Happy New Year everyone!
As 2023 comes to a close, it’s time we reflect on all the best films that hit the big screen this year. Here we’ll drop our top films in various categories for the year and be on the lookout for the GAFCA (Georgia Film Critics Association) winners which will be announced later this week.
Here are our top 20 films of the year:
Top 20 Films of the Year
1. Past Lives
Past Lives is the most beautiful film you can see this year. It’s an exquisite story from beginning to end that reflects the real-life experience of director Celine Song. The poignant tragedy in the film is also its animating idea: that choosing one life means losing another.
2. Beyond Utopia
Directed by Madeleine Gavin, Beyond Utopia brings some of the scariest realities to light: defecting from a country led by a not-so-friendly regime. In this case, three sets of North Koreans are risking their lives to break away from the horrors they faced living just north of the border. What sets this apart from other projects focused on North Korea are the number of videos revealed of the secret country and the first glimpse of a network often used to get defectors to safety.
3. Blackberry
Matt Johnson’s fictional dramedy, BlackBerry charts the course of the sensational rise and catastrophic fall of the world’s first smartphone.
4. Killers of the Flower Moon
Killers of the Flower Moon is the most powerful film of the year, hands down. Unfortunately, it tells the story of an atrocity so beautifully that you’ll have to remind yourself that it’s not fictional. White terrorism takes center stage in this epic, cinematic masterpiece and you’d be hard-pressed to find a tragedy told more exquisitely. Its only major flaw is its 3hr and 26m runtime.
5. Next Goal Wins
Directed by Taika Waititi, Next Goal Wins doubles as both a sports movie and a feel-good film. Whether you love “The Beautiful Game” or have no interest at all, this motivating underdog story will leave you feeling like you can conquer the world.
6. Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story
Be it heartbreak, abuse, or depression, media mogul Tyler Perry has experienced his fair share of struggles. Physical and emotional abuse were the norm throughout his childhood but he was able to get by through his involvement in church and his mother’s love.
Directed by Gelila Bekele, Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story, takes a deep, behind-the-scenes dive into the life of Tyler Perry. Known for his stage plays, TV shows, and films, Tyler Perry gives a firsthand account of his life. His character is supported by first-person commentary from notables like Killer Mike, Kenya Barris, Whoopi Goldberg, Gayle King, and select family members.
7. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most. It’s available now on Netflix.
8. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Directors Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, and Pierre Leduc should be proud of what they accomplished. Many have tried to make movies based on video games and many have failed miserably. The list of failures is extremely long and includes the likes of Tekken, Street Fighter, and Rampage (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson can’t save everything). But The Super Mario Bros. Movie sticks to its roots and oozes authenticity for 90 minutes. You can catch it now on Netflix.
9. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget begins on a high note after the escape from Tweedy’s farm. Ginger’s (Thandiwe Newton) dream comes true as they build an island paradise to escape the dangers of the human world. When she and Rocky (Zachary Levi) hatch a little girl named Molly (Bella Ramsey), Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But on the mainland, a new threat has surfaced that puts all of chicken-kind at risk. The gang faces a tough choice as a collective: stay in their peaceful sanctuary or leave and get involved. Last time they broke out. This time, they’re breaking in! Available now on Netflix.
10. Wonka
Directed by Paul King, Wonka follows a young Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) as he dares to follow his dream of being a chocolatier. He travels alone and relies on the kindness of others to get by, which lands him in a myriad of sticky situations. When an impressionable Wonka arrives in the city, he quickly finds himself lodging for the night after squandering his money through the opening musical number. This predicament is just the beginning of his adventure!
11. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, after years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
12. Napoleon
The dynamic duo of director Ridley Scott and actor Joaquin Phoenix have come together yet again to bring audiences this beaut of a film, Napoleon. The movie follows the Frenchman’s meteoric rise to emperor while chronicling his arrogance, insecurity, and shortcomings. Joaquin Phoenix gives a riveting portrayal of Napoleon Bonaparte, an ambitious military commander with an eye for battle tactics and the promotion of France. We also see his deep, yet, extremely tumultuous love for Josephine (Vanessa Kirby).
13. The Holdovers
School is hard enough as it is, but when you factor distance on top of it, holiday breaks quickly become a top priority. At Barton Academy, the term “holdover” was used to describe students with nowhere to go over Christmas break and had to stay on campus. The unfortunate few would soon find their situation exacerbated when a hard-nosed, old-fashioned, and widely disliked teacher was tasked with their care. The Holdovers is now available to stream on Peacock.
14. American Fiction
Sure to be on the “Best Picture” radar for organizations aplenty, American Fiction is a toast to the greatness that is Jeffrey Wright. Directed by Cord Jefferson, the film follows a writer named Monk (Jeffrey Wright) who takes exception to how the establishment decides which black stories get amplified.
15. Rebel Moon – Part One
Turns out that film snobs and Star Wars purists got it wrong. Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire is not only an amazing film, but it was one of the top films on Netflix for over a week. It’s action/sci-fi excellence and you can stream it now on Netflix!
16. Barbie
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you’re not Ken enough! Barbie is a hilarious, box-office smash that puts women’s awesomeness in plain view. Barbie Land gets a rude awakening once Ken returns from the real world after discovering its entire existence revolves around men and their needs. Stream it now on MAX.
17. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the IMF team must track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands.
18. Dumb Money
As a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets rich – until the billionaires fight back, and both sides find their worlds turned upside down. The beginning of meme stocks starts here! Watch the trailer. CAUTION: Trailer is extremely vulgar.
19. Air
From award-winning director Ben Affleck, AIR reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand.
20. The Color Purple
The final film to round out our Top 20 Films of 2023 is The Color Purple. The film follows a Black teenager named Celie whose being raised in rural Georgia in the early 1900s. We follow her struggle with an abusive father, a teenage pregnancy, and an abusive marriage. It’s not a positive story at all, but the film earns its merits from the sensational performances of the singers in this adapted musical.
Be sure to circle back to our website on Friday, January 5th, so you can see the Georgia Film Critics Association Award winners.