Michael Young

Close – Easily Manipulative (2.5*)

No Comments

Close evokes emotions, but violates another principle of what makes a good movie. (2.5*)

The Quiet Girl – Simple but with Huge Emotional Impact (5*)

1 Comment

The Quiet Girl is quite possibly the best movie of the year. (5*)

Babylon – A Rare Failure from a Fine Filmmaker (2*)

No Comments

Babylon has some great moments, but is ultimately an overstuffed mess.

The Batman – A Cut Above your Typical Super-Hero (4.5*)

1 Comment

The Batman is one of this year’s best movies. While nominally an action film, it also is thrilling detective story, told at a human level.

Avatar: The Way of Water – (Superb Spirit & Beauty) (4*)

No Comments

Avatar: The Way of Water is a visual spectacle, a story setting up the next three sequels, and, yes, long.

Living – Basic Still and Calm (3*)

No Comments

Living is a remake of a 70-year-old Japanese film with the setting changed to London. The story is a classic, about a man who, told he only has six months to live, suddenly decides to do something different with his life. Nighy’s acting is “spot on”, and the film is a tearjerker, but ultimately it doesn’t present anything new.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Beautiful but Oddly Unsatisfying (2.5*)

1 Comment

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever starts with the death of the former Black Panther and moves through nearly three hours of sometimes beautiful, sometimes action packed, scenes but with so many obligations to fulfill that it is ultimately unsatisfying.

Triangle of Sadness – Insulting, Disgusting and Cheap (1.5*)

1 Comment

Triangle of Sadness starts as an interesting riff on money and sexual politics, turns into a disgusting display of sophomore humor, and ends as an insult to the audience. How did this become an Oscar nominee? (1.5*)

Women Talking – Deep and Timely and Simple (4*)

No Comments

Women Talking is exactly what the title suggests. What you get is a journey what it is like to be a woman in a man’s world, and how that is changing. It is a fascinating conversation. (4*)

The Fabelmans – A Case Study in Creative Success (4*)

No Comments

The Fabelmans is a well crafted movie focusing on the roots of Steven Spielberg’s remarkably successful career. Still, it might not be for everyone. (4*)

The Whale A Sweaty Look at a Man with Big Problems (4*)

No Comments

The Whale pulls heartstrings as you navigate a week with a morbidly obese man. The movie explores themes of addiction, relationships, literature, and spirituality with an unexpectedly good performance from Brendan Fraser. (4*)

2023 Oscars Recap

No Comments

An analysis of where my 2023 Oscars predictions worked and where they didn’t and why. Some suggestions for next year.

Top Gun: Maverick – Well Structured and a Blast (4*)

No Comments

Top Gun: Maverick is this year’s most popular movie. It tells a relatively simple story well, bursting with visual and aural excitement. First of this year’s “popcorn movies” and worth every kernel. (4*)

Elvis – The Price You Pay for Ignoring Your Roots (4.5*)

No Comments

Elvis (4.5*) In a dazzling production full of sights and sounds, Baz Luhrmann paints the tragic story of a man who struggled to get back to his cultural roots.

Tar – A Unique Reward for Patience and Concentration (5*)

No Comments

Tar is movie requiring much patience and concentration, but the rewards are unique. About a female who achieves the top position in the classical music world and then falls, it is also about power, individualism, and, yes, cancel culture. My first (5*) movie of the year.

All Quiet on the Western Front – A Gut Punch Focus on War (4*)

No Comments

A German production, All Quiet on the Western Front re-adapts the 1928 novel of the same name, adding some distinctive scenes and commentary to the story of a young German man, and his friends, thrust onto the “Western Front” to fight the French in the final months of World War I. Accompanied by some stunning cinematography, dominating sound and music, and visceral visual effects, the film reaches new heights in presenting the horror of war. It also adds another, very important message about how events are felt differently depending on where you stand on the social ladder.

Everything Everywhere All at Once – Deep and Insane Look at the Multiverse (4.5*)

1 Comment

Everything Everywhere All at Once is an insane look at one woman’s romp through the multiverse as she learns what is really important about life. (4.5*)

The Banshees of Inisherin – When Friendship Ends (4.5*)

2 Comments

Set during the Irish Civil War in 1923, in a very small village on an isolated island (Inisherin) off the coast of Ireland, Padraic (Colin Farrell) finds his lifelong friendship is torn when his older best friend, Colm (Brendan Gleeson) suddenly, and without apparent reason, finds him “dull” and no longer wants to be with him. The change alters both men, and the entire village, both emotionally and physically. Martin McDonagh’s carefully written and directed script is executed by an Irish-born cast with seemingly perfect chemistry. A must-see film for any adult interested in how and why relationships, of any kind, change and, sometimes, end. (4.5*) The Banshees of Inisherin