CS's Top Ten Movies of 2023

(all summaries are plagiarized from various people at IMDB.com)

A novelist who's fed up with the establishment profiting from Black entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him into the heart of the hypocrisy and madness he claims to disdain.

CS Voice: "American Fiction also has an effective dramatic side to it as well that really digs its claw into its characters, allowing the film to further explore its themes in natural ways without feeling overly mouthpiece-y.  A very strong effort overall." - PhantomKnight

The incredible tale about the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter.

CS Voice: "That’s a big part of why I expect this to have a wider audience than Lanthimos’ other movies, it takes the strangest route you could imagine to accessibility and yet it still gets there... The degree of difficulty couldn’t have been higher and the movie still hit it out of the park." - Dracula

A cranky history teacher at a prep school is forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a grieving cook and a troubled student who has no place to go.

CS Voice: "in true Alexander Payne fashion, it draws you in more and more. And gradually you begin to realize just how emotionally invested you've become." - IanTheCool

Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden beside the camp.

CS Voice: "Trying to distill that in words can't really convey the feeling Jonathan Glazer and his collaborators accomplish here. Suffice it to say I found The Zone of Interest to be one of the most profoundly disturbing films I've ever seen." - PG Cooper

A woman is suspected of murder after her husband's death; their half-blind son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness.

CS Voice: "It's an examination of the justice system looking to pin the blame of a tragedy on someone instead of seeing it through an objective lens as something unfortunate that just happened. A dangerous lust for the how and not the why." - SnoBorderZero

John Wick uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.

CS Voice: "Way better than a fourth film in a series has any right to be. Loved it." - Nilade

When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one - until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.

CS Voice: "Phenomenal. Going to reward on rewatches. The central relationship push/pull has symbolism for America's treatment of Native Americans as a whole, but it's utterly captivating." -thebtskink

Miles Morales catapults across the multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.

CS Voice: "This movie is also written so smartly that it doesn't just tell its story, it causes you to look upon that first movie in a whole new light, and we're constantly discovering new tissue among this overarching story. And the plus side to its open ending is that even if the two-part film experience isn't immediately gratifying, I still have two more hours of this experience to look forward to." - 1godzillafan

Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.

CS Voice: "Maybe it's easier for people who have loved and lost to relate to stories like this and can be more drawn to them but there were a few times where the sting of what's happening hit me pretty hard.  One of the last shots where the characters are staring at each other while waiting for the car to take him away, the tension was so crisp and vivid and it's been a long time since a movie got me invested like that. Even the last line before they go their separate ways cemented how much you're invested in these people." - Doomsday

The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

CS Voices:

"To watch Oppenheimer is to feel yourself in the hands of a master. Three hours of people talking about science and politics and its the most pulse-pounding cinematic experience I've had all year. I literally trembled in the theater." - PG Cooper

"Oppenheimer draws together all of the strengths that Christopher Nolan's past efforts have shown and molds them together into a product that is downright staggering. It's not only in turn the best biopic and period piece/historical drama in years, it's an absolute triumph of filmmaking for adults and one of the best films from one of today's best filmmakers." - PhantomKnight

"Most of the movie is a lot of scientists, politician, and military people talking. So how does Nolan make this interesting? With a two-pronged approach: strong dialogue and absolutely stacking the cast with interesting and top notch actors." - IanTheCool

"Literally, and I mean literally got of Oppenheimer in imax. Holy fuck." - donny

"Gathering my thoughts, but I thought Oppenheimer was terrific. Saw it in 70MM IMAX and it was glorious." - SnoBorderZero

"When you get a movie where you already clearly know the outcome and you're still able to make it suspenseful, that's a pretty big accomplishment. It's a biopic while not falling into the usual trappings that would make it a standard biopic." - Doomsday

"What to say about #Oppenheimer? It's very good! If Christopher Nolan truly does get a sizable hit out of this very long movie about people talking in rooms about science, history, and politics he may well and truly live up to his reputation as the savior of "real" cinema." - Dracula

"The movie will succeed because it is relevant. Guy helps build the atomic bomb. Kills thousands of innocent people. Give him a medal. Wait. He’s a commie? Fuck ‘em! American politics have been a playground run by children since that Puerto Rican guy named Hamilton got shot." - Neverending

"I liked it. I don't think it's in my top three Nolan's but I really enjoyed it. And a credit to both Nolan and gerwig kept fully sold out crowds in the theater focused, there was very little chit chat and talking from the general audiences I was with." - frankyt

"Barbie was better and it wasn't even close." - 1godzillafan

Also here is the full point chart:

Total Votes: 10

Oppenheimer 75
Past Lives 50
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 47
Killers of the Flower Moon 38
John Wick Chapter Four 33
Anatomy of a Fall 31
Zone of Interest, The 28
Holdovers, The 27
Poor Things 20
American Fiction 19
Boy and the Heron, The 19
Asteroid City 18
Still: A Michael J. Fox Moive 17
Godzilla Minus One 16
Killer, The 14
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 9
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning- Part 1 9
Nimona 9
No One Will Save You 8
Beau Is Afraid 6
Skinamarink 6
Talk to Me 6
Teacher's Lounge 6
Dream Scenario 5
May December 5
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 4
Eight Mountains, The 4
Ferrari 4
When Evil Lurks 4
Air 3
All of Us Strangers 2
Iron Claw, The 2
Sisu 2
Elemental 1
Society of the Snow 1
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 1

Also for the record, I legitimately was thisclose to swapping out Elemental for American Fiction (my #11) on my list before the deadline.  And my final list might reflect that.  So, if I'd done that and franky's list was still past the cut-off, there wouldn't have been a need for a tie break, anyway.