The Official Review Thread of 2023

[anonymous1980]

AIR
Cast: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina, Matthew Maher, Marlon Wayans, Julius Tennon, Jay Mohr.
Dir: Ben Affleck.

This film chronicles the true story of how Nike was able to secure the endorsement of NBA player Michael Jordan and became one of the best-selling shoes in history and changed the way athletes endorse products. I have no interest in sports or basketball. I have no interest in shoes. I already know the ending to this story. But despite all of that, the film manages to be quite compelling and very entertaining. This is largely due to the excellent performances of the cast which actually made you gave a crap about the stakes and understand the importance of what is going on. It sprinkles in genuine suspense and plenty of humor as well. I think Chris Messina, who's hilarious and Viola Davis, who actually gives the film its heart and heft are the standouts. One of the better films in the first third of the year.

Grade: B+

Oscar Prospects: This actually has a shot at a Best Picture nomination if circumstances allow it. Also a contender for Lead Actor (Matt Damon), Original Screenplay and Supporting Actress (Viola Davis).

[anonymous1980]

THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE
Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen (voices).
Dirs: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic.

This is the feature-length animated film adaptation of the very popular Nintendo video game that has two Italian-American plumbers becoming sucked into a world where they have to save the Toad Kingdom and its princess from the ruthless Bowser. People who know me know I'm not a gamer. But one video game I did play when I was a kid was Super Mario Bros. which I enjoyed. So I was somewhat interested in checking out this film adaptation and I would say it is a safe and good enough adaptation. There's nothing particularly special or inventive to this which is a bit of a disappointment because there are ample opportunities to do so with an animated Super Mario Bros. movie. But the movie isn't bad by any means. Kids will definitely enjoy it and the animation is pretty. I would say it is an inoffensive time-killer.

Oscar Prospects: Maybe Original Song for "Peaches" because the "meh" reviews it got could keep it out of the Animated Feature race.

Grade: C+

[anonymous1980]

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES
Cast: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Rege Jean-Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Chloe Coleman, Daisy Head.
Dirs: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Gladstein.

A group of ragtag adventurers in a medieval fantasy land go on a quest to retrieve certain items in order to save the day. While I'm familiar with the game, I've never played it. But that still didn't stop me from enjoying this fantasy comedy adventure which bring to mind those old-fashioned comedy-fantasies from the 1980's and 1990's which I would be watching repeatedly as a child. The cast is quite appealing. Hugh Grant is once again doing a great job as a funny villain and Rege Jean-Page is surprisingly provides laughs as the ultimate super playing-it-straight man. It doesn't break new grounds but it is overall solid and enjoyable for what it is and sometimes that's all it needs to be.

Oscar Prospects: Makeup, Costume Design and Visual Effects are possible.

Grade: B

[anonymous1980]

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER FOUR
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Bill Skarsgaard, Hiroyuki Sanada, Lance Reddick, Shamier Anderson, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, Clancy Brown, Natalia Tena.
Dir: Chad Stahelski.

The fourth film in the John Wick franchise has the titular grief-stricken assassin still shooting, stabbing, slashing, etc. his way to freedom and true peace as the ancient league of other assassins descend upon him. Granted, it's early but this is my favorite film of 2023 so far. I have personally so far really enjoyed the John Wick franchise from its brutal yet highly stylized violence to its pretty cool world building of this mysterious and apparently ancient secret assassin organization. This franchise manages to build and build on this and outdo itself each time. This is pure, pulpy action goodness but made with such style with expressive, colorful cinematography courtesy of Dan Laustsen and superb production design. Sprinkle in some dark humor
and the fact that they didn't waste Donnie Yen and the film is on a whole other level. I'm fully on board.

Oscar Prospects: Unlikely but I hope it gets consideration for Cinematography, Production Design, Editing and Sound.

Grade: A-

[Sabin]

Jesse Eisenberg's feature film debut (When You Finish Saving the World) is a short film at just under 90 minutes. It's about the relationship between a mother (Julianne Moore) and a son (Finn Wolfhard) who cannot connect, have different visions of how to make a difference in the world, neither one are happy, and ultimately come to understand each other. It's heart is in the right place but I think he does both the characters a disservice by trying to split its focus equally between them. I think it's the kind of thing that's a nice idea conceptually but ultimately it hamstrings the film a bit. The split focus just limits the depth of the journeys that both characters can go on during the runtime as well as paints them too broadly (Moore especially, whom I never bought as not being interested in her son's music). I kept wondering how much more I might have enjoyed the film had it just focused on one of the characters. Two identical arcs for two main characters comes off kind of annoying. I don't think it's entirely successful but Eisenberg's heart is in the right place and I'm interested in his next film.

Apparently, this film is an adaptation of a short story production Eisenberg did for Audible which concerned some of the same characters but in a different situation, making this film less an adaptation so much as a spiritual sequel where Eisenberg plays the father and Wolfhard plays the son. I'm going to listen to that.

[anonymous1980]

SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS
Cast: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Djimon Hounsou, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, Meagan Good, D.J. Cotrona, Gracie Caroline Currie.
Dir: David F. Sandberg.

This is the continued adventures of Billy Batson a.k.a. Shazam as well as his fellow super-powered adoptive family members as they face the three daughters of Atlas who seek a weapon which may destroy the human world. The first film was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, this one is pretty much standard superhero stuff. This is the type of film that will entertain you through its runtime but one you would instantly forget as soon as you walk out the door. There are a few genuinely funny and inspired moments. But that's the problem though. There are only a few of them. But it's overall inoffensive and the cast seems to be genuinely having fun with the material. It may not be as good as the first one but it's good enough.

