The amount of vulnerability while you were talking about Iron Claw was unprecedented. I can hear in your voice the impact it had on you. Thank you for sharing the experience with us.
The iron claw was my favorite of the year. As someone whos a huge wrestling fan, and as someone whos lost 2 people to suicide, this movie hit me the most. Cody i hope you know how much of a great fatber you are to your kids and how blessed they are to have you. I hope 2024 goes your way this year
The fact that a Godzilla movie and a wrestling movie are in people’s top films lists of the year just warms my Godzilla and wrestling loving heart lol ❤
Zac Efron absolutely deserves some sort of award for his performance. He got into incredible shape, learned how to wrestle, and played the role of Kevin so perfectly in an outstanding performance I didn’t even know he was capable of
Oppenheimer was excellent but i will never want to watch it again. John Wick 4, MI7, The Covenant, Saw X, and Godzilla Minus One are easily my favorites of the year. For all the awful bombs this year, we got some really good movies.
I really liked how you explained how the top pic touched you on a personal level. Opening up and explaining the parallels from your personal life experiences and those seen in the movie truly shows the power and art of amazing film making and storytelling in general, and I want to personally show my appreciation for showing your viewers that. Love the content ❤
1. Killers of the Flower Moon 2. The Holdovers 3. Past Lives 4. Oppenheimer 5. Suzume 6. May December 7. A Thousand and One 8. Barbie 9. Anatomy of a Fall 10. Fallen Leaves H.M: Society of the Snow, John Wick Chapter 4, Across the Spiderverse, Beau is Afraid, Blackberry. Most rewatched: Across the Spiderverse, John Wick 4, Mission Impossible 7, Gran Turismo, Thanksgiving.
The Iron Claw is my favorite of the year as well. Directed incredibly, really good preformances and devastatingly emotional. I could hear a lot of sniffles in my theater during those final scenes. My top 5 were: 1. The Iron Claw 2. The Holdovers 3. Oppenheimer 4. Talk to Me 5. Godzilla Minus One
Watched gran turismo last week and was so pleasantly surprised. Id argue what elevates the movie is the absolute top notch acting. The father, the main character, and the coach all crushed it.
Hearing you talk about the Iron Claw got me emotional all over again. No movie was in my radar for 2023,convince my wife to go see the movie because I kept hearing it was good. Mesmerizing film, theater was dead silent that’s how captivating it was.
Here’s my Top 10 Best along with some honorable mentions 1. Godzilla Minus One 2. Oppenheimer 3. Talk to Me 4. The Iron Claw 5. The Hold Overs 6. The Boy and The Heron 7. Across the Spider Verse 8. Dungeons and Dragons 9. Killers of the Flower Moon 10. Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Honorable Mentions 1. Poor Things 2. The Killer 3. Evil Dead Rise 4. Creed 3 5. Saw X
I've followed you since 2018, and other than the podcasts, I've never seen you as vulnerable as when describing The Iron Claw, you truly are one of the few who really puts the "You" on UA-cam, every video, Q&A, etc you put out, we know you're 100% sincere, and though I don't always agree on all the videos, that's why you are one the best in this entire community (I know I said "you" a lot, honestly I was that shocked by the end of this video)
I would say my two favorites for a long time was JW4 and Sisu. The thing that makes the Iron Claw so special for me is, not only the true story but the fact my uncle knew the family when he first moved to Texas.
As a new dad I really enjoyed what you said at the end about wanting ti guide your kids but also let them lead their own paths. Its something I have been thinking about and I am glad to know I am not the only one. Love your videos keeo it up, I watched Talk to me on youe recommendation and it was a hit at my household
My top 10 of the year: 10. Wonka (my biggest surprise of the year!) 9. The Holdovers 8. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret 7. The Iron Claw 6. Saw X 5. May December 4. Killers of the Flower Moon 3. Priscilla 2. Barbie 1. Saltburn It was such a good year for film. Hoping this year brings some surprises and masterpieces. Great list, Cody!
It’s always interesting to see people’s reactions coming out of theaters (I work at a movie theater). I have a couple customers whom I have befriended who talk to me about them and it’s always a nice conversation. But with school, work, and sports it’s hard to keep up on movies. Keep doin what you do Cody
Great top 10 list Cody! Loved hearing you talk about this movie The Iron Claw, it doesn’t come out here in the UK until February but I’ll be sure to check it out when it does
My dudeski....when you were talking about the Iron claw you were getting a little teary eyed and I wanted to hug you....and then you talked more about it....and I got teary eyed and needed a hug myself.
10: killers of the flower moon: a beautifully made movie with an amazing cast and made me want to learn more about this topic 9: air: an entertaining fun business movie that made me care about shoes 8: mission impossible dead reckoning: my favorite action movie of the year that did the part 1 right 7: Godzilla minus one: I love monster movies this made me love them differently 6: past lives: I don't like most romance movies but this was a beautiful sweeping story about right person wrong lifetime 5: the holdovers: a movie that resonates with me on multiple levels and is entertaining from beginning to end 4: across the spider verse: a gorgeously animated movie that celebrates spider man tropes 3: guardians of the galaxy vol 3: a fantastic sendoff to the guardians that's funny emotional has another great soundtrack and has my favorite action sequence of the year 2: The iron claw: a difficult movie to watch that is about brotherhood and having younger brothers this movie resonates with me deeply and those final few lines got me choked up in the theater 1: Oppenheimer: this movie is flawless on a technical level and has a great cast and it has stuff to say about our government
Awesome and unique list, Cody! Kinda different from my own but goes to show that this was a decently diverse year for film. Godzilla Minus One has to be my top pick though!
I wasn't able to see the Iron Claw over the last couple weeks due to holidays and car trouble. After hearing all the praise and how it affected you I was so ready to see it this week.... and then they pulled it out of all my local theaters! Oh well, still looking forward to seeing it eventually.
