Director: Matthew Vaughn Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Henry Cavill, Sofia Boutella, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson Certificate: 12A Run Time: 139 mins
Argylle is a spy action comedy by Matthew Vaughn, a director whose works often subvert their respective genres. Kick-Ass rejected the-then comic-book codes and conventions with its gleeful tone and Kingsman: The Secret Service was a raunchy and gory ultraviolet spy film. Even his less overtly subversive films have proven successful, with X-Men: First Class rejuvenating the X-Men series with its smart script. Like his Kingsman films, Vaughn takes another stab at the espionage thriller with Argylle.
The film follows reclusive spy novelist, Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) who has found wild success with her Argylle book series. While she’s journeying to her mother, Ruth (Catherine O’Hara), she is saved from an attempted ambush by Aidan (Sam Rockwell), an actual spy who explains that she is being targeted by an organisation known as the Division, because her novels seemingly predict the future.
While Argylle’s fresh concept in how it explores how a writer might see their creation come to fruition is to be commended, Vaughn’s latest isn’t his best work. It lacks the kinetic energy of his other films and the numerous twists don’t always work – the last act really ties itself in knots. Jason Fuchs’ script is on the wooden side and isn’t particularly funny. The score by Lorne Bale isn’t particularly memorable either and while there’s the trademark colourful pop to George Richmond’s cinematography, the film’s aesthetic has an artificial quality.
None of the action sequences stand out either, arguably what should be the most thrilling element of a spy film. Vaughn’s last film, The King’s Man(a prequel to the mainline films) was also more a more inert effort but it at least had one memorable fight half-way through, which the rest of the film failed to top.
The more family-friendly 12A rating really tames proceedings and what really propelled both Kick-Ass and Kingsman was its rejection of having to pander to a wide audience. While both Stardust and X-Men: First Class prove Vaughn is more than capable of crafting works with brain, as well as brawn, when toning his sensibilities down, Argylle just doesn’t quite succeed.
There’s still some fun to be had though. Bryce Dallas Howard is excellent as the introverted author, who just wants the easy life and her home comforts. Samuel L. Jackson is also reliably brilliant and delivers most of the film’s limited laughs, particularly as he’s waiting to receive a file. It’s nice to see Catherine O’Hara, who is more selective in the roles she accepts these days and Bryan Cranston is also clearly having fun. While Sam Rockwell’s reliably charismatic and likeable, the role seemed like a slight waste of his talents and could have been played by someone else. Other than sporting a striking flat-top haircut, Henry Cavill fails to make much of an impression as the titular Argylle.
Ultimately, while there’s fun to be had in the film’s first two thirds, Argylle fails to make the most of its unique concept. It’s lacking in energy in its forgettable action sequences and the film falls apart in its third act. Argylle would have been a stronger work if it had further dived into the fantastical nature of how a writer might imagine their world and if it wasn’t constrained by its more accessible age-rating. A frustrating post-credits scene promises we are going to see more of this world and I hope Vaughn returns to the drawing board and re-evaluates this film’s shortcomings.
This is the second part of my Best Films of 2023. I previously ran you through my best films of 2023 (20-11) and here, I unveil my top ten.
10) The Covenant
Guy Ritchie’s most mature film in years is a triumph with Jake Gyllenhaal reliably brilliant as Master Sergeant John Kinley, who after his unit are ambushed by the Taliban and his interpreter is killed, is teamed with Dar Salim’s Ahmed. This is a thrilling action drama from Ritchie with surprising restraint, considering his back catalogue, with some nail-biting action sequences and a pulse-raising score by Christopher Benstead. Both Kinley and Ahmed are well-developed and rounded characters and I really brought their friendship. If there’s a downside to the film, it has a rather Americanised ending but its intensity is still to be commended. It’s Ritchie’s best film since The Gentlemen.
9) Anatomy Of A Fall
Anatomy of a Fall is a fascinating character study of a family, the couple at its centre and the legal system that tries to break Sandra and her son apart. It’s a smart film that’s simmering with tension and excellent performances, although I’m confident it would pack an even greater wallop if it was tighter. Sandra Hüller is terrific in the lead role and is fully deserving of the praise she has been lauded. Her character is a matter-of-fact, frank individual and director Justine Triet delves into the idea that writers use those around them to bolster their image. Swann Arlaud is also brilliant as Sandra’s silver fox lawyer, Vincent Renzi, as is Antoine Reinartz as a particularly nasty prosecutor. He unpicks anything and everything Sandra or other persons called up to the bar say, constantly repurposing words as evidence of Sandra’s guilt. Although there isn’t an original score, the use of music is terrific and the recurring use of 50 Cent’ P.I.M.P. and Daniel’s piano recitals are chillingly effective. The film’s also beautifully shot by Simon Beaufils, who evocatively captures the high altitude setting of the chalet and likes to zoom in on certain minutiae, as if you’re a fly-on-the-wall.
I’ve never fully got on the Todd Haynes hype train but May December is the film that’s converted me – I was enthralled from start to finish. The film is loosely inspired by the Mary Kay Letourneau scandal where the then-34 year old had a sexual relationship with 12-year-old Vili Fualaau. The characters are renamed and the story framed around Natalie Portman’s Elizabeth Berry as an actress who’s about to play the older woman in an upcoming film, played by Julianne Moore. May December isn’t interested at all in unpicking the how’s and why’s of what happened. Haynes refreshingly chooses to focus on the dark and tangled obsessions of its characters and how they mirror each other. The film is seeping in details to unpick and there are many different possible readings, which make it all the more satisfying. It’s brilliantly paced with a sharp script by Samy Burch which deftly balances the camp and unease. Perfectly complimenting the film is a peppery score by Marcelo Zarvos, who reuses Michael Legrand’s whirlwind-like themes from The Go-Between but develops them beautifully.
