I feel like this was the year that found us return to cinema in full force. Some could say that was all thanks to Barbenheimer. The way in which literally everyone from all over the world took part in this monumental occasion by dressing up and doing double features for each film – I don’t think we will ever have anything like it again.
2023 was also the year that saw me reach one thousand followers on Instagram. What a highlight that was! And though I’ve been stuck at the same number now for the past few months, I absolutely love writing these reviews. Credits Rolling has been a safe haven for me and I would be lost without it.
As I look back on this year, here are my top five best and worst films:
Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) have the most amazing first date until a misunderstanding thwarts their feelings for one another. When fate intervenes and they are thrown together at a destination wedding in Australia, they do what anybody in their situation would do: pretend to be a couple! Initially thinking it’ll be a walk in the park, they don’t expect the old sparks to reignite.
My expectations for Anyone But You were through the roof from the moment I heard about it. Having been a fan of Sweeney’s since Euphoria, I was looking forward to seeing the other types of roles she would take on next. Similarly, Powell captured my heart in last summer’s Top Gun Maverick and hasn’t seemed to let it go yet. There was no way this film could go wrong with the two of them tackling one of my all time favorite tropes. Luckily I was right – their chemistry was HOT and I could not take my eyes off of them.
What I didn’t know going into this was that it was loosely based off of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. This did become apparent, however, as I was watching the miscommunications unfold and all the meddling the various supporting characters took part in. Bea’s sister Halle (Hadley Robinson) and Ben’s best friend Claudia (Alexandra Shipp) aka the two brides, as well as respective parents Leo (Dermot Mulroney) and Innie (Rachel Griffiths) and Roger (Bryan Brown) and Carol (Michelle Hurd) played their roles perfectly. I also loved Ben’s friend Pete (Gata) and stereotypical Aussie Beau (Joe Davidson) who brought even more laughs.
Though there were some moments throughout that were on the slower side, the jokes were consistent and had me giggling. I especially couldn’t hold it together during the hiking scene and I found myself singing along at the top of my lungs during Unwritten which will undoubtedly find its way back to the charts.
Every once in a while, a romcom will come around and sweep you off your feet. Anyone But You was exactly what I needed at this time of the year – two extremely good looking leads, fiery passion, some comedy and the beautiful backdrop of Australia. It was an absolute blast from start to finish and the perfect movie to end my year on.
Director, writer and actor Bradley Cooper’s new venture is Maestro, based on conductor Leonard Bernstein. The story starts in 1946 and follows Bernstein as a young man, when he meets his wife Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan) at a party. We’re then brought into the ups and downs of their twenty five year marriage.
One thing to note before diving in is that it is not your average biopic. Usually the professional and personal life are explored and depicted for the audience to see. This take is different in that it focuses solely on Leonard and Felicia’s relationship. While said relationship was utterly romantic, I would have preferred there to be more of a balance.
Though we didn’t see much of Bernstein’s conductor side, the moments we did see were very well done. Cooper dedicated a lot of time to learning how to do the movements properly so that each scene was as authentic as possible. His hard work paid off as I found myself forgetting I was watching a movie during these sequences.
Where the film excels is in its performances. Cooper was outstanding as our protagonist and at times almost unrecognisable. I know the prosthetics got a lot of backlash in the beginning, but I think it added to making him so realistic. It was Mulligan, however, who stole the show. There was backlash against her casting as since she was not the correct ethnicity. That being said, she completely knocked it out of the park and is very deserving of her award nominations so far.
Unfortunately the rest of Maestro was not that interesting. I found the storyline to be quite drab in parts and not a lot happened. As a result, it was sometimes hard to pay attention and I lost interest somewhere in the middle. I still recommend giving it a go because the performances are incredible, but that was about it.
What would your reaction be if you found out your dad was actually a former government assassin who gave it all up for a chance of normalcy?
That is what happens in The Family Plan. Dan Morgan (Mark Wahlberg) has enjoyed his life in the suburbs with his wife Jess (Michelle Monaghan), daughter Nina (Zoe Colletti), son Kyle (Van Crosby) and baby Max (Iliana and Vienna Norris). When a picture shows up on social media, his cover is blown and he’s forced to take them on a road trip across the country to keep them safe.
With its almost two hour run time, the film provided enough thrills to keep me engaged throughout. The action started more or less right off the bat where we see that Wahlberg is still in top form. The best sequences were in the grocery store and the Enya car scene.
Having recently watched a film that focused heavily on a family reconnecting (Family Switch I’m looking at you), it was sometimes hard to differentiate between the two. The age demographic of the children and adults was similar and save for the whole body swapping thing, I could have very well been watching the same film twice. I appreciated the fact that this one at least had the action adventure storyline going for it and how the family did get in on said action.
While it isn’t anything to write home about, The Family Plan is a decent enough romp that people of all ages can find something to appreciate. It’s the type of film that’s perfect to pop on after a long week at work though I did find it dragging towards the end there. All that being said, there were a couple of twists that I didn’t see coming and it did more or less hold my attention so I guess that’s all that matters!
Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination in Paul King’s adaption of Wonka. We all know what happened after Willy Wonka opened his chocolate factory. He went on to give many people, young and old, joy and happiness with his unbelievable creations. But we don’t know that Willy (Timothée Chalamet) started off as a boy with a dream. All he ever wanted was to share his passion with the world and regardless of all that was thrown at hime, he never gave up.
