Yes,
it’s the time of year again, I have again mustered up enough energy and
enthusiasm to write and post, what will obviously be the highlight of your
year. Yes, here is my blog post about my favourite films from the year 2023, I
managed to watch 191
films (over many different platforms) from the year 2023, which is a fuck ton
more than last year. In fact, it has cut into my reading and general lounging
time considerably. Was it worth it, no it was not. A full list of all the films
I saw is published at the bottom, with a basic rating, in case you are
interested. Again, some of the films listed as watched here might have been
released in 2022 elsewhere, however here in the lovely Czech Republic I was
only able to watch them this year.
So how
was 2023 for films? I would say it was quite a meh year in all, there were a
lot more films that I rated Good or Excellent,
than there were ones I rated Bad or
Awful, however there were also a quite a
lot that I would just rate as Meh.
So, the same as usual. As we have established previously, I may have low
standards when it comes to films (as well as books), however I don’t care, I’m
having fun! So please take my recommendations with a pinch of salt.
Also please be aware that this post might contain unintentional
spoilers
The Top Twenty-One
21) Operation
Fortune: Ruse de Guerre
On the surface this would seem an unlikely film to make this list, however I’m nothing if not mystifying. This is a dumb fun film from Guy Ritchie, where Super-Spy Orson Fortune played by Jason Statham, enlists the help of Hollywood movie star Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett), to get close to international arms dealer Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant), who also happens to be possibly the world biggest Danny Francesco fan, all this to retrieve “The Handle”, some form of possibly world ending McGuffin. Like I said this is a dumb fun film, however, Grants performance elevates it for me. He pulls of a being a man who could have anyone killed with a psychopathic grin on his face, yet still, someone you would love to be friends with, with charming panache.
20) No One Will Save You
A tense sci-fi horror film, in which we see town outcast Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) who lives alone due to the recent death of her mother, having to deal with an alien invasion of her home and later her town. This film has almost no dialogue in it, however that just adds to the tension, as Brynn tries to survive multiple attempts by the aliens to either take control of her or to take her life, and we learn why the town she lives in has shunned her.
19) Scrapper
A lovely little film from director Charlotte Regan (her first feature film), sees 12-year-old Georgie (Lola Campbell), surviving on her own, after the death of her mother, using a variety of tricks to keep the authorities at bay so she can stay at home alone, and making money by stealing and selling bicycles. Into her life comes Jason her estranged father, who she can’t remember, doesn’t trust and really doesn’t want anything to do with. Campbell is remarkable as Georgie, portraying a young girl having to show a tough as nail exterior but with hidden vulnerabilities and hurt to deal with.
18) Fingernails
An odd little science fiction film, set in a world where a test has been created to find out if couples are truly in love. The title coming from the fact that it costs a fingernail to perform the test. This of course leads to changes in society and how relationships develop. Jessie Buckley’s Anna gets a job as an instructor, at an institute, that offers to strengthen the bonds of love between couples so that they can pass the aforementioned test. There she finds herself attracted to fellow instructor Amir (Riz Ahmed), even though she has already previously passed the test with her boyfriend, leading to confusing feelings for her.
17) A
Haunting in Venice
After the disappointment that was Death on the Nile, Kenneth Branagh returns as Hercule Poirot, in a much better outing. In fact, this may be my favourite of the three Branagh Poirot films. Set ten years after Death on the Nile, we see a now retired Poirot living in Venice, being bought in by his friend Ariadne Oliver to try and expose an infamous medium, at a Halloween party. I have read all the Poirot stories by Agatha Christie (and a few not by her), this one is supposedly based on the novel Hallowe'en Party, however except for some of the characters having the same names as those in the book, and there being a Halloween party involved, there is no real resemblance. A fact that I liked. I enjoyed Branagh’s take on Murder on the Orient express, and ambivalent about Death on the Nile, however in both those cases the films were pretty much faithful adaptation of the novels, in this case there was an actual mystery for me to ponder, which is always fun.
16) Joy Ride
This is a very funny comedy film in sort of the same sort of vein as the Hangover films, actually, that is a lazy comparison, this is far better than those films. Ashley Park’s Audrey goes to China to track down her birth mother who put her up for adoption, not for personal reasons, but to help push through a business deal for her law firm. On her trip she takes her childhood best friend Lolo (Sherry Cola), Lolo’s kooky cousin “Deadeye” (Sabrina Wu) and Audrey’s college roommate Kat (Stephanie Hsu). Full of both smart and crude humour, this film also has a lot of heart.
15) Marcel
the Shell with Shoes On
This is a heart-warming stop motion mockumentary, in which we follow the titular Marcel, a young seashell as he spends his days with his grandmother following a routine and yearning for the rest of his family who disappeared a while ago. He decides to try locating his missing family with the help of the documentarian. I didn’t think it would be possible for me to feel anything for a stop motion shell with one googly eye, however Jenny Slate (who voices Marcel) and Dean Fleischer Camp (the director/documentarian) are able to bring Marcel to life, and imbue him with heart and life
14) Dream Scenario
Nicolas Cage has been putting on some really good performances recently and he does that again in this offbeat comedy. Cage plays Paul Matthews a boring middle-aged professor who starts appearing in the dreams of people around the world, as a passive observer to begin with. Becoming somewhat of a celebrity due to this. However, things taking a slightly darker turn as Matthews’ fails to exploit his fame and his presence in the dreams becomes somewhat more malevolent.