Kelly Fremon Craig’s adaptation of the 1970 novel of the same name is an utterly charming coming-of-age comedy drama that has plenty of laughs matched with real heart. The film is refreshingly frank about a girl’s journey through puberty and the director nails the uneasy but realistic conversations Margaret has with her friends. Abby Ryder Fortson is revelatory as the titular Margaret and Rachel McAdams is equally impressive as her mother, Barbara. Kathy Bates shines as her grandmother, Sylvia and Hans Zimmer’s score is uncharacteristically stripped back.
6) The Son
I never expected to like director Florian Zeller’s follow-up to The Father as much as I did, given the negative reception and the fact I had serious reservations regarding his debut. However, The Son really worked for me and follows Peter Miller (Hugh Jackman), who’s trying to juggle his marriage with his second wife Beth (Vanessa Kirby) while raising their newborn baby and his depressed 17-year-old son, Nicholas (Zen McGrath), from his previous marriage. This is an utterly devastating account of depression, with Peter constantly stuck between a rock and a hard place, on the one hand wanting to be a model father and move on from his own childhood trauma with his own cruel father (Anthony Hopkins). Jackman is reliably terrific in the lead, with strong work also from Kirby and McGrath and I was glued to the screen from start to finish. If there’s a film out there that warns you about the dangers of depression, this is it, akin to how Requiem For A Dream is the model film to put you off recreational drug use.
5) Beau Is Afraid
Beau Is Afraid is easily the most confounding cinematic experience I have had in quite some time. It’s a fiercely original effort – a sprawling, paranoia-inducing epic with more than its fair share of Kafka-inspired horror infused with Charlie Kaufman surrealism and a dose of Darren Aronofsky’s mother!. As you’d expect from an Ari Aster film, it’s overflowing in symbolism and requires multiple viewings to better understand its meaning. This isn’t a film that will ever be truly understood, but after two viewings, there is a ton to unpack. A beautiful animated sequence towards the close of the film’s second act is particularly affecting. Joaquin Phoenix is phenomenal as Beau, effortlessly flitting between being pathetic the line between pathetic – crazed emotions, stunts, panic, confusion. Aster’s regular cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski’s moody cinematography is stunning, an individual once again at the top of his game, and there’s a satisfyingly sickly score from Midsommar‘s Bobby Krlic.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is yet another strong entry in the series and its second half is particularly impressive, especially considering the intimidating 169 minute run time. It tells a clear and coherent story and there are real, life-threatening stakes for the characters. The film feels like a sprawling, ultra-violent James Bond film on steroids and mostly earns its length. As you’d expect, Chapter 4 sports some truly mesmerising action sequences that are straight up there as some of the best in the series and a model for action cinema in general. Keanu Reeves once again turns in an excellent performance as the titular character. Bill Skarsgård makes for what is probably the most formidable villain of the series to date and Donnie Yen is clearly having fun as a likeable old friend of Wick, who is forced out of retirement to kill him.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is a fantastic sequel and a genre-defining film for action cinema. It’s a globe-trotting stunt showcase from beginning to end that mostly earns its length and its second half is a tour-de-force. It’s certainly the best sequel of the franchise, although I’m not sure if it betters the original. It’s rare to see a series improve with each entry, although Chapter 4 ends on a fitting note and I hope Stahelski and Reeves aren’t tempted to risk making another.
Killers of the Flower Moon is the latest by Martin Scorsese and an adaptation of David Grann’s 2017 non-fiction novel of the same name. The book is a must-read and tells the sickly story of how the Osage community are systematically murdered in the 1920s after oil is discovered on their tribal land. Killers of the Flower Moon is, for the most part, an excellent adaptation. It earns its 206 minute run time with its sprawling, fascinating story and Scorsese takes his time to develop the characters. He immerses you in the terror felt by the Osage, that no-one is safe on their own land with greedy wolves scheming from every corner. I was particularly impressed how like in The Irishman, Scorsese presents the horror in quite an understated way, raw and fact-of-life. Although a revisionist Western first and foremost, there’s still many of Scorsese’s gangster elements to be found, from fatally flawed men to America’s founding myths. Of course, being a Scorsese picture, the film has real big screen beauty and is handsomely shot by regular cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto. He gorgeously captures the expansive Oklahoma vistas and holds onto a shot for uncomfortably long during heinous murders. The stunning cinematography and assured direction is paired with a haunting, bluesy final soundtrack by Robbie Robertson (who sadly passed away in August). A heartbeat motif that is repeated throughout the film is particularly effective, lending a feverish quality.
A misunderstood masterpiece, Damien Chazelle’s epic comedy chronicles Hollywood’s transition from silent to sound films in the late 1920s. I’ve had a mixed experience with Chazelle’s filmography. Whiplash is one of my favourite films of the 2010s, I couldn’t understand the praise for La La Land and I admired but didn’t love First Man. Babylon is a return to form for Chazelle and is an ambitious, heady study of the history of cinema. It quite literally details the blood, sweat, tears and sheer luck needed to succeed in Hollywood and the strenuous work required to even film a single scene. Chazelle’s approach is unapologetic – this is a sprawling, loud film that revels in excess be it through drink, drugs or discharging of bodily fluids. But it’s also regularly profound with characters wholly aware their Hollywood career has an expiry date. Although Chazelle’s view of the Hollywood studio system is critical, his passion for film as a medium is evident throughout this three hour plus extravaganza. I hope the mixed reception doesn’t discourage Chazelle from taking another ambitious risk.
