Top Ten Movies
(and more)
2023

Work in progress – subject to change. Because I am still watching movies released in 2023, so it’s always possible that a new title could usurp the number one in due course. Before that, I have a lot more movies still to add / sort.

All films received either a theatrical or an online release in the UK between 01/01/23 and 31/12/23.

This version includes re-releases, but those aren’t numbered. It’s hard to imagine movies improving on Powell and Pressburger’s i know where i’m going or The Red Shoes, Powell’s Peeping Tom or Von Trier’s Melancholia.

In addition to re-releases, this version also includes films seen in festivals which haven’t had any other UK release in 2023.

The star ratings may occasionally differ from the star rating I gave a particular film at the time of review.

Beyond the first 25 numbered titles, there may be numerous errors (missing links to reviews where I wrote one, year of release, country, and maybe more). All this will be fixed in time, but I wanted to get something online in the holidays.

Finally, last year’s list is here.

Top Ten Movies (and more) 2023

Please click on titles to see reviews. (Links yet to be added.)

The numbering will mostly be added later when I’ve watched more of the outstanding 2023 titles, and they have stopped moving around. So, currently, positions in this list should be taken with a pinch of salt.

*****

i know where i’m going (UK, 1945)

The Red Shoes (UK, 1948)

Melancholia (Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, 2011)

Peeping Tom (UK, 1960)

National Security (South Korea, 2012, LEAFF)

1. Full Time (France, 2021)

The Old Man And The Land (UK, 2023, premiered at PÖFF)

2. Girl (UK, 2023)

3. The First Slam Dunk (Japan, 2022)

Mars Express (France, 2023, PÖFF)

4. Junk Head (Japan, 2023)

5=. 20 Days In Mariupol (Ukraine, 2023)

5=. Beyond Utopia (US, 2023)

5=. The Blue Caftan (Morocco, 2022)

5=. Infinity Pool (Canada, Hungary, France, 2023)

Light Falls (Georgia, Greece, Albania, Germany, 2023, premiered at PÖFF)

Observing (Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, North Macedonia, 2023, PÖFF)

Breaking The Waves (UK, 1996)

9=. Past Lives (US, South Korea, 2022)

9=. Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (China, 2023)

9=. Reality (US, 2023)

One Fine Spring Day (South Korea, 2001, LKFF)

—

Ashes and Diamonds (Poland, 1958)

The Land Where Winds Stood Still (Kazakstan, 2023, premiered at PÖFF)

Tinker Ticker (South Korea, 2013, LKFF)

North Korean Partisan in South Korea (South Korea, 1990, LEAFF)

Lessons of Tolerance (Ukraine, 2023, premiered at PÖFF)

Open the Door (US, South Korea, 2022, LKFF)

12=. Godzilla Minus One (Japan, 2023)

12=. Bobi Wine: The People’s President (UK, 2022)

12=. Smoking Causes Coughing (France, 2022)

12=. Enys Men (UK, 2022)

12=. Holy Spider (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, 2022)

12=. Blue Jean (UK, 2022)

12=. Fashion Reimagined (UK, 2022)

Perfect Days (Japan, 2023, LEAFF)

Daaaaaali! (France, 2023, LFF, PÖFF)

Three Colours: Blue (France, 1993)

Three Colours: White (France, 1994)

Three Colours: Red (France, 1994)

Le Mépris (France, 1963)

12=. Name Me Lawand (UK, 2022)

12=. Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (US, 2023)

Tokyo Story (Japan, 1953)

12=. Ferrari (US, 2023)

A Bright Nowhere: Journeying into Improvisation (UK, 2023)

—

22=. The Boy And The Heron (Japan, 2023)

22=. Killers of the Flower Moon (US, 2023)

Untold Herstory (Taiwan, 2023, LEAFF)

Great Sertão (Brazil, 2023, premiered at PÖFF)

24. How To Blow Up A Pipeline (US, 2023)

25. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning: Part One (US, 2022)

