#2023 film

[haveyouseenthis2023film]

Summary: Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered.

Release Date: June 2, 2023

Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson

Rating: PG

Everyone and their 5th cousin has likely seen this movie, or so it seems, but if you’ve managed to avoid it, you should definitely go watch it! It lives up to the hype and is an amazing sequel, amazing animated film, amazing superhero film, amazing Spider-Man film, and amazing film in general!

reblog for larger sample size :)

[maaarine]

Summer 2023: favorite movies I watched

Released in 2023

🇫🇷 Anatomy of a Fall (Anatomie d'une chute, Justine Triet)

husband falls to his death, wife is suspected of murder, son isn't sure what to believe, dog is cute

this year's palme d'or, loved that I could "feel the craft" of the writing and film-making as I was watching it, fantastic script and direction

🇺🇸 Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, part 1 (Christopher McQuarrie)

the car chase in Rome is so much fucking fun that it's worth watching for that alone

also Rebecca Ferguson fights the villain with a sword!!!! and Hayley Atwell's character is very relatable when she goes "nope" and "wut?" at Tom Cruise's shenanigans

—

Released earlier

🇮🇷 Holy Spider (Ali Abbasi, 2022)

female journalist investigates the murder of sex workers in a holy city in Iran

it's not about figuring out who the perpetrator is, because you know from the get-go, but about how The Patriarchy does its thing

🇯🇵 After the Storm (Umi yori mo mada fukaku, Hirokazu Koreeda, 2016)

loser guy faces his loserdom as he takes shelter from a typhoon in his mom's tiny apartment with his ex-wife and son who are all less than impressed with him

been watching Koreeda's filmography this year and the man doesn't miss, love how chill-yet-profound his movies are

[fernsjjf]

Godzilla - Minus 1 (Japanese 2023 Film)

Cool

[theconnoisseurreviews]

I rank the 2024 Best Picture Nominees

Follow me on my various social media sites @AwesomearnoldK

Or My Tumblr @theconnoisseurreviews

[yesterdanereviews]

Scooby-Doo and Krypto, Too! (2023)

Film review #553

Director: Cecilia Aranovich Hamilton

SYNOPSIS: Mystery inc. are called by Jimmy Olsen to Metropolis, in order to investigate the disappearance of the Justice League: Superman, Batman, and the rest. They arrive to a Metropolis overrun by villains, and Lex Luthor plotting to buy the Justice League headquarters and demolish it. The gang team up with Krypto the super dog, as they attempt to find out what happened to the Justice League...

THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Scooby-Doo and Krypto Too! is a 2023 animated film and part of a long line of direct-to-video titles in the Scooby-Doo franchise. This time, Scooby and the gang are travelling to Metropolis, where Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen has sent for Mystery inc. (via Daphne, who he thinks is his girlfriend because they were voted “best red-haired couple” when they were kids at summer-camp), in order to investigate the disappearance of the Justice League. When they get there they are immediately set upon by villains such as Giganta, The Joker, Solomon Grundy, and the like: who are all running amok since Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the rest aren’t around. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor is trying to get the mayor to sell him the now abandoned Justice League Headquarters so he can demolish it. The plot is set up as a typical Scooby-Doo mystery featuring all the usual essentials such as Scooby and Shaggy stuffing their faces, a list of suspects, a trap, and searching for clues. Though it must be said that it being a typical plot is not a bad thing: Scooby-Doo is a rare example of a franchise that has been successful for over fifty years without making significant changes. The only time the franchise falters is when it attempts to re-boot or re-imagine it (See: Scoob!). As such, even though it’s predictable, it’s still fun. This isn’t the first time Mystery inc. has had a crossover with superheroes though, as they have met Batman more than once, even hinting at it in the story, which is a nice touch. What strikes me is just how action-packed the film is: there’s rarely a lull in the energy of the film, and as soon as it starts, we are treated to Mystery inc. being chased around the city by the various villains from the DC universe, and it’s a pretty cool showcase of all the different characters that provides a bit of a twist on the classic Scooby-Doo chase. In fact, the whole film is full of references to the DC universe: probably far more than I noticed, but because of the relentless pace of the movie, you’ll have to be quick to catch some of them.

