Mark's Movie Awards

16/12/2023

REVIEW:
Paul King's "Wonka"
What a fun flick!
Absolutely loved it.
I was really wondering why ANOTHER Wonka movie needed to be made, but making it a backstory and a musical really made it fun.
The characters are great, and ALL the cast give great performances.
I seriously can't wait to see it again, but I'm gonna wait till I'm on vacation next week.
Great family fun, can't recommend it enough.
Enters my "best of 2023 so far" list at #7

1h 56m | PG

15/12/2023

REVIEW:
Takashi Yamazaki's "Godzilla Minus One"
A great throwback flick the Godzilla movies I watched as a kid.
Filmed on a low budget it does a great job of storytelling rather than relying on big special effects.
That being said, for a film shot on a $15m budget, the effects are pretty damn good.
If Godzilla movies are your thing, go check it out.

2h 4m | PG-13

04/12/2023

REVIEW:
John Woo's "Silent Night"
ugh... had so much promise.
I expected so much more from a John Woo film.
The gimmick is that the film has no dialogue.
It's an emotional story of loss and revenge, but in all seriousness, this film could have been 30-35 minutes long and told the exact same story just as effectively.
If you HAVE to see it, do yourself a favor and wait for it to hit streaming. Otherwise skip it.

1h 44m | R

04/12/2023

REVIEW:
Ridley Scott's "Napoleon"
It was ok.
Definitely worth seeing, but it loses something due to the fact they gloss over so much of his life.
They simply tried to cram too much into a film with a 2:38 run time.
Supposedly there's a 4 hour directors cut which I'd LOVE to see.
Again, it's pretty good, I certainly enjoyed it, but it could have been so much better.

2h 38m | R

20/11/2023

REVIEW:
Taika Waititi's "Next Goal Wins"
Really entertaining film.
I particularly loved Waititi's intro to the film where he admits there may have been some "embellishments" to the story LOL
All in all, well done. Lots of laughs, and (mostly) accurate as far as the big stuff is concerned.

1h 43m | PG-13

17/11/2023

REVIEW:
Francis Lawrence's "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes"
Very well done. Just as good as the first trilogy.
I'm really hoping Suzanne Collins keeps writing these books.
This film goes back to the early days and the 10th Hunger Games.
Excellent performances from all, especially Rachel Zegler (who recently starred in the "West Side Story" remake).
If you liked the other films in the series, you'll like this one.
The book is also a good read.
Enters my "best of 2023 so far" list at #9

2h 37m | PG-13

16/11/2023

REVEIW:
Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers"
Loved it.
Runs a bit long, but a great film.
Giamatti is brilliant, as is Sessa.
But Da'Vine Joy Randolph makes the film for me.
Her grieving mother/school cook character, Mary, was my favorite part.
I highly recommend this one.
Enters my "best of 2023 so far" list at #6

2h 13m | R

11/11/2023

REVIEW:
Greta Gerwig's "Barbie"
I was waiting for a second viewing on this one and glad I did.
I really like this film. It's got something for everyone.
Great performances from Robbie and Gosling.
I don't want to go into details, but this film operates on multiple levels, and after seeing it twice I feel like I'll find something new every time I see it.
If you've been putting this one off, for any reason, I really suggest you go and see it.
Enters my "best of 2023 so far" list at a very solid #2, just behind "Oppenheimer"

1h 54m | 7

11/11/2023

REVIEW:
David Fincher's "The Killer"
meh... it was ok.
Not bad, not great.
Perfectly watchable flick, doubt I'll ever watch it again.
I expect better quality from Fincher, but he set his bar pretty high with "Girl with the dragon tattoo"
Again, it's a decent flick, but nothing special.
Cast is great in it.

1h 58m | R

25/10/2023

REVIEW:
Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Excellent film. Will definitely be up for awards.
Great cast, great performances, great directing.
It's long, at 3:26, but worth it.
A compelling story about a dark chapter in US history.
Go see it.
Enters my "best of 2023 so far" list at #2, just behind Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer"

3h 26m | 15

02/10/2023

Just FYI, I'm wanting to catch "Barbie" a second time before I review it. Just haven't had the chance.
It will certainly be top 5 on my list for the year so far.
Loved it the first time around, just want to dig deeper.

