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Best Movies & TV Shows Of 2023: Our Picks & Highlights
2023 was a phenomenal year for gaming, but it was also just as much of a brilliant year for movies and TV. The box office in 2023 was shaken up with many surprising flops, including several comic book movies such as The Marvels and The Flash. However, in its place, a few movies rose to the top, such as The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Barbie and Oppenheimer. Oh, and let’s not forget all the other smaller or indie movies and TV shows in between that made it another great year for media entertainment.
There are so many movies and TV shows these days that we’re bound to miss some good ones, so do recommend some of your favourites from 2023 in the comments.
Check out our picks and highlights below:
The year kicked off with arguably one of its most highly-anticipated TV series, HBO’s live-action adaptation of Naughty Dog’s iconic The Last Of Us. Showrunner Craig Mazin and co. gave us a faithful adaptation of the game, which directly lifts certain scenes and even lines of dialogue verbatim from the source material.
However, one of the first season’s best episodes was also the one that deviated from the game, featuring a beautiful and heartbreaking love story between Nick Offerman’s Frank and Murray Bartlett’s Frank, which was surprising considering that both characters were minor ones in the game. Overall, HBO’s The Last Of Us is perhaps the best live-action game adaptation to date and the one that finally fully breaks the video game adaptation curse, paving the way and serving as the inspiration for more high-quality video game adaptations in the future. – Alleef ‘ComicsLord’ Ashaari
The Creed franchise is severely underrated despite how it’s actually one of the prime examples of how legacy sequels can be done right. We can’t think of any other legacy sequel (not Star Wars, not Halloween, etc.) that has managed to reach the same level of quality as the Creed trilogy.
Creed 3 manages to rise above being just a legacy sequel or the shadow spinoff of the Rocky franchise by being the dramatic and climactic conclusion to its own trilogy. Plus, Michael B. Jordan showcases his directing chops and even inserts his own stylistic flair into the movie with anime-inspired fight choreography. – Alleef ‘ComicsLord’ Ashaari
Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse achieved the impossible, by topping 2018’s Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse, a movie that many fans already consider to be the best Spider-Man movie and one of the best comic book movies. Its predecessor was still concerned with being an origin movie for Miles Morales and other characters like Spider-Gwen, but Across The Spider-Verse is free from those shackles.
It manages to be more intense and dramatic than even the live-action Spider-Man movies, by showing us that with great power, there is not only great responsibility, but there must also be a great sacrifice. And the animation? God-tier. Nuff said. Because of this movie, the wait for Spider-Man Beyond The Spider-Verse is as excruciating as it was during the wait for Avengers Endgame all those years ago. – Alleef ‘ComicsLord’ Ashaari
Every year, there’s always one or two brilliant horror movies that pop up like a jump scare, unsuspectingly. Talk To Me is one of those movies, which is all the more unexpected considering that this movie is directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, best known for being the YouTubers RackaRacka. Talk To Me became such a hit that it’s now A24’s highest-grossing horror movie worldwide and a sequel is already on its way.
What’s so good about Talk To Me? It’s the best kind of horror movie, where things keep escalating and tension keeps growing with every scene, and the characters feel like real human beings with real issues and not stereotypes. At the same time, the movie still feels fun and enjoyable to watch, which is a hallmark of the best horror movies. – Alleef ‘ComicsLord’ Ashaari
Besides Talk To Me, When Evil Lurks is another horror gem of 2023 but perhaps less known since it didn’t premiere in Malaysian cinemas. Directed by Demián Rugna, it’s an Argentinian Spanish horror movie with vibes reminiscent to that of Ari Aster’s Hereditary and Midsommar. That sense of growing dread and fear which never lets up? Yeah, When Evil Lurks is an uncomfortable watch (even children get mauled and killed violently) but it’s a horror movie that’s worth the watch, especially for viewers who come in not knowing what to expect.
The gist of the movie is demonic possession, but just like Talk To Me, it provides a unique twist on the genre. A must-watch for horror fans who want something more than the usual slashers or The Conjuring Universe movie. – Alleef ‘ComicsLord’ Ashaari
The highest-grossing movies in any given year aren’t always the best movies, but in the case of the Barbie movie, that’s certainly not true. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is well deserving of all the praise and box office success it’s enjoyed in 2023. Some may brush off Barbie as just another “chick flick” or a movie pushing a feminist agenda, but it’s much more than that. Barbie explores universal themes like toxic masculinity, capitalism, self-worth, the deconstruction of gender tropes and more. It’s how the movie intertwines all these elements together that makes the movie phenomenal and smart, which contributes to how funny the jokes are and how heartfelt some moments can be.
