By Mark Pukalo
Some really good characters, plenty of fun scenes and an abundance of solid documentaries fill this category in my ratings of the 295 films I saw from the Oscar Year 2023.
I used to just do a high and low honorable mention, but I decided to split the top group and form this list of 40 films that are only a hair below the upper category.
All of them are worthy of your time if the genre, subject matter and actors suit your tastes, or you have the time to watch hundreds of films per year.
Nine documentaries lead the list and I learned something from all of them, highlighted by the ones on Judy Blume, Joan Baez, Mary Tyler Moore and Wham! Two other films were stories about real-life people - Bayard Rustin and Reality Winner.
There were some very likable characters in this category, led by Jules, Leo the Lizard, Lizzy (Michelle Williams) in "Showing Up," Bea (Kiernan Shipka) in "Wildflower," Katrina (Marisa Tomei) in "She Came to Me," young Pauline in "The Taste of Things" and Becky, who enjoys killing really bad people.
The best food in a 2023 film goes to "The Taste of Things" - hands down.
Movies such as "The Wrath of Becky," "Fingernails," "Jules," "Quantumania" and "Cat Person," were panned by many critics, but I thought they had more value.
The list also includes some films that were good, but I think were over-rated by most critics - "The Zone of Interest," "You Hurt My Feelings," "The Boys in the Boat," and "Nyad."
But all of them have worth. Check them out and see what you think.
Medium Honorable Mention (Recommended if story suits you) - 42
Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania - Scott Lang and wife are dragged into the Quantum Realm and try to get back, but family secrets rear their ugly head. It's fun. Nothing else.
A Thousand And One - Teyana Taylor provides an amazing performance as a young mother just out of prison trying to give her son a chance in the city. It's close to being really good, but the twist in the script is not executed well enough.
Being Mary Tyler Moore - A nice documentary on one of the first big time female television stars. She was amazing in a lot of ways.
Bruiser - The father of a 14-year old returns to town and it causes major problems for his step dad and mother. Well-done feature.
The Burial - Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx star in this court case drama based on a true story. Foxx plays a flashy lawyer who helps a long-time Funeral Home owner fight the man.
Bill Russell: Legend of an Age - Interesting and informative documentary on one of the best basketball players and winners in sports history.
Black Ice - Interesting documentary about the evolution issues and racism black players faced in men's and women's hockey. Akim Aliu deserves his own doc, though.
Bank of Dave - Based on a true story of Dave Fishwick, who fought the cheating big banks n London to set up a very successful local establishment in Burnley. Fuck the big banks.
Boston Strangler - An interesting look at the mystery surrounding one of the biggest crimes of all time, with Keira Knightley killing it as reporter Loretta McLaughlin.
The Boys in the Boat - Just your average old-time sports movie where you know what's going to happen. The key is how interesting it is getting there and this movie wasn't quite compelling enough.
Cat Person - Emilia Jones (Coda) stars as a young woman pulled into a relationship with an older man that she later regrets. It is imperfect, but Jones is great and it makes you think.
Earth Mama - A pregnant single mother deals with decisions that are impossible to make. The director left out a back story, which I am 50/50 on. I wanted a little more.
Fingernails - Riz Ahmed and Jesse Buckley add plenty of spark to the interesting concept about compatibility. Marriages are failing and agencies are working on ways to match people in a futuristic society by testing fingernails. It did not quite reach its potential.
Great Photo, Lovely Life - A documentary done by the grand daughter of a man who committed several acts of sexual abuse against children that he mostly got away with. It's shocking and hard to watch, but holds your interest.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Harrison Ford's greatest character must go back in time to save the world from the Nazis. More fun than the last few in the series.
Infinity Pool - Creepy horror film about rich people inspired by committing violent crimes on a resort island while their clone pays for it. I ain't ever gonna mess with Mia Goth.
Joan Baez: I am Noise - Terrific documentary about the amazing singer and activist. It is very detailed and interesting.
