Top 10 Films of 2023

 

Rank	Title	Year	Country	Grade
1	The Promised Land (Bastarden)	2023	Denmark	B+
2	Mayhem! (Farang)	2023	France	B
3	Flora And Son	2023	Ireland	B
4	The Creator	2023	US	B
5	The Holdovers	2023	US	B-
6	American Fiction	2023	US	B-
7	Mountain Queen: The Summits Of Lhakpa Sherpa	2023	US	B-
8	In The Land Of Saints And Sinners	2023	Ireland	C+
9	Kill	2023	India	C+
10	Plane	2023	US	C+

The Night Comes For Us (2018)

 

Indonesian action flicks rarely skimp on fight scenes and creative kills. This is no exception. Squeamish viewers need not apply. But all the mayhem was overcompensating for the lack of a cohesive story arc. Motivations made no sense. Fight scenes dragged on too long. Main characters endured superhuman damage that never seemed to impact their ability to brawl. 

Rating: D+

The Gray Man (2022)

 

Terrible title. Sounds like a sad senior sitting alone at your local Denny’s. The Russo Brothers gave Michael Bay a run for his money with a hefty portion of explosive action sequences, with only a light dollop of story development. 

Was it entertaining? Sure. Did it make a whole lot of sense? No. Characters magically teleport from place to place. They get sliced and diced, but carry on like it was a small scratch. Various factions in the C.I.A. kill one another (and other law enforcement) without the slightest hesitancy. 

This thriller is not a deep thinker, but it packs a punch. 

Rating: C

Sinners (2025)

 

I enjoyed the first half, discovering the character layers of the twin brothers. Music was used to great effect in the film as well. The vampire part felt disconnected from the first half. This would have been a much better film if it were simply the Klan versus the twin brothers and their crew. No vampires. 

Rating: C

The Menu (2022)

 

Let’s hope my obsession with Top Chef never lands me at the likes of a closing night like the one featured in this film. Implausibly disturbing. Will make you crave a cheeseburger. 

Rating: C

Novocaine (2025)

 

Gimmicky and way over-the-top. It went from implausible to outright silly. The bodily harm became exhausting. He may not feel pain, but finishing this movie was a real one. 

Rating: D+