Oppenheimer is a tension-fuelled, thought-provoking minor-key masterpiece and is straight up there with director Christopher Nolan’s best work. It’s an incredibly rich piece of work and it left me feeling stone-cold with its characters haunting deliberation over the consequences of their work. This is a largely dialogue-heavy film for its lengthy three hour running time and except a breathtaking sequence depicting the Trinity test (even more impressive considering the minimal CGI), is largely bereft of action. Cillian Murphy has often represented one of the mechanisms to a successful Nolan film, and steps up to the lead role for Oppenheimer. His performance is simply sensational and a career-best. Oppenheimer is stacked with A-list actors, with Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr other notable highlights. The film is beautifully shot by now-Nolan regular Hoyte van Hoytema and Ludwig Göransson’s score is the glue that holds the film together.
It’s the start of a new year so that means it’s time to reflect back on year just gone and bring you my top picks. 2023 was, overall a strong year for film, although apart from the upper echelons of this list, not quite on a par with 2022. There were far more misses than hits, especially on the sequel front.
Here, I’ll rank numbers 20 to 11. Numbers 10 to 1 will be detailed in a separate post so stay tuned for that.
20) Saltburn
Saltburn is the sophomore effort from Emerald Fennell, whose directorial debut was the razor-sharp feminist vigilante thriller Promising Young Woman, where she won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Although this follow-up isn’t as strong, Saltburn is a darkly satirical piece that isn’t afraid to withhold the shock-factor. It has a raucous quality to it and explores the themes of excess and obsession, with thoroughly unlikeable, vampiric characters, although Fennell’s sharp script gives us plenty to make us invest in them. The film’s horror tinge is particularly satisfying and its narrative leaves you guessing where it might head to the very end, although a final twist does feel a little tacked on, especially on a rewatch.
Although thoroughly entertaining for the most part, Saltburn suffers from its clashing of tones, at times feeling like St Trinians meets an Edgar Wright film with the darker, erotic undertones of The Talented Mr Ripley and Brideshead Revisited. I’d have preferred the film to do without the former, the tacked-on balloon celebratory stylings at odds with the film’s darker elements. The film would have had more bite if it leaned further into its Gothicism and the cheekiness of its erotic thriller elements.
Dead For A Dollar released in the UK straight-to-DVD in February despite being released in most territories in 2022, hence its inclusion here. And what a shame it received such a low-key release because this is a lean and satisfying Western. Christoph Waltz is excellent as veteran bounty hunter Max Borlund who is hired by businessman Martin Kidd (Hamish Linklater, who also puts in a strong performance) to retrieve his wife Rachel (Rachel Brosnahan). Thrown into the mix is Willem Dafoe’s slimy card shark and armed robber Joe Cribbens and you have a exciting Western with some great lines and gleefully bloody violence.
18) The Whale
The Whale is the latest by Darren Aronofsky, his first film since mother!which proved divisive. Mostly set in a single location, this is an emotionally powerful experience with a terrific performance from Brendan Fraser as morbidly obese English teacher Charlie. Aronofsky beautifully explores the relationship between a father and his daughter and there are many touching moments focussing on Charlie’s outlook of life. I walked out of the film grateful and determined to further my relations with others and to always be positive. Yet, the film deftly conveys Charlie’s pain and hopelessness and it becomes inevitable early on that he is on a path of self-destruction. The way in which Aronofsky portrays binge-eating is particularly harrowing – like Requiem For A Dream will make you never want to touch drugs, The Whale is the equivalent for food. It wouldn’t be an Aronofsky film without the exploration of religion and the events on-screen are interwoven with religious parallels and texts, which lend a pathos to Charlie’s situation.
The Fabelmans is a coming-of-age drama directed and co-written by Steven Spielberg, representing a passion project for the revered filmmaker. The film is a semi-autobiographical tale loosely based on Spielberg’s adolescence and burgeoning career. The Fabelmans isn’t quite the masterpiece some have professed it to be but it’s certainly a profound and candid effort. If you’re a film fan, this semi-autobiographical tale will definitely resonate in places. Protagonist Sammy’s love of the medium sometimes usurp his commitments to his family and relationships, and Spielberg deftly explores how filmmaking can consume an individual and how one needs to be reminded that your close ones are more important. It’s beautifully shot by Spielberg-regular Janusz Kaminski, although the film is a tad overlong. That said, it really nails its last half an hour or so. The Fabelmans is a tender reminiscence of Spielberg’s childhood and although it would benefit from tighter pacing, it’s a warm and personal experience with some excellent performances.
Silent Night is an action thriller by John Woo, his first English language film since 2003’s negatively received Paycheck. A film almost devoid of dialogue, for the most part Silent Night is a return to form for Woo with a trio of giddy action sequences. Two car chases are particularly vividly shot, especially the opening one where we see both the chase itself overhead and from the perspective of a character running towards the cars from an alley. There’s also a terrific stairwell sequence that’s meant to feel as if it’s one take. The story is pretty simplistic and Woo isn’t known for his subtlety – the film feels overly schmaltzy at times and cutting this out would have resulted in an even leaner film. The lack of dialogue mostly works well, although there are scenarios the characters fin themselves in, such as a meeting at a police station, where two people clearly need to communicate with words. I think the film would have packed more of a punch with a limited script rather than with virtually no spoken words. Although overly sentimental in its tone, Silent Night is mostly a blast throughout.
Although it received sniffy reviews, I found Reptile to be a blast from start to finish. Previously most famous for his music videos, Grant Singer’s directorial debut is an exciting crime thriller with a terrific central performance from Benicio Del Toro as the weary detective Tom Nichols. Many thought the film was overlong at 136 minutes but I appreciated Singer taking his time to develop the characters and mystery. The film’s lusciously shot by Michael Gioulakis, who revels in the murky darkness and there’s a handful of particularly tense shoot-outs that are worth a watch alone.
