I saw 54 movies in a theater this year. Here is my personal Ranking list

Hello to anyone interested and about to read/skim this list and either comment on how good or bad it is. I went in with the New Year's Resolution that since I am a cinephile, subscribe to A-List, and have 3 AMCs within 25 minutes of my house, I would do what I can to see 53 movies this year, or one movie a week. I am happy to say that I exceeded this by one film. And with that, I have my final rankings for every film I've seen this year.

Before you read the list/reviews, here are some quick notes:

- 54-49: Pretty much the worst films I saw this year. These are films I would not recommend to anyone in the future, and if it's ever mentioned in conversation, I will most likely say negative things about the film

- 48-40: are watchable films, with decent elements, but also aren't that good, and are likely lacking in a lot of other areas. I would likely recommend the film, but also give a critique or two that I thought was missing

- 39-21: Pretty much passable/watchable films that I at least thought were worth sitting through once, and could see myself sitting through again at some point in the future

- 20-11: These are films I found pretty enjoyable from start to finish with very few issues that I could find in between. The higher these films are, the likelier it is that I would want to or be happy to watch these films again

- 10-1: These are my personal best of the best. They are films that I will definitely find myself watching again at some point in the future, and will only speak positively about each movie

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The List:

54.. 65 - Directed by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods: Another interesting dinosaur concept that completely goes to waste in a dull and uninspired movie with barely any dinosaurs, and way too much of Koa.

53.. Exorcist: Believer - Directed by David Gordon Green: I read that this was supposed to be the beginning of a new Exorcist series… Welp. Good luck with that. The only great thing about this movie is Ellen Burstyn creating a scholarship program at Pace University for young actors. Way to fucking go Ellen.

52.. Shazam: Fury of the Gods - Directed by David F. Sandberg: I am aware the director is a user on Reddit so if he stumbles upon this, I am sorry-ish about the ranking, man. For a follow-up to my favorite DCEU film… This was not it. The adults were shown more than the teens, which is unfortunate because I loved the teens and their chemistry a lot. There is also a subplot where one of the teenagers falls for a 1,000-year-old princess who you don’t know is a villain or sidekick, but that’s neither here nor there. When Helen and Lucy are not putting in genuine effort in this movie, it’s admittedly a point that’s not worth considering

51.. AntMan: QuantuMania - Directed by Peyton Reed - This, in my eyes, is the film most will reflect on as the beginning of the “CBM fatigue”. Stakes felt low and played out before. Not to mention the VFX looked pretty bad, in addition to the script being genuinely awful. Oh, and did I mention the titular character that was supposed to be Marvel’s next villain has now been fired?… We are only just beginning to see the ramifications of this disaster, and I am morbidly curious how it continues from here

50.. Fool's Paradise - Directed by Charlie Day: God dammit, Charlie. I love you because of IASIP... but i still don't know what this film was supposed to be, or if it was even supposed to be funny.

49.. Saltburn - Directed by Emerald Fennell: My brother had given me fair warning about the “content” of this movie before I went with him, my dad, and gf to see it. Since I loved PYW, I thought “How bad could it be?”… There are those that will love it, and there’s certainly substance there for those that do, but this was just an uncomfortable ride for me.

48.. Five Nights at Freddy’s - Directed by Emma Tammi - This is not a good film… but it’s also bad enough that it’s good/passable. For the generation that has grown up with the FNAF games, this is a good enough film to throw on at future sleepover parties and laugh at the absurdity.

47.. The Flash - Directed by Andres Muschetti: For all of the "hype" that was put behind this film, it is quite fascinating to reflect on my time in that near-empty IMAX theater and watch this disaster. It is a film that does try, and also ropes me in because of MK Batman, but it is also bloated, and making up for so much lost ground on the DCEU that if you're not into moviegoing, it's not going to be worth the time, especially with the incoming hard rest.

46.. Boys in the Boat - Directed by George Clooney: The direction and acting are strong, for a story that, to me at least, is pretty dull in scope. Most of the scenes are the races, but I'm not left feeling the weight of the victories and just how big these upsets were

45.. Cocaine Bear - Directed by Elizabeth Banks: This film was relatively entertaining, with some genuinely hilarious moments. However, I thought there were a lot of lulls in between, with a climax that was lacking. However, it is a fun last role to watch legendary Ray Liotta in. RIP

44.. Knock at the Cabin: Directed by M. Night Shyamalan: This will mostly/hopefully be known as Batista’s breakout role. Having been a longtime WWE fan, it’s been fun seeing his ascension, and he truly is the shining mark in an otherwise okay film by M. Night. Here’s to hoping this is the beginning of more leading roles for the man

43.. Beau is Afraid - Directed by Ari Aster: For those that did sit through this “experience”, there are only two words to sum up my thoughts on this film… Penis Monster 8=D.

