Martin's Musings

The third quarter of 2023 sure did have its ups and downs — where the movies were concerned, anyway.

On the one hand, we had the one-two punch of Barbie and Oppenheimer — or Barbenheimer, if you prefer — movies that broke box office records and were actually very good, proving that sometimes, the hype is actually justified.

But on the other hand, there was the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which halted production and limited promotion for nearly all new releases. Some release dates were delayed as a result, and movies that did come out often did so quietly. Thankfully, after nearly 150 days, the writers got a great deal from the studios. Hopefully, the actors will get one, too, and soon.

Over these last three months, I saw 14 movies, bringing my total for the year so far to 50. (I’m counting a collection of four short films as one feature.) I’ve shared my thoughts about most of what I’ve seen on Twitter and/or Instagram (Stories), but I haven’t documented my thoughts about everything. So, just like I did in the first and second quarters of this year, here in one place (and in reverse-chronological order) is a list of all the movies I saw in the third quarter of 2023, how I saw them, and a quick review of each one.