02/10/2023

REVIEW:
Gareth Edwards' "The Creator"
I liked it, but was hoping for a bit more.
Edwards' directed what is by far my favorite Star Wars film "Rogue One". I'd hoped for something on that same level.
The visuals are amazing. He's crafted an amazing landscape for the film.
Solid plot and world building, GREAT performances by all involved.
I liked it, but don't really feel the need to see it again. Maybe on streaming.
That's what really makes a movie stand apart for me, is if I can't wait to see it again.
Still, it makes the "best of 2023 so far" list, coming in at #9.

2h 13m | PG-13

26/09/2023

REVIEW:
Craig Gillespie's "Dumb Money"
Great flick.
Covers the GameStop stock blowup in a simple way that's easy to understand.
Covers it from the perspective of Keith Gill, the youtuber who helped set it off, a handful of regular people who bought in, the hedge fund guys who lost a ton, and the Robinhood execs who rigged the whole process towards the end.
A fun watch that will leave you mildly pi**ed off in the same way "The Big Short" did.
PS-Pete Davidson kills it as the main characters semi-loser brother.
Enters my "best of 2023 so far" list at #8
Stay for the credits to see some of the real life people that were involved.

1h 45m | R

16/09/2023

REVIEW:
Kenneth Branagh's "A Haunting in Venice"
I liked it better than "Death on the Nile", not as much as "Murder on the Orient Express".
In general I'm really liking the series of Hercules Poirot films that Branagh has made his pet project.
I hope they keep making them.
Great cast, LOVE Tina Fey in this one.
Worth seeing if you liked the other two.

1h 43m | PG-13

01/09/2023

REVIEW:
Antoine Fuqua's "The Equalizer 3"
More of the same, but that's not to say it isn't good.
I love a good action flick, and this series with Denzel is better than most of what I've seen from this genre lately.
If you liked the other two, you'll like this one.

1h 49m | 16

20/08/2023

REVIEW:
Josh Greenbaum's "Strays"
Essentially an adult knock off of "The Incredible Journey"
Some good laughs, but the best stuff was in the preview.
Wait for it to hit streaming.

1h 33m | R

12/08/2023

REVIEW:
André Øvredal's "The Last Voyage of the Demeter"
Not bad.
About what you'd expect. Well made, well acted.
Good action, a few frights.
Nothing really special, but I enjoyed it well enough.

1h 58m | R

07/08/2023

REVIEW:
Justin Simien's "Haunted Mansion"
it had it's moments... not a bad flick, but not what I was hoping for.
Great cast, giving great performances, but it just drags at times.
I'll probably give it another chance when it hits streaming.
Again, not bad... but there are better films in the theater right now to spend your money on.

2h 3m | PG-13

23/07/2023

REVIEW:
Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer"
This film is going to win awards... many many awards.
Murphy, Downey Jr, and Blunt should all get nominations.
I will say that if you're excited after seeing the preview, the film is very different.
The preview promises a thrilling ride through the development of the bomb... but that's not what this film is.
It's not about the bomb... or the war, or the Japanese, or Los Alamos...
It's about Oppenheimer.
Murphy turns in a career best performance.
It's an amazing film. Christopher Nolan just does not disappoint.
Enters my "best of 2023 so far" list as a very solid #1.

3h | R

18/07/2023

REVIEW:
Christopher McQuarrie's "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1"
Loved it.
Great action, and exciting McGuffin hunt.
Some interesting new characters and backstory on some of the characters and the IMF.
Looking forward to Part 2 next summer.
It is long. If you need to hit the restroom, go during the chase scene with the yellow fiat. You won't miss anything but a car chase.
Nothing during or after the credits.
Enters my "best of 2023 so far" list at #6

2h 43m | PG-13

01/07/2023

REVIEW:
James Mangold's "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"
Loved it.
It's not Raiders, or Last Crusade, but after the debacle of Crystal Skulls this (supposedly) final chapter brings back the Indy we love.
It's a bit on the long side at 2:24, but totally worth it.
Great performances all around.
I'll be seeing it at least one more time in the theater.
If you're an Indy fan, go see it.
Enters my "Best of 2023 so far" list at #6

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: Directed by James Mangold. With Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, Karen Allen. Archaeologist Indiana Jones races against time to retrieve a legendary artifact that can change the course of history.

