First Impressions: The FILMS of 2023

[KK 3,307]

8 hours ago, Brónach said:

amused by you watching the two and me skipping both

 

Haha. I definitely had a Barbenheimmer day.

[Jay 37,369]

21 hours ago, Brundlefly said:

There is that one scene that had me react in a way I never had before in cinema. One can easily guess which one I'm refering to, it had me panic in some way, it was unbearable and I felt like I couldn't breathe for a moment. It was the moment, when it became clear - there was something that we completely forgot, that Oppenheimer lost to focus on and that the audience forgot to think of: the human tragedy. From there on, I was thinking, maybe Oppenheimer is a horror film.

 

I saw the film last night and I don't know what scene you're referring to

[Brundlefly 2,385]

9 hours ago, Jay said:

I saw the film last night and I don't know what scene you're referring to

I'm referring to the scene, when Oppenheimer is in front of the little audience cheering at him and celebrating victory? This scene terrified the hell outta me, so that any other horror film can only hide in shame. I remain immensely impressed and stricken by this film after two days.

[Jay 37,369]

That scene was a masterpiece of editing, visual effects, and sound design

[KK 3,307]

it's a fine scene, but I wish Nolan pushed it even further.

 

I think the film is a strong character study of Oppenheimer and the fears he wrestles with, but I don't think it truly manages to capture the horror of the bomb itself. 

 

Which is mostly fine, because I think ultimately that's what the film is interested in, Oppenheimer and his point of view. 

 

What did you think of the film Jay?

 

 

[crocodile 8,017]

War films, or similar themed projects, have a problem evoking the horrors of war partly because they make the atrocities look too cool. They seem to say it's all bad but then wow you with spectacle and expertly engineered battle sequences that might actually have the exact opposite effect a lot of the time. If you want horrors, go for something like Come and See. Now that was horrific.

 

Katol

[KK 3,307]

Yes, that is indeed the problem. That's why Oppenheimer works better as a character piece than it does a piece on war or the bomb.

 

Come and See is indeed terrifying. I'd also add The Thin Red Line to canon of true anti-war films (though it's not after the same kind of "horror").

[crocodile 8,017]

6 minutes ago, KK said:

Yes, that is indeed the problem. That's why Oppenheimer works better as a character piece than it does a piece on war or the bomb.

On this, we agree. The character was complex and intriguing. Kudos to Cillian Murphy.

 

Did I like Oppenheimer? It was definitely a more interesting film from Nolan but bogged down by some of his stylistic choices. It had a lot of interesting stuff going on, and some genuinely good performances, but I also felt the way it was made sabotaged some of these elements by making them incomprehensible almost by burying them under the weight of his style.

 

Karol

[JoeinAR 1,949]

The last 4 films Ive seen in the last 3 weeks are Dial of Destiny, MI7, Oppenheimer, and Barbie. Dial was fluff but run, MI7 was castly entertaining and a love letter to film making. Oppenheimer was a character study, an ensemble cast of high caliber. And then there is Barbie which is a joy. 

All 4 films are flawed but each nail the landing  Even MI7 which is a cliffhanger ends in a good place. Cinema still works for me.

[KK 3,307]

1 minute ago, crocodile said:

On this, we agree.

 

Did I like Oppenheimer? It was definitely a more interesting film from Nolan but bogged down by some of his stylistic choices. It had a lot of interesting stuff going on, and some genuinely good performances, but I also felt the way it was made sabotaged some of these elements by making them incomprehensible almost by burying them under his stylistic choices.

 

Karol

 

I've long given up on expecting Nolan to trust his material enough to let go of his mazes and puzzles. He will always try to build something to "solve".

 

But unlike Tenet, I felt these tendencies were actually compelling in this context. Somehow this messy assault on the senses elevates the material.

[crocodile 8,017]

6 minutes ago, KK said:

 

I've long given up on expecting Nolan to trust his material enough to let go of his mazes and puzzles. He will always try to build something to "solve".

 

But unlike Tenet, I felt these tendencies were actually compelling in this context. Somehow this messy assault on the senses elevates the material.

Oh yes, there was merit to this movie and the complex moral quandaries were addressed really well. On human level, this movie delivers for sure. I was really impressed with cast. Robert Downey Jr actually acting!

 

Karol

[Brónach 1,302]

does the movie contain anything at all about the fallout over the USA?

