Greetings! It’s almost time for Easter and I still haven’t posted my favorite movies of 2023. Better late than never! 2023 wasn’t the strongest year for cinema, but it was a lot better than the past handful of years. Film studios are having a difficult time battling a decline in movie theater attendance, a complex streaming landscape, and the demise of physical media. These issues directly affect the movies they release, so we need to have realistic expectations from a changing industry. Here is my eclectic list of favorite movies from last year.
Barbie I know some people were determined to hate this film, but Barbie is legitimately good. It’s quite funny and the story has a very honest commentary about gender roles and how our views change as life progresses. This movie is a fascinating crash course in Barbie’s history as a brand and Mattel in general. You’ll see every Barbie doll created, including really bad ideas from a marketing perspective. The characters are very relatable and the thematic material doesn’t feel aggressively preachy. It’s both fun and thoughtful at the same time, which is a rare occurrence in modern films. The Boogeyman Despite some pacing issues, The Boogeyman is a creepy glance at the fabled monster in the closet. It’s refreshing to see a horror movie that doesn’t feature ghosts, zombies, or other popular tropes. The Boogeyman has a PG-13 rating, which means you’re not going to see gratuitous nudity, gore, and violence. Instead, the film relies on atmosphere, dangers in the dark, and a spooky monster. I think the movie is quite effective and scary enough during key scenes. It’s a good watch at bedtime with the lights out. Cocaine Bear How stupid is this movie? Actually, Cocaine Bear is a horror comedy that relies on a decent script and a good amount of wit. Some elements might be a little bit stupid, but the movie is surprisingly strong with unpredictable plot twists and solid entertainment value. It’s goofy, campy, and suspenseful when necessary. The CGI bear is better than I expected and most viewers should be satisfied with the ending. Believe me. You don’t need to worry about animal cruelty in this film. Dark Harvest This small horror film was buried in the 2023 schedule by MGM. I don’t why Dark Harvest didn’t have better marketing because it’s pretty good. It’s not a masterpiece, but this folk horror tale has a unique premise, solid practical effects, and a good mystery than unfolds throughout the story. It’s a seriously bloody experience. You might think Dark Harvest is just a rehash of Children of the Corn, but it’s a completely different story. Let’s just say a small town achieves their annual harvest through a macabre ritual and you’ll have to find out the rest. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves This fantasy action movie is much better than I anticipated. The trailers didn’t look very impressive, so my expectations were low. The new Dungeons and Dragons film is entertaining, humorous, and exciting with good pacing. Most of the characters are quite likable and surprisingly relatable. It has more heart than the average blockbuster. I don’t play the D&D RPG game, although it seems like the movie has a fleshed out and fully realized version of the IP. The visual effects are pretty decent and the film remains enjoyable from beginning to end. Evil Dead Rise This is the first time we’ve seen the Evil Dead franchise in an urban setting. I must say, the new setting works perfectly well with the same shocking gore and violence from the prior movies. It retains the darker and more serious tone of the 2013 remake. Evil Dead Rise focuses on a family who is suffering from difficult times, which becomes amplified while the apartment complex becomes infested by demons. It has a melancholy and almost hopeless tone. Some viewers might feel bothered by the film’s bleak elements, although it’s par for the course. I think audiences forget how many characters die in the Evil Dead franchise. If you like the Evil Dead overall, this movie is worth a watch. Gran Turismo Despite sharing a name with a video game franchise, Gran Turismo is more of a biography than a game adaptation. It’s about a gamer who eventually becomes a real race car driver. I’ve never been a fan of Fast and the Furious or similar franchises, but biographical car films are usually interesting. This movie has quick pacing and a genuine story that makes the audience root for the underdog. It showcases plenty of sleek, fast cars, and the cinematography works really well for those exciting racing sequences. If you like mid-range blockbusters, Gran Turismo is a good choice. