#26: Sisu
Am I a little mad for putting two R-rated action flicks into last year's most successful animated movie? Yes. But I have a simple reason why this movie got higher than both: Killing Nazis is fun, man. As an action movie junkie, I thought I had seen every way to kill a man, but damn did Sisu prove me wrong. Knives to the gut, mines to the head, and stapled together spleens all do their work to make this a putrid period of peace set in WW2's tail end.
And I do mean putrid in the best way possible. Director Jalmari Helander and Cinematographer Kjell Lagerroos do well in painting what a war-torn battlefield indeed looks like with a large swath of beautiful Finnish terrain. Everything from the land to our characters is pushed to its limits. Once the symbolic pin on the grenade goes off, Sisu feels like an open-world video game with consistently ramping-up action.
This fits Sisu's themes well: strategy and strength are always important, but sometimes sheer determination carries you through. Does it mean our main character survives a lot of shit he shouldn't? Yeah. Does it still make for an entertaining movie with not the most going for it? Also yeah. Still, Sisu is a fun ride I recommend to all my fellow Nazi haters. I hope everyone is reading this.
#25: Leo
Would it be wrong to say this is the biggest surprise of 2023 for me? Given Happy Madison's ... questionable batting average and that the last animation they did was Eight Crazy Nights (yes, really look it up), I was wary of how this would be handled. I waited for the cynical trope or raunchy "gotcha," which would turn this R-rated or PG-13. But it never came.
Leo is a relatively genuine movie with enough overhead jokes to keep older people invested. Adam Sandler and Bill Burr display fun chemistry together, both with each other and the resident students. The kids, at least, also feel like real kids with their personalities and characters.
I'm split on the various musical numbers of the movie, though. Much like how I felt going in, I was waiting for a fancy interruption or complete dismissal (which technically happened once), but again, most of them are played straight with a bit of creativity. This wishy-washy feeling takes away from how much I'm supposed to care. It doesn't help I don't think we were ever going to win a Grammy here (animation can barely scrape by the Oscars). They least get decently fun visuals.
Overall, Leo is a decently fun PG movie with a bit of that classic Happy Madison edge, for better or worse. It's a short but at least somewhat entertaining romp, even if the ending twist with Leo feels a little forced. I recommend it only because, much like Uncut Gems, I would like Adam Sandler to push himself forward in more creative endeavors.
#24: They Cloned Tyrone
I am legitimately kicking myself for waiting until the near end of last year to watch this. They Cloned Tryone instantly grabbed me, not only with John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, and Teyonah Paris leading the show. With both the location and fun visuals, Tyrone, despite being set in the modern day, also feels like you stepped into the 70s some days with the aesthetics used, and given the film's message and antagonists, that fits.
If you had told me about this plot three years ago, I was skeptical, but after seeing the system work as it's intended on a grand scale, they'd put something in my fried chicken.
Seeing this movie's various twists and turns was hella fun, especially with Fontaine being the face of it all.
They Cloned Tyrone doesn't let its crazy plot detract from the grounding elements. As I grow older, I realize how much we as a society get in our way when it comes to inflicting real change on a government that doesn't like it. This leads to a rather vindicating story with something to say. While I doubt there'll be a sequel, I wish for Juel Taylor to direct another film since he'll potentially be big in later years.
#23: Bottoms
Man, this was Ayo Edeberi's year, huh? The Bear, Abbott Elementary, and a future entry on this list have put this woman everywhere. Bottoms are the definition of an old concept given a fresh coat of paint. If you've heard of films like Weird Science or Revenge of the Nerds, you can guess many of this movie's beats before pressing play. Regardless, I still find it hella refreshing having this come from two leading ladies, though.
We as a society need to do much better when supporting Women's rights and wrongs. And trust me, they do plenty of things wrong here. Seeing two losers try navigating this satirically insane world is hella fun all the way through, and any joke that feels like it runs a little long feels intentional, given the cringe comedy involved.
The jocks being overdramatic clowns that never leave their uniforms is funny af. They give this film a fun flavor where you are along for the ride rather than if anyone can succeed. I praised Ayo initially, too, but Rachel Sammont isn't one to get left behind acting-wise and creates a lot of great surrealist and cringe comedy amongst a sea of guests. Judging from the lengthy outtake segment, this movie seemed like a blast both on and off set. Given its short length, Bottoms is for you if you want a fun summer comedy movie.