14) Champions
There were a handful of underdog sports comedy films this year, such as Hustle and Next Goal Wins, but Champions is my pick of the bunch. Directed by Bobby Farrelly in his solo directorial debt, Woody Harrelson is terrific as temperamental minor-league basketball coach Marcus Marakovich who’s tasked with caoching a team of disabled players as community service. The laughs are not only consistent but balanced with plenty of heart and it’s a film where we not only root for the team but you’ll have a permanent smile plastered on your face from start to finish.
13) A Man Called Otto
I was very surprised I liked A Man Called Otto as much as I did, but Marc Forster’s remake of the 2012 Swedish film has tons of heart and a brilliant Tom Hanks performance at its centre as the lovable but grumpy Otto. This is a film about what it means to be lonely and the importance of caring neighbours. Mariana Treviño holds her own as Otto’s new Mexican neighbour, Marisol, as does Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as her kind-hearted but slightly useless husband. A Man Called Otto is transfixing from start to finish and has more than few home truths in it.
12) Knock At The Cabin
Knock At The Cabin is the latest by M. Night Shyamalan, whose once tarnished career is happily back on an uphill trajectory, as evidenced by Split, Glass and Old. A high-concept apocalyptic horror adapted from a novel by Paul G. Tremblay, the film follows a family of three on holiday in a remote cabin who are visited by a group of strangers, led by Leonard (Dave Bautista) who demand they sacrifice one of their own to prevent an impending apocalypse. It’s a taut, intense ride while also being thought-provoking. This is not the first time the director’s explored the end of the world and this is a significant step-up from both After Earth and The Happening. Although the premise plays to Shyamalan’s strengths, as you’d expect he doesn’t do things by the book. The film does an excellent job of leaving you guessing the fanatical group’s motive – is the world really about to end? Are they telling the truth or are they suffering from some kind of psychosis? Shyamalan really makes the most of the mostly single location – the film doesn’t feel stagey and it’s beautifully shot by Jarin Blaschke, collaborating with Lowell A. Meyer. The cast are uniformly excellent and this may well be Dave Bautista’s best work yet, who is fantastic as the hulking yet polite Leonard.
11) The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
I wasn’t expecting to like this prequel to The Hunger Games as much as I did, which follows a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) on his path to political power, the villain devilishly played by Donald Sutherland in the other films. Francis Lawrence returns in the director’s chair, having directed all of the previous entries bar the first. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is an excellent adaptation and quite possibly the most mature film in the series to date. Lawrence does a great job of showcasing the more outright barbarity of the games, which are minimalist and lack the polish and pizzazz of future arenas. In fact, the games in this film are set in a literal arena, rather than the forest or tropical settings of The Hunger Gamesand Catching Fire. Knowing Lucy Gray is unlikely to win, Snow suggests revisions to the game structure, such as sponsorship, to improve her chances, while simultaneously propelling the games as a spectacle to increase viewership. I really admired the film’s more cold-blooded tone and its deeper dive into Snow’s character, especially in the film’s third act, which many seem to have taken issue with.
Director: Alexander Payne Starring: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa Certificate: 15 Run Time: 133 mins
The Holdovers is the new Alexander Payne film and his first since 2017’s Downsizing. While Downsizing received a mixed reception, I found a lot to like in it, especially its ambitious first half. I certainly vastly preferred it over Nebraska, which was nominated for six Oscar’s in 2014 and never understood the love for it.
The Holdovers reunites Payne with his Sideways lead Paul Giamatti who stars as Paul Hunham, a strict classics teacher at Barton Academy, a New England boarding school that he attended back in his youth. Hunham is a curmudgeon and is despised by the students and most of his fellow teacher. In one of the film’s first scenes, we hear him happily humming when he dishes out some bad grades to his students. After Hunham gives an important donor’s son a failing grade, as punishment, he is forced to supervise the ‘holdover’ students left on campus over the holidays. One such student includes Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), whose mother has abruptly cancelled a family holiday to go on a honeymoon with her new husband. Hunham and Tully are both at each other’s necks but soon learn to tolerate each other – it’s a familiar comedy set-up.
The Holdovers is Payne at his best and is a tender delight from start to finish, but it deftly balances its warmth with a bittersweet tone. The performances are terrific all around, especially Giamatti, and the film perfectly evokes classic 1970’s cinema with its intentionally rustic aesthetic – it looks and feels like a work made at the time. It’s beautifully shot by In Bruges cinematographer Eigil Bryld, especially the wintry landscapes during the opening credits and some disorienting frames that feature late into the film. The Holdovers marks the second film of Payne’s career that he doesn’t write, with David Hemingson taking the reins in his feature length debut. And what a strong impression Hemingson makes with the sharp, peppery script, with Hunham’s eloquent insults especially rib-tickling.
Paul Giamatti turns in what I’d probably consider a career-best performance as Hunham. Hunham is both lovable and loathsome and an easy character to relate to with the hardships he’s faced in life. In fact, there are many similarities between Hunham and Miles Raymond, the character Giamatti plays in Sideways, both characters that have been hard done-by in life. Giamatti rarely takes leading roles and he showcases just what an underrated screen talent he is, from his line delivery to his mannerisms and lazy eye. He fully deserves all the Awards praise he is receiving and possibly even the win.
Dominic Sessa is also electrifying in his debut performance as Tully, who’s also faced a difficult upbringing and is able to begin to relate to Hunham as the film progresses. Da’Vine Joy Randolph is another highlight as Mary Lamb, the school’s head cook who also stays over the holidays to mourn her recently deceased son. Watching Hunham, Tully and Mary interact and come to grips with their situation as the film progresses is incredibly satisfying and it’s hard to not to watch the film with a grin on your face but Payne balances this with the story’s darker undertones.