The Mystery inc. gang are on very typical form here, with everyone being the characters you are familiar with. No lengthy character establishments needed here. The supporting cast that provide the suspects for the mystery fill out their roles well, and Lex Luthor joins the gang to provide some comedy relief for the most part, and his part fits in really well, and adds something novel and fun, alongside his dog, “Rex Luthor.” Krypto shows up about half-way through the film, and even though he can’t speak like Scooby, still manages to capture a Superman-style personality with his actions, and is a solid support character too. I think more could have been done to explore the dynamic between Scooby and Krypto, but I don’t think the movie really needed it: it’s just a bit of fun that doesn’t need an in-depth character study or complex relation building.

As mentioned, the pace of the film is quite relentless, and there’s plenty of high energy action scenes alongside the typical Scooby-Doo shenanigans. A criticism of some of these scenes, such as the opening chase with the super villains, and the finale with everyone chasing the Phantom Zone projector around, is that they perhaps last a bit too long without much variation to keep them interesting. The film does try, but they perhaps could have been cut down just a little bit to avoid viewers noticing that they have been going on for a while. But that’s just a minor criticism, and on the whole, Scooby-Doo and Krypto, Too! is a fun adventure that is full of life, character and references which turn a silly crossover into a solid Scooby-Doo adventure. The central mystery is a bit weak in places, and as mentioned some of the action scenes go on for just a bit too long, but overall it gets in all the classic Scooby-Doo tropes (plenty of “Zoinks” and “Jinkies”), while also giving room for something new, such as Lex Luthor’s comedic role providing some much welcome and unexpected humour. Obviously intended for younger audiences, but there’s enough fun for older viewers as well. Unfortunately, the film’s released was cancelled due to Warner bros. company restructuring; fortunately, the entire film was leaked online, probably by someone disgruntled with the decision, so go find it if you want some good old-fashioned Scooby-Doo fun with a superhero twist.

[oh-the-horror-reviews]

FILM REVIEW: Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

As a FNAF fan, this film finally getting released made my year. A comfy night me and my little brother spent using the movie tickets I won at a coffee cart raffle, eating candy and popcorn and then having Thai takeout to wrap the night up. A nostalgia trip for both of us.

WARNINGS FOR: heavy plot spoilers for the film and original games, mentions and descriptions of gore, child death, child abuse (physical) and blood

POSITIVES

And that's really what this movie is, a nostalgia trip. Because I want to make one thing clear. If you haven't seen anything about FNAF, especially the silver eyes trilogy of novels, you probably aren't going to enjoy the film. If you only know fanon information and nothing about the canonical lore you probably aren't going to enjoy this film either... that's two things (/ref).

The final 'twist' isn't well set up because that's not what they were trying to do. From the very start a FNAF fan knows that 'Steve Raglan' (played by THE Matthew Lillard! One of two original Ghostface killers!) is absolutely William Afton. The final fight is just fan service for us fans and not a well plotted, set up reveal. What's the point of it? Acting as if we don't already know?

The choice to make the characters like Mike, Abby, Garrett, the missing children, Vanessa, etc parallels of existing characters in the FNAF universe instead of new people or exact adaptations is something I actually liked as well. I've heard some people are confused about it or just don't like it but a lot of that comes from expectations before the film released.

A LOT of people had it in their heads that the movie was going to be some hardcore jumpscare and gore-fest because "FNAF is so dark!" when... let's be real here. The darkness of FNAF has always come from lore behind the games and not visual representations of it. The closest we've ever really gotten to gore is some red pixels during one of the FNAF 3 minigames depicting William Afton's death in the springlock suit.

It's 2023 we can like kids horror either out of nostalgia or genuinely thinking it's good. Plenty of adults like Goosebumps and whatever. This movie was never going to be an R16-R18 horror. Imagine cutting off a good 3 years of your fanbase for 'accuracy' that isn't even accurate! Knowing how trapped and lost the missing children are after having their lives cut so short by such a selfish monster is already dark and way more accurate to how the games handled the lore.

It probably doesn't help that Scott helped work on the film and considering he's a devout anti-abortion, donating to homophobic politicians in secret Christian I doubt he would've been okay pushing the gore too far.

If anything, the lighthearted tone touching on the missing children still being actual children and not just murder machines makes the few gore and blood scenes even more shocking. The aunt's team of vandals getting attacked, the babysitter getting CUT IN HALF and the springlock scene at the end of the film are all good at raising the tension in such a colourful environment focusing on a family focused story.

