Tag Archives: movies

Role Play – Movie Review

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TL;DR – There are some moments when the film shines. However, there is a lot of space in between those moments filled with missed opportunities.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this film.  

Role Play Review –

In the Spy and Spy-adjacent world, one of the core narratives that we see is when a spy’s family does not know what they do for a day job. The most famous is probably True Lies, but we see a lot of them moving from the more comical to the more serious, depending on the vibe that they want. That is if you can choose a vibe.  

So to set the scene, on the surface, the Brackett family is your perfectly normal middle-American suburban unit. The father, Dave (David Oyelowo), is an architect. They have two wonderful kids, Caroline (Lucia Aliu) & Wyatt (Regan Bryan-Gudgeon), and oh, by the way, when Emma (Kaley Cuoco) says she is going out of town to work cooperate management, she actually is a very successful assassin. Emma wants to have some time at home, but her handler, Raj (Rudi Dharmalingam), wants her back out in the field. After Emma forgets their anniversary, they decide to have a fun night out where they pretend to be two strangers meeting in a bar. One long ride stuck in the tunnel and the poor advances of Bob (Bill Nighy), and it looks like the night might be a bit of a mess. It would be the wrong time for someone’s cover to get blown.   

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Awards – My Top 20 Films of 2023

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So far, in our awards, we have looked at Action, Animation, Best of Australia & New Zealand, Cinematography, Costumes, Emotion, Fun, Music, Tension, and Worldbuilding.

However, in this last entry into our Best of 2023 awards, we crown our Best Film of 2023.

All films are subjective, so our list might look completely different from yours. Of the 121 films we reviewed last year, 113 had their Australian Theatrical/Streaming Release in 2023. This is the list we draw our entries from, and you can see the complete list of movies HERE.

Much like last year’s list, we have had many staggered releases towards the end of the year in Australia. So we may have films here that were released in 2022 for you but 2023 for us, and there may be some omissions here because we won’t get those films until later in 2024, which is why you won’t see The Holdovers on this list (it will be on the 2024 list)

Highly Commended – Asteroid City, Crater, John Wick: Chapter 4, M3GAN, Nimona, Sweet As & They Cloned Tyrone

Okay, with that out of the way, let’s dive into the first entry in our list of Best Films of 2023.

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The Best Australian and New Zealand Cinema in 2023

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This year, with the slight shift in how we format the awards, we added in a touch more flexibility. While that is mainly in the backend, I did want to take the opportunity to expand one of the awards we covered during this period.

It was a fantastic year for Australian and New Zealand Cinema, with each film I saw knocking it out of the park. There were intimate documentaries, films that held up a mirror to society, and those that brought the action to a new level.

This list will look more at the locally made Australian and New Zealand productions/co-productions and not just films filmed in those countries.

Our Highly Commended in 2023 are Bring Him to Me, The Portable Door & True Spirit
Our Best Australian/New Zealand TV in 2023 are The Artful Dodger, Aunty Donna’s Coffee Café, Deadloch, & NCIS: Sydney



So, without further ado, these are the best of Australian and New Zealand Cinema in 2023. Be warned that there will be significant spoilers for the films in question.

The Nominees Are –

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The Films from 2023 That Showed Off the Wonderful Glory of Animation

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Animation is a form of filmmaking that is often related to second-tier status, something just for kids. This is by both the organisations giving out the awards and the guilds meant to promote their members’ work. However, they are not second-tier films; in many ways, animated films push the frontiers of filmmaking and what is possible, and they should be championed for their work.     

Animated films can be hand-drawn, stop/clay motion, or computer-generated; it does not matter, but all of them show the unique techniques of hundreds of artists that bring the work to life.

Our Highly Commended in 2023 are Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget & The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Our Best TV Animation in 2023 are Pokémon Concierge: Season 1, Rick and Morty: Season 7 & Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season Four

So, without further ado, these animated films showed us the glory of animation in 2023. Be warned that there may be slight spoilers for the movies in question. Also, click on the banners/titles to go to the full reviews of each of the films. 

The Nominees Are –

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The Films of 2023 That Emotionally Wrecked Us

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As I have gotten older, I am not afraid of having a good old-fashioned ugly cry in the cinemas when the time calls for it, and hell, I probably got emotional just writing this list (Spoiler: I did). Sometimes, they are tears of grief or tears of joy, and even still, sometimes, they are tears of anger. 

Emotion is a core part of the cinema experience. If you can’t get us to respond emotionally to your characters and/or the situation, I am sorry you failed to make a great film.

