Weekend Watch - December 2023 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, or recommendation. This week, we are putting the final bow on 2023 in film by recapping the best releases of the month of December. These films are the ones with the highest likelihood of making this blog’s list of Greatest Films of All Time, categorized into Long Shots, Possible Things, and Sure Things. December really wrapped 2023 up with a bang, giving us some truly great films across many categories, living up to the hype for its blockbusters, indie films, and awards-bait alike. What a way to wrap up arguably the best year in film this decade! Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Maestro: Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic hit wide release on Netflix this month, and now that everyone’s seen it, the director’s style hasn’t quite hit everyone’s sensibilities the same way. It continues to receive recognition in the form of award nominations, but wins and high ratings are few and far between for the stuffed, frenetic, auteur-esque film.

Eileen: The Anne Hathaway, Thomasin McKenzie vehicle about the relationship between co-workers at a prison facility from NEON hasn’t quite had the universal acclaim that it would have needed to launch itself into the awards races. Critics seem fairly positive on the film, particularly the performances of the two actresses, but fans are deeply divided with most that I’ve seen complaining about the inconsistent pacing and middling writing of the film’s back half.

Wonka: All Paul King does is make wholesome hits, and this is yet another. Its box office success has already surpassed both Paddington films even if its critical success hasn’t (most likely a result of comparison to the existing IP). Its technical prowess and continued run in theaters might just be enough to elevate it to greatness, but don’t necessarily hold your breath. It’s still a really good film, though.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget: This is one of those films that begs the question of “Why?”, and I don’t necessarily have an answer. Netflix has this one on its slate of possible Best Animated Picture nominees that inevitably lose to either Spider-Verse or The Boy and the Heron, and its middling reviews with both critics and fans don’t have me optimistic about its chances. It’s still here because of that outside shot, though.

Ferrari: Michael Mann had a run of three films in the 1990s that made it as both “dad hits” and “critical successes”, and everyone’s been waiting for his next hit since then. By the look of things, Ferrari is no Heat or even Last of the Mohicans, but its high-octane race sequences and the performance of Penelope Cruz might be enough to elevate him back to greatness here.

Possible Things:

May December: Todd Haynes is back with another unsung hit in the Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, and Charles Melton film loosely based on the predatory relationship between Mary Kay Schmitz Letourneau and Vili Fualaau. Its topical nature, excellent performances, and unique Todd Haynes style all make it prime for all-time greatness, but not everyone agrees fully with me on that, so it sits needing some awards love to get there.

American Fiction: The winner of TIFF’s Audience Award has been rolling out its release for a few weeks now, and the more people see it, the more its potential as a Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay spoiler becomes more cemented. Cord Jefferson has turned satire into something that is easily consumable with the help of Jeffrey Wright and the rest of his stellar cast. Assuming it keeps getting the love it has so far, this is one of the more solid Possible Things from December.

The Iron Claw: A24 goofed dropping this one as late in the year as they did. If this film came out three months earlier, it’s sitting as a sure thing, in contention in multiple categories above and below the line. As it stands, it’s still one of the highest rated films of the year by fans and has solid reviews from critics as well. Some surprise love from BAFTAs or Oscars would certainly cement this one in place, but I currently expect it to be just below the cusp when new films get entered in.

The Color Purple: Blitz Bazawule’s remake of the classic musical has hit the notes that it needs to be in contention for a spot among the greats. Unfortunately, some of the creative choices seem to have held the film back from being universally acclaimed, and it looks like it might even be slipping out of Best Picture contention. Even so, the acting and technical love that the film is receiving might still be enough to put it over.

Sure Things:

Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé: 2023 was the year of the concert film, and Beyoncé brought it all home with her documentary about the Renaissance tour. Fans, critics, and box offices have loved the superstar’s film, and it brings the year home in style.

Godzilla Minus One: Japan’s latest Godzilla film continues to show how much better the country’s filmmakers are at making kaiju films with some actual substance. Its box office success and success with critics are just the icing on the cake for this film, which might now have a shot at an Oscar nomination for its visual effects as well.

The Boy and the Heron: Miyazaki’s “final” (it sounds like he’s making another one, but you won’t hear that in the news again until after awards season) film opened in the U.S. in December and has scratched the itch for so many of his fans. Its win at the Golden Globes might be a portent of even more love to come, and it really is nice to have the filmmaker back in the saddle.

Poor Things: While its controversial subject matter has brought out some very strong opinions from quite a few on Filmstagram and Film Twitter, overall, the film has been a hit with audiences and critics. From Emma Stone’s leading performance to the creative costume and production design to the direction of Yorgos Lanthimos, this film remains the most unique offering from the year’s Best Picture contenders.

All of Us Strangers: While it’s not out in every theater, the British drama about memory, love, and grief continues to hit highs with everyone who sees it. Andrew Scott gives what is reportedly one of the best performances of the year, and the film looks to contend for Best Picture at the BAFTAs and maybe even pull some upsets at the Oscars if it’s lucky.

