Favourite movies of 2023 so far?

[dan1980]

So we are nearing the halfway point of the year, what are some of your favourite movies so far. Not what you’re looking forward to seeing but the ones you’ve seen.
I’ve only seen 26 new movies this year so far but I have enjoyed most of them.

John Wick 4 was a fun, high octane movie, kept me interested all the way through with its over the top extended action sequences. Low on story but a thrill ride for nearly hours. Stunt work, choreography, editing was all great.
Evil Dead Rise was another fun and gory affair. I was dubious to start with as the original is one of my absolute favourite horror movies. Like the original it was filled with tonnes of the red stuff and even a couple of moments that made me cringe, one involving a cheese grater.
Infinity Pool was a great original film that was pretty hardcore when it came to violence and the sexy stuff with some really trippy scenes. The premise was really interesting involving rich people committing crimes and paying for clones of themselves to be made to be executed in their places.
Winnie the Pooh: blood and honey was a very low budget affair but I very much enjoyed the twisted versions of some beloved characters get revenge on Christopher Robin and his friends for abandoning them for college. Not going to win any awards but it was what it was.
Cocaine Bear very loosely based on a true story was a stupid movie but didn’t fail to entertain with its drug fuelled bear attack and is worth a watch if you don’t plan to take it too seriously.
Honourable mentions include Scream VI, 65, GotG3, Super Mario, Hypnotic and Knock at the Cabin.

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

So we are nearing the halfway point of the year, what are some of your favourite movies so far. Not what you’re looking forward to seeing but the ones you’ve seen.
I’ve only seen 26 new movies this year so far but I have enjoyed most of them.

John Wick 4 was a fun, high octane movie, kept me interested all the way through with its over the top extended action sequences. Low on story but a thrill ride for nearly hours. Stunt work, choreography, editing was all great.
Evil Dead Rise was another fun and gory affair. I was dubious to start with as the original is one of my absolute favourite horror movies. Like the original it was filled with tonnes of the red stuff and even a couple of moments that made me cringe, one involving a cheese grater.
Infinity Pool was a great original film that was pretty hardcore when it came to violence and the sexy stuff with some really trippy scenes. The premise was really interesting involving rich people committing crimes and paying for clones of themselves to be made to be executed in their places.
Winnie the Pooh: blood and honey was a very low budget affair but I very much enjoyed the twisted versions of some beloved characters get revenge on Christopher Robin and his friends for abandoning them for college. Not going to win any awards but it was what it was.
Cocaine Bear very loosely based on a true story was a stupid movie but didn’t fail to entertain with its drug fuelled bear attack and is worth a watch if you don’t plan to take it too seriously.
Honourable mentions include Scream VI, 65, GotG3, Super Mario, Hypnotic and Knock at the Cabin.

No offense and obviously not your fault, but "Meh". Zzzzzzzzzzzz... Cocaine Bear, Award for The Worst Plot line in a Recent Film (WHAT plot line?) John Wick 4 and -- really?! -- Winnie the Pooh (at least it had a plot line)? Is this the best they've got?

Thank heavens for those two Brooklyn plumbers.

[Glasstor]

I’ve only seen 26 new movies this year so far but I have enjoyed most of them.

Wow. 26!? I applaud your passion and determination. I’ve only seen 2 movies at the theater this year so far and they were both older- Goonies and Return of the Jedi. I always plan to go to movies and there are several I want to see but, work or exhaustion always gets in the way. Plus, I have no one to go to the movies with and after a while, it gets old going by yourself. I do it occasionally but…

I kinda want to see Cocaine Bear. Not for the plot line, though.

[dan1980]

No offense and obviously not your fault, but "Meh". Zzzzzzzzzzzz... Cocaine Bear, Award for The Worst Plot line in a Recent Film (WHAT plot line?) John Wick 4 and -- really?! -- Winnie the Pooh (at least it had a plot line)? Is this the best they've got?

Thank heavens for those two Brooklyn plumbers.