13) Sisu
If you are a fan of the John Wick films (and why would you not be), this Finnish film will be right up your alley. Jorma Tommila play Aatami Korpi, a loner prospecting in Lapland at the tail end of World War II, after finding a small fortune in gold, he is accosted by group of Nazis who try to take his find. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for us Korpi is an ex-commando who gained notoriety as being an unkillable killing machine during a previous war with the Soviet Union. What follows is a hunted becoming the hunter tale that is surprisingly good. This film has the look and feel of a grindhouse spaghetti western, which suits it, and helps differentiate it from the more stylish and refined John Wick films.
12) Past Lives
A wonderful film, which looks at yearning for what may have been missed out on. Nora Moon (Greta Lee/Seung Ah Moon) starts the film as a 12-year-old in Korea who has a close friendship/crush on her school friend Hae Sung (Teo Yoo/Seung Min Yim). The pair are separated when Nora’s family emigrate to Canada, the film then moves on 12 years, with Nora and Hae reconnecting via social media, but again lose touch after a while. A further 12 years later Nora is now married, and Hae comes to visit her in New York. Beautifully shot this film reminded me a bit of the superb 1995 film Before Sunrise as we follow Nora and Hae through part of a day together, discussing life and love, and ponder on the possible life they may have had.
11) Oppenheimer
Like a lot of people out there, I did not know that much about J. Robert Oppenheimer. I knew the basics of course, that he oversaw the Manhattan Project and had that famous “I have become Death...” quote. Christopher Nolan has rectified that somewhat by bringing his story to the big screen. Usually, I’m not a huge fan of biopics, this is one of the rare few exceptions. Cillian Murphy brings Oppenheimer’s genius, flaws (of which there are many) and his guilt over what he helped birth into this world, almost perfectly. Helped by an outstanding supporting cast, especially Robert Downey Jr. also helped make this another must watch film from Nolan, and yes, I did do the Barbenheimer thing, watched this first then went straight into Barbie.
10) Rye Lane
A wonderful romantic comedy from another first-time director Raine Allen-Miller. Full of energy and charm, the film follows Dom (David Jonsson) and Yas (Vivian Oparah) who meet up at an art exhibition, after breaking up with their partners and become fast friends through helping get one over on each other’s exes. As the film goes along as is usual with these films, romance blossoms, there is conflict and well you know the rest. Filmed in and around areas of South London (Brixton and Peckham) that are rarely seen on screen, this showcases some superb new talent both on and off the screen.
9) Wonka
I was not expecting to like this film. When I heard that they were making a prequel to the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I probably rolled my eyes. Willy Wonka had been given a backstory in the awful Tim Burton 2005 film, and that had soured me somewhat to the idea. However, by the time the first song finished, this film had a hold of me. It is a delightful film that is worthy of the 1971 classic. The cast is all marvelous, especially Timothée Chalamet who brings a different warmth and charm from what we usually see from his characters. I can also easily see his Willy Wonka evolving into the Gene Wilder version. As a fan of whimsy this film hit the right spots for me and had some really great songs to boot.
8) Asteroid City
As most of you who have read my blogs previously will know, I’m a huge fan of Wes Anderson’s work. This film, though not one of my favourites of his works, is still excellent. This time Anderson uses novel idea of a play as a backdrop for the main story, about a group disparate people stuck in the middle of nowhere and then quarantined after an encounter with an alien. With Jason Schwartzman's newly widowed father of four Augie Steenbeck, seemingly being our main protagonist, as he comes to terms with the death of his wife and a newly budding romance with actress Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson). With the story switching between the main story and that of the production of the play, almost mid-scene sometimes, it can be a bit disorientating, however Anderson pulls it off. Filled with most of his usual impressive cadre of actors (minus Bill Murray due to health reasons), plus first-time appearances for Tom Hanks and Margot Robbie in the troop, this film again deals with themes of grief and loss, through an inventive Wes Anderson lens.
7) Nimona
Based on the wonderful webcomic and graphic novel by Noelle Stevenson, this animated film sees a shapeshifting girl (the eponymous Nimona) voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz, who after being shunned and attacked by society, decides that she will become the sidekick for the new big bad villain of the kingdom, Ballister Boldheart (voiced by Riz Ahmed), whether Ballister wants her to, or not. To be fair Ballister isn’t really much of a villain, he has in fact just been framed for a crime he did not commit, and in the beginning the chaos and violence that Nimona brings is not helping his situation, especially with his boyfriend (the spectacularly named Ambrosius Goldenloin) who is tasked with hunting Ballister down and arresting him. However, as the film progresses Ballister and Nimona form a mutual bond as two outcasts, who just need a friend. Both funny and moving, a real gem.
