Year End Watch - 2023

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where this week, we’re back with the special year-end edition, recapping my personal favorite films of 2023 and looking forward to the films coming out in 2024. This recap provides a brief explanation of my personal top-5 films of 2023 and a look at the thirteen films I am most looking forward to releasing in 2024 (one for each month and one that doesn’t yet have a set release date). I’ve also included some honorable mentions, disappointments, and my least favorites of 2023 without explanation. Let’s get into it.

2023 Honorable Mentions: Saltburn, Rye Lane, Creed III, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., Barbie, Bottoms, John Wick Chapter 4, The Boy and the Heron, Nimona, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Notable 2023 Films I Haven’t Seen Yet: Fallen Leaves, American Fiction, Talk to Me, Dream Scenario, The Zone of Interest, Priscilla, The Color Purple, The Iron Claw, Blackberry, All of Us Strangers, and Asteroid City

Most Underwhelming Films of 2023 (I didn’t necessarily hate these films, but they didn’t hit for me like they did for a lot of people.): Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, Rustin, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Killers of the Flower Moon, The Killer, and Poor Things

Watch This Film’s Least Favorite Films of 2023: Magic Mike’s Last Dance, The Book Club: The Next Chapter, Expend4bles, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant

Watch This Film’s Top 5 Films of 2023:

·         NUMBER 5: The Holdovers – directed by Alexander Payne, starring Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa.

o   Why it’s in my top 5: From the aesthetic to the performances to the beautifully touching story of facing adversity of various kinds during the holiday season, this film consistently hit the right notes. It should be a guaranteed entry on everyone’s holiday must-watch lists going forward and probably their general must-watches as well. It’s funny, heartfelt, emotional, and genuine without ever feeling like it’s trying too hard. For me, the film perfectly blends the spirit of Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, and It's a Wonderful Life in a package that still feels all its own.

·         Number 4: May December – directed by Todd Haynes, starring Natalie Portman, Charles Melton, and Julianne Moore.

o   Why it’s in my top 5: From the moment that I saw this film, I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind, particularly the performances from Charles Melton and Julianne Moore. The film’s commentary on grooming and predatory relationships obviously feels incredibly apt for the modern discourse, but it delivers its message in such a way that it feels like a melodramatic tragic dramedy, as only someone like Todd Haynes could accomplish. Julianne Moore is chilling and borderline unhinged, giving some of the best line deliveries of the year in every single scene. Charles Melton gives the single most devastating male performance possibly of all time. His scene on the rooftop with his son is my favorite scene from any film this year, and I don’t know how any film that I haven’t seen yet could top it.

·         Number 3: Oppenheimer – directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, and Robert Downey, Jr., and a ton of other cameos that I don’t have time to list.

o   Why it’s in my top 5: In a year full of films based on true stories and biopics, Oppenheimer stands out from the crowd because of how well-executed it is across the board. The visuals, the sound, the score, the acting, the storytelling, the message – everything – works together in harmony to present a compelling look at the life and times of Robert Oppenheimer. Somehow it manages to make a story that is dominated by legal hearings and Senate proceedings feel like an epic historic thriller, and when you combine that with a cast full of people giving career-best performances (Matt Damon excluded, but he did Air also this year, so…), you get one of Christopher Nolan’s best films and one of the best films of the year.

·         Number 2: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, starring Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, and Oscar Isaac.

o   Why it’s in my top 5: At the beginning of the year, I expressed some hesitation about being optimistic for the Spider-Verse sequel, and boy, am I glad that I was wrong! This film exemplifies everything great about sequels, providing depth to its supporting cast, pushing back on the hero’s assumptions from the first film, and playing with the audience’s expectations while setting up a potentially perfect trilogy if the final film delivers. On top of that, Across the Spider-Verse plays with animation in ways that I haven’t ever seen in mainstream American media, showcasing the full potential of the medium by playing with the music, the art styles, and the action in a way that makes the whole film a beautiful work of art.

