Awards Season

Dallas-Fort Worth film critics divulge their favorite films of 2023

Dominic Sessa and Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers

The Holdovers was named the best film of 2023 by the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association

Photo by Seacia Pavao / courtesy of Focus Features

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association (of which CultureMap's Alex Bentley is a member) has named director Alexander Payne's The Holdovers as the Best Film of 2023, according to the results of its 30th annual critics’ poll.

Although The Holdovers took top honors, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer took home the most awards, winning for Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey, Jr.), Best Director (Nolan), and Best Cinematography (Hoyte van Hoytema).

The Holdovers was second in total number of awards with three, also winning for Best Supporting Actress (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) and Best Screenplay (David Hemingson).

Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon won two awards, nabbing wins for Best Actress (Lily Gladstone) and Best Score (Robbie Robertson).

Other winners included Anatomy of a Fall for Best Foreign Language Film; American Symphony for Best Documentary; and The Boy and the Heron for Best Animated Film.

The winner of the Russell Smith Award, given to the best low-budget or cutting-edge independent film, was Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest (out on January 12).

Following The Holdovers, the top 10 films were, in order, Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, Poor Things, American Fiction (out on January 5), Past Lives, Maestro, Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, and May December.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association consists of 24 broadcast, print, and online journalists from throughout North Texas.

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Editor's note: A lot happened this New Year's week in Fort Worth, so here's your chance to get caught up. A cool new beer garden and burger joint opened, a beloved craft beer spot closed, and more. Read on for this week's top stories. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? That list is here.

1. Hip hang Crystal Springs Hideaway debuts in Fort Worth River District. A fun beer garden and burger spot in Fort Worth’s River District has made its debut: Crystal Springs Hideaway is now open at 113 Roberts Cut Off Rd. with a Texas beer and wine garden featuring 25+ draft beers, burgers, cocktails, along with a wine-cheese-charcuterie shop, all in a historically significant space that's been artfully renovated.

2. Texas bourbon prevails on list of top 10 whiskies in 2024. Three cheers for Still Austin Whiskey Co.! The Texas-based distillery's Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon Whiskey was recognized as one of Whisky Advocate'sTop 20 Most Exciting Whiskies of 2024.

3. Fort Worth's Fort Brewery & Pizza closes in style with half-off sale. A popular craft beer and bites spot in Fort Worth has closed: Fort Brewery & Pizza, which has been plying its namesake pizza and beer since 2018, closed its location at 2737 Tillar St., on December 29. Owners Corrie Watson Fletcher and Will Churchill say that they're closing the taproom in order to focus on their burgeoning beer business.

Fort Brewery & Pizza So long, Fort Brewery. Courtesy photo

4. Best Fort Worth restaurants to celebrate New Year's Day 2025 brunch. Whether you were recovering from New Year's Eve parties or just diving into 2025 with zeal, brunch was the correct answer. And brunch tastes even better when it's in the middle of the week, does it not? Here were all the Fort Worth restaurants open for brunch on New Year's Day 2025.

5. TikTok critic Keith Lee visits Dallas spinoff of Fort Worth steakhouse. A TikTok critic paid a visit to a surprisingly fancy DFW restaurant: Viral critic Keith Lee, whose online restaurant critiques generate millions of views, bestowed a visit upon Wicked Butcher, a local steakhouse that started in Fort Worth.