The Top 18 Movies Of 2023

The Top 18 Movies of 2023
The Top 18 Movies of 2023

18

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

I didn’t think I would be tearing up at a climax involving a 12-year-old getting her period, but here we are.

17

The Killer

David Fincher’s work is a creative muse for me.

16

Anatomy Of A Fall

Some obvious metaphors cheapen the script, but the deliberation and in-depth character study save it. An especially great performance by Swann Arlaud.

15

How To Blow Up A Pipeline

I mean, they did it. Might sound wild, but I didn’t think They would let them do it but they did it.

14

May December

The real star of this movie is Marcelo Zarvos and Michel Legrand’s soundtrack.

13

Bottoms

Rachel Sennott is one of my favorite people working in movies right now.

12

Thanksgiving

The very reason I have a filmmaking degree was because of horror movies, and Eli Roth wrote Hostel. It’s not easy to make slasher films patently un-camp even with lines like, “There will be no leftovers.”

11

Maestro

Includes the second best scene of the year.

The Top 18 Songs Of 2023

Let's Do This, 2023: Emarosa, Face Yourself, Better Lovers, CHVRCHES, Rosalía
Let’s Do This, 2023: Emarosa, Face Yourself, Better Lovers, CHVRCHES, Rosalía

18

“Red Dot Sight”

To The Grave

The face you make at the breakdown.

17

“Sunshine!”

Beartooth

Caleb Shomo is one of the modern kings of melody without sacrifice.

16

“What Was I Made For?”

Billie Eilish

I think I read somewhere from some critic that this song was a disappointment because it was too on the nose for its release for Barbie. Dude. What an existential cogitation.

15

“Yo Preferi Chambear”

Chino Pacas

Most of Peso Pluma’s stuff slaps — and Mexican Regional or corridos tumbados common to Sinaloa and the Guadalajara area where he’s from has been internationally chart breaking for a couple of years now. Now, Peso Pluma’s winning VMAs and Billboard Music Awards. Chino Pacas isn’t from the same region as Peso Pluma — he’s about a four-hour drive due east in Guanajuato — but the Regional Mexican influence is fire and whatever coattails it took to get this 16 year old to this song, I’m in.