6 The Marvels
This film may be the biggest flop in the MCU’s history (financially speaking); however, I don’t care. I really loved this film. Not as much as the original film but that one did pull on my 1990’s heartstrings (yes, apparently, I do have a heart). Brie Larson is a terrific again as Captain Marvel, still dealing with the trauma of what the Kree did to her and to what she did in reaction. To the mix are added Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel (along with the rest of her family). I am a huge fan of Ms. Marvel in the comics and enjoyed her TV series last year immensely, so was happy to see Iman Vellani bring her energy and obvious love for the character to this film. It is fun watch with some amazing set pieces and imaginative settings, especially the singing planet. Definitely worth a watch, if you haven’t seen it already.
5) Dungeons &
Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
As a Dungeons & Dragons player myself, I was looking forward to hopefully having at least one good Dungeons & Dragons film out there, especially after the three previous attempts at bringing it to the big screens, and I was not disappointed. This was an excellent film, it made manifest a world that most Dungeons & Dragons players would be very familiar with, but more importantly it was able to show the fun of the gameplay. Full of fantastic characters and settings, the film see’s Christ Pine’s fallen Harper Edgin along with his best friend Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), putting together a party to try and rescue Edgin’s daughter from the clutches of the Rogue leader of the City-State of Neverwinter, played by Hugh Grant in his third film on this list this year. What follows is the basic structures of a campaign, do a mission, to do another mission, to gain a thing to do the final mission, and it is great. I really hope they will make more of these.
4) Barbie
It’s not usual that the 43rd film in a series is the best (Joking I’ve not seen the other 42 animated films so can’t be sure this one is the best), also films based on toy lines and games have traditionally not been great, however Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were able to buck the trend and bring us a brilliant film. Robbie plays Stereotypical Barbie living in Barbieland, who starts to have an existential crisis and need to go to the ‘real world’ to try and resolve it. This film has a super smart sense of humour, as well as some deep philosophical questioning about the roles societies assign to people. America Ferrera’s speech on womanhood nearly made me cry and Ryan Gosling as Ken was joyfully fun, however the whole thing is held together by Robbie, in what may be my favourite performance by her so far.
3) Spider-Man:
Across the Spider-Verse
A sequel to the brilliant 2018 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, this film opens the multiverse even more, as this time Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) leaves his own universe and joins up with the Spider-Society, a team headed up by the antagonistic Spider-Man 2099 and made up of about 280 different spider-men/women from different universes, (according to what I have read, I did not count all of them). We get Hailee Steinfeld and Jake Johnson returning as Spider-Gwen and Peter B. Parker respectively, and of the newcomers Karan Soni's Spider-Man India & Daniel Kaluuya's Spider-Punk stand out most. The primary villain of the story is The Spot (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) who holds a personal grudge against Miles; however, Miles also must deal with Spider-Man 2099 and most of the Spider-Society trying to prevent him from saving his own father from being killed, in order to preserve the universal cannon. This film is gorgeous and inventive, even more so than the original and might have been higher on the list, had it not been the first part of two, with us having to wait until 2025 to get the conclusion.
2) Guardians of
the Galaxy Vol. 3
This is a perfect ending to James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, probably the best trilogy in the whole of the MCU (so far anyway). This film focuses mainly on Rocket and his backstory, showing us why he is such a thorny character who has trouble letting people in. This film in Chukwudi Iwuji's High Evolutionary also introduces another outright evil villain into the MCU, with no redeemable values at all. The film starts off with an attack at the Guardians’ homebase of Knowhere, by Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) on the High Evolutionary’s orders, leaving Rocket severely injured and the rest of the Guardians having to team up with the alternative version of Gamora to try and unlock a system that will allow them to fix him. Though Rocket is the focus of this film, the rest of the cast also get a chance to shine. We get character growth from Quill as he deals with his version of Gamora being gone and some hilarious team-ups with Mantis and Drax. Be warned though there are a few scenes of animal cruelty, and the Rocket flashbacks may lead to tears. The soundtrack from Gunn is again fantastic as we see this beloved team dance off our screens.
1) John Wick:
Chapter 4
For what seems to be the last outing for Keanu Reeves as John Wick (apart from his cameo in the upcoming prequel Ballerina), they really went all out. This film is almost relentless action as John attempts to finally get free from the influence of the High Table, standing in his way is the fantastically named Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont (played with flamboyant flair by Bill Skarsgård) as well as a plethora of assassins, mercenaries and henchmen. Off the bat, this a gorgeous looking film. The world building has always been first-rate in the John Wick films; however, they seem to have gone all out for this one. A lot of the background sets look like the backgrounds of arcade games of my youth, such as Street Fighter, Final Fight and Capcom vs Marvel. This aesthetic also comes through in the actions scenes and in some of the outlandish characters in the film, especially Scott Adkins as Killa Harkan. If this is truly the end for John Wick, then wow what an ending!
