The Official Review Thread of 2023

[anonymous1980]

THE COLOR PURPLE
Cast: Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo, Danielle Brooks, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Halle Bailey, Ciara, Louis Gossett Jr., Jon Batiste, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, David Allan Grier, Deon Cole.
Dir: Blitz Bazawule.

This is the film version of the stage musical adaptation of Alice Walker's novel which chronicles the often troubled life of Celie, a young black woman in the early 20th century. I have only seen the 1985 Steven Spielberg film (who co-produces). I have no read the book nor seen the stage musical. I haven't even listened to the cast album save for one song. Watching this, I sort of get why the musical always gets mixed-ish reviews on Broadway. While the songs and the numbers are great, I kind of feel the story itself doesn't seem to lend itself well as a musical, I don't know if anyone else feels this way. It's like having a delicious sweet dessert and delicious savory dish in one plate, delicious on their own, but they don't always go together. But the film is well-crafted, the cast is great especially Danielle Brooks, Taraji P. Henson and Colman Domingo and overall, a film worth watching.

Grade: B+

[Sabin]

Just watched The Creator at home, which is the dumbest way I could've seen it. Really frustrated at myself for not seeing it on the big screen. It's a gorgeous film. These effects (how did they do this for $80m?) are incredible and the visual world-building is incredible. It really deserved more conversation in the fields of Best Cinematography and Production Design. But the more it went along, the more bored I got with it. It's a good example of a science fiction movie that piles on so many big ideas early on but doesn't really know what to do with them so it just... goes... big as it struggles to pay them all off. A lot of that is the limits of modern screenwriting but some of it is just it's not that smart. If there is a war between humanity and A.I., it's not going to look like this (lol) where one side is just represented by misunderstood robots who just want peace. At its core, it's kind of a dumb war movie. Also, John David Washington still isn't really bringing it in starring roles yet.

But it looks incredible. Gareth Edwards is the real deal. He really needs to be talked about in the same breath as Denis Villeneuve. I have zero interest in another Jurassic Park movie. The fact that he's doing it? I'm there opening day. It's going to look amazing. If only he could get a better handle on story.

[anonymous1980]

AMERICAN FICTION
Cast: Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K. Brown, Issa Rae, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Tracee Ellis Ross, Adam Brody, Leslie Uggams.
Dir: Cord Jefferson.

An African-American writer is having getting his works published and decides to write a stereotypical "black" book then experiences unexpected success. I have to say there are two very good movies going on here: A family comedy-drama focusing on an upper-middle class black family and a sharp and funny satire of liberal attitudes towards not only African American literature but the arts in general. I'm not sure if it entirely works but this film says things that needed to be said. Writer-director Cord Jefferson shows a lot of promise as a filmmaker and the cast is excellent especially Jeffrey Wright who shines in a rare lead role. It's not one of my favorites of the year but it's a solid effort and there's lots to admire about it.

Grade: B+

[anonymous1980]

POOR THINGS
Cast: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, Kathryn Hunter, Christopher Abbott, Hannah Schygulla, Suzy Bemba, Margaret Qualley.
Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos

A young woman who's been brought back to life by a deformed scientist through a brain transplant from her unborn child decides to go off with lawyer to experience the world. This is simply a superb film. It is wonderfully strange and quirky and visually eye-popping and a riveting experience. It is funny, erotic and thought provoking. I have to say the hype is real about Emma Stone's performance. The physicality, the life and emotion she brings to to her unique dialogue was just a joy to watch. The supporting performances are also great. Much has been said about Dafoe and Ruffalo but I do want to single out Ramy Youssef who actually grounds the film with his normalcy and decency in his character. It is not quite my #1 film of the year but it will most like end up in my Top 10.

Grade: A.

[Sabin]

A few takes...

