Let's get onto the good stuff finally. I am not going to do any honorable mentions, this is it, my top 25 of 2023, and while the title of this list states that these are the "best" films of 2023, that is not really the case, these are my "favourite" films of 2023. Alright, enough talk, lets begin with my:
TOP TWENTY-FIVE BEST FILMS OF 2023
25. SCARLET
This is director Pietro Marcello's follow up to his art house hit “Martin Eden”, and I must say that I am very surprised by how little attention the film has garnered because I thought it was an absolute delight. It is about a man who returns to his country home in 1919, back from the war, to find out that his wife has passed, and that he is the father of a beautiful young daughter. The film is about the two of them growing up in a world where they are seen as outcasts, as they create a make-shift family with the other residents of the house they occupy. The father, a skilled carpenter, brings up his daughter to always see the best in life, and treat everyone with respect, but particularly herself. Just because she is a girl, doesn't mean she is less off than anyone else, as during the film we watch the girl become more and more independent, until the end, when she realises that she doesn't need a man in her life to be happy. I'm not sure if I have made the film sound very exciting, but it is told in this lovely, dreamy, almost fairy tale style (including moments of magic realism and fantasy), which I fell in love with. Filled with lovely subtle performances from the whole cast (I was stunned to learn that this was lead-actress Juliette Jouan's first ever acting performance; she's outstanding!), and gorgeous cinematography from Marco Graziaplena (which was very obviously shot on film), I thought “Scarlet” was a delight from start to finish.
24. GODZILLA MINUS ONE
If someone had told me at the start of the year that I would have a “Godzilla” film on my end of year list, I would have laughed them out of town. Sure, I love the giant lizard, but his films are rarely seen as high-end cinema. “Godzilla Minus One” is the brand new Godzilla film out of Japan, and it harks back to the seriousness of Ishiro Honda's 1954 original. The film is set immediately after the second World War, with Japan trying to rebuild their lives amongst the ruins from the aftermath of the war. Left with almost nothing, the Japanese people once again have to rally together and fight the result of the nuclear attack on their country; the mammoth Godzilla. As I mentioned, this film is not light entertainment, but truly horrific as Godzilla is absolutely terrifying in this. The scenes of his rampages are outstanding, with stunning special effects to give some sense of just how big and powerful he is. Similar to “Scarlet”, “Godzilla Minus One” deals with the aftermath of a war, while focusing on a band of disparate characters who come together to form a non-traditional family. It is through this “family” that the film's heart comes from, and believe me, there is plenty of heart and emotion in this film. There is a very surprising death mid-movie that really hits you hard, and I defy anyone not to be moved by the film's incredibly moving finale. Thankfully, I was able to see this film on the big screen, so felt the full force of Godzilla's wrath. The scene when Godzilla first unleashes his atomic breath is just shocking in its destruction. This is a stunningly good film, and I am rapt that it has been a huge hit across the world because this is a monster movie done right, with real emotion and real consequences.
23. THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR (AND OTHER TALES BY ROALD DAHL)
I wasn't sure if I was going to include these films on this list, because from the way Netflix screened them, these are four short films (not a feature), each one based on a story by writer Roald Dahl. “Henry Sugar” is the centrepiece though, with a running time of 37 minutes, whilst the other three shorts run around 17 minutes each. The reason I decided to include them is two-fold. The first reason is because they are in no way just throwaway Wes Anderson pieces; these have been immaculately put together like all of his features. Second, I have a sneaky suspicion that they were always meant to be shown together as a full feature (the combined running time comes to 88 minutes) and it was Netflix's idea to break them up and premiere them one day after the other (although I have nothing to back this up with). Anyway, going in I was expecting these to be well made, but essentially nothing more than a curio. What I got was four outstanding little stories, immaculately designed and performed by the small cast of actors involved. As you would expect being directed by Wes Anderson, the films have been stylised to the hilt, and work more like intricate theatre pieces, with set walls being removed and changed whilst the actors walk in front of them. “Henry Sugar” is no doubt the stand-out of the four, with Benedict Cumberbatch outstanding in the title role (I also loved Dev Patel as the doctor too). The way Anderson has tackled these stories is almost like an audio book, with the actors saying “he said” after their line, like they are reading. You would think it wouldn't work, but it just does. I am not sure if it is because of the short running times, but these films are just crackling with energy and move at such a speed, almost like a screwball comedy. That said, not all of these stories are in fact comedies, with the excellent “The Swan” (about a small boy being constantly tormented by a pair of bullies) being incredibly sad and downright tragic. All four are absolutely worthwhile of your time though and I highly recommend the collective. I also want to say that it was awesome seeing Ralph Fiennes in a Wes Anderson production again, here playing Roald Dahl himself no less. (Note: the other two titles are “Poison”and “The Ratcatcher”).