On the surface this would seem an unlikely film to make this list, however I’m nothing if not mystifying. This is a dumb fun film from Guy Ritchie, where Super-Spy Orson Fortune played by Jason Statham, enlists the help of Hollywood movie star Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett), to get close to international arms dealer Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant), who also happens to be possibly the world biggest Danny Francesco fan, all this to retrieve “The Handle”, some form of possibly world ending McGuffin. Like I said this is a dumb fun film, however, Grants performance elevates it for me. He pulls of a being a man who could have anyone killed with a psychopathic grin on his face, yet still, someone you would love to be friends with, with charming panache.
20) No One Will Save You
A tense sci-fi horror film, in which we see town outcast Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) who lives alone due to the recent death of her mother, having to deal with an alien invasion of her home and later her town. This film has almost no dialogue in it, however that just adds to the tension, as Brynn tries to survive multiple attempts by the aliens to either take control of her or to take her life, and we learn why the town she lives in has shunned her.
A lovely little film from director Charlotte Regan (her first feature film), sees 12-year-old Georgie (Lola Campbell), surviving on her own, after the death of her mother, using a variety of tricks to keep the authorities at bay so she can stay at home alone, and making money by stealing and selling bicycles. Into her life comes Jason her estranged father, who she can’t remember, doesn’t trust and really doesn’t want anything to do with. Campbell is remarkable as Georgie, portraying a young girl having to show a tough as nail exterior but with hidden vulnerabilities and hurt to deal with.
An odd little science fiction film, set in a world where a test has been created to find out if couples are truly in love. The title coming from the fact that it costs a fingernail to perform the test. This of course leads to changes in society and how relationships develop. Jessie Buckley’s Anna gets a job as an instructor, at an institute, that offers to strengthen the bonds of love between couples so that they can pass the aforementioned test. There she finds herself attracted to fellow instructor Amir (Riz Ahmed), even though she has already previously passed the test with her boyfriend, leading to confusing feelings for her.
After the disappointment that was Death on the Nile, Kenneth Branagh returns as Hercule Poirot, in a much better outing. In fact, this may be my favourite of the three Branagh Poirot films. Set ten years after Death on the Nile, we see a now retired Poirot living in Venice, being bought in by his friend Ariadne Oliver to try and expose an infamous medium, at a Halloween party. I have read all the Poirot stories by Agatha Christie (and a few not by her), this one is supposedly based on the novel Hallowe'en Party, however except for some of the characters having the same names as those in the book, and there being a Halloween party involved, there is no real resemblance. A fact that I liked. I enjoyed Branagh’s take on Murder on the Orient express, and ambivalent about Death on the Nile, however in both those cases the films were pretty much faithful adaptation of the novels, in this case there was an actual mystery for me to ponder, which is always fun.
This is a very funny comedy film in sort of the same sort of vein as the Hangover films, actually, that is a lazy comparison, this is far better than those films. Ashley Park’s Audrey goes to China to track down her birth mother who put her up for adoption, not for personal reasons, but to help push through a business deal for her law firm. On her trip she takes her childhood best friend Lolo (Sherry Cola), Lolo’s kooky cousin “Deadeye” (Sabrina Wu) and Audrey’s college roommate Kat (Stephanie Hsu). Full of both smart and crude humour, this film also has a lot of heart.
This is a heart-warming stop motion mockumentary, in which we follow the titular Marcel, a young seashell as he spends his days with his grandmother following a routine and yearning for the rest of his family who disappeared a while ago. He decides to try locating his missing family with the help of the documentarian. I didn’t think it would be possible for me to feel anything for a stop motion shell with one googly eye, however Jenny Slate (who voices Marcel) and Dean Fleischer Camp (the director/documentarian) are able to bring Marcel to life, and imbue him with heart and life
Nicolas Cage has been putting on some really good performances recently and he does that again in this offbeat comedy. Cage plays Paul Matthews a boring middle-aged professor who starts appearing in the dreams of people around the world, as a passive observer to begin with. Becoming somewhat of a celebrity due to this. However, things taking a slightly darker turn as Matthews’ fails to exploit his fame and his presence in the dreams becomes somewhat more malevolent.
If you are a fan of the John Wick films (and why would you not be), this Finnish film will be right up your alley. Jorma Tommila play Aatami Korpi, a loner prospecting in Lapland at the tail end of World War II, after finding a small fortune in gold, he is accosted by group of Nazis who try to take his find. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for us Korpi is an ex-commando who gained notoriety as being an unkillable killing machine during a previous war with the Soviet Union. What follows is a hunted becoming the hunter tale that is surprisingly good. This film has the look and feel of a grindhouse spaghetti western, which suits it, and helps differentiate it from the more stylish and refined John Wick films.
