Top 10 Films of 2023

What a great year for movies. There were a plethora of wonderful flicks released in the last 12 months across a mix of genres, making 2023 trips to the theater satisfying.

Like all years with a lot of top shelf movies, it can be hard to narrow a list down to 10. But the more good movies the better, and based on personal enjoyment and what I found most well made, I was able to put together 10 picks. However, like always, I will honor the movies that didn’t make the cut.

Continue reading “Top 10 Films of 2023”

REVIEW: ‘May December’ is a successful dramatization of a dark story

You know that meme with the dog who’s sitting in a burning building, drinking coffee and saying “this is fine,” even though everything clearly isn’t? The characters in this movie seem to have that mentality.

“May December,” the latest film from director Todd Haynes, takes inspiration from the case of Mary Kay Letourneau, a teacher who raped her 12-year-old, sixth grade student, Vili Fualaau, and later gave birth to his child. The two were eventually married after her prison sentence.

Those individuals were the basis for Julianne Moore’s Gracie and Charles Melton’s Joe. The film takes place many years after the affair between the married couple began, and centers on an actress, Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), who is visiting Gracie and Joe to prepare for her portrayal of the former in an independent film. Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘May December’ is a successful dramatization of a dark story”