Veronica's Top Twelve Movies of 2023

2023 was a solid year for movies and an alright year for my ability to get to the theater. I feel like I saw considerably less than I have previously yet I still had trouble narrowing it down so enjoy my twelve best. This list might be a bit more mainstream than other years, which is a fun change of pace and should keep you as a reader on your toes. 

You’re welcome.

12. Brotherhood of the Wolf (dir. Christophe Gans, 2001)

I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed this overwrought action movie with the dated visual effects. Brotherhood of the Wolf is a film that takes place during the French revolution and involves an investigation into murders getting weirder and more inexplicable with each new discovery. It starts as a monster movie then slides into a more rooted in reality period piece. Highly recommend with a little bit of a buzz on.

11. Dream Scenario (dir. Kristoffer Borgli, 2023)

My concern for Dream Scenario was that it either wasn’t going to delivery on its intriguing premise or it would be too meta and aware of itself and wind up being annoying. Instead it was a complicated critique of our shared pop culture, the spread of thoughts and ideas, and how ridiculous we can all be in our reactions.

10. I Like Bats (dir. Grzegorz Warchoł , 1986)

If you’re looking for a surreal Polish vampire movie, have I got the flick for you. I Like Bats defies explanation (aside from the one I already gave) and it really has to be seen to understood. It’s about navigating the world as a woman who doesn’t quite fit in but also isn’t dying to be just like everyone else.

Aside from the storyline, there’s some really beautiful and bizarre imagery including a scene where a bunch of people are kept prisoner in cages on the beach. Don’t get it? That’s ok.

9. Return to Seoul (dir. Davy Chou, 2023)

I’ve written about this movie and how happy I am to see this stories about adults who were adopted as children from other countries and races returning to where they were born. For a world fully steeped in identity politics, the question of where someone belongs and what group they’re a part of is beyond pertinent.

In Return to Seoul, a young woman raised in France visits Korea for the first time since her birth and is overwhelmed by literally everything. It’s a character study that spans over a decade with a beautifully layered performance at the center of it.

8. Oppenheimer (dir. Christopher Nolan, 2023)

A Christopher Nolan movie? On a Back Row Best of list? What a time to be alive. For a film that’s over three hours long, I was invested in every second of it. Isn’t it amazing when there’s a moment in a movie where you know how it ends and you’re still really tense? That’s how I felt during the A-bomb test scene.

Congrats, Nolan. You made it to Back Row.  

7. How To Blow Up A Pipeline (dir. Daniel Goldhaber, 2023)

I think this and Oppenheimer would make a great double feature. How To Blow Up A Pipeline follows a group of college-aged kids and a farmer with a mission to destroy a pipeline running through Texas. It was loosely based on a book about climate change and ecoterrorism but the film includes character and plot points that are fast to grab the viewer by the throat. It’s a lean and mean little thriller that stays tense and clips along in a relatively unpredictable way.

6. Blackberry (dir. Matthew Johnson, 2023)

Honorable mention here goes to Dumb Money, which was also in the running for this spot. Since they’re both films about recent history events that changed things drastically, I decided to pick one or the other instead of both. Rent Dumb Money if you get a chance.

Anyone who’s a fan of It’s Always Sunny will appreciate Blackberry for Glenn Howerton’s performance. No one does rage quite like you, Dennis. The Blackberry paved the way for the modern cellphones and the idea of ubiquitous internet, which is amazing considering how little I knew about this story. It’s a rollercoaster of a film where there characters in the center of it show a mix of hubris, genius, humility, and integrity.

5. Polite Society (dir. Nida Manzoor, 2023)

A movie that straddles a few different styles, Polite Society is an action comedy about two Indian sisters living in London. One of them wants to be a stunt woman, the other is bright and loyal and is easily swept off her feet by a handsome man with nefarious intentions. The fight scenes sit somewhere between dancing and combat like West Side Story cranked up to eleven and everyone in this is giving it their absolute all. The sisters are adorable, the villain is note-perfect, and even the sidekicks actually enjoyable.

4. Joy Ride (dir. Adele Lim, 2023)

This is another “adopted adult returning to their country of their birth” story but way goofier than Return to Seoul. Joy Ride is a female friendship road movie that spans a childhood and two continents. Identity is at the core of this film but so are disgusting (in a good way) gags, insane scenarios, and a two-male threesome preceeded by a conversation about communism.

I think I saw Joy Ride more than any other movies this year (three times) and each time found something else to laugh at.

3. Skinamarink (dir. Kyle Edward Ball, 2023)

I’ve noticed a divide with this movie. If someone saw Skinamarink in theaters, they liked it. If they watched it at home, they hated it. I saw it at the Roxie and it got right under my skin like none other. Basically, two kids wake up in their house to find out all the doors and windows have disappeared and they’re being commanded to behave by a person we never get to see.

After thinking about it for awhile, I think this movie might actually be about the pandemic from a child’s point of view: can’t go outside, the adults are frightened, and no one really knows what’s going on. Want to hear a fun story about the night I saw this one? Go listen to our podcast!

2.Inside (dir. Vasilis Katsoupis, 2023)

There have been a lot of movies this year that featured unreal central performances, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Willem Dafoe’s in Inside. This film is about a man getting trapped in a high tech apartment and needing to survive until he can find a way out. If Willem wants to get back into stage work, he should make this into one-man show. There’s so many wild moments and a few solid gross-out ones plus Dafoe’s ridiculous face that keep this film captivating till the very end.

1.Saltburn (dir. Emerald Fennell, 2023)

This movie wasn’t going to be number one until I saw how many people were talking about it having nothing to say and no point and that it was shallow, stupid garbage. Okay, well, guess what? You’re speaking my language. I make no secrets of my love for beautiful trash. If it’s gorgeous to look at and diabolically entertaining (and features male full frontal), it’ll probably be on my Best Of list. Read my longer review here.

Bring it on, 2024!