Rewatched Anatomy of a Fall. Liked it more although I still hold my reservation that it doesn't really end that effectively. The last chapter of the film loses momentum and I don't totally know what I'm supposed to take from it at the end or feel about Sandra. But there's so much exciting storytelling beforehand and it does a really terrific job of giving us a look at the entirety of a marriage through a legal procedure. It almost feels like a divorce film. All of its nominations were deserved but I'm especially glad it got its editing nomination.

I saw The Boy and the Heron. I second a lot of Tee's thoughts. I don't think I've ever disliked a Miyazaki film but I always find them a little frustratingly plotted. Mike D'Angelo wrote that they're all like a parent improvising a bedtime story for a kid and they feel like desperate attempts to keep going based on how long the kid is awake. This bedtime story grabbed me right out of the gate with Mahito losing his mother and dealing with a new family. A really compelling situation. When it became clear, we were in for some kind of trek to the underworld to retrieve her, I settled in. It was working. And then... it just sort of went all over the place. Because it's Miyazaki, it's never a bad time, but it feels like even he lost the thread a little. When Lady Himi's identity is revealed, that should be a big ass deal and it isn't to say nothing of the ending. I would imagine if someone was a huge Miyazaki stan then the sight of the world-builder looking for an heir might be more captivating. It's engaging but I just thought he lost the thread and kind of wanted more of the movie to be about the friendship between Mahito and the Heron.

I spent a lot of Fair Play wondering what it meant to be. Did it intend to be a Netflix exploitation film or a Sundance film that intends to be a serious exploration of something. The more I think about it, the more it feels like a calling card film that can be interpreted as either. Chloe Domont makes a lot of really interesting storytelling choices. I know a man wouldn't start the film off with a sex scene aborted by a woman's period which turns into a proposal. But mostly, I just thought it was fine, passable entertainment, save for the casting of Phoebe Dynevor. She didn't really work for me.

[anonymous1980]

PRISCILLA
Cast: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, Dagmara Domińczyk, Ari Cohen.
Dir: Sofia Coppola.

Based on her memoirs, this film chronicles Priscilla Presley's relationship and marriage to Elvis Presley from the time she met him when she was 14 through their separation/divorce in the early '70s. This is almost like an anti-Baz Luhrmann Elvis. While that biopic was big, colorful and flamboyant, this is a far more subdued, quiet film which is more of a character study than your typical music biopic. It would make for an interesting double-feature. Director Sofia Coppola does not shy away from the more problematic and toxic elements of their relationships but still makes it clear that Priscilla actually really did love Elvis. Which makes the performances of both Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi all the more impressive because of this tricky balancing act. But as for the film itself, it's a film I admire more than I actually like. I like Sofia Coppola's films in general but I seem to have trouble getting into the wavelength of this one. So I recommend it but not as enthusiastically as other people.

Grade: B.

[Sabin]

Some thoughts...


In The Teacher’s Lounge, writer/director İlker Çatak takes a real world setting and creates a quagmire that is suitably dramatic without feeling phony. Carla is an idealistic yet protocol-driven teacher who records a theft in the teacher’s lounge (or does she) which causes ripples throughout her world when the thief turns out to be a faculty member who is the mother of one of her students. There’s a Farhadi quality to the writing and a Dardennes Bros. quality to the cinematography. I like how the film never leaves the school and there's an undercurrent of paranoia to this impossible job in an ever-advancing world. It doesn’t quite ratchet up in intensity like a Farhadi film would and it feels like the ending doesn't gut punch like it should (there’s a subplot set up earlier that feels like it should play more prominently at the end) but at 98 minutes it felt like an introduction to a promising talent. Right now, it’s my favorite of the International Films and should probably have gotten more consideration for Best Original Screenplay.