42.. Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny - Directed by James Mangold: Indiana Jones is considered to be the greatest cinema icon according to the AFI’s current list… After this other middling installment, I admittedly doubt it will be the case if they poll again. This film is a lot better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull but is still a far cry from Spielberg’s original three. And with a new generation of moviegoers coming of age, Indiana admittedly feels more mid-range because of these installments. The ending twist is pretty sweet, but it is a slog to get there, with too much dialogue, and not enough wit that I had come to know Indy for.

41.. The Hunger Games: BoSS - Directed by Francis Lawrence: A good beginning, fantastic Hunger Games, and what I thought was a pretty unearned third-act turn. As an added note, if there was a Hunger Games film just with Jason Schwartzman

40.. Napoleon - Directed by Ridley Scott: I enjoyed the action scenes whenever they occurred, but this movie was also everywhere and should’ve been more focused on why Napoleon was a defining historical figure. TL;DR Less woofing, more battle cries.

39.. Priscilla - Directed by Sofia Coppola: An interesting and more grounded take on the music legend, that shows a bit of those darker shades of The King that not many want to discuss.

38.. A Man Called Otto - Directed by Marc Forster: If they are ever to make a live-action version of Up, Tom Hanks should play Carl. He pretty much does a scaled version of him in this endearing movie of a grumpy man, with a deep backstory worth investing in. A nice film to put on during a random weekend with nothing to do.

37.. M3GAN - Directed by Gerard Johnstone: This is a “sleepover” film done right. It is a B-horror movie that does not take itself too seriously, which makes it better as a result. I am hoping the sequel can be given an R-rating just to add to the insanity.

36.. Asteroid City - Directed by Wes Anderson: I am admittedly a sucker for Wes Anderson so this film might be higher as a result. It is a funny film, but also confusing since it is intertwining between two stories. A point that is even used as a joke during the film.

35.. Gran Turismo - Directed by Neil Blomkamp: For those that are aware of Neil’s filmography, he kind of needed this W. It is a film that you can guess the ending of, but will still watch because of the strong performances and action from everyone involved.

34.. Scream VI - Directed by Tyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin: Some BIG kills take place in the BIG apple. I’m not sure where the franchise goes from here, so if this is it? It was a fun way to go out, with some innovative kills courtesy of the NYC setting.

33.. Missing - Directed by Will Merrick, Nick Johnson: This is the sequel to the breakout hit “Searching”, and it is a decent and tense follow-up on an interesting concept where the entire film takes place on a screen. I’m not sure how many more can be made, but if it can be done, I’d love to see more.

32.. Blue Beetle - Directed by Angel Manuel Soto: An unfortunate “victim” of “CBM fatigue”. Blue Beetle isn’t breaking any new ground, but what it does do a good job of is dialing it back and focusing on a grounded and contained origin story of a boy, his power, how he utilizes it for good, and a beetle that eats his face. Xolo and George make it worth a watch

31.. The Marvels - Directed by Mia DaCosta: Another “victim” is The Marvels. I went in expecting to dislike this film, and it’s possibly because the bar was so low that I wound up enjoying it. It’s not the most memorable Marvel film, but it's a tight 100 minutes that are at least upheld by the chemistry between the three leads.30.

30.. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - Part 1 - Directed by Christopher McQuarrie: I was admittedly not expecting to have this film ranked so low. It is a good time, but is also defined by very long action sequences where you know the conclusion will end with the text “TBC”. It is always awesome watching insane stunts, but it feels less impactful when it’s only “Part 1”.

29.. Joy Ride - Directed by Adele Lim: So full disclosure, I saw this with my gf’s parents and brother who expected this to be a “family film”. When they showed the devil horn tattoo, it had to be one of my favorite movie experiences this year. It is a raunchy good time. Just don't see it with parents who are not comfortable with that.

