Alexis Caplan’s Top 10 Films of 2023

I find that these past two years have been integral to my growing appreciation of cinema and what it has to offer in its emotional aspects. My top ten films of 2023 consist of movies that have crushed my spirit, inspired me, and disgusted me. These movies are special not just for this, but also for their visual appeal, expertly crafted screenplays, and impeccable direction. They are, in my opinion, some of the best that cinema has to offer this year and ones that have stayed in my mind long after leaving the theater. Before I get into this, I should mention a few films I loved for various reasons that did not make this list.  

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Review: ‘The Zone of Interest’: The Horror of Complacency

From the very first trailer, The Zone of Interest is instantly captivating. The blips of beautifully crafted shots mixed with the unnerving score interspersed with reviews expressing the film’s urgency.  The film is written and directed by Johnathan Glazer (Under the Skin, Sexy Beast and Birth) and is loosely adapted from the novel The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis. The film follows Nazi officer Rudolf Höss and his family as they live a shockingly normal life while sharing a wall with the concentration camp Auschwitz. The Zone of Interest makes us confront the unimaginable; forcing the viewer to grapple with the ability of human beings to ignore the unspeakable happening right in front of their eyes. 

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Review: ‘The Iron Claw’: Sins of the Father

The story of the Von Erich family is one of triumph and tragedy. To many pro wrestling fans, they are considered royalty. From a young age director Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Nest) had an ambition to create a film detailing the family’s life. Not only were the Von Erichs renowned for their wrestling skills, they were also known for a string of familial tragedies. In his third feature film The Iron Claw, Durkin set out to tell their story.

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Review: ‘All of Us Strangers’: An Exploration of Love and Loss

Andrew Haigh paints a dreamlike picture in the emotional and beautiful All of Us Strangers. It is Haigh’s most emotional work to date exploring themes of love and loss through the lens of a quiet fantasy. Adam (Andrew Scott) and Harry (Paul Mescal) are the leading men who have a budding love, being the only two people living in a large London skyrise. The building is notably lonely and bare which seems to be something that Adam is used to since the death of his parents during his formative years. Harry provides solace for Adam as he explores what was lost during visits to his childhood home.

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Review: ‘Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire’: Zack Snyder Does It Again

Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire released on Netflix on December 15th, 2023, burdened with an overly-long title and an unfortunate lack of cohesive plot or characters. Rebel Moon represents Snyder’s long-awaited crack at a space opera, packed with sneering villains and epic CGI battles, endlessly hyped by Snyder’s fanbase, but ultimately doomed to be remembered as yet another generic, shallow, derivative, and utterly forgettable film.

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Review: The Latest Rendition of ‘The Color Purple’ Shines Bright

In The Color Purple, directed by Blitz Bazawule, audiences relive the tale of Celie as she navigates the numerous hardships in her life in this coming-of-age musical based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. The expository novel was released to critical acclaim for its striking look into the hardships faced by women and African Americans in the early 20th century and won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction in 1983. Walker’s work was also controversial having been banned, challenged, and censored numerous times across the country for its mature themes and depictions of violence. Nevertheless, this novel has integrated itself into the bookshelves of many around the world and there was roaring anticipation for the release of this year’s version based not just on the novel itself, but on the showstopping Broadway musical.

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Review: ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ is Sparkling, Don’t You Let it Go

Singer-songwriter Taylor Alison Swift is no doubt a global icon. Her rise to stardom has seen her constantly shifting her identity as a musician and as a celebrity. Bursting onto the music scene with her self-titled debut album, Taylor has grown from a teenage country singer to a woman confident in her talents and her voice. Never afraid to reinvent herself, never afraid to stand up for what she believes in, Taylor is more than a pop star, she is an inspiration for her millions of fans. 

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Review: The Beautiful Grief of ‘The Boy and The Heron’

After almost a decade of secrecy, the infamous director Hayao Miyazaki has released The Boy and The Heron which is meant to act as his swan song before he finally retires from creating animated films.

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