Despite the growing success of online-streaming, I still savor my experiences in the theater, as those are the movie events I want to look back on. So, to keep things simple, I’m listing off each movie I saw in the theater during 2023, and they'll be presented in order of which film I saw first to the movie I saw last and give my quick opinions on them. I viewed 13 movies at the theater in total this year, so let’s just have some fun looking back at some of the films from 2023.
FEBRUARY ...
“Jesus Revolution”
Kicking off my theatrical movie experiences of 2023, we have a religious themed drama. Inspired by a true movement in the early 1970’s, we experience the journey of a young hippie, as he goes from drug attic, to converted Christian, and finally helps lead a bold new crusade called the Jesus Movement. The film walks a delicate tight rope of conveying a thoughtful message without being overly preachy, as well as feature human struggles without being too over dramatic, and while it’s not the most inspiring movie ever made, it’s still plenty good for the heart, and will easily appeal to anyone who’s been on their own path of religious conversion.
THUMBS UP!
MARCH ...
“John Wick: Chapter 4”
I've never called myself a hard-core John Wick fan, but I'm always thrilled to watch one of his movies in the theater. Impressively, at four movies in, this series continues to one-up itself … and I think they might have finally hit the peak with “John Wick: Chapter 4” … as it featured my favorite ensemble of supporting characters thus far, the most striking imagery, and set design … and of course, breathless action stunts that shattered my senses. If the series chooses to end here, I’d call it a perfect finale … if there’s more to come … they have a new high bar to match.THUMBS UP!
APRILL ...
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie”
Back when I was a little kid in the 90’s, the Nintendo 64 entertainment system was my absolute favorite video game system, and Mario was one of my biggest childhood hero’s. As far back as I can remember, I imagined seeing an animated CGI Super Mario movie on the big screen … now it’s finally here … and it matched my expectations perfectly. Despite being a grown adult now, the eight-year-old deep within me was having the time of his life. It looks great, it’s devoted to pleasing fans, the energy is high, the characters are charming, and even with a bare-bone plot, I feel it executed everything just the way a faithful and entertaining Mario movie should do ... Wahoo! THUMBS UP!
“The Journey”
Andrea Bocelli has been a musical presence in my family, ever sense I was in the cradle, so I had to support this picture, and by extent his winning collection of music. The premise is as simple as they get, with Andrea traveling on horseback across Europe for twenty-three days, and at each destination, he reunites with a special friend, they discuss their passions, their faith, and the overall experience of their lives … culminating into one of his songs. It was all very familiar to me, yet so peaceful, relaxing, and even touching in its own humble way. While it was a very peaceful outing, it wasn't really a movie, and for that, I just can't place this any higher on my list.
THUMBS UP!
MAY ...
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3”
After nine years, writer and director James Gunn brings finality to his “Guardians of the Galaxy” series, resulting in their darkest, and most emotionally character driven volume yet … as well as packing all the zany comedy, gorgeous imagery, witty character charms, breathless action, and boundless creativity that have made these films such a welcome inclusion to Sci-Fi cinema. I don’t know if I’d call this the best of the series, but it certainly hit the landing as a send-off for these now iconic characters, and it’s great how three film adaptions of a once lesser-known comic-book source material turned out this strong.
THUMBS UP!
“The Little Mermaid”
While I didn’t ask for a remake of the animated Disney classic, this did mark one of the rare occasions that I surprisingly found myself happy to have a live-action version as an alternative. I dare even say there were select elements that were superior to the original, including a sweeter romance, and generally better developed human characters. Along with some welcome new songs (excluding one really dumb wrap number), and an exceptional star turn for Halle Bailey in the lead role (and her sensational singing voice too) … this remake may not have been necessary … but it’s honestly a welcome companion piece to the original.
THUMBS UP!
JUNE ...