28.. No Hard Feelings - Directed by Gene Stupnitsky: A film my gf’s parents probably would’ve appreciated more. Another fun comedy that does a nice job of giving a slight new spin on the “coming of age” experience all teenagers go through.

27.. Strays - Directed by Josh Greenbaum: This was so much funnier than I was honestly expecting. This is a good time for anyone, but dog/animal lovers will fall in love with this movie.

26.. Dicks: The Musical - Directed by Larry Charles: Maybe the preparation and forewarning helped for this one because I thought this film was a pretty hilarious time despite how offensive it was. One other couple was in the theater and walked out in protest just before Bowen Yang concluded the movie. Great time.

25.. Creed III - Directed by Michael B. Jordan: Incredibly strong directorial debut for Michael B. Jordan, who utilizes and breaks new ground on a beloved character that we thought we already knew the full story of.

24.. Fast X - Directed by Louis Leterrier: As much as I love character studies using boxing as a medium, I also love big explosions and fast cars that go vrooooom. And this movie is full of it. It’s an F&F all-star lineup featuring FU’s/AA’s, exploding reservoirs, and flying kids!

23.. Dumb Money - Directed by Craig Gillespie: If you loved The Big Short, you will also like this movie and how a couple of apes were able to game the system. You won’t admittedly learn as much as TBS, but you will still enjoy watching the 1% shit themselves while Paul Dano eats his tendies. 💎🤲🏻

22.. Dream Scenario - Directed by Kristoffer Borgli: Nicholas Cage takes on a more subdued character in one of my favorite roles I’ve seen from him. He is both charming and creepy at the same time, which is hard to pull off. While the ending has a bit to be desired, sometimes it can be ok when some things are left unsaid.

21.. Air - Directed by Ben Affleck: It’s difficult to think now, but there was a time before Michael Jordan. With an all-star cast in tow, Air does a good job covering that story from the perspective of the few people who knew what Air Jordan would become

20.. Poor Things - Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos: I didn’t expect a movie with a plot involving a woman with a baby brain attaining enlightenment through sex to be so endearing. Emma shines in this role and also bares it all in another defining performance to add to the actress’s astounding filmography. Oh, did I mention that Willem, Ruffalo, and Ramy also pull in strong performances of their own?

19.. BlackBerry - Directed by Matt Johnson: What’s more fun than watching a company succeed against the odds? A company imploding. The world's cell phones today are defined by Apple and Android. Before 2007? It was the BlackBerry. Watching the monumental rise and collapse of a company that was once so popular people used it in their everyday language was an incredibly fun time. ESPECIALLY once the Storm was introduced. As someone who once owned that phone, it was surreal seeing that junk again and remembering it existed.

18.. Thanksgiving - Directed by Eli Roth: This has to be my favorite movie directed by Eli, which doesn’t say too much given his niche genre, but man is he working at his best here. This is B-level horror going in full gear. The kills are innovative and gruesome, the backstory is silly but believable, and the characters work perfectly in the story. I hope there is room for 2nds

17.. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Directed by Jonathan Goldsetin, John Francis Daley: My biggest surprise on this list. I am not a D&D person, and doubt I ever will. So to enjoy this film as much as I did was a genuine surprise. It was hilarious and full of heart. You could see the love for the material coming off of each actor. It didn’t do well in the BO so it might be a while, but I hope a sequel can be done someday.

16.. Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 - Directed by James Gunn: The only CBM to “hit” this year, and a possible blueprint for the future direction of Marvel. This was possibly the darkest MCU film I’ve seen, with the most compelling villain that they’ve had in a while. Whatever the next Avengers film is in the future, my suggestion is to at least bring back the “High Evolutionary” in some form.

15.. Saw X - Directed by Kevin Greutert: If you would’ve honestly told me that the 10th installment in this franchise would EASILY be the best since the first, there’s no way I would’ve believed you. What sets Saw X apart from its predecessors is that this time, you feel compelled to watch the people play in Jigsaw’s games. And boy are they as gruesome as ever. Legitimately fainted on my girlfriend during one of the games.

14.. Renfield - Directed by Chris McKay: This bombed badly and admittedly got some flack as a result, but I thought this was the perfect mix of laughs, gore, and action. The fact that the film is also only 85 minutes helps it significantly. It is a breeze to watch, and a lot of fun too. Especially getting to see Cage play Dracula.