26/06/2023

REVIEW:
Wes Anderson's "Asteroid City"
Loved it...
I'll just say it's VERY Wes Anderson-ey
If you liked his other films (Royal Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic, Grand Budapest Hotel....) you'll like this one.
If you didn't like his other films, you won't like this one either.
As always, a star studded cast...
Bryan Cranston
Tom Hanks
Scarlett Johansson
Jason Schwartzman
Jeffrey Wright
Tilda Swinton
Edward Norton
Adrien Brody
Liev Schreiber
Steve Carell
Matt Dillion
Willem Dafoe
Margot Robbie
plus a slew of others....
Enters my "best of 2023 so far" list at #2, just behind 'Air"

Asteroid City: Directed by Wes Anderson. With Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Jake Ryan. Following a writer on his world famous fictional play about a grieving father who travels with his tech-obsessed family to small rural Asteroid City to compete in a junior stargazing event, onl...

15/06/2023

REVIEW:

Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson's "Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse"
Great flick.
Only gripe is if they're going to make a multi-part film, the first one could have been 20-30 minutes shorter.
But that's a minor complaint.
The film itself is excellent. They do a great job with the storytelling and the animation is top notch.
Highly recommend.
Enters my "Best of 2023 so far" list at #4

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson. With Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez. Miles Morales catapults across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its ver...

23/05/2023

REVIEW:
Louis Leterrier's "Fast X"
More of the same...
If you liked the others, you'll like this one.
Really not much else to say about it LOL

Fast X: Directed by Louis Leterrier. With Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Jordana Brewster. Dom Toretto and his family are targeted by the vengeful son of drug kingpin Hernan Reyes.

14/05/2023

REVIEW:
Guy Ritchie's "The Covenant"
Really liked this one. I've always been a fan of Ritchie's films.
Well made, never drags.
Gyllenhaal and Salim give great performances, and the action scenes are top notch.
Doesn't seem like this films gotten a lot of promotion, but it's very much worth seeing.
Enters my "Best of 2023 so far" list at #3

Guy Ritchie's the Covenant: Directed by Guy Ritchie. With Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Sean Sagar, Jason Wong. During the war in Afghanistan, a local interpreter risks his own life to carry an injured sergeant across miles of grueling terrain.

05/05/2023

REVIEW:
James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3"
Really good flick. My favorite of the Guardians films.
Solid plot, good action... but be prepared for multiple gut punches.
If this flick doesn't hit you right in the feels (multiple times) then you're just not human.
I don't really want to say much more, cause I don't want to spoil it.
There are extra scenes in the credits, just FYI.
Enters my "Best of 2023 so far" list at #3

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Directed by James Gunn. With Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel. Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own - a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful.

30/04/2023

REVIEW:
Jalmari Helander's "Sisu"
Man, what a ride. This film delivers everything the preview promises.
So much fun.
90 minutes of an old Gold Miner kicking N**i ass.
It never lets up.
Not much dialog, but not much is required. The film making is top notch.
Warning... it is violent... VERY violent.
Enters my "Best of 2023 so far" list at #2, just behind "Air"
I might change them around after another viewing though.

Sisu: Directed by Jalmari Helander. With Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan, Mimosa Willamo. When an ex-soldier who discovers gold in the Lapland wilderness tries to take the loot into the city, N**i soldiers led by a brutal SS officer battle him.

16/04/2023

REVIEW:
Chris McKay's "Renfield"
I liked it.
A new take on the Dracula story told from the point of view of his man servant Renfield.
Nicolas Cage, Nicholas Hoult, and Awkwafina are all great.
Plot's a bit cheesy, but a really funny twist on the story.
Won't win any awards, but worth a watch. Lots of good laughs.

