafts a story about the moral implications of one of the most prominent figures in history from his time as a student right up to the 1954 security hearing where he was viewed as being disloyal to America.
As with a lot of his work, Oppenheimer is told with a disjointed narrative where scenes in colour are intended to be subjective whilst the black and white are objective. It can be a little jarring at first but what guides you through it all is the lynchpin of the film, Ludwig Göransson’s score. It captures a range of emotions from intrigue to dread with a mixture of classical and electronic elements. As well as this Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography is stunning as the use off IMAX cameras works wonders at capturing the landscape of the character’s emotions.
On that Cillian Murphy delivers what is probably his greatest performance to date as the titular physicist. He captures such a wide range of emotions which are restrained behind his steely blue eyes and his calmly spoken manner. The stacked supporting class are terrific right across the board. Some actors pop up for one scene and threaten to steal the film in a similar manner to Oliver Stone’s JFK, but the standouts are Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr.
Whilst moments like the Trinity bomb test (which contains the best sound design you’re likely to experience in a film this year) or Oppenheimer’s speech after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (which is so frightening it will drive you to tears of existential horror) marvel and terrify what truly makes the film compelling are the discussions in boardrooms and labs which is a testament to Nolan’s craft as both a screenwriter and a director as they occupy the majority of the film’s runtime. In short, Oppenheimer is a truly awe inspiring piece of filmmaking that makes not just for one of the greatest films of the year but of this decade so far.”
Dr Nicole Hamliton- Are You There, God? Its Me Margaret
Towards the end of 2023, I was a little dissatisfied with my list of year-end favourites. Of course, I had films that I really enjoyed (such as Saw X and Joe Lynch’s Suitable Flesh), as well as those that I considered an essential watch (Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon is awe-inspiring and if you haven’t seen Todd Haynes’ May December, please do). But I had yet to find a film that would cement itself as an all-time great for me, or at least one that managed to truly lodge its way into my heart.
My favourite film of the year, Kelly Fremon Craig’s Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, was one that I didn’t anticipate loving as much as I do, but almost as soon as I hit play, I fell in love. The film focuses on Margaret, a 12 year old girl who is surrounded by changes. She’s on the brink of puberty and her family are moving from the city to the suburbs, leaving her beloved grandma behind. Margaret’s confusion and anxiety surrounding these issues are handled with surprising realism, and I found myself close to tears several times as Margaret struggles to understand why adults make the decisions they do.
The film’s titular query (are you there, God?), however, was what cemented this firmly as something special for me. Much like Margaret, I also began to grapple with religion and what that meant for myself and my beliefs around age 12 and, again like Margaret, I spent hours searching for a sign of God, some feeling to indicate someone (anyone) was listening to my prayers. Seeing this experience, which had often felt like a singular one, laid out in front of me reminded me how powerful cinema can be, especially the films you least expect.
James Olivier – The Zone of Interest
This was another film screened at the Belfast Film Festival, from director Jonathan Glazier (Under the Skin). It tells the story of a high ranking German officer’s family whose beautiful family home in which they inhabit lies right up against the outer walls of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
But rather than do the usual and show you the horrific scenes that happen within the perspective is completely flipped on its head and instead we witness this family have outdoor lunches and kids parties in the pool, such simple, normal things whilst the distant screams of hundreds upon thousands of Jews being slaughtered echo.
Less is more and sometimes it’s what we visualise is far worse than what we actually see and the director has expertly captured this. I’ll not reveal too much more as it’s official release isn’t until the start of February but you will be left shocked or, like me simply lost for words by the time the credits roll. It’s the UK’s submission for best foreign language film at this year’s Golden Globes and is also up for contention in the best picture – drama category. And call me bold but I honestly think it deserves to win.
Alan Meban – Maestro
A great film gets its roots deep into your soul while you’re sitting in the cinema and proves hard to shake off when you step back out into the street. Weeks after seeing Maestro, in idle moments my mind still returns to the tale of musician Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre. Bernstein had a multi-hyphenated career: a great American conductor, someone who wrote new musical theatre (which some dismissed as not being “serious”), and a music educator who embraced the power of television to share one of his primary loves with the masses.
Bradley Cooper looms large over the film, a hugely positive influence on its success. He plays Leonard Bernstein, as well as directing and is credited as co-writer alongside Josh Singer. Early scenes revolve around the chain-smoking musical genius until the balance changes and Maestro becomes an observation of how Bernstein and his wife (played by Carey Mulligan) become emotionally out of sync. The soundtrack (mostly music composed by Bernstein) is augmented by long scenes of as the flamboyant Bernstein/Cooper conducting orchestras over the decades.
We spend six enchanting minutes with the London Symphony Orchestra in an incredible scene recreated in Ely Cathedral. Captured live in long takes, there’s a sense of authenticity familiar from Cooper’s earlier work in A Star is Born. Matthew Libatique’s gorgeous cinematography and the brave storytelling decisions by editor Michelle Tesoro deserve as much attention during award season as the performances of the two lead actors.
Interesting characters, committed performances and thrilling music all mix together to create an extraordinary film that was thankfully given a cinematic release despite being distributed by Netflix. To recreate that magic at home, I’m going to have to set the phone in another room, pull a chair up close to the TV and turn the volume up.
Conor Reid – The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
If you’re like me, you found films in 2023 rarely moved you the way you wanted them to. Everything felt perhaps a bit expected, nothing really standing out to grab your attention in a way that felt really just or deserved. Not so the case with this film, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.
Distributed by Netflix and directed by Wes Anderson, this one came, quite frankly, out of nowhere, along with several other shorts based on Roald Dahl’s work; this one being the standout in my opinion. If you’re looking for a charming, expertly-made tale then you’re not gonna get much better in such a succinct form this year.
This story of a clever gambler who learns of a purpose much bigger than himself honestly moved me in a way that other films this year just did not manage, and I’d easily recommend it if you have a spare 40 minutes.
So that’s some of our picks of the best films of 2023, here’s looking to another fantastic 12 months at the cinema! Let us know what some of your favourites have been at info@banterflix.com