As an adult, the instances where I find myself eating cereal are so few and far between that I can really only go for my absolute favorites when the opportunity presents itself. Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Apple Jacks. Golden Grahams. Fruity Pebbles. Frosted Flakes. I'd NEVER take regular ass Corn Flakes as my #1 pick in the Breakfast Cereal Draft. They're perfectly fine. You won't starve. But nobody's picking Corn Flakes over anything else. These are the perfectly fine, but not all that remarkable, Corn Flakes of 2023 movies.
#60. The Burial
This movie had incredible potential but as the credits rolled I found myself pining for a documentary that would dig into the real-life details on this story more than the oddly toned, feel-good social justice comedy we got with this. Much of the film feels like a PG-13 made for TV movie, hardly giving the pensive subject matter the refinement it deserves. It's like Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones are in two different movies: Jamie Foxx's is a light-hearted courtroom comedy focusing on a quirky hustler who lands his first major case that he's massively under-qualified for and Tommy Lee Jones is in a prestige drama centered on racial injustice and billionaires exploiting the underprivileged and emotionally vulnerable. Which is a shame because there are some really moving moments, like the poignant monologue delivered about 90 minutes into the picture, that are absolutely undercut by lame bits like the reoccurring Tony! Toni Tone! song deployed throughout the movie.
#59. Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire
Given how disastrously Zack Snyder's time orchestrating the DCU came to an end, I've been rooting for the dude to bounce back ever since. But Snyder's success as a filmmaker has always hinged upon the source material he's utilizing and when he's developing an original concept, we usually get his weakest offerings (see Army of the Dead or Sucker Punch). And to call Rebel Moon "original" is quite a stretch itself. This film borrows very heavily from it's influences, as Snyder himself has even pointed that he aimed to make this movie as a cross between Seven Samurai and Star Wars. To that extent, I can see why a lot of people would take issue with his nearly identical recreation of certain sequences - specifically the cantina confrontation from A New Hope. But his visuals, per usual, are pretty mind blowing here so if you can take this in as a mindless sci-fi action adventure flick, there's plenty to enjoy. Even if it's ultimately a team recruiting prequel for the upcoming Part Two, I still enjoyed it more than Army of the Dead. Hoping for more of the flower crown, Anthony Hopkins voiced C3PO in the next installment though.
#58. Wonka
There are few directors I'd trust more than Paddington's Paul King to take me to a "world of pure imagination". But honestly, I'd prefer that world were built around a marmalade loving bear rather than an eccentric, child murdering, oompa loompa enslaving choclateur. Never the less, King does a solid job restoring the Wonka-verse and the child like wonder of the original but the film's musical integrations are where the film comes up short. They feel entirely unnecessary and only serve to offer up constant reminders of how superior the original's were. And I'd say 85% of that is due to the quality of the songs themselves and 15% lands on Timothee Chalamet as Wonka. I know, I'm not sure I've ever had a negative thought about Chalamet before this either. It's strange really. But his quiet-cool, short king demeanor doesn't really translate to leading a musical family comedy; especially in the direct shadows of such eccentric and legendary physical performers as Johnny Depp or Gene Wilder. And it turns out, the factory is far more interesting to me than Wonka is as a character anyways and without it - this movie feels incomplete. But it's not nearly as bad as a musical Willy Wonka prequel sounds like it could be. It was okay.
#57. Rye Lane
I know runtime is a huge talking point around movies these days but I'll always subscribe to the philosophy that a good movie is never long enough and a bad one is never short enough. Which isn't to say that this movie is bad per say. It's just that even at 82 minutes; the simple premise of two dejected, newly single south-Londoners helping one another get over their respective breakups feels like it could have been delivered in a short student film rather than a feature length picture. But the predictable setup is ultimately effective due to the two talented leads propelling the story forward. The hyperactive dialogue can wear on you a bit but there's enough endearing moments along the way to keep this journey from feeling too taxing. Nothing ground-breaking but it'll serve as a cute cover letter for whatever those involved here choose to do next.
