Barbie, Oppenheimer and The Color Purple.Photo:warner bros.(2); Universal Pictures
warner bros.(2); Universal Pictures
There are still some big, unresolved questions about the fate of the cinema — streaming, AI, post-pandemic patterns of attendance — but 2023 was a fabulous year for movies.
Narrowing this down to 10 wasn’t easy — so let’s name a few honorable mentions:John Wick: Chapter 4,Priscilla,American FictionandAsteroid City.
01of 10
‘Oppenheimer’
Oppenheimer.Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
02of 10
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
Killers of the Flower Moon.apple tv+
apple tv+
03of 10’The Color Purple’The Color Purple.warner bros.This latest adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel about long-suffering Celie (Fantasia Barrino) is the best, with a much surer tone than Steven Spielberg’s 1995 film and a cast of confident, ingratiating talents, includingTaraji P. Henson,Danielle BrooksandHalle Bailey.EvenColman Domingo, as the rotten Mister, is magnetic. Exuberant, bold and, as the storms recede from Celie’s life, soul-healing.
03of 10
‘The Color Purple’
The Color Purple.warner bros.
warner bros.
This latest adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel about long-suffering Celie (Fantasia Barrino) is the best, with a much surer tone than Steven Spielberg’s 1995 film and a cast of confident, ingratiating talents, includingTaraji P. Henson,Danielle BrooksandHalle Bailey.EvenColman Domingo, as the rotten Mister, is magnetic. Exuberant, bold and, as the storms recede from Celie’s life, soul-healing.
04of 10’Maestro’Maestro.Jason McDonald/NetflixThe tempo isfuriosoin director-starBradley Cooper’s wildly stylish but endearing film about the chaotic union of composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein and wife Felicia (Carey Mulligan).
04of 10
‘Maestro’
Maestro.Jason McDonald/Netflix
Jason McDonald/Netflix
The tempo isfuriosoin director-starBradley Cooper’s wildly stylish but endearing film about the chaotic union of composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein and wife Felicia (Carey Mulligan).
05of 10’Air’Air.courtesy amazon studiosBen Affleckdirected and starred in a fleetfooted film about how Nike courted youngMichael Jordan.The unbeatable ensemble includedMatt Damon,Viola Davis,Chris Tucker,Jason Batemanand — one of the year’s slam-dunk performances —Chris Messinaas a blisteringly foulmouthed agent.
05of 10
‘Air’
Air.courtesy amazon studios
courtesy amazon studios
Ben Affleckdirected and starred in a fleetfooted film about how Nike courted youngMichael Jordan.The unbeatable ensemble includedMatt Damon,Viola Davis,Chris Tucker,Jason Batemanand — one of the year’s slam-dunk performances —Chris Messinaas a blisteringly foulmouthed agent.
06of 10’May December’May December.Francois Duhamel/NetflixDirectorTodd Haynes’ squirm-inducing study of moral accountability in the suburbs starredJulianne MooreandNatalie Portman— both great, although playing their roles in very different keys — as a scandalous homemaker and an unscrupulous actress. Funny, campy, sad, oblique.
06of 10
‘May December’
May December.Francois Duhamel/Netflix
Francois Duhamel/Netflix
DirectorTodd Haynes’ squirm-inducing study of moral accountability in the suburbs starredJulianne MooreandNatalie Portman— both great, although playing their roles in very different keys — as a scandalous homemaker and an unscrupulous actress. Funny, campy, sad, oblique.
07of 10
‘The Holdovers’
The Holdovers.Seacia Pavao/focus features
Seacia Pavao/focus features
08of 10’Anatomy of a Fall’Anatomy of a Fall.courtesy neonIn the role of a writer accused of murdering her husband, German actress Sandra Hüller gave a remarkably tricky performance — a naked display of emotion that, in an instant, could vanish behind a veil of inscrutability. Was the woman guilty or innocent? Who can say? (Hüller was also terrific inThe Zone of Interest,playing a Nazi’s wife who thinks she’s found heaven living in a tidy house right next to Auschwitz.)
08of 10
‘Anatomy of a Fall’
Anatomy of a Fall.courtesy neon
courtesy neon
In the role of a writer accused of murdering her husband, German actress Sandra Hüller gave a remarkably tricky performance — a naked display of emotion that, in an instant, could vanish behind a veil of inscrutability. Was the woman guilty or innocent? Who can say? (Hüller was also terrific inThe Zone of Interest,playing a Nazi’s wife who thinks she’s found heaven living in a tidy house right next to Auschwitz.)
09of 10
‘Past Lives’
Past Lives.a24
a24
10of 10
‘Barbie’
Barbie.warner bros.
source: people.com
