Last week, TommieMedia reporter Kevin Lynch listed the first half of his ranking of the top movies of 2023. This week, we list the final 15.

15. “Past Lives”

“Past Lives” emerged as a contender for the year’s unquestioned masterpiece when it was released in June, springing from humble beginnings as director Celine Song’s directorial debut to capture the hearts — and attention — of everyone when it received almost unprecedented amounts of festival-season praise. And while, yes, I fully admit that it didn’t quite click to the extent that it was hyped up to — a statement that’s telling of its quality given how high it still ranks — Song’s achievement here can’t be overstated.

At its core, “Past Lives” is an aching testament to love and human connection, a bravely empathetic vision that challenges our notions of what romance can look like on-screen. It’s not particularly exciting, but it succeeds entirely in letting us soak in the bitter taste of heartache little by little, enveloping us entirely in the characters’ inner turmoils and regrets. It doesn’t resort to petty love triangle shenanigans, robbing us of both the spicy drama and easy answers provided by a cheaper alternative, and it revels in making us long waits and uncomfortable pauses that only highlight just how important life and love truly are. I may not have felt much of its desired emotional oomph myself, but it’s a beautifully woven tale all the same, and one well worth scouting out regardless.

14. “The Holdovers”

In my mind, there’s always a “The Holdovers” released towards the end of every year. It feels like movies with a holiday setting (in this case, Christmas), a prominent lead actor (Paul Giamatti) and a cozy, sweatercore-worthy vibe (a snowy New England boarding school? You betcha) should be dime-a-dozen, especially when this feels like the exact sort of well that the likes of the Hallmark Channel or Netflix should have tapped dry long ago. And yet, “The Holdovers” still finds a way to break new ground not by subverting our preconceptions, but by embracing them and allowing its characters to grapple with more than just a messy breakup or a bah-humbug attitude over the course of the film.

Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa are all stuck with one another and forced to confront the very things that have led to them being dumped in an empty school over holiday break, though their characters’ internal dilemmas are handled with such elegance that you scarcely feel the need to remember that they’re fictional while watching. It’s warm, funny and uplifting through and through, and while it’s not challenging any norms, it does, in a way, challenge us as viewers to be more accepting of that hopeful message in our own lives. And besides, the satisfaction of putting those Hallmark snobs in their place for once is well worth a little bit of holiday love.

13. “Suzume”

Cats. Earthquakes. Demonic forces. A talking chair. “Your Name” director Makoto Shinkai’s latest work is certainly no conventional fantasy quest, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. “Suzume” is a brilliant adventure of a movie that follows the titular teenage girl after she is thrust into facing a threat that looms large over both the world as well as her family’s history, undergoing a tremendous amount of growth to understand her destiny, become her own person and maybe, just maybe, get a smokin’ hot chair boyfriend along the way.

While it may sound overly stuffed with ideas, “Suzume” is startlingly zeroed in on what it wants to achieve, and the way that it executes this vision — turning the innocuous, fun first act into an epic, cathartic and utterly soul-shaking showdown by the end — is nothing short of masterful. Yes, it may not be lighting the screen ablaze with its original themes or ideas, but what Shinkai pulls out of the film’s odd bits of setup is not only surprising, but also, needless to say, effective. It’s the sort of movie that has you sitting up, fists clenched and eyes watery one moment then silently, wordlessly heartbroken the next, and the undertones it carries about the people of Japan as a whole add a great dimension of purpose to Suzume’s mission. It’s a tremendously enjoyable film, and one of the year’s truest, bluest must-watches.

12. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”

The fact that the climatic finale to perhaps the greatest run of Marvel films in history — James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy — isn’t even the top-ranked superhero film on this list is a testament to how great its company is, though its placement here in the first place is an equally pertinent reminder of just how great of an accomplishment the film is on its own merits. After using the original “Guardians” to explore how broken characters are able to come together and heal, Gunn takes his ragtag group’s journey to its natural conclusion with “Vol. 3,” allowing each member of the team to grow beyond what they once were, an incredibly cathartic achievement that truly feels like watching Gunn let these characters go and flourish in a way we’re not always accustomed to in superhero blockbusters.

