Josh’s Favorite Movies of 2023 — Part Three!

Welcome back!  We’re half-way through my list of my favorite movies of 2023!  Click here for part one of my list, and click here for part two.

And now, let’s begin my TOP TEN list of my favorite movies of 2023:

10. Somewhere in Queens — In Ray Romano’s directorial debut, Mr. Romano also stars as Leo, a good-hearted but somewhat bumbling schlub who works for his father’s construction company in Queens.  This sweet, slice-of-life story is a lovely character study of Leo, his wife Angela (played by Laurie Metcalf), their shy son Sticks (nicknamed for his long, skinny legs), and the rest of their close-knit Italian family.  The sharp script and terrific cast combine beautifully to bring the characters to life.  Ray Romano is effortless in the lead role, in the best way — this character fits him like a glove.  He proves to be a competent director as well!  Mr. Romano is a gifted comedian and there are some funny bits in the film, but this isn’t a laugh-a-minute yuk-fest.  This is more a drama than a comedy, but there’s enough funny business to keep the film lively without ever allowing it to get too dour.  (It also ends with a terrific — and hilarious — final line that is spectacular!)  There are a few moments in which the film gets a little too sitcommy with some outlandish plot twists, but overall I loved following these characters through their relatable human-scale trials and tribulations.  (My full review will be coming soon!)

9. The Creator — Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Rogue One) directed and co-wrote this beautiful sci-fi film, set in the near future in which the United States has declared war on all A.I. and used its military might to attempt to wipe them all out.  John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman, Tenet) plays sergeant Joshua Taylor, who went undercover with the A.I. and then betrayed them.  Years later, he’s been embittered against both sides, but suddenly finds himself the protector of an advanced A.I. child who the A.I. believe is their savior, while the U.S. military believes is a doomsday weapon.  The Creator is a thrilling piece of original sci-fi.  It is visually stunning.  Mr. Edwards has an incredible eye for crafting imagery on screen, and the visual effects team for this film have outdone themselves.  How Mr. Edwards and his team pulled this film off, at a budget that is nothing compared to most blockbusters these days, is amazing.  The cast is strong (I loved Allison Janney as a kick-ass, vengeful military officer, and Ken Watanabe is perfect as a grizzled old A.I. leader), though this film would be higher on my list if the characters had more dimensionality.  Still, this is an impressive achievement and a fun and fascinating original sci-fi film for grown-ups.  (Click here for my full review.)

8. Barbie  — I was blown away by Barbie… which is not actually a huge surprise when one considers that I’m a big believer in the idea that it’s possible to craft compelling, entertaining, and moving stories out of corporate product like toys or franchises!  (I believe that about Marvel and DC comic book characters… I believe that about Star Trek and Star Wars… I even believe that about other franchises based on toy lines like Transformers or G.I. Joe — though I’ve yet to see a live-action movie in either of those franchises that has lived up to my hopes and dreams.)  Greta Gerwig is an enormous talent, and I’m thrilled that 1) she was able to make this movie and 2) it’s become such a huge success that her accomplishment has been so properly celebrated!  I’m impressed with the way that Ms. Gerwig & co. were able to balance celebrating Barbie with also poking gentle, loving fun at it.  (The Matel corporate heads are portrayed as at best bumbling and at worst misogynist and evil, while Barbie herself, when she first appears in our real world, is a subject of mockery and disdain.)  At the same time, the film never loses Barbie as the central hero of the story, and her strength, intelligence, and courage win the day and position her as a feminist hero.  This is very skillfully done.  The film is very clever and very funny from start to finish, and yet at the same time it’s also able to be heartfelt and emotional.  Yet another skillful balancing act that Ms. Gerwig & co. seem to pull off with ease!  The film is always in on the joke; we’re never laughing at Barbie or these concepts in a way that the film doesn’t want us to.  While Barbie dolls have occasionally been maligned over the years as a silly (or even harmful) idealization of a white, suburban woman, the film’s story brings the character of Barbie, and us in the audience, along on a spirited pro-woman ride that becomes something of a joyous pep-rally at the end.  The film acknowledges the criticisms of Barbie dolls (the teenaged Sasha declares that Barbie has been making girls feel bad about themselves ever since she was invented), and then pivots to position Barbie as a forward-thinking champion of girls and women.  The film explores what life is like for women on planet Earth in a way that is moving without being schmaltzy or preachy, and it’s profound in a way that is clear and simple but not dumbed-down.  What an impressive achievement!  (Click here for my full review.)

7. Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 — The press likes to talk about superhero fatigue, and yet 2023 saw the release of several spectacular super-hero films.  Here’s one!  James Gunn makes his triumphant return to the MCU (after being temporarily fired by Disney and then moving to DC/Warner Brothers to make the magnificent and under-seen second Suicide Squad film) with this tremendous film.  Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 is fun and funny and thrilling and heartbreaking.  I don’t think I could have asked for a better conclusion to Mr. Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and his association (at least for now) with Marvel (as Mr. Gunn is heading up the DC film and TV projects for Warner Bros. Discovery for the foreseeable future).  Ending a trilogy satisfactorily is always a hard task, and I was afraid that the extra years away would make it even harder to recapture the magic of the first two Guardians films.  I’m so glad that Mr. Gunn was able to so skillfully overcome these challenges.  (And what a blessing it is that Mr. Gunn was able to return and complete his trilogy, when for a while there it looked like we’d be robbed of a proper ending to this story.)  One of Mr. Gunn’s great skills has been his ability to take these bizarre and strange characters and concepts (A talking raccoon?  A walking tree?) and make them not only interesting and fun, but to craft them in such a way that we would fall in love with them.  Mr. Gunn has only deepened our connection with these characters over the subsequent films (I still can’t quite believe how moved I was by Yondu’s fate at the end of Vol. 2), and he gets even deeper in this third and final film.  Some tough stuff goes down in this film, and it is wrenching and heartbreaking.  There’s a scene between Rocket and three absolutely insane-looking animal-mechanical-hybrid creatures that had me in tears, and even in the moment a part of my brain was applauding Mr. Gunn and his team for making me care so deeply about these crazy characters.  The decision to focus on Rocket in this Guardians finale was brilliant and brave, and it pays off so well.  This was a beautiful and satisfying end to the Guardians of the Galaxy story.  (Click here for my full review.)

6. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse — And here’s another spectacular super-hero film!  This is a fantastic sequel on every level.  It gives us everything we loved about the first film: great character drama, funny comedy mixed with actual emotional stakes, terrific action and dazzlingly beautiful and creative animation.  And on every level, this sequel takes those elements and moves them forward beyond what we’ve seen before.  The animation is once again jaw-droppingly extraordinary, beyond anything I’ve ever seen in an animated film.  My heart sung just seeing this film’s opening titles, when we once again got to see the crashing collision of multiple different styles of animation.  Every character from a different universe in this film has its own distinct animation style; each new look is more beautiful and creative than the next.  In a film as jam-packed with different characters as this one is, the result of this approach is an eye-popping collision of colors and styles.  This could have been a mess, but what’s on screen is staggeringly beautiful.  I’m overwhelmed by the ambition of the film.  There’s never been an animated film that’s looked like this one has.  This film is stuffed to the brim — and then some — with characters and circumstance.  It’s almost too much to take in on one viewing.  My first thought upon seeing this film was that I needed to see it again.  There is so much here!  I love this ambition.  And have I mentioned that Across the Spider-Verse is, I believe, the longest American animated movie ever made?  At 140 minutes long, this film is a beast!  But I was never for a second anything less than enthralled with the film.  Quite the contrary: probably its biggest weakness is that I was left wanting so much more.  I love these characters; it’s incredible how rich and nuanced all the characters in this film’s large ensemble have become (ably assisted by the extraordinary voice cast assembled to bring these characters to life).  Bravo to all of the hundreds of artists who worked for years to create this incredible film.  This is a tremendous achievement, and I cannot wait for the conclusion of this story in the third film.  (Click here for my full review.)

We’re almost at the end!  C’mon back tomorrow to see my FIVE FAVORITE movies of 2023…!

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