CRITICISMS

The only two things I could criticize are:

1) Elizabeth Lail's acting. As Vanessa, she's noticeably more... exaggerated than her other cast members who all try to come off as realistic as they can for their characters. And not in a Renfield or Jack Griffin type of way where they're just purposefully odd or straight up nuts compared to everyone else. Just some of her line deliveries are a bit 'off' or even a little cringy? It's not that big of an issue and you don't notice it most of the time but I thought I'd mention it.

2) The lack of context for Vanessa and William's father-daughter relationship. It's heavily implied that William abused Vanessa as a child. Seeing how he behaves around her even as an adult, treating her less like a person and more of a tool or a verbal punching bag and with his track record with his kids in other universes (slapping daughters and gassing sons with hallucinogenic gas really doesn't get you father of the year) and the fact he gave a dead kids toy to his own kid as some fucked up 'trophy', it's pretty obvious.

But we really don't get any deeper context for her behaviour during the film specifically. Vanessa constantly lies and hides information in the film and it comes off as very, very annoying for a while. We can see by the end that William put that behaviour in her as a child so he wouldn't be caught murdering kids because his daughter told people what he was doing. But we never get to see much of this other than the brief confrontation at the final fight so it's harder to sympathize with her almost getting Abby killed. The movie's pacing is good so I think they could've pushed a few extra scenes in with her and William without slowing anything down. We all knew who he was anyway and they didn't have to reveal she was his daughter before the end because in the games she's already a brainwashed follower of his ideals.

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE?

Yes! It's fun, colourful and good for people who don't like non-stop nasties for a movie night but are still interested in something tense. Just don't expect to love it nearly as much if you know nothing about FNAF or the canon lore ("why is Cassidy not a girl?" "why is Cassidy blonde?" tiktok comments are starting to get to me)

A fun watch for fans and light horror fans :)

[myhumaninteractionsafterall]

Oct. in Film

Forgot to post my halloween doings. Only made it to 85 horror films and a few ere not actually horror films once I got into them.

8 is old so you probably already know how great it is. 23 was great fun. 37 and 40 were both good. I was told 50 was bad, but I actually highly recommend it. 58 was fun and a little different than I expected. 61 was good as was 63. 62 was kind of silly but I enjoyed it. And 65 was maybe the best one (plus it makes fetch happen at the end). 71 may become a new favorite series if they make follow ups. 79 was good and I had forgotten about the first movie in the series. I may watch both of those together next year.

Absentia (2011)

Alone in the Dark (1982)

The Amusement Park (1975)

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster (2023)

Anything for Jackson (2020)

Appendage (2023)

Baby Ruby (2022)

Barbarian (2022)

The Beyond (1981)

The Blackening (2022)

Bones and All (2022)

The Boogeyman (2023)

Cam (2018)

Children of the Corn (2020)

The Cleansing Hour (2019)

Cobweb (2023)

Dashcam (2021)

The Deadly Spawn (1983)

Deliver Us (2023)

The Devil on Trial (2023)

Dolores Claiborne (1995)

Elevator Game (2023)

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

The Exorcist: Believer (2023)

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

Gerald's Game (2017)

Gorgo (1961)

Grave Encounters 2 (2012)

Gretel & Hansel (2020)

Haunt (2019)

Haunted Mansion (2023)

The Haunting of Julia (1977)

Haxan (1922)

The Hidden (1987)

His House (2020)

Hush (2016)

Influencer (2022)

The Invitation (2022)

It Lives Inside (2023)

Knock at the Cabin (2023)

Little Bone Lodge (2023)

Luckiest Girl Alive (2022)

Malum (2023)

Maniac Cop (1988)

Maniac Cop 2 (1990)

Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1992)

Meg 2: The Trench (2023)

Missing (2023)

Night of the Hunted (2023)

No One Will Save You (2023)

Nocebo (2022)

The Nun II (2023)

Older Gods (2023)

The Passenger (2023)

Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (2023)

The Puppetman (2023)

The Relic (1997)

Saw X (2023)

Scare Package (2019)

Scary Stories (2018)

Seance (2021)

Sick (2022)

Slaxx (2020)

The Sleepless Unrest: The Real Conjuring Home (2021)

Slotherhouse (2023)

Smile (2022)

Spree (2020)

The Stylist (2020)