Nomad (Hong Kong, 1982, Hong Kong Focus)

Kalman’s Day (Hungary, Slovakia, US, 2023, premiered at PÖFF)

26. Klokkenluider (UK, 2022)

Little Blue (Taiwan, 2022, LEAFF)

Snow Leopard (Tibet, 2023, LEAFF)

27. Klimt and the Kiss (UK, 2023)

—

****1/2

Piggy (Spain, 2022), The Fabelmans (US, 2022), Saint Omer (France, 2022), Sensei, Would You Sit Beside Me (Japan, 2021, JPF Touring Programme), EO (Poland, 2022), Women Talking (US, 2022), Mary Cassatt: Painting the Modern Woman (UK, 2023), Sick of Myself (Norway, 2022), Champions (US, 2022), Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (France, 2022), Return to Seoul (France, Belgium, Germany, South Korea, 2022), Boonie Bears: Guardian Code (China, 2023), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (US, 2023), Hello, Bookstore (US, 2022), The Flash (US, 2023), Lost in the Stars (China, 2022), My Name is Alfred Hitchcock (UK, 2022), Ride On (China, 2023), Tokyo Stories (UK, 2023), Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (US, 2023), Mavka the Forest Song (Ukraine, 2022), Squaring the Circle – the Story of Hipgnosis (UK, 2022), Oppenheimer (US, 2023), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem (US, 2022), The Idiots (Denmark, 1998), Love Life (Japan, 2022), Revolver Lily (Japan, 2023, LEAFF), Life and Death of the Hollywood Kid (South Korea, 2011, LEAFF), Unbowed (South Korea, 2011, LEAFF), Ah Fei (Taiwan, 1983, LEAFF), Bolan’s Shoes (UK, 2022), Typist Artist Pirate King (UK, 2022), The Peasants (Poland, Serbia, Lithuania, 2023), Your Mother’s Son (Philippines, 2023, PÖFF), Dance First (UK, 2023), Scrapper (UK, 2023), Femme (UK, 2023), How To Have Sex (UK, 2023), Fallen Leaves (Finland, 2023), Raging Grace (UK, 2023)

****

It Comes (Japan, 2018, JPF Touring Programme), Epic Tails (France, 2022), The Son (US, 2022), The Middle Men (Norway, Denmark, Canada, UK, Germany, Switzerland, 2021), Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom (Bhutan, 2022), Two Strangers Who Meet Five Times (short, UK, 2022), The Wife And Her House Husband (UK, 2022), Plane (UK, US, 2022), Winners (UK, Iran, 2022), In The Court of the Crimson King (UK, 2022), Rye Lane (UK, 2023), Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition (UK, 2023), Lakelands (Ireland, 2022), A Light Never Goes Out (Hong Kong, 2022), Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (US, 2023), Master Gardener (US, 2022), Sisu (Finland, 2022), Inland Empire (US, 2006), Elemental (US, 2023), Pretty Red Dress (UK, 2022), The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (Japan, 2022), Barbie, Paris Memories (France, 2022), The Innocent (France, 2022), Theater Camp (US, 2023), Afire (Germany, 2022), The Creator (US, 2023), Eileen (US, 2023), Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (UK 2023), Anselm (Germany, 2023), Black Money (South Korea, 2019, LEAFF), White Badge (South Korea, 1992, LEAFF), Amiko (Japan, 2022, LEAFF), Sura: A Love Song (South Korea, 1992, LEAFF), Fez Summer ’55 (Morocco, 2023, premiered at PÖFF), Pelikan Blue (Hungary, 2023, premiered at PÖFF), Her Body (Czechia, Slovakia, 2023, premiered at PÖFF), The Eternal Daughter (UK, 2023), Polite Society (UK, 2023)

