The Official Review Thread of 2023

[mlrg]

The ending puts this over the top.

Just to clarify. By 'over the top' you mean it makes a great film even better, not 'over the top' meaning 'overdone', yes?

Having also seen it, I’m pretty sure he means the former. It has a really great ending/coda.

Absolutely agree

[flipp525]

The ending puts this over the top.

Just to clarify. By 'over the top' you mean it makes a great film even better, not 'over the top' meaning 'overdone', yes?

Having also seen it, I’m pretty sure he means the former. It has a really great ending/coda.

[Sonic Youth]

The ending puts this over the top.

Just to clarify. By 'over the top' you mean it makes a great film even better, not 'over the top' meaning 'overdone', yes?

[anonymous1980]

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser.
Dir: Martin Scorsese

Based on the non-fiction book by David Grann, this film is about a series of murders that befall the Osage nation after they struck it rich with oil, focusing on the relationship between an Osage woman, a war veteran and that war veteran's rich influential uncle. Director Martin Scorsese is eighty years old and yet here he is firing in all cylinders, crafting a film that's about as good as anything he has done in his prime. This is a truly epic (three and a half hours!) drama of a dark and almost never discussed chapter of American history. It features some of the best work ever by almost everyone involved including the performances of the actors, the beautiful cinematography and the on-point production design. The ending puts this over the top. It is one of the best films of year.

Oscar Prospects: All of 'em.

Grade: A

[Sabin]

Mister Tee wrote
Don't know if it counts as a movie -- short, I presume -- but I watched The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar the other night. It's a perfectly pleasant thing, with a (typically) over-qualified cast. Wes at this point seems all in on the narrative-within-narrative-within-narrative, and I can see people being annoyed with it; even moreso, I'm sure some will be driven batty by the reading-the-book-aloud style. But I found it a sweet enough story that passed 40 minutes or so painlessly.

I don't know if The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is going to win Wes Anderson the Oscar for Best Live-Action Short but I'm sure Netflix is going to push for it and if it happened it would probably be the highest profile win in this category in a while. Maybe of my life. It's a pleasure to watch and a good fit for Wes' preoccupation with writers-of-stories nesting doll structures. It's just constant words and talking! I'd probably like it more if his previous two films weren't feature-length explorations on this subject. I think the pleasures of this preoccupation are more enjoyable at this length, like the forests reminiscent of Rousseau. I don't know if it's a coincidence that the film is an exploration of basically a magic trick (seeing without ones' eyes) but I basically had the same experience. The story was explained to me, I was held by it, and then it was over. It's good but a little weightless.

I know we have a separate thread for it but I rewatched Asteroid City and liked it more. Like The French Dispatch, I think it's flawed but not in a way that requires too much effort. My biggest issue I had with the film is pretty closely tied to what I like the most. The former is that it doesn't quite build to emotional resonance like maybe it should have. I used to think that the balance between B&W BTS and "Asteroid City" scenes feels off. It's actually both perfect and kind of a tricky tightrope act, feeling both meticulous, freewheeling, destabilized, and full of a weird uncertainty. The problem is that the scenes lack a bit of weight so when they're paid off we don't feel much. But honestly, he might have also hit the nail on the head with this one. Like I said, individual scenes don't feel weighty but as a whole I was just struck by the vibe of whimsy and anxiety but it's also welcome how any contemporary parallels don't hit one on the head. What's unfortunate about Wes is that the more he becomes obsessed with storytelling, the less accomplished he is at telling one (remember The Royal Tenenbaums? re-team with Owen Wilson!) but I thought Asteroid City was both empty and yet getting its hands around a lot and making it look like nothing. Not a full throated recommendation but more so than on a first viewing.

[dws1982]

The Exorcist: Believer
This would probably have a 20-point higher Rotten Tomatoes score if it were just a standalone horror movie, and with a few small adjustments, it could be. On those terms, it would still not be good, but I think a lot, even most, of the hostility has been due to how it ties itself to The Exorcist and--this part is key--the fact that it doesn't seem to respect the original or even understand why it was such a big deal when it was first released. (You hope that Burstyn was paid well, because what it does to her character is awful.) As a sequel to The Exorcist, it really does feel like the worst kind of cash grab. The Exorcist III got bad reviews in real time and even an undeserved Razzie nomination, but possibly because it was written and directed by William Peter Blatty, it understood that The Exorcist is about Father Karras and more generally about a crisis of faith, not about Regan and Chris, and while I get that existential despair may not be a box-office play in 2023, it only gives the most basic lip service to that theme and never really invests the parent-child dynamics beyond basic things you've seen dozens of times. Starting to give up hope that David Gordon Green will ever make a good movie again; his first two movies showed a lot of promise but he really has turned into the worst kind of hack.

[anonymous1980]

FAIR PLAY
Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Phoebe Dyvenor, Eddie Marsan, Rich Sommer.
Dir: Chloe Domont.

