All the New Movies I’ve Seen: Fourth-Quarter 2023 Edition, Part 1

To quote a beloved song, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” No, I’m not talking about the holiday season specifically. I’m talking about the last three months of the year, when the movie-release schedule really heats up and some of the most anticipated films of the year are released.

And, since the SAG-AFTRA strike was resolved (after 118 days), and actors are now able to promote their work again, things are back to “normal,” so you should be hearing about many of the new releases on talk shows, podcasts, and in magazine profiles. (Hooray!)

Since my last roundup seven weeks ago, I’ve seen 18 more movies (I’m counting two short films), bringing my total for the year so far to 68 new releases — which is more than I saw last year in total, just for the record. Given how many more movies will be released between now and the end of the year, I thought it’d be a good idea to share a roundup of recent releases and what I thought of them now, before there are too many, so these reviews can still be relevant and timely. 

And so, just like I did in the first, second, and third quarters of this year, here in one place (and in reverse-chronological order) is a list of all the movies I’ve seen so far in the fourth quarter of 2023, how I saw them, and a quick review of each one.

68. Dream Scenario (theater). Nicolas Cage plays a nebbishy Massachusetts college professor, “a remarkable nobody,” who mysteriously starts showing up in random people’s dreams, in this satire of what it means to go viral and be canceled in today’s culture. The film is very funny for about half its length, but then the concept seems to run out of gas in the final third and writer/director Kristoffer Borgli doesn’t quite know where to go with it. But Cage is good (it’s an about-face from his performance in the underrated Renfield earlier this year) and that first half is very funny. Grade: B

67. Thanksgiving (theater). Here’s a movie that knows exactly what it is and doesn’t take itself too seriously. A year after chaos erupts at the start of a Black Friday sale at a big-box store on Thanksgiving night, residents in the town of Plymouth, Mass. — where else? — start getting offed by a killer in a John Carver mask who is out for revenge. Director Eli Roth (a.k.a. the Bear Jew) finds creative, amusing ways for people to die, each more gory than the last. Throw in Patrick Dempsey as the sheriff (complete with local accent) and plenty of IYKYK references to Roth’s home state, and you have a film that’s no award-winner, but is a damned good time. Grade: B

66. Next Goal Wins (theater). Taika Waititi’s schtick has grown stale, and he just doesn’t seem to be the right fit for this film based on the true story of a foul-tempered football coach (Michael Fassbender) hired to lead the team in American Samoa, which, to date, had never won a game. At the start of the movie, the director and co-writer (in character as a local priest, with a wooly mustache for comic effect) informs us that we’re about to see “a tale of whoa,” but the film itself never scores. Waititi can’t seem to decide if he wants to make a sports comedy about the team, a redemption story about the coach, or an inspiring film about one character, gender-fluid Jaiyah (Kaimana), the only player on the team we actually get to know. None of the threads gets their proper due, and Jaiyah’s story comes off as random, instead of the tribute it probably should have been. Grade: C

65. Anatomy of a Fall (theater). A very good drama (in both English and French) about a woman accused of killing her husband. Whether she did it or not is in doubt till the very end — in large part due to the stoic performance of Sandra Hüller, who never lets us in enough to offer an impression either way. (That’s meant as a compliment.) Grade: B+

64. Saltburn (theater). I really dug this movie about an awkward kid at Oxford (Barry Keoghan) who becomes friends with a rich classmate (Jacob Elordi), and then spends the summer at the friend’s family’s estate. It’s a decadent, twisted, and wickedly funny film, with elements of Sofia Coppola and Patricia Highsmith, though parts of Saltburn do border on the ridiculous. But Keoghan is great and Carey Mulligan — who was Oscar-nominated for her performance in writer/director Emerald Fennell’s last film, Promising Young Woman — is a trip. So is Rosamund Pike. Glad I saw this one before it was spoiled. I hope you do the same. Grade: B+

63. May December (theater). A melodrama about a Mary Kay Letourneau–like woman (Julianne Moore) and an actress (Natalie Portman) preparing to play her in a movie. Despite some funny parts, and an impressive job by Charles Melton (Riverdale), the film is just fine. I spent much of it going back and forth, trying to decide whether I liked it or not. In the end (which is a bit of a letdown), I settled on the latter. Grade: B–

62. All of Us Strangers (theater). I really liked this one. Andrew Scott (the priest from Fleabag) plays a lonely man still grappling with the death of his parents when he was very young, who develops a relationship with one of his neighbors (Paul Mescal, from last year’s overrated Aftersun). The film is a moving portrayal of love, loss, healing, and connection, and Scott is very very good as a man finally coming to terms with his sexual identity and finding his way out of the darkness. Grade: B+

