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We recently wrote about the 10 best TV series of 2023, and now it’s the turn of movies. Note that the tapes that were released at the Ukrainian box office or on streaming services during 2023 were taken into account, so the list may include projects that were shown somewhere in the world last year. As always, in the comments, suggest your options for high-quality cinema that we did not list, and also share your own impressions of the passing film year.
Genre: historical drama, black comedy
IMDb rating: 7.1
Release: cinemas
Where to watch: My
In the second half of the 20s of the last century, the destinies of various characters intersected in Hollywood. Manny Torres is a member of a local party, who gets the opportunity to participate directly in the film process. Nellie LaRoy is a blonde beauty and self-proclaimed movie star who plans to conquer the “dream factory.” Jack Conrad is a seasoned Hollywood veteran who has already built a successful career, but is forced to face new rules of the game. The fate of these people will develop in different ways, then the transition of the industry from silent to sound cinema will be affected.
“Babylon” by Damien Chazelle is a bulky, unwieldy, like that elephant, and a completely noisy three-hour plot mass, which, however, claims to delight the audience not because of some narrative vicissitudes, but because of its distinct cinephilia. This is a frank declaration of love for film art as such and for a bright era that has long since passed. Extremely controversial, but at the same time emotionally rich, incredibly majestic and beautifully shot ode to cinema, intended for those who are boundlessly in love with cinema.
Genre: drama
IMDb rating: 7.7
Release: cinemas
Charlie weighs 600 pounds. He does not leave the house, is divorced, has not been in contact with his 17-year-old daughter for a long time and has no friends. Charlie is very lonely and sad. And he is sick, because excess weight affects health. The only one who visits the man is his friend Liz, who somehow tries to take care of the helpless recluse. But after a new meeting with his daughter, Charlie finally understands what he should do.
Brendan Fraser is a real whale, on which the play of Darren Aronofsky and screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter, based on the play of which the movie was made, rests. The actor gave a truly outstanding performance in complex make-up, for which he deservedly received a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival and an Oscar statuette. The tape is able to cause a real emotional surge, it is impossible to remain an indifferent viewer here.
Genre: biographical sports drama
IMDb rating: 7.4
Release: cinemas
In 1984, the sports brand Nike was looking for new ways to express itself in the market. Corporate consultant Sonny Vaccaro offers to conclude an exclusive contract with promising basketball player Michael Jordan, according to which the company will release a new series of sneakers. What seemed like an unlikely collaboration would eventually turn into a world-renowned footwear and apparel brand.
Ben Affleck, the actor, can be treated differently, and his generous handful of Golden Raspberry nominations suggests certain opinions. But Affleck the director is a completely different thing. Perhaps this story, based on real events, could not have been told better and more interestingly than he and screenwriter Alex Convery did. In addition, there was a reunion of old friends – Affleck himself, Matt Damon and Jason Bateman in addition, and, as noted in our review, they interact beautifully in the frame.
Genre: superhero action
IMDb rating: 7.9
Release: cinemas
Where to watch: Megogo, Sweet.TV
Peter Quill can’t come to terms with the loss of Gamora, and even a luxurious New Year’s gift from Drax and Mantis didn’t help. Meanwhile, an attack by Adam Warlock’s mysterious enemy results in Rocket being seriously injured. Now Quill is forced to wipe up the snot and rally his somewhat sleazy crew to save his friend.
Probably, only James Gunn can turn such a whimsical material on paper into something really interesting and at the same time charming. The third “Watchmen” is almost two and a half hours of pure pleasure for fans of comic books and entertaining escapist cinema in general. Gunn managed to slam the door on his departure from Marvel, so much so that his brainchild became the most successful and best movie comic of the year that passes.
Genre: superhero action
IMDb rating: 8.7
Release: cinemas
Where to watch: Sweet.TV
Although the latest statement about the success of “Guardians of the Galaxy” is ready to be disputed by the sequel of the hit animated film “Spider-Man: Around the Universe” in 2018. Most viewers agreed that the second part even surpassed the original, and it’s hard to disagree. This is in every sense a bright, detailed and multifaceted movie comic that really takes your breath away.
According to the plot, Miles Morales reunites with Gwen Stacy, with whom an incredible journey through the multiverse awaits him. The heroes will meet a lot of different versions of Spider-Man, as well as a new villain, the Stain. But it soon becomes clear that disregarding the “canons” of the multiverse can lead to catastrophic consequences.
It’s scary to imagine what the creators will prepare in the third film “Out of the Universe”. Very interesting.
Genre: spy thriller
IMDb rating: 7,8
Release: cinemas
Where to watch: Megogo, Sweet.TV
As a result of the limitless possibilities of advanced artificial intelligence, a considerable struggle for control over it has unfolded. Ethan “almighty” Hunt, this fearless tamer of impossible missions, is expected to become one of the participants in the race for the mcguffin. But a meeting with old friends and enemies, and even an unexpected alliance, confuses all the cards for the long-suffering agent and his team, so this time the mission will be very impossible.
