This is Ann's "2023 in film (Ann and Stan)" and Stan's "2023 in film (Ann and Stan):"
2023 in film (Ann and Stan)
Ann and Stan back with with our annual look at film. 2023 was the year George Clooney discovered to again explore the plight of White people. THE BOYS IN THE BOAT is the ninth film he's directed. You may have noticed that only one of those nine films featured an African-American among the top seven actors credited (THE MIDNIGHT SKY). To ensure that he can have another all White cast, he decides to go back in time -- consider it his way of celebrating segregation. So he goes back to the 1936 Summer Olympics -- you know, the summer games famous to this day for Jesse Owens winning four gold medals. But Jesse Owens was Black so Clooney focuses instead on the rowing team -- the all White rowing team -- to deliver another all White sports film.
For a 'fauxgressive' like George Clooney, "racism" is just another term for "independent film."
Garage films were all over 2023 but there were also a few worth noting. Here's our pick of the ten best of the year.
1) RUSTIN
The years best film. The film covers the lead up to The March on Washington and the historic Civil Rights moment itself. If you steer away from historic films which seem to be dull and staid, don't let that steer you from RUSTIN. This is a lively and entertaining look at history with a great performance from Colman Domingo as Bayard Rustin. The amazing cast also includes Audra McDonald, Chris Rock, Michael Potts, Gus Halper, CCH Pounder and Rashad Demond Edwards. George C. Wolfe better be on the list of nominees for Best Director at the next Academy Awards.
2) THE COLOR PURPLE
This
musical is first-rate and honors Alice Walker's novel of the same name
in ways that the 1985 film missed. It also features an amazing
performance from Fantasia as Celie. A musical needs to provide joy and
this one delivers -- delivers great dancing and singing and most of all
the joy that is at the heart of Celie's journey.
3) MOVING ON
Did you miss this dark comedy in the theaters? We did too. And we wanted to see it opening day. However, as we noted at our sites, this film wasn't in our cities. We thought, "Well maybe week two or three . . ." But no. It played in about ten theaters in the United States. You can stream it on HULU or purchase it or rent it via AMAZON. This is a hidden gem from Paul Weitz. You get fantastic performances from Richard Roundtree and Malcolm McDowell. You get the always solid teaming of Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. They play friends of a woman who's passed away. Jane Fonda burrows so deeply into the role, it will shock you. She's been very good in many movies and she set the standard for 20th century acting in film with KLUTE. We'd rank her performance here with what she did in KLUTE (for which she won her first of two Academy Awards). She's so into the character, you forget you're watching Jane Fonda who you've loved in 9 TO 5, ON GOLDEN POND, BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, CAT BALLOU, JULIA, THE CHINA SYNDROME, THE MORNING AFTER and so many other films. Lily is excellent in her role but the film really belongs to Jane.
4) NYAD
Will the
questions about veracity haunt the film when nominations come out for
the Academy Awards? We don't know. But those questions are probably
why this film is only at number four. We loved it, though. Annette
Bening is excellent.. She may be the living actress that has given the
greatest number of excellent performances in films without ever winning a
Best Actress Academy award. Here she's playing a single-minded
individual who's driven, frustrating, admirable and annoying. She
doesn't cheat the role the way Meryl Streep always does (she can't play a
bad character, always has to sweeten it and tries to pass that off as
'feminism' when it's just her own limited vision). Annette goes full
out. And one reason, this especially works in this film is that the
supporting actress is Jodie Foster. Jodie can deliver dramatics -- off
the scale when needed. In this role, she's more reflective -- the moon
to Annette's sun -- and her incredible talents allow her to bring so
much to this character that would be forgettable in the hands of anyone
else.
5) THEATER CAMP
Laugh out
loud funny. If you're looking for big laughs, you have to see this film
directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman about a summer theater camp
for kids. Amy Sedaris, Ben Platt, Noah Galvin -- everyone in the film
is hilarious -- that includes Will Ferrell. These are very dark times
and maybe that's why horror has become so popular and people run from
comedies (from making them and from seeing them). But this film is
hilarious and you shouldn't miss it.
6) THE LITTLE MERMAID
Our number six film for the best of the year is also number six on the year's top grossing films. We mention that to note (a) we only have two films on our list that made the top ten grossing films of the year (domestically) and (b) this was the 'bomb,' remember?
Rabid MAGAs couldn't stop attacking this film because it starred Halle Bailey.
