Best movies of 2023: ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Fallen Leaves,’ ‘May in December’

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Associated Press film writers Lindsey Bahr and Jake Cuckoo’s Selection of the best movies of 2023:

lindsey bahr

1. “Oppenheimer”

Christopher Nolan has so many major movies under his belt in a relatively short amount of time, that ” oppenheimer ” It may seem like he’s a given, not a winning fusion of everything he’s passionate about: large format film, the tension between humanity and science; The turmoil of a brilliant mind, and wonder of An extraordinary group coming together To create an impossible thing (in this case a nuclear weapon), but also, on a meta level, the movie.

2. “Area of ​​Interest”

Like “Oppenheimer”, Jonathan Glazer’s “Horror” area of ​​interest “He is the one who is invisible.” The portrayal emerged as a hot topic this year, as if audiences weren’t intelligent enough to imagine the worst. In “The Zone of Interest”, it is only a wall that separates a Nazi family from the gas chambers of Auschwitz. Glazer’s film is a masterclass in atmosphere: a brilliant, artful representation of the less gray areas of complicity.

3. “Priscilla”

Sofia Coppola’s ” Priscilla So beautiful to look at, it’s easy to miss its stark restraint and minimalism in storytelling. It provides a unique showcase for his extremely capable actors, Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, it’s all about the little things – moments that might be invisible if it weren’t for her cool eye. He elvis estate was not on board This means that he created his work as an independent artist.

4. “Asteroid City”

play within a play concept Wes Anderson’s , asteroid city ” is perhaps his most self-conscious film, made in his distinctive style but also about his style and its artistry. With a career-best performance from Scarlett Johansson and a wonderful Margot Robbie cameo, it’s extremely rewatchable, funny, and quotable.

5. “May December”

This requires a guru like guru Todd Haynes To authentically blend high camp and melodrama with down-to-earth sentiment, but that’s what he’s managed to do with sickening amusement. May December. “It’s a satire on actors and the human tragedies of a lifetime and a soulful portrayal of a victim who doesn’t realize it.

6. “Fallen Leaves”

Aki Kaurismäki was, shamefully, a blind spot for me. But the Finnish filmmaker deadpan romance This story about two lonely souls’ missed connections in a cold, unwelcoming, wine-soaked setting is a great place to start. As Holappa and Ansa learn, it’s never too late to move on.

7. “The Holdovers”

There were some movies this year that were so good and so watchable that it seems very easy to choose them. Alexander Payne’s ” holdover The Best of Them: A well-written, acted, and composed film that makes you feel like you, too, are stuck in a New England boarding school during the holidays and discover things about yourself and the people who are there with you. Are learning.

8. “Bad Things”

Yorgos Lanthimos creates a deranged, provocative craft, Boldly stylish and fun A fairy tale that sounds absolutely fresh. The themes aren’t exactly subtle, with Emma Stone’s insatiable Bella Baxter calling her creator (Willem Dafoe) God, but it’s one of those huge, ambitious swings that works.

9. “One Thousand and One”

Writer-Director Avi Rockwell One of the best starts of the year comes in this vibrant portrait of a mother and son in 1990s New York City. The town may be a tired take on character, but here you feel their home changing and softening as their relationship takes unexpected turns. This grand opening statement with a pulsating soundtrack is both intimate and epic.

10. “Bottoms”

It’s hard to believe that ” Below “There was an actual film that was actually released by a major studio, MGM. Director Emma Seligman and her co-writer/muse/star Rachel Sennott created one of the The wildest, funniest, weirdest high school movies Gen Z still needs to be discovered and claimed. It’s okay, it’s time.

Too: ” 20 days in Mariupol, theater camp, blue jean,” “We are all strangers,” “ eileen, Arrive, you hurt my feelings, flower moon killer, eight mountains, anatomy of fall, Pigeon Tunnel,

jake cuckoo

1. “Fallen Leaves”

Loneliness and mean bosses are everywhere in the cold world of a Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki’s latest, But there are stirring signs of life beneath the dead surface of “Fallen Leaves,” a minimalist narrative perhaps about the romance between two working-class lonely people (Alma Poesti, Jussi Vatanen). Kaurismäki doesn’t need to say much – a trip to the movies, some good songs, a dog named Chaplin – there’s not much to say. An 82-minute balm for a dark world.

