Is it no secret that I am a HUGE movie lover, so with the new year comes new movies, some of which I had been waiting years to see. This year I went to the movies over sixteen times, and I gained a deeper appreciation for movies and cinema in general. It was an a amazing year for the film industry, and I want to give my thoughts on all of the new movies that I watched.
Babylon
★★★★★
Starting off with a bang is Babylon directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and Diego Calva. This movie is a masterpiece. I really wish I could’ve seen this in theaters but was unable to find time in the new semester to go the theater for almost four hours. Robbie gives a career best performance and I am still so angry that the Academy snubbed her for an Oscar nomination. Calva is magnificent and Pitt gives a performance that is very Pitt-like. This was definitely one of my favorite movies of the year and the ending gave me chills.
M3GAN
★★★☆☆
When M3GAN starting trending at the beginning of the year, I knew my friends and I had to go see it. It was camp, it was funny, it was a great experience. While it is not the best movie I saw all year, I was thoroughly entertained and even went back to see it again with more friends who missed it the first go around.
Cocaine Bear
★☆☆☆☆
Cocaine Bear was by far the worst movie I saw this year. While I can’t lie when I say it was entertaining, it was far too graphic for my taste and was not a normal movie that I would choose to watch.
Scream 6
★★☆☆☆
I am a big fan of the Scream franchise, so watching the new installment was inevitable. I have to say, I was disappointed and I think it is time to put this franchise to rest. I thought the killer reveal was pretty lame and the plot lines are starting to feel repetitive and convoluted. It also did not feel like a Scream movie without Neve Campbell.
Air
★★★★☆
I saw Air with my family (we are a big basketball family), and I was pleasantly surprised. I love a good biopic and thought that one about the creation of the Air Jordan made for a really interesting concept. I thought Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were great and provided a lot of history that I had not previously known.
No Hard Feelings
★★★★☆
No Hard Feelings is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a while! I was so excited for Jennifer Lawrence’s debut in the comedy scene because I think she is absolutely hilarious in real life. Watching this movie felt extra special because I was able to go to the London premiere of the film and saw J-Law in the flesh. While I didn’t go see the movie then, I watched it when I got home and loved it.
Barbie
★★★★★
MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE MOVIE OF THE YEAR GOES TO BARBIE! I am not lying when I tell you that this was the most anticipated movie of my entire life. There had been rumblings of a Margot Robbie Barbie movie since 2015, and I was here since day one! The movie was full of pink, happiness, sadness, and plastic and I loved it. Ryan Gosling shines as Ken (“I’m Just Ken” did make my Spotify Wrapped I can’t lie), and America Ferrera gives a shining performance. I won’t lie when I say that I saw this movie five times in theaters, and cried each time.
Oppenheimer
★★★☆☆
Along with Barbie, I participated in the Barbenheimer trend and saw Oppenheimer on the same day. The movie was cinematically beautiful, but at times I felt like the plot was a bit slow. Cillian Murphy did incredible, but for a movie to be almost 3.5 hours, I expected my attention to be kept the entire time but I noticed myself getting distracted multiple times. I love Christopher Nolan films, so I am planning on giving Oppenheimer a second chance sometime soon.
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah
★★★★☆
Another hilarious movie this year was Adam Sandler’s You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah starring himself and his two daughters–who shine. The movie was lighthearted and fun and surprisingly relatable. It took me back to middle school and was truly so heartwarming.
Bottoms
★★★☆☆
One of the many movie nights between my friends and I included Bottoms. I thought it was very funny, but honestly, it was not as hilarious as everyone on Twitter was making it out to be. Don’t get me wrong, I laughed a lot, I was just expecting more based on the online reactions.
Taylor Swift Eras Tour Movie
★★★★★
Now, I debated on including this since it is technically not a movie, but 2023 was the year of Taylor Swift, and being a resident Swiftie, of course, I am including the Eras Tour Movie. I was in attendance at Nashville Night 3–the one that was rain delayed 5 hours and went until 1:30 am–and was so happy to be able to experience the show dry. It was amazing and I even took my Dad to experience it, which is a memory I will cherish forever.
Totally Killer
★★★★☆
Totally Killer is one of the most underrated films of the year. I heard absolutely no one talking about it, and I really enjoyed it! I thought it was campy and cute and the 1980s costumes were to die for–literally.
Priscilla
★★★★☆
I will say right now that I saw Elvis four times in theaters last year so I was so so excited to see Priscilla to see her side of the story. I was especially excited because Jacob Elordi was playing Elvis and anyone that knows me, knows that I am a Jacob Elordi girlie through and through. This movie was so good and Sofia Coppola definitely did Priscilla’s story justice. Cailee Spaeny was phenomenal and I was captivated over how she was able to convince me that she 14 and 28 all within the same movie.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
★★★★★
In middle school, I was the overly obsessed Hunger Games girl, so this movie awoke that monster within me. I went into the movie completely blind. I did not read the book beforehand (which I typically advise against), but I wanted to go in with zero expectations for the plot. I HATE sequels, prequels, and reboots, so I honestly went in thinking that I wouldn’t like it, and boy was I surprised. The biggest question that I left the theater with was: Why did they have to make President Snow HOT?!? Rachel Zegler shines as Lucy Gray and Tom Blyth is a perfect Snow. Jason Schwartzman is great as Lucky Flickerman (Caesar’s father), and Viola Davis was truly horrifying.
Saltburn
★★★★☆
Oh Saltburn, you were a delightful mess. This was another highly anticipated movie for me. Once again, because of Jacob Elordi, but also because the plot seemed very interesting to me. I knew when the movie started with a fancam-esque scene of Elordi, I knew I was in for a treat. Barry Keoghan is truly insane and I’ve seen way more of him than I ever expected…if you know, you know.
May December
★★★★☆
May December was a movie that I was excited to see and didn’t even realize it was loosely based on Mary Kay Letourneau until I watched it. I had been so excited for it and realized that I hadn’t even watched a trailer until right before I hit play. Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman do an amazing job at playing absolutely sick and stomach churning women, while Charles Melton floored me with his performance. I had seen him act in Riverdale and would not have believed you if you told me he was capable of churning out such an amazing performance that will surely gain him an Oscar nomination nod.
EXmas
★★★☆☆
I love a good corny Christmas movie and Ex-mas is just that. Leighton Meester and Robbie Amell play the perfect lover to enemies to lovers again and while the acting and plot were pretty corny, it was fairly entertaining and got me excited for Christmas.
Wonka
★★★★☆
Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a HUGE Timothée Chalamet girl, so I can’t lie when I say that I was nervous to see him dance and sing in Wonka. However, I think he did a really really good job. The movie was heartwarming and adorable and the entire cast did phenomenal! I really enjoyed it even if it was a children’s movie.
This year was one of the best years for movies in a long time. I am so happy that in a post-pandemic society, cinema is booming and there are no signs of it slowing down. I look forward to 2024 and the movies that it brings.