The Best Films and TV Shows of 2023
By Mia Tobin Power (Film and TV Editor)
Since this is the last Express issue of the year, I wanted to celebrate by writing about my 10 favourite films and five favourite TV shows of 2023 (with a few honourable mentions).
Films:
10. Past Lives
At every turn, Celine Song's directorial debut forgoes clichés and finds a more complex and interesting way to tell its story, which is so much deeper than the standard romantic drama it may appear to be. This is a truly beautiful film about love, fate, and memory. I know that several of its images will stay with me for a long time.
9. Oppenheimer
I always think it’s interesting to see non-American directors’ takes on very American stories - in that sense, this film reminded me of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, in that a British director looks at themes of nuclear war with a more critical eye. I think that “Part 8” of Twin Peaks: The Return is also a useful companion piece to this fascinating film.
8. Barbie
It’s nearly all been said already, so I just want to mention production designer Sarah Greenwood, costume designer Jacqueline Durran, and the way Issa Rae says, “Are you watching The Godfather?”
7. Killers of the Flower Moon
I reviewed this film in Issue 5! In lieu of sharing any more of my thoughts, I'd recommend reading what Reservation Dogs actress Devery Jacobs had to say; she thoughtfully critiques the film's representation of Native American women in particular.
6. Poor Things
I saw Poor Things at the Cork International Film Festival, which was the perfect way to see it - it should be experienced with a crowd. I’d been looking forward to this new Yorgos Lanthimos film for years, and it more than delivered. It’s delightfully absurd. I was particularly impressed with the production design; each of the outdoor sets are so visually striking, seeming both fake and tangible. Also, every performance is spot-on and very funny. This film will be released in Irish cinemas on 12 January, and I can’t wait to discuss it with more people.
5. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
If aliens came to Earth, this is the film I would show them so they could understand what human life is like. This is a documentary by Laura Poitras about the photographer and activist Nan Goldin, whose life is absolutely fascinating. In every frame of the film, you can tell how much respect and affection Poitras has for Goldin, much like Goldin has for the subjects of her photographs. This title suits the film so perfectly: it showcases the highs and lows of life (and the revelation towards the end of where this title comes from shook me to my core).
4. Stop Making Sense
I'm ashamed to admit that I had never seen the original version of the 1984 Talking Heads concert film in its entirety, but I was still looking forward to watching this remastered re-release, and I'm so glad I did. It's 90 minutes of pure joy, with a stunning remastered image and incredible sound mixing. The pinnacle of music and cinema, and musical cinema.
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
My expectations for this film were so high (I think Into the Spider-Verse might be the best animated film ever), and yet they were still exceeded. I thought the integration of all the different art styles was breathtaking. This film is proof that artists should be given as much time as they need to make their art, so that it can become the best possible version of itself.
2. Bottoms
As an Ayo Edebiri, Shiva Baby, and Fight Club enthusiast, this film was made for me. It’s hard to describe why comedies are so good without just saying: it’s really funny! Every performance is excellent, but unsurprisingly, Edebiri was the standout for me - her delivery is so unique and endlessly hilarious. I appreciated how this film played with the tropes of high school comedies, and how committed it was to showing violence.
1. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
This film ripped my heart out of my chest. It’s a mockumentary-style film about a one-inch-tall sentient shell and his grandmother, who live in an Airbnb house. It's difficult to describe without giving too much away, but trust me when I say that it's hilarious, uplifting, and devastatingly emotional. It's such a beautiful and heartwarming meditation on life and humanity. I think it's criminally underseen and underrated, so here's my plea to you to watch this incredible film!
A list of my favourite films of any given year wouldn't be complete without mentions of the older films I first saw and loved this year. So I must also note: The Long Goodbye (1973), Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1976), La Haine (1995), the Before trilogy (1995-2013), When Harry Met Sally… (1989), and Stories We Tell (2012).
TV Shows:
5. How To with John Wilson
Most of the shows on my list released their final seasons this year, including How To with John Wilson. How To is a documentary-style series, using footage Wilson films around New York. It sounds simple, but Wilson attempts and achieves something quite profound in this series. The “how to” framing device for an episode provides only the starting point; the journey Wilson takes in every 30-minute outing is always delightful. This season is more personal than the previous two, and also more ambitious: the penultimate episode, “How to Watch Birds”, becomes an interrogation of the fine line between fact and fiction in documentary. I’ll miss hearing Wilson say “Hey, New York” and “Thanks for watching” at the start and end of each episode, but it was so good while it lasted.
4. Barry
I really believe that Barry’s final season did not get the widespread acclaim it deserved. This season is one of the bleakest things I’ve ever seen, but it was so gripping and intellectually stimulating that I looked forward each week to the 30 minutes of tragedy Bill Hader had in store for me. I thought that Hader and his collaborators developed their themes of legacy and the consequences of violence so skilfully. I have to mention Sarah Goldberg’s breathtaking performance as Sally. Goldberg delivered the entire range of emotions in this season, it seems, and the fact that she wasn’t even nominated for an Emmy is so frustrating.
3. The Last of Us
When a TV show comes along that truly fulfils its potential, it’s an amazing feeling - and that’s how I feel about The Last of Us. Watching it, I thought a lot about one of my favourite lines in literature: “Survival is insufficient” (from Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven). I think that’s such a lovely sentiment, and it was represented so beautifully in The Last of Us. Surviving a mushroom zombie apocalypse is not enough; you need people you care about - and strawberries. I instantly added the episode “Long Long Time” to my pantheon of “Best TV Episodes of All-Time”.
2. Succession
I was so delighted that Succession stuck the landing in its final season. I thought its Shakespearean tragedy was so sharp and emotional, and that showrunner Jesse Armstrong effectively drove home his point about wealth, capitalism, and family. Even though some plot points felt inevitable even before the season began, their execution was always shocking and heartbreaking. And as an established Kendall Roy fan, I was so impressed with his storyline this season and how the show consistently returned to him as, arguably, its protagonist - it started with him, and it ended with him. And I will miss it all very much.
1. The Bear
Even though Succession is probably my all-time favourite show, The Bear is my favourite TV show of 2023 (as it was my favourite of 2022). I consider Season 1 of The Bear to be a perfect season of TV, so I simply hoped that Season 2 would be as good - but I think it’s even better. I really enjoyed how thematically rich this season was, and how everything the characters did contributed to the season’s overall themes of purpose, love, and creativity. At every point in this season, showrunners Christopher Storer and Joanna Calo made the most interesting decisions possible for each character. I wrote about the episode “Fishes” in Issue 4, and I believe that episode is a masterpiece, but so is the episode that follows it, “Forks”. Ultimately, I loved every single second of The Bear this year.
So, there you have it: my favourite films and TV shows of 2023, at this moment in time at least - I already added in two more films just before I finished writing this (apologies to Babylon and Asteroid City, which got cut at the last minute). I think that this has been a strong cinema year, and not as strong a year for TV, although the good TV shows have been particularly good. Did I leave anything amazing out? Let me know if you think I did, or if you have any thoughts on the films or TV shows that did make my list!