#56. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
What I've always loved about superheros like Spider-Man or Batman is that they're somewhat grounded in reality. Even the first two Ant-Man films succeed because of the humorous real life situations that Scott Lang's super powers show up in. But with an entire film trapped in the Quantum Realm, you leave the real world setting behind for an entirely CGI produced environment, of which the quality resembles that of the Star Wars prequels. Worst of all is MODOK, who may be the ugliest character the MCU has ever produced. Poor Corey Stoll doesn't deserve to return to this franchise just to have his face stretched horizontally like some weird ass, digital skin wedgie. And as is the case with almost every multi-verse entry into this phase of the MCU, it feels like there are no real stakes to anything happening and nothing matters. It's a needlessly convoluted plot device where nothing of consequence ever takes place. A dude's arm gets ripped off and it's totally fine. But the movie isn't unwatchable by any means and it serves as more of a Kang prequel than anything else. Even though that's kind of a mute point in the wake of Jonathan Majors' legal issues, but that's a whole nother thing entirely. This is subpar Marvel no doubt, but they've done far worse.
#55. You Hurt My Feelings
This A24 indie dramedy explores the lengths of how much honesty we truly want in our relationships and whether it's validation we really crave above all else. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is pretty great leading this examination of the funny little lies we tell each other in the name of empty pleasantry. Ultimately it's more clever than funny and tends to drag in places but that doesn't mean it's not engaging for the majority of it's runtime. Admittedly though, it might be better off as an episodic installment in a cringe comedy like Curb Your Enthusiasm. Aside from the critique on social etiquette, I did like how the film dissected people's innate tendency to become way too personally invested in their career achievements (or shortcomings) in a sort of work/life balance subtext. But the film has a frustrating proclivity to ask a lot questions without ever bothering with the answers. Which I don't mind on a larger scale but when the questions are this trivial, it can come off a bit tedious.
#54. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
The latest effort from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg finds the comedic writing duo attempting to do for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles what Into the Spider-Verse did for Spider-Man. But unlike Miles Morales, none of the turtles really have much personality when you strip away the 90's surfer dude personas they sported in their previous incarnation. Except for Leonardo being a tattle tail, try hard leader that the rest of the turtles mock. Overall the group feels more like the X-Men - mutant outcasts desperate to fit into the outside world that rejects them. But why? They're fucking turtles? Do they really need to go to high school with human teenagers? It just didn't make sense to me. All of the referential humor, 90's easter eggs and hip hop culture superimposed into the TMNT recipe just didn't blend organically the way that the Spider-Verse formula does; leaving this feeling like a cheap imitation. It's miles ahead of what Michael Bay did with the franchise but it doesn't feel like it's fully living up to it's potential either.
#53. The Last Voyage of the Demeter
This kinda feels like The Thing, except you're trapped on a boat at sea with a vampire instead of a shape shifting alien at an Antarctic research facility. And it's missing the suspense aspect entirely. It's a well made, gruesome, atmospheric, slow burn period piece wrapped in survival horror but at some point you start to feel like you're just going through the motions. Filling out a kind of paint by numbers outline of a familiar picture. But again, it's executed quite well. A solid ensemble cast highlighted by Liam Cunningham and Asiling Franciosi, a terrific score, and some stellar cinematography. Although the visual appeal of the movie is a bit undermined by the uninspired CGI creature effects that leave a lot to be desired. Character design is such a lost art form in modern cinema. I hate how pretentious that sentence sounds but that doesn't make it untrue.
#52. Tetris
Among the onslaught of product origin stories this year we got to learn (even though I've never given it a moment's thought before this) the story behind how the game of Tetris spread to the masses. Which admittedly isn't all that riveting though; lacking in substance and coming off mostly as an anecdotal history lesson. However, director Jon S. Baird does a great job polishing this thing up with some slick editing, high energy music, and a brisk pace that turns a series of usage rights negotiations into a high stakes heist thriller. And it doesn't hurt to have Taron Egerton playing the lead role as if he's the Jordan Belfort of video games either. It's a frivolous history lesson delivered by a fun and engaging professor.
