Editorial: The Best of 2023

Written by Grady Fiorio Original Publishing Date: January 17th, 2024

The best of the best for 2023

Without a doubt, 2023 has been a wild year for the entertainment industry. We’ve gotten arguably some of the best movies, television, and video games in years, while the industry that made them, has suffered greatly. From both the WGA and SAG strikes, the massive amount of layoffs from the Embracer Group merger, as well as the gaming industry’s downsize from the COVID era, it’s a tricky time for those who make all the things we love. However, it’s times like these when we should support both the creators and their creations because, without art, this spinning dirtball we call Earth would be a whole hell of a lot more boring.

Just like my "Best of 2022", I'm going to cover more than just films, but also TV and games. Flipside Reviews is a celebration of art, and I want to share the best from this year’s slate of creators. Unlike many other yearly recaps that most media outlets do, I've waited until the full end of the calendar year to do my ranking. This way I can try and catch up on as many things as possible, and also not cut out anything that comes in at the tail end of the year. With that being said, there were still some things I missed out on. I haven't started Succession, I've barely scratched the surface of Baludr’s Gate 3, and even though I tried my damndest, I still haven’t seen Poor Things or Ferrari. Time is precious, so I have to be economical with how I waste it. Not all of these are top 10s or top 5s, but just what I felt was good and that people should know about. The rankings aren't perfect, and I still find them constantly changing. Still, I can wholeheartedly recommend everything here and give it my "This Is Worth Your Time and You Probably Shouldn’t Pirate it" seal of approval.

Much of the media I talk about in this list I've talked about at length in individual reviews. Click on any titles that are underlined to check out their review and get more of my thoughts.

The Best of TV

Honorable Mention: The Last of Us

So I might be swinging in with a hot take, but I thought HBO’s The Last of Us was… fine. As a massive fan of the original 2013 game, I was both very excited and cautious about HBO’s take on the series. When it was all said and done, I felt that while the series was bold and promising, it suffered from pacing issues, a mixed bag of performances, shaky cinematography, some unnecessary and confusing changes, and a general lack of danger that was so essential to the original plot. Due to these changes, I also felt that the ending was made much less ambiguous and powerful because of said ambiguity. However, I want to applaud HBO for putting their money where their mouth was and investing the time, budget, and talent in bringing this adaptation to life. Whatever faults it may have, it was clearly created with a love and passion for the source material, even directly involving the original game’s director, Neil Druckman, in the creative process as a writer, director, and producer. Craig Mazin also shares much of the credit when it comes to playing to the strengths of the original narrative, while also making adjustments where needed to fit the television model. It’s a massive step for both the gaming and television industry, and it makes me incredibly happy that someone believes in adapting these stories. I’m looking forward to what may come from the adaptation of The Last of Us Part 2 with seasons 2 and 3 of the television series. That narrative is massively complex, controversial, and relies heavily on player involvement. I had many mixed feelings about Part 2, so I’m interested to see what changes are made as well as how the nonlinear structure is adapted.

4. Barry

Anticlimactic in the best way possible, season 4 of Barry was a hell of a way for Bill Hayder’s assassin dramedy to go out. Masterfully shot, performed, and executed, Barry’s final outing pulled all the stops and gave us an ending that happens every day in the public scrutiny of Hollywood politics. It did have some stumbling blocks when it came to the show’s stark shift in tone between seasons, but Barry still stands as a testament to Bill Hayder’s work as an actor, writer, and director. I can’t tell if Barry loves or hates this industry, but damn, does it have some biting satire.

3. Telemarketers

Fuck the CDG, the FOP, and every other racket scamming the vulnerable. With that out of the way, Telemarketers is a punk rock documentary 20 years in the making. Another win from HBO’s original documentaries, Telemarketers tells the story of a band of drug addicts and ex-cons as the try to take down the telemarketing industry from the inside. Director (and star?) Sam Lipman-Stern goes all in as a former telemarketer using his connections to expose all the dirty and very illegal tricks of Telemarketers here in the good ol’ US and A. Through a constantly weaving and twisting narrative, Sam and his partner in crime Pat Pespas, expose the moneysucking hydra that has been the backbone of filthy-rich scam artists and Police FOPs alike. It’s 3 Episodes long and only 3 hours of you’re time, but Sam and Pat make every second worth it.

