There’s not much more to say about the year of movies in 2023 that isn’t being said using the infamous portmanteau Barbenheimer. That’s right, this is the year that America and the world at large marched into cineplexes wearing bright pink dresses and plain gray suits. It was without a doubt the year I’ve seen the most cosplay at movie theaters and there wasn’t a good comic book movie to be seen.

Movies, for the first time in a long time, were the center of pop culture. No one was complaining that Christopher Nolan didn’t release his three hour masterpiece straight to Peacock and no one was chastising Greta Gerwig for making them get off their couch to find theater parking. Masses flocked to the big screen and it was a joy.

But before I forget there were some other great movies to see, too! See below…

If the written word isn’t your thing, you can find the Video Top 10 list here:

10. The Boy and the Heron

Hayao Miyazaki’s weird tale of a boy and his shape-shifting goblin friend. It’s poignant, upsetting, and, most of all, gorgeously animated. Every frame is painstakingly realized no matter if you watch the English dub or Japanese subbed version. But you should really give the English dub a chance at least once. Robert Pattinson is doing something truly unhinged as the heron.

9. BlackBerry

A story that begs the question, “BlackBerry is Canadian?” Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton rage at the world and each other in this terrific rise and fall of a doomed software company. The director, Matt Johnson, was the real find for me here. He plays a hapless clown in the film and manages to make a movie that’s both optimistic and fatalistic about the human spirit.

8. Barbie

Something’s not quite right in Barbieland, which is a wonderful premise for Greta Gerwig’s third film. Poor Things has an almost identical storyline and it’s a testament to the awesome powers of Margot Robbie, Gerwig, and Mattel, I suppose, that Barbie ends up being the better feminist fable of 2023. It’s clever, it’s funny, and features a brilliantly idiotic turn from Ryan Gosling. Great work, Barbie!

7. The Killer

David Fincher roars back with this stripped-down story of an existential hitman. After a botched job (is there any other kind in the life of an assassin?), a contract killer struggles to put the pieces back together. Michael Fassbender is almost too good as the titular killer and the people he meets on his revenge mission are a who’s who of phenomenal character actors (Tilda!).

6. Wonka

Timothée Chalamet goes family-friendly in this biography of an eccentric chocolatier who goes from starving nobody to candy king. Speaking of royalty, Paul King of the Paddington confections has his first musical with Wonka and I hope he never looks back. The numbers are joyful, the colors are decadent, and the Wonka is deliciously Timmy. 

5. Killers of the Flower Moon

What could’ve been an incredibly marketable murder mystery turns into a more nuanced study on shame, love and regret in Martin Scorsese’s hands. Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone play an ill-fated couple in Osage oil country and, in a year of cinematic relationships going sour, they stand out from the pack as the most upsetting. Their story starts off as a playful courtship which is soon contaminated by that most American of corrupting forces: greed.

4. Maestro

I’m usually not a fan of good actors directing movies because it doesn’t allow said good actor make as many movies as they otherwise would have. BUT Bradley Cooper is the exception because Maestro is so good. He’s talked about how he directed the movie as Leonard Bernstein and I do wonder if the crew actually enjoyed that when faced with the impression on a long shoot day, but for the duration of the film, I loved it. He and Carey Mulligan have such outstanding chemistry and the camerawork from Matthew Libatique is thrilling. Don’t abandon this movie in the vestibule!

3. Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan’s day has finally come and what a glorious day it will be. I’ve often considered him one of the all-time great directors and it’s clear that he made a perfect Best Picture contender in Oppenheimer. It also feels like a true synthesis of his career thus far. We get the fractured editing of Dunkirk and The Prestige, the apocalyptic imagery of Interstellar and Tenet, and even some superhero swagger from his Dark Knight trilogy. Add in the vistas of New Mexico and brazen perspective-based color grading and you’ve got a colossal triumph.

2. Asteroid City

The world of Asteroid City is quite simply a pleasure to exist in, with its pastel plains and equally colorful characters. At this point in his career, Wes Anderson has perfected the art of blending whimsy and pathos, allowing Jason Schwartzman to give a career-best performance and movie stars Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson to escape the confines of conventional storytelling. The Russian doll story structure is mesmerizing and, with a star-studded cast that’s rivaled only by Oppenheimer, it just goes to show that actors will line up to work with passionate auteurs.

1. Saltburn

Emerald Fennell proves she’s not a one-hit wonder with her sophomore effort, a Gothic romance centered on the oily Oliver Quick and flawless Felix Catton. Fennell’s pen is just as clever and biting as it was in Promising Young Woman, but now she’s working with Linus Sandgren and seems to be infinitely more confident behind the camera. With its twisty plot, unforgettable imagery, and sharp one-liners, Fennell has fun diving into a world of wealth, treachery, and homeroticism. And so will you!