·         Number 1: Past Lives – directed by Celine Song, starring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro.

o   Why it’s in my top 5: I slept on this film when it released back in June and didn’t actually watch it until December, but it is the single best film of the year in my book. Writer/director Celine Song comes out swinging in her debut with a beautifully resonant film about love, regret, immigration, and what-ifs. It’s difficult to put into words everything that I love about this film, but suffice it to say that, from the opening scene, this film hits you with difficult choice after difficult choice and leaves you unsure whether everyone made the right choice but also satisfied that, even if they didn’t, it’s still going to be okay. It’s beautiful and gut-wrenching in all the right ways, and I have nothing negative to say about it.

Watch This Film’s Most Anticipated Films of 2024:

·         January – Mean Girls: January 2024 has the potential to be one of the stronger Januaries in recent history – still probably not fantastic, but here we are. Mean Girls (the musical) is the headliner of the month for me because I love the Broadway production and Reneé Rapp, so even if it’s not “Great”, I still think I’m going to have a good time watching it.

·         February – Drive Away Dolls: February has a few films that might end up being noteworthy or that might end up being huge flops, and this is one of them. Ethan Coen directing Margaret Qualley, Beanie Feldstein, Matt Damon, Colman Domingo, and Pedro Pascal has too much going for it on paper for me to fully write it off, though, so I’m sticking it at the top, above Madame Web, Bob Marley: One Love, Argylle, and Lisa Frankenstein.

·         March – Dune: Part Two: This March currently isn’t quite as packed as last year’s was, and the only other film I’m truly stoked for on the schedule is Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17. Seriously, though, if Denis Villeneuve’s Dune sequel isn’t great, I will be seriously disappointed because it’s the only guarantee I’m currently seeing on the 2024 slate.

·         April – Challengers: Luca Guadagnino directing a script by the “Potion Seller” guy (if you know, you know) that stars Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor? How could I not be excited? After seeing the latest poster that they just dropped for it, I’m now convinced that I’m either going to hate this film forever or it will be making my top 5 of the year for 2024.

·         May – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga: I don’t love making a cash grab prequel to the best action film of the 2010s, but my May options are pretty slim, and I’m not sold at all on The Fall Guy, so here we find ourselves. Anya Taylor Joy and Chris Hemsworth are fantastic actors, and I feel like George Miller excels in that universe. Color me guardedly optimistic.

·         June – The Bikeriders: After getting shelved by Disney, I wasn’t sure when we would get to see Tom Hardy’s latest insane accent hit the big screen, but it looks like Focus Features will be bringing it to us this summer. All the names attached are underrated big hitters, and the initial trailers gave me enough to be excited about. Here’s hoping it lives up to its own hype. It’s also not a horror or a sequel/spin-off, which is always refreshing in June.

·         July – Twisters: July feels like the first month that’s really going to be hit hard by the strikes from this past year with three of its biggest blockbusters having been pushed to later dates. As such, Lee Isaac Chung’s sequel/reboot/retelling of the 1990s disaster film Twister takes the cake as my most anticipated of the month. Who knows? Maybe it’ll be really good.

·         August – Borderlands: I have unsurprising news. August is about to be another month of flops (probably). Eli Roth feels like the right director for a Borderlands film adaptation, but I also feel like this film has been in production purgatory for a while. Even though it looks to be the best film of the month at the moment, don’t be surprised when it underperforms and underwhelms just like the rest of the month’s offerings – especially Alien: Romulus and Kraven the Hunter.

·         September – Wolfs: Jon Watts doesn’t necessarily have a winning track record outside of the MCU, but a thriller about lone wolf fixers starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Amy Ryan doesn’t have to do a lot to sell me on its merits. (And, again, at least it’s not a sequel.)

·         October – Joker: Folie à Deux: I’ve tried to limit the number of sequels that I’m anticipating for next year, but October doesn’t really have much going on officially at the moment. If we’re being honest, most of 2024’s films are currently sequels, so a sequel to Joker, while not overly inspiring, still has potential to be a solid option come October.

