by Nick Nitkowski

This has been quite an interesting year for movies so far. We’re only halfway through the year so far and we’ve already had a bunch of movies fail at the box office and a bunch of movies that were just plain bad, not worthy of being seen. And yet, among the chaos, I managed to find a few gems among the ashes. Of course, with this being a Top 10 List, I couldn’t fit everything that I enjoyed on the list. Hence, my honorable mentions that are also worth checking out. But without further ado… here is my Top 10 Best Movies List of the Year So Far!

Honorable Mentions:

A Quiet Place: Day One, Challengers, Civil War, Young Woman and the Sea, Ordinary Angels, Remembering Gene Wilder, Late Night with the Devil, Monkey Man

10. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, young Furiosa falls into the hands of a great biker horde led by the warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel, presided over by the Immortan Joe. As the two tyrants fight for dominance, Furiosa soon finds herself in a nonstop battle to make her way home.

Directed by George Miller

IMDB 7.8/10 Rotten Tomatoes 90%

Nine years after the massive success of “Mad Max: Fury Road”, we get a prequel film focused on Furiosa’s origin story. And while it may not have been the success they were hoping for, I still enjoyed it very much. Granted, it’s nowhere near the high-octane action spectacle that is “Fury Road”, but it was a very much enjoyable addition to the “Mad Max” saga. It had some good storytelling, and still had some kick-ass action sequences! Landing it on my number 10 spot!

9. Problemista

Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer who’s struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an art world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realise his dream.

Directed by Julio Torres

Rotten TomatoesI 88% Metacritic 71%

“Problemista” was a very interesting film. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it after watching the trailer. But after watching the movie, I ended up having a great time with it. Tilda Swinton was the biggest highlight of the film. Her high-end danger-level Karen behavior had me laughing very hard and very often. Highly enjoyable!

8. The First Omen

A woman starts to question her own faith when she uncovers a terrifying conspiracy to bring about the birth of evil incarnate in Rome.

Directed by Arkasha Stevenson

Rotten TomatoesI 82% Metacric 65%

Interestingly enough, we had two movies about churches doing shady stuff to create an anti-Christ. And out of the two, I gotta say that I enjoyed “First Omen” more. It had more moments of “WTF” that had my jaw dropped. Even with it being a prequel to a well-known film, it really managed to hold its own and deliver one Hell of a film.

7. One Life

London broker Nicholas “Nicky” Winton helps rescue hundreds of predominantly Jewish children from Czechoslovakia in a race against time before the Nazi occupation closes the borders. Fifty years later, he’s still haunted by the fate of those he wasn’t able to bring to safety.

Directed by James Hawes

IMDB 7.5/10 Rotten Tomatoes 91%

Unlike most true stories, this was actually a story that I was aware of beforehand. I was very curious to see how they were going to tell the story in movie form and I must say that they did a superb job with it! It was very well acted by everyone involved and managed to strike an emotional chord with me. Such a moving film! Highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it yet.

6. Inside Out 2

Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust have been running a successful operation by all accounts. However, when Anxiety shows up, they aren’t sure how to feel.

Directed by Kelsey Mann

IMDB 7.9/10 Rotten Tomatoes 90%

It’s no secret that Disney has been struggling to recapture the magic that they’ve been known for for a while lately. But PIXAR even with their weaker films can still manage to make great films. Nine years after the first one, we now have a sequel to “Inside Out!” This one deals with more emotions than before. This movie, while not as good as the first one, in my opinion, shows that PIXAR has still got it! They’ve shown that they can still make good, memorable films that leave a lasting impression. I really liked how this film portrayed anxiety. As someone who still struggles with it, I can say that it certainly felt accurate. Definitely worthy to be on my top list.

5. Tuesday

A mother and her daughter must confront Death when it arrives in the form of an astonishing talking bird.

Directed by Daina Oniunas-Pusic

Rotten TomatoesI 81% Metacritic 70%

I went into this movie completely blind. I saw it at the Florida Film Festival based on a recommendation. I knew absolutely nothing about it going in, which is always exciting. And I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. A movie about a dying girl who comes face to face with the embodiment of death that takes the form of a macaw parrot. Strange? Yes. Deep? Also yes. It gave me a whole new outlook on the importance of death. 

4. Hit Man

Professional killer Gary Johnson breaks protocol to help a desperate woman trying to flee an abusive husband and finds himself falling for her.

Directed by Richard Linklater

Rotten TomatoesI 96% Metacritic 72%

This movie was definitely a surprise to me. Netflix doesn’t always have the best track record when it comes to their exclusive film distribution selection, but every once in a while, they do manage to get their hands on a gem or two and this was definitely one of them. An officer portraying a hit man to arrest the people who hire him falls in love with a woman trying to hire him? Who would have thought that it would work so well? 

3. Dune Pt. 2

Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, he must prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

IMDB 8.2/10 Rotten Tomatoes 92%

This was a long-awaited sequel to a film that took a massive gamble of completing a single film with no promise of the sequel, especially during the height of COVID. Now that we have it, it definitely delivered. An amazing visual spectacle that just blew me away. Definitely cannot wait for the third installment.

2. Robot Dreams

In 1980s New York City, Dog assembles Robot as a companion, and they become best buddies. On a Labor Day outing to Coney Island, Robot’s metal parts rust, and he can not move.

Directed by Pablo Berger

IMDB 7.6/10 Rotten Tomatoes 96%

“Robot Dreams” may count as a 2023 movie, but I didn’t see it until 2024, so on the list it goes! This was a movie I never would have thought to look at if it didn’t get the Oscar nomination. This movie was very well animated and it unexpectedly hit me in the emotional core that actually helped me with a personal mental issue that I was going through at the time. 

1. Hundreds of Beavers

A drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America’s greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.

Directed by Mike Cheslik

“Hundreds of Beavers” is one of those rare movies that you just don’t see. A low-budget, black and white, dialogue-less, “Tom & Jerry”-esque with a mix of adult brand humor movie about a man taking on hundreds of beavers in a snowy wilderness. I was not expecting to enjoy this movie as much as I did and now it’s my top favorite movie of the year so far. It even inspired me to go out and try to make my own movies. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it!