2. “The Holdovers”

Alexander Payne’s latestWith its cozy, Christmassy New England atmosphere, it is sometimes compared to a warm blanket. But there’s a strong anti-establishment vibe running through “The Holdovers,” much like the ’70s films on which it models itself. artists including Paul Giamatti, De’Vine Joey Randolph and newcomer Dominic Cessa, are flawless. There’s a lot of warmth here, but also anger — including a lament for the lost spirit of American filmmaking.

3. “Eight Mountains”

seasons pass The tender story of Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte VanderMeersch Friendships established in the Italian Alps. The film, simultaneously expansive and intimate, tracks two childhood friends (Luca Marinelli, Alessandro Borghi) through the years, enveloping them in a breathtaking high-mountain backdrop and Daniel Norgren’s bright folk songs.

4. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”

The most entertaining and brilliant film of the year. As good as “Into the Spider-Verse” was, lesson Two surprisingly pushes against both superhero convention and the limits of animation.

5. “Perfect Day”

Legendary Japanese actor Koji Yakusho plays a lonely, soft-spoken public toilet cleaner in Tokyo in Wim Wenders’s endearing ode to the everyday. Although the plot and backstory create hesitation, “Perfect Day” It’s mostly about Hiram’s day-to-day rhythms, reading Faulkner at night, taking pictures of trees on his lunch break, and listening to cassette tapes (yes, including Lou Reed) while driving.

6. “Genesis”

Ava DuVernay’s Inspirational Transformation Isabel Wilkerson’s “Cast” is not actually an adaptation. DuVernay dramatizes the writings of Wilkerson’s famous non-fiction book, mixing historical descriptions of the caste system with the intimate dramas of Wilkerson’s own life. This combination dynamically connects the social with the personal.

7. “Barbie”

Here’s the one thing that isn’t said enough Greta Gerwig’s Runaway Sensation:This is the funniest movie of the year. with apologies Cord Jefferson’s explosive debut, “American Fiction,” And Nicole Holofcener’s The White Lie, “You Hurt My Feelings,” Nothing was as clever as Gerwig’s “I-have-my-cake-and-eat-it-too” balancing brand marketing and sexual satire.

8. “La Chimera”

past everywhere Alice Rohrwacher’s charming folk tale set in the 1980s, under the feet and into the sad eyes of its English hero (Josh O’Connor), the brilliant but haunted leader of a shabby band of Tombaroli who raid ancient Etruscan burial sites in Tuscany. It’s a magical yet grounded film.

9. “We Are All Strangers”

Latest by Andrew HaighFrom the British filmmaker behind “Weekend” and “45 Years,” this is a harrowing, unyielding ghost story. In a dreamlike spiritual wonder, the film revolves between the budding relationship of two gay men, Adam (Andrew Scott) and Harry (Paul Mescal), and Harry’s visit to his childhood home, where he visits his long-dead parents. Finds. (Claire Foy, Jamie Bell). It’s about family, loss, fantasy, romance, coming out, aging, and it will absolutely floor you.

10. “Totem”

Film by Mexican writer-director Leila Aviles It’s also about family and grief, and it also has the power to destroy. The follow-up to Avilés’s 2018 debut “The Chambermaid” is largely seen from the perspective of young Sol (Naima Santiz) as her multi-generational family prepares a birthday present for her dying father (Mateo García Elizondo). Preparing for the party. The busy, distracted lives of his relatives almost obscure the harsh reality facing Sol.

Also: “RMN,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Oppenheimer,” “You Hurt My Feelings,” “A Thousand and Ones,” “Tori and Lokita,” “Youth (Spring),” “Killers of the Flower “Moon,” “The Delinquents,” “Orlando: My Political Documentary,” “Past Lives,” “American Fiction,” “Ferrari,” “The Boy and the Heron,” “Asteroid City”

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