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Saw Barbie yesterday, what a rollicking good time that movie is. Endlessly charming and hilarious, and chock-full of reverent cinematic references. I particularly loved the classic Hollywood sound-stage musical numbers, they were a real visual treat. Gerwig knocked it out of the park and, while not perfect, it was wonderful to see a movie that has captured the cultural moment with such confidence and clarity. The auditorium was full in my session, with pink as far as the eye could see. Clearly many "casual" moviegoers unfamiliar with Gerwig - when the credits rolled all I could hear were murmurs of "that was actually really good", "I was surprised at how good it was" etc. I'm happy for her, Robbie et al. for the critical and commercial reaction. It's good to see movies appealing to huge (i.e. not niche or franchise) audiences are still around.

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

Saw Oppenheimer at the Leicester Square Odeon so no lack of visual or aural punch, although one can't but feel that it's mostly not a film that demands to be seen in 70mm given that it's about 95% people talking in rooms. Don't get me wrong, it's beautifully made, but I don't think you'd miss as much watching it at a smaller cinema/on a decent TV as you would watching, say, Avatar or some earlier Nolan movies. Still, a fine movie with plenty of superb performances and what felt fairly nuanced characterisations. Sure, Oppenheimer had flaws, but he wasn't a total arsehole, ditto the general etc.

 

My main complaint (try to hide your shock) was Goransson's score which, while quite effective in many places (even if I didn't really enjoy it as music in its own right), was essentially omnipresent and made every dialogue scene feel either like it was in a trailer or part of a montage. Once I noticed this, it was endlessly distracting. For 3 hours. There was no silence or space between what was being said and I always felt like the music was urging things along to the next scene. It meant that any tension was forced upon you by the music rather than by the silence (if that makes sense?!). I kept waiting for the music to abate, which it did, very occasionally, but even then it would soon start up again. It felt like Nolan didn't have that much faith in either his direction or actors (which he really should as the cast were excellent and he's obviously a very fine director). It also meant that the music was robbed of its impact in more pivotal scenes.

 

He just doesn't seem that great at spotting his films for music; I mean, everything was scored in more or less the same style, so it didn't actually feel like there was much nuance to the spotting. "Yeah, can we have some tense strings/electronics here... and here... and here... oh and there, there and there... maybe a bit louder here" - repeat for 3 hours. Given how (like James Macaroon) he's quite a technically minded director, it was also frustrating how much of the dialogue you couldn't hear from being trampled on by music due to the mix. Don't get me wrong, if you're gonna get crap dialogue trampled on by John Williams, great, but when it's decent, interesting, technical dialogue, being trampled on by loud sustained, wall of sound type notes... not really ideal. It doesn't help that the style of music doesn't move out of the dialogue in any clever way, it seems to take up the entire aural soundscape so the dialogue has to be mixed to compete with the music rather than both aspects working in harmony. Only the music often won the competition in a competition it shouldn't have been competing in, in the first place.

 

Still, at least it's a score I know I don't need to spend money on.

[Bayesian 1,363]

@Tom Guernsey, thanks for describing so cogently a big part of what I feel is wrong with today’s approach to film scoring—specifically, how oppressively it makes its presence felt. 
 

Oppenheimer sounds like a perfect example. I haven’t seen it yet, but it gives the impression of being a Very Important Film from a Very Important Filmmaker. (Certainly, that’s how Nolan appears to have gone about making it—have you read the production notes on this thing? You’d think Nolan was painting the fucking Mona lisa.)

 

All the adorably precious lengths Nolan went to make his film aside, there’s something seriously out of order when all the hard work of costume designers, art directors, historians, set dressers, acting coaches, cinematographers, location scouts, editors, production assistants, etc. gets thrown under the bus because the Very Important Filmmaker has a tin ear for music.

 

Film scoring is supposed to support the moving picture, not overwhelm it with its loudness and unrelenting-ness. Film scoring is supposed to be a partner in creating the world we as moviegoers seek to disappear into—not bludgeon the audience into submission. It’s utterly amazing to me that the works of hundreds of artists and specialists can be so easily sullied by one man (or one man + a worker bee brigade of MIDI keyboardists).
 

Nolan is as much to blame for this as Zimmer or Balfe or any of their clone army. Today’s film music problem traces directly back to the Dark Knight. And now with Oppenheimer being praised to the heavens, we’re probably in for many more years of the same.

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

OPPENHEIMER & BARBIE

 

I saw Oppenheimer on sunday and just came from Barbie.

 

I've got exstensive thoughts on both (probably post tomorrow)

But I will say that I loved both films, as did the people I went with.

It's soo cool to see these two films live up their hype!!