I absolutely loved The Holdovers and was completely swept up by the film throughout, with its intelligent script and committed performances. It’s Payne’s best film since Sideways and I predict it will become a Christmas classic, with its perfectly judged bittersweet tone. They certainly don’t make films like this anymore.
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos Starring: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Jerrod Carmichael Certificate: 18 Run Time: 142 mins
Poor Things is a science fiction romantic comedy by Yorgos Lanthimos, who’s had an impressive career so far. Dogtooth was my first introduction to the fiercely original director and he went on to hone his craft with The Lobster, which was terrific and the even-better The Killing of a Sacred Deer. I wasn’t so hot on The Favourite, which garnered ten Oscar nominations, with Olivia Colman picking up the Best Actress gong. Whilst there’s no doubt it was also bawdily original, it was the first film to not be written by Lanthimos and it showed, lacking his signature arch dialogue.
Poor Things is an adaptation of the 1992 Alasdair Gray novel, a Frankensteinian tale of a woman, Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), whose brain has been replaced by that of her unborn baby, giving her a child-like mind, by the eccentric surgeon Dr Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Like a child, Bella’s brain rapidly develops and becomes more physically and mentally agile. One of Godwin’s students Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef) quickly falls in love with her and Bella accepts his hand in marriage but then soon runs off with debauched lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) on a grand journey around Europe.
Poor Things is Lanthimos back on track with a brilliantly twisted, uncomfortable yet multi-layered triumph. There’s so much going on here, both from a thematic and visual standpoint and it’ll take multiple rewatches to fully understand its message but it’s a film that gets better on each viewing. Lanthimos recaptures his bizarre yet oddly moving tone, which is what made his earlier efforts really shine, combined with lavish yet evocative production design. Robbie Ryan’s cinematography is a career-best, with every frame a painting worth pausing to analyse, which is interesting considering some of his work can be quite vanilla. The film boldly experiments with colour and perspectives are often shot through a fish-eye lens and it’s supported by the lavish production design. I also loved the retrofuturistic vision, with the Victorian London setting contrasting with succeeding elements.
The script by Tony McNamara is witty and sharp, with many laugh-out-loud and quotable moments, although it does somewhat lack the arch nature of Lanthimos’ writing. There will always be a part of me that wonders what could have been if Lanthimos had contributed.
Emma Stone turns in a career-best performance as the Frankenstein-like Bella Baxter, who opens the film as an inquisitive and brash child and ends as a self-made woman. I’ve sometimes struggled with her performances in the past and couldn’t believe she won the Best Actress Oscar for La La Land but not so here. Willem Dafoe is also reliably brilliant as the eccentric surgeon, who has to belch bubbles at the dinner table due to a health condition. Mark Ruffalo provides much of the comic relief as Wedderburn, who becomes increasingly child-like as the film progresses, although his British accent is rather wandery.
Jerskin Fendrix’s score is terrific and deeply effective, in keeping with the film’s bizarre tone yet crescendoing at key moments. It’s one of the most original works I’ve heard in a while and is fully deserving of its Awards praise.
Poor Things is an absolute riot and packed full of details to analyse on further viewings. It’s Lanthimos on top form and stuns with its distinctive performances, script, visuals and score. The Killing of a Sacred Deer remains his best work, in my opinion, but Poor Things is fully deserving of its praise and is a sensational experience to begin the year.
Director: J. A. Bayona Starring: Enzo Vogrincic, Matías Recalt, Augustín Pardella, Felipe González Otaño, Luciano Chatton, Valentino Alonso, Francisco Romero, Agustín Berruti, Andy Pruss, Simón Hempe, Juan Caruso, Esteban Bigliardi, Rocco Posca, Esteban Kukuriczka, Rafael Federman, Manuela Olivera, Agustín Della Corte, Tomas Wolf Certificate: 15 Run Time: 144 mins
Society of the Snow is a survival thriller centered around the 1972 Uruguayan Andes plane crash where a commercial plane crashed in the mountains and 16 of the 45 passengers managed to survive over nearly three months by resorting to cannibalism. It’s directed by Spanish filmmakerJ. A. Bayona, behind films such as The Orphanage, The Impossible and A Monster Calls, all of which received heaps of praise. While there’s elements to be admired in all, I do think he’s vastly overrated. In fact, controversially I’ve probably enjoyed Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom the most out of his work, even though the film received mixed reviews, perhaps because I went in with very low expectations and I appreciated the original horror elements.
Bayona’s got experience with the disaster film genre with The Impossible, a film which was set during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Although The Impossible has many tonal issues, Bayona adeptly recaptured the visuals of the tsunami. Surely Society of the Snow is a surefire hit, considering he’s working with particularly riveting material?
Sadly not. While Society of the Snow has a nail-biting first half-an-hour leading up to the crash, the rest of the film is a misguided mess. The film is strangely overlong and inert of energy for a film about trying to stay alive and Bayona fails to convey the literally chilling atmosphere of the snow-covered mountain. The victim’s clearly aren’t wearing very many layers but at no point in the film do they look desperately cold and by the time we reach the film’s end, they don’t look overly malnourished considering they’ve lived off human flesh for the best part of three months. Bayona’s depiction of cannibalism fares better though, and it was enough to put me off the thought of eating meat for a couple of days after viewing, even if the human meat looks distinctly like prosciutto ham.
After retrospectively researching the details of the disaster, how lazy is it that Bayona omits the fact the plane first landed in Mendoza for a stopover due to a storm. The crew decided to wait for meteorological conditions to improve and apparently made a difficult decision to delay the flight initially until gone 14:00. Bayona’s deliberate act to omit the decision between flying or not is very odd, considering it’s the reason why the event unfolded the way it did.