Another great ranking video my man. Would love to see you do a top 20 or 30 actors and top 10 directors of all time. Sure not the first time someone has suggested but one I'd love to watch.
Great video Cody! Love the heartfelt message at the end, some good wisdom there on being a father. It reminded me of some wisdom my dad has give me about raising my kid. He said you have to give them roots and also give them wings. Keep up the great work!
Have you seen the Von Erich’s episode of Dark Side of the Ring? It’s one of the best episodes of the series. I’d recommend the series as a whole, but since you loved The Iron Claw so much, at the very least, you should definitely check out their episode. Vice recently made the full episode free on UA-cam. Can’t recommend it enough.
I'm going to see iron claw i can hear how it affected you in your voice, just wow man , good job last year dude, thanks for all the entertainment, i needed it more than you'll ever know
I had a very similar experience with the ending of the Iron Claw. I also think "this broke me" is an overused term, and I can honestly say I can never recall crying during a movie no matter how good or sad it is. But after those last couple of scenes, I had to wipe my eyes and I was not expecting to have to do that. Plus, I was also watching with my dad, and he asked me a question right after it ended and I think I just gave him a one-word answer because I was kinda reeling. I literally felt like I had broke.
Cody u r the best at what u do man and i always enjoy your content buddy! Keep it up and i could tell u was choked up alil talking about the iron claw! U seem like a great dad and always seem like a chill layed back guy and your honesty is whats made me keep on watching your channel the past 7yrs now!
1. The Iron Claw 2. Killers of the Flower Moon 3. Guardians 3 4. Oppenheimer 5. M:I - Dead Reckoning 6. Dumb Money 7. The Covenant 8. Dungeons & Dragons 9. Talk to Me 10. Wrath of Becky
Bit*h, you almost made me cry! Ha. Shew... haven't seen Iron Claw yet but I grew up with, and watch the story unfold as a wrestling fan, when I was young. Your breakdown of the themes hit home and you convey the traffic nature of the film well. I want and need to check it out. Happy New Year. Fantastic content, as always. Thank you
These aren’t the 10 best movies of the year. These just happen to be the 10 movies that made me love film the most in 2023. 10. BlackBerry-An exploration of human relationships and the fear of being irrelevant through BlackBerrys, and while I never would’ve thought of that, that’s so much of what can make movies so magical 9. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1-Once again, this is another awesome addition to this franchise that has a very engaging plot, solid humor, a fantastic pace, high stakes, and of course, incredibly exciting setpieces that only reinforce that Tom Cruise is the only person in Hollywood who’s 100% committed to doing what no one else will do 8. Godzilla Minus One-Even though I’ve never specifically been a big fan of Godzilla, that doesn’t stop this movie from being a powerful story of redemption, traumas, and guilt that fits wonderfully well with Godzilla, which himself is easily the best usage of Godzilla I’ve ever seen 7. Saw X-While I wouldn’t have thought the tenth film in a nineteen year old horror franchise would be on this list, I thought this was a fantastic Saw experience that has all of the ideas, gore, and twisted plot points that makes this franchise interesting, but with a lot of emotion and depth coming from John Kramer/Jigsaw in the lead, making for my biggest surprise of 2023 6. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3-An incredibly emotional and satisfying sendoff to these characters that has all of James Gunn’s mean streak and humor, while having all of his care and love for this family of heroes that have meant so much to me 5. John Wick: Chapter 4-The magnum opus of the John Wick franchise that combines the compelling story of the first film, the great world building of the second film, and the jaw dropping action of the third film to make for one of the absolute best pieces of action cinema in recent years 4. Air-Despite not caring about sports or shoes at all, this movie is an excellent example of taking a story that I shouldn’t have found interesting, but finding the compelling angle in that story to make for an entertaining, inspiring, and fantastic movie 3. The Iron Claw-An incredibly powerful exploration of the high highs and low lows that come along with family with outstanding performances all around, and while I don’t get emotional at movies often, I would be lying if I didn’t shed a couple of tears in the last bit of this film 2. Oppenheimer-Yet another triumph from Christopher Nolan that’s about subject matter I wasn’t interested in at first, but makes for an incredibly compelling film filled with plenty of fantastic performances, incredible cinematography, and ideas and themes that really made me think about the world we live in, making for a film that truly solidified Nolan as the top working director of today in my opinion 1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse-A fantastic sequel to Into the Spider-Verse that continues the themes, ideas, and character arcs that made that film so amazing, while expanding the story, storytelling, and incredible animation of the first film as well, making for a phenomenal exploration of the inner strength it takes to be Spider-Man
great fn list man!! pretty unique from most of the lists I've seen. but mi7, extraction 2 and tmnt needed more appreciation. glad you had them in your top 10! look forward to the new year of films
Although I know a lot of blockbusters bombed this year. I honestly loved a good amount of them so My Top 10 of 2023 10. Extraction 2 9. Jawan 8. Creed III 7. Oppenheimer 6. Dunki 5. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 4. Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kihani 3. Spider-Man: Across The Spider Verse 2. John Wick Chapter 4 1. Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3
My top 10 would definitely be the following: 10) creed 3 9) equaliser 3 8) evil dead rise 7) Spider-Man across the spiderverse 6) Sisu 5) Killers of the flower moon 4) Godzilla minus one 3) Oppenheimer 2) John wick chapter 4 1) Mission impossible dead reckoning part 1 There were lots of other great films I saw too and still some I haven’t seen yet, definitely a good year for films especially as a fan of action films!
I can see you were really emotional talking about Iron Claw. Very heartfelt. Didn't watch it yet but I will keep a box of cleanex close. The family aspect of it: I will break. The best Top 10 review I've seen yet. Kudos, man.