Not really a 2023 (it was before it was bumped) but I saw The Book of Clarence basically because I saw the trailer about thirty times and I think the idea of a broke grifter in Roman times who decides to get fame and fortune off of becoming one of Jesus’ Apostles is a terrific idea. I still think it’s a terrific idea. To be honest, I wasn’t prepared for The Book of Clarence to sort of become a faith film with (how should I put this) a Passion of the Christy ending. I admired the attempt. The film earnestly wants to put Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) on the road to actual faith and the film wraps its arms around a lot. Jeymes Samuel does not pull it off in my opinion. The tone is all over the place, it takes far too long to get going, and it wastes far too much time by giving Clarence a sympathetic backstory and a twin brother Apostle which horribly deflates the fun of the broke grifter protagonist. Were it not my birthday and I knew more what it was going into it, I might have more muted feelings towards this sort of wacky-earnest curio. But it was my birthday and I had no idea it was going to be *THAT*. I brought my friends to see it. We sort of watched it in stunned silence. I had a lousy time.


And now a few rewatches.

Rewatched American Fiction.
It's funny and likable but the two parts of the story just don’t come together for me. I see what it’s doing. It’s sort of a James L. Brooksy Rite of Passage Film, with both a Personal Story (Monk’s family life) and a Professional Story (the book). I actually like now that the Professional Story feels like a peppered distraction (even though it’s overly broad) but it’s just not a Personal Story that brings closure to a problem in Monk’s life. Seriously, just what’s his simple internal problem and heal it over the course of the story. Instead, it just feels like Jefferson knew how he wanted to start the movie and end it (vs. his girlfriend, vs. Issa Rae — god, I wish the whole movie had just been about those two) and just sorta bridged the gap. But the gap’s the movie. It’s writing like that that’s how you end up with scenes like a wedding for the maid. I just think for a movie like American Fiction the first words that leaps to mind shouldn't be "funny and likable."
NOTE: am I crazy or would it have been a lot simpler if Monk just had to go home because of a funeral for his sister and while there he had to deal with financial bullshit and deal with the family he escaped from, perhaps confronting his internalized racism (remember, he says he doesn’t really believe in race and thinks black people can do better?) and while there he writes the book?


Rewatched Asteroid City.
I’ve more or less come around to the notion that Asteroid City is one of Wes Anderson’s most complex, revealing, and enigmatic works. I also think that anyone who tells it to fuck off is certainly valid. I’m just fascinated by not just the picture it’s painting but how many pictures it’s painting but with such tiny brush strokes. It’s about the interconnected nature of storytelling, it’s about creative process, it’s about COVID, it’s a farewell to the twentieth century. But whenever I see it, I’m just sucked into this undercurrent of melancholy, uncertainty, and faith. It’s very much of a piece with The French Dispatch but where that film felt overstuffed, there one has a lot of space in it. I have two medium issues with it that always keep it feeling less than great: there’s a lot of filler in it, and the Schwartzman widower stuff never breaks the heart. But it’s a mysterious film that I misjudged. But again: it’s a free country, go ahead and tell it to fuck off.


Rewatched Beau is Afraid.
I find so much of it so exciting but three hours is too demanding a running time for such an empty film about guilt and anxiety. Because nothing is Beau’s fault and because it adopts a stop-and-go rhythm it can feel tiresome. It’s at its best when in the realm of personal nightmare and doesn’t have to conform to the necessities of larger narrative, like the first excellent 40 minutes or the encounter with Parker Poser, which I cherish as much as anything this year. A mixed bag but unlike other auteurist headtrip cult films, its pleasures aren’t hard to defend.
When I make my end of the year list, I might cite Zoe Lister-Jones as Beau’s Mom in flashbacks. I haven’t been much of a fan of hers over the years but her take on flashback “idealized narcissism” is the most haunting thing in the film.

