The best movies of 2023, according to CTV film expert Richard Crouse

2023 was the year Taylor Swift ruled, while everyone else drooled. On the music charts, in arenas all over the world and even in movie theatres, the "Shake It Off" singer had the Midas touch in a year so stellar her home state of Pennsylvania declared 2023 the Taylor Swift Era.

She soaked up the lion's share of attention and headlines, but the entertainment gods still found time to bless us with other forms of amusement.

They gave us many great movies that found their way to the few screens that weren't playing "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour."

Here is an alphabetical list of my favourite films that screened while Ms. Swift entertained the world.

THE BEST MOVIES OF THE YEAR

"Air" is a crowd-pleaser, a movie whose specificity, in this case the story of Air Jordans and Nike, becomes a universal story of inspiration, determination and risk taking.

"Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" perfectly captures Margaret's tentative steps into adolescence and the life-changing power that comes along with each of her discoveries. Like the book, which runs an economical 149 pages, the movie is a small story that tackles big issues.

Director Cord Jefferson's "American Fiction" asks why stereotypes of Black trauma are so prevalent in entertainment by not so subtly satirizing the process and the people who create the limited view of Black life in books and on screens.

"Barbie" has both style and substance, and while its story may get overactive and muddled in its last reel, Gerwig's point of view on gender roles and the way that women are treated in society pulls few punches.

"Beau Is Afraid" swings for the fences, burrowing in on its grandiose emotional ideas even if it often feels like a three-hour panic attack. Unpredictable, unexpected and ultimately, unexplainable, it's challenging cinema that connects on a subconscious level.

It is a blast to watch Jamie Foxx in full flight, but it is in "The Burial's" quieter moments that his character, Gary, really comes to life.

"Creed III," of course, leads up to a showdown between two frenemies, but as a director, Michael B. Jordan finds a way to make the inevitable fight more personal, more dynamic than the usual boxing movie finale. It's a knockout climax to a sometimes formulaic, but always heartfelt and entertaining, story of ambition and regret.

"Dream Scenario" does feature some surreal dream sequences, but it's not really about dreams. It's about life as a modern, viral celebrity on display in the unblinking eye of the public, social media and cancel culture.

At its core, "Flora and Son" is a love story, but it's not a rom-com. This is about the love of family, music and self and is a rousing crowd-pleaser that breathes the same air as director John Carney's other films, "Sing Street" and "Once."

"The Holdovers" is a warmhearted coming-of-all-ages movie that never succumbs to cheap melodrama. An uplifting tale of, as Armistead Maupin put it, embracing your logical family instead of your biological one, it avoids overt sentimentality.

Atmospheric and gothic though "Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person" may be, the movie is actually a tender-hearted story that uses the undead to celebrate life.

Part workplace comedy — think "High Fidelity" only set in a video store — part character study, "I Like Movies" is sweet-natured, funny film that digs deep to make us feel empathy for Lawrence, a socially awkward character who hides his real feelings behind a facade of bluster and pretension.

"The Killer" is a slickly made, stylish thriller, with an anxiety inducing score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross that uses the central character's aloofness as a hook to pull you to the edge of your seat.

Robert De Niro has played dastardly characters before, but he's never been as vile as he is in "Killers of the Flower Moon." And this is an actor who played The Devil in “Angel Heart.”

"Leo" presents a kinder, gentler Adam Sandler than the one who got into an on-screen brawl with beloved game show host Bob Barker in Happy Gilmore.

"Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning" is the ne plus ultra of modern, big-budget studio filmmaking. Director Christopher McQuarrie manages the breathless, super-sized movies with an expert hand, blending old school action movie filmmaking with real stakes.

"Oppenheimer," the brainiest blockbuster of the season, is a period piece about a man whose moral conundrums regarding power and the way it is wielded resonate just as loudly today as they did when the events took place.

"Perfect Days" is a contemplative movie that examines the simple pleasures in life. Music, literature and nature are showcased, but this poetic, profound film celebrates finding contentment in all aspects of life.

In "The Pigeon Tunnel," Errol Morris doesn't attempt to chip away at the facade and get at the underlying truth of John le Carré's life because he knows, in the hands of a master storyteller, a good story is a good story, whether it is true or not.

An off-kilter "Frankenstein" story, "Poor Things" is a coming-of-age… a long strange journey unlike any other, but one with a strong message of female agency and a spectacular performance from Emma Stone.

"The Royal Hotel" isn't a travelogue or a Shirley Valentine-style journey of self-discovery. What begins as a lark, an adventure in Australia, soon turns into a cabin-in-the-woods style horror movie, where the boogeyman is toxic male behaviour.

Your spidey senses won't be the only thing left tingling after "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."

It is the focus on Jones as a brilliant musician and not simply another rock 'n' roll casualty that elevates "The Stones and Brian Jones." The story has its sordid moments, but director Nick Bloomfield emphasizes the very heart of Jones' being, the music.

The 4K "Stop Making Sense" restoration of the four-decade old movie is a joyful, high-energy revisiting of a classic. A document of a band working at the top of its game, it captures the love of music and performance in a way few others have.

The movie doesn't break much new ground – the break-up-and-make-up story beats are predictable – but the sweet and sassy performances and genuine family vibe make "You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah" a welcome addition to the Sandler Family catalogue.

Confident in its uneasy, experimental execution, unblinking in its representation of the facilitation of evil, "The Zone of Interest" isn't an easy watch, but will resonate long after the end credits have rolled.