Outside of this, though, the entire film radiates an infectious excitement and hopefulness, even amidst some of the bleakest and cruelest scenes in the MCU. The series’ trademark stylishness and humor may be toned back a bit, but when Gunn and his crew are riding this high, it’s all but impossible to take them down, and there’s simply so many smart, fun and satisfying ideas present that to run through them individually would be a disservice to the effect created when all of these fresh ideas and heightened emotions are swirled into one fantastically enjoyable film.

It’s not often that the third film in an MCU series can be treated like a definitive ending, but if any has earned it, it’s “Guardians.” I may not be sure whether the Marvel machine will resurrect the characters that meant so much to me growing up to cash a quick check, but I can rest easy at night with the knowledge that the cathartic finale of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” will stay with me for as long as I need it, no matter how high or low on this list it may land.

11. “The Killer”

When you hear the title, “The Killer” it doesn’t sound very original. When you watch the trailer, it doesn’t look very original. When you hear the premise, it definitely doesn’t sound very original. And yet, when you start the film and within the first 15 minutes Michael Fassbender’s character starts speaking in minutes-long internal monologues and spouting lines like “WWJWBD: What Would John Wilkes Booth Do?” it’s hard not to get the impression that you are in store for something that is very NOT not original.

While, yes, director David Fincher may be famous for his off-beat protagonists and winding, grounded stories of espionage and intrigue, his latest film is distinctly different. In “The Killer,” every serious, dramatic moment is shown to be exactly as ridiculous as it probably should be; Fincher is having a laugh at Fassbender’s character’s ridiculous, self-important attitude, and while it’s not a direct satire, the effect is similar. Whereas movies of a similar ilk attempt to convince us that an ordinary man could secretly be a slick, mass-murdering super-assassin — for example, you need look no further than four entries higher on this list — “The Killer” is a tongue-in-cheek reminder that these paragons of eye-popping ruthlessness are just as washed-up and pathetic as the next guy. It’s exciting, heart-racing and more than a little bit funny, an impeccably uncomfortable watch that just so happens to be one of the year’s greats.

10. “Knock at the Cabin”

“Oh great, another cabin horror movie,” I hear you say. “Oh brother, not M. Night Shyamalan too,” I hear you groan. “Oh man, not an existential rumination on the shared responsibility of humanity and the nature of trust and belief,” I hear you mutter before looking up in surprise that you had that statement rattling around in your brain in the first place. And yes, I too was surprised. But, in spite of every bad rep, played-out trope and questionable marketing choice that preceded it, you’ll have to believe me when I reply: “‘Knock at the Cabin’ is just that good.”

The film wastes little time getting moving as its claustrophobic setting combines with some of the year’s best performances to make for an eerie, stomach-turning experience that will have you gripping your armrests with shock, drama and everything in between the whole way through. The characters’ interesting grab-bag of traits mix elegantly with the apocalyptic, theological dilemma that they face, and each small moment of triumph or horror hits as impossibly hard as the last. It’s one of, if not the most, exciting and transportive film all year, remaining astoundingly powerful in my mind even nearly a year after its February release. So, in conclusion, two lessons: one, don’t answer to strangers in a secluded cabin in the woods, and two, don’t you ever, ever count M. Night Shyamalan out.

9. “A Haunting in Venice”

They’ll tell you that “A Haunting in Venice” is boring. They’ll tell you that it’s uneven. They’ll tell you that it’s heavy-handed and obvious while simultaneously making little sense. And they’ll be 100% correct. But what they won’t tell you is that it also rules.

“A Haunting in Venice” is the third of Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie adaptations, and it is also undoubtedly the best. Whereas “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile” forced you to squint through some poor, green-screen-addled directing and bizarre performances in order to reach the nugget of hammy fun at their core, “A Haunting in Venice” swaggers in and provides a tremendously enjoyable mystery adventure from the jump. Gone here is the bland tedium of its predecessors; the decision to blur the line between mystery and horror in “Venice” turns it into a genuine thrill ride of a film, one that showcases the series’ best elements in a proud fashion.