And lastly, here’s the only Oscar ballot that matters. Look on, ye mighty, and despair.

Oscar Ballot:

Best Picture:

Will Win: Oppenheimer

Should Win: Oppenheimer

Every now and then the consensus pick is the correct pick. Bring in the sheets!

Best Director:

Will Win: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

Should Win: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

In 2005, the summer before my freshman year of high school, I walked out of Batman Begins and proclaimed Christopher Nolan the best living director. It took almost twenty years, but the Academy is about to agree.

Best Actor:

Will Win: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer

Should Win: Bradley Cooper, Maestro

Although I would’ve preferred Bradley Cooper to finally bring home the gold (what else does the guy have to do?!?!), I’m still happy Cillian Murphy will be rewarded for a performance that will surely be watched in high school history classes for years to come.

Best Actress:

Will Win: Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon

Should Win: Carey Mulligan, Maestro

Lily Gladstone will likely win but it would’ve been nice to see Carey Mulligan, one of my all-time favorite actresses, win for one of her best performances.

Best Supporting Actor:

Will Win: Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer

Should Win: Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer

It’ll be a crowning achievement for a Hollywood comeback sixteen years in the making. Shout-out to Ryan Gosling and Mark Ruffalo for playing charming misogynist morons but this is RDJ’s year!

Best Supporting Actress:

Will Win: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Should Win: Jodie Foster, Nyad

Not a particularly strong category this year, but I definitely preferred Foster’s inspiring swimming coach to the other performances.

Best Original Screenplay:

Will Win: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, Anatomy of a Fall

Should Win: Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer, Maestro

Maestro is the only script in my Top 10 represented here so of course I have to stump for it. However, I’ll admit that the multi-lingual Anatomy courtroom drama is beautifully nimble.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Will Win: Cord Jefferson, American Fiction

Should Win: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

The Killers of the Flower Moon adaptation should’ve been here, but given its absence, Cord Jefferson will likely win. Nolan definitely did the impossible, though, by making a biographical tome an unprecedented blockbuster. 

Best Animated Feature:

Will Win: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Should Win: The Boy and the Heron

Hayao Miyazaki had the most beautiful animated movie but Spider-Man will likely win for most animation. I’ll also call out Robot Dreams for being a stunning silent film.

Best International Feature Film

Will Win: The Zone of Interest

Should Win: The Zone of Interest

On the verge of being too experimental but Jonathan Glazer nailed it.

Best Documentary Feature:

Will Win: 20 Days in Mariupol

Should Win: 20 Days in Mariupol

An awful film to watch but absolutely necessary.

Best Cinematography:

Will Win: Hoyte van Hoytema, Oppenheimer

Should Win: Matthew Libatique, Maestro

I’d be happy if either Hoytema or Libatique won, but I’ll give the edge to Libatique for some truly bravura shots in Maestro.

Best Film Editing:

Will Win: Jennifer Lame, Oppenheimer

Should Win: Jennifer Lame, Oppenheimer

Editing is always a treat in Nolan movies, but Lame takes it up a notch for Oppie.

Best Production Design:

Will Win: James Price and Shona Heath; Zsuzsa Mihalek, Poor Things

Should Win: James Price and Shona Heath; Zsuzsa Mihalek, Poor Things

For transporting us to fake Europe.

Best Costume Design:

Will Win: Holly Waddington, Poor Things

Should Win: Jacqueline Curran, Barbie

The battle of the two Barbies!

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

Will Win: Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell, Maestro

Should Win: Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell, Maestro

Kazu Hiro will win by a nose.

Best Original Score:

Will Win: Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer

Should Win: Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer

Can you hear the music?

Best Original Song:

Will Win: “What Was I Made For” from Barbie

Should Win: “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie

What really should win is any of the songs from Wonka. The Academy are cowards.

Best Live Action Short:

Will Win: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Should Win: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Wes is finally gonna get his Oscar

Best Animated Short:

Will Win: Ninety-Five Senses

Should Win: Ninety-Five Senses

Tim Blake Nelson giving a tour-de-force performance.

Best Documentary Short Subject:

Will Win: The Last Repair Shop

Should Win: The Last Repair Shop

The best twist ending of the year.

Best Sound

Will Win: Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn, The Zone of Interest

Should Win: Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn, The Zone of Interest

Absolutely horrifying…

Best Visual Effects:

Will Win: Akashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi, and Tatsuji Nojima, Godzilla Minus One

Should Win: Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts  and Neil Corbould, The Creator

Because the AI people were FREAKY.