Don't think I could name 10 great films but some that come to mind would be The Creator, TMNT, Puss in boots 2 (came out in Feb 23 UK), Thanksgiving still need to watch iron claw and flower moon
Sold me on The Iron Claw, I’m going to see it this week. I’m a father and everything you said about being a father and how this resonated with you got me. Well done, I’ll bring tissues.
Completely agree with the Iron Claw. That film hit me like a truck in the last 15 minutes and I resonated with the story heavily. I still have Oppenheimer at number 1, but man what a incredible movie.
The Iron Claw, Oppenheimer, and Mission Impossible 7 are easily my top 3. I would say Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse and Guardians of the Galaxy are close behind.
If there’s one thing to take away from The Iron Claw, it’s that generational trauma is a helluva thing. I’m also the oldest of 4 but because I didn’t grow up with them, I didn’t get the chance to be the big sister I wanted to. Now that we’re all grown, I’m trying to take on that role for my middle sister especially now, and it’s tougher than you’d think because we all have extremely different opinions of/experiences with our father. I haven’t watched the movie yet but I know enough about it from your reviews and others that I definitely will in the future.
I'm so happy The Iron Claw is getting good reviews, making money and has people talking. There is tons of positivity coming out of that project. It's hard for me to get past some of the things about Iron Claw. It seemed like just random occurances happening randomly. There were legit reasons behind these deaths.
Cody!! I feel the same about action films. You need to see Salaar: Part 1- Ceasefire!! It's a Tollywood film that got a limited US theater run (and technically it feels like a double feature, you can stop it at the intermission and watch it like two separate films). Salaar was seriously one of the absolute best action films I've ever seen! If you search the trailer with subtitles, you'll get a taste of it, soooooo good! You'd love it!
Always love your work dude. I really liked the iron claw as well, but, initially, I wasn’t sure if it cracked my top 10 of the year as it was probably sitting at about my number 11 movie of the year. However, after hearing your perspective and personal attachment to this movie, I have truly and kind of embarrassingly sat with my thoughts on this movie in an attempt to re-analyze it. Your genuine and heartfelt perspective on this movie gave me a different interpretation, and, upon second watch, the iron claw has firmly moved into my top 10. It’s weird how second viewings with a new “lens” can be totally different from an interpretation first watch. My personal favorite of the year is Poor Things. I know that this was a decent but not great movie for you, but the mesmerizing cinematography, score and performances were so encapsulating to me. I was sucked in. Additionally, it was genuinely one of the funniest movies of the year for me. I loved Ruffalo’s descent into a petulant bratty adolescent man-child. I saw a critic that I respect greatly, Dan Murrell, comment on how poor things was similar in terms of the overall messaging when compared to Barbie. However, Poor Things was far less direct and more subtle in the delivery of it’s themes. As someone who agrees with the message of both movies, I found the directness of Barbie to be a little to “on the nose” from a script perspective, for my own taste, but I loved how Poor Things really worked on me without me being aware of it in the moment. I’m sorry if I sound like a pretentious snob, but I just throughly loved it
1. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 2. Oppenheimer 3. Talk To Me 4. Godzilla Minus One 5. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One 6. Evil Dead Rise 7. John Wick Chapter 4 8. Killers Of The Flower Moon 9. The Creator 10. Renfeild I still need to see The Iron Claw and a few other movies but these are my top 10 as of right now
Like Kevin, I'm the 2nd eldest because of a tragedy before I was born. But that pier scene near the end dismantled me to my very core. It captured something I've thought about constantly on how I will see a certain someone "next" time I see them.
1. Air 2. The Iron Claw 3. John Wick Chapter 4 4. Godzilla Minus One 5. Gran Turismo 6. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3 7. Oppenheimer 8. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning 9. Talk To Me 10. The Last Voyage Of The Demeter
10. Saw X 9. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One 8. Gran Turismo 7. Guy Ritchie's The Covenant 6. Creed III 5. John Wick: Chapter 4 4. The Iron Claw 3. Godzilla: Minus One 2. Killers of the Flower Moon 1. Oppenheimer
My top ten, from, from 1-10, were: Gran Turismo, BlackBerry, Saltburn, Hell of a Summer (wasn't released but I saw it at TIFF), Are You There God It's Me Margaret, A Haunting In Venice, Poor Things, Oppenheimer, No Hard Feelings, and The Holdovers. Definitely the year of Archie Madekwe for me with Gran Turismo and Saltburn in the top three, plus he was also briefly in Beau Is Afraid, his second Ari Aster film (he was also in a terrible Gal Gadot movie but we don't need to talk about that lol). I'm with you, I recommended Gran Turismo to so many people. I saw it way too many times to be healthy lol. Thank you for sharing your list, Cody!
10: Oppenheimer 9: Dream Scenario 8: Beau is Afraid 7: Evil Dead Rise 6: Saltburn 5: Past Lives 4: Rye Lane 3: Blackberry 2: Scrapper 1: Across the Spiderverse I’m a UK boi so Poor Things, Holdovers and Iron Claw are 2024 films 😢
My top 10 (I've only seen 28 new films this year): 10. When Evil Lurks 9. Thanksgiving 8. The Last Voyage of the Demeter 7. Renfield 6. Scream VI 5. The Pope's Exorcist 4. The Boogeyman 3. Cobweb 2. Godzilla Minus One (I saw this because of Cody's and some other's recommendations) 1. Oppenheimer
I liked Air a LOT, but Damon's speech about Jordan being the best ever in the conference room in the end didn't feel real - it felt like dialog you would write and say only knowing the future ahead of time.
Oh yeah man. I cried so hard (quietly) in the theater while watching the iron claw. Especially when the bothers met up at the doc. And Jeremy white says “my brothers!” Dude it hit me like a train.
Okay,... Within the passed 4 years I have seen you on youtube, I cannot say with confidence that I have seen you talk about a movie that made your voice break as much as talking about The Iron Claw. I'm really f**king curious what this movie is about.