Oscar Prospects: Visual Effects.

Grade: C+

[anonymous1980]

SCREAM VI
Cast: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Courteney Cox, Hayden Panettiere, Dermot Mulroney, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Henry Czerny, Jack Champion, Liana Liberato, Devyn Nekoda, Josh Segarra, Tony Revolori, Samara Weaving, voice of Roger L. Jackson.
Dirs: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillet.

The sixth installment of the Scream franchise has the characters in New York city where the Ghostface killings start up all over again and more elaborate, shocking and gruesome than ever. I personally like this franchise. I grew up with it. The original made me love and appreciate horror movies. Even though the quality of each installment varies, none of them are downright awful unlike some other horror franchises there. This one does get a little silly and improbable. It isn't quite as good as the previous installment but it's better than one or two of the others. It is still an entertaining and thrilling ride with some cool twists, gnarly kills and meta jokes and all of it held together by a good cast. Yes, this is a solid watch.

Oscar Prospects: None.

Grade: B+

[anonymous1980]

CREED III
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors. Wood Harris, Phylicia Rashad, Mila Davis-Kent, Florian Munteanu.
Dir: Michael B. Jordan.

The third installment in the Creed franchise has Adonis Creed meeting up with a old friend who was imprisoned for 18 years and he wants to settle a score. Michael B. Jordan not only acts but directs too in this one and I must say I hope he continues because he really has an eye and talent for it. His direction elevates an otherwise predictable, formulaic script into something actually engaging and exciting that you don't care. It also helps to have a good cast giving excellent performances like Tessa Thompson and Jonathan Majors, who once again proves this is his year, giving another excellent performance of a complicated antagonist in, like, what, two weeks? It's far from groundbreaking but it's solid.

Oscar Prospects: I wouldn't be surprised if Jonathan Majors is cited for his role in some year-end critics awards but apart from that, maybe Original Song?

Grade: B+

[anonymous1980]

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfieffer, Kathryn Newton, Bill Murray, Katy O'Brian, William Jackson Harper, David Dasmaltchian, Corey Stoll.
Dir: Peyton Reed.

The third Ant-Man movie follows Ant-Man, the Wasp and their family get sucked into the Quantum Realm where they get caught up with the beings who live there and a mysterious new enemy named Kang the Conqueror. I will begin with the positives: Jonathan Majors is fantastic as the new big Marvel villain Kang. I'm very much looking forward to what he can do with this character. Michelle Pfieffer was also given more to do and she also likewise run away with it. Apart from those (and a few good jokes), this is fairly standard MCU stuff. I personally usually enjoy the MCU in general but this one is merely okay for me and I would probably rank this as one of the more lower-tier entries in the MCU this far. Not godawful like some reviews suggest but far from the best.

Oscar Prospects: Visual Effects is possible.

Grade: B-

[anonymous1980]

MAGIC MIKE'S LAST DANCE
Cast: Channing Tatum, Salma Hayek, Ayub Khan Din, Jemelia George, Juliette Motamed, Vicki Pepperdine.
Dir: Steven Soderbergh.

In this third film of the "Magic Mike" franchise, after having lost his furniture business during the pandemic, Magic Mike meets a wealthy woman in the middle of a divorce who decides to recruit him to mount a male stripper stage show. I happened to like the first two films quite a bit. I like this one significantly less. It lacks the erotic menace of the first film and the goofy-sexy charm of the second. But there are still hints of it here and there and that's not to say this film has its share of good, even great moments. For one thing, Channing Tatum is still a great dancer and there are some truly impressive dance sequences, particularly in the third act. So I will give this a mild recommendation if you liked the first two films. It's far from awful but it's good enough.

Oscar Prospects: None.

Grade: B-

[anonymous1980]

KNOCK AT THE CABIN
Cast: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Kristen Cui, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abby Quinn, Rupert Grint.
Dir: M. Night Shyamalan.

Four mysterious intruders invade the vacation house of a same-sex family, asking them to make a sacrifice in order to prevent the Apocalypse. This is the latest from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan who of course has a reputation for being very hit-and-miss to put it kindly. I would say this is kind of a hit. It does not reach the heights of breakout successes but this one is mostly effective. I think he is at his best doing these small, low-to-mid-budget but high-concept horror-thrillers very akin to The Twilight Zone. The script, as per usual, isn't perfect but the performances of the ensemble cast especially Dave Bautista (who is further proving himself to be the best of all the pro-wrestlers-turned-actors) more than make up for it. It's far from a masterpiece but it's solid enough for a recommendation.

Oscar Prospects: None.

Grade: B.

[anonymous1980]

M3GAN
Cast: Alison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronnie Chieng, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, voice of Jenna Davis.
Dir: Gerard Johnstone.

After taking in her orphaned niece, a toy developer gives her an A.I. operated android called M3GAN. Predictably, things go wrong. This is a January horror release and that usually means this should be terrible since January is traditionally a studios' dumping ground. But this is surprisingly not! It is no masterpiece. Not even for its genre. It is not even the best killer doll movie I've ever seen. The film is frankly silly. But it knows it and embraces its silliness and it makes it pretty damn entertaining. Normally, such things can be annoying but somehow this works. It was able to thread that needle. Again, don't expect anything particularly great. This is just fun, trashy entertainment as a break from Oscar contenders.

Oscar Prospects: Maybe Makeup?

Grade: B.