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Cinema, Classic Film Reviews, Reviews

THE CINEMA FIX: 10 FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2023!

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THE CINEMA FIX: 10 FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2023!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2024!

Thankfully 2023 was less turbulent year on the cultural landscape than the previous years impacted by THAT virus. Nonetheless, we remain in an era where streaming platforms continue to thrive. I have lost count how many there are now and have now drawn a line under the number of subscriptions I have.

Apple TV, BBC iPlayer, BFI, Channel 4 online, Disney+, MUBI, Netflix and Sky Movies subscriptions are enough!

I still have my ODEON membership and do attend the cinema too though.

So, here are my favourite TEN films of the year containing choices watched both at home and in the cinema. If they are new releases and I saw them in 2023, they qualify.

Obviously, I have not seen every new release from 2023, so if there are any glaring omissions from my list please recommend away! 

As an aperitif I include my ten favourite films of 2022. Good luck and bon voyage in 2024!

TEN FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2022!

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (2022)
BONES AND ALL (2022)
CODA (2021)
DECISION TO LEAVE (2022)
DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (2022)
ELVIS (2022)
EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE, ALL AT ONCE (2022)
THE MENU (2022)
RRR (2022)
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (2022)

TEN FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2023!

ANATOMY OF A FALL (2023)

“. . . Anatomy of the Fall (2023) is an extremely complex film, both intelligent and thematically powerful. The courtroom exchanges between Sandra, her son Daniel, Samuel’s psychotherapist, the prosecution and defense lawyers are brilliantly written and acted. The flashback arguments between Samuel and Sandra are gut-wrenching and all too familiar to anyone who has been in or witnessed the crumbling of a marital or parental relationship. “

ASTEROID CITY (2023)

“. . .Asteroid City (2023) proves once again Wes Anderson is one of the most original filmmakers of this generation. Will he gain some more converts to his particular set of cinematic bag of tricks? Who knows. What I do know is that I was completely immersed in the colour, movement, pace, humour, aesthetics, performances and themes with the film. “

BROKER (2022)

“. . . Broker (2022) arguably has too many intertwining subplots as it strives to redeem all of the complex characters, but the wonderfully believable performances and a brilliant screenplay really grabs you and rarely lets you go. Kore-eda’s direction is, as usual, masterly and assured as he balances the various tones confidently. Overall, this film makes you laugh, cry and is really moving as it highlights that family units can be lovingly born from collective experience, as well as blood. “

MAY DECEMBER (2023)

“. . . what unfolds is a superbly acted and understated drama which really gets under the skin and into the mind. While watching the ever-shifting points-of-view and identification with the characters May December (2023) became so compelling to me. . . Acclaimed director Todd Haynes directs this tonally awkward story with a deft touch drawing on the constant grey areas of drama so expertly. “

OPPENHEIMER (2023)

“. . . Where the film truly blooms is when Oppenheimer makes his scientific breakthrough, builds his team of geniuses and the actual construction of the nuclear weapons at Los Alamos. There is palpable suspense (even though we know what happens) in the race with the Germans to make the bomb first. I mean, imagine if the Germans had won the race. It does not bear thinking about. The history of the world would have been irrevocably altered beyond comprehension. “

PAST LIVES (2023)

“. . . Without explosions, or car chases, or superheroes or fast-paced cutting or extraordinary heroes defeating powerful foes, Past Lives (2023), is one of the most impactful and memorable films of this year. Celine Song achieves this with a delicate hand in the writing and direction, plus a purposeful naturalistic cinematographic palette delivered by Shabier Kirchner. Above all else Song creates two characters who you root for from the start, willing them to be together, as the one feels the romantic electricity build on the screen. ”

SALTBURN (2023)

“. . . I cannot recommend Saltburn (2023) enough for its fantastically witty script, devastatingly brilliant cast and some quite disgustingly explicit, but contextually justifiable, character moments and scenes. Fennell takes the setting and structure of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited and turns it upside down, spinning a devious tale of infatuation, love, privilege and social climbing. Through the character Oliver Quick, and I really don’t want to give anything away, there is a powerful and jaw-dropping character arc of upward mobility. Rosamund Pike’s and Keoghan’s performances are both amazing and award-worthy. “

TAR (2022)

“Tár (2022) is a film which works on many genre and narrative layers. It is a psychological drama, an absorbing character study, a backstage musical, a complex morality play, with suggestions of hallucinatory horror during the final act of the film. It is a triumph of filmic brilliance expertly delivered by Todd Field. It is incredible to think this is only the third film he has directed. “

TOTALLY KILLER (2023)

“. . . I realise Totally Killer (2023) seems so contrived and derivative, but I found it to be an absolute blast. The script is clever and knowing with energetic and fun characters. Kiernan Shipka as Jamie is especially brilliant with great comedy timing and delivery. The filmmakers embrace the joy of time-travel and horror film tropes, and there’s also some excellent set-pieces involving the obligatory 1980’s false-faced psycho with a grudge. “

THE WONDER (2022)

“. . . Is there a better actor around than Florence Pugh? I am not so sure. She is formidably brilliant in every role I have seen her in. I think that Pugh is so clever, emotional and magnetic in her screen performances, none more so than in this intense period drama. Rich in themes including religious control, Catholic guilt and the English stranglehold over Ireland between the dramatic lines in an intimate epic, anchored by Pugh’s dominant force-of-human-nature performance.”

