Happy New Year's Eve!
With 2023 coming to a close, it is time for us to choose what the best entertainment of the year was. And just as the Academy Awards have their "Oscars", so too the Catholic Skywalker Awards have their "Kal-El's"
I have gone through as many movies as possible this year. This year I have seen only about 35 movies to come out this year. There are some (like Equalizer 3) that I did not get a chance to view before the end of the year. Also, of the movies I've seen, I will only be counting theatrical movies. For the last few years I have included streaming-only films as well because COVID limited our choices. But now that everything is open and has been open for a while, I will no longer be including those streaming movies for award consideration.
So of the movies I've seen this year, here are the winners:
(My appreciation and judgment of a film should not be taken as a recommendation. Choosing to watch any of these films is the reader's responsibility)
BEST PICTURE
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part I
I get the feeling that this will not be the number one choice of many people this year. But I think that this does a disservice to this fantastic movie. As I wrote when I first reviewed it, I watched all of the Mission: Impossible movies (except for 2) leading up to seeing Dead Reckoning. In that context, you really feel the strength of this film. It is the best action spectacle of the year with amazing fight choreography and stunt work. I am always someone who champions action movies as an under-appreciated genre of cinema. But the character work here is excellent. After building up the chemistry and continuity of Ethan and his characters, you feel the stakes in a way higher than in previous films. You are completely invested in Ethan and his supporting characters and you feel as if the guard rails have been removed and anyone can die. For that reason, it is gripping from start to finish with wonderful performances by Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Haley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff, and Esai Morales. The directions by Christopher McQuarrie is not only visceral, but he knows how to give a sense of grandeur beauty to his shots. Finally, the movie deals with complex themes about humanity and the value of each life. As I wrote in my review:
"My favorite moment was a part where Ethan tells someone that their life is more important than his. This responds with "You don't even know me." To which Ethan simply and sincerely responds: "What difference does that make?" This exchange is such a wonderful and simple explanation of why Ethan is a real hero. He puts the lives of others, even those he doesn't know, before his own. This has the flavor of agape love that Christ calls us to: to love everyone with our lives. This exchange also helps explain why we keep coming back to this series:
"We want to see real heroes in real action.
"And that is what you get in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part I."
RUNNERS UP
Godzilla Minus One
Oppenheimer
John Wick: Chapter 4
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
BEST DIRECTOR
Christopher Nolan - Oppenheimer
As I wrote in my review for the movie:
"Nolan deserves an Oscar nomination for his visual storytelling. Most people will leave the theater remembering the Trinity atomic bomb test scene. And too be sure, it is something was one of my favorite IMAX experiences. When the boom of the explosion hit, everyone (including myself) jumped in their seats.
"But to me, the best scene is the one that takes place at a rally after the successful Trinity test. Oppenheimer has to lead the group in a congratulations for a job well done. But the full weight of what he has done presses down upon them. Instead of taking the easy way out and giving us an internal narration to tell us how he feels, Nolan uses his skill with sight and sound to help us see how he feels. We see things from Oppenheimer's point of view as must disconnect his internal turmoil from his external enthusiasm."
RUNNERS UP
Christopher McQuarrie - Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part I
Takashi Yamazaki - Godzilla Minus One
Chad Stahelski - John Wick: Chapter 4
Kenneth Branagh - A Haunting in Venice
BEST ACTOR
Cillian Murphy - Oppenheimer
As I wrote in my review, Murphy makes his Oppenheimer "both easy to hate but difficult to dislike." You behaves with as such an uncaring jerk, but there is enough charm and humanity underneath everything that he does so that you don't write him off. You are simultaneously repelled and attracted to him. He is utterly fascinating to watch.
This is all the more impressive by how restrained the performance is. There are a few emotional moments, but those are made more powerful by how in control Murphy is with the high levels of agitation that Oppenheimer has throughout the film. He holds his emotional power as an actor in reserve, but he lets you see it bubbling under the surface. Great performance.
RUNNERS UP
Tom Cruise - Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part I
Ryonosuke Kamiki - Godzilla Minus One
Zac Effron - The Iron Claw
Timothee Chalomet - Wonka
BEST ACTRESS
Emily Blunt - Oppenheimer
Blunt plays her very flawed character as crushed by life almost to the point of being broken. She is not a victim, but rather someone who has made some terrible choices and is living with the slow consequences of those choices. Blunt plays her character Kitty with a cloud of melancholy and despair hovering over her. But at the same time, there is a core of stoic resolve underneath. Blunt truly shines in the way she non-verbally reacts to the growing tension around her. The look of pride and horror that comes upon her through Oppenheimer's successes is riveting. And her utter shame at having to come face-to-face with her husband's dalliances shows the heroic struggle to retain what shreds of dignity she has left.