All of those themes and elements together make for a movie that’s ultimately not exclusively just for girls or women who grew up with Barbie or feminists, but for everyone out there who can relate to being human, no matter what gender or race they are. To me, that’s beautiful. – Alleef ‘ComicsLord’ Ashaari
Gen V is proof that spinoff shows can be just as good or even better than the original (The Boys). Just like The Boys, Gen V subverts the superhero genre and gives us a realistic look at what a real-world Sky High would be like, along with all the bloody violence and delicious social commentary that we’ve come to expect from anything related to The Boys.
The MCU should actually learn from Gen V on how to be a great show on its own while also servicing the larger connected and shared universe. We can’t wait for the second semester to begin! – Alleef ‘ComicsLord’ Ashaari
It’s rather criminal that this Eli Roth film gets so little marketing, and also gets a censored viewing in certain SEA countries. This holiday-themed slasher flick has no right to be this entertaining and funny.
It’s witty in the right places, its kills and killer plot reveal are worth sitting through, and it’s shot with much care for the genre without feeling too cheap. I suspect over time, this film will be a yearly staple for people to watch if they want a lot more blood out of their holiday movies. –Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Toyad
What’s the best way to end a film about a hitman avenging his dead dog and dealing with the very organization he’s stuck in? Why, by capping it off with the most ludicrous fighting scenes and setpieces yet. If you thought John Wick 2 and 3 were fun to watch, you obviously haven’t seen the insanity of part 4.
While it’s tying up loose ends of the franchise to a degree, it also features some key emotional scenes with Donny Yen at the forefront. If you rather turn off your brain and just stay for the action scenes, you’ll be eating happy too. Highlights include a top-down action scene mimicking Hotline Miami, and an all-out battle involving a long-ass flight of stairs, capped off with a guy falling from said stairs all the way from the top. 2024’s best action film is spearheaded by this Keanu Reeves vehicle film. – Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Toyad
Most of us would be happy with a straight adaptation of the 2004 comic book series by Bryan Lee O’Malley in anime form. But to get this Netflix limited 8-episode series retelling and “sequel” focused on the other main character Ramona Flowers? It sure as heck pissed a good number of people off, but it impressed me no doubt.
The big reason why this anime works is it fleshes out each of the antagonistic evil exes, with Ramona herself coming to terms with how effed up her history with them is, and is usually her own doing. Characters like Roxy Richter and Lucas Lee get the limelight with their respective action beats and story arcs resolved, dishing out the feels and also the fight scenes that appropriately go along with the source material.
Fans of the Scott Pilgrim films and comic books will definitely love a lot on what’s on tap if they keep an open mind and get the message of what its creator was going for. I know I did. -Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Toyad
You don’t need to know who Astro Boy is and the show’s premise to get behind this “retelling” of a sci-fi anime story arc involving robots & allusions to real-life war and conflicts. All you need going into this is that you’ll be in an intriguing and well-written story of a whodunnit case involving a robot detective, and the characters that intertwine in the mystery of powerful robots being offed for some reason. -Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Toyad
If you want a heartwarming Christmas flick set in the 70s (grainy film presentation, matching ratio, & all), you may want to check out Alexander Payne’s latest film. The film is about a likeable curmudgeon teacher in a New England prep school (Paul Giamatti), a troublemaker student (Dominic Sessa), and a cook who lost her son (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), who are stuck with each other and remain on campus grounds. It’s wholesome while also not being your typical coming-of-age flick, like Dead Poet’s Society or Good Will Hunting for 2023. -Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Toyad
Possibly Martin Scorsese’s last film, and arguably one to go out on. This epic Western crime drama focusing on an overlooked part of history has it all: intriguing characters, an unfolding series of events where love, betrayal, and greed occasionally cross paths to heavy repercussions, and well-done cinematography and awe-inspiring visuals. I honestly didn’t believe this film was 3+ hours long because there’s simply no filler and no padding amidst the historical recap for the ages. -Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Toyad
Hard to believe that a 3-hour film with loads of talking and only one big explosion can be the most intense and immersive viewing experience yet. This biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer from auteur Christopher Nolan sets the bar higher than usual for filmmaking, directing, and soundtrack work. Coupled with a stellar lead Cillian Murphy who should win all the awards for his portrayal of the troubled genius, Oppenheimer is one epic you should not miss out on. – Jonathan “Mr Toffee” Toyad
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