Top 10s 2023

Aaron Isenstein

1. Barbie 

2. The Holdovers 

3. Priscilla

4. Wonka

5. May December

6. Wonka

7. Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person

8. Theater Camp

9. Saltburn

10. Poor Things

Performance of the Year: Dominic Sessa - The Holdovers

Technical Achievement of the Year: Priscilla - Production Design by Tamara Deverell

"Taylor Swift's Eras Tour also deserves a shoutout! What a fantastic year for female led, female driven cinema. Greta Gerwig the woman that you are!"

Amy Kim

1. Poor Things 

2. Oppenheimer

3. The Holdovers

4. Perfect Days

5. Monster

6. Anatomy of a Fall

7. Bottoms

8. Wonka

9. Fallen Leaves

10. 80 for Brady

Performance of the Year: Emma Stone - Poor Things

Technical Achievement of the Year: Oppenheimer - Sound Design

"This is the fantastic year for giving films a chance. I was positive I would hate Oppenheimer, terrified I would dislike Wonka, skeptical about Fallen Leaves, and ready to mock 80 for Brady. Yet I loved them all!"

Ben Langford

1. The Boy and the Heron 

2. May December 

3. Past Lives

4. Showing Up

5. Poor Things

6. The Holdovers

7. Anatomy of a Fall

8. Priscilla

9. Killers of the Flower Moon

10. Barbie

Performance of the Year: Natalie Portman - May December

Technical Achievement of the Year: Poor Things - Cinematography by Robbie Ryan

Brady Arguin

1. Killers of the Flower Moon 

2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

3. American Fiction

4. Barbie

5. Perfect Days

6. The Zone of Interest

7. The Boy and the Heron

8. The Taste of Things

9. The Holdovers

10. Poor Things

Performance of the Year: Lily Gladstone - Killers of the Flower Moon

Technical Achievement of the Year: Killers of the Flower Moon - Film Editing

"Looking at this list, and what I left off, this was a very strong for film, though early on there were many I “liked but not loved” or “loved in spite of flaws” and so I struggled to say what my top film was until I’d seen Killers of the Flower Moon. It is my runaway pick for the best this year to which nothing has come close, and my pick so far for the best this decade."

Daniel Fredman

1. Oppenheimer

2. The Holdovers

3. Poor Things

4. Anatomy of a Fall

5. Killers of the Flower Moon

6. The Zone of Interest

7. May December

8. Maestro

9. Fallen Leaves

10. Perfect Days

Performance of the Year: Sandra Hüller - Anatomy of a Fall

Technical Achievement of the Year: Poor Things - Production Design by Shona Heath/James Price

"This has been a great year for film! I'm so glad that I got to experience it all."

Eddie Mara

1. All of Us Strangers 

2. Saltburn

3. Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse

4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

5. Past Lives

6. Anatomy of a Fall

7. Elemental

8. Theater Camp

9. Magazine Dreams

10. Red, White, and Royal Blue

Performance of the Year: Andrew Scott - All of us Strangers

Technical Achievement of the Year: Saltburn - Cinematography by Linus Sandgren 

"Another great year of cinema, or more specifically, queer cinema! I hope this will pave the path for the production for countless more authentic and diverse queer representation on the big screen!"

Dylan McKercher

1. Oppenheimer 

2. Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé 

3. Rye Lane

4. Poor Things

5. American Fiction

6. Anatomy of a Fall

7. Barbie

8. Bottoms

9. Across the Spider-Verse

10. 20 Days in Mariupol 

Performance of the Year: Emma Stone - Poor Things

Technical Achievement of the Year: Barbie - Costume Design by Jacqueline Durran

Eli Scheider 

Performance of the Year: Emma Stone - Poor Things

Technical Achievement of the Year: Oppenheimer - Film Editing

"It's been a great year for movies! Movies are so cool!"

