Tag: 2023

Number 17…

I can’t recall why I was asked to go to a certain YMCA week long camp back in 2003 (probably so my little brother was not alone, even though I hardly saw him the whole week), but the last night was indeed eventful.

We had a canoe ride that was to be followed by a dance, in which a girl I developed a summer crush on said she would dance with me. The canoe ride when over by an hour or so (we got lost in the rain), but I got that last bit of time to dance with her (to Elvis Presley’s “Can’t help falling in love”, for that matter).

Tags 2023, 21st Century, Celine Song, Drama, Greta Lee, John Magaro, Movie Milestones, Past Lives, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Romance, Teo Yoo, Top 25

"Top Tens", and others Movies

Top 10 Films of 2023

There are a lot of positives and negatives to look back on in 2023 when it comes to cinema, both industry wise and personally.

Of course, Hollywood had a big dent in the year with two strikes (which I did support, for what it is worth), While they have thankfully ended, we will probably feel the fall out of them in this upcoming year (and possibly into 2025). Looking back at the amount of films I have seen (just shy of 80, which is more than I have done in previous years), I saw nearly 90 percent of them (whether in theater or streaming) by myself. It would really be nice to have my friends and family have a better schedule for me, but such is life.

Tags 2023, A Thousand and One, afire, american fiction, american symphony, Anatomy of a Fall, Are you there God its me margaret, Barbie, Beau is afraid, Blackberry, bottoms, fallen leaves, ferrari, Godzilla Minus One, How to Blow up a Pipeline, iowa caucus, John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 4, Killers of the Flower Moon, leave the world behind, Love at First Sight, Maestro, May December, Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible -Dead Reckoning: Part 1, Movie Reviews, no hard feelings, No one will save you, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor things, Rye Lane, Saltburn, Showing Up, Society of the Snow, Spider-Man, Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse, Still a michael j fox movie, Talk to Me, Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift The Eras Tour, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem, The Boy and the Heron, the color purple, The Creator, The Eras Tour, THe Holdovers, The Iron Claw, The Killer, The Zone of Interest, Theater Camp, they cloned tyrone, top ten movies of 2023, wonka

"Top Tens", and others

Top 10 Worst Films of 2023

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date December 30, 2023
No Comments on Top 10 Worst Films of 2023

In the past month, I found myself doing something I never imagined I would do in my time on this planet:

I started watching Hallmark movies.

My first was Holiday Road, followed by titles such as Christmas with a Kiss, On the 12th date of Christmas, A Biltmore Christmas, Norwegian Holiday, and Christmas on Cherry Lane. Much of this was “pressure” from my insistent (and wonderfully amazing) cousin Monroe.

Tags 2023, Hallmark Channel, Heart of Stone, Left Behind, Left Behind: Rise of the Anti-Christ, Love Again, Meg 2: The Trench, Nefarious, Rebel Moon, Rebel Moon Part One A CHild of Fire, Sound of Freedom, The Exorcist, The Exorcist Believer, The Flash, The Marvels, Top Ten, Worst of the year

4 Stars

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

I was definitely not expecting that.

Am I the only one who thought this after seeing Godzilla Minus One? Having been around for nearly seven decades and being in more than a dozen movies, Godzilla is nothing short of a cinematic icon.

Tags 2023, Godzilla, Godzilla Minus One, PG-13, Rated PG-13

4 Stars

The Boy and the Heron (2023)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date December 14, 2023
4 Comments on The Boy and the Heron (2023)

(Note: All actors regarded to are in the English version of the film).

I’m not sure if I was too late in joining the Studio Ghibli band wagon when I discovered Spirited Away (which, after two decades, is still the best animated film of the century), but I have yet to jump off of it.

Tags 2023, Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Florence Pugh, Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki, Mark Hamill, Movie Reviews, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Robert Pattinson, Studio Ghibli, The Boy and the Heron, Willem Dafoe

4 1/2 Stars Movies

May December (2023)

There is not as much shame as there used to be when I would admit to going into a movie thinking it was bad and it ends up being good (or vice versa).

I had more of a “mistaken identity” when watching May December. I’m not sure where I read it (or where I thought I did) but I went into the film thinking that the two main actresses, Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, were a married couple. Regardless of how I came to this false conclusion, it is not the case the new film by Todd Haynes, but that does not at all take away from the true film, with one of the more unique and admittedly disturbing premises in recent memory.

Tags 2023, Charles Melton, Dark Comedy, Drama, Julianne Moore, May December, Movie Review, Mr. Holland's Opus, Natalie Portman, Netflix, Rated R, Richard Dreyfuss, Todd Haynes

3 Stars Movies

Napoleon (2023)

Try as I might, my prior knowledge of Napoleon Bonaparte heading into the latest movie based on him is considerably less than normal (I was going to make a height joke here, but couldn’t think of one).

Aside from knowing him as one of the greatest generals in history, being considered short, and having a complex named after him, I knew nothing more (unless you count him being a fan of water slides thanks to Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure). Even still, it seems to make sense that director Ridley Scott, equally as fearless as Bonaparte (and in his mid 80s, no less) would make a film about the historical figure, which results in the film Napoleon.

Tags 2023, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Joaquin Phoenix, Napoleon, R, Rated R, Ridley Scott, Vanessa Kirby

2 Stars Movies

The Marvels (2023)

The increasing gaps between film releases in the MCU is becoming apparent.

This can be due to many factors, including the now (thankfully) ended SAG-Aftra strike. Yet the quality in the films (not to mention most of the TV shows) in the MCU have been dipping in the last year or two. True, the last movie we had, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, had its moments, but that was back in May. Since then, the only true good thing we have gotten was a second season of Loki, which arrived the same time as the newest film, The Marvels. It should be no wonder why the only MCU film to be released next year will be the long awaited Deadpool 3.

Tags 2023, Brie Larson, Chloe Zhao, Eternals, Iman Vellani, Marvel, MCU, Nia DeCosta, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Samuel L. Jackson, Teyonah Parris, The Marvels, Zawe Ashton

2 Stars Movies

Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date October 29, 2023
No Comments on Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)

When it comes to prior knowledge of the subject matter before seeing a movie, it is all situational.

Case in point, I have yet to play any of the Five Night at Freddy’s games (or “FNAF” as I know it to be called), but I knew just enough about it in a sense going in thanks to the trailer and the expert of the games going with me named Sean, a friend’s son.

Tags 2023, Elizabeth Lail, Five Nights at Freddy's, FNAF, Grant Feely, Josh Hutcherson, Mary Stuart Masterson, Matthew Lillard, PG-13, Piper Rubio, Rated PG-13

5 Stars Movies

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date October 22, 2023
1 Comment on Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

It should be obvious, but it is nigh impossible to call oneself a cinephile and dislike the films of Martin Scorsese (or at least not appreciate them).

His name is on par with directing giants of the past: Hitchcock, Ford, Ozu, Welles, Kurosawa, Kubrick, Fellini. He has been in the twilight of his career for a little over a decade now, but has never lost his unique cinematic eye. For those like him working into his 80s (it should be noted before this film, I saw two trailers for up coming films from two octogenarian filmmakers: Michael Mann and Ridley Scott), it is not easy to bring about something fresh as well as ones old tricks.