Best of 2023

The Killer

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  • Title: The Killer
  • IMDb: link

The Killer

Movies about assassins almost always fall into the forgettable B-movie action-thriller variety, however there are some exceptions. Michael Fassbender stars in this slow burn thriller as a skilled assassin who fails an assignment. The first 20 minutes of the film show Fassbender waiting patiently for events to line up to take out his latest target focusing on both the methodical routine and readiness he sticks to and the large amount of downtime, boredom, and waiting involved. When the hit goes wrong, out killer flees the scene and makes his escape only to discover his employers have decided to take precautions and remove him as well.

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Priscilla

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  • Title: Priscilla
  • IMDb: link

Priscilla

A far cry from the overindulgent train wreck of 2022’s Elvis, writer/director Sofia Coppola‘s latest film casts the spotlight not on Elvis Pressley (Jacob Elordi) but on Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) and how Elvis’ fascination with her changed her life in both positive and disturbing ways. Those who place Elvis on a pedestal may take issue with Coppola’s screenplay, as did Lisa Marie Pressley. However, the film is adapted from Priscilla’s own 1985 biography, notably toning down some of the more shocking moments of their lives together, and Priscilla served and as an executive producer to the film.

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Killers of the Flower Moon

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  • Title: Killers of the Flower Moon
  • IMDb: link

Killers of the Flower Moon

Evil in film is often overt, larger than life. A clown torturing children. A giant monster trampling cities. A high-priced killer or alien leaving a trail of bodies in its wake. Real evil, however, is more insidious. Killing with a smile, insidiously operating with no compunction or fear of reprisal. Adapted by Martin Scorsese and Eric Roth from the book of the same name, Killers of the Flower Moon centers around the Osage Indian murders in the early 20th Century.

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Oppenheimer

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Oppenheimer
  • IMDb: link

It’s been 13 years since Inception, a film which showed off director Christopher Nolan‘s innovation, technical skill, and storytelling at its peak. Since that point, Nolan’s track record has been spotty at best. While the technical skill in Oppenheimer is expected, the joy from the film is Nolan abandoning some of his trademarks, such as the overbearing booming score which at this point had become a caricature of itself,  in order to focus more squarely on a character-driven story based on a complicated man standing at the crossroads of history. The fact that it isn’t immediately in contention for best movie of the year has more to do with the troubled circumstances of its presentation rather than any failures of the film itself. More on that later.

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Spider-Gwen: Across the Spider-Verse

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  • Title: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
  • IMDb: link

Hailed by fans and critics as one of the best Spider-Man movies ever created, is it possible the sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is even better? Yes, yes it is. Shifting the focus more on Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) this time around, giving her equal star treatment along with Miles (Shameik Moore), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is not only a great super-hero film but throws out the expected battle a new big bad by instead offering an existential discussion on what it means to be Spider-Man.

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