I think it's brilliant

[filmmusic 1,836]

1 minute ago, JNHFan2000 said:

It's soo cool to see these two films live up their hype!!

A certain Greek critic also loved Barbie (and he's usually quite strict).

I can't understand what this film is about. Is it a comedy? I hear it's a satire? I don't like satires unfortunately.

[Jay 37,369]

It's a comedy and a satire

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

It's very much a comedy, but with some strong commentary on the world we live in.

I feel it really has to be seen to be believed or understand.

I wasn't to sure what it would be, but I laughed out loud multiple times, got quite emotional.

And it was very special for me to see my mom, sister and friend react to this. It was amazing, it meant a lot to them.

[A24 4,338]

10 hours ago, filmmusic said:

A certain Greek critic also loved Barbie (and he's usually quite strict).

I can't understand what this film is about. Is it a comedy? I hear it's a satire? I don't like satires unfortunately.

 

It's a new movie so you're not going to watch it anyway.

 

Or did you change your rules?

[filmmusic 1,836]

8 minutes ago, AC1 said:

 

It's a new movie so you're not going to watch it anyway.

 

Or did you change your rules?

Haha.. No, I didn't change my rules.

I was just curious because of the hype for it.

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

15 minutes ago, Bayesian said:

@Tom Guernsey, thanks for describing so cogently a big part of what I feel is wrong with today’s approach to film scoring—specifically, how oppressively it makes its presence felt. 
 

Oppenheimer sounds like a perfect example. I haven’t seen it yet, but it gives the impression of being a Very Important Film from a Very Important Filmmaker. (Certainly, that’s how Nolan appears to have gone about making it—have you read the production notes on this thing? You’d think Nolan was painting the fucking Mona lisa.)

 

All the adorably precious lengths Nolan went to make his film aside, there’s something seriously out of order when all the hard work of costume designers, art directors, historians, set dressers, acting coaches, cinematographers, location scouts, editors, production assistants, etc. gets thrown under the bus because the Very Important Filmmaker has a tin ear for music.

 

Film scoring is supposed to support the moving picture, not overwhelm it with its loudness and unrelenting-ness. Film scoring is supposed to be a partner in creating the world we as moviegoers seek to disappear into—not bludgeon the audience into submission. It’s utterly amazing to me that the works of hundreds of artists and specialists can be so easily sullied by one man (or one man + a worker bee brigade of MIDI keyboardists).
 

Nolan is as much to blame for this as Zimmer or Balfe or any of their clone army. Today’s film music problem traces directly back to the Dark Knight. And now with Oppenheimer being praised to the heavens, we’re probably in for many more years of the same.

Oppressive is definitely a good way to describe it! I'll be interested to see if how I described it matches your feelings once you've seen it. I've not read the production notes but those sorts of thing are usually somewhat self-important anyway! In some ways the music choices wouldn't be so bad if it were a trashy action movie, but it's a very well made and acted serious drama, the music choices just seemed so unnecessary. Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the most effective moments is the silence between detonation and the sound hitting the observers. Just hearing their breathing as they see the massive fireball before the shockwave hits is hugely effective (notwithstanding that it's fairly obvious that's how such a scene should be shot), but some other scenes would certainly have benefitted from deathly silences to increase their impact.

[Brónach 1,302]

On 25/07/2023 at 5:31 PM, Bayesian said:

All the adorably precious lengths Nolan went to make his film aside, there’s something seriously out of order when all the hard work of costume designers, art directors, historians, set dressers, acting coaches, cinematographers, location scouts, editors, production assistants, etc. gets thrown under the bus because the Very Important Filmmaker has a tin ear for music.

 

I guess not everybody is say Spielberg or Amenábar.

 

In a way, perhaps i demand too much. I like when a filmmaker has experience in a field of film (and i mean specially outside writing), but rarely does it happen with music. But at least i can ask for more awareness or knowledge.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Oppenheimer - epic biopic as summer blockbuster ... you have to admire Nolan's chutzpah. A very good (but at 3 hours long, with somewhat inevitable longueurs) account of the man at the centre of the 'opening of Pandora's Box' that the Manhattan Project was and the subsequent fallout (in every sense).

Fine cast (Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Florence Pugh and Kenneth Branagh amongst others), a better sound mix than Tenet (i.e. dialogue wasn't obscured by score or sound FX, at least not for me) and a true sense of cinematic spectacle, tension and atmosphere (the test detonation sequence (achieved, astoundingly, with no CGI) is absolutely terrific). Recommended.