Branagh is at his best yet as the eccentric Hercule Poirot — with an excitingly fleshed-out character arc to compliment the ghostly story — though he truly shines when in the director’s chair. The creepy Venetian house that houses the characters — and also what may or may not be the restless souls of a few dozen dead children — oozes with a perfectly creepy atmosphere, and the more horror-based sequences are filmed with some surprising flair. Sure, the mystery may be a bit predictable, and, sure, after a certain point there does come a threshold for how good a Branagh Poirot film can reasonably be, but I’m not ashamed to admit that it tickled my whiskers in all the right ways. I simply can’t praise it enough, and truly cannot wait for what Branagh and his mustachioed murder-solver create next.

8. “Coo-Coo 043”

While I feel somewhat guilty using this list to flaunt a movie that, to my knowledge, isn’t available to watch anywhere in the U.S. at the moment, the fact that I was able to watch “Coo-Coo 043” at all, on an airplane, no less — shoutout to my favorite film distributor, Delta Airlines — is a stroke of luck that I’m more and more grateful for each day. The Taiwanese film might sound strange in concept, setting the story of a deteriorating family against the backdrop of the country’s pigeon-racing scene, but its unconventional ideas create a wholly effective lens with which to present such heart-rending drama.

The way that the simple pigeons’ lives and simple struggles reflect the dynamics of this broken, bruised family is nothing short of brilliant, forcing both the characters and the viewer to confront the difficult truths of human nature that the races unearth. It’s not very technically impressive, but there’s a certain honesty at work behind the camera that shines through during both the film’s best and worst scenes. That said, there’s no one sequence that makes or breaks the movie; rather, by the end it’s the repeated sense of loss and regret that will leave you awash with tears. I found it to be entirely captivating, and I sincerely hope that more will have the opportunity to experience it soon.

7. “Anatomy of a Fall”

Last year, Park Chan-wook left his mark on the “drama where a husband falls to his death and the wife is the prime suspect” genre of movies with the unforgettable “Decision to Leave,” making a seemingly unbeatable magnum opus for the genre. And yet, of course, this year’s gripping legal drama, “Anatomy of a Fall,” by French filmmaker Justine Triet makes a fantastic case for why Chan-wook might just have been topped.

While it can often feel as emotionally barren as the cold snows of the secluded cabin where Sandra Hüller’s character — alongside her vision-impaired son, played by Milo Machado-Graner — lives, the calculated precision that is inescapable while watching “Anatomy of a Fall” is what makes it so distinctly effective, building up familial and legal tension until its metaphorical pot boils over in an emotional rush of a finale. There’s a deliciously dense wealth of both information and emotion alike packed into every scene; I walked out of the theater feeling like an expert on the trial myself, and the nearly omniscient knowledge given to the viewer only makes the story that much more painful to sit through. It’s startlingly different from what I expected going in, but it’s a work of genius all the same, one that provides a refreshing sense of excitement that reminds me of why I love movies in the first place.

6. “John Wick: Chapter 4”

I will be the first to tell you that the “John Wick” series ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. After an “okay” first film, it descends into being wholly derivative for its second entry before finally pulling out something at least substantially exciting with the third film. In all, it’s a surprisingly unoriginal, unexciting trilogy of films, one that I would have been entirely apathetic towards had it not been for my experience watching “John Wick: Chapter 4.” Craning my neck up from the front section of a packed IMAX theater, something happened that was even crazier than any of Keanu Reeves’ action shenanigans: the movie was good.

“John Wick: Chapter 4” is not only the best in the “John Wick” series; it’s by far the best action film of the year. Director Chad Stahelski’s world of shady super-assassins and unnecessarily complicated lore creates, for the first time, a genuinely exciting, climatic experience, one that rejects the candy-coated complacency of the previous sequels and opts for more, more and more. It’s more thrilling. It’s more entertaining. It’s more emotional. It’s more ridiculously over-complicated. And, most importantly, it’s more awesome.