·         November – Wicked: Is it going to be “Great”? Probably not. Will I have a good time watching it? If Jon M. Chu’s other films are any indication, probably so. It being a part one makes very little sense to me, but I’m still fairly positive that Cynthia Erivo singing “Defying Gravity” will bring down the house and make it all okay.

·         December – Nosferatu: Robert Eggers isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and I don’t even know that I’d call all of his films my cup of tea, but I still think that his adaptation of the horror classic should live up to expectations.

·         Unlisted – Megalopolis: Categorize this one under the I’ll Believe It When I See It, but supposedly Francis Ford Coppola’s new film will finally release this year. I hope it does, and I hope that it’s great and lives up to the massive budget and production schedule that it’s had. Assuming it makes it out, it should be one for the history books.

2022 Year-End Watch

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where this week, we have a special year-end edition, recapping my personal favorite films of 2022 and looking forward to the films coming out in 2023. In the future, the last week of the year for the blog will be like this one. There won’t be any new reviews in the days surrounding Christmas and New Year’s while I take a break to spend time with family and prep for the next year. The Year-End Watch will be the annual post recapping the prior year and looking forward to the next, released either on the final weekend of the old year or the first of the new. This recap will provide a brief explanation of my personal top-5 films of 2022 and a look at the thirteen films I am most looking forward to releasing in 2023 (one for each month and one that doesn’t yet have a set release date). Let’s get into it.

Watch This Film’s Top 5 Films of 2022 (Subjective)

• NUMBER 5: Hustle – directed by Jeremiah Zagar, starring Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah, and Juancho Hernangomez.

  • Why it’s in my top 5: This film is more of a personal love than a true “Great Film”. Adam Sandler gives a quality performance, and the story gives a nuanced (if a bit inaccurate) picture of the lives of aspiring professional athletes that touches on some excellent emotional chords, but its true greatness lies in the fact that it feels like a film that everyone involved had a great time making. Feel-good NBA movie starring Adam Sandler and actual NBA players – that’s a film that is right up my hidden gems alley.

• Number 4: RRR – directed by S.S. Rajamouli, starring N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan Teja, and Alia Bhatt.

  • Why it’s in my top 5: This film represents a lot of what makes global film so great. It is unabashed in its drama and action, embracing its use of CGI to produce some of the most insanely thrilling action sequences ever brought to screen. The story of friendship, passion, romance, and revolution also feels so rich compared to some of the other action films (even good ones) in recent history. To cap it all off, the film’s musical numbers – “Naatu Naatu”, “Komuram Bheemudo”, and “Etthara Jenda” specifically – put a final finishing touch on the film that push it over the top for me.

• Number 3: The Batman – directed by Matt Reeves, starring Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, and Jeffrey Wright.

  • Why it’s in my top 5: This film executes a film about Batman better than maybe any other adaptation, in my opinion. It embraces the hero’s detective background, critiques his darker tendencies, and gives both Bruce Wayne and Batman decently satisfying story arcs. Combine that with great visuals, an excellent score, and an ensemble of performers delivering great performances and you get an all-time classic comic book film that hopefully helps launch a new era of stories from Batman and his associated properties.

• Number 2: The Fabelmans – directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams, and Paul Dano.

  • Why it’s in my top 5: As a fan of many of Spielberg’s films, this one feels like the culmination of the director’s storied career (not just because of its semi-autobiographical nature). His love of filmmaking is on full display in a way that not only explains his passion but also transmits it to the audience. This is one of those films that continues to stick with me – his explorations of family dynamics, filmmaking, hobbies vs. passion, and artistic expression continue to keep me engaged now nearly a month and a half after the film released.

• Number 1: Everything Everywhere All at Once – directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu.