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 The final chapter of the original Guardians of the Galaxy series was much different than I excepted. This film has a much darker story that explains a major part of Rocket Raccoon’s background. It’s also surprisingly violent for a PG-13 movie. With that said, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 maintains the humor, quirks, action, camaraderie, and zaniness of the previous entries. I don’t want to spoil anything, but this film has a lot to show the audience. It’s hard to combine space operas and superheroes in a single package, although Guardians of the Galaxy accomplishes the task quite well. Haunted Mansion This reboot didn’t perform well in theaters. Maybe the Eddie Murphy version of the Haunted Mansion is leaving people with bad memories. Last year’s Haunted Mansion might not have the best script, but it’s entertaining and faithful to the theme park ride. It’s very atmospheric and surprisingly scary for a Disney film. You’ll follow an ensemble cast and their encounter with the Hatbox ghost in the titular mansion. It’s fun and a little campy without being stupid. I can’t say any of the actors stand out, but that’s not the point. This type of movie is about the visual effects, production design, spookiness, and theme park elements. It’s an entertaining viewing on Halloween. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Naturally, I’ve watched my fair share of post-apocalyptic films. The Hunger Games was never a favorite franchise of mine, although The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes left a good impression. It’s a little more realistic than the previous entries and the story explains a lot of plot holes from the overall franchise. This movie explores the early versions of the Hunger Games and President Snow’s ambitions during his youth. It’s very interesting and many of the fight sequences are exciting. The runtime is a bit excessive, but the overall experience is a refreshing entry in a crowded genre. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Nothing can beat the original Indiana Jones trilogy. However, Dial of Destiny feels like a pleasant return to form compared to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It’s a fun adventure that features Indiana Jones during his senior years. He’s retiring from the university and the latest adventure will probably be his last. The enchanted object in question can transport people back in time, which could change the events of history, including the outcome of WWII. Harrison Ford is still the perfect fit for Indiana Jones, although some of the supporting characters were pretty weak. Regardless, it’s an entertaining finale to a nearly long forgotten franchise. John Wick: Chapter 4 It seems like the action scenes become more intense with each entry in the John Wick films. Chapter 4 has a crazy smorgasbord of fight sequences and brilliant choreography. I must say, the character development is somewhat better in this movie compared to the earlier installments. That’s a rare accomplishment in a movie with such a huge emphasis on violence. I can tell Keanu Reeves is getting older and probably tired of this franchise, but Chapter 4 remains one of the best entries in the series. It’s both interesting and exciting at the same time. The runtime is over two and a half hours long, but it breezes through quickly. Make sure you check out this one if you like action films. The Little Mermaid Such a divisive movie. The remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid is considerably different than the animated version. Granted, I celebrate these changes. The live action version has an intelligent duo of protagonists who are curious about the outside world. Ariel wants to explore the surface world while Prince Eric has a fascination with the sea. This movie cleverly handles a number of plot holes and terrible decisions that were made in the animated version. I’m sorry, but the animated version of Ariel is a total airhead who is gullible and her fascination with the surface world is about a guy she has a crush on. The live action remake remedies these issues and creates a legitimate plot with a significant amount of adventure. Some of the VFX are a bit cartoonish, but the overall film is very good. M3GAN This horror comedy is way better than it has any right to be. M3GAN is about a robotic doll who becomes sentient, possessive, and homicidal. This film is humorous, suspenseful, and creepy with pretty decent kill scenes, despite a PG-13 rating. It makes good of practical effects and inventive choreography. The writing is much better than I anticipated and it seems like M3GAN could be a new addition to classic boogeyman characters. It also provides an effective commentary about our dependence on artificial intelligence, which includes younger generations. Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One The Mission: Impossible franchise has a lot of variation in terms of quality. Fortunately, Dead Reckoning is one of the stronger installments in the series. Like M3GAN, the new Mission: Impossible film places an emphasis on AI. The people who have control over the most powerful AI will likely conquer the world. In fact, the AI is sentient enough to have control over us. This movie has many exciting action scenes and several fan favorites from the earlier Mission: Impossible entries. I’m not sure if a two and half hour runtime is necessary, but it’s a fun watch anyway. It’s hard to say how long Tom Cruise will hang on to this franchise, although he’s still a reigning action star at this point. The Nun II It seems like the public had a lukewarm reception to this sequel. The Nun II might not be the most terrifying film, but