2. Loki

Yeah, color me surprised too. Some way, somehow, Marvel fights its way tooth and claw out of its creative rut and captures the lightning in a bottle that was season 1 of Loki. Under new creative leadership from season 1’s director Kate Herron, season 2 of Loki proves that the god of mischief not only has another trick up his sleeve, but one worth waiting for. Season 2 lateral expands the characters and lore from where we left off while giving Loki a meaningful character arc that feels like a fitting conclusion to Tom Hiddleston's 12 tenure as the character. Series newcomer Ke Huy Quan makes a great addition to the cast, fitting perfectly in Loki’s eclectic band of misfits, while not feeling like a one-off cameo. Season 2 also offers some of Marvel’s best television with Loki’s final 3 episodes that come together like a mini-movie. If rumors are to be believed, it seems that directing duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have a bright future in the MCU’s near future.

1. Beef

After eight months of nonstop praise, I finally caved in and watched Beef. One of many upcoming collaborations between A24 and Netflix, Beef gives us a simple story of road rage that combusts into an outburst of crime, infidelity, family drama, and high-stakes robbery, all in one clever, comedic bundle. While it starts off innocuous enough, Beef scales up to epic proportions in an entirely unpredictable and satisfying ending while still leaving plenty of room for interpretation. It’s a well-made miniseries that is driven home by its two final episodes, which emphasize Beef’s core theme. This world was made for shitty people, and shitty people were made to be with each other. Ali-Wong and Steven Yeun headline the series with strong performances that complement the unique directorial visions of Lee Sung Jin, Hikari, and Jake Schreier. Beef is the inventive type of television show that feels like it could only happen in the streaming era.

Games I Played

2023 was an insane year for gaming. We had a seemingly endless list of heavy hitters like Baulder’s Gate 3, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, Super Mario Wonder, and Final Fantasy 16, just to name a few. And with all of these amazing titles, I played… none of them. This year I spent a lot of money investing in my career, advancing my production pipeline, as well as sending my films out to festivals. Because of that, I had less disposable income to spend on gaming this year and relied more on my backlog, as well as a free month of Game Pass that I got right at the tail end of the year. However, I do plan on going back to some of these missed titles once Steam sale season rolls around. So with that being said, I want to talk about some of the stuff I played, even if most of it was released before 2023. Consider this less of a ranking and more of a general discussion.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion

I started off the year, with Square Enix’s remaster/remake/who knows at this point, of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7. I was a huge fan of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, as it was my favorite game of 2020. I couldn’t get enough of the gameplay and story, and all I wanted was more. My prayers were answered with 2022’s enhanced version of this 2007 PSP classic. While I found myself enjoying many aspects of the game, I also found it to be a bit dated, accompanied by some stiff performances, and confusing design decisions. Playing through, this was clearly a game designed for a mobile platform and thus didn’t always translate to playing on a PS5. That being said, I still had fun and enjoyed most of the story. And that ending? How can that not break your heart? As you can imagine, Part 2 of the Final Fantasy Remake project will be a day-one buy for me when it releases on February 29th. Depending on how Square Enix plays their cards, there could also be a review shortly thereafter.

Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag

It only took me 10 years, but I finally beat Black Flag. I originally played this on my PS3 back during the original 2013 launch. While I fell in love with the game I got burnt out by the absolutely insane amount of treasure-hunting side content. Ironically, I stopped playing right before the game ended, but I’ve had a hankering to get back to swashbuckling on the open seas. A $12 steam sale came my way, and I jumped at the opportunity. While Black Flag hasn’t aged as gracefully as I hoped, it’s still unequivocally the best pirate-themed video game out there until someone makes my dream Red Dead-style pirate adventure. I also played the story DLC, Freedom Cry. While it wasn’t so hot and was really more of a buggy mess, it was still a bold swing for Ubisoft, in an era where generic formulas seem to be their bread and butter.

A Bunch of VR Stuff

With a new head strap, battery pack, and sideloaded mods, 2023 was the year I really put my VR headset to use. VR still feels like it’s in a chicken or egg situation where developers don’t want to VR games because the install base isn’t big enough, and consumers don’t want to buy VR headsets because there aren’t enough VR games. Thankfully with flatscreen to VR conversions, there are plenty of games to play for the first time as well as re-experience in VR. Thanks to both official ports and mods (Big shoutout to Team Beef) I played classics like Resident Evil 4, Half-Life 2, and Jedi Knight II: Outcast, all in VR. It seems like the innovations of 20 years ago are the innovations of today’s VR scene, and these conversions prove it. I had more fun playing Half-Life 2 VR than I did both the original version and Half-Life Alyx. The complete freedom of physics gives you a whole new way to interact with the world while completely removing all the safety nets and limitations that most native VR games try to impose. While the native VR scene still needs to catch up, games like The Walking Dead Saints & Sinners, and Blade & Sorcery give wholly original experiences that only cutting-edge VR can provide. Here’s hoping that more developers remove the guardrails and take a leap of faith.

