The Solzy Awards for 2023: The Best in Film

An annual tradition, Solzy at the Movies presents the Solzy Awards for 2023 as a way of honoring the best achievements this year in film.

Much like last year, this year is another case where there is a #1 and #1A as far as the top films go. This year, those honors go to Oppenheimer and Barbie, respectively. I’ve yet to figure out how to change the numbering on WordPress. Rather than honor a double-chai of 36 feature films, I’m stopping the list at 25 films. I won’t lie in that my headspace has also been terrible impacted since the tragic attacks on October 7.

The Solzy Awards for 2023

Top 25 Narrative Features

1. Oppenheimer
2. Barbie
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
4. Flora and Son
5. Are You There G-d? It’s Me, Margaret.
6. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
7. Theater Camp
8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
9. Cocaine Bear
10. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
11. Eileen
12. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
13. Air
14. American Fiction
15. No Hard Feelings
16. Dumb Money
17. Sanctuary
18. Tetris
19. You Hurt My Feelings
20. Joy Ride
21. The Marvels
22. Strays
23. May December
24. Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie
25. You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah

Top Comedy Features

1. Barbie
2. Theater Camp
3. Cocaine Bear
4. American Fiction
5. No Hard Feelings
6. You Hurt My Feelings
7. Joy Ride
8. The Marvels
9. Strays
10. May December
11. Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie
12. You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah

Best Documentary Features

Please see my Documentary Awards

DRAMA

Best Actor: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Best Actress: Eve Hewson, Flora and Son (Runner-ups: Thomasin McKenzie, Eileen; Florence Pugh, A Good Person)
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, Air (Runner-up: Anne Hathaway, Eileen)

COMEDY

Best Actor: Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
Best Actress: Margot Robbie, Barbie (Runner-ups: Natalie Portman, May December; Abby Ryder Fortson, Are You There G-d? It’s Me, Margaret.)
Best Supporting Actor: Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Best Supporting Actress (TIE): America Ferrera, Barbie; Rachel McAdams, Are You There G-d? It’s Me, Margaret. (Runner-Up: Lily Tomlin, Moving On)

Best Director: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer (Runner-ups: Greta Gerwig, Barbie; Kelly Fremon Craig, Are You There G-d? It’s Me, Margaret.)
Best Original Screenplay: Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach, Barbie
Best Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer (Runner-up: Kelly Fremon Craig, Are You There G-d? It’s Me, Margaret.)
Best Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema, Oppenheimer
Best Editing: Jennifer Lame, Oppenheimer
Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCES

• Abby Ryder Fortson, Are You There G-d? It’s Me, Margaret.
• Orén Kinlan, Flora and Son
• Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers

Best Animal (Live-Action): Sophie and Boy as Reggie, Strays

Best Animal (CGI): Cocaine Bear, Cocaine Bear

Best Action Movie: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Best Comic Book Movie: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Best Comedy: Barbie

Best Drama: Oppenheimer

Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Runner-up: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem)

Best Action Comedy: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Runner-up: The Marvels)

Best Horror Comedy: Cocaine Bear

Best Sci-Fi Comedy: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Runner-up: The Marvels)

Best Music-Driven Film: Flora and Son

Best Hitchcockian Throwback: Eileen

Festival Favorites

• A Little Prayer
• First Time Female Director
• Bucky F*cking Dent
• Cold Copy
• Eric LaRue
• Late Bloomers
• The Secret Art of Human Flight

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