[Big Magilla]

THE COLOR PURPLE
Cast: Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Halle Berry.
Dir: Blitz Bazawule

I love a good Broadway musical and most of the films sourced from them, but this one is a disappointment. The story is watered down from the novel and 1985 film version. Incest and rape are there but they are presented so matter-of-factly, that it's an insult to the work and the audience's capacity to deal with unpleasant matters. Even Shug's (played here by Taraji P. Henson) famous line upon meeting Celie, "you sho is ugly" is ridiculously omitted. The songs, except for Sofia's "Hell No!" and Celie's "I'm Here" beautifully performed by Danielle Brooks and Fantasia Barrino, respectively, are quite forgettable. This is to the novel and original film what the Lucille Ball version of Mame was to Patrick Dennis' novel, Auntie Mame, and the iconic Rosalind Russell film version.

Oscar Prospects: Actress (Barrino), Supporting Actress (Henson, Brooks) with only Brooks having a serious shot.

Grade: C

ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME MARGARET.
Cast: Abby Ryder Fortson, Rachel McAdams, Benny Safdie, Kathy Bates
Dir: Kelly Fremon Craig

This one I don't get at all in terms of Oscar prospects. It's a perfectly charming little movie for 11-12 year-old girls with vague references to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and The Parent Trap, but as charming as she is, Abby Ryder Fortson is no Peggy Ann Garner or Hayley Mills, and Rachel McAdams and Benny Safdie are no Dorothy McGuire and James Dunn or Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith. I talked myself into seeing it only because McAdams is in the conversation for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar which she hopefully will not get over far more deserving contenders.

Oscar prospects: None

Grade: B

[anonymous1980]

ANATOMY OF A FALL
Cast: Sandra Huller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado Graner, Antoine Reinartz, Samuel Theis, Jehnny Beth, Saadia Bentaieb, Camille Rutherford, Anne Rotger.
Dir: Justine Triet.

When her husband is found dead from an apparent fall, a woman is tried for his murder. But was it? The premise is so deceptively simple. It's pretty much a cliché in terms of the procedural thriller and murder mysteries. But co-writer-director Justine Triet does something quite remarkable and turned it into a complex character study as well as a scathing examination of a marriage. Bringing this to life is Sandra Huller who gives quite possibly my favorite female performance of 2023. It's one of the most difficult characters to portray and she nails it and then some. Almost equally excellent is Milo Machado Graner who plays her young sight-impaired son. I can see why this won the Palme d'Or. It is indeed one of the best films of the year.

Oscar Prospects: All of it. Plus I think Milo Machado Graner should be on the Supporting Actor list.

Grade: A.

[anonymous1980]

AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM
Cast: Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Yahya Abdul Mahteen II, Randall Park, Temuera Morrison, Dolph Lundgren, Martin Short.
Dir: James Wan.

Black Manta still wanting revenge for the death of his father, wants to unleash an evil into the world. Aquaman, now a dad, must team up with his imprisoned brother to stop him. I came into this late and with very low expectations. As it turns out, it's not as bad as I was expecting. But it isn't very good either. Even though Jason Momoa is still a charming, appealing lead and director James Wan still manages to milk some fun out of the proceedings, a huge bulk of the film is still a slog and a mess. This being the final film in the DCEU as we know it, it pretty much ends with a bit of a shrug. This isn't bad as background noise or airplane entertainment which a lot of these types of films become but as a piece of film, even as a superhero film, it's fairly below average.

Oscar Prospects: Zero.

Grade: C.

[anonymous1980]

FOE
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, Aaron Pierre.
Dir: Garth Davis.

It's 2065 and a young couple in a secluded ranch is approached by a mysterious stranger with a strange proposal involving one of them becoming part of a space colony. I thought the trailer was intriguing. When this started to get negative reviews, I was puzzled. A science fiction film with very talented actors and an interesting premise involved couldn't be that bad. It turns out, the negative reviews were understandable. The film is a total slog. It's overlong, overwrought and when the third act twist came, I just shrugged my shoulders and went "Eh? I guess." The actors, of course, are faultless. Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal and Aaron Pierre give excellent performances and made the film somewhat watchable. I sensed director Garth Davis was trying to be Andrei Tarkovsky but he missed the mark completely. One of my least favorite films of 2023.

Oscar Prospects: None.