***1/2

The Old Man Movie: Lactopolis (Estonia, 2019), The Million Ryo Pot (Japan, 1935, JPF Touring Programme), Shazam! Fury of the Gods (US, 2023), Under The Open Sky (Japan, 2020, JPF Touring Programme), The Cow Who Sang A Song Into The Future (Chile, France, US, Germany, 2022), John Wick Chapter 4 (US, 2023), Chicken for Linda (France, Italy, 2022, Annecy), La Syndicaliste (France, 2022), Small, Slow But Steady (Japan, France, 2022), God’s Creatures (Ireland, US, UK, 2022), Puffin Rock and the New Friends (US, UK, Ireland, China, 2022), Mob Land (US, 2022), The Dive (Germany, 2022), Mind-Set (UK, 2022), The Exiles 4: The Marriage Plan (China, 2023), In Broad Daylight (Hong Kong, 2023, LEAFF), In Our Day (South Korea, 2023, LEAFF), Egoist (Japan, 2022, LEAFF), The Latent Image (UK, 2022), Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed (US, 2023), Anatomy of a Fall (France, 2022), Napoleon (US, 2023), Another Body, Mrs. (India, 2023, premiered at PÖFF), Nobody Leaves Alive (Brazil, 2023, premiered at PÖFF), Foe (US, 2023)

***

The Wandering Earth II (China, 2023), The Whale (US, 2022), Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (US, 2022), Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (US, 2021), Broker (South Korea, 2022), The Beasts (France, Spain, 2022), Orchestrator of Storms: The Fantastique World of Jean Rollin (UK, 2022), Babylon (US, 2022), Air (US, 2023), Suzume (Japan, 2022), Cairo Conspiracy (Sweden, France, Finland, 2022), Evil Dead Rise (New Zealand, Ireland, 2022), Born to Fly (China, 2023), The Other Fellow (UK, 2022), You Can Live Forever (Canada, 2022), Asteroid City (US, 2023), My Extinction (UK, 2022), Let It Ghost (Hong Kong, 2022, Hong Kong Focus), Medusa (Brazil, 2021), Gran Turismo (US, 2023), And Then Come The Nightjars (UK, 2023), No More Bets (China, 2022), Where The Wind Blows (Hong Kong, 2023), The Eternal Memory (Chile, 2023), Stamped From The Beginning (US, 2023), The Boys (South Korea, 2023, LEAFF), #Manhole (Japan, 2023, LEAFF), The Shadowless Tower (China, 2023, LEAFF), Ari Ari The Korean Cinema (South Korea, 2012, LEAFF), Gaga (Taiwan, 2022, LEAFF), Where Has All The Pollution Gone? (South Korea, 1991, LEAFF), A Normal Family (South Korea, 2023, LKFF), Saltburn (UK, 2023), Wonka (US, 2023), All The Beauty And The Bloodshed (US, 2023), The Milky Way (Israel, France, 2023, premiered at PÖFF), May December (US, 2023)

**1/2

Scream VI (US, 2022), Allelujah (UK, 2022), Rodeo (France, 2022), The Boogeyman (US, 2023)

**

Renfield (US, 2023), My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (US, 2022), Gurkha Warrior (Nepal, 2022), Everything, Everywhere (Japan, 2023, premiered at PÖFF)

*1/2

Empire of Light (UK, 2022), Tár (US, 2022), Nascondino (Italy, 2021), Godland (Denmark, Iceland, 2022), Leaving to Remain (UK, 2022), Brainwashed Sex-Camera-Power (US, 2022), Joyride (US, 2023), Expend4bles (US, 2023), Wish (US, 2023)

*

Over My Dead Body (Hong Kong, 2022), Plan 75 (Japan, 2022), Hypnotic (US, 2023), Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (US, 2022), 20, 000 Species of Bees (Spain, 2023)

1/2

Fast X (US, 2023), Talk to Me (Australia, 2022)

Turkeys

Awful: 4= Kokomo City (US, 2023), A Haunting in Venice (UK, 2023)

Truly Awful: 1= Medusa Deluxe (UK, 2022), Next Goal Wins (US, 2023), There’s Something In The Barn (Norway, 2023)