A wonderful film, which looks at yearning for what may have been missed out on. Nora Moon (Greta Lee/Seung Ah Moon) starts the film as a 12-year-old in Korea who has a close friendship/crush on her school friend Hae Sung (Teo Yoo/Seung Min Yim). The pair are separated when Nora’s family emigrate to Canada, the film then moves on 12 years, with Nora and Hae reconnecting via social media, but again lose touch after a while. A further 12 years later Nora is now married, and Hae comes to visit her in New York. Beautifully shot this film reminded me a bit of the superb 1995 film Before Sunrise as we follow Nora and Hae through part of a day together, discussing life and love, and ponder on the possible life they may have had.
Like a lot of people out there, I did not know that much about J. Robert Oppenheimer. I knew the basics of course, that he oversaw the Manhattan Project and had that famous “I have become Death...” quote. Christopher Nolan has rectified that somewhat by bringing his story to the big screen. Usually, I’m not a huge fan of biopics, this is one of the rare few exceptions. Cillian Murphy brings Oppenheimer’s genius, flaws (of which there are many) and his guilt over what he helped birth into this world, almost perfectly. Helped by an outstanding supporting cast, especially Robert Downey Jr. also helped make this another must watch film from Nolan, and yes, I did do the Barbenheimer thing, watched this first then went straight into Barbie.
A wonderful romantic comedy from another first-time director Raine Allen-Miller. Full of energy and charm, the film follows Dom (David Jonsson) and Yas (Vivian Oparah) who meet up at an art exhibition, after breaking up with their partners and become fast friends through helping get one over on each other’s exes. As the film goes along as is usual with these films, romance blossoms, there is conflict and well you know the rest. Filmed in and around areas of South London (Brixton and Peckham) that are rarely seen on screen, this showcases some superb new talent both on and off the screen.
I was not expecting to like this film. When I heard that they were making a prequel to the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I probably rolled my eyes. Willy Wonka had been given a backstory in the awful Tim Burton 2005 film, and that had soured me somewhat to the idea. However, by the time the first song finished, this film had a hold of me. It is a delightful film that is worthy of the 1971 classic. The cast is all marvelous, especially Timothée Chalamet who brings a different warmth and charm from what we usually see from his characters. I can also easily see his Willy Wonka evolving into the Gene Wilder version. As a fan of whimsy this film hit the right spots for me and had some really great songs to boot.
As most of you who have read my blogs previously will know, I’m a huge fan of Wes Anderson’s work. This film, though not one of my favourites of his works, is still excellent. This time Anderson uses novel idea of a play as a backdrop for the main story, about a group disparate people stuck in the middle of nowhere and then quarantined after an encounter with an alien. With Jason Schwartzman's newly widowed father of four Augie Steenbeck, seemingly being our main protagonist, as he comes to terms with the death of his wife and a newly budding romance with actress Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson). With the story switching between the main story and that of the production of the play, almost mid-scene sometimes, it can be a bit disorientating, however Anderson pulls it off. Filled with most of his usual impressive cadre of actors (minus Bill Murray due to health reasons), plus first-time appearances for Tom Hanks and Margot Robbie in the troop, this film again deals with themes of grief and loss, through an inventive Wes Anderson lens.
Based on the wonderful webcomic and graphic novel by Noelle Stevenson, this animated film sees a shapeshifting girl (the eponymous Nimona) voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz, who after being shunned and attacked by society, decides that she will become the sidekick for the new big bad villain of the kingdom, Ballister Boldheart (voiced by Riz Ahmed), whether Ballister wants her to, or not. To be fair Ballister isn’t really much of a villain, he has in fact just been framed for a crime he did not commit, and in the beginning the chaos and violence that Nimona brings is not helping his situation, especially with his boyfriend (the spectacularly named Ambrosius Goldenloin) who is tasked with hunting Ballister down and arresting him. However, as the film progresses Ballister and Nimona form a mutual bond as two outcasts, who just need a friend. Both funny and moving, a real gem.
This film may be the biggest flop in the MCU’s history (financially speaking); however, I don’t care. I really loved this film. Not as much as the original film but that one did pull on my 1990’s heartstrings (yes, apparently, I do have a heart). Brie Larson is a terrific again as Captain Marvel, still dealing with the trauma of what the Kree did to her and to what she did in reaction. To the mix are added Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel (along with the rest of her family). I am a huge fan of Ms. Marvel in the comics and enjoyed her TV series last year immensely, so was happy to see Iman Vellani bring her energy and obvious love for the character to this film. It is fun watch with some amazing set pieces and imaginative settings, especially the singing planet. Definitely worth a watch, if you haven’t seen it already.
As a Dungeons & Dragons player myself, I was looking forward to hopefully having at least one good Dungeons & Dragons film out there, especially after the three previous attempts at bringing it to the big screens, and I was not disappointed. This was an excellent film, it made manifest a world that most Dungeons & Dragons players would be very familiar with, but more importantly it was able to show the fun of the gameplay. Full of fantastic characters and settings, the film see’s Christ Pine’s fallen Harper Edgin along with his best friend Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), putting together a party to try and rescue Edgin’s daughter from the clutches of the Rogue leader of the City-State of Neverwinter, played by Hugh Grant in his third film on this list this year. What follows is the basic structures of a campaign, do a mission, to do another mission, to gain a thing to do the final mission, and it is great. I really hope they will make more of these.
