This year, thousands of movies, TV shows, albums and books consumed pop culture. In a November poll, over 200 West Essex students picked their favorite for each category. After the results came in, the Wire staff did a poll of their own. Here’s the Wire’s and the students’ top picks of 2023.
WE top movie: “Barbie”
This summer, pink was back in theaters as Barbie and Ken brought viewers along on their journey from the utopian Barbie Land to the real world of California. Barbie leaves her plastic world to embrace the highs and lows of real life when she feels broken. On her journey, she sees the authentic beauty of an imperfect world. This genius cast included Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, and America Ferrera. With an epic soundtrack, nostalgic tributes and an unexpected ending, viewers could not get enough. The film was funny, emotional and highlighted the power that is created when women work together.
Wire top movie: “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”
The 2000s are back with “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” the Hunger Game prequel movie taking the internet by storm. Set 64 years prior to the first story, the movie takes audiences on a journey that follows the slow unraveling of young Coriolanus Snow and the hauntingly mysterious Lucy Gray Baird in the disastrous tenth hunger games. With talented actors and actresses like Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler, the movie was set for success, cleverly using a number of heart-wrenching and riveting songs sung by Lucy Gray, really capturing the feeling and energy that she brings into Snow’s life. The movie takes all that audiences loved about the original Hunger Games trilogy and revives the franchise in a way that not only feels nostalgic but palatable and tantalizing to new fans, reminding the world of why exactly they loved “The Hunger Games” in the first place.
WE top TV show: “The Summer I Turned Pretty”
After the popularity of the first season, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” returned with more drama this summer. Between flashbacks, grief and the love triangle between Belly and the two brothers, this season was certainly an emotional rollercoaster. Belly navigates loss, her relationships with the Fisher brothers, Jeremiah and Conrad and being a teenager, all while accepting that her summers will never be the same again. With storylines of new relationships, the future of the beach house at stake and the introduction of new characters, this season exceeds expectations. Fans were on the edge of their seats rooting for their favorite brother all summer long. Whether team Jeremiah or team Conrad, this season had fans crying, screaming and laughing all at the same time.
Wire’s top TV show: “Daisy Jones & the Six”
After the release of the novel “Daisy Jones & the Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid four years ago, the series finally hit the screens. This show follows the rise and fall of fictional rock band Daisy Jones & the Six, who called it quits at the height of their fame in the 1970s. The show centers the band’s two lead singers Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne, as well as their developing love triangle. On top of the love triangle, the audience is taken on a journey of addiction, love, lust and rock n’ roll.
WE top album: “UTOPIA” by Travis Scott
This past July, Travis Scott topped the charts and took over the rap community with his newest album, “UTOPIA.” Released four years after his last collection, “JACKBOYS,” Scott fans were pleasantly surprised by the rapper’s newest hits. Featuring artists such as Drake, SZA, Beyonce and Playboi Carti, it was no surprise that listeners everywhere can’t get enough. Some common fan favorites include “FE!N,” “TOPIA TWINS,” “MELTDOWN” and “TELEKINESIS.” With all 19 tunes on this collection being a hit, fans are certainly “FE!N”ing for more.
Wire’s top album: “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”
After its original release in 2014, pop icon Taylor Swift has officially rerecorded her hit album, “1989.” Including five unreleased songs “from the vault,” this collection brought listeners back to how they felt when the original tunes were released. With classic hits like “Style (Taylor’s Version),” “Out Of The Woods (Taylor’s Version)” and “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version),” alongside the new ones, this album was destined to top the charts everywhere. “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” gave OG Swifties the nostalgia they’d been yearning for, reminding them of their childhoods.
WE top book: “Percy Jackson and the Olympians the Chalice of the Gods” by Rick Riordan
It’s been years since readers have had a good old fashioned Percy Jackson story, and when “Percy Jackson: Chalice of the Gods” was released, it was welcomed with warmth and just a few tears. The book takes readers back into Percy’s world, as he seeks to conquer the most frightening quest of all: college. Of course, the path to college is neither straightforward nor simple, with Zeus demanding 3 letters of recommendation for Percy to be considered as a student at any godly college, but he brushes it off with typical Percy sass and humor, taking it in stride. It only takes a few moments for it to sink into readers that while this may be the Percy they know and love, he’s grown up, just like them. And they’re all going to be taking one big step together, into the unknown of adulthood.
Wire’s top book: “The Woman In Me” by Britney Spears
After years of silence, pop-culture celebrity Britney Spears has finally released her long-awaited memoir, “The Woman In Me.” This book gives readers an inside look into Spears’ experiences growing up and making her way throughout fame. Despite the rumors and the negative light the media put on Spears, she finds her way in explaining the girl she truly is, in comparison to the “bad girl” persona the media gave her. From her mental health struggles to her conservatorship with her family, Spears does not miss a detail in her real story.
