Watched in 2023: Movies

2023

Director: Emerald Fennell
Her 2nd Movie
My 2nd movie watched from the director

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Performances - Rosamund Pike (Honorable Mention)
Top Ten Performances - Richard E. Grant
The Unlikable Protagonist - Oliver Quick



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Location: Oxford, England, UK; Northhamptonshire, England, UK

Director: Grillian Armstrong
Her 12th Movie
My 2nd movie watched from the director

Blanchet is so Blanchett in this WWII movie about a strong woman who is weakened, or strengthened by love, then definitely strengthened by another love. It's an earlier role for her that really shows her passion for her craft and her subject. The production overall is pretty decent, but it is the acting overall that really moves this picture.

Added to Lists:
Favorite Actors Checklist: Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett is the Title Character
The Insanely Large Amount of Stories from World War II
Top Ten Performances - Cate Blanchett (Honorable Mention)
Top Ten Performances - Billy Crudup
Top Ten Performances - Michael Gambon

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Location: Vichy France (WWII); Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, Tarn-et-Garonne, France

Director: Brian De Palma
His 19th Movie
My 12th movie watched from the director

De Palma was trying something here... from an impressive long shot (overshadowed by "Goodfellas" released this same year) and a series of not-so-serious characters in a satire that never really lands. Nonetheless Hanks carries the ensemble of soon-to-be-well-known character actors in what is a fairly satisfying ending.

Added to Lists:
Big Casts Before They Were Bigger Stars
The Longest Long Shots

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Location: Midtown Manhattan, NYC, NY, USA

Director: Jim O'Connolly
His 4th Movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

Wanted to see this after watching the show, "Feud", expecting it to be really bad but it was actually a pretty decent B movie. The circus stunts were entertaining, Crawford puts in her famous effort, and the ending reveal was good even if messy.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Performances - Joan Crawford
A Day at the Circus

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Location: Various towns in England, UK

Director: Park Chan-wook
His 10th Movie
My 4th movie watched from the director

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Performances - Matthew Goode
Best Match Cuts in Cinema History (Combing Hair to Field)
The Art of the Shower Scene (India reflecting on a murder)

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Location: Outside of Nashville, TN, USA

Director: Richard Kwietniowski
His 2nd Movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

What starts as a movie about a gambling addiction turns into a movie about actually owning the addiction and having no pleasure out of life other than in those moments of big gambles. A movie with several strong performances but so glad I got to see another incredible performance by the late P.S. Hoffman.

Added to Lists:
The Stress of Watching Gambling
Dress Up Pretty and Meet Me in Atlantic City
Top Ten Performances: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Top Ten Performances: Minnie Driver
Top Ten Performances: John Hurt

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Location: Toronto, ON, Canada; Atlantic City, NJ, USA

Director: Jerome Gary
His 1st Movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

I tend to like competition documentaries, getting the inside stories of a group of individuals with very different backgrounds but with the same goals. I also like diving into an industry or topic I know little about. I especially like watching the time capsule docs. So, this fits all of that which means I enjoyed it, even if it was far from polished and never really that compelling.

Added to Lists:
Favorite Competition Documentaries

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Director: Tom McGrath
His 5th Movie
My 5th movie watched from the director

Watched this with my youngest, not actually as bad as I thought it would be. Some of the alternative animation sequences was a good touch. Still, overall it's kind of a nonsense movie with a bunch humor we've seen so often in animated family movies.

Added to Lists:


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2023

Director: Wes Anderson
His 11th Movie
My 12th movie watched from the director

One of Anderson's weaker movies (So far upon one viewing) but it is still filled with plenty of whimsy, clever writing, and interesting characters. Anderson has shown he can make a movie with lots of well-developed characters with limited screen time, that's kind of his thing, but here I feel the characters weren't quite developed as well, or I just didn't care about them as much. I'm not sure... yet. As always, much love is given to the production design, writing, andcinematography, which all help make it to be an entertaining outing.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Films - Wes Anderson (Honorable Mention)
Top Ten Performances - Scarlett Johansson (Honorable Mention)
Top Ten Performances - Bryan Cranston
Top Ten Performances - Steve Park
Welcome to List City


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Location: Asteroid City (Fictional), USA

Director: Sandra Goldbacher
Her 2nd Movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

Friel and Williams are incredible together and really make this the movie it is, which might not be memorable outside of their performances. Maclachlan plays an interesting role, too, widening his range a bit.

