So we are back! Time to catch up on some more recent movie reviews. I forgot to share my Best of the Year video in my last post but don't miss it!
Here's the reviews:
Anatomy of a Fall-
I honestly put off seeing this movie because it seemed very pretentious but when I actually went to see it it was actually quite accessible and engrossing. In fact, it almost made my best of the year video but was a strong honorable mention. Basically Anatomy of a Fall is a compelling crime courtroom drama where we are asked to question if a woman killed her husband or is it the accident she claims. The movie keeps you guessing to the end as it layers clues through court testimony and flashbacks. It's the kind of movie multiple people could watch and have different opinions about. Sandra Hüller is excellent (and very good in Zone of Interest that I reviewed in the last post) as the main protagonist as is Milo Machado Graner as her son Daniel. It's the kind of movie Hollywood would ruin with poorly staged melodrama instead of trusting the audience with ambiguities and flawed characters. It is an R rating but I think a lot of people would be entertained by this film. It's not the arthouse niche film I thought it was at first.
8 out of 10
Smile Worthy
The First Slam Dunk
As a lover of anime I am always looking for ways to introduce friends to the artform in accessible and engrossing ways. The First Slam Dunk is such a film and one of my favorite films of 2023. It's a simple movie that tells us the story of a high school basketball team that's trying to compete and manage the stresses of their personal lives. As we get to know the players on and off the court director Takehiko Inoue does a great job of building the importance of the big game and even the big shot so we are waiting with baited breath to see what will happen. The game scenes are so well done my only regret is having to watch it at home and not on the big screen (it was only at my theater for one weekend and I missed it which I bitterly regret.) Even so what a compelling film that almost anyone will enjoy. My only flaw with it is I think the character designs look like professional athletes rather than high school students. I guess that's the way the manga is but it did take me out of the story a couple of times. Still, I highly recommend The First Slam Dunk.
9 out of 10
Smile Worthy
The Iron Claw
I am not a wrestling fan but my friend Ryan Cam is and he had prepared me for this upcoming film The Iron Claw and the intense tale it is telling. I know people hate spoilers but this is a film where I do think knowing what you are getting into is a good idea particularly with how triggering it could be for some individuals (2 characters commit suicide.) The crazy thing is in real life there was another brother in the Von Erich family that committed suicide that they left out! I have rarely been more angry at a character than I was at the father played by Holt McCallany in this film. You think about all the people who would do anything for a child and then to see the way this man manipulates and abuses his children it's infuriating. The only thing he cared about was wrestling not the humans he was entrusted with. Zac Efron is excellent as one of the brothers Kevin as is Jeremy Allen White as Kerry. It's a tough sit but extremely moving and I do recommend it if only for the incredible performances.
8 out of 10
Smile Worthy (a crying smile)
Migration
I really disliked the first trailer for Migration because it felt like another middling entry from Illumination. After being disappointed by their The Super Mario Bros Movie earlier this year my hopes weren't high for this bird movie but then the trailers started to get better and with director Benjamin Renner at the helm I had more confidence and that optimism was not in vain! This is probably my favorite film from Illumination and ended up being a very enjoyable family film. The story is pretty basic with the road trip and the neurotic parent scared to leave the nest but the script by Mike White is funny and the voice acting is all well done. The only thing I would change is we didn't really need the over-the-top chef villain. He's fine for the restaurant scene but didn't need to stay throughout the film. There's enough drama going on with the journey we didn't need a supervillain complicating things. But this is an entertaining, funny, well-written adventure the whole family will love.
8 out of 10
Smile Worthy
Robot Dreams-
I actually hadn't watched Robot Dreams when my colleagues at UFCA nominated it for best animated film. I'm the animation girl so I was a little embarrassed they selected something I hadn't seen so I immediately watched my screener dvd for it and am so glad they selected it! What a delightful animated film. It instantly went up my list of the best movies of 2023. I'm so sad that not many have seen this film because it is so charming. It's a simple story of a dog that makes a robot to be his best friend and the amazing summer they have together. I love the hand drawn animation by Pablo Berger and the way the movie uses music is so endearing. It might be my favorite use of "September" by Earth Wind & Fire ever in a movie. This movie is joy in movie form and I adored it. Keep an eye out for it if you can see it in a theater or on streaming.