[KK 3,307]

Watched it again last night. It's still very good. 

 

But holy crap is it overscored...

[A24 4,338]

 

This was surprisingly entertaining. I laughed a lot, but yeah, DC haters (or Marvel champions) will still hate it, of course. Sadly, the CGI (especially the characters) did look like animation sometimes. 7/10

[Brónach 1,302]

...seven?

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Yeah, same. A 7? That's, to me, really high

[A24 4,338]

Only at JWFan (also known as Marvel/Disney headquarters)!

[Edmilson 7,466]

Yeah, The Flash is much better than I thought it would be. Sure, the CGI is shit, but the story does have an emotional heart at its core, which is more than we can say than Quantumania or Thor 4.

 

Also, the interactions between the two Barrys were surprisingly funny.

[A24 4,338]

I agree. Might be even one of the best DC superhero flicks, and believe me, I didn't see that coming. But why was the CGI so clumsy? 

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Caught Dead Reckoning again (only 3 of us in total in the cinema ... damn, I love Sunday morning screenings). A little shorter wouldn't have hurt (the 2-and-a-half hour mark, maybe) but still a ton of fun.   

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Blue Beetle

 

It was fun. And there were definitely some strong moments, but taken as a whole it doesn't set itself apart often enough to stand out among all the superhero flicks.

The film is best when it focuses on Jaime and his family. The dynamic of the 6 members was the best part of the film. All of them get some nice moments, with the standouts being George Lopez as Uncle Rudy and Adriana Barraza as Nana.
Bruna Marquezine also makes a strong impression as Jenny Kord, who becomes a part of the family in a good way.

Xolo Maridueña is a lot of fun as Jaime and it's cool to see him being able to do his own stunts.

Some other things were good, but that could've been handled a lot better. There is some stuff about the way Latin Americans are treated, now and in tge past. It's good, but I feel that theu could've gone even further with it, to really make a point.

Some things didn't work.
I love Susan Surandon, but here role here is neither well written and Surandon doesn't really do anything with it. It feels more like she's earning a paycheck.
The other villain, played by Raoul Max Trujillo, had a lot of potential, but ultimately didn't reach that potential. He's like Iron Monger and Whiplash smushed together.
Both villains had some interesting backstories, but they were glossed over and seemed more like an afterthought.

The suit of Blue Beetle has not rules. It seemingly can do anything and I'm not a fan of that. I like when powers have certain rules to them.
When the suit got to do some cool stuff it felt very much like Iron Man. And Iron Man did it better.

That's my biggest issue with the film. It's like so many other films. Iron Man, Ant-Man, Black Panther and countless others. I feel it could've been a lot more original.

Still, it was fun. Some of the action scenes were pretty cool, the effects looked great, music was good and the cast is terrific.
 

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Gave Oppenheimer a second go (that's a good thing about time off work, you're unfazed by evening screenings of 3-hour movies when it doesn't matter what time you get up the next day) ... that said, I definitely felt the length more this time round. The test detonation sequence remains a stunning piece of filmmaking , and I do wonder if any other release this year will deal with subject matter as interesting.  

[filmmusic 1,836]

Ok, I finally watched it!

 

 

Oh, my, what an awful film! I was bored to death and I found the final or so act ridiculous beyond belief, even more ridiculous than Crystal skull.

About Williams's Helena's theme: The default version of the theme, I think has no connection whatsoever to the character of Helena.

 

[Jay 37,369]

59 minutes ago, filmmusic said:

About Williams's Helena's theme: The default version of the theme, I think has no connection whatsoever to the character of Helena.

 

I agree. It's a wonderful arrangement that is nice to listen to, but he clearly found the inspiration for it from something other than the movie itself. 

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

There are some good scares and a few cool surprises in the third act.
The first act moves a bit too slow, but sets up some things that get nice pay-offs in the third act.

I do feel it's a shame that Valak herself isn't it the film all that much. She's mostly in different forms, which makes her less of a threat.

Taissa Farmiga is again a strong lead. And the addition of Storm Reid for her to partner up with is great. The young girls all do good work and really sell the fear of the situation they're in.

Direction, production, effects, cinematography and music all play a big part in the succes of the film. It's not a top tier film in The Conjuring series, but it's a fun time at the movies.

 

[Edmilson 7,466]

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)

 

 

Not great, but better than any of those Michael Bay-directed abominations. At least this one features likeable characters, comprehensible action scenes and excludes that mean-spiritedness and general idiocy of the Bay movies. 