Never was a fan of tmnt , but I decided to give mutant mayhem a chance based solely n the fact that it was on your top 10 and absolutely freaking loved it
I'm dreading, in a way, watching The Iron Claw because I'm a father too. And, you really spoke from the heart here about towing the line between encouragement and overbearing. My kids are all grown now, 26, 22 and 19. When your kids become adults, its harder because you see what some of their choices could lead to, and having to step back and let them learn some hard lessons is tough. I guide and give advice, but, I always tell them, it is ultimately their decision. We've all seen so many examples of it being done wrong.
I haven't watched Iron Claw (maybe next week) and i'm gonna watch Godzilla Minus One tomorrow night. So, without those 2, here is my top 10: 1 - John Wick 4 2 - Creed 3 3 - The Flash 4 - TMNT Mutant Mayhem 5 - Mission Impossible Dead Reackoning 6 - Across the Spiderverse 7 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 8 - Air 9 - The Boy and the Heron 10 - Gran Turismo I only watched 49 new releases this year and i'm pretty sure Godzilla and Iron Claw will both be in the final top 10.
Thanks Cody. I hit the like button as per usual. I see you’ve been putting a lot of information out, even during the holidays! I am watching this video and TAKING NOTES! Keep ‘em coming, I love this stuff, take care!
Oppenheimer is still my favourite this year. As an irish person, its great to see Cillian Murphy do so well on with a major movie. He's been around a long time now and brilliant to have him in front of larger audiences.
Really great list, I agree with some of your picks. I would put that movie dream scenario in my top 3 shockingly. For another movie you should see from 2023, there was this one called Retribution with Liam Neeson, I thought it was alright.
All the films I saw 1. Thanksgiving 2. Saw X 3 Evil Dead Rise 4. Creed 3 5. Megan 6.The Iron Claw 7.John Wick 4 8.Sisu 9. Guardians 3 10. Napoleon 11. Across the Spiderverse 12. Reinfield 13. Five Nights At Freddy 14. Dead Reckoning Pt.1 15. Cocaine Bear 16. Skinamrink 17. Barbie 18. Knock At The Cabin 19. Oppenheimer
Killers of the Flower Moon and Oppenheimer are the most phenomenal films of this year, Across the Spider Verse, Mission Impossible 7, and Guardians 3 are also incredible
1. Poor Things 2. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 4. No Hard Feelings 5. Oppenheimer 6. The Holdovers 7. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. 8. Joy Ride 9. Suitable Flesh 10. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
1. The flash 2. John wick 4 3. Guardians vol 3 4. Creed ||| 5. Mission impossible DR 6. Air 7. Extraction 2 8. Aquaman 2 9. Across the spider verse 10. The equaliser 3
1. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning 2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 3. Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse 4. Oppenheimer 5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 6. Air 7. John Wick Chapter 4 8. The Killer 9. Barbie 10. Talk to Me
I got to agree on a lot of the points you made about iron claw I am a wrestling fan and I also watched a documentary about von erich family and man that movie did not miss a beat beautifully told story
I don't actually have a single Horror movie in my top 10 this year my list consists of 2 animated movies, 3 dramas, the only good Superhero movie this year, 2 actions, a musical play, and an arthouse comedy.
For me personally, my top 2 favorites were Haunted Mansion and Wonka. I am a diehard fan of the Haunted Mansion ride and the movie just captured the spirit of the attraction perfectly for me. And Wonka was just a really good time, especially because I personally am a musical fan.
Love the commentary and clear passion for these films on display here, Cody. I also loved MI7. Even after 5 times in the theater i still loved it. Sad not to see more people talk about The Covenant. Such a phenomenal, impactful but simple story done well. John Wick 4 is definitely up there too. My favorite movie of the year by a large margin though was Godzilla Minus One. I am not a big Godzilla fan but holy crap, for pure human stories, this movie hit me in the feels bone more than anything i have seen in years.
The amount of vulnerability while you were talking about Iron Claw was unprecedented. I can hear in your voice the impact it had on you. Thank you for sharing the experience with us.
Watching Cody holding back tears, during a movie review, just shows how impactful the iron claw was. Such an emotional ride.
The iron claw was my favorite of the year. As someone whos a huge wrestling fan, and as someone whos lost 2 people to suicide, this movie hit me the most. Cody i hope you know how much of a great fatber you are to your kids and how blessed they are to have you. I hope 2024 goes your way this year
The fact that a Godzilla movie and a wrestling movie are in people’s top films lists of the year just warms my Godzilla and wrestling loving heart lol ❤
Zac Efron absolutely deserves some sort of award for his performance. He got into incredible shape, learned how to wrestle, and played the role of Kevin so perfectly in an outstanding performance I didn’t even know he was capable of
The order keeps flipping in my head but Mission: Impossible, Spider-Verse and Oppenheimer are my big three of 2023!
My top 3 as well.
JW 4 in place of Oppenheimer but Op is like 4th or 5th for me still
For me The Eras Tour is number one. Mission Impossible is number 2 but number 3 keeps switching between Guardians and The Flash
Oppenheimer was excellent but i will never want to watch it again. John Wick 4, MI7, The Covenant, Saw X, and Godzilla Minus One are easily my favorites of the year. For all the awful bombs this year, we got some really good movies.
JW4 all day
I really liked how you explained how the top pic touched you on a personal level. Opening up and explaining the parallels from your personal life experiences and those seen in the movie truly shows the power and art of amazing film making and storytelling in general, and I want to personally show my appreciation for showing your viewers that. Love the content ❤
The last couple scenes in Iron Claw devastated me as well. I watched it with my 2 buddies. I never cry in front of them. I did.