10 out of 10
Smile Worthy
The Peasants
I actually wasn't a big fan of 2017's Loving Vincent. While the visual style of using Van Gogh's paintings to make an animated film was impressive the story was not captivating for a feature film. If you loved that film I am not sure what you will think of the team's follow-up The Peasants but it also wasn't for me. While the visual style is unique it feels slicker and less arresting than Loving Vincent and the story here is so relentlessly bleak it was hard to watch. This is an animated film for adults where a young teen begins an affair with a married man and ends up marrying his father and things get expectedly messy with rape and assault involved throughout the picture. It's very depressing without the moving moments of something depressing like The Iron Claw. I just really didn't enjoy it despite the impressive visual achievement.
5 out of 10
Frown Worthy
Rebel Moon- Part One: A Child of Fire-
It's no secret to anyone who follows movies that director Zack Snyder can be very divisive in his films. He has a huge hive that devotedly follows everything he does and then a large group that can't stand most of his work. He's normally not my favorite but I do like some films like his most recent Zack Snyder's Justice League. Now he is releasing a new sci-fi epic that was evidently originally pitched to Lucasfilm as a Star Wars film but was not accepted and sent over to Netlflix. I was able to see it on the big screen and left confused by what Snyder had put together. For an epic sci-fi film it was surprisingly small in feel for most of the movie. A lot of the first half is spent on a farming planet and people confronted with a Nazi type character played by Ed Skrein and what they are going to do about it. Then Sofia Boutella's Kora goes out into space to try and find warriors ala The Magnificent Seven and Seven Samurai but in space. The second half does get more epic in feel but it's still arrive at a planet, talk to people and maybe have a little bit of action. Small when I expected big. I guess Snyder has an entirely different cut of the movie which is very annoying especially when a film has a limited theatrical so it doesn't need to be PG-13. It feels like a phony attempt to create a 'Snyder Cut' movement where none needed to occur. Still, the movie is fine if you like sci-fi but nothing special. It's not offensively bad. Just forgettable. I'd rather just watch Star Wars even though that franchise has been pretty bad lately. At least it has occasional characters and places I care about. This is bland and left me pretty meh for part 2, which I think says a lot.
5 out of 10
Frown Worthy
The Boy and the Heron-
I would like to put in a longer review of The Boy and the Heron particularly when I get the chance to see it again when I am more rested. I actually saw it opening night at a midnight screening so I was pretty tired and did struggle to stay awake throughout the entire movie. Still, it's definitely an impressive visual achievement full of imagination and creativity. The type of film only Miyazaki could come up with. I also loved the music by Joe Hisaishi and I hope the Academy will finally recognize his genius with a nomination. The story was a lot and kind of all over the place but it left me intrigued to see it again and study its themes. It also has a lot of weird birds which aren't exactly my favorite! Still, I have a feeling it's a movie that will grow on me the more I see it and it's always a treat to see a Miyazaki film in the theaters. More please!
8 out of 10
Smile Worthy
Anyone But You-
Obviously I'm a big fan of rom-coms and for the most part this year has been a really good year for the genre both on the big and small screen, so I was excited for Anyone But You. An R rated modern take on Much Ado About Nothing seemed like just my thing, but I came away thinking it was just ok. Fans of the genre will enjoy it but it could have been a lot better. The parts where it leans into the Shakespeare play work the best and Glen Powell is so good as your romantic lead. Unfortunately Sydney Sweeney felt very wooden to me and that impacted the chemistry between the two. The physical comedy didn't really work and the supporting cast is mostly wasted. Fans of the genre will enjoy it but it just could have been so much better.
5 out of 10
Frown Worthy
Salaar: Part 1- Ceasefire-
Lately I have been enjoying Indian action cinema a lot more than what Hollywood is providing. They have a spectacle and excitement you don't get in many American films these days. This is why I jumped at the chance to see the new film from Prashanth Neel starring Prabhas called Salaar: Part 1- Ceasefire. It's a mouthful of a title and a whole lot of movie to match but it mostly was a big bombastic fun time at the cinema. Prabhas is such a titan in these roles and the action is visceral and extremely bloody (if you are squeamish about blood don't see this one!) It does get confusing and the subtitles felt very fast but overall I enjoyed the experience of this crazy wild film. I do wish it had dance and music like other Indian cinema I've seen like RRR and the Baahubali films but this is enjoyable as well.
7 out of 10
Smile Worthy
So there you have it! I did it! That's all the movies I've seen in the last few weeks! Merry Christmas to you and thank you for supporting my career and everything I do.
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