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CINEMA REVIEW: OPPENHEIMER (2023)

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CINEMA REVIEW: OPPENHEIMER (2023)

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Screenplay by: Christopher Nolan

Based on: American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin

Produced by: Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Conti and many more.

Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

One wonders if Christopher Nolan sees himself reflected, on some subconscious level, in the character of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Both are geniuses within their chosen field, and both have had their critics who do not always agree with their choices. The intrinsic difference is that the work of Oppenheimer and his team of scientists created one of the most expensive and deadly weapons the world has even seen. His actions led to destruction and death on a mass scale. Christopher Nolan, on the other hand, merely creates expensive drama and destruction on a cinema screen for our entertainment.

J. Robert Oppenheimer is clearly a complex character to bring to life on the screen. Indeed, scientists are not always the most riveting of characters, nor particularly cinematic. Especially since they spend their days in laboratories, classrooms and have their heads buried in books. Thus, visually speaking it is a constant challenge for filmmakers to present such biopic narratives. Moreover, thematically, and philosophically there is much internal conflict to wrestle with. Especially someone as (in)famous as Oppenheimer. I mean, how does a man overcome the guilt of being responsible for the deaths of so many people?

Having said that, Oppenheimer, as the leader of the ‘Manhattan Project’ at Los Alamos, could also be interpreted as the saviour of lives. The invention of nuclear weapons is an act of aggression, but paradoxically also a shield of peace. Such is the fear generated by such a devastating tool we will never know how many lives the existence of nuclear bombs has saved. Unfortunately, human beings find other ways to kill each other. That sadly will never stop. Does Nolan explore these themes within the intense three hours of cinematic propulsion, Oppenheimer (2023)? It is certainly there in the subtext, but perhaps not as pronounced as I would have hoped.

Adapting American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Christopher Nolan’s screenplay is highly intelligent and clearly professionally researched. It is also, when compared with the often-baffling Tenet (2020), simply structured. Events from Oppenheimer’s early life, post-war troubles with the United States government and the key stages of the ‘Manhattan Project’ are cut together in juxtaposing timelines throughout the lengthy running time. Nolan builds from the Senate and court hearings Oppenheimer faces after the war, where his security status is threatened with revocation due to his alleged association with the Communist party before the war.

That McCarthyistic-Red-Scare-paranoia was vilifying genuine heroes such as Oppenheimer is quite incredible, but unsurprising. I mean, here is a man, who served his country to personal cost and his own mental degradation. It is therefore a measure of his character, as presented via Cillian Murphy’s formidable portrayal, that he refuses to break in the face of constant questioning of his patriotism and commitment to America. I felt that the constant jolts from the Senate hearings, where Robert Downey Jnr’s, Lewis Strauss, is seeking election, to Oppenheimer’s security status “trial,” brought about an overly repetitive and talky series of scenes which bogged down the emotions for me.

Where the film truly blooms is when Oppenheimer makes his scientific breakthrough, builds his team of geniuses and the construction and testing of the nuclear weapons at Los Alamos. There is palpable suspense (even though we know what happens) in the race with the Germans to make the bomb first. Imagine if the Germans had won the race? It does not bear thinking about. The history of the world would have been irrevocably altered beyond comprehension. Nolan also does an effective job of keeping the scientific language at an understandable level, as he promotes personalities over jargon. Indeed, Nolan’s ultra-talented ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Josh Hartnett, Dane DeHaan, Jason Clarke, Florence Pugh and the best of the lot, Robert Downey Jnr, are all superbly marshalled by the director.

As well as being rich in history and thematic power, Oppenheimer’s (2023) visuals, allied with Hoyte Van Hoytema’s pristine cinematography, are unsurprisingly impressive. Nolan makes the choice to switch between black-and-white and colour photography. This is initially jarring but works with the shifting character perspectives it is intended to denote. On the other hand, I would say the pulsating sound design and score felt overbearing at times. Similarly, one could argue the overload of cutting, aural battering and switching of film colour stock combine to overload the viewer and remove emotional and dramatic resonance.

Oppenheimer (2023) is another Nolan masterwork as he and Cillian Murphy will surely get Oscar nominations. Lastly, the film works best as a bullet-pointed history lesson, a fine tribute to a complex and flawed genius, and a powerful damnation of United States paranoid politics. However, the solipsist nature of Oppenheimer’s character study and crowd of talking heads often becomes dizzying, watering down the drama and emotion of this immaculate and nuclear work of cinema.

Mark: 9 out of 11