Big Picture Big Sound

As I've discussed many times through my annual top 10 list here at Big Picture Big Sound, this is my favorite article to write every year. It's a time to celebrate another year of movies, reflect on the great ones, and go into the new year hopeful movies will continue to have their place in our culture.

The past few year-end articles have been mournful about the state of the industry, but 2023 gave us many reasons to celebrate. There were glimpses of audiences' interests shifting, and more mid-budget movies started to attract modest business again. But, this year will always be defined by the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon, which brought moviegoing to levels that haven't been seen since pre-2020. "Barbie" - the highest grossing movie of the year - and "Oppenheimer" were released on the same day and somehow became the Barbenheimer sensation that drove people to theaters. It was fun for movies to feel like an event again.

As with any best of list, there's never enough room for all the great movies. Just missing the top 10 are: "The Zone of Interest," "How to Blow Up a Pipeline," "Chevalier" and "Barbie."

But, the 10 best movies of 2023 are:

10. The Teachers' Lounge

Ilker Çatak's "The Teacher's Lounge" is set entirely in a school but moves with the propulsion of a heist thriller. A theft occurs at the school and Carla (Leonie Benesch), one of the school's teachers, begins to suspect who did it while all the students are being questioned. Her accusations cause the students and faculty to unravel in various ways, but Carla barely wavers from her assuredness. "The Teacher's Lounge" can feel ambiguous at times, but is never less than thrilling to experience.

9. Maestro

Bradley Cooper's sophomore feature is a visually dazzling look at the life of Leonard Berstein (played by Cooper) and his relationship with his wife Felicia (Carey Mulligan). Sure, "Maestro" may feel like another Oscar-seeking biopic, but Cooper's artistry and passion behind the camera - as well as his performance - show a director who is dedicated to his work. While the career and music of Berstein isn't always at the front-and-center of the movie, there's a scene later in film of Cooper's Bernstein conducting that is nothing short of breathtaking.

8. Poor Things

If you can put your trust in director Yorgos Lanthimos, he will reward your faith in him. His movies are not for the faint of heart because they are bold, weird, and potentially alienating, but no one makes movies like he does. Emma Stone stars as Bella Baxter, a grown woman who has had the brain of a baby placed inside her. "Poor Things" is an odyssey through her liberation as she begins to discover life and sex outside of the comfortable home made for her by Dr. Goodwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Mark Ruffalo co-stars in a big and funny performance as one of Bella's suitors.

7. Killers of the Flower Moon

It's a cliché to say that Martin Scorsese has made another epic film because that's what he usually does. Sometimes when you expect constant greatness from a master it can eventually start to feel underwhelming, but Scorsese continues to explore new avenues through film and the stories he wants to tell. "Killers of the Flower Moon," which is based on the nonfiction book by David Grann, tells the story about the brutal murders of the Osage people when it is discovered there is a bountiful amount of oil on their land. Scorsese's latest pairs his two muses - Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro - but it's Lily Gladstone's quiet power as Mollie that steals the movie.

6. You Hurt My Feelings

Is there any group of people more sensitive than writers? In Nicole Holofcener's latest movie, Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as Beth, a writer who overhears her husband (Tobias Menzies) admitting to a friend he doesn't love her latest book. His overheard confession sends Beth on a spiral of self-doubt about her career and marriage, as she must reflect on what she once believed to be safe and true. Like a lot of Holofcener's work, "You Hurt My Feelings" is funny, sharp, and bittersweet.

5. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Kelly Fremon Craig is the best modern writer-director of young people on screen. In her films (she previously directed the wonderful "The Edge of Seventeen"), the young people she centers her stories on aren't a collection of quirks, but real people with real questions about the world. In adapting Judy Blume's famous book she has done just that with Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson), who must navigate a new school and ever-changing body, all while questioning what she has been told to believe. In one of the best performances this year, Rachel McAdams co-stars as Margaret's compassionate mother, who faces her own challenges over her identity.

4. A Thousand and One

In a great year for debut filmmakers, A.V. Rockwell's "A Thousand and One" is one of the standouts. Teyana Taylor stars as Inez, who kidnaps her son Terry from foster care and tries to re-establish a life together and build a home for the two of them. Taylor's performance is fierce and vulnerable, and it's frustrating that she isn't being showered with the year-end Best Actress trophies that her portrayal of Inez so richly deserves. "A Thousand and One" is a gritty look at an ever-changing New York City, propelled by Rockwell's authentic direction.

3. The Holdovers

If 2023 gave us anything, it's a new annual holiday film to watch. "The Holdovers" is director Alexander Payne's first film since 2017's misbegotten "Downsizing," and it's so great to have him back in this mode. Paul Giamatti stars as Paul Hunham, a history teacher at a prep school who is tasked with watching a group of students over the holiday break who are not going home. Eventually, Angus (Dominic Sessa, in a terrific screen debut) becomes the only student left from the group and the movie shows how he bonds with his teacher. "The Holdovers" is as funny and heartwarming as it is prickly, miraculously avoiding turning into a cloying sitcom every step of the way. Da'Vine Joy Randolph co-stars as the cafeteria manager Mary, who is the wounded heart of the film.

2. Past Lives

Celine Song's "Past Lives" strikes every note perfectly. In a miraculous debut, Song's delicate and well-measured screenplay charts the relationship between Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), who were best friends as children growing up in Korea, and lost touch when Nora's family immigrated to the United States. The movie shows them reconnect as adults, bonding over what once was and what could have been had Nora stayed in Korea and not moved to New York City and married Arthur (John Magaro). What's so special about "Past Lives" is it doesn't take easy or obvious routes in telling its story; this is not some tortured romance with a villain keeping two long lost lovers apart. It's a movie about life and the circumstances that shape us, often in unexpected ways. "Past Lives" is stunning, elegiac, and beautiful from the first frame.

And the best film of 2023 is...

1. Oppenheimer

In my three-and-a-half star review of "Oppenheimer" I sang the praises of a movie that took my breath away, and pointed out a few instant reaction nitpicks that stuck out during the movie. But then, I saw the movie again. And again. And two more times after that. Quickly, the nitpicks faded away (can I recant my original review and call it a four-star movie now?) and each time I saw the movie I was awestruck over and over again. Christopher Nolan has crafted a brilliantly structured movie about J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy, giving a quiet and controlled performance that ranks as the best of the year), known as the "Father of the Atomic Bomb." The movie is thrilling and terrifying, but also the best technical achievement of Nolan's career. Around the two-hour mark of the 180-minute movie, Oppenheimer and his crew perform the Trinity test, which is the single best moment Nolan has ever directed.

Even with a name brand director like Nolan, it's stunning how successful "Oppenheimer" has been (it has made $950 million at the worldwide box office) due to its subject matter and length. Being a part of the Barbenheimer phenomenon this summer propelled some of its business for sure, but the movie and its many presentation formats demanded multiple viewings and solidified the movie as a masterpiece. Co-starring Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr. (in his best screen performance to date), Matt Damon, and just about everyone else in Hollywood, "Oppenheimer" is the movie of the year and I can't wait to watch it for years to come.

Thanks for spending time with us at Big Picture Big Sound this year! Here's to a healthy and happy new year and many more great movies ahead.