With the holidays and a bunch of flights for me now past us, it's time to publish my final movie rankings for 2023. So here is a quick run-down of the many I saw on planes...

Fast X: As expected, you'll have to turn your brain off for this one. 4 Mai Tais.

The Adults: A very slow build. You'll probably need to sip on 1 Mai Tai as the characters become more established toward the final act.

The Equalizer 3: I thought this was well-paced enough to require 0 Mai Tais!

A Haunting in Venice: Pretty engaging! It's mostly dialogue so you'll need to keep a sharp mind on this and partake 0 Mai Tais.

Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story: This felt very shallow -- it's hard to describe but it feels nothing really happens in it. 2 Mai Tais.

Barbie: Surprisingly well-done! The overall cinematography elevates this and knowing that the a lot of the effects are practical set designs makes me appreciate this all the more! So this is technically the best movie I've seen in 2023! 0 Mai Tais! However, screenplay-wise, I prefer Oppenheimer and it used IMAX film so for those reasons, it slightly nudges up ahead to take the top ranking.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One: Mostly engaging but I feel myself muddling this with Indiana Jones -- maybe they have very similar scenes? 0 Mai Tais.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: I get this muddled with Mission Impossible. Perhaps it was not a memorable movie for me? Maybe it's the train scenes, which reminded me of Uncharted2 and I think Mission Impossible did it better complete with escaping from falling cars! Wait, weren't we talking about Indiana Jones? Nah, just take 2 Mai Tais.

Final 2023 ranking:

Oppenheimer: 0 Mai Tais

Barbie: 0 Mai Tais

BlackBerry: 0 Mai Tais

A Haunting in Venice: 0 Mai Tais

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One: 0 Mai Tais

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret: 0 Mai Tais

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: 0 Mai Tais

The Equalizer 3: 0 Mai Tais

The Blackening: 1 Mai Tai

Cocaine Bear: 1 Mai Tai

The Adults: 1 Mai Tai

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: 2 Mai Tais

Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story: 2 Mai Tais

Fast X: 4 Mai Tais