Added to Lists:
Baths that Last
Top Ten Performances - Anna Friel
Top Ten Performances - Michelle Williams (Honorable Mention)
Top Ten Performances - Kyle Maclachlan (Honorable Mention)


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Location: Isle of Wight and Brighton, England, UK

Director: Todd Haynes
His 7th Movie
My 5th movie watched from the director

Added to Lists:
2017: The Year of Wonder
Black and White in Modern Era
The Main Character Never Speaks

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Location: Gunflint Lake, MN, USA & Hoboken, NJ, USA

Director: Bob Fosse
His 4th Movie
My 4th movie watched from the director

There is a lot going on in this movie loosely based on its director. It moves really well yet it's erratic, it's messy yet it's focused, it's self-promoting yet self-maligning, and it's kind of brilliant. "Jaws" may be Scheider's most well-known role, but this is definitely his best performance.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Performances - Roy Schedier
Dancing the Scene Away - Best Dance Scenes

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Location: Midtown Manhattan, NYC, NY, USA

Director: Kenneth Branagh
His 19th Movie
My 9th movie watched from the director

It's a movie about The Troubles, but it is more so a movie about boyhood and finding one's place in the world. I loved the relationships within in the family, especially between the boy and his grandmother. The colorful present-day opening of Belfast transitioning to his childhood in Belfast was nicely done. I loved the Van Morrison soundtrack, but really nothing wowed me and I never became that invested, as the filmmakers would have liked. An enjoyable movie, and one of Branagh's best.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Films - Kenneth Branagh
Top Ten Performances - Caitriona Balfe
Top Ten Performances - Ciaran Hinds
Top Ten Performances - Judy Dench (Honorable Mention)
The Were Riots on the Streets, Tell Me Where Were You?
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Location: Hmmm... Belfast, Ireland?

Director: Sidney Lumet
His 8th Movie
My 13th movie watched from the director

This is a Sidney Lumet classic I finally got to watch. It's appropriately intense and full of solid performances, including a very serious role from Matthau. The decisions being made and the ultimate decision brings the most intensity to the movie. It's just kind of tense the whole way through, but builds very nicely. The final moments help make it great. It's strangely controlled yet daring for a 1960s movie.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Films - Sidney Lumet
Top Ten Performances - Henry Fonda
Top Ten Performances - Walter Matthau
Bombs in Movies that Weren't Bombs

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Location: Washington D.C., USA

Director: Justine Triet
Her 5th Movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

The two female leads hold their own and make this movie worth watching, otherwise it's a plainly filmed and directed movie that doesn't have much new to offer. There are some effective moments but they don't add up to more than an average movie. Seems like a lot of potential lost, as it was directed by the same director as much-praised, "Anatomy of a Fall".

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Performances - Virginie Efira
Top Ten Performances - Adèle Exarchopoulos
Movies About Making Movies

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Location: Paris, France, Stromboli, Italy

2023

Director: David Fincher
His 12th Movie
My 12th movie watched from the director

The movie has a really interesting first act where we witness the and hear about the strategies of a hired assassin; but then the rest of the movie is about cleaning up his mess and revenge killing. Each scene is its own character, in a way, but the main character never changes. Fassbender is purposely emotionless but because of that it never gets very interesting. It's pacing and tone reflects his profession and therefore there is not a lot of life in it. Never a bad movie, but never a great movie, something I expect from Fincher.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Films - David Fincher
Top Ten Performances - Michael Fassbender
Cinema's Best Assassins

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Location: Place du Pantheon, Paris, France; Dominican Republic; New Orleans, LA, USA

Director: Lisa Gottlieb
Her 1st Movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

This movie was so far removed from reality, but somehow it's fun enough to keep it watchable. I give most of that credit to the lead, Joyce Hyser, who surprisingly never took off as a movie actress. It is very much a 'just go with it' kind of movie that is filled with 80s teen movie tropes we all love but it's just a level down from the ones we all love.