Weekend Watch - December 2022 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. Since last week was the Year-End Watch, this week, we are looking back at the films that released specifically in the month of December, focusing on the films that have a chance to make it onto this blog’s list of the Greatest Films of All Time. As always with these recaps, the films will be organized into three categories: Sure Things, Possible Things, and Long Shots. December brought a slew of holiday movies, awards bait films, and a few not-so-surprise hit blockbusters to close out the year and tie a nice bow on it all. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Empire of Light: Apparently Sam Mendes’s film starring Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, and Colin Firth doesn’t do quite enough with its premise of romance at the movies to make it a film worth watching, according to both critics and fans. Its awards chances for Olivia Colman and perhaps for its cinematography leave it here as a long shot.

Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths: Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s semi-autobiographical film about a Mexican journalist/filmmaker hit Netflix this month to the tune of critical and fan-based mediocrity. Its length combined with its frenetic pacing and story structure don’t seem to be hitting the notes that his past couple of films (Birdman and The Revenant) were able to, and so it looks like this’ll be left off of the list barring a crazy miracle.

Babylon: Damien Chazelle told audiences exactly what this film was going to be about and still critics and fans are taken aback by the film’s aggressive debauchery. Like Bardo, Babylon suffers from issues of length and overstuffing, and, unfortunately, excellent performances from Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and Deigo Calva don’t seem to be doing enough to raise this film to the ranks of its director’s previous three films.

Corsage: This under-the-radar film fictionalizing the year that Empress Elisabeth of Austria turned forty has gotten a lot of love from the few people who have seen it, with plenty of praise specifically for Vicky Krieps’s leading performance. In a lot of ways, this feels like a film that is good but doesn’t quite have enough going to be truly great, but it sounds like it’s worth checking out.

Emancipation: Apple TV+’s film about a runaway slave, starring Will Smith, seems to have run into an unfortunate combination of factors that will most likely keep it from being considered “Great”. Will Smith is unfortunately not an overly marketable face in Hollywood at the moment, and the film industry seems to finally be moving past its desire to see slave films and the brutality of slavery depicted on-screen (trauma porn doesn’t make a film great).

White Noise: Noah Baumbach’s science fiction/comedy/mystery seems to be suffering from the classic “The book was better” criticism, not quite escaping the shadow of its critically acclaimed source material. Adam Driver’s performance looks to be the film’s saving grace and what keeps it as a long shot.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody: The Whitney Houston biopic starring Naomi Ackie has released to okay box office numbers and ratings. Ackie’s performance is phenomenal, but the film does very little innovation to its story or its genre, and as a result, it feels like an even less impactful rehashing of Bohemian Rhapsody. Don’t get me wrong, the film is entertaining and fun and informative, just not overly deep.

Possible Things:

Women Talking: Even though its wider release technically comes this weekend, Sarah Polley’s film about women living in an oppressive religious system started its awards campaign in December. The film was initially a frontrunner in many awards categories and looked to be a legitimate contender for best film of 2022. Now that people are seeing it, that no longer seems to be the case. It missed out on most nominations from both the Critics Choice and Golden Globes and is receiving reviews that are only just above average. We’ll see how it does once more people give it a shot.

Sr.: Netflix’s documentary about the life of Robert Downey, Sr., is another hit for the streaming service who seems to have found a new niche in documentary filmmaking. I don’t know that this translates into any wider love, but my mom really liked it, and it’s receiving generally positive reviews, so it could do something and make its way even higher.

Avatar: The Way of Water: I toyed with putting this as a sure thing, especially with its passing Top Gun: Maverick at the box office last weekend, but its average critic reviews leave it just as a possibility, in need of the awards love that it will no doubt be receiving to make its way solidly onto “the list”.

One Fine Morning: Mia Hansen-Løve started her film’s awards campaign in December as well. Léa Seydoux’s performance is receiving a lot of praise, and the director’s other films have a tendency to flirt with making their way onto the list as well. I’m curious to see just how far One Fine Morning will rise.

The Whale: Once a frontrunner in the best actor categories, Brendan Fraser’s campaign seems to be losing a bit of steam now that people are seeing his film. Its borderline nihilistic take on reconciliation and obesity and the end of life seems to be a bit much for many critics. Fraser’s performance and positive audience reactions are keeping this film as a legitimate contender for now.

The Quiet Girl: A film almost entirely in Irish Gaelic is relatively unheard of up until now, but this film about a foster daughter in Ireland has hit some solid chords with critics and fans. Ireland’s official submission for best international feature film might climb even higher if it plays its cards right.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish: Perhaps the biggest surprise of the month is this sequel to the Shrek spin-off Puss in Boots. Fans and critics alike are raving about this animated film that now looks to be the biggest contender looking to upset Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio for Best Animated Film this year.

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical: Netflix’s film adaptation of the stage show is a heartwarming hit that also hit meme status on TikTok thanks to some fancy footwork from its young cast. I don’t necessarily expect it to receive any major awards love to elevate it beyond its place here, but it’s received better reviews than the long shots, so it’ll sit here as a possibility.

Sure Things:

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio: I already did an entire Weekend Watch review of this film but suffice it to say that its combination of horror, wonderment, and stylizations has made it an instant hit with both critics and fans. It looks to be one of the most solid locks, come awards night, to win for Best Animated Film.