The Official Review Thread of 2023

[flipp525]

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.

[anonymous1980]

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!

[Mister Tee]

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.

[anonymous1980]

NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU
Cast: Kaitlyn Dever.
Dir: Bryan Duffield.

A young woman with a dark past is attacked by aliens in her house. This is a deceptively simple premise. But the film has far more substance, layers, twists and surprises than you would expect in a seemingly simple genre picture such as this. Not the least of which is that the film is almost entirely wordless with the filmmaker using just purely picture and sound to tell the story. Kaitlyn Dever is more than up for the challenge, giving her all especially since she is the only human character on screen for most the running time and she almost never speaks. Though the film feels stretched out at times, it does make up for it by at least injecting some surprises. And Dever's performance makes it all worth it.

Oscar Prospects: Not sure if this is qualified for Oscars or Emmys but Dever's performance is awards-worthy so is the Sound work.

Grade: B+

[anonymous1980]

THE EQUALIZER 3
Cast: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, Remo Girone, Andrea Scarduzio, Andrea Dodero.
Dir: Antoine Fuqua.

The third installment of the film series has Robert McCall in a small town in Italy trying to find peace and quiet only to have to go up against an Italian crime syndicate who terrorize the townspeople. You know when I heard there was an Equalizer 3, I had completely forgotten that I've actually have seen Equalizer 2. I had to double-check Letterboxd. Anyway, I think this one will probably end up having the same fate but while I was watching it, I was very much entertained. Denzel Washington is excellent in his Old-Man-Kicks-Ass franchise film and the action and kills are thrilling and quite gnarly. Overall, not a film to write home about but it's a fun, not offensive time killer action movie.

Oscar Prospects: None.

Grade: B-

[Sabin]

criddic3 wrote
I've seen Elemental referred to as sort of an animated "Romeo & Juliet," with the family prejudices at play and the sacrifice made later in the film. It's not played for tragedy, exactly, but it's not an untrue description on the outlines.

I don't disagree. I'd like it more if there was more conflict between the families. Ember's fire family are racist. Wade's water family go out of their way to be polite. The two families never really meet. I'd also like it if there was more conflict between between... anything. As I reflect back on the film, one of my favorite qualities in the film is that it features characters who are racist against other elements. It's kinda problematic in this sense because they are racist against other people for what they *ACTUALLY* are. Like all stereotypes are true in the world of Elemental. Rewatching Shrek 2 recently, I found myself enjoying the Guess Who's Coming to Dinner jokes just because you rarely see that today in film. It still exists IRL.

The more I think about Elemental, the more I think it would work better as a PIXAR short.

[criddic3]

All of which to say, less than twelve hours after watching Elemental, it's hard to remember much about it. I think the creators came up with a nice little idea ("Can fire and water fall in love?" -- by the way, I'm here for that story! That's a good rom com conflict) and nothing beyond that was really up to PIXAR standards. It needed stakes and world-building as daring as WALL*E.

I've seen Elemental referred to as sort of an animated "Romeo & Juliet," with the family prejudices at play and the sacrifice made later in the film. It's not played for tragedy, exactly, but it's not an untrue description on the outlines.

RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE

Oscar Prospects: Don't know if it's qualified but likely none.

Grade: B.

I enjoyed this one; it's sort of a sitcom, but the actors were likable and it had a sort of fairy-tale aspect to it, which I think was intentional (especially the ending). Oh, and I think it probably is eligible for Emmys rather than Oscars.

[Sabin]

Last night, I wrote a generally positive review of Elemental. While acknowledging its flaws and some shortcomings, I wanted to stress that for a film derided as generic and unoriginal, there's something very original at its core: it's an animated romantic comedy. That's something I've been wanting to see for a while now. I got some pleasure out of that. Something I didn't point out is that it's not the first PIXAR film to use the romantic comedy template. WALL*E got there first. But WALL*E isn't a romantic comedy, is it? It just hits a few of the beats here and there while working towards a larger, more ambitious goal. Except... in 2023, that *IS* a romantic comedy. We're seeing films like Palm Springs which use time loops to explore Millennial nihilism as well as the unlikely possibility of connection. I wouldn't say that WALL*E is just a romantic comedy but I think it saw where the genre was headed and what audiences would demand of it more than we thought back in 2008.