Renfield: Directed by Chris McKay. With Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz. Renfield, Dracula's henchman and inmate at the lunatic asylum for decades, longs for a life away from the Count, his various demands, and all of the bloodshed that comes with them.

07/04/2023

REVIEW:
Ben Affleck's "Air"
Great flick!
When it comes to directing, Ben Affleck has yet to make a bad film.
The guy just has the touch.
Matt Damon is great in the lead role of Sonny Vaccaro.
Viola Davis has a smaller role, but is great as Deloris Jordan, Michael's mom.
If you're into sports at all I highly recommend this one.
Enter my "Best of 2023 so far" list at a solid #1

Air: Directed by Ben Affleck. With Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, Chris Messina. Follows the history of shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan.

02/04/2023

REVIEW:
Daley & Goldstein's "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves"
So I wanted to catch this one a second time before reviewing it, and I'm glad I did.
I thought it was pretty good the first time... it was better the second time.
As someone who played a lot of D&D as a kid in the early 1980s it really hit the tone of that just right.
Adventure, magic, a little bit corny... just fun.
I'm really hoping this one does well enough they make another.
The cast is great. Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Sophia Lillis, Justice Smith... all great.
Hugh Grant played his character just a bit too cheesy and over the top for my liking, but it didn't really detract from the film.
Daisy Head was great as the evil witch.
I really recommend this one, and I'll likely see it again.
Enters my "Best of 2023 so far" list at #1, just edging out "Chad Stahelski's "John Wick 4"

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: Directed by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein. With Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith. A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when ...

24/03/2023

Best of 2023 so far...
----------------------
1) Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer"
2) Greta Gerwig's "Barbie"
3) Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon"
4) Ben Affleck's "Air"
5) Wes Anderson's "Asteroid City"
6) Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers"
7) Paul King's "Wonka"
8 ) Jalmari Helander's "Sisu"
9) Guy Ritchie's "The Covenant"
10) Dos Santos, Powers, and Thompson's "Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse"

--------------------------------------------
-Francis Lawrence's "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes"
-Christopher McQuarrie's "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1"
-Craig Gillespie's "Dumb Money"
-Gareth Edwards' "The Creator"
-James Mangold's "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"
-James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3"
John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein's "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves"
Chad Stahelski's "John Wick: Chapter 4"

24/03/2023

REVIEW:
Chad Stahelski's "John Wick: Chapter 4"
Well, if you've seen the others, you know what to expect.
It's 2hours45minutes long and 2hours30minutes of it is shootouts.
They really go overboard with it towards the end, but the last 20-30 minutes redeems all the BANG BANG! you had to sit through to get there.
That being said, this film could very easily have been 90minutes to 2 hours and would have lost nothing.
If you liked the others, you'll like this one.
Enters my "Best of 2023 so far" list at #1 since it's the first film to make the list.
It won't stay at #1 for terribly long.

John Wick: Chapter 4: Directed by Chad Stahelski. With Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, George Georgiou, Lance Reddick. John Wick uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forc...

10/03/2023

REVIEW:
Scott Beck & Bryan Woods' "65"
Not gonna win any awards, but very enjoyable for what it is.
The premise is as hokey as you think, but it's well made and focuses on the characters which is where a film like this wins.
Adam Driver and Ariana Greenblatt give great performances.
They nailed the runtime at 93 minutes. Long enough to tell the story, good pacing, no real dead space.
Not sure it's worth paying to see, but make a note to catch it when it hits streaming if it's your sort of thing.

65: Directed by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods. With Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman, Nika King. An astronaut crash lands on a mysterious planet only to discover he's not alone.

03/03/2023

REVIEW:
Elizabeth Banks "Co***ne Bear"
This is exactly the film you are thinking it will be.
Over the top, dark humor.
I was hoping it would be much better than it was, but alas... no.
I enjoyed it, lots of laughs. VERY graphic.
I'd suggest just waiting until it hits a streaming service.
It's worth a watch, but maybe not worth paying to see.