Added to Lists:
The Evolution of Teen Movie
The Teen Comedy: Ranked

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Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA

Director: Ziggy Steinberg
His 1st Movie (His Only Movie)
My 1st movie watched from the director

This movie is a mess and really just stupid. I thought I'd try it because it has Christopher Plummer and Daniel Stern and wanted to try a movie I knew nothing about, but now I regret wasting my time. It's another one of those movies where reality is so far gone that it makes it too hard to watch and enjoy.

Added to Lists:


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Location: Palm Springs, CA, USA

Director: Dennis Hopper
His 6th Movie (Final Movie)
My 2nd movie watched from the director

A kind of fun road trip movie that never takes itself too seriously. The three leads carry it along even if none of them are exceptional. Dennis Hoppers final movie he directed and it comes with a (sort of) funny cameo.

Added to Lists:
Top Road Trip Vehicles
Top Road Trip Teams

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Location: Various South Carolina, USA

Director: John Byrum
His 3rd movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

An interesting movie for 1980s Murray, as it's almost entirely dramatic and against type; but he plays it so well. His performance is hindered by poor direction and an uneven tone. His costars do a fine job, too. I really like the music and themes, it felt like an epic from the 60s and is full of beautiful and surprising moments.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Performances - Bill Murray (Honorable Mention
The Let-It-Happen-Around-the-World Character

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Location: Lake Forrest, IL, USA; Paris, France

Director: John Carpenter
His 5th Movie
My 6th movie watched from the director

Added to Lists:


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Location: Antonio Bay (Fictional), Northern CA, USA

Director: Charles Vidor
His 23rd Movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

Finally getting the chance to watch Rita Hayworth's most famous performance is worth the wait. She does not disappoint and she makes me interested in every aspect of this movie. Glenn Ford is pretty good, too, in perhaps his best performance as well.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Performances - Rita Hayworth
Top Ten Performances - Glenn Ford
Best Songs Sung in a Movie
Iconic Dresses of Cinema - Black

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Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Director: Jonathan Levine
His 4th Movie
My 6th movie watched from the director

This is a little better than expected. It's actually kind of a sweet story which makes it strange with the post-zombie apocalypse setting. I suppose that's what they were going for, so it works. The two leads are pretty good and the chemistry is there, also strange. Still, the production overall didn't really impress me - it's not bad, just basic filmmaking.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Performances - Nicholas Hoult
Stuck in One Place

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Location: Montreal, QB, Canada

Director: Phil Karlson
His 45th Movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

I've been wanting to see this since "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" came out and I'm really glad I did. It's not a very good movie, but it is fun and it is a unique piece from Hollywood history, considering the pending demise of Sharon Tate. Tate is incredibly likable and a reminder of a sad loss. However, the "Star" is Dean Martin, and he is terrible in this. Clearly they cast him for the star power and marketing, but I can't help know it would have been a better movie with someone else in the lead.
Overall it is a silly James Bond or Flint movie and just good fun.

Added to Lists:
Iconic Dresses of Cinema - Green, Violet

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Location: Various and Unnamed

2023

Director: Wes Anderson
His 12th Movie
My 11th movie watched from the director

The longest and my favorite of Anderson's recently released Roald Dahl shorts.
I also watched "Poison", "The Rat Catcher", and "The Swan", rating those three a 7/10.