Judy Blume Forever - Strong documentary about the great writer, who was targeted by the Moral Majority when Reagan was elected. She wrote the book that became a wonderful movie - "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."
Jules - I got a kick out of this one about three senior citizens befriending an alien who crash-landed in the backyard. Several big laughs and one of the best throwaway lines of the year. A lady cop, watching three senior citizens scooping up a dead cat off the road (to help fuel Jules' ship) and loading it in the back of their car says - ". ... the fuck."
The Killer - Director David Fincher uses Michael Fassbender as an expert contract killer, who must try to eliminate all loose ends after missing a target.
The League - An interesting documentary on the Negro Leagues. Learned a lot from the story and the interviews.
Leave the World Behind - This psychological drama about an attack that includes the loss of electronic and computer devices has some good moments, but thinks it's a little smarter than it is at times. The ending makes sense, though. I can say I have been thinking about it since, too.
Leo - The 74-year-old lizard is not quite as funny as Marcel, but he is a lot of fun when he escapes a school terrarium. The kids help save him in this very likable cartoon.
Love, Again - It is a bit of a formulaic rom-com at first, but it gets better as it goes along and I always love to see Priyanka Chopra.
Master Gardener - Joel Edgerton is outstanding as a horticulturist with an ugly past who helps a young woman escape the wrath of his mean rich boss (Sigourney Weaver).
Nyad - Annette Bening produces a strong performance as the driven Diana Nyad, who swam from Cuba to Key West over the age of 60. Jodie Foster is also great as her friend/coach.
The Persian Version - The film examines a big Iranian family which emigrates to New Jersey with heart and humor. Layla Mohammedi is terrific as the lone girl in the family, who battles a strained relationship with her mother.
Reality - Re-enactment of the arrest of whistleblower Reality Winner after she leaked one document on Russian interference in the election. It's methodical and detailed while Sydney Sweeney does a good job.
Rustin - Colman Domingo earned an Oscar nomination as Bayard Rustin, the engine behind the March on Washington for Civil Rights in 1963.
See You On Venus - Virginia Gardner is very good as a smart, young orphaned girl who coaxes a young man going through guilt for an accident to accompany her to find her birth mother in Europe.
She Came to Me - Peter Dinklage plays a struggling opera writer who is freed up after a chance meeting with a strange, but intriguing tugboat captain named Katrina (Marisa Tomei). There are competing plots in this odd little film, but it all comes together at the end.
Showing Up - Michelle Williams is brilliant as a talented, young sculptor dealing with her screwed-up family and life issues. Lizzy is one of my favorite characters of the year.
Somewhere in Queens - Ray Romano stars as a father trying too hard to make things happen for his high school son. It's an old-school Italian family story that is fun to watch.
Stand - Interesting documentary on the life of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and how the NBA blackballed one of the greats simply because he wouldn't stand for the national anthem.
Story Ave - Coming of age story about a talented young graffiti artist going through tough times who is put on the right path by a man he tried to hold up.
The Taste of Things - A nuanced love story between a renowned chef and his long-time cook and companion (Juliette Binoche). It is a nice French film with some incredible food. Oh, that chicken looked amazing!
Victim/Suspect - Documentary about the terrible habit some police departments have fallen into by charging victims of rape with lying. It's disgusting. FTP.
Wham! - Really good documentary on the successful, but short-lived, British duo George Michael and Andrew Ridgely.
Wildflower - Kiernan Shipka is pretty, but she is also a very solid actress with good comedy timing. She makes this average film about a young girl dealing with challenging parents quite likable
The Wrath of Becky - Critics panned this bloody black comedy about a teenage girl becoming a vengeful killer of bad guys. I got a kick out of it. It is what it is.
You Hurt My Feelings - A writer (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss) goes through anger after she overhears her husband bashing the latest book she wrote. It's a good movie, but not as funny as advertised.
The Zone of Interest - A film that depicts the casual evil of Germans who worked and lived around Auschwitz. It is worth watching, but I wanted more depth. Didn't understand the blank screens, either.
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