Another one I caught up with on streaming, and I’m glad I did. It lacks the gravitas of the best of Pixar, but it definitely was a charming (if innocuous) watch. It looks beautiful, and it elicits some genuine emotion and laughter; sometimes that’s more than enough.
Asteroid City
I used to be a pretty die-hard Wes Anderson guy. I loved his whole schtick, the aesthetics, the dry wit and the way he always seemed to get the best people to come play pretend. Decades into it, I think I’ve had my fill. There’s still a lot to like in his latest, and I was beyond excited to see Tom Hanks join his band of melancholy merrimakers, but ultimately it feels like a shrug of a film. Too many gimmicks-in-gimmicks and not enough true pathos and exploration of humanity. It’s like someone made a pastiche of Anderson, except it’s Anderson.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
There were a lot of films I desperately (foolishly?) hoped would be great in 2023, maybe none more so than this one. I guess I should be clear about two things: there wasn’t a 2023 film I watched that I outright hated, and I do think there’s a lot of fun to be had with this final outing of the great Indiana Jones. I just wish it was truly great.
Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning, Part 1
Like its title, this movie is incredibly messy, but also unbelievably fun. Like Spider-Verse, the thing it suffers from the most is being incomplete.
Barbie
If not for my personal catharsis with GotG Vol. 3, Barbie would have been my favorite film of the year. I think it absolutely lands in every way, shape and form. It’s hysterical, poignant, personal and prescient. I bought myself a “I am Kenough” hoodie. I bought the soundtrack on vinyl. I talked incessantly about it with friends and coworkers. And, yes, I even realized some things about myself in doing so.
Oppenheimer
My interest in Christopher Nolan films has been on a steady decline since The Dark Knight Rises. So much so that I never even got around to watching Tenet. Cillian Murphy getting a chance to really step out as the lead in a huge, anticipated film was enough to bring me back to the fold. I’m fortunate that I got to see it on an actual IMAX, and it truly was an amazing experience. There’s a lot to love here, but ultimately I think it suffers from what most biopics suffer from; it never really elevates itself past its subject matter. All my opinions, of course. I look forward to RDJ getting Oscar gold though.
Elemental
Another one I caught up with on streaming, and I’m glad I did. It lacks the gravitas of the best of Pixar, but it definitely was a charming (if innocuous) watch. It looks beautiful, and it elicits some genuine emotion and laughter; sometimes that’s more than enough.
Asteroid City
I used to be a pretty die-hard Wes Anderson guy. I loved his whole schtick, the aesthetics, the dry wit and the way he always seemed to get the best people to come play pretend. Decades into it, I think I’ve had my fill. There’s still a lot to like in his latest, and I was beyond excited to see Tom Hanks join his band of melancholy merrimakers, but ultimately it feels like a shrug of a film. Too many gimmicks-in-gimmicks and not enough true pathos and exploration of humanity. It’s like someone made a pastiche of Anderson, except it’s Anderson.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
There were a lot of films I desperately (foolishly?) hoped would be great in 2023, maybe none more so than this one. I guess I should be clear about two things: there wasn’t a 2023 film I watched that I outright hated, and I do think there’s a lot of fun to be had with this final outing of the great Indiana Jones. I just wish it was truly great.
Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning, Part 1
Like its title, this movie is incredibly messy, but also unbelievably fun. Like Spider-Verse, the thing it suffers from the most is being incomplete.
Barbie
If not for my personal catharsis with GotG Vol. 3, Barbie would have been my favorite film of the year. I think it absolutely lands in every way, shape and form. It’s hysterical, poignant, personal and prescient. I bought myself a “I am Kenough” hoodie. I bought the soundtrack on vinyl. I talked incessantly about it with friends and coworkers. And, yes, I even realized some things about myself in doing so.
Oppenheimer
My interest in Christopher Nolan films has been on a steady decline since The Dark Knight Rises. So much so that I never even got around to watching Tenet. Cillian Murphy getting a chance to really step out as the lead in a huge, anticipated film was enough to bring me back to the fold. I’m fortunate that I got to see it on an actual IMAX, and it truly was an amazing experience. There’s a lot to love here, but ultimately I think it suffers from what most biopics suffer from; it never really elevates itself past its subject matter. All my opinions, of course. I look forward to RDJ getting Oscar gold though.
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