You want storylines? Hollywood had storylines in 2023, and how.
This was the year of the actors and writers strikes, which ground the industry to a halt for 148 days.
This was also the year of Barbenheimer, when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” dominated the pop-culture zeitgeist while onetime box-office juggernaut Marvel Films struggled.
And, not entirely unrelated, this was the year in which it felt as if audiences unreservedly returned to theaters following our shared COVID-19 lock-ins.
Oh, and there were some pretty darn good movies on tap, too.
With the calendar changing from 2023 to 2024, and with the world collectively looking back on the year that was, here is my annual list of my 10 favorite films of the year past.
Roll ’em …
From left, Harris Dickinson, Zac Efron, Stanley Simmons and Jeremy Allen White as pro wrestling siblings David, Kevin, Mike and Kerry Von Erich, respectively, in writer-director Sean Durkin’s drama ‘The Iron Claw.’
10. “Nyad” and “The Iron Claw” (tie). I found myself going back and forth over which of these two very different sports movies — one about long-distance swimming, the other about professional wrestling — deserved to be on the list. So, in the end, I decided to give them both the nod.
9. “The Eternal Memory.” Rarely if ever do movies depicting the descent into Alzheimer’s qualify as “enjoyable.” But director Maite Alberdi’s documentary — chronicling the lives of Chilean journalist Augusto Góngora and his actress wife, Paulina Urrutia — isn’t just an Alzheimer’s story. It’s a love story, and an undeniably beautiful one at that.
8. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse.” Yes, it’s an animated film. Yes, it’s a superhero film. And, yes, it’s a sequel. But it’s also one of the most artful and entertaining films of 2023, advancing the craft of animation in ways few have done previously.
7. “Barbie.” Dismiss Greta Gerwig’s deftly crafted comedy as a mere from-the-toybox blockbuster if you will, but there’s no denying its impact on — and, more importantly, its reflection of — the pop culture landscape.
Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison in writer/director Cord Jefferson’s 'American Fiction.'
6. “American Fiction.” Another great performance from Jeffrey Wright anchors this smart and funny exploration of racial identity, although “American Fiction” will probably be most remembered for introducing us to writer-director Cord Jefferson, one of Hollywood’s best new filmmakers.
5. “The Zone of Interest.” Director Jonathan Glazer’s oddly voyeuristic re-creation of day-to-day life in the shadow of Nazi Germany’s Auschwitz death camp is easily among the year’s most deeply affecting films, offering a small, deceivingly quiet portrait of the banality of evil.
4. “The Holdovers.” Striking a disarming balance between heartbreaking and hilarious, and with the brilliant Paul Giamatti heading up a wonderful cast, director Alexander Payne’s 1970s-set story — about a group of people united by their loneliness at Christmastime — is a rarity: an instant holiday classic for grown-ups.
Emma Stone plays Bella Baxter, a young woman given a second chance at life in director Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Poor Things.’
3. “Poor Things.” Simply put, Yorgos Lanthimos is one of today’s most exciting filmmakers, with a distinctive style that matches his bizarro vision. His affinity for grotesqueness — on full display in this “Frankenstein”-flavored tale — might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is the most original film on this list.
2. “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Armed with a strong vision, a great ensemble cast and a compelling story, 81-year-old Martin Scorsese does in his “Flower Moon” what he can be counted on to always do: deliver one of the most well-told stories of the year.
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, in director Christopher Nolan’s period drama ‘Oppenheimer.’
1. “Oppenheimer.” It’s not like writer-director Christopher Nolan needed a hit after the so-so performance of 2020’s mindbending-to-a-fault “Tenet.” That said, his biography of the father of the atomic bomb — which is easily among the most complete films of the year — proves to any naysayers that he is, indeed, still at the top of his game.