It is technically a short, it's a long one, with a running time exceeding half an hour, but it's so nicely packed with lots of scenes, characters, story and triple settings, it feels closer to a feature-length movie. Like "The Grand Budapest Hotel" we experience a story within a story within a story, and like that movie it is rapid-paced with a bounty of dialogue. Anderson appears to stick so close to Dahl's script, leaving nothing out, and even providing an aesthetic resembling reading a tangible Dahl book. It's got many of the Anderson traits and it's engaging all the way through. I really enjoyed the lightness to it and it feels like a story most people could appreciate.

The other three shorter shorts held the same aesthetic and heavy narration/dialogue. At points there was almost too much, but once again, like reading a Dahl book, say for your kid at bedtime, I felt like I could fall asleep to it, as it was so constant.

Referring to all four shorts, Anderson hired only one actor he's worked with in the past (Ralph Fiennes) with mostly new players showing up; and it was a delight seeing people like Richard Ayoade, Dev Patel, Benny Kingsley, Benny Cumberbatch, and Rupert Friend workout out extensive Anderson/Dahl dialogue.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Wes Anderson Shorts

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Location: London, England, UK

Director:
His 5th Movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

This is a movie I can't seem to get out of my head. The imagery and tone hit hard. I'm thankful for knowing nothing about it going in. Fiennes continues to quietly be one of the all-time great actors and the rest of the cast is importantly strong to make any of the ridiculousness believable. I won't say any more so you can hopefully have the same experience.

Added to Lists:
Best Movie Sandwiches - Cheeseburger
2022: The Year We Made Fun of the Ultra Rich
Stuck in One Place
Top Ten Performances - Anya Taylor Joy
Top Ten Performances - Nicholas Hoult
Top Ten Performances - Hong Chau
Top Ten Performances - Janet McTeer
Top Ten Performances - Aimee Carrero

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Location: A Fictional Island near Savannah, GA, USA

Director: James Hill
His 7th Movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

The music and song is famous and I thought my youngest would enjoy a story about lions, so I finally gave in and watched. The settings are pretty impressive and the work with lions must be, too. I just couldn't help but worry about the stress they put on them during production. Anyway, the story was fine but most everything else was average, especially the acting - though Virginia McKenna certainly has some affable qualities.
I will give it a seven because of how tough it must have been to get made and it turned out fine.

Added to Lists:
Live-Action Movies Centering on Animals
Movies Where the Song is More Popular

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Location: Meru National Park, Kenya

2023

Director: Michael B. Jordan
His 1st Movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

I'm not sure if this is the final of the series, if it is, it sure ended weak. Jordan is a proven fine actor but maybe he should have tried directing a smaller picture first, as this movie felt like a high-production cost amateur movie. Pretty disappointing where this series has gone after such a strong start.

Added to Lists:
The Rocky Saga: Ranked
Top Ten Performances - Tessa Thompson (Honorable Mention)

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Location: Crenshaw and Beverly Hills, L.A., CA, USA

Director: Jim Jarmusch
His 12th Movie
My 6th movie watched from the director

Perfect score for this movie, likely memorable enigmatic characters that hit the right tone throughout. The production design is noteworthy, too. I love the very specific type of characters and vampires they are. Jarmusch shows he still has some creativity left but the overuse of exposition is its biggest setback.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Films - Jim Jarmusch
Top Ten Performances - Anton Yelchin
Top Ten Performances - Tilda Swinton
The Chameleons: Tilda Swinton

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Location: Detroit, MI, USA; Tangier, Morocco

Director: Michael Almereyda
His 14th Movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

Tesla is one of the most interesting and impactful people in our history, so it's crazy it took me this long to watch. I suppose the low ratings didn't help, but after watching I can't understand the low ratings. It took the tired biopic approach and tried many things differently with enough being a success. I couldn't quite buy Ethan Hawke in the role and some of the style choices didn't work for me and in the end I didn't get a clear understanding of what message the writer and director was trying to tell. So, it's not perfect but I'm really glad they finally made a movie about Tesla that at least gives a sense of the immense impact he has had on our modern world.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Performances - Eve Hewson
Top Ten Performances - Kyle MacLachlan - Honorable Mention
Biopics that tell the story of the USA

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Location: Manhattan in NYC, NY, USA; Colorado Springs, CO, USA

Director: Anton Corbijn
His 5th Movie
My 5th movie watched from the director

This is the perfect documentary for director Anton Corbijn, and he does not disappoint. This is not an amazing documentary, but it is purely enjoyable the whole way through and thorough... but not too thorough, as some documentaries on such specific subjects can get.