I never said good movies
I’ve sat through some terrible movies like the awful Bruce Willis detective knight films, poisoned snow, children possessed by giant insects, covid revenge, the almost sharkless black demon, the rushed but could’ve been good Luther, the mtv teen wolf movie, among others. And in my defence when me n my friends there were a certain type of gummies involved. It’s been a thin year so far for movies.

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

I never said good movies
I’ve sat through some terrible movies like the awful Bruce Willis detective knight films, poisoned snow, children possessed by giant insects, covid revenge, the almost sharkless black demon, the rushed but could’ve been good Luther, the mtv teen wolf movie, among others. And in my defence when me n my friends there were a certain type of gummies involved. It’s been a thin year so far for movies.

Agreed it's been thin. Odd since we're out of the pandemic. You'd think there would be a slew of blockbusters out there. I do think streaming has cut into a lot (not all) budgets and movie-going.

Anyone seen the new Avatar film? I really wanted to see it but life and work overtook me.

[Glasstor]

Agreed it's been thin. Odd since we're out of the pandemic. You'd think there would be a slew of blockbusters out there. I do think streaming has cut into a lot (not all) budgets and movie-going.

Anyone seen the new Avatar film? I really wanted to see it but life and work overtook me.

I haven’t seen the new avatar yet but, to be honest, it took me 10 years to see the first one!

No particular reason except it was a busy life-time and there were long periods I had other priorities. Give me another few years. Lol

It’s funny, though- I own Avatar on blu ray now.

[Rhanen]

There are a lo I haven't watched yet (John Wick 4, Avatar 2, new Evil Dead, Shazam 2, Super Mario...) and I watched more movies that were quite a let down (Creed III, Ant-Man 3, Scream VI...).

I'd would pleasantly say that my top movies for 2023 so far are "Guardians of the Galaxy 3", "Demons Slayer The Swordsmith Village" and "Dungeon & Dragons". I'd add "The Menu" that I wacthed recently but it was released recently

[Dice]

I'd would pleasantly say that my top movies for 2023 so far are "Guardians of the Galaxy 3", "Demons Slayer The Swordsmith Village" and "Dungeon & Dragons". I'd add "The Menu" that I wacthed recently but it was released recently

Holy cow, had no idea this was out! Thanks!!

[urrutiap]

the only movies ive enjoyed so far for 2022-2023 are

M3GAN
Pope's Exorcist

[zodak74]

2023 releases so far that I've loved were Scream 6 and Evil Dead Rise, also the only ones I've ventured out into a theatre for. The stuff I've caught on streaming have been... not leaving much of an impression.

[felgekarp]

As far as stuff that’s come out this year that I’ve seen, which hasn’t been much, Evil Dead Rise has been my favourite so far, I have watched a couple of good films from last year though, Men and The Menu were great, I really wanted to punch everyone in The Menu in the first 5 minutes

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

Isn't that sad that there are only two movies so far in the year that you loved? You sound like a movie-lover, so I'm betting that ten years ago it was difficult for you to pick which film you loved most after half a year.

I blame part of this on streaming, although I do get the benefits of the delivery system.

2023 releases so far that I've loved were Scream 6 and Evil Dead Rise, also the only ones I've ventured out into a theatre for. The stuff I've caught on streaming have been... not leaving much of an impression.

[dan1980]

Isn't that sad that there are only two movies so far in the year that you loved? You sound like a movie-lover, so I'm betting that ten years ago it was difficult for you to pick which film you loved most after half a year.

I blame part of this on streaming, although I do get the benefits of the delivery system.

I’d have to agree with this. I’ve seen close to 4000 movies over the last 42years (that I can recall, I have kept a list since I was in my teens) and it is harder to find really good quality movies, especially now with streaming churning out big named, high budget but low quality stuff and the larger budgets for tv mini series with big names. I try to watch at least one movie I haven’t seen a week and I have noticed a decline since around 2009ish.

