My top movies of 2023!
On the Run Movies
Happy New Year, movie lovers! 2023 is now over, and I’m looking forward to the new movies that will arrive in our cinemas in 2024!
It’s time for me to look back over 2023 and let you know what the top movies were for me (well, some of them, at least!). I’ll also let you know where you might be able to see it if you missed it at the cinema! So here we go:
Close (M): Two thirteen-year-olds have always been incredibly close, but they drift apart after the intimacy of their relationship is questioned by schoolmates. An emotionally transformative and unforgettable portrait of the intersection of friendship and love, identity and independence, and heartbreak and healing. ***** — Stream it on Stan or rent it on Google Play, YouTube, Amazon, Fetch, or AppleTV
Sweet As (M): With problems on the home front, 15-year-old Murra is on the verge of lashing out. That is, until her policeman uncle thwarts her self-destructive behaviour with a lifeline: a “photo-safari for at-risk kids.” Murra isn’t entirely convinced, but she soon joins cantankerous Kylie, uptight Sean, happy-go-lucky Elvis, and camp counsellors Fernando and Michelle on a transformative bus trip to the Pilbara. On the trail, the teens learn about fun, friendship, and first crushes, as well as the forces of ‘reality’ that puncture the bubble of youth. ***** — Rent it on Amazon, AppleTV, Microsoft, Telstra, or Fetch (NOTE: I believe this is leaving streaming services in 22 days as of 1/1/24).
Beau is Afraid (R18+): Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic, Kafkaesque odyssey back home. ****½ — Rent it on AppleTV, Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft, YouTube, Telstra, or Fetch
Godland (M): In the late 19th century, a young Danish priest travels to a remote part of Iceland to build a church and photograph its people. But the deeper he goes into the unforgiving landscape, the more he strays from his purpose, mission, and morality. ****½ — Rent it on Fetch, AppleTV, Amazon, Google Play, or YouTube
Fair Play: An unexpected promotion at a cutthroat hedge fund pushes a young couple’s relationship to the brink, threatening to unravel not only their recent engagement but their lives. ****½ — Stream on Netflix
Avatar: The Way of Water (M): Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, learn the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure. ****½ — Stream on Disney+
Oppenheimer: Oppenheimer is the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist who led the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project was the codename for the US development of the atomic bomb. The film takes place during World War II, where Oppenheimer worked for the Los Alamos Laboratory and created the historic bombs that were deployed in August 1945 in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan. **** — Rent it on Amazon, Microsoft, AppleTV, Google Play, YouTube, or Telstra
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 (M): Ethan Hunt returns to save the world in another adrenaline inducing adventure. With his team in tow, Ethan must confront a new villain in an action-packed, high-stakes mission. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is the first half of the two-part franchise finale. **** — Rent it on Amazon, Microsoft, Telstra, AppleTV, Google Play, or YouTube
Reality (M): FBI agents arrested and interrogated former NSA intelligence contractor Reality Winner on the grounds of leaking classified information. The information in question pertained to Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and was provided to The Intercept news publication. Winner was sentenced to the longest sentence in history for leaking government information without authorisation – five years and three months. **** — Stream it on Binge or rent it on Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Microsoft, Telstra, Fetch, or AppleTV