1. Killers of the Flower Moon
2. The Holdovers
3. Past Lives
4. Oppenheimer
5. Suzume
6. May December
7. A Thousand and One
8. Barbie
9. Anatomy of a Fall
10. Fallen Leaves
H.M: Society of the Snow, John Wick Chapter 4, Across the Spiderverse, Beau is Afraid, Blackberry.
Most rewatched: Across the Spiderverse, John Wick 4, Mission Impossible 7, Gran Turismo, Thanksgiving.
Hearing the emotion in your voice when talking about iron claw is heartfelt. I am definitely going to watch it.
The Iron Claw is my favorite of the year as well. Directed incredibly, really good preformances and devastatingly emotional. I could hear a lot of sniffles in my theater during those final scenes.
My top 5 were:
1. The Iron Claw
2. The Holdovers
3. Oppenheimer
4. Talk to Me
5. Godzilla Minus One
Watched gran turismo last week and was so pleasantly surprised. Id argue what elevates the movie is the absolute top notch acting. The father, the main character, and the coach all crushed it.
Man, I'm a huge wrestling fan, and I'm so happy that the iron claw has gotten the reception it has.
I had a feeling your #1 pick was gonna be your #1 from your review of it. I could tell it really hit home for you when you talked about your family.
Man, this was a great video. Your moment capturing “The Iron Claw” was heart wrenching. Thank you, man.
Hearing you talk about the Iron Claw got me emotional all over again. No movie was in my radar for 2023,convince my wife to go see the movie because I kept hearing it was good. Mesmerizing film, theater was dead silent that’s how captivating it was.
Here’s my Top 10 Best along with some honorable mentions
1. Godzilla Minus One
2. Oppenheimer
3. Talk to Me
4. The Iron Claw
5. The Hold Overs
6. The Boy and The Heron
7. Across the Spider Verse
8. Dungeons and Dragons
9. Killers of the Flower Moon
10. Guardians of the Galaxy 3
Honorable Mentions
1. Poor Things
2. The Killer
3. Evil Dead Rise
4. Creed 3
5. Saw X
Extraction 2 needs to become the golden standard for what action movies need to lean towards. That one take is a SPECTACLE. Freaking phenomenal.
I've followed you since 2018, and other than the podcasts, I've never seen you as vulnerable as when describing The Iron Claw, you truly are one of the few who really puts the "You" on UA-cam, every video, Q&A, etc you put out, we know you're 100% sincere, and though I don't always agree on all the videos, that's why you are one the best in this entire community (I know I said "you" a lot, honestly I was that shocked by the end of this video)
When I read the title I thought it said "moments" and now I think you should make a "Best TV/movie moments of X year" list!
I would say my two favorites for a long time was JW4 and Sisu. The thing that makes the Iron Claw so special for me is, not only the true story but the fact my uncle knew the family when he first moved to Texas.
As a new dad I really enjoyed what you said at the end about wanting ti guide your kids but also let them lead their own paths.
Its something I have been thinking about and I am glad to know I am not the only one.
Love your videos keeo it up, I watched Talk to me on youe recommendation and it was a hit at my household
So happy Talk to Me made it into your top 10 ☺️
Currently watching the first Extraction due to the review you gave the sequel in the surprise video!
My top 10 of the year:
10. Wonka (my biggest surprise of the year!)
9. The Holdovers
8. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
7. The Iron Claw
6. Saw X
5. May December
4. Killers of the Flower Moon
3. Priscilla
2. Barbie
1. Saltburn
It was such a good year for film. Hoping this year brings some surprises and masterpieces. Great list, Cody!
It’s always interesting to see people’s reactions coming out of theaters (I work at a movie theater). I have a couple customers whom I have befriended who talk to me about them and it’s always a nice conversation. But with school, work, and sports it’s hard to keep up on movies. Keep doin what you do Cody
Great top 10 list Cody! Loved hearing you talk about this movie The Iron Claw, it doesn’t come out here in the UK until February but I’ll be sure to check it out when it does
My dudeski....when you were talking about the Iron claw you were getting a little teary eyed and I wanted to hug you....and then you talked more about it....and I got teary eyed and needed a hug myself.
10: killers of the flower moon: a beautifully made movie with an amazing cast and made me want to learn more about this topic
9: air: an entertaining fun business movie that made me care about shoes
8: mission impossible dead reckoning: my favorite action movie of the year that did the part 1 right
7: Godzilla minus one: I love monster movies this made me love them differently
6: past lives: I don't like most romance movies but this was a beautiful sweeping story about right person wrong lifetime
5: the holdovers: a movie that resonates with me on multiple levels and is entertaining from beginning to end
4: across the spider verse: a gorgeously animated movie that celebrates spider man tropes
3: guardians of the galaxy vol 3: a fantastic sendoff to the guardians that's funny emotional has another great soundtrack and has my favorite action sequence of the year
2: The iron claw: a difficult movie to watch that is about brotherhood and having younger brothers this movie resonates with me deeply and those final few lines got me choked up in the theater
1: Oppenheimer: this movie is flawless on a technical level and has a great cast and it has stuff to say about our government
The Iron Claw was definitely a great movie that deserves a lot more attention
Awesome and unique list, Cody! Kinda different from my own but goes to show that this was a decently diverse year for film. Godzilla Minus One has to be my top pick though!
Bro that Warriors reference made me and my dad pop in the theater 🎉😂
I wasn't able to see the Iron Claw over the last couple weeks due to holidays and car trouble. After hearing all the praise and how it affected you I was so ready to see it this week.... and then they pulled it out of all my local theaters! Oh well, still looking forward to seeing it eventually.
Another great ranking video my man. Would love to see you do a top 20 or 30 actors and top 10 directors of all time. Sure not the first time someone has suggested but one I'd love to watch.
Great video Cody! Love the heartfelt message at the end, some good wisdom there on being a father. It reminded me of some wisdom my dad has give me about raising my kid. He said you have to give them roots and also give them wings. Keep up the great work!