#51. The Killer
Did you ever have a kid in your class who would bribe people to hang out with him? That's what it feels like Netflix is doing with all of these directors they've corralled into their original content creation stable. "Please David Fincher, come over to my house Friday! We can go to the movies and I'll buy your ticket, popcorn, anything you want! Need new shoes? My dad will take us to the mall!" It's like they're twisting his arm to make movies for them. Or at least offering big name filmmakers so much money to produce exclusive original content for their platform that they simply can't refuse. The Killer isn't bad, it just feels reserved and kind of half assed for a director of Fincher's caliber. It was kind of humorous to see this meticulous assassin coaching himself with a self-imposed, systematic credo that never plays out in the human messiness of real life. The film is technically stunning with absolutely incredible sound design but the anti-climatic conclusion and formulaic hit-man revenge trope just isn't all that exhilarating.
#50. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
While I didn't hate Kingdom of the Crystal Skull nearly as much as most people seemed to, I really didn't think we needed to see an 80 year old Harrison Ford attempt to ride off into the sunset yet again with Dial of Destiny. Even though he literally already did ride into the sunset at the close of the near perfect conclusion of the original Indiana Jones trilogy in The Last Crusade 34 fucking years ago. Nevertheless, here we are with our first Spielberg and Lucas free installment in the series and while the CGI and action set pieces are actually pretty well choreographed; it's hard to shake the notion that this should have probably just been a LucasArts video game. Especially with how emotionless the film reads, significantly lacking the thrills and comedic moments that made previous installments so well rounded. The villainous trio of Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook and Oliver Richters give the franchise it's most spectacularly threatening antagonists since the first two films; it's just a shame the additions to Indy's crew are so underwhelming. Ethann Isidore's Teddy character in particular feels so tacked on that he could have just been added to the film in post production. And as bad as the alien stuff was in Crystal Skull, the time travel here isn't much better. It definitely didn't improve upon the dismount that the last two intended "final" entries gave us. But it's fine.
#49. Showing Up
However undoubtedly slow you may find Kelly Reichardt's quiet study on balancing the mundanity of everyday life with pursuing your creative endeavors - it's still an incredibly poignant and embarrassingly relatable story. Particularly if you've ever had experience wrestling with the frivolity of artistic ventures yourself. But I understand it has a niche appeal and could easily test an audience's patience. Michelle Williams delivers such a sensational performance in the lead role with her understated character that I was transfixed the entire time. The girl simply doesn't miss. Well unless you count cashing a paycheck for Venom. But she's gotta eat. And the beautifully chaotic climax where the pigeon she's been nursing back to health for the entirety of the film crashes her art show is just absolutely brilliant. A stellar, subdued indie dramedy executed with exacting precision. Just a tad dry.
#48. Rustin
There are A LOT of films about Martin Luther King's infamous march on Washington but Rustin introduces us to one of history's forgotten men behind the scenes who helped orchestrate this, among many other battles in the fight for desegregation and black civil rights in the early 1960's. Colman Domingo is extraordinary in the title role, bringing a level of prestige to the proceedings that isn't always matched by the rest of the film. Chris Rock, God bless him, just can not act. Despite 30 odd years of attempting to pivot from being one of America's most talented stand up comedians into becoming a legitimate actor, he's just never been able to shed the wooden delivery that's plagued his entire career. And as interesting as it is diving into what built the uncompromising principals that drove Bayard Rustin, the traumatic flashbacks are a little on the nose. The film's momentum really grinds to a halt once the story gets stuck ironing out the logistics of how the March on Washington was organized. Much like the way his character is described in the film, Colman Domingo feels like a shark trapped in a shot glass here. As far as historical biopics go, this one is serviceable enough. It just feels like an R rated subject diluted down into a PG-13 movie you can watch in your high school history class.
