A dancing killer robot doll. A spy thriller inspired by an iconic video
game. Air Jordans. Even J-Lo! 2023 has it all, and these are the year's best films so far.
2023 kicked off with "M3GAN" — an instant horror icon. M3GAN took the internet by
storm before her film even hit theaters, thanks to a meme-heavy marketing campaign. Her movie is
even better. A highly advanced android with a charming smile, M3GAN is paired with Cady,
a young girl reeling from the loss of her parents. At first, M3GAN provides her with
comfort and care — but things get ugly when M3GAN gets possessive. Thrilling,
clever, and wickedly funny, "M3GAN" is one of the best new horror comedies in years.
"It sounds like you're fighting." "We're not fighting!"
An avant-garde horror film made for only $15,000, "Skinamarink" chronicles the experience of two
children who encounter a malevolent spirit in their home. The film is also shot in a grainy
black and white, so your eyes are constantly tricked into looking for faces in the shadows.
Moreover, apart from barely audible whispers and the occasional shockingly loud noise,
the movie is basically silent. Though not entirely plotless, "Skinamarink" is an eerie,
nightmarish mood piece that will make you afraid of the shadowy corners of your own home. So when
you do go to sleep after watching it, you can count on having some very weird dreams.
True to form, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's latest movie has divided critics
and audiences. Like most of his films, "Knock at the Cabin" has a sinisterly simple premise:
A family's rural getaway is interrupted by four strangers
who claim that the world will end unless the family sacrifices one of their own.
"After you make what I know is an impossible decision, you must then kill the one you choose."
Shot mostly in a single location with a cast of seven characters, "Knock at the Cabin" is
another reliable example of Shyamalan's prowess as a director. So fans of his work will be satisfied.
But if you couldn't get into the melodrama and moralizing of 2021's "Old," then "Knock
at the Cabin" probably isn't for you. "Elevated" horror is all well and good,
but sometimes, all you need is an hour and a half of young people making questionable
choices in the face of doom. Set during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, "Sick" finds
a small clique of college students quarantined in a lake house. It's there that they become
targeted by a faceless killer. Kevin Williamson co-wrote the screenplay, so the film is armed
with the cutting wit you'd expect from the writer of "Scream." "Sick" also digs into the cavalier
attitudes towards the pandemic and the search to place blame for the suffering it caused.
Occasionally, critics will confuse a silly movie as being a stupid movie. "Shotgun Wedding" is a
deeply — and wonderfully — silly movie. Tom and Darcy are a couple whose destination wedding is
raided by pirates. From there, noisy, bloody violence ensues. As far as action-romcoms go,
"Shotgun Wedding" is on par with "The Lost City," a similarly goofy
date movie from 2022 that received much more favorable reviews. Neither film is high art,
but both are lively popcorn adventures for grown-ups with a kid's sense of humor.
"Why are you counting from 10?! What is this a rocket launch?"
"Shotgun Wedding" treats its storyline with delightful absurdity,
while all the actors are having the time of their lives. Since the fun is so contagious,
"Shotgun Wedding" is an enjoyable watch.
2015's "Creed" remains the finest example of Hollywood's current "requel" trend. That film
continued the legacy of boxer Rocky Balboa with a new protagonist who is essentially
his opposite. The latest chapter in the saga of Adonis Creed is the first to exclude Rocky
completely. It also proves that the new champ is totally capable of standing on his own.
"Don't let him destroy everything you've built."
Following in the tradition of his predecessor, leading man Michael B.
Jordan has taken the directing reins. He's also put his own visual stamp on the film
by incorporating anime influences from "Dragon Ball Z." Whether you're a hardcore fan of the
"Rocky" movies or simply a casual viewer, "Creed III" is an exciting and emotional
blockbuster that holds up alongside the best installments of the franchise.
Keanu Reeves and his former stunt double Chad Stahelski have done it again with "John Wick:
Chapter 4," the spectacular new entry in their gun-fu epic. This time, the unstoppable assassin
is surrounded by an exciting ensemble of global action stars, like Hiroyuki Sanada,
Scott Adkins, and Donnie Yen. As a result, the martial arts mayhem is brought up to a newer,
more exciting level. More than ever, "John Wick's" fight sequences demonstrate a
degree of craft and imagination that has no equal — at least in the Western Hemisphere.