  • Why it’s in my top 5: EEAAO remains this year’s singularly most pleasant surprise. It manages to give you romance, action, sci-fi, family drama, and most other things in between in a package that (for me) never feels too overwhelming and that lands consistently from start to finish. If you are familiar with Letterboxd, of the fifty-one films that I have seen that released in 2022, this is the only film that has a five-star rating. I can think of nothing bad to say about it. Its creativity and freshness have helped renew my hope in modern filmmaking.

Watch This Film’s Most Anticipated Films of 2023:

• January – Plane: Look, January is usually a weak month for film, and 2023 doesn’t look like it’s gonna prove any different. Gerard Butler and Mike Colter in a bad action movie might be enough fun to help me ignore the other mediocre films releasing (unless M3GAN turns out to be a sleeper hit).

• February – Magic Mike’s Last Dance: Are we getting a Marvel movie in February? Yes, and excited as I am to see Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, I’m currently more excited to see Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek dance together. It’s probably not an overly groundbreaking film, but I could’ve said 80 for Brady or Cocaine Bear instead, and I didn’t, so there’s that.

• March – Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: In a month full of potential blockbusters that have me excited, the D&D film sticks out as the only one that isn’t technically a sequel. Its cast and the marketing that I’ve seen so far have me optimistic that even if it isn’t the greatest film ever made, I’m still going to have a great time.

• April – The Super Mario Bros. Movie: As great as the Sonic the Hedgehog films have been, I feel like the Mario movie has a chance to elevate video game adaptations to critical greatness as well. Much of its marketing is giving me LEGO Movie vibes, and that’s one of my favorite films of all time, so I feel like this one should be a solid entry next year.

• May – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: This film has all the makings of a classic superhero send-off film (think Logan but with jokes), and that has me incredibly excited for it. The Guardians films continue to be highlights of the MCU, and I don’t expect this one to be any different – color me excited.

• June – Asteroid City: Should I have put the Spider-Verse sequel here? Maybe, but that first weekend of June has a track record of producing stinkers, particularly when they’re sequels, so I’m instead going with Wes Anderson’s latest flick – a film about a nerdy kid convention that stars Anderson’s usual cast of characters and a few new faces as well. I am very optimistic about this one.

• July – Barbie – Honestly, I could put all four films currently slated for release in July at this place and not really be lying. What makes Barbie stand out for me right now is its amazing teaser that dropped last month, spoofing the 2001 trailer. I can’t wait to see what Greta Gerwig cooks up in this one.

• August – Haunted Mansion – August doesn’t have a whole lot going for it right now, and the remake of Eddie Murphy’s flop based on the iconic Disney ride doesn’t have me overly optimistic, but I’m waiting until I see a little bit more from DC before I give any credence to Blue Beetle, and The Last Voyage of the Demeter is giving me more cult classic vibes than truly great film. I don’t know. The month is a toss-up.

• September – Next Goal Wins – Since I found out about this film’s existence, I have been stoked. Michael Fassbender directed by Taika Waititi in a film about New Zealand’s soccer team that lost a match 31-0. This has all the makings of another hit from Waititi, and I hope it brings Fassbender back to top form as well.

• October – Kraven the Hunter – Sony’s track record in comic book films outside of the MCU hasn’t been the most inspiring, but I’m optimistic that Aaron Taylor-Johnson has what it takes to make the character and the film enjoyable. I’m not a big horror guy, so that’s why Saw X isn’t here.

• November – Dune: Part Two: The first installment of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel was one of my favorite films of 2021, and, considering everything that’s coming in the story for this second half, I can’t help but be out of my mind excited for the sequel.

• December – Wonka – That’s right, Timmy gets two spots on the most anticipated films list. He keeps picking good properties, and I don’t expect Wonka to be any different. I have no idea what to expect from the story, but the set photos and promotional details have me optimistic on it.

• Unlisted – Killers of the Flower Moon: A lot of people thought this film would be dropping this year and were disappointed that we didn’t get the Scorsese-Spielberg Best Director matchup we all wanted, but it got pushed to 2023, and I’m excited to see what the prolific director turns out with this one.