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Unfortunately, my 2023 didn't let me check out too many new releases. I've simply been working too much. I wouldn't be able to put together a list of 2023 releases if I tried. Though I still managed to have a semi-regular movie night with friends which meant I watched a lot of trash with a fair number of rewatches. A few movies like Xtro or Escape from the Bronx have stuck with me, but I can't include them in this list without making it a dumb gimmick. This is a real attempt at a list for the year, but it's going to be an odd one. All of these are first time watches from 2023, otherwise I'd just be slamming Sorcerer into the #1 spot and calling it a day. Honorable Mention: Nemesis (Albert Pyun, 1992) I don't even know how to classify this one. The acting isn't great, the plot makes no sense, and the majority of it is set in Indonesia without a single Indonesian in the film. But there are some wild-rear end action scenes that make up for everything wrong with it. There's some real looney tunes-rear end poo poo here. I'm never going to forget the big shootout in the hotel. 10. The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart (Christopher McCulloch, 2023) A solid finale to an excellent show. I had been watching the Venture Brothers since way back when the show first started so it was nice to see it get an actual ending rather than unceremoniously killed off on a cliffhanger. It hits all the right notes and ends in a way where the creators can revisit the show if they ever get another chance. The only reason it didn't make it higher on my list is because of how obvious it was that this was a full season cut down to fit a 90 minute movie. It wasn't that it felt rushed, I just know how many little character moments were missing. 9. Logan Lucky (Steven Soderbergh, 2017) I've been meaning to get around to this for a few years. It's a fun heist movie. Daniel Craig is doing a ridiculous Southern accent and everyone else is on point. No one's glamorous in this and there are no dumb gadgets outside of maybe one improvised explosive. 8. Pinocchio (Guillermo del Toro, 2022) A beautiful reimagining, it genuinely got to me by the end. The main musical number put me off at first, but the movie really won me over. The setting worked well. The animation was gorgeous. Also, credit to Cate Blanchett for her role as Spazzatura. 7. Lifeforce (Tobe Hooper, 1985) Just a loving wild movie. It's dumb as hell and I don't care. 6. Police Story 1, 2, and 3 (Jackie Chan and Chi-Hwa Chen, 1985) (Jackie Chan, 1988) (Stanley Tong, 1992) Ranking these as one film because otherwise they'd crowd the list. There is simply no one shooting action scenes like this anymore. Some truly inventive fight choreography and great reminders of how good Jackie Chan was in his heyday. 2 is my least favorite of the three, but it still has the superb playground fight. 5. Knightriders (George Romero, 1981) I went in expecting something much goofier based on the poster. It's a quiet film with a slow pace and I enjoyed the fact that there's no real villain within the jousting troupe. It's the outside forces acting on them that are causing conflict. Yeah, it's one big Arthurian pastiche, but it works. Shoutout to Stephen King for his role of Hoagie Man. 4. The People Under the Stairs (Wes Craven, 1991) Everett McGill and Wendy Robie absolutely steal the loving show in this one. They are amazingly unhinged villains and the movie gets more and more ridiculous as you see more of them. I knew a little about this film going into it, but I didn't know about how madcap it gets. 3. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Shane Black, 2005) and The Nice Guys (Shane Black, 2016) Ranking these together because I can. I've always liked Shane Black's films and these two are both excellent examples of his work. Robert Downey Jr. and Michelle Monaghan are great leads and so are Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. I think The Nice Guys might be the better of the two, but not by much. 2. Crimes of the Future (David Cronenberg, 2022) Loved this one. Cronenberg has created a depressing future of nothing but collapse - socially, environmentally, and even biologically - that is very relevant to the modern day. Kristen Stewart plays a delightful weirdo. Definitely the standout performance though she doesn't get that much screen time. Then there's that ridiculous zipper scene. I want a breakfaster chair of my own. 1. Avatar: The Way of Water (James Cameron, 2022) Yeah, I'm going with this. One of the only Late 2022/Early 2023 releases I actually got to see in theaters and I went twice. Back when I had the time. It has some problems - it drags a little in the middle, the big finale could've used a scene or two to show where the water tribe went, etc. Otherwise, fantastic. I'm kind of a recent convert to the Avatar series, I saw the first film in theaters and didn't revisit it until 2021. After so many years of bland action films it won me over. And the effects from 2009 were better than most modern movies coming out. However, its sequel makes it look its age. The CGI in this is as close to perfect as we're going to get (until the next one) and Cameron fills this movie with great creatures, mechs, boats, etc. We don't get many of these big, earnest, bombastic action movies anymore. I am genuinely looking forward to the third.
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Dec 31, 2023 20:25
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| # ¿ May 14, 2024 07:22 |
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