Have you seen the Von Erich’s episode of Dark Side of the Ring? It’s one of the best episodes of the series. I’d recommend the series as a whole, but since you loved The Iron Claw so much, at the very least, you should definitely check out their episode. Vice recently made the full episode free on UA-cam. Can’t recommend it enough.
Seeing how emotional you got talking about The Iron Claw made me tear up😢
amazing choices, you actually got a little emotional there at the end. love and peace for 2024
I'm going to see iron claw i can hear how it affected you in your voice, just wow man , good job last year dude, thanks for all the entertainment, i needed it more than you'll ever know
The iron claw was absolutely phenomenal. Loved all the performances
I had a very similar experience with the ending of the Iron Claw. I also think "this broke me" is an overused term, and I can honestly say I can never recall crying during a movie no matter how good or sad it is. But after those last couple of scenes, I had to wipe my eyes and I was not expecting to have to do that. Plus, I was also watching with my dad, and he asked me a question right after it ended and I think I just gave him a one-word answer because I was kinda reeling. I literally felt like I had broke.
Thank you for your work ethic Cody, seriously, you're a beast. Loving your stuff. You do spoil us.
Cody u r the best at what u do man and i always enjoy your content buddy! Keep it up and i could tell u was choked up alil talking about the iron claw! U seem like a great dad and always seem like a chill layed back guy and your honesty is whats made me keep on watching your channel the past 7yrs now!
1. The Iron Claw
2. Killers of the Flower Moon
3. Guardians 3
4. Oppenheimer
5. M:I - Dead Reckoning
6. Dumb Money
7. The Covenant
8. Dungeons & Dragons
9. Talk to Me
10. Wrath of Becky
Bit*h, you almost made me cry! Ha. Shew... haven't seen Iron Claw yet but I grew up with, and watch the story unfold as a wrestling fan, when I was young. Your breakdown of the themes hit home and you convey the traffic nature of the film well. I want and need to check it out. Happy New Year. Fantastic content, as always. Thank you
The Iron Claw was also my number 1 because I could relate to it so much.
I have also lost 4 brothers and don’t have anymore brothers left.
These aren’t the 10 best movies of the year. These just happen to be the 10 movies that made me love film the most in 2023.
10. BlackBerry-An exploration of human relationships and the fear of being irrelevant through BlackBerrys, and while I never would’ve thought of that, that’s so much of what can make movies so magical
9. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1-Once again, this is another awesome addition to this franchise that has a very engaging plot, solid humor, a fantastic pace, high stakes, and of course, incredibly exciting setpieces that only reinforce that Tom Cruise is the only person in Hollywood who’s 100% committed to doing what no one else will do
8. Godzilla Minus One-Even though I’ve never specifically been a big fan of Godzilla, that doesn’t stop this movie from being a powerful story of redemption, traumas, and guilt that fits wonderfully well with Godzilla, which himself is easily the best usage of Godzilla I’ve ever seen
7. Saw X-While I wouldn’t have thought the tenth film in a nineteen year old horror franchise would be on this list, I thought this was a fantastic Saw experience that has all of the ideas, gore, and twisted plot points that makes this franchise interesting, but with a lot of emotion and depth coming from John Kramer/Jigsaw in the lead, making for my biggest surprise of 2023
6. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3-An incredibly emotional and satisfying sendoff to these characters that has all of James Gunn’s mean streak and humor, while having all of his care and love for this family of heroes that have meant so much to me
5. John Wick: Chapter 4-The magnum opus of the John Wick franchise that combines the compelling story of the first film, the great world building of the second film, and the jaw dropping action of the third film to make for one of the absolute best pieces of action cinema in recent years
4. Air-Despite not caring about sports or shoes at all, this movie is an excellent example of taking a story that I shouldn’t have found interesting, but finding the compelling angle in that story to make for an entertaining, inspiring, and fantastic movie
3. The Iron Claw-An incredibly powerful exploration of the high highs and low lows that come along with family with outstanding performances all around, and while I don’t get emotional at movies often, I would be lying if I didn’t shed a couple of tears in the last bit of this film
2. Oppenheimer-Yet another triumph from Christopher Nolan that’s about subject matter I wasn’t interested in at first, but makes for an incredibly compelling film filled with plenty of fantastic performances, incredible cinematography, and ideas and themes that really made me think about the world we live in, making for a film that truly solidified Nolan as the top working director of today in my opinion
1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse-A fantastic sequel to Into the Spider-Verse that continues the themes, ideas, and character arcs that made that film so amazing, while expanding the story, storytelling, and incredible animation of the first film as well, making for a phenomenal exploration of the inner strength it takes to be Spider-Man
great fn list man!! pretty unique from most of the lists I've seen. but mi7, extraction 2 and tmnt needed more appreciation. glad you had them in your top 10! look forward to the new year of films
The iron claw was for sure tied with Godzilla minus one for my favorites of the year. Both had me in tears in the theater as a grown man lol
Man, just getting to this review. Excellent job as always. Iron Claw’s ending absolutely destroyed me. Love you sharing the personal story. 👍🏾👍🏾
Although I know a lot of blockbusters bombed this year. I honestly loved a good amount of them so My Top 10 of 2023
10. Extraction 2
9. Jawan
8. Creed III
7. Oppenheimer
6. Dunki
5. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1
4. Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kihani
3. Spider-Man: Across The Spider Verse
2. John Wick Chapter 4
1. Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3
My top 10 would definitely be the following:
10) creed 3
9) equaliser 3
8) evil dead rise
7) Spider-Man across the spiderverse
6) Sisu
5) Killers of the flower moon
4) Godzilla minus one
3) Oppenheimer
2) John wick chapter 4
1) Mission impossible dead reckoning part 1
There were lots of other great films I saw too and still some I haven’t seen yet, definitely a good year for films especially as a fan of action films!
