|
Top 10 2023 wide release films! 10. Asteroid City If Wes Anderson knows exactly what he wanted to say about grief and faith in this film, I'm afraid I didn't grasp it all on a first viewing. But there's a lot to enjoy besides - the colour, sets and framing are still delightful and the bits that landed (Margot Robbie to pick just one example) really shone. 9. How To Blow Up A Pipeline Incredibly tense film of climate activism in the template of a heist. Some strands of plot wrapped up a bit too conveniently for me, otherwise this would have surely ranked higher. 8. Fremont This off-beat, gentle comedy really charmed me, and it was great to see with an appreciative audience. The film portrays isolation and loneliness without letting them overwhelm or drag down the picture, which is a tough line to walk. 7. How to Have Sex A film that takes on a difficult subject with sensitivity and honesty - judging just how much the audience can bear, and not pushing into ground that might turn exploitative or sensationalising. Mia McKenna-Bruce does an exceptional job as the lead, and the film knows when to let her portray what she can't say. 6. Polite Society This film was a lot of fun - action, comedy, and the best torture scene since Casino Royale. It has the same sensibility as Edgar Wright's early films, so fans of those should give it a try. 5. Return To Seoul This is a fascinating and very moving film, watching the clash of culture and language play out as Freddie bounces around like a pinball in the midst of it. Finding her parents is just part of what she's searching for, that lost identity, wanting to understand her home country but not submit to it. It's riveting stuff. 4. Killers of the Flower Moon I'm sure this will be remembered as one of Scorcese's best. Lily Gladstone is incredible, and the film takes its time to build up the impact of the killings and the shortcomings of the response to them. 3. Past Lives A wonderfully observed tale, with its head and its heart in the right place. Everything comes together for the climax, and it's so moving. 2. The Eight Mountains I already loved the book going into this film, but I was amazed by how powerful it was to watch. The performances are brilliant, and the film is beautiful shot after beautiful shot, so many lifted straight from my mind's eye. 1. Anatomy of a Fall On its surface a murder trial, delving into a conflicted relationship, this film wants us to grapple with the slippery and subjective nature of truth. The great accomplishment of the film through its script and performances is to never tip its hand to what that truth is. There's a tiny moment right at the end between the defendant and her lawyer which dangles the possibility of resolution - but instead it's subverted. 2023 wide releases that I shortlisted but missed the top 10: Oppenheimer, Barbie, Under the Fig Trees and Scrapper. Other films I really enjoyed in 2023: Caught Aftersun at home after missing it in cinemas, and it's incredibly good. Saw the Three Colours trilogy for the first time in a cinema rather than at home, and I came away with Blue as my favourite. And like Escobarbarian, saw both Le Bonheur and Blow Out for the both time and was equally impressed. Finally, caught a preview of The End We Start From - it was brilliant but it's not in wide release so I'm holding it back. If it's not in my top 10 list for 2024, then we're in for a really good year of films!
|
#
¿
Dec 31, 2023 00:57
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 10, 2024 09:31 |
|
|
Thanks ShoogaSlim, the results posts were brilliantly put together, and it was fun to take part. When thinking about release years, one thing to bear in mind is that there are still films that aren't released everywhere at once. I'm still waiting for Poor Things to open at my local cinema, but it's probably already hit its high water mark in the 2023 list. I don't have an answer, but you might want to favour flexibility.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 2, 2024 19:20
|
|