it’s effective enough with a creepy setting and ghastly demons. It expands the lore from the original Nun and sets up the possibility for a third installment. The Conjuring franchise is probably the only successful cinematic universe in the horror genre. How many of you remember Universal’s attempt to create the Dark Universe? So, The Nun II is scary, effective, and fun enough to gain a spot on this post. Plane Sometimes I just want to watch an old fashioned action flick. It’s so hard to find these movies nowadays, especially good ones. Plane stars Gerard Butler, who is a staple in low ranking action films. It’s about a passenger plane that makes an emergency landing in a hostile, foreign territory. As expected, you’re going to see terrorists, kidnappings, murders, and whatnot. Yeah, the plot is trite and predictable, but the action scenes are entertaining and the script isn’t bad considering the genre. Butler still has it, baby! Scream VI Maybe I’m just a sucker for the Scream movies. The latest entry is another thrilling, campy, and suspenseful chapter in the franchise. It brings back fan favorites along with a number of new characters…or should I say suspects? Never trust anyone in a Scream film. Unlike the previous movies, Scream VI takes place in New York City, which is a brand new setting for the series. It reigns in elements of urban horror, such as the ability to hide in plain sight among crowds. Some of the death scenes are downright loony yet believable. Check out this one if you want something fun, short, and uncomplicated. Shazam! Fury of the Gods The DC universe is just falling apart. Avoid the new Aquaman movie at all costs. On the plus side, Shazam! Fury of the Gods was the best of last year’s DC movies. It pales in comparison to the first Shazam!, but I thought the film was fine overall. It’s a fun superhero adventure that expands the story of the Shazam family. This film ties in elements from Greek mythology with various creatures, Gods, and supernatural phenomenon. It has a solid amount of humor and heartwarming moments. If you liked the first Shazam!, the sequel is worth a viewing. Thanksgiving It’s hard explain this horror movie. Thanksgiving is shockingly gruesome and genuinely funny at times. I’m sure it will strike a nerve with some viewers, but this slasher flick is a creative addition to a packed genre. At first glance, you might feel sympathetic to the victims. Granted, the film is saying, “what goes around comes around.” Thanksgiving has a better plot than I expected and it includes a few clever twists. This film illustrates the greed and mania associated with consumerism, particularly during events like the week of Black Friday. You’ll have to find out the rest by watching the movie. There you go! You made it through my favorite movies of 2023! I suppose it was loaded with several horror movies. It also had fewer superhero films than usual. What are your favorite movies of last year? Leave some examples in the comment section. Thanks for visiting and I promise to give you another fun topic next week. Good night!
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Welcome back, my fellow gamers! I know the video game industry is in colossal disarray, but we have to accept it. The entire industry is changing to have more profitable business models in the future. It will likely take two or three years to have a good idea of how modern gaming is changing. For now, I still found a lot of games to review. The selection of games doesn’t appear to be thinning in the first quarter of this year at all. Let’s check it out! Granblue Fantasy: Relink might appeal to fans of JRPGs and Final Fantasy. I know some people will think it’s a FF ripoff, but the gameplay is quite enjoyable. This game has a strong roster of characters who have different abilities to accommodate various gameplay styles. The enemy encounters are fun and fluid with hack and slash combat in real time. Granblue Fantasy has a big emphasis on team combat, which includes cooperative combos and special moves. The skill trees are a helpful way to level up your favorites characters in terms of new moves, extra health, stronger hits, and more. Overall, the game breezes along faster than the average JRPG, despite having a number of missions, side quests, and boss fights. Each character has their own backstories, combat style, and specific side missions. Merchants don’t have the most impressive shops, but you can use them to recruit more characters on your team without obnoxious micro transactions. Like many JRPGs, Granblue Fantasy is a medieval fantasy with dragons, trolls, witches, and typical enemies of the genre. The formula isn’t broken, so I’m not going to complain about it. Ultimately, this game won’t replace FF, but that’s not the point. Granblue Fantasy is a refreshing adventure in a genre that’s usually dominated by turn based games. It remains entertaining through the entire twenty hour campaign and includes plenty of post-game content. If you’re intimidated by the JRPG genre, this game is a good onboarding experience. Can Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League be that bad? It has some redeemable elements, but