The 2023 movie year officially kicks off Friday with the release of the horror film “Megan,” but before we dive into the new year, it is a perfect time to catch up on what you might have missed in theaters or streaming the past few months.

Here are a few films you might want to catch up on before we peer into the 2023 film offerings.

“The Menu” (B) is a deliciously dark comedy that effectively skewers the social class structure.

Set over the course of one night, “The Menu” finds a group of wealthy clients traveling to a remote island for a meal prepared by a renowned chef (Ralph Fiennes). The group includes a young man (Nicholas Hoult) and his unsuspecting date Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy).

As the night begins to unfold, Margot begins to suspect this event is about more than a meal – with the chef and his staff eventually revealing their full intentions.

Director Mark Mylod frames this all with visual panache, embracing the dark material in all of its glory, while the cast keeps it all interesting. Fiennes and Taylor-Joy are both very good, but Hong Chau as the chef’s loyal assistant nearly steals the film the same way she stole “The Whale.”

“The Menu” is still playing in theaters and is also streaming on HBO Max.

“Banshees of the Iniserin” (A) was one of 2022’s best films – another wickedly dark comedy that reunites writer/director Martin McDonagh with “In Bruges” stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.

Farrell and Gleeson play lifelong friends Pádraic and Colm who find themselves at an impasse when Colm decides he doesn’t want to be friends anymore.

Set against the lush backdrop of the Irish coast (the cinematography is exquisite), “Banshees” delivers some uncomfortable laughs along with perhaps some of 2022’s best performances. Farrell and Gleeson are both Oscar worthy, as well as Kerry Condon as Pádraic’s no-nonsense sister.

Audiences looking for a slow build dark comedy will most definitely be rewarded for their patience.

“Banshees of the Inisherin” is now streaming on HBO Max.

For families looking for a theatrical option other than “Avatar,” then “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” (B) might be the film for you.

The sequel to the spin-off from the “Shrek” series is a delightfully charming chapter that keeps the magic of “Shrek” while successfully standing on its own as an enjoyable franchise.

“The Last Wish” finds the title character Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) down to the last of his nine lives on a quest to find a magical “Wishing Star.”

Along the way, he crosses paths with Kitty Soft Paws (voiced by Salma Hayek) and a dog named Perro (voiced by Harvey Guillen) who wants to be a cat.

From its opening scene “The Last Wish” has this infectious energy that it is able to maintain throughout. You can tell Banderas is having a lot of fun here returning to this character and his excitement only adds to the charm.

“Last Wish” has plenty of the same humor that made “Shrek” work so well – with laughs that will play to both children and adults but for different reasons.

It took almost a decade for this sequel to come to fruition. Hopefully, the third chapter arrives much sooner.

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” is now playing in theaters.