61. The Marvels (theater). This latest Marvel superhero flick is bright, colorful, and often very fun, and I didn’t entirely hate it (which I can’t really say about the first Captain Marvel movie). Brie Larson looks great, Teyonah Parris is cool, and Iman Vellani brings a lot of energy. That said, the movie is an odd entry in the MCU, inessential and highly questionable. (No, really: How is Carol Danvers now essentially the same age as her niece, Monica Rambeau?) But it’s short — at just 1:45, a near-perfect length, it’s the shortest MCU film yet — and that’s a good thing, for sure. Grade: B–

60. Poor Things (theater). Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest is a Frankenstein/Pygmalion/Bible/fairy-tale/coming-of-age hybrid about women’s empowerment, and it’s definitely strange, but it’s also utterly unique. The film features some spectacular visuals (it should be a lock for the Best Production Design Oscar); a good, often laugh-out-loud funny, screenplay, with many quotable/memorable lines; and a performance by Mark Ruffalo that’s unlike anything he’s ever done before. Sure, the film could probably be 10–15 minutes shorter, and Emma Stone’s performance takes a while to get good, but yeah, I really enjoyed this one. Grade: B+

59. Rustin (theater). A good, albeit standard-issue and kinda stagey, bio-pic about Bayard Rustin, the power of community organizing, and how he pulled together the 1963 March on Washington despite resistance from the civil rights establishment. It will fit in just fine on Netflix as a TV movie. Grade: B

58. Nyad (streaming). The directors of Free Solo have made an impressive narrative debut. This movie is an inspiring drama about swimmer Diana Nyad, who at age 64, was determined to fulfill her dream of swimming from Cuba to Key West. The film is as much about Nyad’s ego-driven quest as it is about the power of friendship and belief, and it’s a worthy two-hander for Annette Bening and Jodie Foster. If this wasn’t a Netflix film that folks will be watching at home (not in a theater), you would surely call it a “crowd pleaser.” Alas … Grade: B+

57. Once Within a Time (theater). This one is not really a movie. Not like the others on this list, anyway. It reminded me of something my film-media class might have made back in high school — if we could get Mike Tyson to make a cameo, that is. I’m not even sure if this is a film that counts on this list. But I saw it. And exec producer Steven Soderbergh was at the screening. So, I guess it’s legit. Grade: N/A

56. Priscilla (theater). Sofia Coppola’s latest film is a cool and mostly enjoyable look at Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu’s relationship, but, despite a very good performance by adorable Cailee Spaeny, it doesn’t really tell us much about the eventual Mrs. Presley except that she was the underage, lovesick love interest of the King (Jacob Elordi), who was much more of a cad than Baz Luhrmann showed him to be in last year’s much better Elvis. Grade: B

55. The Holdovers (theater). Alexander Payne’s new film is a real charmer that features a predictably good performance by Paul Giamatti and a wonderful one by Da’Vine Joy Randolph; I’m hoping she’ll be award-nominated, despite her inconsistent accent. That said, the film seems to drag; 10–15 minutes could have been cut and I probably would have liked it more. Grade: B

54. Fingernails (streaming). This one has a provocative concept: Couples find out if they’re truly in love by having a fingernail removed and tested. But is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time? Alas, while I like the cast (Jessie Buckley, Jeremy Allen White, and Riz Ahmed), I found their movie hard to love. Grade: C+

53. The Killer (theater). A very good movie about an overconfident but not-very-good contract killer (Michael Fassbender) whose mistake on a job has unexpected repercussions. David Fincher’s film, which was written by Se7en screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, is elegant and often amusing (all those TV character aliases), it has a great soundtrack filled with lots of Smiths tunes, and there’s a fight scene that’s one of the best in recent memory. Grade: B+

52. Killers of the Flower Moon (theater). There’s a lot to like about Martin Scorsese’s latest. Actually, there’s just a lot. Too much. Of course, it’s well directed; Marty is still at the top of his game. Similarly, it’s well acted across the board, even if Leo sounds like he’s doing a Sling Blade impression for much of the film. It’s well shot; the cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto (who was also behind the camera for Barbie) is fantastic. And Robbie Robertson’s score is excellent, too. That said, the film probably shouldn’t have been told from the white-people’s perspective, or it should have portrayed them as even more unlikable. And, most significantly — and I really hate to be that guy, but — good as this movie is, it’s just too long. It should/could have been a mini-series. (And that’s coming from someone who sat through The Irishman multiple times.) Grade: B

51. Strange Way of Life (theater). Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal star as two gay cowboys in Pedro Almodovar’s latest, a stylish western melodrama (telenovela-esque). It’s a very good film, but at 31 minutes, it’s way too short. Just when it’s settling in, it’s over. This one should have been a feature. Or it could have been a stage play. Grade: B+

Alrighty. There are plenty of good reasons to head out to a movie theater right now, and we’re not done with the year-end releases yet. Stay tuned for my thoughts about the remaining 2023 films still to come.