#47. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
As a huge fan of animation, I absolutely adored the craft that went into making this film (even if it might not have been accomplished with the most ethical circumstances). The opening sequence focusing on Gwen Stacy is particularly moving and in my opinion, her character absolutely steals the show this time around. But I absolutely hate when movies are split into two parts. The expanded runtime never feels warranted and neither film ever comes out feeling like a self contained story. It takes plowing through an hour and a half of exposition (which is insane for a kids movie/superhero sequel) until we FINALLY get back into the Spider-Verse only to get Spider-Man-splained the entire premise of this two film arc by Oscar Isaac's Spider-Man 2099. After you check your watch, you realize they're not even going to address until the next movie. And in this case, who knows when we'll even see the next installment given the enormous amount of work it took for this film to release on time, the behind the scenes turmoil between the creative team and animators, and the multiple reports from the voice cast that they've yet to record a syllable of dialogue. But there are some fun moments here and there. It's just not the masterpiece it's being made out to be. It's only the 3rd best multiverse Spider-Man movie behind No Way Home and Into the Spider-Verse.
#46. Sisu
At the onset of this film, we're told that the title "Sisu" is a Finnish word that roughly translates to courage and determination that manifests when all hope is lost. What unfolds afterwards feels like a nonsensically violent folk tale, personifying this idea through a brutal action survival film. The primary issue though, is that the central character enduring all of these horrific events like being hung and burning alive, just isn't very convincing selling the action scenes. The real star here is director Jalmari Helander who slathers this thing style, which is what kept me engaged when the film's many obvious plot holes present themselves. I mean, even as some kind of surreal Mad Max-tinged fairy tale, there's no plausible reason that this many people couldn't take down one old man. Liam Neeson wouldn't even survive this scenario. But I'm intrigued to see what Helander does next. This was a promising display and I'm eager to see what he can do with a more developed concept.
#45. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1
As I mentioned previously, I'm a little biased against films split up into "Part One" and "Part Two" but I absolutely adore the Mission Impossible franchise so I was hoping if anyone could prove me wrong, it'd be Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie. But compared to the last couple of installments, the lack of action here was hard to ignore. It was pretty slow given the recent trajectory of the series, even though there are nods to DePalma's original, which I still think is the best M:I to date. But that film had a fun, whodunit espionage thriller angle that this film does not. Instead we're given a vague backstory to a non-descript event in Ethan's past to try and give the villain (the human one anyways) some unearned gravitas. But am I crazy to have assumed Christopher McQuarrie's final entry in his trilogy of M:I films would have brought back Sean Harris' Solomon Lane character since he was so prominently featured in the previous two movies? He was fantastic! Why not end the series bringing him back into the fold? It's gotta be better than a rogue AI program represented visually by a Windows screensaver, right? It's an okay entry but overall it was pretty underwhelming given the build up. Hopefully Part Two will offer more closure on the series, especially if this is truly meant to be the end for Ethan Hunt.
#44. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
I know next to nothing about the game this is based on but judging it simply as a fantasy adventure comedy, I found myself having a good time. It takes a little too long for our scrappy ensemble to begin their quest but the charming cast and quirky humor from writer/director duo John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein (who wisely chose to direct this film rather than their script for The Flash) do a decent enough job bringing this adaptation to life. Chris Pine doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves as a leading man and his medieval Jack Burton persona here does a great job highlighting his underutilized comedic chops. And I love the continued late career resurgence of Hugh Grant as a delightfully cheeky villain. But the highlight of the film for me might be the score from Lorne Balfe, whose innovative blend of synth pads and medieval strings bring a unique personality and energy to a film that might have otherwise felt a bit too stuffy.
