2023 was a year of intensity.

2023 was a year of emotion.

2023 was a year of frights.

2023 was a year of hope.

2023 was a strange year. It featured potentially one of my favorite movies of all time with Oppenheimer, while also being plagued with a large chunk of average and forgettable films.


Still — it’s a year that I’ll remember fondly. Barbie and Oppenheimer released in a single weekend, packing every theater. Ari Aster released yet another movie that you either loved or hated. The Iron Claw came out of nowhere, delivering one of the most intense and heartbreaking stories in recent memory. The horror genre was given a breath of fresh air with films like Talk to Me, Thanksgiving, The Blackening, Saw X and Scream VI.

It may not have been the best year for film, but it did bring us together. It was yet another 365 days of bonding over our love of movies, and for that… it deserves to be celebrated.

Here are my favorite films of 2023:

10. The Covenant — An extremely underrated movie that I haven’t seen enough people talk about. Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim have tremendous chemistry.

9. Knock at the Cabin — This is a film that has really grown on me upon rewatch and as the year progressed. The central premise is one that is so interesting to think/talk about. It’s one of M. Night Shyamalan’s most straightforward movies, but it’s executed to near perfection.

8. Dumb Money — This is an entertaining ride from beginning to end, with such a unique story that makes it stand out. It’s also accessible to anyone, no matter your knowledge of the subject.

7. Gran Turismo — A classic, feel-good sports underdog tale. It feels like the kind of true story made for a movie, and Neill Blomkamp delivers.

6. Beau is Afraid — It isn’t always coherent in its message, but there is something inherently relatable about this film to me. Aster throws everything at the audience with all of his talent on display, and while exhausted by the end, I’ve never been able to stop thinking about it.

5. Godzilla Minus One — Not only does this have the epic Godzilla action, but it also features relatable characters. This is an emotional story at heart, with Godzilla being a true threat.

4. Talk to Me — My favorite horror movie of the year. This could have been a by-the-numbers supernatural flick, but it turned out to be so much more than that.

3. The Creator — A movie with high stakes and giant sci-fi battles, but the relationships are what allowed me to connect with it so much. John David Washington continues to be one of my favorite actors.

2. The Iron Claw — I hadn’t heard of the Von Erich family before this movie, but their story is truly devastating. Zac Efron delivers his best performance to date, and the final scene nearly broke me.

1. Oppenheimer — Despite a 3-hour runtime, it gets better and better on each rewatch. I don’t think any other director could have pulled this off.