The cast is composed of Uruguayan and Argentine actors, most of whom are newcomers. While there’s some good performances, such as Enzo Vogrincic as the ill-fated Numa Turcatti, unfortunately Bayona fails to develop any of them meaningfully. Although there are too many characters to fully visit all of them throughout the 144 minute run time, Bayona would have fared better picking two or three as the audience’s segue into the disaster.
Bayona reteams with his Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom composer Michael Giacchino, and this is the music maestro’s first foreign language feature. At his best with films such as Up, Inside Out and War for the Planet of the Apes, Giacchino is a very exciting composer but he also has the tendency to phone some of his work in, examples including Jurassic World, Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyand Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Unfortunately, despite a stirring main theme, Giacchino fails to make much of an impression here with an emotionally manipulative score that like the film, is all over the place. Strangely, Giacchino says Society of the Snow is the most emotional film he’s worked on since Up (has the composer seemingly forgotten that he scored Coco?) but the score just doesn’t really convey the desperation or the desolate atmosphere the passengers find themselves in.
Despite a near unanimously positive critical and audience reception, Society of the Snow is another disappointing film from J. A. Bayona. The result is an overlong mess that fails to meaningfully develop any of its characters or convey the frosty, cutthroat nature of the increasingly desperate situation and it omits key historical details. Still, there are some bright spots such as a tense and visually arresting first 30 minutes and the cannibalism element of the narrative is ickily executed. But it’s a real shame Society of the Snow isn’t the slam-dunk it could have been, especially given the fascinating details of the real-life event.
Director: Sofia Coppola Starring: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, Ari Cohen, Dagmara Domińczyk Certificate: 15 Run Time: 114 mins
Priscilla is the new Sofia Coppola film, based on the 1985 memoir Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley, who also gets an executive producer credit. It follows the life of Priscilla and her complicated relationship with Elvis Presley, from 1959 when she’s 14 years old to 1973. The film opens on Priscila living on a West German military base with her mother and army father. She’s invited to a party where Elvis will be playing, having been drafted into the military and the two begin casually dating as soon as they meet, despite the significant age difference.
Although inert in places, Priscilla is a somewhat interesting biopic with Coppola’s typically understated touch. Priscilla and Elvis’ relationship has an uncomfortable air about it throughout the film, particularly how Elvis takes a shine to her. It’s very much a Gothic melodrama and akin to a twisted fairy tale. Coppola interestingly keeps Elvis’ public persona largely off-screen and largely refrains from Elvis music in the soundtrack.
The main positives of the film are the performances. Cailee Spaeny is brilliant as Priscilla, effortlessly conveying her naivety in her younger years and her growing wisdom about her effective entrapment as she matures. Jacob Elordi is also strong as Elvis Presley, a completely different performance compared to his impressionable turn in Saltburn. He’s an individual desperately in need of control, with flashes of darkness and quite literally towers over Priscilla.
Although it suffers from sluggish pacing at times, Priscilla is an alternative take on the King of Rock and Roll. It mainly works because of its committed performances and Coppola’ cold, analytical approach to Elvis and Priscilla’s spiky relationship. It’s certainly a more rewarding experience than Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, which I really struggled to engage with despite its critical acclaim.
The comic-book genre continued to dominate in 2023, with a record eight new releases. Unfortunately though, it was an overall weak year for the genre with both Marvel and DC facing headwinds.
Marvel got off to a bad start this year when Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania debuted to lukewarm reviews. Of any Marvel film to not hit the mark, this wasn’t the one the brand would have chosen. Not only did it open the studio’s hotly anticipated Phase 5, this film marked Kang’s (Jonathan Majors) debut, who is scheduled to be the big-bad in the next Avengers films. Although critics and audiences largely agree he made a strong impression, the film around him was uninspiring. It didn’t help that later in the year, Majors would later plead guilty to serious sexual assault charges, casting doubt over his future in the franchise.
Later in the year, The Marvels bombed financially, becoming the studio’s lowest grossing film of all time, with tepid reviews despite a talented black female director in the form of Nia DaCosta. On the plus side for Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a hit and marked director James Gunn’s final work for the studio and is now spearheading a rebranded vision for DC.
Moving swiftly onto DC, because of the aforementioned upcoming regeneration, all four of the films released this year could be considered ‘legacy products’ now that the DCEU is closing up shop. That meant limited or in some cases, next-to-no marketing for its films, unceremoniously dumped into cinemas having been, at one time, part of a bigger picture. Shazam: Fury of the Gods and The Flash received mixed reviews and the DCEU closer Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom washed up with a poor reception. Blue Beetle was a surprise critical hit but given the limited marketing, flopped financially.
Sony was arguably the big winner this year with Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse opening unanimously positive reviews and tipped for Awards consideration.
There’s a varying degree of quality in this list but for the most part, it was a poor year for the genre. Comparing to the comic-book films of 2022, my top pick for this year doesn’t compare to any of the top three last year.
8) Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
The part where you completely disregard this ranking, I just can’t understand the love for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. I thought its predecessor, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, was overrated but at least it had its plus points in that it had plenty of heart and well-developed characters. This sequel was just an overlong headache throughout, completely and utterly overstuffed, stretching the already worn multiverse trope at nauseum. Many left the film giddily excited by its cliffhanger ending but I can’t imagine sitting through another 150 minute snoozefest.
⭐⭐
Rating: 1.5 out of 5.
