You know the drill. This Top 10 is my ever-evolving personal list of favorites in both film and television. I also included my Worst 10 films of the year, plus lists of my most anticipated movies and shows in 2023. Enjoy!
TheInSneider's Top 10 Movies of 2023...
1. SOCIETY OF THE SNOW - Just an incredibly director survival story that, sure, we've seen done before, but not nearly as viscerally as this. JA Bayona knocks it out of the park and makes sure we remember these names long after the credits roll. One of the best plane crash sequences ever put to film.
2. STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE - This is a truly beautiful love story about two people who have upheld the "in sickness and in health" part of their wedding vows. Another film that speaks to the triumph of the human spirit and the will to survive. At no point does MJF wants us to take pity upon him, or think of him as a victim whose job is to suffer. We see him on his bad days here, not just when the People magazine photographer is there to shoot a two-page spread.
3. NYAD - A movie for anyone who's ever been told they're too old. too washed up, too whatever to succeed. Nyad said she was going out on her own terms. She's a fighter who embodies the human spirit and the triumph of the will. In addition to accomplishing an extraordinary physical feat, the movie lends a window into the mental strength required by Diana Nyad.
4. (tie) PAST LIVES and MEMORY Think about it, Past Lives is a movie about someone obsessed with their past, who sets out to change their future. Memory is a movie about living in the moment, for all we have is the present. We can't change the past, and the future will be what it will be. Can you live in the now, not knowing if there will ever be a later?
5. (tie) AIR and BLACKBERRY - Paired together for obvious reasons
6. AMERICAN FICTION - I thought long and hard about whether to go with The Holdovers or American Fiction here but I went with the latter scenario because I think it succeeds on multiple levels and generally had greater degree of difficulty. Both of them are the kind of gems that could push Oppenheimer for Best Picture. Jeffrey Wright is great in this film, but Serling K. Brown is even better, and it's great to see Erika Alexander in a substantial role like this again.
7. THE HOLDOVERS - Just a warm hug of a movie led by a terrific Paul Giamatti performance that deserves to win the Oscar for Best Actot. Da'Vine Joy Randolph is the film's secret weapon and she seems like a lock to win Best Supporting Actress come March.
8. THE IRON CLAW - A devastating film about four brothers who didn't want to disappoint their father and paid dearly, featuring a transformative Zac Efron performance and a breakout turn from newcomer Stanley Simons.
9. THEATER CAMP - This movie is so fucking perfect, it scares the shit out of me. It is so brilliantly observed. I went to an all-boys Jewish summer camp for 12 years, so it was a little bit different, but I also went to Tisch, and that was like where all the Theater Camps across America ultimately lead. I know these people and this movie captured their essence with humor and heart. Molly Gordon is a delight, and keep an eye on Ben Platt's boyfriend TK, who steals the show here in more ways than one.
10. GOD IS A BULLET - I know everyone has been talking about The Holdovers being a throwback to another era, but this movie was a true throwback to a time when chaos reigned. This is a movie that walks the fucking walk. Maika Monroe and Karl Glusman deliver two of the most convincing performances of the year, and writer-directors Nick Cassavetes is just a madman. I can't wait to see what he does next.
Honorable Mentions: Fair Play, Flora and Son, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Palm Trees and Power Lines, Reality, Reptile, Sisu, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, A Thousand and One
And now for The InSneider's Worst 10 Movies of 2023. Apologies in advance!
10. SCREAM VI
9. THE MARVELS
8. THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER
7. BEAU IS AFRAID
6. BOTTOMS
5. HYPNOTIC
4. DICKS: THE MUSICAL
3. MOTHER, COUCH!
2. SKINAMARINK
1. (tie) CHILDREN OF THE CORN and DARK HARVEST
Dishonorable Mention: Crappy Sequels - Besides the three listed above -- Scream, Captain Marvel, and The Exorcist -- who could forget Ant-Man 3, Murder Mystery 2, Meg 2: The Trench, Buddy Games: Spring Awakening, and especially John Wick: Chapter 4, which ran a jaw-dropping, ass-numbing 169 minutes. Note to John Wick -- you're not killing the Flower Moon, my guy. Move it along!