Co***ne Bear: Directed by Elizabeth Banks. With Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Ray Liotta. An oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converge on a Georgia forest where a huge black bear goes on a murderous rampage after unintentionally ingesting co***ne.

19/02/2023

REVIEW:
Neil Jordan's "Marlowe"
It was... ok.
They did an amazing job recreating a film noir version of 1930's LA.
The cast was great, acting was great.
But the plot was all over the map. Just a mess.
Could have been so much more with better writing.
Skip it.

Marlowe: Directed by Neil Jordan. With Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. In late 1930's Bay City, a brooding, down on his luck detective is hired to find the ex-lover of a glamorous heiress.

07/02/2023

REVIEW:
M. Night Shyamalan's "Knock at the Cabin"
Not bad.
Well made and entertaining. End of the world type thing.
Sort of like a less scary, less funy "Cabin in the Woods"
Not gonna win any awards, but worth checking out. Either in the theater or wait for streaming.

Knock at the Cabin: Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. With Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Rupert Grint, Nikki Amuka-Bird. While vacationing, a girl and her parents are taken hostage by armed strangers who demand that the family make a choice to avert the apocalypse.

01/01/2023

For anyone interested, here's a list of the films that I've picked as Best Picture Overall each year I've been doing this...
2022 Top Gun: Maverick
2021 Dune
2020 NOT AWARDED - Covid
2019 Jojo Rabbit
2018 A Star is Born
2017 Dunkirk
2016 Arrival
2015 Ex Machina
2014 The Grand Budapest Hotel
2013 12 Years a Slave
2012 Beasts of the Southern Wild
2011 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
2010 Black Swan

01/01/2023

2022 Golden Ducks!!!!
I didn't get to see every film I'd have liked, and several big Oscar contenders did not make wide release before the deadline.
That being said, here are my picks. Feel free to comment with yours.
See you all in 2023

Best Picture (Overall)
1) Top Gun: Maverick
2) The Whale
3) The Outfit
------------------------------------
Best Picture (Drama)
1) The Whale
2) Cyrano
3) Tar
------------------------------------
Best Picture (Comedy)
1) Glass Onion
2) The Greatest Beer Run Ever
3) The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
-----------------------------------
Best Picture (Sci-Fi/Fantasy)
1) Avatar: The Way of Water
2) Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
3) Prey
-----------------------------------
Best Picture (Action)
1) Top Gun: Maverick
2) Bullet Train
3) Uncharted
-----------------------------------
Best Picture (Super Hero/Graphic Novel)
1) Wakanda Forever
2) Samaritan
3) The Batman
-----------------------------------
Best Picture (Thriller)
1) The Outfit
2) See How they Run
3) Death on the Nile
-----------------------------------
Best Picture (Animated)
1) The Bob's Burgers Movie
2) Marcel the Shell with Shoes on
3) Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio
-----------------------------------
Best Picture (Documentary)
1) The Pez Outlaw
2) Fire of Love
3) Navalny
-----------------------------------
Best Picture (Horror - selected by Pam Nail... THANKS PAM!)
1) X
-----------------------------------
Best Director
1) Darren Aronofsky - The Whale
2) Todd Field - Tar
3) Joseph Kosinski - Top Gun: Maverick
-----------------------------------
Best Actor
1) Brendan Fraser - The Whale
2) Sam Rockwell - See How they Run
3) Austin Butler - Elvis
-----------------------------------
Best Actress
1) Michelle Yeoh - Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
2) Cate Blanchette - Tar
3) Olivia Coleman - Empire of Light
------------------------------------
Best Supporting Actor
1) Ke Huy Quan - Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
2) Judd Hirsch - The Fablemans
3) Eddie Redmayne - The Good Nurse
------------------------------------
Best Supporting Actress
1) Janelle Monae - Glass Onion
2) Keke Palmer - Nope
3) Carey Mulligan - She Said
------------------------------------
Best Ensemble Cast
1) Glass Onion
2) Bullet Train
3) Death on the Nile