Superhost (2021)

Tales of the Uncanny (2020)

Talk to Me (2022)

There's Something Wrong with the Children (2023)

Totally Killer (2023)

Unseen (2023)

Unwelcome (2022)

VHS 85 (2023)

Vicious Fun (2020)

Werewolf of London (1935)

The Wrath of Becky (2023)

We Have a Ghost (2023)

A Wounded Fawn (2022)

Wilkolak (2018)

Wrong Turn (2021)

Yogen (2004)

Zombie Girl: The Movie (2009)

[door]

The Spider’s Web (1960)

[bookhouseboy1980-blog]

Insidious: The Red Door (Review)

For more sub to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/@borednow5838/videos

[maxxxines]

BARBIE (2023) dir. Greta Gerwig

[loren91]

I made the t-shirt design I wanted, so it's on Teepublic if anyone else wants it too or whatever

[maaarine]

Autumn 2023: favorite movies I watched

May December (Todd Haynes, 2023)

—

Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese, 2023)

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Our Children (A perdre la raison, Joachim Lafosse, 2012)

[fernsjjf]

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

This is the final journey of Ethan Hunt. I'm really excited.

[theconnoisseurreviews]

With the Oscars around the corner, here is a ranking of 2024's Best Animated Feature Films.

Follow me on my various social media sites @AwesomearnoldK

Or My Tumblr @TheConnoisseurreviews

[yesterdanereviews]

Crater (2023)

Film review #572

Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez

SYNOPSIS: In a mining colony on the moon, Caleb Channing is about to be shipped to the new colony of Omega, after his Father dies in a mining accident, and he is allowed to go. However, this means leaving his friends behind, which he does not want to do. Caleb also wants to fulfil his Dad's last wish and go to a crater outside of the colony, so they decide to steal a lunar rover and head out on a road trip across the moon...

THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Crater is a 2023 sci-film. The film takes place in 2257 on a mining colony on the Moon, where teenager Caleb Channing is about to be transported to the colony planet Omega, after his Father died in an accident and as a result his family is allowed to take the seventy five year trip in cryostasis to reach the new planet. However, Caleb doesn't want to go and leave his friends behind. Alongside this, his father told him his dying wish was for him to visit a crater outside of the colony on the lunar surface to see something. To this end, Caleb and his friends plan to steal a lunar rover and travel outside the colony to see the crater before he has to go away forever. The film is a sci-fi twist on the classic teen coming of age adventure, such as The Goonies and Stand by Me. It follows the formula well, and has all the necessary beats to fulfil it's objective. The sci-fi setting gives it an interesting twist, although at it's core it focuses on the characters and their adventure: the setting is simple enough to understand and follow, and doesn't interfere with that. There's a lot of convenient coincidences that make everything possible, such as a meteor shower happening when they are planning to escape so that means no one can go after them, but you can overlook that for the most part. There's times where the film feels a bit too on-the-rails for an adventure, as it doesn't have the capacity to deviate too much from it's destination (being in a lunar rover, they can't really just wander off and find anything new on the Moon), and the flashback narration from Caleb's dad sometimes is a bit overbearing in hammering home what this trip is supposed to be does seem to be a bit counterproductive in celebrating these kid's freedom, but is not a huge problem, and the film stands on it's own for the most part.

The cast of Caleb and his friends are diverse and interesting enough, and give strong performances throughout, which creates a good connection between the characters. Each of them has their own issues and outlooks that bring something to the trip, and there's some conflict between the characters, but it's very minimal. We don't learn everything about the characters, and that's fine, because we're just enjoying this journey with them. There's a message about environmentalism and worker's rights that runs throughout the film, but it keeps it subtle, letting it play off a little more in the finale when the journey is over. The ending is a jump, but one that doesn't diminish or write off the impact of what it does, and gives just enough to keep things hopeful.

The film looks pretty good, with a consistent sci-fi aesthetic that feels used and worn, without it looking too cheap or hokey. The CG isn't top notch, but again, that's just a small thing you can overlook. All in all, Crater is a decent adventure that takes it's subject matter seriously, although this might be a bit too serious for it's target audience. The adventure is fun and easy to follow, the performances are pretty good, and while there are some issues with the film, they are mostly easily overlooked, and don't detract from the experience.

[zanephillips]

JOSEPH QUINN Hoard (2023)