#43. Shazam: Fury of the Gods
Poor Zachary Levi really got the short end of the stick when it comes to the DCU. He had one of the best stand alone films of the Snyder-era and yet never really got to be included on any of the inter-connected universe stuff. Dwayne Johnson big timed him out of ever crossing over with Black Adam and the original film's big Superman cameo was limited to a faceless body double. I honestly thought he was going to get the same treatment here from Gal Gadot but she does actually show her face in Fury of the Gods' closing moments. There's some weird meta-symbolism going on here as it really does feel like Shazam is being sealed off in a dying world in every possible way. But I thought this movie mostly worked, even as a frivolous superhero sequel, with some absolutely exquisite visual effects. My favorite of which centered on an evil unicorn. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the cutesy teen humor of the original wears out it's welcome this time around. All in all though, this is a fairly harmless outing and there are a lot worse ways to kill 2 hours than hanging out with the unfortunately short-lived Philly Fiascoes. But hey, maybe this will be one of the characters James Gunn plans on inexplicably carrying over into his rebooted DCU? His sense of humor would match this character incredibly well...
#42. Eileen
This was a fairly straight forward, Hitchockian, slow-burn noire anchored by two incredible performances courtesy of Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway. Hathaway lights up the screen every time her big city psychiatrist character enters the frame to liven up the tedious routine of a lonely, horned up Boston-ite girl saddled with thanklessly taking care of her abusive, widowed, retired cop of a father. It's a sleek 90 minute thriller that paints a vivid portrait of the limited cast and their surroundings incredibly efficiently. Another huge asset the film has adding to it's stylish veneer is the remarkable score provided by multi-instrumentalist Richard Reed Parry. I listed both Eileen and The Iron Claw as two of my favorite film scores of the year before I even realized that they were both composed by Parry, who's still very young in his film career despite having worked on a number of incredible indie records over the past 20 years. He may be one of my new favorite musicians turned film composers after this incredible year of output he's had.
#41. Extraction 2
How'd this fucker even survive Extraction 1? I know that this is basically Netflix and the Russo Brothers' attempt to make Chris Hemsworth his own John Wick franchise but still? How much suspension of disbelief is the audience expected to extend just for some insanely well coordinated action sequences? I guess they give him some physical therapy in the first 10 minutes or so but it doesn't take long before we're following Hemsworth on that epic, continuous, single-take prison riot scene where he delivers an RRR style fire punch. Which is awesome. These two films have made Hemsworth a bonafide action star in my eyes. The stunt choreography is mesmerizing and the increase in brutal hard-R violence only adds to the mindless spectacle of it all. But the format of extended, long-take action scenes momentarily interrupted by pauses for dialogue and exposition makes it feel like you're experiencing the storytelling mechanics of a video game. You just don't get to control the main character after the plot dump cut scenes end. And yet, it's still fun to watch thanks to the relentless carnage unfolding all around the indestructible Tyler Rake. Which kinda sucks as an action hero name. No wonder they went with Extraction as the title.
#40. Dumb Money
I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie knows how to deliver an unlikely underdog story soaked in dark comedy. But despite the absolutely stacked comedic cast at his disposal, there's not a lot of laughs to be found in this big screen portrayal of the Game Stop meme stock phenomenon of 2021. None of the characters are really given much depth and there's not a lot of perspective or insight digging past the surface level story that you're probably already familiar with in some capacity. This was only 3 years ago. Yes, there's the obviously fertile ground for easy audience applause at castigating wealth inequality dynamics but this movie really doesn't do much to explore those themes in any new fashion. It all just feels rushed, like Craig Gillespie was only compelled to tell this story because he had to get to it before someone else did. And the story itself is interesting. But the film doesn't even end with the conclusion of the investigation that Paul Dano's reddit stock trader character undergoes. Maybe given some more time and distance from this story, there would have been room to develop a better macro-angle but as it is, this feels like a celebrity table read of the sequence of events we're already kind of familiar with. Which isn't bad, but definitely could have been better.
