Hollywood may have had its share of lows in 2023, whether they be terrible movies (e.g., “The Flash”) or the circumstances of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes, but there have still been quite a bit a few excellent films released. And three films in particular stood out among the rest…
Before that, here’s a quick list of honorable mentions:

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (d. James Gunn)
“Oppenheimer” (d. Christopher Nolan)
“Barbie” (d. Greta Gerwig)
“Anatomy of a Fall” (d. Justine Triet)
“Down Low” (d. Rightor Doyle)
“They Cloned Tyrone” (d. Juel Taylor)
“BlackBerry” (d. Matt Johnson)
With those out of the way, here are my spoiler-free thoughts on my three favorites of the year.

3. “PAST LIVES”
Celine Song’s directorial debut follows Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), two childhood friends who reunite 24 years after Nora’s family moved to Canada. During their time together, they contemplate life, choices and love. The film also stars John Magaro as Nora’s husband, Arthur.
“Past Lives” feels authentic to the point where it almost becomes uncomfortable. It’s filled with awkward silences, but the film shows that this is an intentional choice. The terrific performances from Lee, Yoo and Magaro help with the authenticity. Their subtle facial expressions and line deliveries make me feel like I’m observing the lives of three very real people.
My only complaint is how characters appear to have aged over the film’s timeline (e.g., characters not aging after a 12-year time jump). But, if that’s my only criticism of the film, then it’s safe to say that it was a fantastic experience overall.

2. “BOTTOMS”
Emma Seligman’s sophomore effort is a satirical sex comedy about two lesbian high schoolers (Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri) who start a fight club to lose their virginities to cheerleaders before heading off to college. Yes, that’s the actual premise of the movie. And it’s awesome.
I watched this film when it premiered at South by Southwest, and I genuinely can’t wait to see it again. The script from Seligman and Sennott is extremely clever, and the talented cast fully commit to the absurdity of the premise. The highlights are easily Edebiri, Nicholas Galitzine and Marshawn Lynch.
And that’s pretty much all I want to say. “Bottoms” is hilarious, raunchy, bloody, horny and unapologetically gay… and it deserves your money. Please watch it.

1.“SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE”
2018’s “Into the Spider-Verse” left such a high bar that I never could have expected the sequel to surpass it. Yet “Across the Spider-Verse” was one of the best superhero films ever made. Almost everything about this film is as perfect as humanly possible: the animation, performances, screenplay, editing, themes and Daniel Pemberton’s spectacular score.
My only problem with the film is regarding its production. Producer and co-writer Phil Lord allegedly kept asking for finished shots to be revised, causing long weeks of overtime; more than 100 animators left the film. The allegations went as far as to suggest that the trilogy capper “Beyond the Spider-Verse” would be unable to make its announced March 2024 release date (the film has since been delayed indefinitely, reportedly due to the SAG-AFTRA strike).
While I love this film, I strongly believe in the importance of work-life balance, especially in animation. I believe that Lord’s actions came from a place of passion rather than malice, and he doesn’t seem to be an abusive tyrant (e.g. David O. Russell). But making a fantastic film without stressing out your crew is possible. I don’t like getting on my soapbox here because I just want to talk about movies. But to get great movies, we must treat our crew how they deserve to be treated.
With all that being said, “Across” is still the ultimate love letter to “Spider-Man” comics and the deconstruction of the tropes associated with them.

In short, 2023 has been a pretty solid year for films so far, and it’s not even over yet.

RATINGS:
“Past Lives” – 9/10
“Bottoms” – 9/10
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” – 10/10