by Kevin Muller
10. No Hard Feelings
Jennifer Lawrence is having a great time here and her charisma is infectious. Andrew Barth Feldman is just as good as an innocent, and virginal, high school senior whose PARENTS, not him, want him to lose his virginity before he goes away to college. It is crude, obscene, vulgar, and everything else that made 80s/90s comedies golden. Most importantly, it has a ton of heart and is completely genuine.
A beautiful and successful reteam of Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti, finds the two telling the story of a strict, but hilarious, professor, a broken student, and a sad school chef, who lost her son in Vietnam. The title’s meaning stems from those students who have nowhere to go during the 2 week Christmas vacation and are forced to stay on campus. Giamatti plays the professor, with an acid tongue and a razor-sharp wit, who is tasked to watch over those students. Newcomer Dominic Sessa, who plays the student, carries his own between Giamatti and Davine Joy Randolph. Randolph won every award for her role and deserved each one. She is funny, spars well with Giamatti, and is heartbreaking. Payne, who fumbled with his last film Downsizing, comes back strong with a period piece that looks like it was ripped from the 70’s.
8. Elemental
Many thought Pixar’s newest effort was a lackluster effort. What were they smoking? First off, the film has beautiful visuals that show how far the studio has come in its close to 30 years in the business. The visuals are also so creative and fun to behold. This time, the studio uses its platform to tell the story of immigrants, family, racism, and tradition. Leah Lewis and Manmoudou Athie are the young couple who must fight off society’s expectations and each other, she is fire, and he is water. This is imagination cranked up to 100 and proves that the studio has still got it.
At three and half hours, Martin Scorsese’s epic doesn’t pull any punches and shows the tragedy of the Native Americans that thought it was their time to regain power in the world. After they struck oil, it was their opportunity to use their wealth to become part of the very society that took everything from them. Unfortunately, some wanted to keep them down through murder.T hough this isn’t about the Italian Mob, the dirty tricks that they use are no different than the mobsters from Marty’s other films. The worst is DeNiro, who convincingly plays a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Every so often he reminds us why he is a legend, and he is on fire here. Leo goes a little overboard as the man who entraps Mollie, played by Lily Gladstone, into a marriage to gain resources to help push out her people. Gladstone, who guides us through the heartache and terror that her people are put through, is divine. It is uncomfortable to watch, but an important lesson in showing the ugly parts of American history. Scorsese’s attention to detail is what makes this film feel alive and lived in. Yes, it is a tad long, but it completely absorbs you into a dark time in American history.
Based upon the true story of the Von Erich’s, an elite wrestling family, writer and director Sean Dirkin shows us the price of living up to one’s family legacy. Who knew that Kerry Von Erich, Texas Tornado to fans of his time in the WWF, was wrestling with a fake foot? What makes this all work is the bond between the brothers. Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickenson, and Stanley Simmons, all help Sean Dirkin’s tragedy attain the emotional weight that it needs. White, who is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most interesting performers, is plagued by trying to gain his father’s love, which leads to tragic circumstances. My admiration for Efron skyrocketed here with the actor giving his all, both physically and emotionally, to the underachieving Kevin. Holt McCallany is monstrous as the father who overexerts his sons to each of their unfortunate circumstances. The film should’ve been a bigger awards contender, but who cares? This is an emotional rollercoaster that deserved all the praise that it got.
What if Christopher Nolan wrote and directed a film about a gay man coming to terms with himself and his past? That is the best explanation that I can give to a film that should be seen with a clean as slate as possible. Director and writer Andrew Haigh pulls us into a world where you don’t know what is real, nor imaginary, but it is all beautifully presented. Lead actor Andrew Scott should’ve been in the minds of all the Academy voters. He is heartbreaking in this film but holds your attention with a deep and emotional performance. Paul Mescal, who plays his lover, continues to show us why he is going to be one of the greats. It is an incredible journey of self-discovery, acceptance, love, and letting go. Oh, Claire Foy and Jaime Bell put in great work here, too!