#39. Inside
I can't believe Willem Dafoe has never won an Oscar. He's incredible. And if you've ever needed convincing that he's anything but, look no further than this one man show centered on an art heist gone awry that leaves Dafoe trapped alone inside of a smart house. It may be his best performance yet given how much he has to do on his own. But that's not to say that writer/director Vasilis Katsoupis isn't pulling his weight here. There are a number of beautifully orchestrated scenes of Dafoe watering himself like a plant in a garden, entertaining himself by hosting his own imaginary cooking show and singing the Macarena while ultimately spiraling under the deteriorating effects of isolation. The limited location can make the film feel...well, limited but the larger message at hand about art, death and transcendence are well worth investing in for this introspective survival tale. Very excited to see what Katsoupis tackles next.
#38. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
I get that it's right there in the title but I honestly didn't expect there to be so many scenes of Margaret talking directly to God. But even with that in mind, I was fairly relieved to find that this wasn't some kind of sanctimonious, teen Christian movie. On the contrary, there's a refreshing message of religious inclusion and rejecting conformity at this film's heart that was really endearing. It's more of a coming of age story than anything else, tackling some of the more uncomfortable stages of becoming a woman and discovering yourself. Like the hilariously absurd amount of importance men (and women) place on breasts. But I have to be honest, it's kind of cringey watching actual pre-teens act out these awkward moments on screen knowing that it's something they're likely dealing with in real life as well; which is something the book can get away with because there isn't a young girl subjected to acting this out in front of the world like there is in this film. But Edge of Seventeen writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig executes this adaptation with incredible expertise and a staggering ensemble of sensational performances. It's honestly hard to pick a favorite here; from the incredible lead performance given by Abby Ryder Fortson to the effortlessly lovable turns by Rachel McAdams and Benny Safdie as Margaret's parents and of course there's the incomparable Kathy Bates as the larger than life grandmother. It may not be my favorite young adult comedy but the material is elevated by Craig's exquisite direction and a knock-out cast firing on all cylinders.
#37. Renfield
Back around the time that Marvel's first Avengers film lit the box office on fire, Universal got the bright idea to try and re-launch their Universal Monster characters in a shared cinematic universe called The Dark Universe. But every time they try and pick this concept up; be it with 2014's Dracula Untold, 2017's The Mummy, or even 2023's The Last Voyage of the Demeter - critics and audiences alike seem entirely disinterested. 2020's The Invisible Man being the only exception. But casting Nicolas Cage as Dracula in an over the top, R-rated comedy lead me to believe that this reinvention of classic Universal Monsters still had some potential. However, the general construct of turning Dracula's obedient servant, Renfield, into some kind of hyper-stylized, superhuman anti-hero just didn't work for me. And the flippant attitude around making toxic relationships the core joke of this film is just another instance of the poor creative choices exhibited here. Having said all that though, somehow the hilarious cast manages to salvage this ill-conceived concept and turn it into a fairly entertaining, viscerally gory action comedy. Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz are hysterical - and that's coming from somebody who usually can't stand Schwartz. His Teddy Lobo character stole the show for me. And at a brisk 90 minutes, this film defied all the odds and actually turned out to be a pretty enjoyable experience. I honestly don't know how. They really didn't even lean on Nic Cage's Dracula all that much.
#36. Talk to Me
One of the few wins for horror this year came courtesy of Australian born brothers, Danny and Michael Philippou and their micro-budget possession thriller. It's a fresh take on familiar subject matter, integrating some modern perspective and societal subtext concerning our generational addiction to attention by whatever means are available - be it cell phones, drugs, or a cursed severed hand. The film doesn't waste a lot of time pretending it's deeper than it is; opting to focus more on the immediate body horror elements at hand (pun intended) and the chemistry of the talented young cast, highlighted most prominently by Sophie Wilde. She's incredible. But among the arsenal of A24 horror hits, Talk to Me feels relatively minor compared to it's contemporaries. It'd make for a great sleepover flick but I don't think it's anything people are going to be revisiting much in the years to come. However, if the promise of a new Exorcist film left you with an unfulfilled craving for an inventive progression of the possession sub-genre, then this should fill that void. At least temporarily.
