
Every year it gets harder to find movies that I consider great. These days, more than anything else, I decide if I'd consider something great based on a feeling. It's an increasingly rare feeling. The feeling comes after I finish watching a movie and sense that a special alchemy was achieved. This happens when movies have acting, writing, and direction that my brain and heart tell me are "just right" for the movie's entire running time (or at least most of it). Below are 10 of the only movies I watched for the first time in 2023 that were able to 'hit that sweet spot', leaving me satisfied and supercharged at their conclusion. As some of the best movie critics have said, a defining characteristic of a great movie is that when it's over, you feel like watching it again. These movies all pass that test for me.
Top 10 Favourites:












Many of the TV movies and documentaries I watched for the first time in 2023 were ones not discovered on my own. There was also one I'd been avoiding for a long time because of its bad reputation. I give a big thank you to the adventurous and open-minded individuals who steered me towards giving these productions a try.
















Documentaries