13.. Theater Camp - Directed by Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman: If you’ve ever been to a summer camp, or participated in school plays, this film can hit incredibly close to home. A very sweet coming-of-age tale for a lot of the actors, with really strong performances from Jimmy Tatro and Benjamin Platt. I also loved some of the brief cameos too. Clocking at 85 minutes, it is also a breezy film that left me feeling uplifted by the end.

12.. Super Mario Bros. - Directed by Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic: If this is the beginning of the “video game boom”, then this film will probably be looked back on as the one that kickstarted it. And how appropriate is it that it’s everyone’s favorite plumber? The outdated film from 1993 is given completely new updates in a film that would make any fan of the video game feel compelled to pick up and play it again. It is a rare 4-quadrant movie that hits all of the right nostalgic notes and has me excited for more.

11.. TMNT: Mutant Mayhem - Directed by Jeff Rowe: Playing MOP’s “Ante Up” in a family film… I never knew just how much I wanted that until I saw it. This is an incredibly mature and heartwarming film despite it being for families. Jeff allowed the four actors who played the TMNT to record their lines together to help with the chemistry. And it does make a huge difference in how genuine the movie feels. Mix in some crazy mutants, and some genuinely awesome action sequences, and this film falls just outside of my top personal top 10 for the year.

10.. Talk to Me - Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou: As someone who is a sucker for a good horror movie, rarely does one come out that has me audibly yelling, gasping, squirming, and cringing. For once, the reviews in the trailer about how gruesome this movie was weren’t far off. To me, it was unsettling, shocking, and genuinely horrifying. I will be curious how the sequel ups the ante.

9.. The Iron Claw - Directed by Sean Durkin: I am a huge pro-wrestling fan. I truly admire this borderline “underground” world where men are willing to legitimately hurt each other and risk their lives, all for the sake of money and entertainment. My favorite movie is The Wrestler, and The Iron Claw is now easily my 2nd favorite. And with good reason. The story of The Von Erichs is one of true heartbreak and tragedy because of how malicious their dad was. And it is shown, blade cuts and all, in a very raw and depressing movie that is anchored by Zac Efron’s strongest in his career to date. It would be a long shot for him to win, but I do hope he’s nominated for Best Actor. His portrayal of Kevin was heartbreaking and endearing.

8.. Godzilla - Minus One - Directed by Takashi Yamazaki: This movie has been making waves on social media so I’ll just reiterate. If you haven’t seen this movie yet. See it. See it on the biggest screen you can if it’s possible. Godzilla has never been so god damn awesome and terrifying. It is also one of the rare Godzilla films where the human element enhances the film as a whole. It is a long shot as well, but I would hope this movie is nominated at the Academy for BP. It is that good of a film.

7.. The Holdovers - Directed by Alexander Payne: While epic stakes certainly do a good job of conveying a theme or story, small scale can do just as well. This is such an amusing and thoughtful dark comedy that just happens to take place on Christmas. And the film soars because of the chemistry between the three leads, and especially between Paul and Dominic. By the end, you can’t help but root and empathize with all of the leads, and their struggles.

6.. Killers of the Flower Moon - Directed by Martin Scorsese: America. It’s uglier than people want to realize or admit. And Marty wants you to know that in KotFM. A cerebral tale that is as fucked up as it is fascinating. Once you get past the awe of DeNiro and Leo acting with each other, you are then terrified for Lily’s well-being for well over half of this movie. And considering the weight of history that she is lifting for her people, it would be hard not to admire her work put into this movie. This film admittedly taught me a lot about just how sinister conspirers are willing to go to “stay” on top, how subtly they’ll do it, and how wide-ranging it is.

5.. Past Lives- Directed by Celine Song: As indie as I’d say an indie film gets. The budget was over $12 million, but could’ve honestly been mistaken for a smaller budget. What sells this film is the universal element and experience of love and how a big part of it comes down to timing/fate. In the midst of this, the film also does an amazing job of touching on themes such as culture, identity, and support in beautifully subtle ways that have you surprisingly intertwined in each character’s life by the time the ending is reached.

4.. Spiderman: Across the SpiderVerse - Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson: it’s rare for a movie to be over 2 hours long, and when I read “TBC” I audibly say “What the fuck?! NO! Keep going!” This is animation at its very peak. So much care and animation styles were put into this film. I am crossing my fingers hard that BTSV can stick the landing so this trilogy can be championed as one of the best-animated film series ever.