An engaged couple's relationship slowly descends into turmoil when one of them gets a promotion at the hedge fund firm where they both work and the other doesn't. I can see this concept, in other hands, play out as a comedy. But in the hands of first time writer-director Chloe Domont, it is an erotic thriller and relationship drama. The film keeps you guessing on how this thing will turn out. Both Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dyvenor give superb performances and this film signals Domont as a filmmaking voice to be reckoned. The film also gives viewers, particularly straight couples, things to think about and talk about after. So be forewarned. Excellent film.

Oscar Prospects: This could've been a great Screenplay and Acting contender in a less competitive year but unfortunately this isn't one of those years.

Grade: A-

PASSAGES
Cast: Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, Adele Exarchopolous.
Dir: Ira Sachs.

A film director married to a man falls for and has an affair with a woman. Even after he leaves his husband for the woman, he still pines for him. One of things noted about this film is that the central character is quite an unsympathetic character. Indeed, I can see that in lesser hands, this character would've absolutely off-putting and would've ruined the film. But thanks Franz Rogowski's performance and Ira Sachs' intelligent script, the character is thankfully also compelling. It makes you sort of understand why he does what he does and the script also makes you understand why the other two people are drawn to him and make them do what they do. This is a truly absorbing queer love triangle drama that is one of the best films of the year. Highly recommended.

Oscar Prospects: (see above)

Grade: A-

THE CREATOR
Cast: John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Alison Janney, Sturgill Simpson, Marc Menchaca, Ralph Ineson.
Dir: Gareth Edwards.

In a world where America has declared war against A.I. robots, an America soldier is recruited to get a weapon that could potentially make the A.I. win and it's in the form of a young girl. There is a lot to admire about this film. The world-building is terrific. The visual effects and production design are pitch perfect. It is also an original film and not based on any existing IP. It's also something to say about A.I. technology, American imperialism, militarism and xenophobia. But it is still a rather formulaic, predictable science-fiction adventure and yes, while it tries to say something about heady subjects, it does so in a rather muddled fashion especially since A.I. technology is currently a very controversial topic these days to say the least. It is still watchable because both John David Washington and newcomer Madeleine Yuna Voyles both make appealing pair and give terrific performances. They carry you through the film. Otherwise, it's just so-so.

Oscar Prospects: This will definitely get a Visual Effects nomination. Production Design and Sound are tougher but not completely out of the question.

Grade: B-

[dws1982]

I have not written about it, and I guess it has been more like 15 years since I've watched it, although I'm going to try it again since I have a week+ off starting this evening. (Although it won't be as laid back as normal, as I am now a cross country coach and we have three meets over the break.) I really remember very little about it after all these years, and it's one of the only of my favorites of 2007 that I haven't rewatched.

[Okri]

dws1982 wrote
Have not seen it in 10+ years, but I loved Darjeeling and find myself exhausted by everything he's done post-Grand Budapest.

Okay, have you ever written about that film on this board? Because I remember it topped your 2007 list and was like ?

Same.

[Sabin]

dws1982 wrote
Have not seen it in 10+ years, but I loved Darjeeling and find myself exhausted by everything he's done post-Grand Budapest.

Okay, have you ever written about that film on this board? Because I remember it topped your 2007 list and was like ?

[dws1982]

Have not seen it in 10+ years, but I loved Darjeeling and find myself exhausted by everything he's done post-Grand Budapest.

[Okri]

There are few directors who made me as mad as I was after seeing the Darjeeling Ltd (I bitched the whole way home about that film.... and I was alone), so I'm still surprised at just how positive I became with him.

[flipp525]

Did you also see the three other shorts also based on Roald Dahl short stories? Namely The Swan, The Rat Catcher and Poison? If you binge all 4 together, it’s basically an entirely new Wes Anderson feature!

Jesus, that sounds like fucking hell.

Is that specific to this project or do you not like Wes Anderson?

The latter.

[Reza]

Don't know if it counts as a movie -- short, I presume -- but I watched The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar the other night. It's a perfectly pleasant thing, with a (typically) over-qualified cast. Wes at this point seems all in on the narrative-within-narrative-within-narrative, and I can see people being annoyed with it; even moreso, I'm sure some will be driven batty by the reading-the-book-aloud style. But I found it a sweet enough story that passed 40 minutes or so painlessly.

Did you also see the three other shorts also based on Roald Dahl short stories? Namely The Swan, The Rat Catcher and Poison? If you binge all 4 together, it’s basically an entirely new Wes Anderson feature!

Jesus, that sounds like fucking hell.

[Okri]

Don't know if it counts as a movie -- short, I presume -- but I watched The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar the other night. It's a perfectly pleasant thing, with a (typically) over-qualified cast. Wes at this point seems all in on the narrative-within-narrative-within-narrative, and I can see people being annoyed with it; even moreso, I'm sure some will be driven batty by the reading-the-book-aloud style. But I found it a sweet enough story that passed 40 minutes or so painlessly.

Did you also see the three other shorts also based on Roald Dahl short stories? Namely The Swan, The Rat Catcher and Poison? If you binge all 4 together, it’s basically an entirely new Wes Anderson feature!

Jesus, that sounds like fucking hell.

Is that specific to this project or do you not like Wes Anderson?