 

The score is mostly bland wallpaper, but there are two or three decent cues. But the best musical moments are those that feature Jablonsky's themes in those 2000s RC orchestrations that made me slightly nostalgic.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Equalizer 3 - the action is a bit sporadic in what is probably going to be the last of these movies based on the TV show about an ex-Secret Service operative with a 'certain set of skills'. Still, Denzel Washington remains as watchable as ever.

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

A Haunting In Venice

 

I really enjoyed this. I loved the whole atmosphere the film created. It was a good mystery and it all got explained in a good way.

The camerawork is the biggest star of the show. I loved how chilling the movements and shots made the whole film. It was soo cool!

 

The music is fine. There is not really a lot of it. I feel like what's on the album is not even all in the film. When it is there, that's all it really is. Just there... it doesn't do a whole lot or adds something to the film. If you'd taken the music out of it, I don't feel it would make much of a difference.
I really missed Doyle and it's a shame, because I have always felt that Branagh had a good ear for music. But this was a letdown unfortunatly.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

A Haunting In Venice - Kenneth Branagh adapts Agatha Christie's Hallowe'en Party for his third go at Hercule Poirot. Enjoyed this more than his adap of Death On The Nile ... as you might expect from the title, this has an enjoyably spooky atmosphere as Poirot once again exercises his 'leetle grey cells' in order to unmask a murderer.

[KK 3,307]

 

Zone of Interest

 

Glazer's latest is a sort of essay on the banality and invisibility of evil. The film withholds and reveals information, playing with loaded (and potent) images with a sort of alien gaze that recalls Under the Skin. But there's a more rigorous formalism here, that even almost reaches a point of burning itself out before subtly shifting and surprising you. The more I think about it, the more it sticks with me. And that makes good cinema, right?

 

Mica Levi's two bookend pieces for the film are absolutely fantastic.

[A24 4,338]

Looks A24-ish.

[Glóin the Dark 1,222]

19 hours ago, KK said:

Zone of Interest

Did you see it at TIFF?

[KK 3,307]

3 hours ago, Glóin the Dark said:

Did you see it at TIFF?

 

I did! I was trying to catch it at Cannes when I was there, but never made it work. So I'm glad I got to see it here.

 

There were a couple of other great TIFF films too, which I'll spew about here eventually.

 

 

Anatomy of a Fall

 

Excellent courtroom drama on the paradox of vulnerability and doubt. Sandra Hüller is such a revelation (she's good in Zone of Interest too, but here she just gets to really shine), you can stare at her face for hours and watch everything she imbues onto the screen. The film feels really incisive and never really gets sensational. Love how it plays with language too.

[Edmilson 7,466]

Blue Beetle

 

 

It's very derivative of other superhero movies, especially Iron Man and Ant-Man, you could swap the villains of those movies and it almost wouldn't make any difference. 

 

But I found Blue Beetle to be still very likeable, with charismatic characters and a decent score (see here). 

 

Still, the movie could've been much more interesting and different from other superhero movies like this if the antagonist, instead of being just another corporate evil guy, err, woman, was actually the Reach - a race of cunning alien invaders who are connected to Jaime's origins in the comic books. 

 

https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/The_Reach_(New_Earth)

 

In a way, it's kinda like 2005 Fantastic Four or 2011 Green Lantern, where we get a generic and toned down superhero movie that eschews the more interesting parts of the source material.

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

 

I knew nothing about this film going in, but I was hooked on the concept immediately.
The whole film is executed really well, from the acting, to the horror elements and the ending was incredible!!! I kind of expected it, but it was so well done that it was still a surprise.

Sophie Wilde is terrific in the lead role. The supporting cast of Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird & Zoe Terakes are also great. Also shoutoot to Miranda Otto (from Lord Of The Rings fame), she's always great and the scenes she's in, she compleyely owns.

This is in my opinion one of the best horror films of the year. It's inventive, shocking, scary, not too over the top and uses it's themes in really interesting ways.

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

 

How I would've love to have seen this in a cinema. Because with only 5 words of dialogue, this film conveys so much through Kaitlyn Dever's incredible performance, the sound design and it's visuals.

The visuals are incredible. The camerawork, the lighting and the staging of sequences is brilliant. Add to that some really great VFX on the aliens (which are just right, not over the top) and a score and sound world creeping around every corner and you have one of the best sciene fiction thrillers of the last few years.
I absolutely adored it!

[A24 4,338]

Bad title though ...

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Why?

 

After seen the film, it makes a lot of sense