Sierra's Best Movies of 2023
The only movie I desperately want to see and imagine it possibly cracking the top 10 list is The Boy and The Heron, but most of the screenings are dubbed and we don’t support that in this house. Without further adieu, Sierra's top 10 movies of 2023, and there were A LOT that didn’t make the list that I love. Every single movie I rated 4-5 stars and some 4 star movies didn’t make the cut!! What a great year for cinema!
Honorable Mentions: Iron Claw,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, You Hurt My Feelings, Are you There God? It’s Me Margaret, Slotherhouse, Still: A Michael J Fox Movie, M3gan
10. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
All I remember is my jaw on the floor when the movie ended. Could have easily been a 5 star movie if it was shorter!!
9. The Promised Land
A biopic over 2 hours long? Not a single reason I should have enjoyed this movie as much as I did. Mads Mikkelson plays another mysterious, morally gray character and I ate it up! Grand and captivating, a true cinematic experience.
8. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One
I watched all of the MI movies during peak COVID 2020. This was my first theater Mission Impossible experience. I went alone. It was beautiful. Aside from one major plot hole it could have easily been top 3 of the year.
7. The Royal Hotel
I legitimately think Kitty Green might be our greatest living filmmaker right now. No one is doing it like her. I cannot articulate what she makes me feel but I know no one has ever made me feel hate, anger, terror, fear, so viscerally through the screen.
6. All Of Us Strangers
Spoiled! SO spoiled! My friend D took me to see this with a Q&A with Andrew Scott, Andrew Haigh, and Jamie Bell. I can’t say much more without spoiling but you’ll quickly sense a theme in my favorite movies of the year, they made me cry. A. Lot.
5. Past Lives
This movie nearly broke me, I was seconds away from fully losing it and needing to be sedated. Just heartbreaking.
4. How To Blow Up A Pipeline
My UNCUT GEMS, my god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I held my breath the entire movie.
3. Rye Lane
I am not anti-rom com, I just…have never liked a rom com very much. Maybe I am softening in my old age but this is a pure delight! I’ve seen it twice and it just gets better and better!
2. Barbie
I famously saw this movie “just” too late. The discourse had come and gone but the theaters were still decently full. I went by myself and I sat there in awe as I remembered how it felt to have my own Barbies. Weird and all. The cheesy parts hit me so hard. The jokes made me laugh. I was along for the ride with a full smile on my face.
1. Theater Camp
I’ve seen this movie 3 times. Virtually at Sundance. In the movie theater. On my parents couch via Hulu. Who wants to watch again? Filled with the most heart, joy, humor, and originality you will see on screen all year. A certified classic with a soundtrack I can’t stop listening to. I’ve never sad-sobbed in between my own laughter. A true testament to making important art with friends and family you love and admire.
One more thing: as we know I do not watch or consume any form of media that has a known predator attached. Yes, this includes rewatches of Lord of the Rings and anything new that comes out. I was not aware of the allegations against Alexander Payne until after I watched The Holdovers. To make it even worse(?) I watched The Holdovers at 9 A.M. at TIFF on one of my last days at the festival after an exhausting, mildly traumatic, and not-very-fun movie-filled 10 days of work. My coworker and I sat down on our second to last day in town and laughed and cried together, both exclaiming how much we LOVED the movie while walking out to find some lunch. Like genuinely probs would be #2 or #3 on my list this year. But! I am keeping it off the list because it only feels right to do so.
Comments