Emil Larsson 

Performance of the Year: Emma Stone - Poor Things

Technical Achievement of the Year: Oppenheimer - Sound Design

Hagen Seah

Performance of the Year: Natalie Portman - May December

"Fantastic year for female performances, as always."

Imran Shaikh

Performance of the Year: Emma Stone - Poor Things

Technical Achievement of the Year: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Visual Effects

"Fantastic year for female performances, as always."

Jinwei Li

Performance of the Year: Annette Bening - NYAD

Technical Achievement of the Year: Saltburn - Original Score by Anthony Willis

Jordan Stump

Performance of the Year: Zac Efron - The Iron Claw

Technical Achievement of the Year: Oppenheimer - Score by Ludwig Göransson

"One of the best years for film in years, so much variety and excellence across the board. This year will go down as one of the best in history for film and one we look back on with fondness."

Jude Akposhoro

Performance of the Year: Emma Stone - Poor Things

Kyan Kaba

Performance of the Year: Teyana Taylor - A Thousand and One

Technical Achievement of the Year: Mami Wata - Cinematography by Lilis Soares

Leonardo Garcia

Performance of the Year: Zac Efron - The Iron Claw

Technical Achievement of the Year: Wonka - Costume Design by Lindsey Hemming

"Last year was a low point in film for me, both in what I watched and what I did as a filmmaker/writer. This year brought me back, WE ARE SO BACK!

Loren Chen 

Performance of the Year: Matt Damon - Air

Technical Achievement of the Year: Oppenheimer - Cinematography

Mark Goedickemeier 

Performance of the Year: Ryan Gosling - Barbie

Technical Achievement of the Year: Oppenheimer - Sound Design

"Appreciation for the horror movies we had in 2023, a genre that is getting better and more creative from year to year"

Matei Lascu

Performance of the Year: Emma Stone - Poor Things

Technical Achievement of the Year: The Zone of Interest - Sound Design

"Godland, Apolonia, and RMN would make my top 10, but I consider them 2022. Great year for European cinema"

Mariano Venegas

Performance of the Year: Andrew Scott - All of Us Strangers

Technical Achievement of the Year: Oppenheimer - Score by Ludwig Göransson

"2023 proved to anyone who for some reason still thought that there are no new great movies, that in fact, there are many new great movies, some under the radar, some being tremendous box office hits, some by well know auteurs and some by newcomers. In short, cinema is more alive than ever (not that it ever died anyway)."

Paul Bodinizzo

Performance of the Year: Natalie Portman - May December

Technical Achievement of the Year: The Zone of Interest - Sound Design

Phoenix Clouden

Performance of the Year: Greta Lee - Past Lives

Technical Achievement of the Year: Origin - Editing

"A year where every genre excelled and surprised."

Skyler Powers

Performance of the Year: Andrew Scott - All of Us Strangers

Technical Achievement of the Year: The Boy and the Heron - Sound Design

"A fantastic year for cinema populated by boundary-pushing auteurs, veterans at the top of their game, and the undeniable prowess of modern Japanese cinema."

Teresa Calvillo

Performance of the Year: Julianne Moore - May December

Technical Achievement of the Year: Barbie - Costume Design by Jacqueline Durran

Tom Brinson

Performance of the Year: Cailee Spaeny - Priscilla

Technical Achievement of the Year: The Zone of Interest - Sound Design

"A great year for film truly. So many monumental achievements from our great filmmakers and in the end and a year where many big studios kept failing and I believe 2023 can usher in a new era for cinema altogether"

William Fletcher

Performance of the Year: Barry Keoghan - Saltburn

Technical Achievement of the Year: Saltburn - Cinematography by Linus Sandgren

"I just want to thank the Midnight Critics Circle for allowing me to become a member. This has been a welcoming and encouraging space that I've enjoyed being a part of."

Zach Ruggiero

Performance of the Year: Emma Stone - Poor Things

Technical Achievement of the Year: Poor Things - Production Design by Shona Heath/James Price