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
All right, let’s do this recap one-more time … back in 2019, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” surpasses expectations, won the Academy Award for best animated picture, set a new high-mark for comic-book movies to aspire from, and it was absolutely my favorite movie going experience of that year … which raises even higher expectations with its sequel. Thankfully, this film managed a brave, bold, and ambitious leap even further into greatness, in which it’s a visual marvel, not just in spectacle, but also in transcending emotions, and presenting something distinctly unique from other animated films. The action and thrills are all there … but like all the best superhero movies, it remembers to put complex themes, character emotions, and that extra touch of a human journey to go along with the insane adventure, outlandish comedy, and all-out imagination on display. While I like the first a little more for its tight three-act structure, this is still a top-tier middle instalment of what could well be one of cinemas new great movie trilogies.
THUMBS WAY UP!
“Indiana
Jones and the Dial of Destiny”
When it comes to fictional characters in
movies, Indiana Jones remains one of my most treasured, and while I would never
expect a new film from decades after his prime to be on par with the original
classics, I just can’t dismiss how happy it made me feel to have one last
adventure with one of my all-time favorite characters. While this last outing is kind of dismal in its depiction of the iconic lead, and could have benefited from a tighter screenplay, as well as tighter run-time,
solid performances all around, welcome new ideas, and director James Mangolds
exceptional vision keep this entry in the realm of … not perfect, but still
good enough, and a passive escape at the movies.MIXED THUMBS ... and for me was the Least Best Theatrical movie I saw in 2023
JULY ...
Jim Caviezel’s emotionally driven screen presence leads us through the inspiring true story of Tim Ballard, a man committed to rescuing abducted children from sex-trafficking, and by extent the movie asks for any support in the efforts to end sex-trafficking around the world. Based on the subject matter alone, this is one of the most emotionally potent movies I’ve experienced in recent years, and is hard to watch, but very impactful, informative without going too far in its execution, and very inspiring. Rarely dose a film leave me feeling so inspired to take action, and provide whatever support I can to a meaningful cause … and this film did it. While certainly not a pleasant experience at the movies … “Sound of Freedom” still felt the most meaningful and important to me.
THUMBS WAY UP!
Christopher Nolan leads us on another extraordinary tour de force in top-tier filmmaking, with brilliant editing, stunning visuals, and both the emotional weight and suspense that the historical event and people deserve. Ever sense I first learned of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project way back in my school years, I found him a fascinating individual, and often pondered if it was brilliance, madness, or maybe even misguided ambition that led to the creation of the Atom Bomb, and this film effectively highlights a little bit of everything. At the center of it all is a strong cast delivering A-list performances, and Cillian Murphy’s portrayal in the title role could well be his magnum opus. THUMBS WAY UP!
SEPTEMBER ...
A valiant effort at creating an original, non-IP related, Sci-Fi epic, with emotion rich action, an engaging future setting, imaginative marvels, and Gareth Edwards signature vision of something grand, immersive, and exciting on the big screen. While the final product wasn’t perfect, and probably won’t be labeled as any new classic, I still felt the ambition, creativity, and passion behind this film far more than the majority of big franchise films that tend to come and go. While I obviously still enjoy my franchise comfort-food, this is the kind of genera picture I’d like to see Hollywood aim for. THUMBS UP!
OCTOBER ...
“Haunted Mansion”
I’ve loved the
Disney-Land Haunted Mansion ride my whole life, it’s probably my favorite, and
by extent, I’ve always enjoyed the expanded universe of the rides setting … as
such, I’m always open for a new movie or special based around the attraction.
While this latest version was no “Pirates of the Caribbean”, I felt it put
in the extra effort to be a good movie, balancing it’s fun, goofy and spooky
nature with mature themes of facing loss, grief, and a lead performance that
was honestly better than this film deserved. Needless to say, all the
creatively fun haunts were there, the cast was great, and it may not be on the
same high bar of the attraction … but this was still a fun ride in its own
right, and worth riding again when Halloween comes around.
“Godzilla:
Minus One”
THUMBS WAY UP ... and personally my Favorite Theatrical movie experience of 2023!
Thanks for
reading my countdown, and may the thrill of the theater continue on next year!
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