“Chapter 4” may be a mess of randomly-introduced characters and a schlocky setup that’s really only interested in action, much like the rest of the series, but here it feels startlingly earned. Each action sequence is miraculously more exciting than the last, and the plot is straightforward enough to the point where I can’t even find it in me to be annoyed by the lazily stitched-together worldbuilding on account of its ability to finally cut right to the series’ emotional core. I won’t say that it justifies the existence of a series that has been spinning its wheels since its very first entry, but the film’s ending — an hour-long tour de force bloodbath that sees Wick desperately carving a gory path through the streets of Paris — gives me no hesitation in saying that “John Wick: Chapter 4” is Stahelski and Reeves’ first genuine masterpiece, one I couldn’t have loved more.

5. “Asteroid City”

If you’re surprised that Wes Anderson cracked this list twice — technically four times, if counting each short individually — then you clearly haven’t watched any of his Dahl short films, and you most definitely haven’t seen “Asteroid City.” There’s something to be said about practically every element in the director’s latest feature, though to highlight one character, line or scene above the rest would be a disservice to the eccentric, beautiful quilt of meaning that Anderson stitches together like a conductor at a podium. Everything — from the meta-meta-narrative structure to the stunningly charming cast of characters — is a treat by itself, though it’s the way that disparate ideas and unforeseen elements collide to produce a sense of dreamy meaning that makes the film nothing short of hypnotic.

The story is teeming with a boundless sense of wonder and meaning that’s begging to be explored; its more reserved approach guards some incredibly profound themes about life, purpose and destiny, and the grand, cosmic quandaries it explores are somehow made even more effective when told through its nostalgic space-age veneer. It’s a magnificent balancing act of composure and wonder that builds to a quiet, melancholic — yet no less triumphant — ending, showcasing some of the inarguable best work of the year, much less of Anderson’s career to date.

4. “Beau Is Afraid”

When thinking of director Ari Aster’s new film, a particular quote from the late Japanese director Seijun Suzuki comes to mind: “I make movies that make no sense and make no money.” And while there were certainly stranger, less popular releases this year, it’s no exaggeration to say that the news that Aster, who broke out last decade with the influential horror hits “Hereditary” and “Midsommar,” would be returning with a three-hour weird-out odyssey following Joaquin Phoenix overcoming his mommy issues certainly didn’t get audiences rushing to the theater, to say the least. Against all odds, however, “Beau Is Afraid” doesn’t just make sense: it makes for an utter masterpiece.

Aster’s vision of mother-son relationships is twisted in all the best ways; the film can scarcely go five minutes without a scene or image that is either the funniest or sickest thing you’ve seen in your life, often both. The bizarre moments are some of the best it has to offer, but the strange, sickly dread that settles in your stomach from the opening minutes and never really leaves is what propels the film — and Beau — forward with such passion. Perhaps the reason that “Beau Is Afraid” works so darn well is because it needed to be weird; only a movie so callously ridiculous could be this effective in working past our preconceptions in a weirdly heartbreaking reminder of how much of our lives are unquestionably damaged by an insurmountable cycle of abuse. It’s an astoundingly meaningful, original work, and one that no amount of logic nor money could ever hope to tarnish.

3. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”

In sharp contrast to “Beau Is Afraid,” I doubt that many will be shocked at “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’s” high placement here. After 2018’s “Into the Spider-Verse” became an instant animated classic, there was no doubt that its sequel — or rather, sequels, with the final chapter being split into two parts — would knock our brilliantly animated socks off once again, though I don’t think even the most devoted of supporters could have conceived of a follow-up this exceptional. It’s worth bringing attention to the numerous production issues that have come out surrounding the film — especially producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s alleged mistreatment and crunch of its animators — though what the film accomplishes, even in a messy, cameo-ridden and dubiously-produced superhero flick, is monumental regardless.