Ur 8 6 and 4 🎉
I can see you were really emotional talking about Iron Claw.
Very heartfelt.
Didn't watch it yet but I will keep a box of cleanex close.
The family aspect of it: I will break.
The best Top 10 review I've seen yet.
Kudos, man.
Don't think I could name 10 great films but some that come to mind would be The Creator, TMNT, Puss in boots 2 (came out in Feb 23 UK), Thanksgiving still need to watch iron claw and flower moon
Sold me on The Iron Claw, I’m going to see it this week. I’m a father and everything you said about being a father and how this resonated with you got me. Well done, I’ll bring tissues.
Completely agree with the Iron Claw. That film hit me like a truck in the last 15 minutes and I resonated with the story heavily. I still have Oppenheimer at number 1, but man what a incredible movie.
My Top 5 of the year
1. Across The Spider-Verse
2. Oppenheimer
3. Godzilla Minus One
4. John Wick Chapter 4
5. The Iron Claw
As soon as you get to your number one, and you start describing it, and the way your voice starts shaking knew I need to check this movie out
The Iron Claw, Oppenheimer, and Mission Impossible 7 are easily my top 3. I would say Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse and Guardians of the Galaxy are close behind.
If there’s one thing to take away from The Iron Claw, it’s that generational trauma is a helluva thing. I’m also the oldest of 4 but because I didn’t grow up with them, I didn’t get the chance to be the big sister I wanted to. Now that we’re all grown, I’m trying to take on that role for my middle sister especially now, and it’s tougher than you’d think because we all have extremely different opinions of/experiences with our father. I haven’t watched the movie yet but I know enough about it from your reviews and others that I definitely will in the future.
I'm so happy The Iron Claw is getting good reviews, making money and has people talking.
There is tons of positivity coming out of that project.
It's hard for me to get past some of the things about Iron Claw. It seemed like just random occurances happening randomly. There were legit reasons behind these deaths.
Cody!! I feel the same about action films. You need to see Salaar: Part 1- Ceasefire!! It's a Tollywood film that got a limited US theater run (and technically it feels like a double feature, you can stop it at the intermission and watch it like two separate films). Salaar was seriously one of the absolute best action films I've ever seen! If you search the trailer with subtitles, you'll get a taste of it, soooooo good! You'd love it!
Always love your work dude. I really liked the iron claw as well, but, initially, I wasn’t sure if it cracked my top 10 of the year as it was probably sitting at about my number 11 movie of the year. However, after hearing your perspective and personal attachment to this movie, I have truly and kind of embarrassingly sat with my thoughts on this movie in an attempt to re-analyze it. Your genuine and heartfelt perspective on this movie gave me a different interpretation, and, upon second watch, the iron claw has firmly moved into my top 10. It’s weird how second viewings with a new “lens” can be totally different from an interpretation first watch.
My personal favorite of the year is Poor Things. I know that this was a decent but not great movie for you, but the mesmerizing cinematography, score and performances were so encapsulating to me. I was sucked in. Additionally, it was genuinely one of the funniest movies of the year for me. I loved Ruffalo’s descent into a petulant bratty adolescent man-child.
I saw a critic that I respect greatly, Dan Murrell, comment on how poor things was similar in terms of the overall messaging when compared to Barbie. However, Poor Things was far less direct and more subtle in the delivery of it’s themes. As someone who agrees with the message of both movies, I found the directness of Barbie to be a little to “on the nose” from a script perspective, for my own taste, but I loved how Poor Things really worked on me without me being aware of it in the moment. I’m sorry if I sound like a pretentious snob, but I just throughly loved it
1. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
2. Oppenheimer
3. Talk To Me
4. Godzilla Minus One
5. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One
6. Evil Dead Rise
7. John Wick Chapter 4
8. Killers Of The Flower Moon
9. The Creator
10. Renfeild
I still need to see The Iron Claw and a few other movies but these are my top 10 as of right now
Like Kevin, I'm the 2nd eldest because of a tragedy before I was born. But that pier scene near the end dismantled me to my very core. It captured something I've thought about constantly on how I will see a certain someone "next" time I see them.
1. Air
2. The Iron Claw
3. John Wick Chapter 4
4. Godzilla Minus One
5. Gran Turismo
6. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3
7. Oppenheimer
8. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning
9. Talk To Me
10. The Last Voyage Of The Demeter
Cody always has one of the most unique best movie lists every year!
10. Saw X
9. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
8. Gran Turismo
7. Guy Ritchie's The Covenant
6. Creed III
5. John Wick: Chapter 4
4. The Iron Claw
3. Godzilla: Minus One
2. Killers of the Flower Moon
1. Oppenheimer
My top ten, from, from 1-10, were: Gran Turismo, BlackBerry, Saltburn, Hell of a Summer (wasn't released but I saw it at TIFF), Are You There God It's Me Margaret, A Haunting In Venice, Poor Things, Oppenheimer, No Hard Feelings, and The Holdovers. Definitely the year of Archie Madekwe for me with Gran Turismo and Saltburn in the top three, plus he was also briefly in Beau Is Afraid, his second Ari Aster film (he was also in a terrible Gal Gadot movie but we don't need to talk about that lol). I'm with you, I recommended Gran Turismo to so many people. I saw it way too many times to be healthy lol. Thank you for sharing your list, Cody!
art house: Holdovers
blockbuster: Spider Verse
10: Oppenheimer
9: Dream Scenario
8: Beau is Afraid
7: Evil Dead Rise
6: Saltburn
5: Past Lives
4: Rye Lane
3: Blackberry
2: Scrapper
1: Across the Spiderverse
I’m a UK boi so Poor Things, Holdovers and Iron Claw are 2024 films 😢
My top 10 (I've only seen 28 new films this year):
10. When Evil Lurks
9. Thanksgiving
8. The Last Voyage of the Demeter
7. Renfield
6. Scream VI
5. The Pope's Exorcist
4. The Boogeyman
3. Cobweb
2. Godzilla Minus One (I saw this because of Cody's and some other's recommendations)
1. Oppenheimer
I liked Air a LOT, but Damon's speech about Jordan being the best ever in the conference room in the end didn't feel real - it felt like dialog you would write and say only knowing the future ahead of time.