Whatever is happening in the real world, or whatever collapses are happening in fictional worlds, the steadfast Tom Cruise continues to bend his line. Perhaps he would have already abandoned the three-cursed saving of the planet, but to whom should he entrust this ungrateful task? Well, not superheroes with Dominic Toretto. While the latter are rapidly deflating, Cruise’s franchise is magically only getting stronger, and he himself, a real hangman, gives out stunts one cooler than the other. It is simply impossible to tear yourself away from the screen for more than two and a half hours.
Genre: biographical drama
IMDb rating: 8.4
Release: cinemas
Where to watch: Megogo, Sweet.TV
The story of the theoretical physicist Robert Oppenheimer in the usual for Christopher Nolan non-linear narrative has some indescribable magnetism, although the director uses well-known prose techniques. As expected, he is not too interested in the scientific component. Rather, it is an attempt to recreate something like a psychological portrait of the father of the atomic bomb.
Two global storylines – color and monochrome, by Oppenheimer and Lewis Strauss – are performed in the form of a court drama, branching out into many local, smaller ones. Inconspicuously, they literally plunge into their intricate slums. So powerful that you don’t understand at all how all this bureaucracy, the cabinet struggle with communism and the endlessly sad look of Cillian Murphy from under the hat can be so fascinating. And, of course, the scene of the fateful explosion is the icing on the cake.
In his film, Nolan gathered a lot of star performers, and Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr., who has finally freed himself from Marvel captivity, give amazing acting jobs. At the same time, stars of the caliber of Rami Malek, among other things, the winner of the “Oscar” for his role in another successful biopic, are satisfied with modest episodic appearances.
As a result, those involved in the Manhattan Project are building a small town somewhere in New Mexico to obtain a weapon capable of destroying the entire world.
Genre: crime drama
IMDb rating: 7.9
Release: cinemas
Where to watch: Apple TV+, Megogo, Sweet.TV
World War I veteran Ernest Burkhart arrives in Osage County, Oklahoma, to live with his uncle William Hale, modestly nicknamed The King. Reputationally, he is a good-natured businessman and a respected friend of Native Americans, but in reality he is a ruthless puppeteer who is ready to do anything to seize the wealth of the local Indians.
What can you say, Scorsese is Scorsese. His monumental film adaptation of David Grann’s non-fiction documentary is Cinema with a capital letter. In this article, we paid a lot of attention to entertaining films, but you can also get a lot of fun from “Killers of the Flower Moon”, albeit in a slightly different way.
The main thing is not to expect a purely genre approach designed to evoke certain emotions that we are used to getting from mainstream cinema. It is an inspired, highly artistic illustration of the era with an emphasis on historical context and, finally, a display of the dark side of human nature in all its ugliness. A story without embellishments. Outstanding, epic, razor sharp and loud for all to hear. It is not for nothing that Scorsese himself speaks a few lines about the most important thing.
Unhurried, but therefore no less interesting, this story is supported by the wonderful performances of the local stars. The main character performed by Leonardo DiCaprio stands out in particular – you need to be able to portray a complete idiot so expressively and confidently.
Genre: court drama, thriller
IMDb rating: 7.9
Release: cinemas
German writer Sandra recently moved to a remote house somewhere in the mountains near Grenoble with her husband Samuel Maleski and son Daniel. One day, either an accident, a mysterious murder, or even suicide causes Samuel to fall to his death from the attic of the house. The trial begins, during which Sandra, who is suspected of murdering her husband, tries to prove that she had nothing to do with this tragedy.
The multifaceted “Anatomy of the Fall” by the French director Justine Trier quite skillfully pretends to be a detective thriller and a court drama, but in fact it is an author’s statement on the topic of destructive relationships in marriage (something personal, intimate) and the futility of the search for truth (something generalized).
Absurdity unites these two topics, and it concerns both the actions of specific actors and the existence of humanity as a whole. When a man and a woman, apparently the most precious people in the world, live like a cat and a dog because of some completely insignificant accusations, and in the courtroom pseudo-experts with unwavering seriousness draw mutually exclusive conclusions, then what is this but absurdity?
Trieu’s tape became an undeniable hit and a favorite of film critics, and also received the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
“Abandoned” / The Holdovers
Genre: a Christmas dramedy
IMDb rating: 8.0
Release: digital services
Probably, in every educational institution there is such a harmful teacher or professor who considers his subject vital and will not give you that unfortunate three for anything in the world until you deserve it. That’s exactly what Professor Paul Hanham is, who teaches at Barton Academy, a boarding school in New England. When all the students leave for the Christmas holidays, there is only one student left on campus – brawler Angus Tully. Together with the head cook Mary, who lost her son in the Vietnam War, this strange company is forced to spend the holidays together.
Alexander Payne’s new film is a perceptive retro Christmas dramedy (the action takes place in the early 70s), which warms the cold, uncomfortable season no worse than a glass of fragrant mulled wine. An additional reason for joy is the great performances of the main stars. Young Dominic Sessa is a real revelation, and the insanely funny Paul Giamatti, with the look of a cross-eyed hyena from The Lion King, gives an unparalleled performance.
“Abandoned” is a too quiet and modest poster, especially compared to the aforementioned blockbusters. But this modesty is very suitable for the film, the viewing of which involves not noisy multiplexes with popcorn, but a calm home environment somewhere near the fireplace and the Christmas tree.
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