Added to Lists:
A Dozen Great Documentaries on Design

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2023

Director: Steven Soderbergh
His 34th Movie
My 24th movie watched from the director

A feel like this movie must have been misunderstood to have such low ratings. It's a comedy, like the first two, so it shouldn't be taken seriously for the wrong reasons, and it's a dance movie, so we are here to laugh and watch the dancing. Soderbergh made an actually decent movie and the plot is fine with a funny idea for surprising people ready to see a stuffy British play but met with a male-stripper take on this British play.
The dance scenes are great, like in the very impressively sensual opening, a musical-style one on a bus, and the best one in the rain on stage (in photo above).

Yes, there are several small issues with this movie, I'm not saying it's great, but it is a worthy ending to this trilogy I never thought I would like.

Added to Lists:
The Dance Movie: Ranked
Dancing the Scene Away: Best Dance Scenes in Movies

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Location: Southwest London, England, UK

2023

Director: Guy Ritchie
His 14th Movie
My 13th movie watched from the director

A Guy Ritchie movie, but you wouldn't know it. A fictional story, but you wouldn't know it. Incredible, award-worthy acting but you won't hear about it. An incredibly important story to experience after the U.S. left Afghanistan and left hundreds of interpreters behind to be imprisoned or left for dead.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Films: Guy Ritchie
Impossible Missions

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Location: Afghanistan - Various Locations

Director: Annabel Jankel
Her 3rd Movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

This is a lovely story about a mother and son and about the mother's love for a doctor, both forced to hide their innate need for each other. A story benefitted from the female director.
(Spoiler) It felt like a common story that was going to end in a depressing way, but instead we are relieved to see both characters escape even if they can't be together, which is sad yes, but the tone is one of hope and so much love.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Performances - Anna Paquin
My Favorite Sapphic Stories
My Favorite Sapphic Scenes
A Kiss to End the Movie

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Location: Unnamed town in Northern Scotland, UK

Director: Louis Leterrier
His 3rd Movie
My 6th movie watched from the director

The first Transporter had some credibility and the stylized action scenes worked and the story and plot and characters were all decently created and well... it was a fucking movie. This "movie" was unnecessarily over-the-top in its characters, the stylized cameras and action, and the plot was stupid. Leterrier was let loose and all the wrong things happened. It's unfortunate because this could have a been a really cool series.
Still, Statham is entertaining and awesome for his role, at least.

Added to Lists:


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Location: Miami, FL, USA

Director: Roman Polanski
His 19th Movie
My 10th movie watched from the director

Clearly adapted from a play, this non-stop verbal attack on the audience is only sometimes interesting. The acting is great from all four actors but the development of the story just never really gets that interesting to me. It's good but not as good as it should be, considering the director and cast.

Added to Lists:
Stuck in One Place
Top Ten Performances - Christoph Waltz - Honorable Mention

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Location: Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NYC, NY, USA

Director: Walter Hill
His 8th Movie
My 4th movie watched from the director

Yes, it's sloppy and full of potholes, but Pryor is undeniably funny and entertaining, as is Candy. Neither comic really gets to let loose, as the movie is strangely PG. It could have been better had it used the lead's R-Rated comedy to their fullest. I love the concept of this movie and there are some clever things put into it and it has a very classic 80s feel that I love.