It’s not usual that the 43rd film in a series is the best (Joking I’ve not seen the other 42 animated films so can’t be sure this one is the best), also films based on toy lines and games have traditionally not been great, however Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were able to buck the trend and bring us a brilliant film. Robbie plays Stereotypical Barbie living in Barbieland, who starts to have an existential crisis and need to go to the ‘real world’ to try and resolve it. This film has a super smart sense of humour, as well as some deep philosophical questioning about the roles societies assign to people. America Ferrera’s speech on womanhood nearly made me cry and Ryan Gosling as Ken was joyfully fun, however the whole thing is held together by Robbie, in what may be my favourite performance by her so far.
A sequel to the brilliant 2018 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, this film opens the multiverse even more, as this time Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) leaves his own universe and joins up with the Spider-Society, a team headed up by the antagonistic Spider-Man 2099 and made up of about 280 different spider-men/women from different universes, (according to what I have read, I did not count all of them). We get Hailee Steinfeld and Jake Johnson returning as Spider-Gwen and Peter B. Parker respectively, and of the newcomers Karan Soni's Spider-Man India & Daniel Kaluuya's Spider-Punk stand out most. The primary villain of the story is The Spot (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) who holds a personal grudge against Miles; however, Miles also must deal with Spider-Man 2099 and most of the Spider-Society trying to prevent him from saving his own father from being killed, in order to preserve the universal cannon. This film is gorgeous and inventive, even more so than the original and might have been higher on the list, had it not been the first part of two, with us having to wait until 2025 to get the conclusion.
This is a perfect ending to James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, probably the best trilogy in the whole of the MCU (so far anyway). This film focuses mainly on Rocket and his backstory, showing us why he is such a thorny character who has trouble letting people in. This film in Chukwudi Iwuji's High Evolutionary also introduces another outright evil villain into the MCU, with no redeemable values at all. The film starts off with an attack at the Guardians’ homebase of Knowhere, by Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) on the High Evolutionary’s orders, leaving Rocket severely injured and the rest of the Guardians having to team up with the alternative version of Gamora to try and unlock a system that will allow them to fix him. Though Rocket is the focus of this film, the rest of the cast also get a chance to shine. We get character growth from Quill as he deals with his version of Gamora being gone and some hilarious team-ups with Mantis and Drax. Be warned though there are a few scenes of animal cruelty, and the Rocket flashbacks may lead to tears. The soundtrack from Gunn is again fantastic as we see this beloved team dance off our screens.
For what seems to be the last outing for Keanu Reeves as John Wick (apart from his cameo in the upcoming prequel Ballerina), they really went all out. This film is almost relentless action as John attempts to finally get free from the influence of the High Table, standing in his way is the fantastically named Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont (played with flamboyant flair by Bill Skarsgård) as well as a plethora of assassins, mercenaries and henchmen. Off the bat, this a gorgeous looking film. The world building has always been first-rate in the John Wick films; however, they seem to have gone all out for this one. A lot of the background sets look like the backgrounds of arcade games of my youth, such as Street Fighter, Final Fight and Capcom vs Marvel. This aesthetic also comes through in the actions scenes and in some of the outlandish characters in the film, especially Scott Adkins as Killa Harkan. If this is truly the end for John Wick, then wow what an ending!
And my worst film of the year for 2023 is.........
Winnie the Pooh Blood and Honey
This film is just awful. I’m OK with trying something new however this horror film about Winnie the Pooh and his friends wanting revenge on Christopher Robin and humanity in general for abandoning them, it just seems lazy. The idea could have worked however the film has the feeling of someone rushing to make a film once Winnie the Pooh came into public domain, just so they can say they did it first. So, what you end up with an ugly, boring film that goes for shock goriness rather than anything original or interesting.
Complete list of Films I watched in 2023.
This film is just awful. I’m OK with trying something new however this horror film about Winnie the Pooh and his friends wanting revenge on Christopher Robin and humanity in general for abandoning them, it just seems lazy. The idea could have worked however the film has the feeling of someone rushing to make a film once Winnie the Pooh came into public domain, just so they can say they did it first. So, what you end up with an ugly, boring film that goes for shock goriness rather than anything original or interesting.
