Marjorie Baumgarten’s Top 10 Films of 2023

1) Killers of the Flower Moon Some of filmmaking's best combine talents for this magisterial drama about American treachery.

2) Maestro Sensitive and invigorating, this biopic of Leonard Bernstein breaks all the rules.

3) Oppenheimer The dawn of the atomic age writ small and large.

4) Zone of Interest The banality of evil is on full display: "Heil Hitler ... et cetera," to quote one character.

5) May December Grievous melodrama mixes with discomforting comedy for a complex but emotionally rewarding story.

6) Barbie Against all narrative odds, this marketing juggernaut about a Mattel toy is clever and delightful.

7) Fallen Leaves This gentle romantic comedy grounded in stark realism is a tart Finnish confection.

8) American Fiction The convenience of racial stereotyping cloaks its lethality in this trenchant comedy.

9) Air Crowd-pleaser about a piece of cultural/economic/sports history is a slam dunk.

10) You Hurt My Feelings The slings and arrows of offhanded comments are exquisitely manifested.

Near Misses: Dream Scenario, Showing Up, Rustin

Most Overrated: The Holdovers, Asteroid City

Most Underrated: Joy Ride, Dream Scenario, You Hurt My Feelings

Wild Card: Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto lensed two of the best films of the year: Barbie and KOTFM.

Acting Kudos (Male): Ryan Gosling, Barbie; Leonardo DiCaprio, KOTFM; Nicolas Cage, Dream Scenario

Acting Kudos (Female): Lily Gladstone, KOTFM; Carrie Mulligan; Maestro; Greta Lee, Past Lives

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, KOTFM; Bradley Cooper, Maestro; Todd Haynes, May December

Best Original Screenplay: May December, Air, Dream Scenario

Best Adapted Screenplay: KOTFM, Zone of Interest, American Fiction

TV Series/Event: Succession: Why quit now?

Worst Film: Napoleon: A miscast Joaquin Phoenix engages in magnificent battle scenes and ridiculous love scenes.

The Little Film That Could: The Holdovers: With equal doses of curmudgeonliness and sentimentality, this title enters the repertoire of holiday favorites.