7) The Marvels
The sequel to the surprisingly entertaining Captain Marvel had all the right things going for it, chiefly an interesting director in the form of Candyman‘s Nia DaCosta. What a shame that the finished product completely misses the mark, both as a Marvel and a Nia DaCosta film. The Marvels is utterly bereft of the director’s fingerprints and completely misguided. It doesn’t help that not only do you need to have seen Captain Marvel to be up-to-date before watching this film but you also need to have seen two Marvel television series – Ms Marvel and Secret Invasion. The trademark quippy humour of Marvel films rears its ugly head here and it’s missing almost all of the ingredients that made its predecessor a success. There’s next-to-no character development for Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers and the film doesn’t capitalise on her relationship with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) – the interplay between them was one of the main ingredients that made it work. The film also suffers from a poor and one-dimensional villain and a grating score. It’s quite possibly the worst Marvel entry to date, with other contenders including Avengers: Age of Ultron and the boring and formulaic Black Widow.
The film to kick-start the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 5 fell short of the mark. Unlike both of its excellent predecessors, Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, which acted as pallette-cleansers, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania performs a very different function in that it needs to introduce Kang, the big bad for Marvel’s forseeable future.
Starting with the positives, the cast are excellent and the chemistry shared between Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang and his daughter is admirable, although not as heartfelt as in previous films. Jonathan Majors is by far and away the standout as Kang, a cool and calculated villain with oodles of charisma and intelligence. Outside of the fun performances, the film unfortunately has an episodic quality to it, akin to watching a Saturday morning television show. Moving the story away from Earth to the Quantum Realm also lowers the film’s quality. The first two films excelled with their innovative action sequences and their manipulation of size and spectacle, whereas this disappointingly doesn’t. Most distractingly, the Quantum Realm is not well-realised. There is an unnerving amount of CGI and the film is visually drab. Even the score by Christophe Beck isn’t particularly memorable and Bill Pope’s cinematography is surprisingly anonymous considering his filmography, likely drowned out by the distracting CGI.
The Flash is a mixed bag – there’s some fun to be had in the middle with Michael Keaton’s Batman but it’s bookended by fairly turgid first and third acts. The multiverse is an increasingly worn concept and it really plagues this film as it lessens the stakes for the characters. Despite a carousel of cameos from stars all over the DC canon, the result is a film with an episodic quality akin to watching a Saturday morning cartoon than the series-defining reset The Flash was intended to be. The problem of ropey visual effects also plagues The Flash, especially a spectacularly misjudged opening action sequence involving a group of babies. Ezra Miller makes for a fine, if schizophrenic lead, although the character arguably received a more meaningful arc with less screentime in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is quite different in tone from its predecessors but for the most part, it’s an enjoyable trilogy closer. Returning director James Gunn treats the characters with love and care and it’s impressive how even minor characters get a meaningful arc. When you’re juggling close to ten primary characters, that’s no mean feat. The film is surprisingly dark in places and has Gunn’s fingerprints all over it, even if its violence, language and disturbing depictions are somewhat sanitised. It’s also a very personal watch, its story mirroring Gunn’s Marvel experience and how he is saying goodbye to the conglomerate that propelled his career. That said, I wish Gunn took more narratively risks and applied his ‘everyone is expendable’ mentality from The Suicide Squadhere. Like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, it’s also baggily constructed and at least half an hour too long. It’s also not as humorous as the first two but this isn’t necessarily a con given it tackles darker subject matter.
The final film in the DCEU before it’s reimagined under James Gunn’s leadership attracted negative reviews but I found returning director James Wan‘s sequel to be very entertaining and visually interesting. Devil’s Deep, a volcano island lots of the second act takes place in is particularly nicely realised and there’s an excellent early heist and ensuing chase that can only have been created by Wan with his horror tinge. The cast are all clearly having fun. Jason Momoa essentially plays himself and Wan-regular Patrick Wilson fares much better this time round. His villain was a little disappointing in the original due to a lack of character development but Wan puts a much greater focus on him to great effect and both Momoa and Wilson share an excellent bromance chemistry. Yahya Abdul Mateen II makes for a sinister, if slightly cartoonish villain and Randall Park is another bright spot as Dr Stephen Shin.
You can tell it’s a film that was meant to be bigger than it is and it does feel like some scenes have been cut down and storylines reduced. This sequel is twenty minutes shorter than its predecessor and the film runs at a brisk pace, never really taking the time to breathe.
Blue Beetle is a pleasant surprise and by far and away its biggest asset is the amiable family dynamic which although affectionate, is fiercely positive. The characters are generally very well developed and by the half way point when there is a pivotal moment in the narrative, it’s safe to say we’ve really come to care for them. Angel Manuel Soto’s film feels like a fusion of Iron Man, Ant-Man, Spy Kids and Coco and he does a great job of making Palmera City seem like a real place, with its Miami-esque new town juxtaposed against the suburbs that are undergoing gentrification, signifying an economic inequality. The film does a great job of showing you the mansions and the neighbourhood Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) lives in, and it feels like an actual Central or South American city. Although it’s not going to set the superhero genre alight, I appreciated Blue Beetle’s upbeat energy and it manages to stand out in a crowded genre.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods isn’t as fresh as its predecessor but aside from a rocky start, it’s another entertaining ride. It’s considerably of a higher production value than Shazam spin-off Black Adam that released last year. This sequel mostly retains its warm portrayal of family and all of the characters receive meaningful character development. The script penned by Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan is sharply written and there’s a few laughs peppered throughout. Once again, Sandberg’s horror fingerprints can be felt all over the film, particularly in the climactic battle sequence and there’s even a cameo by the Annabelle doll that you’ll need to keep an eye out for. Other than the opening action sequence, there’s some fun set pieces here and even the final climactic battle remains consistently fun to watch, often the undoing of many a comic book film. The film is well shot by Gyula Pados but the score by Christophe Beck is disappointing and unmemorable.