Ratings
Excellent = Must watch
Good = Should watch
Meh = Fine
Bad = Can be avoided
Awful = Avoid
65 - Meh
A Disturbance in The Force - Good
A Good Person - Meh
A Haunting in Venice - Excellent
A Man Called Otto - Good
Air - Meh
American Symphony - Excellent
Anatomy Of a Fall - Good
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania - Meh
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 20, 2023) - Meh
Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret - Good
Assassin Club - Awful
Asteroid City - Excellent
Babylon - Meh
Barbie - Excellent
Beau Is Afraid - Good
Big George Foreman - Bad
Biosphere - Meh
Blue Beetle - Good
Bod Obnovy - Good
Boston Strangler - Bad
Candy Cane Lane - Bad
Cat Person - Good
Champions - Meh
Chevalier - Good
Chicken Run Dawn of The Nugget - Good
Cocaine Bear - Good
Creed III - Good
David Holmes The Boy Who Lived - Good
Dicks The Musical - Awful
Do Not Disturb - Meh
Dream Scenario - Excellent
Dumb Money - Good
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Excellent
El Conde - Meh
Elemental - Good
Empire Of Light - Good
Evil Dead Rise - Meh
Expend4bles - Bad
Extraction 2 - Good
Fast Eddie - Meh
Fingernails - Excellent
Five Nights at Freddys - Meh
Flamin’ Hot - Meh
Flora And Son - Good
Foe - Meh
Freelance - Bad
Genie - Good
Ghosted - Awful
Golda - Meh
Gran Turismo - Bad
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - Excellent
Haunted Mansion - Meh
Here Comes a New Challenger - Good
Hidden Strike - Bad
Hypnotic - Bad
In The Land of Saints and Sinners - Good
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Meh
Infinity Pool - Meh
Inside - Good
Invalid - Good
It’s A Wonderful Knife - Good
Jailer - Meh
John Wick: Chapter 4 - Excellent
Joy Ride - Excellent
Joyland - Good
Jung_E - Bad
Killer Of the Flower Moon - Excellent
Knock at the Cabin - Meh
Konferensen - Good
Last Song from Kabul - Good
Leave The World Behind - Meh
Legion Of Superheroes - Bad
Limbo - Good
Living - Meh
M3gan - Good
Maestro - Excellent
Mafia Mamma - Bad
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On - Excellent
Master Gardener - Meh
Meet Cute - Good
Meg 2: The Trench - Meh
Merry Little Batman - Good
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One - Good
Mr. Monk's Last Case - Good
Murder Mystery 2 - Bad
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 - Bad
Mystery Island - Meh
Nandor Fodor And the Talking Mongoose - Good
Nimona - Excellent
No Hard Feelings - Good
No One Will Save You - Excellent
Nyad - Meh
Office Race - Bad
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre - Excellent
Oppenheimer - Excellent
Ostrov - Meh
Outlaw Johnny Black - Bad
Paint - Good
Past Lives - Excellent
Peter Pan and Wendy - Bad
Plane - Meh
Planeta Praha - Good
Poison - Good
Polite Society - Good
Pretty Red Dress - Good
Priscilla - Meh
Puss In Boots the Last Wish - Good
Quiz Lady - Good
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire - Bad
Relax I’m From the Future - Good
Renfield - Meh
Retribution - Bad
Return to Seoul - Meh
Rumble Through the Dark - Meh
Run Rabbit Run - Bad
Rye Lane - Good
Saltburn - Good
Scrapper - Excellent
Scream VI - Meh
Seneca On the Creation Of Earthquakes - Bad
Sharper - Bad
Shazam! Fury of the Gods - Meh
She Came To Me - Meh
Shotgun Wedding - Bad
Silent Night - Good
Sisu - Excellent
Someday We'll Tell Each Other Everything - Meh
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Excellent
Stan Lee - Meh
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie - Excellent
Strange World - Meh
Strays - Good
Sympathy For the Devil - Bad
Talk To Me - Meh
Tar - Good
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem - Good
Tetris - Meh
Thanksgiving - Meh
The Beanie Bubble - Meh
The Blackening - Meh
The Covenant - Meh
The Creator - Good
The Delinquents - Meh
The Equalizer 3 - Good
The Family Plan - Good
The Flash - Bad
The Great Escaper - Meh
The Great Seduction - Good
The Kill Room - Meh
The Killer - Good
The Last Rifleman - Meh
The Last Voyage of the Demeter - Good
The League - Bad
The Lesson - Good
The Machine - Bad
The Marsh Kings Daughter - Good
The Marvels - Excellent
The Old Oak - Good
The Other Fellow - Good
The Pale Blue Eye - Meh
The Pigeon Tunnel - Good
The Pope's Exorcist - Good
The Portable Door - Bad
The Rat Catcher - Good
The Retirement Plan - Meh
The Royal Hotel - Good
The Story of Nintendo - Bad
The Super Mario Bros. Movie - Meh
The Swan - Good
The Three Musketeers D’Artagnan - Good
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Bad
The Whale - Meh
Excellent = Must watch
Good = Should watch
Meh = Fine
Bad = Can be avoided
Awful = Avoid
A Disturbance in The Force - Good
A Good Person - Meh
A Haunting in Venice - Excellent
A Man Called Otto - Good
Air - Meh