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

I'm calling this now, and you all remember I called it: If the MOTU film gets made -- and that's a huge if -- for a number of reasons I think it's going to be a surprise hit. Nostalgia is a big deal, bigger than ever. And don't underestimate the power of He-man franchise. There's a reason the franchise -- for better or worse -- lived on and on past its first incarnation and spawned so many attempts at reboots. MOTU embraces all of the classic elements of successful storytelling -- an icon hero pitted against a powerful icon villain.

But to me, the biggest thing the MOTU film will have going for it if they do it right -- and I haven't seen the new script -- is that it's not going to be one of those cookie cutter "save the galaxy/universe" films. MOTU doesn't have to do that because the power of the franchise lies in the fact that it's character-driven, with the plot, while important, coming second.

You put He-man and Skeletor on the big screen, do it right, and I think you've got the makings of a blockbuster.

[zodak74]

Isn't that sad that there are only two movies so far in the year that you loved? You sound like a movie-lover, so I'm betting that ten years ago it was difficult for you to pick which film you loved most after half a year.

I blame part of this on streaming, although I do get the benefits of the delivery system.

Oh for sure... I will say the pandemic derailed a lot of my pre-2020 habits, of which movie-going was one of the major ones. So part of it is... I find that I don't miss the communal theatrical experience anymore at this point in my life (and neither does my wallet!), another part is we upgraded the ol' home theatre during the thick of the pandemic (we were probably the last folks on earth still using a 32" television when the decade began) and the other part is- there just haven't been a lot of compelling movies this year that I either want to stream or make a night out of it for a theatrical experience. It's been a LOT of dusting off the oldies but goodies for me this year. Looking ahead... um, yeah I am super burnt out on superhero movies... so we can cross off every single remaining Marvel or DC movie from the anticipation list, though I will make an exception for The Flash I suppose. And... errr... I have no idea what's even on the calendar for the rest of 2023. Is there like a Saw X coming out in October this year?

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

Oh for sure... I will say the pandemic derailed a lot of my pre-2020 habits, of which movie-going was one of the major ones. So part of it is... I find that I don't miss the communal theatrical experience anymore at this point in my life (and neither does my wallet!), another part is we upgraded the ol' home theatre during the thick of the pandemic (we were probably the last folks on earth still using a 32" television when the decade began) and the other part is- there just haven't been a lot of compelling movies this year that I either want to stream or make a night out of it for a theatrical experience. It's been a LOT of dusting off the oldies but goodies for me this year. Looking ahead... um, yeah I am super burnt out on superhero movies... so we can cross off every single remaining Marvel or DC movie from the anticipation list, though I will make an exception for The Flash I suppose. And... errr... I have no idea what's even on the calendar for the rest of 2023. Is there like a Saw X coming out in October this year?

I get what you're saying, zodak. For me and Kim, the outset of the pandemic pushed us into binge watching, which we actually enjoyed once we found a good series. The upside is that unlike a one-shot evening of watching a movie, when you find a multiple season series you like watching, then you've got a lot of fun hours of viewing ahead of you.

The Good Wife, Suits, Dynasty, Succession, Only Murders in the Building, The Office and Parks & Rec and., of course, Schitt's Creek were all wins for us. Right now we're going through all fourteen seasons of the original Dallas and we're loving it! It's been so long since we saw it that a lot of it seems new. And anyone who's ever seen television's greatest prime time soap, will have to agree it's the whole package -- amazing characters, great chemistry and a serpentine storyline. Plus, has there ever been a villain you love to hate as much as J.R. Ewing? I don't think so.

[Rhanen]

Let me update my list: this past weekend I got to watch "Misantrophy" or "To catch a killer" in the US, which shall be released on June 1st. I was amazed how well it was performed by Shailene Woodley and Ben Medelsohn but mostly the dialogues.

It is one of those dark movies in the same vein as "True Detective" but much down to earth excellently directed. PLease give it a chance when released it in the US

[dan1980]

Let me update my list: this past weekend I got to watch "Misantrophy" or "To catch a killer" in the US, which shall be released on June 1st. I was amazed how well it was performed by Shailene Woodley and Ben Medelsohn but mostly the dialogues.