#35. Past Lives
I really loved the idea of this movie more than actually watching it. It was like a social think piece adapted into a student thesis film. The idea of people changing over time and becoming entirely different than their past selves isn't anything revolutionary or anything, but it was illustrated quite beautifully in this tale of two South Koreans reuniting after 20 years apart and immigrating to America. They had a deep childhood connection but ultimately, the person Hae Sung is so determined to reconnect with exists only their shared memories. Nora has moved on, gotten married and lives an entirely different life which has shaped her into a drastically different person. It's something that happens to all of us as we go through life with the ever-changing relationships, influences, and environments we're surrounded by; composing the alchemy of the person you become. As time fills in the gaps with differing experiences and opportunities for growth, hardly anyone remains the exact same person they were 5, 10 or 20 years ago. And all of that is interesting to explore. But it was odd seeing Hae Sung clinging so desperately to this childhood friend that he hadn't actually spent time with in 20 years. They were facebook friends for a while and did some webcam chats but he never moved on? How did she leave such an impression on him that he was willing to go all this way to try and recapture that connection? I was hoping for some kind of "Before Midnight" emotional depth between these characters that just never materialized. But it's still an interesting premise to think about.
#34. Bottoms
It's become somewhat of a cinematic right of passage to experience your generation's given iteration of the high school, teen sex comedy. Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Sixteen Candles, American Pie, Superbad, etc. But there hasn't really been any substantial entries in this territory since Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg introduced us to McLovin 15 years ago. And while I wasn't overly impressed with writer/director Emma Seligman's debut feature (Shiva Baby) I was optimistic she could deliver Gen-Z's first definitive entry into the sub-genre. But as occasionally humorous as it may be; this compilation of hyper-active dialogue, awkward flirting techniques and over the top high school caricatures is just full of too many half-baked ideas to fully thrive. It throws a lot of different ideas at the audience without ever fully committing to any of them. And without a solid foundation, you can feel the incredibly talented leads (Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri) really laying it on thick to try and make this thing work. But weirdly enough, it's Marshawn Lynch in his unexpected supporting role that outshines everyone involved. Get that dude his own buddy comedy, he's fucking great.
Check out our list of the Top 10 High School Comedies of All Time Here
#33. Priscilla
It's hard enough trying to emulate a larger than life figure like Elvis Presley but tasking Jacob Elordi with doing it in the immediate shadow of Austin Butler's masterful performance a year ago is a suicide mission. He's incredibly distracting, especially for a movie that's supposed to shift the spotlight off of Elvis and onto Priscilla. Aside from the depiction of how lonely and isolating it truly was to live out every girl's fantasy as Elvis Presley's wife, there's precious little depth offered to Priscilla's character in this film. Cailee Spaeny is superb in the role but she's not tasked with much more than being a static observer and recipient of Elvis' manipulative and emotionally abusive behavior. But even that is given more complexity than the lead character is, as we dive into the abusive patterns that Elvis himself experienced and the outdated relationship norms of the time that shaped his habits. Which isn't to excuse a 24 year old rock star giving a 14 year old girl pills or dictating what clothes she should wear. I was just hoping for some more character growth that lead Priscilla to finally leave her husband and there isn't much offered in that regard. This is more of a high-profile denunciation of what was expected of a woman/wife being courted in mid-century America.
View the Rest of the 2023 Year in Tiers Here:
#movies #films #filmreview #bestof2023 #horror #comedy #indie #drama #Priscilla #Bottoms #PastLives #TalktoMe #Renfield #Dracula #AreYouThereGodItsMeMargaret #Inside #DumbMoney #Extraction2 #Eileen #ShazamFuryoftheGods #DungeonsandDragons #MissionImpossibleDeadReckoning #SISU #AcrosstheSpiderVerse #SpiderMan #Rustin #ShowingUp #IndianaJones #Tetris #TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles #AntMan #Quantumania #Wonka #RebelMoon #internetkilledthevideostore
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