Added to Lists:


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Location: Manhattan, NYC, NY, USA; Hackensack, New Jersey, USA

Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Her 2nd Movie
My 3rd movie watched from the director

One of Bale's weakest selections in movies. I can see the appeal as the premise is promising, but the direction, editing, and overall production is second rate. It's just overall a little entertaining, never bad, but never surprising or really good... I'm just having a tough time trying to understand the point of it, too. The five main actors are fine as they are all top-tier actors just not given enough.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Performances - Kate Beckinsale


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Location: Laurel Canyon in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Director: Martin McDonagh
His 4th Movie
My 4th movie watched from the director

A movie about nice people and not nice people. Nice people doing not-so-nice things and not nice people doing nice things. It's about friendship, sibling relationships, loneliness, love for a friend, love for a pet, love of a good pint. It's about music, lack of music, leaving a legacy, going mad and making it known, going mad and not realizing it. It's about abuse of power, abuse of time, and abuse of kindness.
It's subtle and it's not so subtle.
It's feckin' brilliant, is what it is.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Performances - Colin Ferrell
Top Ten Performances - Brendan Gleeson
A Dozen Irish Films to Love
Carter Burrell is Quietly the Third Best Movie Composer of All Time.

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Location: Fictional island (likely in Aran Islands) in Ireland

2023

Director: Bobby Farrelly
His 13th Movie
My 12th movie watched from the director

Bobby Farrelly has a beautiful history of empowering those with disabilities, it's seen in most of his movies, and in this one he went all out. Harrelson is great and the supporting cast is fine enough. I love the positivity and the simplicity and familiarity of the story works as most crowd-pleasers do. There are some awkward filmmaking moments and a lot of awkward Des Moines promoting.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Films - Bobby and Peter Farrelly
Top Ten Performances - Woody Harrelson (Honorable Mention)
The Basketball Movie: Ranked
Most Anticipated Movies of 2023


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Location: Des Moines, IA, USA

Director: John Singleton
His 2nd Movie
My 4th movie watched from the director

Singleton's second movie isn't as strong as his debut but it shows he can do a lot behind the camera and had so much potential to have a great career, instead of one that started off hot and sadly became subpar for two more decades. Janet Jackson was really good in this, Tupac is iconic as in every role he has played, and Regina King is a spark in a very early role.

Added to Lists:
The Short But Powerful Movie Career of Tupac Shakur
Top Road Trip Movies
Top Road Trip Vehicles
Top Road Trip Teams

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Location: South Central LA, CA, USA; Highways from LA to Oakland.

Director: Dave McCary
His 1st Movie
My 1st movie watched from the director

The comedic brilliance of The Lonely Island, the brilliant awkwardness of Kyle Mooney, the brilliant Greg Kinnear acting, the brilliant comedic timing of director Dave McCary. It's all there, yet the movie isn't brilliant. It's a very good 8/10, but damn I can't help but know this had potential to be brilliant. It's a warm, strange, funny, and positive movie that very few people seem to know about and I hope that changes.

Added to Lists:
Best Movie Sandwiches - Cheeseburger
The Best and most Awesome of the Positive Movies
Top Ten Performances - Greg Kinnear
Top Ten Performances - Mark Hamill


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Location:

2023

Director: Elizabeth Banks
Her 3rd movie
My 2nd movie watched from the director

Cocaine by a pilot on a plane, cocaine consumed by two kids, cocaine consumed by a bear. More cocaine consumed by a bear. Much more cocaine consumed by a bear... and a bunch of violent deaths. If you accept the absurdity this is a fun watch.

Added to Lists:

Top Ten Bear Movies
Favorite Posters of 2023

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Location: Fannin County, GA, USA

Director: Danny DeVito
His 5th Movie
My 5th movie watched from the director

DeVito delivers another dark comedy and really seems to be developing a certain style, even if not great, at this point in his directing career. It's too bad his next movie, "Duplex" was so bad, maybe being the reason it was the last feature he has directed. Norton and Williams are really good in this, but the results of the story and development are underwhelming.

Added to Lists:
Top Ten Performances - Edward Norton (Honorable Mention)

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Location: Manhattan, NYC, NY, USA