The best films of 2023 and why you need to watch them
Film reviewer Jeremy Ransome has been to see more than 40 movies at the cinema this year and we tasked him with naming his ten favourites in descending order from number 10 to the very best… as well as the one he wished he hadn’t bothered with.
10- Barbie – seen July
“The script is original, the acting wonderful and the narrative firmly tongue in cheek throughout, with Margot Robbie excellent as ‘stereotypical’ Barbie and Ryan Gosling superb as ‘beach’ Ken”
Review:www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/whats-on/oppenheimer-and-barbie-reviewed-9322779/
Watch it: Available to stream on most services.
9 - The Great Escaper – seen October
“Michael Caine goes out in style, putting in a commanding and touching performance as D-Day Navy veteran Bernard Jordan and the late Glenda Jackson is wonderfully moving as his wife Irene”
Watch it: Available to stream on most services.
8- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – seen July
“As far back as those Eighties classics Top Gun, Cocktail and Rain Man, Tom Cruise has been at the very top of his profession - and this seventh instalment of the Mission Impossible franchise shows he’s still there”
Review: www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/whats-on/cruise-proves-he-s-still-the-main-man-9321727/
Watch it: Available to stream on most services.
7- Oppenheimer – seen July
“The superb Cillian Murphy is supported brilliantly by Robert Downey Junior as politician Lewis Strauss, with Matt Damon also in wonderful form as Lieutenant General Leslie Groves”
Review: www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/whats-on/oppenheimer-and-barbie-reviewed-9322779/
Watch it: Available to stream on most services.
6- Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody – seen January
“Naomi Ackie is superb throughout, verging from innocent to sexy and angry to downright crushed by the rollercoaster career and life Whitney enjoyed and endured”
Review: www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/whats-on/amazing-film-tells-a-heartbreaking-story-9291913/
Watch it: On Now TV or available to stream on most services.
5- Wonka (PG) – seen December
“With a great, new storyline, some smashing songs, and characters that could have come straight from the pen of the legendary Dahl, we could have a modern classic on our hands”
Review: https://www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/whats-on/musical-could-be-a-new-family-favourite-classic-9344983/
Watch it: At cinemas now.
4- Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse – seen June
“The non-stop action, humour and genuinely warm relationships keep the viewer invested throughout and it’s a refreshing change to see the two main characters portrayed as an Afro-Latino man and a transgender woman”
Review: www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/whats-on/new-spiderverse-film-is-even-better-than-the-original-9315497
Watch it: On Netflix or available to stream on most services.
3- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – seen May
“Star Lord, Gamora, Groot, Rocket, Nebula, Mantis and Drax are back for one final outing and, believe me, it’s every bit as moving, funny and entertaining as the first two films that made us all fall in love with them in the first place”
Watch it: On Disney + or available to stream on most services.
2- Killers of the Flower Moon – seen October
“Two of the finest actors of any generation are on top form, De Niro at his menacing best as the ‘wolf in sheep’s-clothing’ William Hale, and DiCaprio superb as Hale’s good-looking but simple nephew Ernest Burkhart”
Review:www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/whats-on/the-winning-formula-of-scorsese-dicaprio-and-de-niro-9336418/
Watch it: Available to stream on most services.
1- Past Lives – seen September
“Quite simply one of the most intense, emotional and thought-provoking films I’ve ever had the privilege and pleasure to watch”
Review: www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/whats-on/our-what-if-moments-portrayed-perfectly-9330743/
Watch it: Available to stream on most services.
CHRISTMAS TURKEY
Asteroid City – seen July
“When I go to the cinema, I just want a couple of hours of good plot and great acting. This delivered neither. It’s also billed as a comedy/drama – but I cannot recall being brought even close to laughter”
Review:www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/whats-on/asteroid-city-made-me-think-too-hard-9320017
Watch it: Available to stream on most services.