Though it's the longest entry in the series at a whopping 169 minutes,
"John Wick: Chapter 4" dispenses with most of its lore and world-building at the very
top. So the rest of the runtime is an almost continuous marathon of gunplay,
sword fights, and vehicular warfare. Simultaneously gorgeous, revolting,
and hilarious, "John Wick" remains an absolute gem of modern action cinema.
After successfully rebooting horror's most reliable franchise in 2022,
the directing duo of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have followed up quickly
with "Scream VI." The sequel brings the surviving Woodsboro gang to the Big Apple, where they face
yet another stab-happy killer in a Ghostface mask. While each installment in the "Scream"
series usually riffs on its place in the horror franchise, "Scream VI" takes a different route.
"Don't you know, the legacy characters are disposable
now. Nobody cares about last century's heroes."
As a relatively unprecedented "sequel to a requel," the film establishes that there's no
clear roadmap to follow. Anything can happen, anyone can die, and no one can be trusted.
While this lack of a clear mission makes it one of the least-focused chapters in the ongoing saga,
"Scream VI" still offers terrific tension and gnarly kills. We also get to spend more time
with the lovable ensemble introduced in 2022's "Scream," who prove to be
more than capable of carrying the franchise for years to come.
Over 20 years after the disastrous first attempt at a "Dungeons & Dragons" film franchise,
writer-directors Jonathan M. Goldstein and John Francis Daley have struck gold with
an uproarious fantasy adventure. "Honor Among Thieves" centers around a charming
group of characters who are brought to life by stars that are clearly having a blast.
Their quest captures the feeling of a great "D&D" campaign with your friends. Characters
with tragic backstories band together and heal each others' emotional wounds. Complex challenges
are also solved by bizarre, imaginative, or downright unpredictable means. Plans go awry,
monsters are unleashed, and a grand time is had by all. Whether you're immersed in the mythology of
the decades-old game or just coming along for the ride, "Honor Among Thieves" won't disappoint.
In a landscape dominated by huge, effects-driven franchises, the once-mighty romantic comedy
has become a niche genre. In order to catch the public's attention, modern rom-coms typically need
to be mash-ups with flashier genres, as in "Palm Springs" or "Shotgun Wedding." Not to knock those
efforts, but sometimes a simple story about two charming characters falling in love works best.
That's exactly what makes "Rye Lane" so refreshing. It's essentially an entire movie
built around the concept of "meet cute." So, in the film, audiences get to see a likable would-be
couple getting to know each other over the course of a single day in South London. Clever,
colorful, and shamelessly uncomplicated, "Rye Lane" is the perfect date movie.
2023's weirdest Hollywood trend is the "business biopic". These types of films tell the stories
behind famous products or brands, from Air Jordans to Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Alongside
the growth of this new subgenre has been the meteoric rise of the video game adaptation.
Director Jon S. Baird's "Tetris" is riding both of these waves, presenting a dramatized
version of the intrigue surrounding the popular game. It stars Taron Egerton as Henk Rogers,
a struggling video game executive who travels to the Soviet Union to bring
"Tetris" to the West. "Tetris" is a comedy that fits neatly into the shape of a spy thriller,
so it's certainly the year's most unexpected video game movie.
In 2022, longtime creative collaborators Ben Affleck and Matt Damon launched their new
production company, Artists Equity. The company aims to give filmmakers a piece of the profits of
the films they make. So, it's appropriate that the first release from Artists Equity should
be about the intersection between business, art, and celebrity. "Air" stars Damon as Sonny Vaccaro,
head of the struggling basketball division at Nike in 1984. In the
film, Vaccaro bets his career on a rookie he believes will change the game: Michael Jordan.
"I need the greatest basketball shoe that's ever been made."
"Who's the player?" "Michael Jordan."
The mostly true story of the bidding war over Jordan's endorsement makes for a surprisingly fun,
light drama. But it also speaks to the studio's mission of reconsidering the relationship between
talented people, and those who invest in them. That may sound like dry stuff, but "Air" never
becomes more about business than it is about people. And that's how it should always be.
Do you ever lie awake at night thinking about the future climate apocalypse and
the powerful institutions that would likely profit from it? Then
you'll probably enjoy "How to Blow Up a Pipeline," one of the year's best films.
"How to Blow Up a Pipeline" is a tight thriller that explores the
many ways today's terrifying environmental realities are radicalizing young people to
save the world. The film makes such a compelling argument that even the FBI
has issued several warnings about it, according to a Rolling Stone report.