critics are mostly correct. This game is pretty awful. Sure, it has a live service component, but I primarily focused on the single player campaign. On a visual level, the game is very impressive. The character models, cutscenes, and world building is really strong. However, the gameplay and missions are a huge problem. The combat and controls are incredibly awkward. Gunfire is unresponsive, traversal feels uncoordinated, and it’s hard to find all of the enemies in a given arena. Everything looks and feels the same after a few missions, leaving the rest of the campaign with excessive repetition. Hardly any of the missions are fun with a huge emphasis on extractions, timed encounters, defending items, etc. The story is interesting, but it’s an unimpressive way to end the Arkham universe. This is a spoiler, but you need to hear it. Yes, the Suicide Squad actually kills prominent members of the Justice League and Brainiac turns the citizens of Metropolis into his minions. I doubt that premise makes you want to spend $70 on this game. You’ll spend a lot of time shooting purple dots, facing the same types of enemies, and repeating various missions. The RPG component is very weak and the weapon selection is inconsequential. Also, the humor feels juvenile, lame, and disrespectful to DC fans. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn’t the worst game of the year, but it’s disappointing and unremarkable. I’m sure some player are curious, but resist the urge to drop money on this game. You’ll thank me later. I was introduced recently to the Jujutsu Kaisen anime series. It’s pretty cool, so I wanted to try the game that’s based on the first season. Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash entertained me for a while, but repetitive gameplay, a mediocre fighting system, and annoying objectives drained my interest. It uses still images instead of cutscenes, which didn’t bother me. Granted, it shows that Bandai Namco is putting minimal budgets and care in their anime games. How does the combat and movement feel? It’s generally fine, but the combat feels a bit floaty and the lock on system only works half of the time. Cursed Clash doesn’t allow people to experience the game like the anime show. Instead, most of the fights have mandatory objectives, like blocking hits, dodging, using special moves, or avoiding damage for a certain number of seconds. I don’t mind the voice acting, although it’s not significant enough to redeem the game’s weaknesses. I’m still waiting for the Dragon Ball Z glory days. At this point, I would say you don’t need to spend money on this game. Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash is definitely better than last year’s Naruto game, but that’s a low bar. It might be worth your time some day on Game Pass or PS+. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden has some notable flaws, but it’s still a highly entertaining and creative experience. This game combines many elements and accomplishes it surprisingly well. It’s a single player adventure game that feels a bit like the recent God of War titles with a crunchy hack and slash combat style. Banishers also includes elements of horror, romance, and a large open world environment. Believe it or not, the end results work. It has a unique gameplay system with dual protagonists. You play as Red, a human banisher who fights ghosts. Antea is spirit who’s helping Red with one last mission before ascending to the afterlife. Both characters have their own moves, strengths, and weaknesses, and you’ll switch between them during combat. This unusual combat system is quite effective and works totally fine without noticeable issues. Banishers has a compelling story that develops slowly over time with a fascinating mystery. Your choices determine the fates of many characters and the ending. The game has a complex moral system where you have the option to kill human characters, which may bring Antea back to life. Otherwise, you can banish or ascend ghosts to help Antea transition to the next realm. The world is ripe for exploration with many supplies, side quests, secrets, optional boss fights, and more. In the end, this game is easy to recommend. I should mention a few annoyances, such as dips in frame rates, a lack of enemy variety, glitches, and hard crashes. Despite these imperfections, Banishers is a lot of fun, especially if you like spooky stories. Check it out when you have a chance. Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II is an under-looked horror game that landed on my list of favorites this year. It’s a point and click game that includes some side scrolling areas for exploration. At first glance, Death Mark II seems very simple, but it encourages thorough exploration, puzzle solving, and choosing your actions carefully. Characters will literally live or die based on your actions. It doesn’t have combat per se, although you have to use specific items, dialogue choices, and actions to fight angry ghosts. The story unfolds one piece at a time, revealing some pretty unusual and disturbing elements. It’s a very dark and gruesome tale that might not appeal to some players. However, it’s a great experience for horror fans. Death Mark II has a meaty runtime between twelve and fifteen hours, which is pretty substantial for a point and click adventure. This game actually makes you think carefully without being too frustrating. The story and enemy encounters proceed through still images rather than animated cutscenes. That part doesn’t bother me, considering it’s an indie game with a small budget. If you enjoy the horror genre, Death Mark II is a clear recommendation. Just keep in mind, it’s not going to have a AAA experience like Resident Evil or Dead Space. Get used to it because studios will slash their budgets for many future games. Flashback 2 is another game that received horrible reviews and I had to see it for myself. Yeah, the criticism was warranted. Honestly, Flashback 2 is the worst game on today’s post. It’s a side scrolling adventure game and a direct sequel to the original Flashback. I never played the original game, so the concept of legacy doesn’t mean anything to me. The setting is interesting with a variety of sci-fi environments, ranging from cyberpunk cities, underground mines, weird laboratories, alien jungles, etc. You’ll fight robots and alien creatures, but the gameplay and progression is a real issue. This game is virtually unplayable and broken. The protagonist’s movement, reaction time, and combat is very sluggish. Enemies can dance around the main character while he plods along. This game supports rapid gunfire, but it rarely worked for me. It’s important to save progress often because you’ll encounter many bugs that leave you stuck without moving forward. Flashback 2 is another cheap game with still images instead of cutscenes. Also, the voice acting is pretty bad. I believe in supporting physical media, but this game didn’t need a disc. What can I say? Flashback 2 is downright terrible. I don’t know what happened to the development of this game. Hardly anyone will have the patience to finish it. Don’t even play this game if it comes to Game Pass or PlayStation+. I’m sure you’ll find something better to play. The Church in the Darkness seems like an intriguing experiment that didn’t quite work. It’s not a fancy game by any means. I like indie games, so it was worth a try. The protagonist is on a mission to save his/her nephew from a dangerous cult. I can tell The Church in the Darkness takes very clear inspirations from the Jonestown cult and massacre. Each play through is different, almost like a roguelike structure. Some variations include your inventory, the temperaments of the cult leaders, your nephew’s willingness to leave, etc. At times, the cult is a band of violent terrorists and other times it’s a simple hippie commune. I appreciate the variety, but the game is a bit confusing and the gameplay is pretty rough. Sometimes it felt like I died because the controls were unresponsive or the guards had x-ray vision. Also, the premise feels somewhat shameless. The Church in the Darkness is interesting at first glance, but it’s an uncomfortable subject because so many people died at the hands of cults in real life. I’m not recommending this game either. The Church in the Darkness is weird and the gameplay isn’t enjoyable. However, it’s only 2 dollars on Steam at the moment. I can imagine some players might be curious about this one. Ordinarily, I don’t handle cooking simulators very well, but PlateUp! looked promising. Basically, it’s a frantic restaurant simulator that includes cooking meals, serving customers, upgrading equipment, learning new recipes, cleaning up messes, etc. It also has a roguelike structure. You can’t make any mistakes or receive complaints from customers, otherwise your restaurant will close permanently. Then you open a new restaurant and try again with some permanent upgrades. If you enjoyed the Overcooked games, PlateUp! should be on your radar. I must say, this game is a lousy experience in single player mode. It’s almost impossible to cook the food, serve the customers, clean up everything, and manage the restaurant perfectly without running into problems. You only gain a tiny bit of experience in single player mode, which means you’ll grind through many failures to reach a menial level 2. Granted, it might be an entertaining experience in co-op mode with friends. You can designate a team to cook, serve, clean, and whatnot. I can understand why this game might work for 3 to 4 players.
In general, I only recommend PlateUp! for people who want to play the multiplayer mode. The single player mode is just too frustrating and unmanageable without enough rewards. It’s also available on Game Pass, so that’s a bonus. That’s it! My latest round of reviews was a combination of strong titles and major disappointments. Be prepared to see smaller games with cheaper budgets. The industry needs to cut down on their AAA projects, which means we’re getting more live service games and smaller titles. It might not be fair, but companies need to make a profit in a very costly economy. We will see what happens in due time. Be patient, take care of yourselves, and game on! |
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May 2019
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