Director: Taika Waititi Starring: Michael Fassbender, Oscar Kightley, Kaimana, David Fane, Rachel House, Beulah Koale, Taika Waititi, Will Arnett, Elisabeth Moss Certificate: 12A Run Time: 103 mins
Next Goal Wins is the latest from Taika Waititi, a sports comedy drama about Dutch-American coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) and his efforts to lead the American Samoa national football team. Prior to his involvement, the team were regarded as the weakest football team in the world, most famous for their embarrassing 31-0 loss to Australia in an Oceanian qualifying match for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The hot-tempered and washed-up Rongen attempts to train them for World Cup qualification in 2014, where their first match will be against Tonga but struggles due to their lack of cohesion and discipline.
American Samoa is portrayed as an insular community, with almost everyone working second or third jobs and there is a blanket 20mph speed limit (although apparently 30mph in reality). It’s certainly a natural fit for Waititi’s whimsical nature with a strong back catalogue of quirky comedies. Considering Waititi has since transitioned to bigger budget fare with Thor: Ragnarok and its controversial sequel Thor: Love and Thunder, it’s refreshing to see Waititi return to the genre that ignited his career.
Although Next Goal Wins is deeply flawed and has a rough-and-ready construction, it’s ultimately still a fun film with plenty of laughs and an amiable, feel-good nature. What allow his best comedies, such as Hunt For The Wilderpeople or What We Do In The Shadows, to succeed is his divergence from typical genre codes and conventions and it isn’t quite clear in Next Goal Wins whether Waititi knowingly adheres to or is trying to mock the generic constructs of the underdog sports comedy. The script, penned by Waititi and The Inbetweeners mastermind Iain Morris, packs itself full of quips and whilst perhaps two thirds of the jokes land, the remaining that don’t really don’t. While Waititi rarely strays from the established formula, the decision to reframe the second half of the football match as a second-hand memory is refreshing and allows the film to really stick the landing.
The performances are a mixed bag. Revered for his colder performances in films such as TheKiller, Michael Fassbender feels miscast as Rongen in what is arguably his first comedic role and his performance clashes oddly with the Samoan American community, although this is arguably by design to capture the disconnect. Elisabeth Moss and Will Arnett (who replaced Armie Hammer after abuse allegations came to light meaning the film was delayed) offer odd performances and fail to justify their limited screen time.
There’s some great performances from the Samoan American characters however, with Oscar Kightley, hilarious as the inept policeman in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, the standout as the loveable team manager. Kaimana is also brilliant as Jaiyah Saelua, a non-binary player who is initially treated with utter contempt by Rongen.
The film’s nicely shot by Lachlan Milne, who also shot Hunt For The Wilderpeople, although it’s odd he doesn’t capture the beauty of the mountains when he’s given the chance to. The original score by Michael Giacchino didn’t do much for me, with the jukebox choices faring better.
Next Goal Wins is ultimately an odd film by Waititi and isn’t one of his best considering his more subversive filmography. Still, it just about succeeds with its feel-good energy and a large proportion of its jokes to make it a fun experience. Check out Champions if you’re after a more consistent underdog sports comedy this year, which stars Woody Harrelson as a similarly washed-up coach who’s tasked with guiding a team of disabled players as community service.
Director: Zack Snyder Starring: Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Charlie Hunnam, Anthony Hopkins Certificate: 12A Run Time: 134 mins
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire is the latest by visionary director Zack Snyder, and is based on a concept he repeatedly pitched to various studios over the years. After strong success with the excellent Army of the Dead, Netflix had confidence in the filmmaker and gave him the green light.
Set on the fictional galaxy ruled by the imperialistic Motherworld, a farming colon on the moon of Veldt are threatened. Kora (Sofia Boutella), a former Imperium soldier heads on a quest to recruit warriors from across the galaxy to rise up against the Imperium. If you think that sounds just a little like Star Wars, you wouldn’t be wrong. Snyder says he was inspired by Star Wars, the works of Akira Kurosawa and Heavy Metal magazines.
Not a filmmaker associated with brevity, Netflix grew concerned in post-production that the film would underperform due to its unwieldy length. Snyder then decided to split the film into two parts (Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver will release in April 2024). It also became apparent Snyder’s vision was going to be R-rated and Netflix unconventionally decided it would release a younger audience-friendly cut, with an R-rated cut to follow down the line.
Many will remember the debacle that was Justice League, where Snyder’s interpretation of the material was butchered with. After riotous demand, the superior Zack Snyder’s Justice Leaguewas released and the two films couldn’t have been any more different. Netflix’s strategy of releasing two separate cuts is deeply reminiscent of Snyder’s previous experience and one has to wonder how different the director’s cut will be from what we have here.
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire starts off promisingly as we are introduced to the citizens of Veldt and how they are tormented by the sinister Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein). Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn’t live up to the strong beginning and gets bogged down in uninteresting, derivative lore as we go through the motions of Kora assembling a ragtag team. Strangely for a Snyder film, it’s not even particularly visually accomplished and the film is murkily shot. It almost feels as if Snyder is trying to shake his trademark visuals, given it’s 45 minutes before we get the first slow motion sequence. Even the score by the always-reliable Junkie XL is strangely uninspired.
The performances are also quite hokey. Sofia Boutella has proven she can be great, for example in Kingsman: The Secret Service or Prisoners of the Ghostland but she is very wooden here and has no charisma. Charlie Hunnam puts on a particularly unconvincing Northern Irish accent and even Djimon Hounsou isn’t given much to do. The cast member that fares best is Ed Skrein’s sinister villain and I’m looking forward to seeing the development of his character in the sequel.
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire is sadly mostly a misfire in this more family-friendly format and Snyder’s worst film. There are certainly hints at a more mature and edgier film, though, and it’ll be interesting to see just how different Snyder’s cut will be. For a more thought-provoking sci-fi, although flawed, check out The Creator.
The Film Meister 