The 2023 Annual MOOvie Awards: A Barbieheimer-less List

2023 was another year filled with the brutal and deliberate killing of our favorite heroes and franchises. I was almost tempted to write a “worst of” list, but I can only write so many articles on Indiana Jones 5. Journeying past the never-ending thick fog of misery, there are still many aspects of cinema to celebrate. Even if there aren’t, I’m going to lie to myself. It helps sometimes.

This year, I’m able to bring back some categories that were vacant from 2022’s list, along with some new ones! Also, did you see I changed the name? Pretty cool, huh? I did my best to have at least three nominees for each category, just felt like a good number. This will probably be the only list you see on the internet without Barbie or Oppenheimer. That is simply because neither of them interested me very much. Anyway, as chosen by a panel of film critics (myself except for one category), the following is the best the big & silver screens had to offer in 2023.

– TV –

Best New Season

Awarded to the best new season of a television program, this can include new or old shows, but not Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

The Nominees:

Loki: Season 2 – Showrunner: Eric Martin

Shrinking: Season 1 – Showrunner: Bill Lawerance

The Last of Us: Season 1 – Showrunner: Craig Mazin

And the MOOvie Award goes to…

Loki‘s first season was trash. It was clearly a corporate-ordered show, as all it really did was make the multiverse rules more complicated. It’s clear in the first few moments of Loki: Season 2, that this was the story they wanted to tell. This season has a soul, a pounding heart that can be seen in nearly every frame, and each line of dialogue. Tom Hiddleston gives his best performance as the lead and gives Loki incredible depth. The season’s subject matter of the importance of life is timeless and will stay with you after the finale.

The final two episodes, in particular, are superb and wonderfully end not just the character arc of Loki, but the other cast members as well. Loki‘s second and final season is everything the MCU’s multiverse saga should be. If the rest of Marvel Studios’ projects moving forward are as unbalanced as the past few years, it would all be worth it just to experience this amazing season of television.

– Film –

Outstanding Cinematography

Awarded to the film with outstanding cinematography, elevating the storytelling and immersing the audience into the world. 

The Nominees:

Suzume – Director of Photography: Ryosuke Tsuda

Creed III – Director of Photography: Kramer Morgenthau

Knock at the Cabin – Directors of Photography: Jarin Blaschke, Lowell A. Meyer

And the MOOvie Award goes to…

The first in the franchise to not feature Rocky in any capacity, Creed III had a lot resting on its shoulders. A stellar cast and solid script managed to help the series find new ground. A major element in the story’s success is the camera work. The fight scenes are beautifully shot and lit, doing a great job of submerging you into the heart-pounding tension. This was a film crafted with real care and has a story that Michel B. Jordon (who directed this time around) felt passionate about telling. Morgenthau’s personal approach to the cinematography made Creed III, the knockout champ.

Movie-Magic Moment

Awarded to a moment that stands out either as a fun action scene, a cool line of dialogue, a character moment, or something along these lines, that would make you really upset in the theater when the guy in front of you stands up clapping and cheering.  

The Nominees:

Five Nights at Freddy’s – Matpat Cameo

Sound of Freedom – “God’s children are not for sale.”

Creed III – Airplane Hanger/Hollywood Sign Training Montage

And the MOOvie Award goes to…

One of the many surprising ways Five Nights at Freddy’s exceeded expectations would be in the fan service. Not only by having fun easter eggs to the games but by respecting the fans who made the series a hit to begin with. Near the top of that list is YouTube creator MatPat, who runs the Game Theory channel. His videos exploring the lore of the games were crucial to cringe 13-year-olds (like me at the time) across the world. Nonetheless a small moment, I couldn’t help but have the biggest smile on my face when he said a variation of his famous catchphrase “But hey, that’s just a theory. A game theory!” In the film it’s changed to fit the scene he’s in better, “But, you know, it’s just a theory.”

Eye-Catching Stunt Work

Awarded to the film that reminds us how fun it is to watch our favorite heroes get thrown into walls or jump off skyscrapers.

