Posters via IMDb
At the start of the New Year, I sought to make a resolution I could actually uphold. I thought about my interests and set out to create a reasonable goal for me to accomplish. My goal was to watch 50 new films in 2023. New, in this case, meant films that I had never fully seen. That goal may seem low to some and high to others, but I chose this number to give myself a reasonable expectation while also making sure I was consistent. So far July has been my biggest movie month while I’ve slowed down in the fall. Despite this, I have two months left and I am going to hit 50.
I have seen 32 new movies so far this year. Find my rankings for Nos. 32-21 here. Check out my rankings for Nos. 20-11 below:
Spoilers ahead
No. 20 – “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” – 8/10
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” had something more to say than the average Marvel film. There were many scenes where I felt genuinely uncomfortable and upset, and that’s the point. We as audience members are forced to acknowledge them, not run from them. In a Marvel universe where billions have died, it has never felt real. To see some reality, even a horrible reality, just felt different. Instead of hiding the audience from real emotions, “Guardians” embraces them while treating the audience like competent human beings. We feel pain, sorrow, grief, joy, excitement and many more emotions throughout the film. This was a great recent Marvel entry and a good cap on the trilogy James Gunn started.
No. 19 – “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” – 8/10
Rian Johnson again proves his filmmaking and writing prowess in the newest entry to the budding “Knives Out” franchise. This film provided a great setting, memorable characters and an exciting and unraveling story. One interesting choice was the character development of Helen. While I greatly enjoyed watching her learn to “snoop”, it overshadowed Blanc in a film where he doesn’t have much to do. That being said, Janelle Monáe was excellent in an actor-friendly role. The original “Knives Out” is still the superior film, as this film’s scope got too large compared to the small scope in which the original flourished.
No. 18 – “Creed III” – 8/10
“Creed III” was the best of the franchise and a strong directorial debut by Michael B. Jordan. It had a certain style that the others lacked, due much in part to many creative sequences like the climactic boxing match between Adonis and Damian. It never felt like a boxing film, but a film about a man struggling with his suppressed emotions through the outlet of boxing. Give Michael B. Jordan the reins to another film as soon as possible!
No. 17 – “Air” – 8/10
“Air” gave context to both one of the most important shoes of all time and one of the most important companies to ever exist. Seeing how both Nike and Michael Jordan were relatively unknown in the early ’80s was fascinating to see. This was a clean and precise film that went a little too hard on the ’80s hits soundtrack. Nonetheless, a solid film.
No. 16 – “Mission: Impossible III” – 8/10
“M:I III” felt like “Mission: Impossible” fully realized. After a couple of movies and a decade to mature, the tone was finally found for the rest of the franchise. J.J. Abrams taking over the direction proves a major benefit. The production value of this film is also much higher than the previous two. Tom Cruise matured in his role of Ethan and is at his franchise-best so far.
No. 15 – “The Big Short” – 8/10
“The Big Short” was an interesting take on a real-life situation that I was too young to understand at the time. The editing captured the hectic and chaotic emotions of the characters perfectly. The handheld cinematography also added to this tone. The constant slight motion and movement of the camera gave the feeling of impending chaos. Adam McKay wrote a sharp script, using comedy to explain finance and economic concepts that the characters would naturally speed over. This was a fun watch.
No. 14 – “Frances Ha” – 8.5/10
Greta Gerwig hilariously leads this slice-of-life film. “Frances Ha” doesn’t follow a stereotypical film plot but follows Frances doing mundane life things. We watch her grow from dependent and denying to independent and self-accepting. As she moves from apartment to apartment, she grows from adolescent behavior to become an actual adult and finds closure, and herself, in her final apartment alone.
No. 13 – “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” – 8.5/10
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” builds upon everything established in the first three films. It looks better and is much easier to watch, as J.J. Abrams’ high-speed action editing and high saturation color grade are extremely noticeable when compared to this film. Even more impressive is that this is director Brad Bird’s first live-action feature. Bird directed some animation greats, including “The Incredibles”, “The Iron Giant”, and “Ratatouille”, before helming this project. These films keep getting better and bigger. Although I was missing Ving Rhames, this movie was complete.
No. 12 – “Barbarian” – 8.5/10
“Barbarian” was easily one of the craziest films I’ve ever watched. It subverts every expectation you have, so much so that I forgot I was watching the same film that I started. The subversion happens in a way that doesn’t feel forced, but as if we’re just watching the insane set of events unfold, each one somehow worse than the one before. The filmmaking is perfect. Each frame was precise, almost surgical. The creation of tension through the array of slow pans was horror mastery. “Barbarian” kept me guessing and feeling uneasy with an excellent story and tremendously accurate filmmaking.
No. 11 – “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” – 9/10
This film was awesome. The way the world and action were incorporated with different animation styles and elements of other mediums combined for a product never seen before. The animation is excellent, but the story is what makes the film. It’s inspiring and makes us believe that anyone can be a superhero. I’m starting to think animation might just be the best way to tell a superhero story.
Return soon to see the top 10!
SZNS MAG 