10. Circus of the Scars – The Insider Odyssey of the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow (Chickory Wees)

Director Chickory Wees’ fascinating, fast-paced doc turned out to be one of the highlights of my 2023 SIFF experience. It follows the troupe of Seattle-based misfits who subverted carny sideshow ballyhoo in the ‘90s in much the same way Seattle music of the era subverted hair metal and faceless pop, to the tune of 15 minutes of international fame. My two cents (and a lot of extra change to spare) here.

CIrcus of the Scars will be streaming on Amazon Prime soon.

9. They Cloned Tyrone (Juel Taylor)

You get two different movies in one with They Cloned Tyrone. Is this a chilling meditation on the nature of identity and a commentary on the government’s alarming history of using the black population as guinea pigs? Or is it a very, very funny comedy that sticks pins in America’s breathless obsession with conspiracy theories? It’s kinda both, and neither. And if the parts don’t form a unified whole, what’s there is incredibly sharp, well-acted, and one of the most wildly entertaining movies I saw all year.

They Cloned Tyrone is now streaming on Netflix.

8. Scream VI (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, AKA Radio Silence)

As covered earlier in the year, the latest sequel in the decades-old franchise manages that hat trick of capturing the spirit of the original, while still dragging Scream (kicking and screaming?) into the 21st century.

Scream VI is streaming on multiple platforms, and is available on VOD.

7. Douglas Sirk: Hope as in Despair (Roman Huben)

Director Douglas Sirk lived the kind of life that coulda been its own feature film, and director Roman Huben knows it. Sirk’s very eventful time on this earth is outlined in thoughtful fashion, and the point-by-point comparisons of Sirk’s real life to his films represents the most addictive type of movie-geek catnip.

Douglas Sirk: Hope as in Despair is streaming on PlexTV.

6. Barbie (Greta Gerwig)

Whoda thunk that a hit comedy about a frickin’ line of toys would turn out to be one of the most thought-provoking movies—and probably the sharpest social satire—I’d see all year? It’s designed and shot with the precision and visual wow of the most expensive superhero movie or epic costume drama, packed with belly laughs, and acted—acted—to within an inch of its life by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, respectively.

Barbie is currently streaming on multiple platforms and VOD.

5. Asteroid City (Wes Anderson)

Wes Anderson’s movies are so hyper-stylized, so affected, and so obviously filigreed with his signature, that I should detest them. But Anderson’s movies work for me frequently. Underneath all of that topsoil of surface prettiness and whimsy dwell some necessary nutrients (or dangerous toxins, depending on the circumstances) in the form of some hard truths. Asteroid City, in its candy-coated, arch way, addresses death (facing up to it, as well as denial of it), loneliness, faith, and finding romance when or where you least expect it. Color me dazzled, and affected, in equal measure.

Asteroid City is streaming on Amazon Prime and VOD.

4. Spider Man: Across the Spiderverse (Joachim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson)

I took a much closer look at this movie earlier this year. Suffice it to say, it provides ample evidence that a mass entertainment can totally deliver complexity, engaging characterization, and humor along with the requisite eye-popping action dazzle.

Spider Man: Across the Spiderverse is streaming on Netflix, and on VOD.

3. Past Lives (Celene Song)

Still waters run achingly, ravishingly deep in director Celene Song’s confident, visually beautiful, and bittersweet debut. Next to nothing in Past Lives is stated, but a universe of emotions and what-if’s course just under the surface. This story of South Korean childhood friends separated at age 12, the almost-romance that simmers, and the divergent paths the two of them take over the span of 24 years turned out to be the most emotionally honest (and, in its own low-key way, the most romantic) 90-odd minutes I spent in a theater in 2023.

Past Lives is available on various VOD platforms

2. Godzilla Minus One (Director)

Yes, the new Godzilla movie made me tear up. Twice. And damned if writer/ director Takashi Yamasaki’s terrific entry in the franchise doesn’t richly earn that emotional catharsis. Tautly plotted, blessed with fully-fleshed-out human characters, surprisingly critical of WWII-era Japan’s utter disregard for its people, and most importantly brimming with the kind of big-time awe and wow factor you want—no, need—in a Godzilla movie (Yamazaki also masterminded the special effects alongside Kiyoko Shibuya).

Godzilla Minus One is currently in theaters.

1. Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese)

As a technical filmmaker and visual stylist, Martin Scorsese’s always been beyond reproach. But connecting with his filmography has always been a hit-or-miss proposition from this corner. That makes Killers of the Flower Moon—easily Scorsese’s best movie in a couple of decades—nothing short of thrilling.

Killers lays out a complex, absorbing story that shines a light on a largely unacknowledged, rage-inducing corner of American history. It also cannily plays to its director’s ongoing fascination with criminals of all stripes and motivations, and what people will do in their attempts to acquire and hold onto wealth and power.

Scorsese exercises his storytelling chops in fine style here, but longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker once again reinforces her creds as Scorsese’s secret weapon, imbuing Killers of the Flower Moon with a rhythm and velocity most assembly-line action movies would kill for.

Killers of the Flower Moon is streaming on multiple platforms, and on VOD.