Grade: C-

[Mister Tee]

While I'm working up the energy to discuss some films at length, a few observations I hope to keep relatively brief:

ASC persuaded me to finally get around to El Conde. I've been a fan of some previous Larain efforts (especially Jackie), and this one is not without its pleasures: the concept is certainly bracing, and scenes of the nun interviewing family members are often deadpan hilarious. But once the mystery guest appears in the final reel, I felt like the movie went kind of off the rails. Everything that had seemed to be building up suddenly evaporated into random events, and my reaction when the end appeared was 'Uh...okay."

The film is, however, beautifully shot -- the ASC and I both love us some black-and-white. Whether this movie is another Cherry, to be booted by the AMPAS cinematographer's branch, or if the combo of b&w plus the respected Lachman name are enough to keep it afloat, seems to me a jump ball.

While at my parents' for Christmas, hulu offerings were pretty humble, but I'd been told to watch for The Creator under visual effects, so I gave it a whirl. (Weird: 2023 has been such a bountiful year, but fell painfully short in the normally easy task of finding an audience/critic-friendly effort to win visual effects.) What's to say about the film? It's not a bad premise, and the effects are, indeed, impressive/imaginative. But, like most films of its ilk, it dribbles away its best ideas and becomes the same old thing by the final reel.

The most respectable film in this group: Ferrari. It struck me, while watching it, that 2023 is proof of the maxim A rising tide lifts all boats. Ferrari isn't a great movie by any means -- but, in a year this strong, even second-tier efforts are more watchable than usual. I like the fact that the film eschewed the over-the-years biopic approach, concentrating on a short period in the man's life as emblematic of all the rest. (Though I actually might have wished for a tad more sweeping bio than I got. The opening title card is a rather thudding way to start the film; I'm thinking, a brief (2-3 minute) newsreel showing Ferrari & spouse starting the company -- allowing us to see them in their early, most hopeful days -- might have worked better.)

I agree with Sabin that the film improves as it goes along -- partly because the various threads (that have made the film seem meandering early on) come together at last, and, significantly, because it gives us a major, shocking moment (of which, since my racing fandom is nil, I had zero prior knowledge). The film, at least in retrospect, is about something, thematically, which is something to carry away from the theatre.

Another sign of how strong 2023 has been: Adam Driver is (rightly) getting no consideration whatever for acting awards -- he's nowhere near the league of Scott/Wright/Murphy/Giamatti...yet, he probably would have been in serious contention any year between 2015-17. Sabin is correct that Shailene Woodley is hopelessly miscast and brings nothing to the film. (What was the rationale for casting someone so clearly non-Italian? Does Woodley have some box-office pull of which I'm unaware?) Penelope Cruz, however, is terrific; the best one in the film, with multiple strong scenes, and a capper near the end that reshapes the balance of the marriage.

Bottom line: nothing special but not to be avoided; probably a perfect home-view, though you'll miss the kinetic excitement of the racing scenes (which should get the film into the Sound category).

[anonymous1980]

THE BOY AND THE HERON
Cast: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura, Shōhei Hino, Ko Shibasaki, Takuya Kimura (voices).
Dir: Hayao Miyazaki.

It's World War II and a young boy still grieving the death of his mother moves with his stepmother and father in the country and then meets a heron who will send him on a dangerous, fantastical adventure. The worst thing I can say about Hayao Miyazaki's latest film is that it's not his best work. Of course, I'm someone who has seen all but one of his features and all of them are at least very good with three, maybe four outright masterpieces on them. This is definitely upper-tier (I will have to stew on it a little bit and wait a few years to determine if this is in masterpiece territory). This features some stunning animation as well as a story that's as thrilling as it is touching. It is not just one of the best animated films of the year but one of the best of the year period. If Miyazaki retires after this, he would retire on a high note.

Oscar Prospects: Should WIN Animated Feature.

Grade: A.