3.. John Wick: Chapter IV - Directed by Chad Stahelski: I will admit, I am a huge sucker for action heroes like “Jason Bourne” and “James Bond”, and in my time, the only person that I think could keep up with Jason is John fucking Wick. And this is John Wick at his most brutal yet. The action is insane, the violence is ultra, and some of the sequences are truly mind-blowing, with techniques that I’ve never seen in film before. It’s probably my most controversial choice since I could see why others would think it was too long, but for my money, that was pretty much 3-hours well spent.

2.. Barbie - Directed by Greta Gerwig: I want to predicate that the final 2 on this list are partially biased, but I would say also stand on their own. As a backstory, I turned 30 on July 18th, and have admittedly been struggling mentally/financially a lot of my life. If you had told me at the beginning of this year how things would turn out, I likely would’ve become more depressed because I just didn’t believe good things were meant to happen in my life while I found my footing. As a cinephile, Barbenheimer is my personal “Woodstock” moment. The perfect amount of forces outside of my control led to the best moviegoing night of my life. I went with friends and cosplayed as scientists to complete Barbenheimer at the Lincoln Square AMC. When we walked into the room, it is a literal sea of pink. Everyone is wearing pink shirts, pink cowboy hats, pink cowboy suits, pink pants... All Pink Everything. We get to our seats in a packed theater, and the whole room is just buzzing with positive vibes and energy. So much so that I cracked a joke before the film and got people to laugh along.

And it’s with good reason too. This is a very touching, funny, heartwarming, and empowering film, that also happens to do a fabulous job at product placement, creating a new legion of Barbie fans. What the movie does best is that it subverts the expectations of what we’ve come to expect when we think about Barbie, and reinvents the wheel to show just how much of a feminine icon Barbie is, and how much she means to generations of women who grew up with the doll. This movie is another strong performance from Margot, which is also supported by a hilarious Ryan Gosling who reminds us all how as men, we're just Ken, and that’s also just enough :). This film should hopefully lead to some well-deserved nominations come the Academies, and also lead to blank checks for Greta so she can direct whatever project she wants.

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1.. Oppenheimer - Directed by Christopher Nolan: To finish our night, we wound up being the first people to see the 70MM IMAX print/showing of Oppenheimer due to an exhaust malfunction that occurred before the 7:30 pm show. Before the film, we were given special 70 MM film strips with some of the images from the movie (I will someday have a framed between the film, and a photo of my friends and I holding it between Barbie and Oppenheimer posters).

In addition, I love Christopher Nolan, and I love learning about WWII. For myself, I think the atomic bomb might be the most significant invention mankind has ever created, and a story about The Manhattan Project would be worth showing on a movie screen. However, I genuinely never thought it was possible due to the subject that the movie would cover. If a film like this were to ever be made, my five personal choices on who could direct an effective film were Del Toro, Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Spielberg, and Nolan, with Nolan being my 1st choice above all.

So with all of that, my expectations were probably the highest that they’ve ever been and ever will be, for a movie. And Nolan hit every mark and stuck the landing. The message was simple, but so fucking effective and haunting. If we as a species aren’t careful… We’re Fucked. And we very well could already be. Nolan uses every one of his tropes to perfection, while also completely subverting expectations in the process, making you feel mesmerized at how you walked in expecting one film, and came out with an entirely different experience. As a Nolan fanboy, I do hope this is his moment, and he finally wins an Oscar for Best Director, as well as Best Picture. I hope the same for Cillian as well for Best Actor, but both remain to be seen, and there is quite some competition for the upcoming Oscars.

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Additional Note:

- In addition to this I also saw 3 re-releases this year and one film that I believe was only shown at festivals: Titanic 3D, Stop Making Sense, Robot Dreams, and Nightmare Before Christmas. Making it a total of 58 films I saw in a theater this year.

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Conclusion:

I can’t recall a time when I felt there were so many deserving nominees, but I guess that’s what also happens when you go to as many films as I did. While the industry finds itself currently in the throes, this was a very good year for moviegoing, and I only hope 2024 can be just as strong. I hope you enjoyed reading this, as much as I did getting to create this ranking list, write these mini-reviews, and reflect that was the year of 2023 in movies. I'd love to read and comment on some personal favorites that you might've had as well so feel free to discuss any part of the list that you agree or disagree with.

Submitted December 28, 2023 at 11:43PM by my_simple_review_ https://ift.tt/3QmPiUa