Starfield

My first of the Game Pass games played during my free month, Atomic Heart was a game that had been on the front of my radar for quite some time. With beautiful graphics, a wholly unique soviet aesthetic, and gameplay that seemed to resemble BIoshock, Atomic Heart was shaping up to be the next big indie hit from first-time developer Mundfish. However, as time went on, leaks started to emerge that development wasn’t going as smoothly as planned, and much of the gameplay released was made up of heavily scripted verticle slices, rather than finished concepts. It seemed like a real toss-up as to whether or not Atomic Heart would rise to glory or crumble like the Berlin Wall. When it was all said and done, it was clear that Mundfish seemed to value the “cool factor” over everything else. While this gave audiences a visually pleasing game with great art direction, it also left us with janky gameplay, balancing and pacing issues, and a baffling story accompanied by some pretty atrocious dialogue. There were still nuggets of fun, and it wasn’t all a mess, but to put it bluntly, Atomic Heart is Eurojank incarnate, for better and for worse. Crispy Critters!

Hi-fi Rush

Elden Ring

Shocker! Elden Ring is good. Who could have guessed? Yeah I know I’m a bit late to the party on this one, but FromSoft’s 2022 epic is a sprawling treasure map with new adventures around every corner. We often talk about “once in a generation” games, but Elden RIng proves to be one in a lifetime. At the risk of sounding like a pretentious nerd, there’s quite an argument to be made that this game is close to perfect. Elden Ring marks a strong transition for the casual gaming market and I’m all for it. I’m incredibly excited for the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree expansion when it releases (presumably) sometime this year. However, truth be told, for as much as I enjoy Elden RIng, I still haven’t even finished the game. I took a break to finish Starfield, and then to make the most of my free month of Game Pass. However, I do plan on going back, finishing the game, and making the Elden Beast my Elden Bitch. Watch out Melenia. You ain’t safe either.

The Best of Movies

Honorable Mentions: A lot...

If it wasn’t clear by now, I can’t make up my mind when talking about movies. So to stretch things out a bit longer, here are a few bonus mentions to keep your eye out for when you’ve already watched Breaking Bad six times and scrolled through page 30 of Netflix. Of course, kicking things off is the $2.5 billion pop-culture phenomenon that was Barbenheimer. An unlikely combination of pink plastic and uranium proved that original filmmaking is at the heart of what audiences want with Gerwig’s Barbie and Nolan’s Oppenheimer. However, it wasn’t only the big films of the year, as genre flicks proved to be alive and kicking too. Juel Taylor shot down the door with his twisted sci-fi blacksploitation debut, They Cloned Tyrone. Eli Roth gave us arguably his best film with the hilariously fun slasher, Thanksgiving, while the Saw series found a surprisingly heartfelt revival with Kevin Greutert’s Saw X. 2023 also gave us the return of Ridley Scott, who even at 86 years old is giving us sprawling historical epics like Napoleon, reminding us why historical epics are so fun, even when they take liberties with the “historical” aspect. Scott wasn’t the only aging filmmaker to return to the scene as Miyazaki blessed us with his “final” outing, the visually stunning as it is confusing, The Boy and the Heron. And if that didn’t give you enough heart to cry the night away, Alexander Payne’s holiday classic inspired The Holdovers, just might get those last few tears out of you.

10. Jigarthanda DoubleX

Jiga-what? If you’re in the States, you’ve probably never heard of this, understandably so. Karthik Subbaraj’s ode to classic Indian cinema and spiritual prequel to Jigarthanda, is probably pretty far off your radar unless you’re invested in the Tamil movie scene. Even as someone with a passing interest in Indian films, I never heard of this one until I skimmed across it on Netflix. However, what might seem to be another three-hour mindless action flick, proves to be a story of trust, betrayal, and redemption, as a disgraced former police officer goes undercover as a filmmaker to make a biopic about an egocentric gangster. In a stylish, Tarantino-inspired, movie-making epic, filled with gangsters, guns, elephants, and celluloid, Jigarthanda DoubleX could just as fittingly be named Once Upon a Time in Kollywood. Even Clint Eastwood shows up! Don’t pass on this one, or you might just regret missing out on one of the most unique films of the year.