If you aren’t into musicals, then this might not be for you. It’s not overloaded with songs, but they were there to help move the story along. I thought this incorporation was smart and really added to my enjoyment of the film. Some of the songs were stronger than others. One thing was for sure, the cast were able to carry a tune and I found myself bopping along.
I wouldn’t say I was hesitant about Chalamet’s portrayal, but considering the fact that I’m usually indifferent towards him, I was impressed. He oozed the right charm and charisma and I could see the similarities between him and Gene Wilder which was appreciated. The rest of the casting choices were A+: Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas and Mathew Baynton as the opposing chocolatiers Slugworth, Prodnose and Ficklegruber, Keegan-Michael Key as the gullible Chief of Police, Sally Hawkins as Willy’s mother and Rowan Atkinson as Father Julius. It was Olivia Colman, however, who stole the show as Mrs. Scrubbit. She was both absolutely horrible and completely hilarious all at the same time and I loved how she leaned into the madness of it all.
As the film focuses heavily on delectable and otherworldly desserts, I was in absolute heaven watching them all come to life. The CGI effects were quite outstanding here and really managed to transport me to these places. From Wonka’s shop in the galleria, to the scene in the zoo, it was beyond anything I could have ever imagined it would be.
What I loved the most about Wonka was the amount of heart it had. Sure there were some predictable and corny moments, but it worked overall. It truly reached out to the dreamer in me and had me feeling like anything was possible. This is one the whole family can enjoy and as a result, I recommend giving it a watch this holiday season.
Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) is an actress who has just landed her next role – portraying the woman who infamously had an affair with a seventh grader and later married him. In order to get to know her character inside and out, she travels to the town where Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton) now live with their children. Elizabeth isn’t sure what she’ll find, but it ends up being a lot more than she bargained for.
Director Todd Haynes has set up an interesting character study for us. The way in which the scenes were set up to the unsettling feeling in the air not only added to the story, but kept me entranced from beginning to end. It’s gripping and pulls you in straight away. There was never a dull moment.
Portman and Moore are some of the best actors in the game and I can’t believe this was the first time they starred together in a feature. Their chemistry was as effortless as it was fabulous. The big surprise for me was Melton. I’m familiar with his work on Riverdale and The Sun is Also A Star, but I had no clue that he had this in him. His performance was both comedic and heartbreaking all at the same time and I’d be shocked if he didn’t get some nominations for it.
While the film had me completely mesmerised throughout, I have to say that the payoff didn’t go the way I had hoped. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the big climax, and when it didn’t come, I was left confused. I understand wanting the audience to interpret it for themselves, but I wasn’t on board.
May December is a film that I am going to remember. Not only were the performances phenomenal, knowing that the story is based on true events really does provide a bigger impact. Making my top favorites of the year is going to be hard because this one just made the list!
Bernard (Paapa Essiedu) is a workaholic and it’s affecting his family life. Missing his daughter’s birthday is one step too far for his wife Julie (Denée Benton). In an attempt to win back his family in time for the holidays, Bernard enlists the help of a genie named Flora (Melissa McCarthy).
Let’s get one thing straight – the main reason why I wanted to watch Genie was because of Richard Curtis. The man behind Four Weddings and A Funeral, Love Actually and About Time is back was back! While the film was far from brilliant, I have to say I liked it more than I thought I would.
Taking place in New York City, down on his luck Bernard is instantly relatable. You want him to win back his family even when he makes questionable decisions. The story picks up quickly, especially when Flora is introduced and the two embark on quite the journey together. McCarthy has the tendency to annoy me so I was surprised to find that that wasn’t the case in this film.
While it was entertaining enough, there was still a lot of room for improvement. The way in which some of the scenes were shot was questionable. For example, the birds’ eye view of the city looked like a miniature village and seemed cheap as a result. I also found the whole Mona Lisa picture swap storyline unnecessary. It’s like they were trying to fit in a whole bunch of obstacles for Bernard to overcome when it could have gone in a more reasonable direction.
I was on the fence about watching Genie and yet I’m ultimately glad that I gave it a shot. it had some rather enjoyable moments and I appreciated the Christmas vibes that went along with it. I probably won’t remember much about it in week’s time, but that’s okay.
The Walkers are your typical family: mom Jess (Jennifer Garner), dad Bill (Ed Helms), their teenagers CC (Emma Myers) and Wyatt (Brady Noon) and baby Miles (Lincoln and Theodore Sykes). They aren’t as close as they used to be as life has gotten in the way. When a mysterious event occurs at the Griffith Park Planetarium, the family end up switching bodies. In order to change back, they’ll have to walk in one another’s shoes.
Body swap stories have been around for ages. Some have been better than others, but one thing is for sure and that’s we always know more or less what to expect from them. This was the first body swap film that I’ve seen which incorporated Christmas and I loved that aspect of it.
I went into this one not expecting anything amazing. Netflix hasn’t really been delivering lately so I was bracing myself. Color me shocked when I realized I was actually enjoying myself! Sure it’s silly, predictable and some of the CGI moments, particularly with Miles acting as the dog Pickles, were done terribly, but I laughed out loud a ton.
The cast worked well together and really had me believing they were a family. Garner and Helms were perfect as the parents trying to get their teens to hang out with them. I also loved seeing Myers in something since her rise to stardom in last year’s Wednesday. My favorite moments were obviously when the switch had happened and the events that followed.
Overall, Family Switch was better than I expected it to be. It had some valuable family moments, great laughs and a banging soundtrack. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t been feeling like myself lately, but this was exactly the type of film I needed to pick me up.
Credits Rolling 