SALTBURN
Cast: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, Carey Mulligan.
Dir: Emerald Fennell.

A socially awkward scholarship student in Oxford ingratiates himself into the high-class, aristocratic family of a handsome young man. I can definitely see why this is getting so much divisive reactions online: There's hardly any sympathetic characters, the lead character is creepy and off-putting and I have to say, it's a bit of a tonal mess. But I have to say: I liked it. This darkly comedic Talented Mr. Ripley-esque satire on class has some truly funny and biting moments. The cast is of course very much game. Barry Keoghan is terrific and so is Rosamund Pike. The script could've been tighter and the film shorter but overall, it's a very good sophomore entry from writer director Emerald Fennell.

Oscar Prospects: I think Pike could sneak in Supporting Actress.

Grade: B+

[anonymous1980]

THE HOLDOVERS
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Carrie Preston.
Dir: Alexander Payne.

A not-very-well-liked teacher at an bougie all-boys boarding school gets stuck looking after the "holdovers", students who have to stay in school over the Christmas holidays and forms a relationship with one of them. I have to agree with the reviews: This is indeed Alexander Payne's best work since Sideways. The premise has the potential to be this overly-sentimental, mawkish Christmas movie but instead, it is a biting, extremely well-acted, funny comedy-drama that manages to also be sweet and moving as well. Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa and Da'Vine Joy Randolph are all exquisite and deserving of the accolades that is being bestowed upon them. I think this is going to be a Christmas classic for people who like their holiday movies a little more adult but still want some sweetness and warmth. It's one of my favorite films of the year.

Oscar Prospects: Picture, Actor, Supporting Actress and Original Screenplay are locks. Director and Editing are within reach. Can Sessa sneak in Supporting Actor?

Grade: A.

[Sabin]

Few quick shots:

Dream Scenario has a fun premise (a random guy suddenly starts appearing in everybody’s dreams!) but it never quite finds the right story and plot. Nicolas Cage is an arrogant professor who is irked that he shows up in peoples dreams... and does nothing while he’s there. I think the biggest problem is that that's much less funny than what was presented in the trailer. It's a much funnier idea if he becomes a symbol of sorts in contrast to his boring self. Instead he's an unrelatable jerk, obsessed with publishing a book he hasn't written yet. It's basically a "rise and fall" social media satire with some fun ideas ("Dreamfluencers"), but I didn't love it. One's mileage may vary. Cage is fun. Worth renting.

The Zone of Interest has the premise and the story but I don't think the plot worked for me. There is no plot. I think it could've used a little more plot, to dare us to engross ourselves in their lives a little more. I think it might have worked better on me if I knew nothing about it going in, like the Cannes audience must have. Once you get past the hook of boring domestic life never to the concentration camp, there's not much else going on until the ending. There are glimmers of intrigue here and there, but (big problem) I'm not sure it sells the banality of evil that well. Shouldn't the banality of evil but a little less... banal? Huller is pretty knowing monster. The ending is terrific and open to a lot of interpretations, all of them quite good. I'm mixed but respectful towards it if only because I like its existence. We should humanize them so they can be recognized.

Finally, I rewatched Barbie now that it's on Max. I have this problem where sometimes I get annoyed or fixated on certain plot elements that don't make sense to the point where it can overshadow the goodness of the time. There's a lot of stuff in Barbie that doesn't really make sense or hang together if you really think about it and I still think its message is a crock of shit, but it’s funny, fresh, quick on its feet. I mean, there’s probably 50 lines you can quote from this film with good reason. Can’t really complain about that. You can complain about the Will Ferrell stuff though.

On a second viewing I gained the most respect for its script and for Margot Robbie's performance. Some scripts peak with the first act. Barbie gets much better as it goes along. Ken bringing patriarchy back to Barbieland is an inspired midpoint. And Margot Robbie does a fantastic job of tracking Stereotypical Barbie's journey. Even when the film is dealing with silly logic, it's/she's always clear.