The Highs and Lows of Movies in 2023 So Far

We’ve reached the halfway mark of 2023. As we enter summer’s second half, it’s time to recap the cinematic highs and lows of the year so far.

While no film has matched the phenomenal success of Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, some standouts emerged amidst a bumpy year overall. Below I countdown my picks for the 10 best and 5 worst movies of 2023 to date, along with spotlighting noteworthy performances.

10 Favorite Films So Far

Though no movie this year blew me away, these 10 emerged as my top favorites:

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once

The year’s most imaginative film, Everything Everywhere All at Once delivers a mind-and-heart expanding multiverse adventure. Michelle Yeoh commands the screen as a Chinese immigrant sucked into an existential battle across alternate realities to save the multiverse. Exhilaratingly original and packed with empathy.

2. The Banshees of Inisherin

Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin finds endless insight peering into its isolated island setting. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson shine as lifelong friends suddenly at odds, leading to conflict as amusing as it is moving. A masterclass in crystallizing the epic within the intimate.

3. Aftersun

An assured debut from Charlotte Wells, Aftersun devastates through fleeting moments. Paul Mescal is a revelation as a young dad on vacation with his 11-year-old daughter, fluctuations of joy and melancholy playing across his face. Delicate and transportive, Aftersun lingers with bittersweet echoes.

4. Asteroid City

Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City enchants with its oddball midcentury charms and ruminations on family and storytelling. Anderson expanded his stylistic palette, and the film rewards multiple viewings to unravel its stacked narrative construction. Playful yet poignant.

5. Turning Red

Pixar bounced back with Turning Red, which vivaciously captures the awkwardness of adolescent girlhood in early 2000s Toronto through the fantastical conceit of transforming into a giant red panda. Vibrantly funny and heartfelt. Rosalie Chiang’s voice work gives the lead characterMei true spark.

6. The Batman

Matt Reeves’ neo-noir take on the Caped Crusader triumphs through immersive world-building and a compellingly tormented performance from Robert Pattinson as the vengeful Dark Knight. The Batman stands on its own merits while honoring the spirit of the comics.

7. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Charming stop-motion innovation Marcel the Shell traces the storybook adventures of a petite seashell (voiced by Jenny Slate) left behind at a rental house. Witty and imaginative with big emotional impact, Marcel inserts large heart into a small package.

8. Decision to Leave

A detective’s dangerous obsession with a mysterious widow drives South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook’s rapturous thriller Decision to Leave. Lush visuals, Hitchcockian suspense, and subversive melodrama meld within a tantalizing web of romantic intrigue marked by lush visuals.

9. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

More charming than it seemingly has any right to be, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris sends a working-class British housekeeper on a spontaneous trip to pursue her fashion dream. Lesley Manville is a delight, and sumptuous costuming transports viewers to 1950s Parisian high society. A cozy, decadent treat.

10. She Said

The riveting She Said recounts the investigation by New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor that exposed Harvey Weinstein’s rampant sexual abuse, catalyzing the #MeToo movement. Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan portray the journalists’ tenacity and dilligence with galvanizing force.

5 Films That Disappointed

These 5 films were among my biggest letdowns:

• The Fabelmans – I respected but didn’t love Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical drama despite strong performances. It ultimately felt emotionally distant.
• Babylon – Damien Chazelle’s ode to Hollywood’s silent era transition is visually spectacular but narratively hollow, lacking compelling characters.
• 65 – Wasted potential defined this dull sci-fi/actioner stranding Adam Driver in the prehistoric past with uninspired dino fights.
• Strange World – Disney’s latest animated film suffered from formulaic plotting, bland characters, and a distinct lack of wonder.
• Violent Night – David Harbour’s boozed up Bad Santa schtick quickly wore thin in this Christmas slasher devoid of thrills or humor.

Underwhelming Summer Offerings

After its triumph last year, the 2023 summer box office disappointingly lacks standout blockbusters so far. Tentpole letdowns include:

• Jurassic World: Dominion – An overcomplicated mess capsizing the dino franchise.
• Lightyear – This Toy Story spinoff failed to justify its existence.
• Thor: Love and Thunder – Marvel formula goes through the motions.
• Minions: The Rise of Gru – Recycles familiar kid flick antics.
• DC League of Super-Pets – Little charm emerges from this animation misfire.

Here’s hoping big titles like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Avatar: The Way of Water rally summer’s end.

10 Noteworthy Performances

Even lackluster films featured some praiseworthy performances:

1. Cate Blanchett in Tár

Cate Blanchett dominates the screen as a renowned conductor in classicial music drama Tár. Her towering portrayal glows with genius and unravels with vulnerability. Blanchett makes you believe she truly inhabits the role.

2. Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Michelle Yeoh prooves a powerhouse in Everything Everywhere All at Once as laundromat owner Evelyn Wang battling through the multiverse. She juggles comedy, action, and heartache with exhilarating flair.

3. Colin Farrell in After Yang

A delicate, soulful turn from Colin Farrell grounds android tale After Yang. As a father struggling to understand his adopted daughter’s attachment to her lifeless android “sibling,” Farrell movingly etches his character’s depths.

4. Daniel Radcliffe in The Lost City

A hilarious self-parody from Daniel Radcliffe bolsters jungle comedy The Lost City. Radcliffe skewers his own Harry Potter image as an eccentric billionaire and captures the film’s goofy spirit.

5. Michelle Williams in The Fabelmans

Michelle Williams brings warmth and wit to her role as Mitzi Fabelman in The Fabelmans. As a mother nurturing her son’s artistic sensibilities, Williams crafts a complex portrait of creativity’s sacrifices.

6. Janelle Monáe in Glass Onion

Magnetic sleuth Janelle Monáe provides crackling energy at the center of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. She makes tech mogul Andi a terrific foil to Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc while commanding focus in her own right.

7. Jonathan Majors in Magazine Dreams

Jonathan Majors alternates between understated minimalism and harrowing intensity in indie boxing drama Magazine Dreams. As a traumatized amateur fighter, Majors draws you into his character’s psychological turmoil.

8. Viola Davis in The Woman King

Fierce warrior spirit defines Viola Davis as the general of an all-female tribe protecting 19th century West Africa in rousing epic The Woman King. Davis brings nuance to even the film’s most grandiose moments.

9. Daniel Giménez Cacho in Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths

Daniel Giménez Cacho anchors Alejandro González Iñárritu’s surrealist epic Bardo with his portayal of a documentarian undergoing an existential crisis. He compellingly shoulders the symbolic weight of Iñárritu’s ambitions.

10. Tang Wei and Park Hae-il in Decision to Leave

Enigmatic leads Tang Wei and Park Hae-il magnetically play off each other as a detective and murder suspect embroiled in fatal attraction in South Korean drama Decision to Leave. Their shifting power dynamic intrigues.

Looking Ahead

The back half of 2023 boasts exciting movies on the horizon that could make it a great year overall:

• Jordan Peele’s latest horror Nope
• Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick follow-up
• The star-studded comedy whodunit sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
• James Cameron’s long-awaited Avatar sequel The Way of Water
• The 1960s-set Barbie origin film starring Margot Robbie
• Babylon, Damien Chazelle’s ode to Hollywood’s transition from silent films to talkies
• Steven Spielberg’s coming-of-age drama The Fabelmans based on his childhood
• The Woman King starring Viola Davis as the general of an all-female African warrior tribe
• And many more!

Here’s hoping the second half of 2023 offers more consistent cinematic highs after a bumpy first half. What were your own favorite films so far this year? And what upcoming titles are you most excited about?