The Nominees:

Luther: The Fallen Sun – Specific Stunt Highlight: Prison Breakout

John Wick: Chapter 4 – Specific Stunt Highlight: Osaka Continental Fight Scene

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Specific Stunt Highlight: Motorcycle Jump/Train Sequence

And the MOOvie Award goes to…

While the nearly hour-long ending in Paris, France, was fun to watch, the opening in Japan, is what stood out here. Everything just works about this sequence, the small character banter is fun, the set design is awesome, and the lighting is beautiful, but of course, the stunt work is fantastic. Keanu Reeves is still doing most of his stunts at nearly 59. Everyone makes a big deal about this, but it’s a high achievement that should be commemorated. All of the stunt work and choreography from every stunt worker is a joy to watch on screen. It just looks like everyone was having fun, and that’s nice to see in modern cinema.

Biggest Suprise Film

Awarded to the film that didn’t look very good, but after watching it you’ll say the quote, “A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.”

The Nominees:

Five Nights at Freddy’s – Director: Emma Tammi

Sound of Freedom – Director: Alejandro Gómez Monteverde

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – Directors: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein

And the MOOvie Award goes to…

In around 4 hours combined, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny killed my enthusiasm for Film as an industry, art form, or modern-day political battlefield. I heard about the Freddy’s movie, and it was nearly the bottom of my list of priorities. I hadn’t played these games since the fourth one (nearly a decade ago) and wasn’t particularly eager to delve back into the lore. I almost didn’t even see it, but thought “It can’t get any worse.”

Somehow, the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie reignited my love for film. It has an excellent balance of fan service, as said earlier, along with adapting the story of the games appropriately. My 13-year-old self was resurrected by watching this movie. You could even say, “Somehow, Palpatine returned.” Five Nights at Freddy’s is just a movie, with no other goal than to help bring to life the story that brought so much joy to millions of fans, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Best Film No One Really Talked About

Awarded to the film that’s not the next great thing, but was pretty solid, and wasn’t brought up much in conversation.

The Nominees:

Plane – Director: Jean-François Richet

65 – Directors: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods

And the MOOvie Award goes to…

PLANE! It’s not a comedy like Airplane, but what looked like a joke turned into a solid action film. Gerard Butler stars as the pilot of a forced landing on an island that has been overrun by terrorists, and of course, he had a prisoner on board played by Mike Coulter, who might be his only defense waiting for rescue. What works best about Plane is its over-the-top concept and the relationship between the leads. It’s not as far out as Dredd, but if this were made in the 80s or 90s, I’m convinced it would be a franchise by now. I loved this movie! It’s a modern-day Die Hard for all the right reasons. All my homies love Plane. #PlaneSupremacy

Best Film My Friend Is Urging Me To Seek Out That I Didn’t See

Awarded to the film that, I mean, it must be good. I’m not sure, I didn’t see it. (The following was written by Filmmaker and Absolute Legend, Kal Bailey)

The Nominees:

Past Lives – Director: Celine Song

Beau is Afraid – Director: Ari Aster

The Boy and the Heron – Director: Hayao Miyazaki

And the MOOvie Award goes to…

Celine Song’s debut feature is a modern romance about destiny, culture, love, and how those things intertwine in the modern world. I love the fearless embrace and use of technology within the story. So often it feels like filmmakers are scared to place technology within their films, or filmmakers will often rely on technology as a gimmick of the story (not necessarily always a bad thing). The cinematography is vibrant and dreamy without feeling too fabricated.

Past Lives may not be a perfect film, but it is certainly an effective and timely one. It may be a departure from Solomon’s usual ventures in film, but at 106 minutes, I would urge anybody to take the time to engage with this unassuming picture on love and modernity.

Best Motion Picture of 2023

Awarded to the film that is just overall good, nah, amazing, nah, the greatest piece of cinema to ever be viewed by the human eye! (…or the film that was simply my favorite.)

The Nominees:

Plane – Director: Jean-François Richet

Five Nights as Freddy’s – Director: Emma Tammi

Guy Ritchie’s: The Covenant – Director: Guy Ritchie

And the MOOvie Award goes to…

When we think about the power cinema has over our very souls, we think about who we are as people. Great cinema has the power to change our perception of life as a whole when you get down to it. Above all else, movies have the power to connect, and The Covenant does just that. The film’s central theme is that of brotherhood, two men who, through trauma, are bonded to each other. It uses this theme to convey a message that reflects the real world, especially now. At first glance, it comes across like another generic war movie, but when you finish the film, it feels like you’ve witnessed something almost sacred. The Covenant tells a human story within the chaos of one of the most inhumane acts; war.

*A special thank you to Kal for contributing to this year’s MOOvie Awards! Click here for a link to his website.*