Josh’s Favorite Movies of 2023 — Part Two!

Yesterday I began my list of my favorite movies of 2023!

And now, onward…!

15. A Good Person — Zach Braff’s latest film, starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman, seems to have gone completely under the radar this year, but it’s definitely worth your time.  The film is heavy, as it explores the way two characters find unexpected connection as they each seek to claw their way out of a devastating personal tragedy that links them.  The film is wrenching, but it’s also sweet and moving.  A Good Person is anchored by two knockout performances by its leads, Ms. Pugh and Mr. Freeman.  They’re both incredible; it’s worth seeing the film for their performances alone.  It’s a pleasure watching these two incredible performers tango together.  Zach Braff’s writing is sharp, and the whole cast is terrific.  (My full review will be coming soon!)

14. The Marvels — OK, I freely admit that The Marvels is a bit of a mess.  The plot is incomprehensible and the film has been edited down to the bone.  It’s not as funny nor as emotionally moving as I wanted it to be.  That said, it’s FAR from the worst MCU film, and it doesn’t deserve its fate as the first and biggest MCU bomb.  I LOVE the idea of bringing the three MCU versions of Captain Marvel from the comics — Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) — together in a film called The Marvels.  All three actors are terrific.  The film works best when it allows the three of them to be together and bounce off one another, and we get plenty of that in the story.  (Iman Vellani in particular is spectacular as Kamala Khan; she’s fun and funny and she lights up the screen whenever she’s on camera.)  I like the film’s silly, goofy tone.  (The parody of the Iron Man end credits scene is amazing.)  This film deserves much more love than it got.  It’s not exactly a diamond in the rough, but it’s a fun adventure that’s worth a watch for any MCU fan.  (Click here for my full review.)

13. Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania — Coming in next is the other recent MCU disappointment, Quantumania.  (The film didn’t bomb as hard as The Marvels did, but it was still a big financial disappointment for Marvel.)  Here too, while the film has its flaws, I think it’s a lot better than its reputation (and box office reception) would have you think.  I love Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant Man, and it’s a delight to see him back in the spotlight as the lead of this third Ant Man film.  (I can’t believe there’ve been THREE Ant Man films!!  What a world we live in!)  Mr. Rudd is a wonderful lead; he’s very funny, and he has such strong likability that it’s always a pleasure to follow him through these adventures.  I like the idea of using Ant Man to take us into a more serious, epic adventure (one originally designed to set up Kang as the villain of Marvel’s Phase Five and what was supposed to be the next Avengers film, though that’s all in question now).  His performance is colored now by real life events, but I loved Jonathan Majors when he appeared as “He Who Remains” in the final episode of Loki season one, and he was great again here in this film, taking center-stage in full-villain mode as Kang.  Kang is a terrific villain from the comics, and it was an enormous pleasure getting to see him brought into the MCU.  I enjoyed getting to spend time in the Quantum Realm; I loved the alien, holes-counting Veb and the living houses; I liked getting to see Bill Murray and I loved Corey Stoll as a M.O.D.O.K.; this movie has a lot to enjoy in it!  I hope its reputation improves in the years ahead.  (Click here for my full review.)

12. Air — Air tells the story of the team at Nike who, in 1984, were involved in the creation of the wildly popular Air Jordan sneakers.  It’s a terrific film!  I love “process” stories, and this peek into the behind the scenes process that led to the creation of the Air Jordan sneakers was fascinating and fun.  It’s a pleasure seeing Ben Affleck back as a director (I think he’s an excellent director!), and even more fun to see him and Matt Damon together on-screen again.  The entire cast is terrific.  Mr. Damon crushes it, and he’s not the only one — the film features stellar performances by Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, Marlon Wayans, and more.  I think it’s a clever and interesting approach to keep Michael Jordan off-screen and instead focus on the not-famous people involved with this cultural moment: the team at Nike and Michael Jordan’s mother Deloris.  The script is sharp and tight, and Mr. Affleck keeps the story moving with a propulsive energy and a funny zest.  It’s terrific.  (Click here for my full review.)

11. The Flash — OK, I guess today’s portion of my favorite movies list could be subtitled “superhero bombs that I think are better than their box office flop status would have you believe”.  I loved The Flash!!  I thought this film was an absolute delight.  It’s a lot of fun and very silly at times, but it also has great action-adventure spectacle and some strong character work, particularly by Ezra Miller in what turns out to be not one but two lead roles.  If the DCEU films had all been this much fun, this might have been a great super-hero universe!!  I loved the twisty multiverse story.  I was blown away by how great Ezra Miller was in his dual lead roles as two different versions of Barry Allen, the Flash.  Mr. Miller spends a huge chunk of time playing against himself, and the result is absolutely extraordinary.  He’s completely convincing as these two characters; he’s able to create very different mannerisms and approaches for the two Barrys.  They’re clearly the same character, but also entirely different people.  It’s a beautiful magic act.  (The visual effects in achieving this effect are also flawless, which helps significantly.)  And then there is Michael Keaton, returning to the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman!!!  I never ever ever thought this would happen!!  I grew up with that 1989 Batman movie, and I love it dearly, so to see this film not only bring back Michael Keaton, but also to dig so deeply into the iconography of that 1989 film, filled me with joy.  It was so cool to see the 1989 suit, the tech, the Batcave, the Batwing, and so much more brought to life so faithfully… and also with lots of little new twists that made everything even cooler for a 2023 audience!!  This Batman gets even better tech than he got in the ’89 film (or the Batman Returns sequel); he gets to fight and kick ass in a way that was never possible back in ’89.  I loved all that!  Mr. Keaton commands the screen.  And, of course, I ate up all the call-backs.  (Getting to hear Michael Keaton say “I’m Batman” again was a thrill.)  I also loved getting to see many of the Snyderverse actors back, including Ben Affleck as Batman, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, and Jason Momoa as Aquaman.   I loved the introduction of Sasha Calle as Supergirl — she was fantastic, and the costume was great — I wish we’d be able to see more of her in a future film (though I know that’s not going to happen due to the coming reboot).  I loved seeing Michael Shannon’s Zod again, and all the connections to 2013’s Man of Steel.  I enjoyed all the cameos in the climax, and particularly the cameo that closed the film.  The Flash was a pleasure, and I wish more people had seen it.  (Click here for my full review.)

C’mon back soon as we enter my TOP TEN list of my favorite movies of 2023!

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