9. Talk to Me

I don’t get scared by horror movies. I’m not saying that to sound tough, I just think that real life is way scarier than any ghosts or monsters. Horror movies really only get to me when they reflect real life. So when I tell you that Talk to Me, a horror movie that’s about ghosts and monsters, is one of the scariest films I’ve seen in my life, you better believe it. This truly terrifying trip to the dark side found a way to get under my skin in a way that no other movie has since I saw Hereditary. Directing duo the Philippou brothers, have found a way to make horror feel unique and original in an era where the genre has gone down the tube. The film gives a new spin on the idea of Ouija boards and talking to the dead, in a satire that gets horrifying quite quickly. The visuals of being trapped in the land of the dead, tortured eternally, as you sit paralyzed as a passenger in your own body, really fucked me up. I'm bummed that I missed this one at Sundance, but watching with a packed crowd a few months later really sealed the deal on this one. As I sat in the theater witnessing some of the most horrifying images I’ve seen in my life, a group of 8-year-olds with questionable parents sat in front of me completely unfazed. Somebody, please get these kids off of Live Leak! If you’re a horror fan, this one is a must. I couldn’t sleep for days. It was great!

8. Godzilla Minus One

You cannot run from it. You cannot hide from it. You cannot kill it. It murders indiscriminately and without warning. It is the sum of all fears. It is death incarnate. It is Godzilla! Who would have thought that the best film about the nuclear war era and the devastating effects of the atomic bomb was not the three-hour Nolan biopic, but rather the giant lizard monster movie? Certainly not me, but here we are. Godzilla Minus One proves that not only does this nearly 70-year-old series have new ideas, but is also serving up some of cinema’s most powerful storytelling. By emphasizing the human cost of war and the devastation that comes from political inaction, Godzilla Minus One grounds itself in real-world politics to create not only the best Godzilla movie to date, but also an incredibly human story about triumph against all odds. A combination of satisfyingly epic and strangely touching, this film reminds us that genre films were always intended to be the voice of the people, personifying our fears and emotions on the big screen. Godzilla isn’t scary because he’s a big green monster, he’s scary because he reflects the real devastation that comes from uncontrolled nuclear power. It’s a trauma that Japan faced twice and looms over the heads of those suffering under major world conflicts. Director Takashi Yamazaki's bold eye for visual storytelling and sound design make Godzilla Minus One an incredibly theater-going experience and an emotionally relevant tale that will live with audiences 70 years beyond now.

7. Dream Scenario

Nicolas Cage and A24 can create a whole lot of buzzword headlines, but ultimately this long-awaited team-up just gives us great cinema. Dream Scenario’s Kaufman-inspired story tells the tale of the most unremarkable man given the thing he has wanted so desperately, unbridled fame, as he is inserted into the dreams of millions across the globe. Attention is something so many of us desperately want, seldom get and often regret. It’s a beast that once let out of the cage, can’t be controlled. Kristoffer Borgli’s direction gives Cage the runway to do what he does best, in a meta-commentary on Cage’s career, the disastrous influencer age, and the difference between want and need.

6. Across the Spider-Verse

There are a million things that could have gone wrong with this film. Breaking the record for the longest animated feature, Across the Spider-verse is not only a jam-packed story in itself but also serves as the first part of an epic conclusion of three films and a whirlwind of expectations. Thankfully, the talented artists at Sony Pictures Animation are able to create a story that not only dramatically evolves from its predecessor, but gives us one of the best Spider-Man stories yet. In a sea of poorly written multiverse stories, Across the Spiderverse stands out by using the multiverse narrative structure to do what Spider-Man does best, reflect its audience. Spider-Man has always been a mirror of its fans. Every kid has felt like Peter Parker or Miles Morales at one point or another, and Across the Spider-verse uses its infinitely expanding world to reveal the personality flaws that make us, so we can turn our tragedy into triumph. Funny, relatable, and sporting a killer soundtrack, Across the Spider-Verse shows that underneath our sadness, there is a hero waiting to swing free. Here’s to sticking the landing in Part 2.

5. BlackBerry

2023 saw a weird rise of corporate biopics, about the rise (and sometimes fall) of iconic brands. While I’d rather not get the Walk Hard treatment for every new flavor of Cheetos, Blackberry rises above the tropes by giving audiences a much more personal and desanitized look at the smartphone revolution. Shot as if they gave a BlackBerry intern a camera and stuffed him in a closet, director and star Mathew Johnson takes this unorthodox approach to put you in the meetings, the arguments, and the near disaster of the once grandiose company. BlackBerry is also served well by a strong supporting cast including Glen Howerton, who takes a rage-filed approach to the business telecom mogul Jim Balsillie. It’s weirdly high-octane for a film about purchasing bad Chinese microchips in bulk, but it didn’t stop me from shouting in the theater and nearly falling out of my damn seat. It’s a great time and you should definitely watch it on your iPhone.