All of which to say, less than twelve hours after watching Elemental, it's hard to remember much about it. I think the creators came up with a nice little idea ("Can fire and water fall in love?" -- by the way, I'm here for that story! That's a good rom com conflict) and nothing beyond that was really up to PIXAR standards. It needed stakes and world-building as daring as WALL*E.

There's a very telling gag in the film. Ember and Wade have to go through a chain-link fence. Both just pass through it. One asks the other "Why do we have these?" The other responds "I don't know." Elemental is a film that wants to take its world as seriously as it wants to in any given moment. Save for Coco, Pixar has never really been great at world-building. It's always been better at characters. Elemental has to be their least convincing world to date. It's still pretty to look at and Thomas Newman's score is very good. But generally speaking, kids and fans deserve better.

(NOTE: I think the scene where Wade makes Ember cry in that game is my least favorite scene in a Pixar film to date)

[anonymous1980]

A HAUNTING IN VENICE
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Ali Kahn, Emma Laird, Kelly Reilly, Riccardo Scamarcio, Michelle Yeoh.
Dir: Kenneth Branagh.

Hercule Poirot now "retired" in Venice from murder investigations is lured back into action by an old writer friend who seeks to expose the fakery of a psychic. But after attending a seance, it becomes yet another murder mystery. The third film in Kenneth Branagh's Agatha Christie-Hercule Poirot film series is actually the series' best so far. Granted, it's not a high bar to hurdle but the film actually benefits from the fact that it's not one of those Agatha Christie works that has been adapted numerous times (and thus, a significant number of audiences know the outcome) and it's also probably the least faithful to its source material. So the film has genuine suspense on the whodunit angle. The ensemble cast of would-be murderers and victims are also terrific in this one. So, yes, although it is far from a masterpiece, it is a solid directorial outing from Branagh, overall and a nice palette cleanser from summer blockbusters.

Oscar Prospects: Might compete in Production Design in a less competitive year.

Grade: B+

[Okri]

I'll go to bat for it as more than just a cult film. Seligman is a very interesting filmmaker and this is an unexpected leap from her. I'm not necessarily excited to see the anxious realism of Shiva Baby go by the wayside but it confirms her (and her relationship with Sennott) as something to really watch.

I was quite mixed on Shiva Baby so I was gonna give this one a pass until VOD/streaming, but I do like Sennott and a different register is intriguing for me.

[anonymous1980]

GRAN TURISMO
Cast: Archie Madekwe, David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Djimon Honsou, Geri Halliwell, Takehiro Hira, Darren Barnet, Mauve Courtier-Lilley.
Dir: Neill Blomkamp.

This is based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough, a young man who excelled at the realistic PlayStation car racing video game Gran Turismo and transitioned to being a real-life race car driver. This is all about I knew coming in but the film's script is pretty much your standard formulaic sports movie, I can pretty much see where the story is going. Despite that though, I enjoyed this film quite a bit, despite not caring about either video games or car racing. Neil Blomkamp's stylish direction and the excellent cast's performances kept me engaged with the story and made me care about the outcome. Yes, it's all standard but it's well-made and very enjoyable and sometimes that's all you need.

Oscar Prospects: Sound and Editing could be within reach if the lineup was less competitive.

Grade: B.