It is one of those dark movies in the same vein as "True Detective" but much down to earth excellently directed. PLease give it a chance when released it in the US

I was debating on watching this, but I couldn’t decide from the write up if it was going to be exciting or ploddy

[DisneyBoy]

Shazam 2 was pretty much a disappointing film in that they didn't learn from the mistakes of the first movie. The villains just weren't good. Really, Black Adam should have been the villain. And now the Billy/Shazam age gap is too tight and the universe is being rebooted so...eh. Missed opportunities. And the Wonder Woman stuff was not to my liking.

Mario Bros was enjoyable but not a great movie.

Flash will be...probably bad but I'll deal for the sake of some Keaton.

No interest in Blue Beetle or Aquaman 2.

Olesker, it's funny that you are doing a rewatch of Dallas - I started watching Dynasty for the first time 2 years ago just to see what it was about. Got about 4 seasons in and got tired but it's not a bad show! Just very very different times.

[VZX]

I saw three movies in theater so far this year: Knock at the Cabin, Super Mario Bros, and the D&D movie. I loved all three. But the most re-watchable is probably Super Mario Bros. for me.

On streaming, my favorite "movie" is Picard Season 3. Sure, it's a TV series, but this final season was like a trilogy of cinematic-quality movies. Picard Season 3, while it did have a few negatives, was the best thing I watched this year, and maybe the best thing I watched since Breaking Bad.

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

Shazam 2 was pretty much a disappointing film in that they didn't learn from the mistakes of the first movie. The villains just weren't good. Really, Black Adam should have been the villain. And now the Billy/Shazam age gap is too tight and the universe is being rebooted so...eh. Missed opportunities. And the Wonder Woman stuff was not to my liking.

Mario Bros was enjoyable but not a great movie.

Flash will be...probably bad but I'll deal for the sake of some Keaton.

No interest in Blue Beetle or Aquaman 2.

Olesker, it's funny that you are doing a rewatch of Dallas - I started watching Dynasty for the first time 2 years ago just to see what it was about. Got about 4 seasons in and got tired but it's not a bad show! Just very very different times.

Honestly Kim and I love Dallas. The character chemistry, the plot lines, the dialog. It all just works, especially if you remember how old the series is.

As for Dynasty, you have to remember that I'm much older than you and I come from a time when most ( but not all) viewers would give a series three or four seasons time to develop. Interestingly, Dynasty almost got canceled after its first lackluster, Dallas wanna-be season. But I read an interview with cast members in which someone said the instant Joan Collins entered that courtroom scene it was like a switch was thrown and thereafter everyone worked to rise to her level of acting. The woman could have taught J.R. Ewing a thing or two...

[Benedict Judas Hel]

I'm calling this now, and you all remember I called it: If the MOTU film gets made -- and that's a huge if -- for a number of reasons I think it's going to be a surprise hit.

I’ll take that wager and it will only cost you…your soul!

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

I’ll take that wager and it will only cost you…your soul!

https://78.media.tumblr.com/687651f3...ypxlo1_400.gif

I believe I already lost it to you on some other bet we made in The Tar Swamp a long time ago...

[Mikey]

The CD soundtrack for the new Little Mermaid movie is now available!

[Rikki Roxx]

Super Mario Bros. movie by default. Thanks in part to my open hatred of most modern cinema, I hardly ever see any "new" movies. By the time I see them, they're "old movies".

I liked Evil Dead Rise well enough, but it wasn't groundbreaking as far as horror movies go, and I can't see anyone but fans of the franchise caring enough to even bother with it. And a LOT of franchise fans completely hate it; I don't agree, but I completely see why they feel that way.

I don't think there's anything besides Flash and Blue Beetle I'm even the least bit interested in seeing for the rest of the year, and I don't expect those to blow me away. So I have a strong feeling that Super Mario Bros. is going to take the crown for this year. I had a permanent grin on my face for the entire runtime of that movie both times I saw it in theaters, and frankly, there's no chance that's gonna happen with anything else.