BEST FILMS OF 2023 BY GREG KING
CLOSE
Beautiful film from Belgium about the friendship between two young boys. But when bullies at school misinterpret their friendship it leads to tragedy. Fine natural performances from the two young leads.
TILL
Powerful drama exploring racism and prejudice and a blatant miscarriage of justice in America’s deep south. Based on a true story, this is a powerful howl of outrage that makes you angry.
MAESTRO
In his second film as a director Bradley Cooper directs this biopic about Leonard Bernstein, the best-known American composer of the 20th century. Takes a more impressionistic approach to the material. Cooper superb as Bernstein and inhabits the character. Carey Mulligan matches him all the way as his wife Felicia, a force to be reckoned with in her own right.
THE BEST FILMS OF 2023
THE OLD OAK
This may well be the last film from veteran British director Ken Loach, whose careers spans six decades. The Old Oak is a humanist drama about community, refugees and their plight and belonging. Most of the cast is non-professional, but Loach draws good performances from them.
THE LAST FILM SHOW
An ode to the lost art of cinema projection and an evocative celebration of cinema culture this charming drama from India is infused with the same love and passion for cinema and its transformative power as the classic Cinema Paradiso.
OPPENHEIMER
Epic biopic about Robert J Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. Christopher Nolan’s film explores Oppenheimer’s life both before and after the Manhattan Project. Cillian Murphy inhabits the character but it is Robert Downey jr who leaves the biggest impression.
THE BEST FILMS OF 2023
POOR THINGS
The latest film from Yorgos Lanthimos this dark and bonkers comedy follows the extraordinary life and journey of self-discovery and sexual liberation of an unconventional heroine. Poor Things is arguably his most accessible and entertaining film to date. Emma Stone is fantastic in a complex role. Mark Ruffalo seems to be having fun in his role as a louche lawyer. Also features Willem Dafoe, sympathetic in his role as a mad scientist/father figure type. Gorgeously shot by Robbie Ryan it is a film not easily forgotten.
FINDING THE VOICE
Timely and engaging documentary about John Farnham traces his career but centres around the recording of his “comeback” album Whispering Jack and its iconic anthemic hit You’re The Voice. Lots of interesting interviews and archival footage.
EGO: THE MICHAEL GUDINSKI STORY
Documentary about the late music icon Michael Gudinski, founder of Mushroom Records, who was such an important figure in the Australian music industry for fifty years. Full of wonderful interviews and lots of archival footage. And plenty of music. A must for music fans.
Greg King Film Reviews
SALTBURN
The sophomore feature from writer/director Emerald Fennell, this is a dark comedy thriller about obsession, excess, gender, sex, power, privilege, and a desperate desire to belong. It’s a debauched variation of The Talented Mr Ripley meets Brideshead Revisited.
THE EIGHT MOUNTAINS
This bittersweet, beautifully shot and languidly paced drama exploring the friendship between two men over the course of four decades boasts some evocative and beautiful cinematography of the harsh landscapes.
OF AN AGE
The opening night of the Melbourne Film Festival in 2022, this is a haunting and insightful gay themed coming of age tale shot in Melbourne. The two leads deliver soulful impressive performances.
SISU
Ultra-violent pulpy WWII drama from Finland that has echoes of Tarantino and Sergio Leone. Stylish yet bloody and proves to be surprisingly entertaining.
JOHN WICK CHAPTER 4.
Something of a guilty pleasure this fourth film in the violent series starring Keanu Reeves as an assassin delivers a high body count and features a couple of the best action sequences seen on the screen in recent memory.
ALEX reviews the latest films and plays for Movies At Dusk Sunday 14/4/24
https://www.mediafire.com/file/i04rynu47uc03sa/290329_001.MP3/file