Don't forget the Top 10 Movies I Missed in 2023...2. The Boy and the Heron
3. Afire
4. The Taste of Things
5. Perfect Days
6. Fallen Leaves
7. Godland
8. Birth/Rebirth
9. Monica
10. Nimona
And finally, my Top 24 Most Anticipated Movies of 2024. An asterisk indicates that this film also appeared on my Most Anticipated of 2023 list.
1. The Crow
2. The Order
3. Joker: Folie a Deux
4. Havoc*
5. Blitz
6. Furiosa
7. MaXXXine
8. Juror #2
9. The Substance
10. Rebel Ridge*
11. Trap a.k.a. Good Grades
12. A Quiet Place: Day One
13. Black Flies
14. Holland, Michigan
15. Longlegs
16. Rich Flu
17. The Actor
18. Carry-On
19. Freaky Tales
20. Mickey 17
21. Unfrosted
22. Greedy People
23. Gladiator 2
24. The Rule of Jenny Pen
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And now for the TELEVISION portion of this year-end list!
The InSneider's Top 25 TV Shows of 2023
1. Fargo S5 (Fx/Hulu)
2. Poker Face (Peacock)
3. Shrinking (Apple TV+)
4. Ted Lasso S4 (Apple TV+)
5. The Righteous Gemstones S3 (HBO)
6. Hijack (Apple TV+)
7. Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix)
8. Mayor of Kingstown S2 (Paramount+)
9. Reacher S2 (Prime Video)
10. The Idol (HBO)
11. Winning Time S2 (HBO)
12. Dave S3
13. The Continental (Showtime)
14. Barry S4 (HBO)
15. (tie) SNL (NBC/Peacock) and Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs (Netflix)
16. South Park: Joining the Panderverse (Paramount+)
17. Surviving Barstool (FX on Hulu)
18. Hunters S2 (Showtime)
19. Special Ops: Lioness (Paramount+)
20. Black Mirror S6 (Netflix)
21. (tie) American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing and Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage & Reckoning (Netflix)
22. John Mulaney: Baby J (Netflix)
23. You S4 (Netflix)
Honorable Mention: The Curse (Showtime) - I still haven't finished The Curse, but it sure is a weird show...
And now for The Top 15 TV Shows I Either Missed or Didn't Quite Finish in 2023...
1. Reservation Dogs S3 (FX on Hulu)
2. The Bear S2 (FX on Hulu)
3. Copenhagen Cowboy (Netflix)
4. The Curse (Showtime)
5. Gen V (Prime Video)
6. Beef (Netflix)
7. Love and Death (Max)
8. Bupkis (Peacock)
9. Full Circle (Max)
10. Only Murders in the Building S3 (Hulu)
11. Secret Invasion (Disney+)
12. Dead Ringers (Prime Video)
13. That '90s Show (Netflix)
14. Dr. Death S2 (Peacock)
15. Invincible S2 (Prime Video)
Top 10 Most Anticipated New Scripted TV Shows of 2024 - Honestly, I have no idea what shows are supposed to debut this year. I could barely name 10, let alone 24...
1. True Detective: Night Country (HBO)
2. Masters of the Air (Apple)
3. The Penguin (HBO Max)
4. The Sympathizer (HBO)
5. Alex Cross (Prime Video)
6. Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
7. Ripley (Showtime)
8. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
9. Fallout (Prime Video)
10. Straight Man (Peacock)
Top 10 Most Anticipated Returning TV Shows of 2024...
1. Curb Your Enthusiasm S12 (HBO)
2. Severance S2 (Apple TV+)
3. Hacks S3 (Max)
4. The Boys S4 (Prime Video)
5. Dave S4 (FX)
6. Always Sunny S17 (FX)
7. The Righteous Gemstones S4 (HBO)
8. Black Mirror S7 (Netflix)
9. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit S25 (NBC)
10. Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu)
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