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.

Who is my favorite Ghostface?

 

It seems very difficult to find a film franchise with many installments that are still entertaining until the last film. But in my opinion, it's not difficult to find it if you know one of the most popular horror franchises, Scream. Starting in 1996, Scream has managed to hook a lot of fans thanks to its unique storyline, surprising twist ending, satire on horror cinema, and a killer who use a ghost mask (a.k.a Ghostface) without supernatural elements. But among all that, guessing who is behind the ghost mask is something that is really fun when we watch this franchise.

This time, of the 12 main Ghostfaces that have been in action (I didn't count the other two at the start of Scream VI), not only managed to surprise me. But once it works, it always gets me fucked-up. So, therefore, I'm going to rank the deadliest Ghostfaces from meh to craziest (and in order of favourites).

(Note: What I will write below contains spoilers)

12. Detective Wayne Bailey (Played by Delmot Mulroney in Scream VI, 2023)

       I do not know. I don't feel that it's lethal at all. He also didn't surprise me when he revealed himself. Even his motive to kill the Carpenter sisters is very cliché because it was used by the second film almost 26 years ago.

11. Richie Kirsch (Played by Jack Quaid in Scream, 2022)

       Just like before, I don't see him as someone who is deadly, although I was indeed surprised when he revealed himself. I don't even remember him killing anyone in this movie.

10. Ethan Bailey (Played by Jack Champion in Scream VI, 2023)

       Ethan is indeed very brutal in the cross-stairs sequences. But he's too predictable. His motives are also stupid and not strong.

9. Quinn Bailey (Played by Liana Liberato in Scream VI, 2023)

     It looks like the Baileys aren't lethal at all, it's proven that the three of them (along with Richie) are at the bottom of the ranking. But I call Quinn the strongest because I was shocked to see her reveal, and how bloodthirsty she was when she terrorized Gale in her apartment.

8. Roman Bridger (Played by Scott Foley in Scream 3, 2000)

     "Kudos to the ambition". I agree with Kirby. He is the most different because he did all this alone. But sadly, other than this being absurd, he wasn't brutal at all. He just stabbed, then left. He didn't surprise me either, in fact I wondered who he was and his motives and relationship with Sidney were forced. I put him in 8th position because of his ambition.

7. Nancy Loomis (Played by Laurie Metcalfe in Scream 2, 1997)

     Billy's mother's motives are actually quite strong. She seeks revenge for the death of her son who was killed by Sidney. It's a bit strange because she knows that Billy is a serial killer. However, when I found out she was Ghostface, I was quite confused because she has little contribution and screen-time in the story.

6. Charlie Walker (Played by Rory Culkin in Scream 4, 2011)

     It's a shame so many people hate him. I don't know why either. Every time I look at the "Ranking Ghostface" list, I often see his name at the bottom. Had they forgotten how brutal he was when he killed Olivia Morris? But when they criticize his motives, I don't think his motives are too bad either. He is an underrated ghostface for me.

5. Mickey Altieri (Played by Timothy Olyphant in Scream 2, 1997)

     I honestly don't know the reason why I put him in a high enough position. I feel he is brutal, his motives are crazy, and his shocking-value is high. He's cool too.

4. Stu Macher (Played by Matthew Lillard in Scream, 1996)

     Wouldn't it be scarier to see someone kill lots of people without a motive? Stu is just that crazy. Not to mention that he brutally killed his own girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend, and did it just for fun.

3. Amber Freeman (Played by Mikey Madison in Scream, 2022)

     To be honest, her motives weren't strong. Just a crazy fanatic who is too serious about bringing her beloved franchise world to life. However, the reveal moment is one of (if not) the best in the entire franchise. As well as the fact that this girl managed to kill Dewey who managed to survive from the previous seven Ghostfaces making her look very deadly. I also love that killer smile of hers.

2. Billy Loomis (Played by Skeet Ulrich in Scream, 1996)

    For Scream fans, of course it was surprised to see me put him in the runner-up position. He is brutal, he is crazy, he is unexpected, and he is the father of Ghostface. But he's not crazy enough to beat the champion spot on my list.

1. Jill Roberts (Played by Emma Roberts in Scream 4, 2011)

     I don't need to apologize to those who disagree with this because she is the best. This bitch is insane. Her reveal is the most jaw-dropping heart-stopping breathtaking moment I've ever seen in this franchise. Seeing her as a final girl at first and turning into a villain is a genius decision that Wes Craven made for this film. Jealous and fame-seeker are her crazy motives. And she is the only Ghostface that survives (or can) pass the third-act in the franchise. And don't forget her iconic unforgettable monologue.

Who is your favorite Ghostface?