#22: No Hard Feelings
Tied with Leo, this is the biggest surprise of 2023 for me. As stated before, R-rated comedies are a little hit or miss for me, and I wasn't more accustomed to Jennifer Lawerence's more comedic roles. I will say, though, if this is going to be her new bar in the future, I will have a gay ole time. Going into NHF, I was hella worried about the initial premise.
Those worries were quelled when I saw Percy's character bust out the pepper spray. From there, I enjoyed a movie that leaned well into the situation's absurdity while being grounded in some fun characters. Percy and Maddie learning to be more adventurous, kind, and respectful was a fun dynamic.
While the man-eater piano scene probably grabbed most people's eyes and balls, scenes like the house party and resident car chases are great runner-ups. All of which wouldn't have worked without Jennifer Lawerence and Andrew Felman's great chemistry (plus a little Ebon Bachrach cause I'm feeling biased). Despite that, I'm also legitimately glad the two decided to be friends instead of partners, again adding a bit more to the reality of the movie but leaving it on a great note. One about taking that next leap of faith—a fitting message given our next entry.
#21: Ladybug and Cat Noir Miraclous Movie
Ooh, boy, have I been waiting to talk about this one? Like most people my age who've seen Miraculous (I refuse to carbon date myself by giving you a measurement), my relationship with the show has always been complicated. The show always had potential, but it only partially capitalized on it in favor of an easy, repeatable formula. A thought I'm glad was proven correct by this movie.
Without Thomas Astruc's writing (and racism) at the helm and backed by one of the biggest budgets in Fracnce's animated film library, the Miraculous movie bathe this franchise in beautiful visuals. 2023 had a lot of banger animated films, but even I concede Miraculous looks phenomenal. From the lighting, quick expression work, and climatic fight scenes, Paris truly earns its title here as a "City of Lights."
This cinematography also extends decently well into the multiple music numbers of the film, which ... are aight. Similar to Leo, I feel like this movie's shotty commitment to them makes for a soundtrack legitimately lacking in strong earworms. Combined with the choice to replace our MCs for Lou and Drew Ryan Scott in the English version's songs, this created a jarring mismatch for me. If I were to pick a favorite, it would be You're Ladybug or the theme song remix since I'm biased.
Of course, the characters are the biggest glow-up in this movie for me. Toning down Marinette's crush and Adrien's fish-out-of-water nature to instead focus more on their respective anxiety and loneliness was a great call. Another was keeping the voice cast from the show, too. I believe both factors do an excellent job of creating a crazy, cute romance, honestly, with two strong main leads.
The character I am most in awe of is Gabriel Agreste, though. I love the way this film has him push his downward spiral. The butterfly miraculously presents itself almost like a devilish monkey's paw. His routine check-ups on Adrien and physical decline, later on, make him genuinely tragic. The movie's ending nearly made me tear up with Adrien and Gabriel's reconciliation.
My only real problem with the movie is that it could be a tad longer. Adrien gets a lot of good scenes, but more showing rather than telling would be appreciated. Though if I'm asking more from what I think is already a good movie, we were as lucky as Ladybug to get this production.
#20: Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King
Last year, I got into just as many manga as I did movies. Slam Dunk, Mission Yozakura Family, Kagurabaichi, Kaiju No.8, and Black Clover were all series I happily read, with the last one being in preparation for the movie. A journey I'm glad I partook in. While My Hero will always have my heart from the shonen of the 2010's Black Clover, despite my problems with the stakes and power, progression is a consistently fun battle shonen.
Not only was getting into the movie a treat, but I also think it's a good trailer for what the Spade raid will look like. Studio Pierrot's time and money were well spent. Every scene on display here is utter sakuga, and it was a treat getting to see the English voice in action for once. Everyone, big and small, gets a time to shine here, and it's fun all the way around.
While the concept of an evil Wizard King is less novel than it seems, given the current way of the manga, it isn't as novel as it originally was; Conrad may be my favorite villain. Outside of the whole, you know ... nuking an entire kingdom plan, Conrad being a noble who worked his way up to get betrayed is some compelling stuff. I especially like his parallels with Asta's never-give-up nature. It makes their final battle with the first opening blare louder.
My only problem with the film is finding out more of the behind-the-scenes of it. While I respect Yuki Tabatha for having a big hand in fitting this into BC's timeline (I just noticed how weird that acronym is when talking about time), we could've cut about 5 minutes to talk about the respective Wizard King's backstories. They could've broken up the action while strengthening the parallels between our heroes/villains. Still, BC's first movie outing was everything I wanted: a big action blowout.