American Symphony - Excellent
Anatomy Of a Fall - Good
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania - Meh
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 20, 2023) - Meh
Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret - Good
Assassin Club - Awful
Asteroid City - Excellent
Babylon - Meh
Barbie - Excellent
Beau Is Afraid - Good
Big George Foreman - Bad
Biosphere - Meh
Blue Beetle - Good
Bod Obnovy - Good
Boston Strangler - Bad
Candy Cane Lane - Bad
Cat Person - Good
Champions - Meh
Chevalier - Good
Chicken Run Dawn of The Nugget - Good
Cocaine Bear - Good
Creed III - Good
David Holmes The Boy Who Lived - Good
Dicks The Musical - Awful
Do Not Disturb - Meh
Dream Scenario - Excellent
Dumb Money - Good
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Excellent
El Conde - Meh
Elemental - Good
Empire Of Light - Good
Evil Dead Rise - Meh
Expend4bles - Bad
Extraction 2 - Good
Fast Eddie - Meh
Fingernails - Excellent
Five Nights at Freddys - Meh
Flamin’ Hot - Meh
Flora And Son - Good
Foe - Meh
Freelance - Bad
Genie - Good
Ghosted - Awful
Golda - Meh
Gran Turismo - Bad
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - Excellent
Haunted Mansion - Meh
Here Comes a New Challenger - Good
Hidden Strike - Bad
Hypnotic - Bad
In The Land of Saints and Sinners - Good
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Meh
Infinity Pool - Meh
Inside - Good
Invalid - Good
It’s A Wonderful Knife - Good
Jailer - Meh
John Wick: Chapter 4 - Excellent
Joy Ride - Excellent
Joyland - Good
Jung_E - Bad
Killer Of the Flower Moon - Excellent
Knock at the Cabin - Meh
Konferensen - Good
Last Song from Kabul - Good
Leave The World Behind - Meh
Legion Of Superheroes - Bad
Limbo - Good
Living - Meh
M3gan - Good
Maestro - Excellent
Mafia Mamma - Bad
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On - Excellent
Master Gardener - Meh
Meet Cute - Good
Meg 2: The Trench - Meh
Merry Little Batman - Good
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One - Good
Mr. Monk's Last Case - Good
Murder Mystery 2 - Bad
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 - Bad
Mystery Island - Meh
Nandor Fodor And the Talking Mongoose - Good
Nimona - Excellent
No Hard Feelings - Good
No One Will Save You - Excellent
Nyad - Meh
Office Race - Bad
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre - Excellent
Oppenheimer - Excellent
Ostrov - Meh
Outlaw Johnny Black - Bad
Paint - Good
Past Lives - Excellent
Peter Pan and Wendy - Bad
Plane - Meh
Planeta Praha - Good
Poison - Good
Polite Society - Good
Pretty Red Dress - Good
Priscilla - Meh
Puss In Boots the Last Wish - Good
Quiz Lady - Good
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire - Bad
Relax I’m From the Future - Good
Renfield - Meh
Retribution - Bad
Return to Seoul - Meh
Rumble Through the Dark - Meh
Run Rabbit Run - Bad
Rye Lane - Good
Saltburn - Good
Scrapper - Excellent
Scream VI - Meh
Seneca On the Creation Of Earthquakes - Bad
Sharper - Bad
Shazam! Fury of the Gods - Meh
She Came To Me - Meh
Shotgun Wedding - Bad
Silent Night - Good
Sisu - Excellent
Someday We'll Tell Each Other Everything - Meh
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Excellent
Stan Lee - Meh
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie - Excellent
Strange World - Meh
Strays - Good
Sympathy For the Devil - Bad
Talk To Me - Meh
Tar - Good
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem - Good
Tetris - Meh
Thanksgiving - Meh
The Beanie Bubble - Meh
The Blackening - Meh
The Covenant - Meh
The Creator - Good
The Delinquents - Meh
The Equalizer 3 - Good
The Family Plan - Good
The Flash - Bad
The Great Escaper - Meh
The Great Seduction - Good
The Kill Room - Meh
The Killer - Good
The Last Rifleman - Meh
The Last Voyage of the Demeter - Good
The League - Bad
The Lesson - Good
The Machine - Bad
The Marsh Kings Daughter - Good
The Marvels - Excellent
The Old Oak - Good
The Other Fellow - Good
The Pale Blue Eye - Meh
The Pigeon Tunnel - Good
The Pope's Exorcist - Good
The Portable Door - Bad
The Rat Catcher - Good
The Retirement Plan - Meh
The Royal Hotel - Good
The Story of Nintendo - Bad
The Super Mario Bros. Movie - Meh
The Swan - Good
The Three Musketeers D’Artagnan - Good
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Bad
The Whale - Meh
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar - Excellent
There’s Something in The Barn - Meh
They Cloned Tyrone - Good
To Leslie - Excellent
Úsvit - Good
Vacation Friends 2 - Bad
Vesper - Bad
We Have a Ghost - Meh
What Happens Later - Bad
What’s Love Got to Do with It - Bad
White Noise - Meh
Winnie the Pooh Blood and Honey - Awful
Wonka - Excellent
You Hurt My Feelings - Good
You People - Bad
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