Best Movies of 2023 – Best of the Techs

Posted on by Kevin Wozniak

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The 2023 cinematic year is officially over; now, it is time to look back at the best movies, performances, and achievements of the year. I am going to start by looking at the best technical achievements of 2023. I will be looking at the best screenplays, cinematography, production design, score, and other technical categories. Each category will have five “nominees” (a.k.a my personal top five) with my “winner” (my favorite) in bold, followed by short reasoning as to why I chose it as the best of the year. Here are my picks for the best technical achievements of 2023.

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Dominic Sessa and Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers (Focus Features)
Dominic Sessa as Angus Tully and Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham in The Holdovers (Focus Features)

Air

Anatomy of a Fall

The Holdovers

Monster

Past Lives

  • David Hemingson’s debut film screenplay is a layered piece of writing full of humor, heart, and characterization.

 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

L to R: Robert Downey Jr is Lewis Strauss and Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in OPPENHEIMER, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Robert Downey Jr is Lewis Strauss and Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

The Killer

Killers of the Flower Moon

Knock at the Cabin

Oppenheimer

  • Oppenheimer is the best screenplay of Nolan’s career, loaded with fast, intricate dialog and a captivating non-linear structure.

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Keanu Reeves as John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate)
Keanu Reeves as John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate)

Asteroid City

John Wick: Chapter 4

Killers of the Flower Moon

Mami Wata

Oppenheimer

  • There were some beautiful movies in 2023, but the way the camera flowed through the action scenes and the striking colors of John Wick: Chapter 4 made it the best-looking movie of 2023.

 

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Margot Robbie as Barbie in Greta Gerwig's Barbie (Warner Bros.)
Margot Robbie as Barbie in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (Warner Bros.)

Asteroid City

Barbie

John Wick: Chapter 4

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

  • While I loved the details of Barbieland, the quaint, pastel-colored motel town of Asteroid City is a place I want to revisit.

 

BEST EDITING

Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in OPPENHEIMER, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

John Wick: Chapter 4

Killers of the Flower Moon

The Killer

Oppenheimer

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

  • Jennifer Lame’s quick and efficient editing made Oppenheimer a captivating experience for the entire three-hour runtime.

 

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

(L-R) Emma Mackey as Barbie, Ncuti Gatwa as Ken, Simu Liu as Ken, Margot Robbie as Barbie, Ryan Gosling as Ken and Kingsley Ben-Adir as Ken in Barbie (Warner Bros.)
(L-R) Emma Mackey as Barbie, Ncuti Gatwa as Ken, Simu Liu as Ken, Margot Robbie as Barbie, Ryan Gosling as Ken, and Kingsley Ben-Adir as Ken in Barbie (Warner Bros.)

Asteroid City

Barbie

The Color Purple

Oppenheimer

Priscilla

  • Barbie is a visual stunner and seeing iconic Barbie outfits come to life in a bright, fun way was one of the great joys in movies in 2023.

 

BEST HAIR & MAKE UP

Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley in Priscilla (A24)
Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley in Priscilla (A24)

Ferrari

The Iron Claw

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Priscilla

  • While we saw make-up used on actors to have them disappear and turn into their characters, the subtlety in the hair and make-up to make Cailee Spaeny go from teen to mid-twenties along with the heavy make-up Priscilla uses throughout the movie is a true eye-catcher.

 

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

A shot of Godzilla chasing a boat in Godzilla Minus One (Toho Co., Ltd.)
A shot of Godzilla chasing a boat from Godzilla Minus One (Toho Co., Ltd.)

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Godzilla Minus One

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Oppenheimer

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

  • The terrifying authenticity of the Godzilla monster might be the best version of the monster we’ve ever seen on the big screen.

 

BEST SOUND

Christian Friedel as Rudolf Höss in The Zone of Interest (A24)
Christian Friedel as Rudolf Höss in The Zone of Interest (A24)

Godzilla Minus One

The Killer

Oppenheimer

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

The Zone of Interest

  • The sound mixing and design of Jonathan Glazer’s haunting The Zone of Interest is so important and well-done that it acts like another movie.

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in OPPENHEIMER, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

The Killer

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Past Lives

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

  • Ludwig Goransson’s stunning score adds depth to the story of a tortured genius and helps guide the movie alone. It might be the best work of the Oscar-winner’s career.

 

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Rhea Perlman as Ruth Handler and Margot Robbie as Barbie in (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Rhea Perlman as Ruth Handler and Margot Robbie as Barbie in (Warner Bros. Pictures)

“Dear Alien, Who Art in Heaven” – Asteroid City

“Dance the Night Away” – Barbie

“What Was I Made For?” – Barbie

“Meet Me in the Middle” – Flora and Son

“Peaches” – The Super Mario Bros. Movie

  • Billy Eilish’s soulful “What Was I Made For” is easily the best original song from a movie and perfectly personifies the central theme of Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster.

 

 

 

 

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