2023 Smart AwardsShows or movies that premiered in the U.S. in 2023 – The Smart Awards are for shows or movies that aren’t dumbed down, that force you to use your brain. And the acting is subtle rather than over the top or playing to the camera.
NOT A GREAT YEAR, but here are my top picks.
At first watching, I didn’t like the structure of this film. After a second viewing, I think the odd structure makes the film more interesting. The acting by Murphy is on another level. Definitely the best movie of the year.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr.
IMDb: 8.4
Where: iTunes, Amazon Prime
I won’t give away the plot here, because it’s much better if it’s a surprise. Just know that the story involves an American soldier in Afghanistan and the interpreter assigned to his troop. Based on true events.
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Emily Beecham
IMDb: 7.5
Where: Apple TV, Amazon Prime
Sheridan is back with another historical prequel series for his hit show, Yellowstone. Imo, both of the prequel series are stronger than Yellowstone.. And, if you liked 2021’s 1883, you’ll like this series as well. To help you with the continuation: Harrison Ford’s character in 1923 is the brother of Tim McGraw's charater in 1883.
Creator: Taylor Sheridan
Cast: Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Jerome Flynn
IMDb: 8.3
Where: Paramount+
Each season of Fargo is its own storyline, so we’ll treat this as a series debut. This season of Fargo is probably the weakest one, but it’s still better than most TV fare. Jon Hamm and Joe Keery (Stranger Things) both give haunting performances.
Creator: Noah Hawley
Cast: Juno Temple, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jon Hamm
IMDb: 8.9
Where: Hulu
In a dystopian future, a community exists in a giant, underground, 144-storied silo. They cannot go outside of the silo. This one is for sci-fi lovers, and/or people like myself who think that Rebecca Ferguson is an outstanding actress.
Creator: Graham Yost (Justified)
Cast: Rebecca Ferguson, Common, Tim Robbins, Harriet Walter
IMDb: 8.1
Where: Apple TV+
Based on the true story of the 1983 Brink's-Mat robbery and its aftermath. This was one of the largest robberies in British history. The series has the typical high level of production the Brits are known for. Plus you get to see Hugh Bonneville playing a very different character than his character in Downton Abbey.
Creator: Neil Forsyth
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Jack Lowden, Emun Elliott
IMDb: 7.4
Where: Paramount+
If you liked Dark, you’ll probably like this series. Four different London detectives in four different time periods find themselves investigating the same murder. Definitely a mind-bender.
Cast: Stephen Graham, Amaka Okafor, Kyle Soller, Shira Haas, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd
IMDb: 7.3
Where: Netflix
Two people must learn to survive together in a post-pandemic world. As you can see by its IMDb rating, people went nuts over this show. For me, it was okay but didn’t cover much new ground from what other post-apocalyptic shows had already covered (e.g., The Walking Dead).
Creators: Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin (Chernobyl)
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Anna Torv
IMDb: 8.8
Where: HBO
From the studio behind John Wick comes a similar revenge flick, but with a very different historical and geographical setting. What makes the movie especially fun is that the bad guys are Nazis, and our protagonist is a seemingly weak old man.
Director: Jalmari Helander
Cast: Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie
IMDb: 6.9
Where: Starz
This is a quirky, intelligent mystery series. Natasha Lyonne plays a down-on-her-luck woman with an extraordinary ability: she can tell when someones lying. As a result, she becomes a reluctant detective in various tales.
Creator: Rian Johnson
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Benjamin Bratt, Simon Helberg
IMDb: 7.9
Where: Peacock
Interesting, based-on-reality story about the birth of the Air Jordan basketball shoe. Matt Damon plays basketball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro, who must come up with a new spokesperson for Nike basketball shoes. Damon seems better suited here than in Oppenheimer, as there is a comic vibe to the movie. Affleck directs and plays his boss, Nike CEO Phil Knight.
Director: Ben Affleck
Cast: Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck
IMDb: 7.4
Where: Amazon Prime