In logistical terms, one might as well flip back to read reviews of the 2018 film to get the gist because “Across the Spider-Verse” has once again succeeded in striding past its competition — animated and not — in terms of overall visual, audio and narrative mastery, despite giving them every opportunity to catch up in the nearly five years it took to release. Not only is the movie more expansive, more animated and more complex, but it also delves even further into the simple, heartfelt emotions that, working in tandem with the natural beauty of its technical elements, have been the film’s secret superpower since the original. There’s an especially beautiful moment towards the beginning of the film where two characters are talking with nothing but a soft, rising track in the background as they are shot to be small specks above a sea of plastic tarps blowing in the afternoon breeze. These simple moments are a strong representation of the rest of the film’s emotional effectiveness. It’s in this way that “Across the Spider-Verse” is uniquely able to capture both the imagination and emotion of audiences in a single thrilling superhero epic, and the result of that simple achievement can’t be understated.

Rarely in any year will you find a film so chock-full of unimpeachable action, snippy comedy, and, most importantly, heartstring-tugging emotional conflict, with memorably pertinent themes that hide just out of sight long enough to sucker-punch you with a vengeance when they rear their heads. It’s practically a sure thing that at least one quality comic-book film will be released per year, though “Across the Spider-Verse” still finds a way to stand out, even when forced to follow its predecessor’s titanic footsteps. Its cliffhanger may feel somewhat cheap, though that’s small potatoes when I know for a fact that I will be webbed to that seat on opening night for its sequel.

2. “Killers of the Flower Moon”

It’s a bit hard to rationalize just how good Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” is. Because, yes, of course Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flowers of the Moon” was always going to be good. And, yes, Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” is good.

But also, no, wait, Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” is really that good.

It’s difficult to talk about a film as dense and powerful as this in just a handful of short paragraphs, so allow me to paint a picture with my own experiences. As a consequence of watching the movie at a nearby chain theater, I had to dash out of the theater once the credits rolled in order to make it on a bus back to campus; I bolted as the first line of credits rolled, and just barely boarded in time. Thus, it wasn’t until I had finally settled into my bus seat that I realized to my own surprise that my mouth was open, my breathing was shallow and, for some unknown reason, I could not, for the life of me, feel my teeth.

It would be a disservice to describe “Killers of the Flower Moon” in only anecdotal vagaries, though, no matter how utterly destroying it may have been; the film is an expansive story of chilling exploitation and the corruptive power of greed, one that tears a man, a family and an entire society apart in its over-three-hour-long gut punch of a story. The fact that it contains some of the most powerful acting, directing and editing of the year feels like an obvious superfluities when measured up against the titanic breadth of the overall experience. It’s as powerful as it is unsettlingly beautiful, a masterful work by one of the greatest American filmmakers that exposes the very worst of his own country. So, yes, in case you haven’t picked up on it yet, Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” is good.

1. “Oppenheimer”

Well, this is embarrassing. Here I am, right after spouting an eloquent soliloquy about how one of the greatest American filmmakers has created a riveting masterpiece that explores the deepest, darkest parts of the country’s soul and now, for my all-time, first-ranked film of 2023 I’m about to say… the same exact thing.

For all of my jokes, though, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is indisputably beyond comparison. Just when it felt like we’d seen all of the tricks hidden up Nolan’s sleeve — from non-sequential plots, gimmicks with space and time to simply all of “Tenet” wrapped up as a whole — he delivers a historical film unlike any other, laying the breadth of his talents wide for all to see while at what can most assuredly be described as the top of his game. The thing about “Oppenheimer” is that there’s not a single element that’s not worth praising; from the powerhouse performances, the outstanding editing, and the out-of-this-world sound design — and yes, I am steadily running out of adjectives that mean “the best” to describe this film with — the entire production is akin to a machine that is simply oozing with oil out of orifice, chugging along at a breakneck rate that rarely ever slows down to allow you to catch your breath or close your gaping jaw.

The greatest compliment that I can “Oppenheimer” is that it’s a film that no one but Nolan could have made; watching it is the experience of viewing what feels like the most finely-tuned, expertly-crafted three hours yet put to film, leaving me feeling positively gutted as I shuffled out of the theater. It stands apart as the greatest cinematic achievement of the year, a powerful culmination of a fully excellent year for movies and one of the all-time best films I’ve had the privilege of seeing.

Kevin Lynch can be reached at lync1832@stthomas.edu.