[Sabin]

I saw Bottoms last weekend. Definitely worth seeing for a few reasons: the evolution of Emma Seligman's style, the very successful director-actor relationship between Seligman & Rachel Sennott (now as co-writers), and obviously it's always a pleasure to watch a teen comedy that's off the beaten path. Oh yeah, and it's VERY funny. The dialogue is funny, the weird stylistic visual choices are funny (the football players are always in gear), and there's a general zoomer feeling of chaos and something not being right. I love the line about Sennott and Ayo Edebiri (who is better here than in The Bear) as "the ugly, untalented gays." I think the first act is fairly disappointing. It doesn't really lock the viewer into the necessity of the fight club and a lot of the danger of the other school is told to us, not shown to us. It's also really hard to figure out whether this is a satire or a spoof. But as it goes along with its big lie plot (the girls aren't doing the fight club to empower, they're doing it to get cheerleaders), I got more wrapped up in it and I suspect others will too. I really like how this is a teen film that isn't afraid to let its leads be flawed and unlikable. I don't think its ending is quite as insane as it thinks it is but it's certainly a good time. The audience I saw it with was laughing pretty regularly.

I'll go to bat for it as more than just a cult film. Seligman is a very interesting filmmaker and this is an unexpected leap from her. I'm not necessarily excited to see the anxious realism of Shiva Baby go by the wayside but it confirms her (and her relationship with Sennott) as something to really watch.

[Big Magilla]

PAST LIVES
Cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro.
Dir: Celine Song.

Childhood sweethearts from South Korea get separated when the girl's family immigrates to Canada. Years pass and they reconnect and rekindle their love/friendship in their adulthood. I've heard so many positive things about this film from a lot of people so I try to temper my expectations and even with my tempered expectations, I was still blown away by it. This is quite possibly the most beautiful and exquisite bittersweet cinematic romance since In the Mood for Love. Writer-director Celine Song crafts a very confident debut film, signaling a new cinematic voice to be reckoned with. The performances of the three main cast members are simply outstanding. Indeed, there are moments in this film I actually got teary eyed and thought it struck hard. Beautiful work all around and this is indeed one of the best films of the year, nay, the decade so far.

Oscar Prospects: Give it everything, I say.

Grade: A.

Completely agree, but another film it reminded me of was Chang-dong Lee's Poetry, a completely different Koren film but one which also dealt with family dynamics, memory, and loss for which Jeong-he Youn should have won a Best Actress Oscar.

[anonymous1980]

PAST LIVES
Cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro.
Dir: Celine Song.

Childhood sweethearts from South Korea get separated when the girl's family immigrates to Canada. Years pass and they reconnect and rekindle their love/friendship in their adulthood. I've heard so many positive things about this film from a lot of people so I try to temper my expectations and even with my tempered expectations, I was still blown away by it. This is quite possibly the most beautiful and exquisite bittersweet cinematic romance since In the Mood for Love. Writer-director Celine Song crafts a very confident debut film, signaling a new cinematic voice to be reckoned with. The performances of the three main cast members are simply outstanding. Indeed, there are moments in this film I actually got teary eyed and thought it struck hard. Beautiful work all around and this is indeed one of the best films of the year, nay, the decade so far.

Oscar Prospects: Give it everything, I say.

Grade: A.

[anonymous1980]

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM
Cast: Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Ayo Edebiri, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Maya Rudolph, Seth Rogen, John Cena, Paul Rudd, Rose Byrne, Natasia Demetriou, Giancarlo Esposito, Post Malone, Hannibal Burress (voices).
Dir: Jeff Rowe.

The third reboot of the franchise has the four adolescent mutant turtles wanting to live more normal teenage lives in the surface and be accepted by humans while uncovering a nefarious plot by their fellow mutants. I've seen first two live-action films as well as the cartoon as a kid and remember somewhat enjoying them. Then I grew out of them and ignored everything else that followed until this. And it's really, really good. I found myself really having fun with this. It is genuinely funny and the fact that the Turtles are voiced by actual teenagers this time made the characters much more relatable and endearing. The animation style is simply beautiful to look at and make it stand out from most of the animated features being released today. It's not quite an animated masterpiece but it's the best TMNT movie (granted that's a low bar).

Oscar Prospects: A strong contender for Animated Feature.

Grade: B+