RUNNERS UP
Jennifer Lawrence - No Hard Feelings
Margot Robbie - Barbie
Minami Hamabe - Godzilla Minus One
Vanessa Kirby - Napoleon
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Donnie Yen - John Wick: Chapter 4
This is easily one of my favorite performances of the year. Yen's Caine is someone with so many conflicting attitudes that all play out with complete honesty. He is fully determined to fulfill his duty to kill his good friend John, but always layered throughout the whole thing is an utter sense of disgust at having to do it. But in that disgust there is no hesitation. He hates himself and the situation, but none of that stops him from his goal. Yen not only does this primarily through the mastery of his voice, but with his incredibly body language. Playing almost the entire movie through sunglasses, he has to perform this complex character without letting us see his eyes, which is a difficult thing to do. But Yen knocks it out of the park.
This is easily one of my favorite performances of the year. Yen's Caine is someone with so many conflicting attitudes that all play out with complete honesty. He is fully determined to fulfill his duty to kill his good friend John, but always layered throughout the whole thing is an utter sense of disgust at having to do it. But in that disgust there is no hesitation. He hates himself and the situation, but none of that stops him from his goal. Yen not only does this primarily through the mastery of his voice, but with his incredibly body language. Playing almost the entire movie through sunglasses, he has to perform this complex character without letting us see his eyes, which is a difficult thing to do. But Yen knocks it out of the park.
RUNNERS UP
Ryan Gosling - Barbie
Ryan Gosling - Barbie
Michael Keaton - The Flash
David Harbour - Gran Turismo
Robert Downey Jr. - Oppenheimer
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Hayley Atwell - Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part I
It is difficult to come into a multi-movie franchise and take a prominent place in the narrative. But Atwell did a fantastic job matching the charisma and chemistry of all the major players. She had was not simply the damsel in distress, like Ethan's wife Julia. Nor was she a girl-boss warrior like Ilsa. Atwell had to straddle both extremes as someone who was incredibly competent in one aspect of this world of espionage, but out of her depth in the more violent areas. In this way, she was a perfect vehicle for the audience to see themselves both as brave and frightened by the events of the film. She becomes the emotional heart of a film in a way that would be daunting for any actor, but she pulls it off brilliantly.
RUNNERS UP
Florence Pugh - Oppenheimer
Iman Villani - The Marvels
Tina Fey - A Haunting in Venice
Adrianna Barazza - Blue Beetle
BEST SCREENPLAY
Takashi Yamazaki – Godzilla Minus One
I wrote in my review that "this is the first Godzilla movie I have ever seen where I cared more about the human characters than the main monster. In fact, I would watch an entire movie about the struggles of these characters in post-war Japan even without Godzilla being in it. These characters are relatable, vivid, and distinct... That isn't to say that Godzilla is superfluous to the plot. Like the shark in Jaws, he is the one that pushes the narrative forward and is the vehicle for the characters to act and grow. And like Jaws, the presence of interesting and layered characters only enhances the scary scenes because you actually care deeply about their fates... Another reason why this Godzilla film works so well is that the monster brings out the rich themes of the story. The destruction of Japan, particularly the atomic destruction, lingers in the culture. Godzilla represents the horror and devastation that the war brought to them."
RUNNERS UP
BEST MAKEUP
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
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Once again James Gunn and his crew made the Guardians universe something visually stunning and unique with the makeup effects. This is works in a particularly disturbing way with the High Evolutionary.
RUNNERS-UP
Dungeons and Dragon: Honor Among Thieves
The Flash
BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
Godzilla Minus One
Despite its incredibly small budget, few movies have used their visual effects budget so well. Hollywood studios spend ten times as much and never get something that feels so viscerally real. That is because the effects are not the main draw. They are there to enhance the story to its best effect. Godzilla is absolutely horrifying and the destruction feels real. And as I wrote in my review, this is the best example fo his atomic breath I have seen.
RUNNERS-UP
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Dungeons and Dragon: Honor Among Thieves
BEST SCORE
Naoki Sato - Godzilla Minus One
This is a score that is able to seamlessly transform from melodrama to action to horror effortlessly. And it is one of the best uses of the Godzilla theme that I have heard in a movie. It was both horrifying and exhilarating.
RUNNERS-UP
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The Flash
The Sound of Freedom
BEST COSTUMES
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
This was a very close call between this and Dungeons and Dragons. But it was the utter originality of some of the costumes (especially the flesh suits of the guards) and the vibrant color palette that put this one over the top.
RUNNERS-UP
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
The Flash
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Godzilla Minus One
BEST SONG
"Peaches" - The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Some may call this one too simple. But it is incredibly effective at not only being extremely funny, but it also acts as an earworm that stays with you. I have not heard the song in months and yet the chorus still rings in my mind.
Below are the list of all the films of 2023 that I have seen, ranked in order of excellence:
So that is my list and the conclusion of this year's Catholic Skywalker Awards.
Thoughts?
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