Best watches of 2023Like this list

16 items

• Barbie

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  BEST PATRIARCHY SMASHER: I have never felt as seen as I have in this movie. It was like a religious experience.

• David Farrier's Mister Organ

  An Incredible True Story of Psychological Warfare

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  BEST PANDORA'S BOX DOCUMENTARY: An uncomfortable watch in some ways, Farrier delves into the mind of the devious and dangerous, Michael Organ. What he finds are lies piled on top of lies piled on deceit. Mr Organ is human quicksand and Farrier is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Emily

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  BEST PERIOD DRAMA: A gorgeously shot and sensual imagining of Emily Brontë's life in the period before she wrote Wuthering Heights. Not something to watch for the historical accuracy (it is not kind of film) but for the singular point of view of the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Discovery of Witches

  Harkness, Deborah E., 1965-

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  BEST USE OF MATTHEW GOODE'S INTENSE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS: Witches, vampires and daemons walk among us and mostly manage to fly under the radar. Diana Bishop is an academic (and a secret witch with somewhat underwhelming powers). Matthew Clairmont also…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Everything Everywhere All at Once

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  BEST MULTIVERSE MOVIE: There were a number of films this year that featured characters from other universes (including one on this list). Mindboggling, epic in scale, funny and heartwarming. I shrieked with delight several times. Not something to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Last of Us

  the Complete First Season

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  BEST EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER: Joel and Ellie - two traumatised people thrown together in a broken world in which a strain of cordyceps has found a way to survive in the human body with devastating results. Tense and gut-wrenching, this was THE TV…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• M3gan

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  BEST CAMP: Look, it's not going to win an Oscar but M3gan is good "bad robot" fun. The comedy genius of having a titanium core robot sing lyrics to the song "Titanium" was also not lost on me. A "made in New Zealand" camp classic in the making.

• Mare of Easttown

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  BEST MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN BEING TIRED OF EVERY DAMN THING TV SHOW: Kate Winslet is at the top of her game in this murder mystery that is a little bit like an American 'Broadchurch'. When a teenage girl's body turns up in the woods the subsequent…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Mitchells Vs. the Machines

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  BEST FAMILY FILM: We never get sick of watching this tale of a family of oddballs coming together to save the world. It’s got heart, awkwardness, and epic stunts. It’s a family favourite.

• Mr. Right

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  BEST ROM-COM: Sam Rockwell is at his charismatic best in this under-rated rom-com with a couple of quirky and offbeat leads. Anna Kendrick has terrible taste in men but then clicks with Rockwell... too bad he's incredibly good at killing people (or…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

  Gallico, Paul, 1897-1976

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  BEST FEEL-GOOD FILM: Beautiful gowns and a woman waking up and finding that dreams are possible. Mrs Harris is charming and you can't help but root for her in her mission to acquire a Dior gown.

• Nope

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  BEST SCARY WEATHER: Like Jordan Peele's other films, this one comes with layers. References piled on top of each other. Brilliant visual storytelling and a central mystery that's actually a commentary on society. It's good stuff.

• A Quiet Place. Part II

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  BEST SEQUEL (LIVE ACTION): A rare sequel that works almost as well as the original story as it picks up where the last film left off with the Abbott family on the move, looking for safety. Brilliantly suspenseful, edge of the seat stuff.

• Red, White and Brass

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  BEST BASED ON A TRUE STORY: Just about the most heartwarming movie you'll see this year. Based on the true story of a group of Tongans who turn themselves into a marching band so they can get tickets to see Tonga play at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

• Spider-Man

  Across the Spider-Verse

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  BEST SEQUEL (ANIMATED): Miles Morales joins forces with a band of cross-dimensional spider-folk and it's a riotous action-packed time. But there will be losses... and a "I'm the middle movie in a trilogy" ending.

• Weird

  the Al Yankovic Story

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  BEST USE OF DANIEL RADCLIFFE: An extremely silly but entertaining "biopic" full to the brim with celebrity cameos. Very much not high-brow humour, it reminded me a bit of "Talladega Nights" in all its goofiness.