Because she was so bad in it, right?
No.
Because she can't sing, right?
No.
Because she's Black.
That's all it boiled down to just like the same rabid MAGAs are attacking the upcoming Snow White remake because Latina Rachel Zegle stars.
Now, look, we get it, characters are beloved. And that last FANTASTIC FOUR even we found ridiculous. Sue and Johnny are brother and sister and yet, in that last go round, one was Angle White and the other African-American? That was offensive -- especially when you grasp that the African-American male was given the usual hot head role that also requires comic eye popping. Bad enough that they alter the storyline but they fell into racist tropes in the process.
But there's nothing that says Snow White can't be Latina, there's nothing that says a mermaid can't be Black.
Halle, with strong assist from Melissa McCarthy, delivered and demonstrated that she was a star. She established that onscreen with this performance. Offscreen, she made that clear as well in promoting the film without ever getting bogged down in all the attacks and all the lies.
MAGAs declared it a bomb opening weekend and kept
repeating that lie -- DEADLINE, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER and other
outlets fueled it and need to take a look at their own selves as a
result. When the film ended its run, it had sold $569,626,89 in
tickets. No, it was not a bomb. We'd really appreciate it if, in the
future, outlets like DEADLINE and THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER would stop
promoting racism and amplifying lies. And if they can't do that? Kiss
our Black asses.
7) BOTTOMS
Director Emma Seligman followed up 2020's SHIVA BABY with another classic. Nicholas Galitzine is already a break out thanks to this film and AMAZON's RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE, but this is a cast that you should be hearing from for years and years to come. There all delivering laughs especially lead actresses Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri.
8) ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA
This
is the other film on our list that made the top ten domestic grossing
films for the year. Superhero burnout didn't surprise us -- we'd noted
it for some time. But two real casualties of this were last year's
BLACK ADAM and this Ant-Man installment. We'd urge you to go over to
HBO and watch BLACK ADAM again -- with the assault on Gaza in mind as
you watch. See if you don't appreciate it even more. We think this
Ant-Man installment will age well also. It's got a strong cast -- that
does include Jonathan Majors. He really delivered and it's a shame
about his offscreen actions, a jury has addressed those. But he was
great as the evil Kang. Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas deserve praise
for their performances. But the film really belongs to two people:
Michelle Pfeiffer and Bill Murray. Michelle is amazing in pretty much
everything, isn't she? And only she could create all the shades and
levels that would lead up to this film that explains exactly what
happened when Janet disappeared. Like BLACK ADAM, the film has some
political issues that 'reviewers' didn't seem to grasp. WSWS apparently
needs a highlighter troughout a film, for example, to get a message.
And if they can't get a message, they can't praise a film because
they're not about art, they're just about messaging when it comes to TV
and film -- which is why their arts coverage sucks so much. Michelle's
Janet took on the system with a group of revolutionaries. She returns
years later to find out that her former comrade Bill Murray has sold out
and is now part of the system that they wanted to dismantle.
Michelle's fierce throughout the film but we especially enjoyed the
scenes she shared with Bill Murray.
9) 80 FOR BRADY
A popcorn movie. It's one of three films starring Jane Fonda that were released in 2023. The third one -- the sequel to BOOK CLUB -- isn't on her due to a very bad script. You don't spend a whole movie (SPOILER) building up to Jane Fonda marrying Don Johnson only to call of the wedding at the end. Equally true, Jane has no heat with Don Johnson. Not in the first film, not here. She had heat in MOVING ON with Richard Roundtree. She has heat in this film as well. She's funny and her comedic timing is excellent as always. Sally Field sparkles as a woman in love but frustrated by the aging process (we're referring to the character of her husband, FYI, but trying not to do spoilers). For Sally and Jane alone, this would be a film to see. But Lily Tomlin really delivers. She's having a health scare and that's why she wants to go to the Superbowl with her friends and root on Tom Brady. It's a great film -- so good in fact that we're not even going to point out that the fourth actress -- who can never stop attacking Natalie Wood -- didn't actually do all of her own singing in WEST SIDE STORY -- a detail she always 'forgets' when trashing Natalie Wood.
10) NAPOLEON
Ridley Scott's film is an epic biography. The film's done much better overseas ($141 million to North America's $60 million). Maybe that will change in the new year? It's a film worth catching if you haven't already and it's a film you want to see on a big screen in a theater. The scope alone if worth the ticket price.
Going out with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
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