22. UNDER THE LIGHT
This is director Zhang Yimou's brand “new” film, although it has apparently been sitting on the shelf, done and ready, for four years. Way back in 2021, it actually featured on my most anticipated list for that year and then never showed up, despite posters and trailers for the film being released for it months earlier. It isn't entirely certain what happened in the intervening years, except that apparently it did screen back then at a film festival with a running time of two and a half hours, whereas it now enters the world with a running time of just shy of two hours. With a crime film dealing with corruption within the police force and the collaboration between crime figures and the government, the theory is that the Chinese censors were not happy with the film and demanded a large chunk to be removed. While at times, the released film does feel a little choppy, I was surprised by just how great it was and how well it flowed, after sitting on the shelf (and altered) for so long. I much preferred this to Zhang Yimou's other 2023 film, “Full River Red”. This is a brand new type of Zhang Yimou film which is mainly due to the fact that it is set in the present (the first film of his to do so since his rarely seen 1997 film, “Keep Cool”). The time period makes no difference though, because Zhang just knows how to put together an exciting movie. The look of “Under The Light” is also different than his norm, with Zhang this time working with Pan Luo as his cinematographer and filling the screen with bright coloured neon lighting the night skies and the criminal underbelly working under them. It will come as no surprise that the film looks amazing, but what did come as a shock was just how incredibly violent “Under The Light” was. This is the bloodiest film of Zhang's career, no doubt about it. He does not hide just how dangerous a world this is, and whilst the film is not filled with wall to wall violence, when it happens it is so brutal. There is a horrific neck slash late in the film that stunned me in its brutality. There is quite a large array of characters in the film, and early on it can get a little confusing just who everyone is and who they are connected to, but once you have this all figured out, you are then treated to a superior crime thriller.
21. ASTEROID CITY
This is the second Wes Anderson project to appear on this list, so I think it is obvious to say that I am a fan of the man. However, normally his feature films appear a little further down the list. As much as I really liked “Asteroid City”, I would admit that I am cooler on it than most of his filmography. The film is about a group of people who, whilst at a Junior Stargazers competition for scientifically-minded children, are quarantined at Asteroid City when an alien visits and steals the town's famous meteorite. The arrival of the alien than makes the group question their life beliefs. Whilst that is the plot of the film, it is really about the fact that there is no meaning of life, or rather there is no grand plan, rather you just have to keep going and make the most of any situation you find yourself in, leaning on your loved ones throughout. There is actually a lot going on in the film, sometimes to its detriment, as Anderson lately seems obsessed with over-complicating his narratives. Rather than just telling the main story as it is, he layers it as a performance of a world famous writer's play that is titled “Asteroid City”. As such, the story is interupted in places to give us backstory on how the play and cast came about, which sometimes works well, and others not as much. The look of “Asteroid City” is something else entirely; it looks phenomenal and unlike anything else out there today, but also totally fake (which it is meant to because it is a play, remember). The colours themselves are so unique in that they have a sheen so every shot looks something like a postcard. I am unsure how they did it but it looks amazing. The cast is ridiculously huge, but everyone is fantastic, and I actually got a kick out of Tom Hanks playing the grandfather, and thought he fitted into Wes Anderson's world beautifully. I thought the first half of the film was incredibly funny, but it loses a little steam in the final half an hour when it skews more towards the serious. For mine, “Asteroid City” is not top notch Wes Anderson, but even when a little off, that is better than most filmmakers at their very best. Still definitely recommended viewing. Oh, and I loved the roadrunner. Meep-meep!
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