Oh yeah man. I cried so hard (quietly) in the theater while watching the iron claw. Especially when the bothers met up at the doc. And Jeremy white says “my brothers!” Dude it hit me like a train.
Okay,...
Within the passed 4 years I have seen you on youtube, I cannot say with confidence that I have seen you talk about a movie that made your voice break as much as talking about The Iron Claw.
I'm really f**king curious what this movie is about.
Never was a fan of tmnt , but I decided to give mutant mayhem a chance based solely n the fact that it was on your top 10 and absolutely freaking loved it
Oppenheimer, Super Mario, Guardians 3, Godzilla and Renfield were my top 5 in 2023
I'm dreading, in a way, watching The Iron Claw because I'm a father too. And, you really spoke from the heart here about towing the line between encouragement and overbearing. My kids are all grown now, 26, 22 and 19. When your kids become adults, its harder because you see what some of their choices could lead to, and having to step back and let them learn some hard lessons is tough. I guide and give advice, but, I always tell them, it is ultimately their decision. We've all seen so many examples of it being done wrong.
I haven't watched Iron Claw (maybe next week) and i'm gonna watch Godzilla Minus One tomorrow night. So, without those 2, here is my top 10:
1 - John Wick 4
2 - Creed 3
3 - The Flash
4 - TMNT Mutant Mayhem
5 - Mission Impossible Dead Reackoning
6 - Across the Spiderverse
7 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
8 - Air
9 - The Boy and the Heron
10 - Gran Turismo
I only watched 49 new releases this year and i'm pretty sure Godzilla and Iron Claw will both be in the final top 10.
I know I'm super late, but Iron Claw actually left out a brother who also sadly passed away.
Thank you so much for being vulnerable and sharing your personal take on Iron Claw. I know need to check it out!
Thanks Cody. I hit the like button as per usual. I see you’ve been putting a lot of information out, even during the holidays! I am watching this video and TAKING NOTES! Keep ‘em coming, I love this stuff, take care!
Oppenheimer is still my favourite this year. As an irish person, its great to see Cillian Murphy do so well on with a major movie. He's been around a long time now and brilliant to have him in front of larger audiences.
Man, I gotta go see The Iron Claw now. Thanks, Cody, for sharing your viewing experience.
I was already interested in the Iron Claw, but after listening to you get emotional makes me want to see it yesterday.
Thank you Cody for sharing your top ten films and your views on fatherhood. Super wholesome!!
Really great list, I agree with some of your picks. I would put that movie dream scenario in my top 3 shockingly. For another movie you should see from 2023, there was this one called Retribution with Liam Neeson, I thought it was alright.
All the films I saw
1. Thanksgiving
2. Saw X
3 Evil Dead Rise
4. Creed 3
5. Megan
6.The Iron Claw
7.John Wick 4
8.Sisu
9. Guardians 3
10. Napoleon
11. Across the Spiderverse
12. Reinfield
13. Five Nights At Freddy
14. Dead Reckoning Pt.1
15. Cocaine Bear
16. Skinamrink
17. Barbie
18. Knock At The Cabin
19. Oppenheimer
Killers of the Flower Moon and Oppenheimer are the most phenomenal films of this year, Across the Spider Verse, Mission Impossible 7, and Guardians 3 are also incredible
I'm becoming a bigger fan of yours each day.
I'm happy to see the Gran Turismo love! I wish more people were talking about it.
1. Poor Things
2. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
4. No Hard Feelings
5. Oppenheimer
6. The Holdovers
7. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
8. Joy Ride
9. Suitable Flesh
10. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
1. The flash
2. John wick 4
3. Guardians vol 3
4. Creed |||
5. Mission impossible DR
6. Air
7. Extraction 2
8. Aquaman 2
9. Across the spider verse
10. The equaliser 3
My list as of right now is
Spiderman: across the spiderverse
Air
The Iron Claw
Oppenheimer
Godzilla: minus one
1. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning
2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse
4. Oppenheimer
5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
6. Air
7. John Wick Chapter 4
8. The Killer
9. Barbie
10. Talk to Me
I got to agree on a lot of the points you made about iron claw I am a wrestling fan and I also watched a documentary about von erich family and man that movie did not miss a beat beautifully told story
I agree, Iron Claw was #1. I would then say Oppenheimer #2, Air #3 and Godzilla Minus One #4.
I don't actually have a single Horror movie in my top 10 this year my list consists of 2 animated movies, 3 dramas, the only good Superhero movie this year, 2 actions, a musical play, and an arthouse comedy.
For me personally, my top 2 favorites were Haunted Mansion and Wonka. I am a diehard fan of the Haunted Mansion ride and the movie just captured the spirit of the attraction perfectly for me. And Wonka was just a really good time, especially because I personally am a musical fan.
!. Past Lives
2. The Iron Claw - agree w everything Cody said
3. Talk to Me
4. The Holdovers
5. Across the Spiderverse
Love the commentary and clear passion for these films on display here, Cody. I also loved MI7. Even after 5 times in the theater i still loved it. Sad not to see more people talk about The Covenant. Such a phenomenal, impactful but simple story done well. John Wick 4 is definitely up there too. My favorite movie of the year by a large margin though was Godzilla Minus One. I am not a big Godzilla fan but holy crap, for pure human stories, this movie hit me in the feels bone more than anything i have seen in years.