TOP 20 BEST FILMS OF 2023

Happy New Year, everyone. After going through 2023 with various moments, you will definitely have your own impressions. We have gone through joy and sorrow, tears and laughter in 2023.

In 2023, lots of films will be released, the same as in previous years. There are bad ones, and there are also good ones. Personally, I'm not the type of person who always watches the latest films. I'm still curious about old films and even legend films that I haven't watched. Throughout 2023, I have watched 252 films. Not really 252, because I created my Letterboxd account in 2022, so some of the films I rewatched but haven't logged are considered new to Letterboxd. However, among the 252 films, 26 of them are films released in 2023.

This time I will write my top 20 best films released in 2023. This list is my opinion. You may agree, you may not. Because there are only 26 films released in 2023 that I have seen, and I will include 20 of them in this list, I will put the remaining 6 films in honorable mention (or my top 6 worst 2023 films).

Honorable Mention (alphabetically):

- Cocaine Bear - United States

A comedy with a slight touch of horror that didn't work for me.

- Hell House LLC Origins : The Carmichael Manor - United States

Some of the moments are quite scary, but not particularly disturbing and not good overall.

- Ice Cold : Murder, Coffee, and Jessica Wongso - Indonesia

A bit one-sided documentary, but actually I enjoyed it.

- Insidious : The Red Door - United States

Not scary and boring at all. Second worst after Cocaine Bear in this year.

- Joy Ride - United States

The dirty jokes are over-the-top. Not funny. Cringe.

- Losmen Melati - Indonesia

The production sets are good, but the story is very confusing.

Let's start...

20. 172 Days | Dir. Hadrah Daeng Ratu | Indonesia

The first film I saw in the cinema. The film is quite good, entertaining, and a little touching at the end. Even though there are still many flaws, 172 Days is not as bad as I thought.

19. Barbie | Dir. Greta Gerwig | United States

Barbie is too weak to be in a higher position. I was disappointed with the film. I knew what I was going to see wasn't Barbie like in the animated films. I'm just bored when watching it. Not bad, but for a film that is very booming this year, being in 19th place is a shame for Barbie. Sorry.

18. No One Will Save You | Dir. Brian Duffield | United States

Without dialogue, this film still has edge-on-my-seat intensity. Even though it is lacking in some parts, overall it is still good enough for having fun. And I was disappointed with the alien design.

17. Thanksgiving | Dir. Eli Roth | United States

The kills are good. I am very satisfied. Unique and interesting. However, the plot is too predictable. The acting is a bit awkward. But I still like this film.

16. Dear David | Dir. Lucky Kuswandi | Indonesia

Having good potential, as well as a very emotional plot in the first half, apparently my hopes were like being molested by this film like what happened to David. I was disappointed with the ending which added forced elements and made the film pointless.

15. The Killer | Dir. David Fincher | United States

The plot is a bit down, but the cast performance is very good. The action scenes are quite brutal. Raw.

14. Asteroid City | Dir. Wes Anderson | United States

A beautifully colorful film. I didn't expect for the story, because I knew the film would end up being a bit confusing. Typical Wes Anderson film.

13. Missing | Dir. Nicholas D. Johnson & Will Merrick | United States

With a unique concept, fortunately Missing has a good way of speaking about its story. The twist is good and throughout the film it doesn't feel monotonous. However, this film is forgettable, because I even forgot I ever watched this film.

12. Nimona | Dir. Troy Quane & Nick Bruno | United States

The animation style is cool. Not to mention the full action package. Unfortunately, making the MC gay was too forced, it didn't even change the story.

11. Elemental | Dir. Peter Sohn | United States

It was an entertaining watch and reminded me again that Pixar can still make good animation. However, it's forgettable and becomes very weak when compared to Pixar films in the 2000s and 2010s. I mean, no impression.

10. No Hard Feelings | Dir. Gene Stupnitsky | United States

Jennifer Lawrence managed to play her role very well. Hilarious, touching, and shining like a star. I will never forget that fight scene on the beach.

9. The Hunger Games : The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes | Dir. Francis Lawrence | United States

A good prequel. Actually there are many parts that I still don't understand, but this film is still good, especially at the beginning when Lucy Gray is still being mentored by Snow and she goes to the arena.

8. Evil Dead Rise | Dir. Lee Cronin | United States

A film that doesn't hesitate to tear my skin apart. Claustrophobic, bloody,  and gory horror. I remember how shocked I was when I saw the cheese grater stuck to Becky's leg. Chef kiss.

7. Saw X | Dir. Kevin Greutert | United States

Finally, Saw has another good installment. Surprisingly, Saw X has good characterization like the first film. The traps are also good. It's a satisfaction to see Jigsaw playing with the traps he made again.

6. Totally Killer | Dir. Nahnatchka Khan | United States

I really love this slasher. Even though the mask used is very boring, the kills and time travel concept are very good. Totally Killer is like Happy Death Day and has references to horror films like Scream, the MC even spoils the ending of Scream. I love this.

5. The Super Mario Bros. Movie | Dir. Michael Jelenic & Aaron Horvath | United States

Illumination really knows how to seize momentum when Disney is being criticized by many people. The story is ordinary, but what is presented here is very exciting. I myself know little about games, but I know very well that playing games or watching films are two equally enjoyable moments.

4. Scream VI | Dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett | United States

Honestly, I was disappointed with the ending, because it wasn't as good as the previous series of events. But Scream VI has its own spark. Ghostface seems to know that I love being scared. He's scary here. I'm disappointed that Scream VII was killed by its own production team.

3. Autobiography | Dir. Makbul Mubarak | Indonesia

This film is a submission from Indonesia for the upcoming Oscars. It's a shame that this film failed to make it to the shortlist. Autobiography is very awesome. So impressive from the first minute to the last. This film succeeds in showing how terrible humans can be when they have power and thirst for respect.

2. Saltburn | Dir. Emerald Fennel | United Kingdom

The sickest film I've seen during 2023. From what I heard, this film is very similar to The Talented Mr. Ripley. But since I haven't watched that, this one is really fascinating for me. Every second makes me speechless. I don't know where Emerald Fennell's mind came from to create these sick and disturbing scenes. Barry Keoghan really shines here. The ending made me unable to close my mouth.

1. Talk To Me | Dir. Michael Philippou & David Philippou | Australia

How good is this film that it could be at the top of my list? For me, this film is an excellent metaphor about the impact of addiction, whether it's drug or gadget addiction. It is very clear that the directors want to tell you that solving problems by using problems will make the problems bigger. It's scary, thrilling, yet disturbing. One of the best horror I've seen in years.

It's a shame I didn't watch the strong contestants of 2023, such as Killers of The Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, The Holdovers, etc. But that's okay, I'm very happy to be able to watch some good films this year. Hopefully in 2024 it will be harder for me to make lists like this because of good films. Happy New Year, guys.