4. Killers of the Flower Moon

It really struck me when Martin Scorsese, one of the most talented directors in American cinema, with an astounding 43 films under his belt, said “I’m old... I want to tell stories, and there’s no more time. Kurosawa, when he got his Oscar… he said, ‘I’m only now beginning to see the possibility of what cinema could be, and it’s too late.’ He was 83. At the time, I said, ‘What does he mean?’ Now I know what he means.” It’s a depressing but eye-opening thought. Cinema is a language all unto itself, yet its master linguists still feel that the ability of the medium has only barely been discovered. Great cinematic talents like Scorcesse are increasingly rare, but it proves that an artist’s journey never ends until they stop trying or are six feet under. The challenge of exploring everything both real and fictitious proves to be an ever-escalating and monumental task when time is so limited and nothing is ever guaranteed. Despite this, Scorcesse comes back with another career-defining film, Killers of the Flower Moon. Taking a deep and personal look at the 1920s murders of the Osage Tribe, Scorcesse gives audiences the native perspective on this tale of complete betrayal. Filled with nonactors giving outstanding performances and the ever-present cinematic eye of Scorcesse, Killers of the Flower Moon uncovers another dark American truth that has been kept covered for far too long.

3. The Iron Claw

Would a Grady movie ranking list be complete if there weren’t a least a few soul-crushing films on the list? The Iron Claw crushes you’re heart just as quickly as it warms it with its tragic tale of brotherhood and misfortune. Following the true story of the Von Erich wrestling family, The Iron Claw doesn’t just ask what the price of greatness is, but what is the true greatness you seek when your whole world falls apart? This one might start off like a standard sports biopic, but when that Million Dollar Baby second half starts to kick in, you realize quite quickly that you’re in for a tear-jerker. As the middle child of two brothers, this is definitely a story that hits close and stays close. I can’t imagine the feeling of being surrounded by constant tragedy, which is often quite preventable. Greatness should never be measured in blood, especially when it’s your family.

2. Beyond Utopia

Documentaries are designed to be a window into the cement walls of the world. The ideas considered too dangerous, the hidden fortresses that keep the world’s secrets, waiting to be revealed. Beyond Utopia does just that, by giving audiences a completely unparalleled look into the world’s most sealed-off fortress, North Korea. This film takes audiences firsthand through the concentration camps, rivers, minefields, and jungles, that line the border of freedom, and one family’s journey to cross it at all costs. Documentarian Madeleine Gavin follows South Korean pastor Seungeun Kim, as he works through a secret network of mules and traders to deliver families to freedom. Beyond Utopia is the rare kind of documentary where you can feel the changing of the world unfold right in front of your eyes, in a humanitarian effort that sparks more human emotion than you could ever expect. Pastor Kim is a hero among men, and director Madeleine Gavin is the exact kind of documentarian this world needs right now. This is not only one of the best documentaries of the year, but one of the best documentaries ever made. This movie is an absolute must-watch. You can watch it for free on PBS by clicking here.

1. Past Lives

Oh boy! Who could have guessed? At this point, you’re probably sick and tired of hearing me talk about this movie as it already landed on the top of my Sundance 2023 Recap, as well as my Best of the First Half of 2023. But damn it, it’s here for a reason. You know by now that this one is a tear-jerker, as it portrays the reality of life, love, and all the things we want, as we are unceremoniously pulled toward all the things we need. It’s one of the best movies I’ve seen in my entire life, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it for the past year. Past Lives has survived all my movie ranking Hunger Games, so if that doesn’t tell you to go watch it right now, I don’t know what will.

0. It’s Not Delivery

Another year, another shameless plug. In another classic, irreverent, Grady comedy, It’s Not Delivery follows the fateful meet-up between a hitchhiker and a pizza delivery driver, as they find themselves in a race against the clock to deliver a pizza and save the delivery driver's job. Starring knock-out comedy duo Rhenen Dominguez and Eli Baltazar, It’s Not Delivery is a hysterical ride about friendship forming from the strangest of places. It takes the best of classic road trip comedies and serves it up in one tight package that will leave you feeling full. Keep an eye out for this one as it travels around the festival circuit. For now, you can check out the IMDB Page here and watch the trailer here.