4. May December
Only Todd Haynes could make a trashy tabloidesque story work. Haynes never tries to sway away from the absurdity of this true story that he based the film on. Back in the 90’s, a middle school teacher started having an affair with her student. Of course, when she was discovered, he lost everything and was jailed. The little boy waited for her, and when she got out, they picked up where they left off, him over 18 then, got married and started a family. Julianne Moore is evil and manipulative as the teacher. Natalie Portman plays the actress who is researching the role for the TV movie based upon Moore’s life. At first, Portman seems to be innocent but as the film progresses, her true self starts to come to the top. The performance of the film belongs to Charles Melton, who plays the unfortunate boy who got pulled into this mess. As with Portman, his layers come to light as we get to know him more, but his reveals are far more tragic. Melton perfectly encapsulates a boy trapped in an adult body. The actor put on weight and changed his overall demeanor to play this character. It is truly a masterful performance. The film is done in an overly dramatic way, mimicking a bad soap opera, but Haynes manages to put real emotions and feelings into this it. It is strange, fucked up, fun to watch, and a great portrayal of broken people.
Every American film that has attempted to do a proper movie about the big green guy have been terrible or mediocre. Here, the Japanese upped their game with their iconic character. He feels like a legit threat in this film. The visual effects team, who won the Oscar for their work, add to the eerie effect that Godzilla possesses in this film. He is a walking representation of destruction in both metaphorical and literal terms. You see and feel the presence of death when he is around. Ever wonder how frightening it would be to have a destructive force annihilate everything with ease? This film shows the horrors of that question quite well. Additionally, for our main character, Godzilla is a punishment for his cowardice and other negative traits. It is an angle that the film makers nail and adds much depth to the entire project.
Sandra Huller owns the screen here. In this mystery courtroom thriller, we see the effects of a husband’s murder on the life of a women and her son. This won the best film prize at Cannes, and you can easily see why. The script is sharp, the direction is full of depth, it has perfect pacing, and the acting across the board is incredible. Director Justine Triet, who also cowrote the script with Arthur Harari, fills the film with the right amount of tension, especially one scene where we witness a spousal argument that gives us so much context to the film. The courtroom stuff is just as engaging, too. I loved the performance of the Prosecutor, played by Antoine Reinartz. The actor commands your attention. Additionally, shout out to Milo Machado-Graner, who plays the son who is stuck in the middle of this mess. He gives a performance way beyond his adolescent years. Oh! The family also has a dog that should have been given some awards consideration!
Before I reveal the Best Film of 2023, here are my picks from the previous 29 years…
1993- Schindler’s List
1994- Pulp Fiction
1995- Se7en
1996- Everyone Says I Love You
1997- Good Will Hunting
1998- The Truman Show
1999- American Beauty
2000- Traffic
2001- A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
2002- The Hours
2003- Mystic River
2004- Sideways
2005- Batman Begins
2006- United 93
2007- Hairspray
2008- Doubt
2009- Up in the Air
2010- Inception
2011- Hugo
2012- The Master
2013- Her
2014- A Most Violent Year
2015- Room
2016- Moonlight
2017- The Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri
2018- Roma
2019- The Irishman
2020- Nomadland
2021- The Last Duel
2022- Decision to Leave
2023-
1. Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan’s film about the atomic bomb is a masterpiece. It is everything that the director does right in one package. Cillian Murphy, who won the Best Actor Oscar, inhabits the famous Nuclear Physicist. He gives him emotional range while rattling off scientific jargon effortlessly. Nolan shot much of this film in IMAX but doesn’t reserve the technique for the vast landscapes and visual flair. He uses his camera to get right in his performers’ faces. For all these actors, it is an extra challenge since every facial acting choice is elevated. Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Benny Safdie, Florence Pugh, and many more, are all giving us so much. As Lewis Strauss, Robert Downey JR is sly, quick witted, and a bit evil. The actor won his first Oscar, supporting, for this role. At three hours, the film’s editing is ace. Every section has its own important place within the entirety of narrative. The director never is one for creating straight-forward stories, and his desire to go all over the place is one of the film’s greatest strengths. The film’s most vital scene is felt differently for Oppenheimer and Strauss. Figuring out why is a treat for the audience. On top of it all, is a story of regret and guilt. Murphy carries us through the entire film with ease, hitting every emotion right along the way. Hoyt Van Hoytema’s cinematography is both beautiful and epic. While the explosion, done practically, is a sight to see, Hoytema precisely captures the nuances of the quieter scenes. To top it off, Ludwig Goransson’s score is genius. It is epic filmmaking with a brain, style, and heart. It is everything that we have come to associate with Nolan. Oh, David Krumholtz rules in this film, as well!
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Cinephellas 