Our Highly Commended in 2023 are The Boy and the Heron, Crater, Creed III, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Oppenheimer, Spoiler Alert, Till & Uproar
Our Best TV Emotions in 2023 are The Last of Us: Season 1, Loki: Season 2, Silo: Season 1, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Season 2 & Ted Lasso: Season 3

So, without further ado, these are the films of 2023 that emotionally wrecked us. Be warned that there will be significant spoilers for the films in question.

The Nominees Are –

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Cinematography That Made You Go Wow in 2023!

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Cinematography is an art form that can be as bold as a gong crashing after a moment of silence or as subtle as the tide coming in. It elevates a film to the heights of accolades or becomes frustrating when it misfires.

While at the heart of cinematography is the Director of Photography or Cinematographer, to get something from the script to the final shot takes a whole team of professionals, and it is their talent that we champion today.

Our Highly Commended in 2023 are The Creator, Godzilla Minus One & John Wick: Chapter 4

Our Best TV Cinematography in 2023 are Deadloch: Season 1, Foundation: Season 2, Jury Duty: Season 1, The Last of Us: Season 1 & Ted Lasso: Season 3

So, without further ado, these moments of cinematography took our breaths away in 2023. Be warned that there may be some slight spoilers for the films in question.

The Nominees Are –

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Explosions, Guns, and Punches, Oh My. The Best Action of 2023

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A good action sequence is genuinely impressive to watch, as it can be as expansive as explosions crashing across the screen or more intimate, like a duel between two people. This gives the best action scenes such a range, and in 2023, we were given some unique spectacles.

For me, the best action scenes excel in every element, whether that be live actions, special effects, digital effects, or animation, and bring every facet to shine. It is also the category that looks at some of the department’s people don’t often fully understand, like stunt coordination or the 2nd unit.

2023 was the year of action. From personal punch-ups to climatic brawls, we got it all and more.

Our Highly Commended in 2023 are Bring Him To Me, Extraction 2, Godzilla Minus One,  Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant & The Killer

Our Best TV Action in 2023 are Ahsoka: Season 1, The Last of Us: Season 1, Letterkenny: Season 12, The Night Agent: Season 1 & Twisted Metal: Season 1

So, without further ado, these are the moments of action that awed us in 2023. Be warned that there may be slight spoilers for the films in question.

The Nominees Are –

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Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire – Movie Review

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TL;DR – Moments of interest in the middle of a sea of mess.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this film.

Gas Giant.

Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire Review –

Before we begin our best of 2023 list, there are a handful of movies that I want to catch up on, one of them being this new Science Fiction magnum opus from Zack Snyder. Snyder has always been at least an interesting director because he has a clear visual style, and that has worked for him in the past. The question is if this will work for him today?

So to set the scene, there is a large empire that spans across space, reaching out and conquering all they could find from the Motherworld. That is until assassins kill the King (Cary Elwes) and Queen (Rhian Rees) in a coup d’etat. There is a power vacuum filled by a Regent (Fra Fee) who sent his ships out to the edge of his domain to make sure no plant picks this moment to rebel against them. On the backwater moon of Veldt, things are proceeding as they always do until the ship commanded by Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) appears in orbit over their settlement. While some in the town see an opportunity, Kora (Sofia Boutella) knows the reality: they are here to take, and take, and take.

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Tetris – Movie Review

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TL;DR – An absolute fun blast of a film that might not match entirely with history, but it wears all of its influences on its sleeve.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Apple TV+ service that viewed this film.

Soviet Military Parade.

Tetris Review –

I think, like most people, I rolled my eyes when I heard that there was going to be a Tetris film. That is because I thought they were going to try and turn it into some sort of Battleship situation. I am not sure that we were ready for a dramatized retelling of how the worldwide video game rights made it out of the Soviet Union or for how good the story would be.  

So to set the scene, it is 1988, a precarious time in world history. The Cold War was rapidly coming to a peaceful end, and the first big computer boom was in full swing. It is in this world that Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton) of Bullet-Proof Software sees someone selling Tetris at the Consumer Electronics Expo in Las Vegas. The problem is that Henk does not have the money to buy the game, let alone license it for Japan, which means that he must sweat-talk his Banker (Rick Yune) into letting him do what he has already done. Because a deal with Nintendo only comes around once in a blue moon, all he must do is bet the house … literally.   

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Miss Shampoo (Qing wen hai you na li xu yao jia qiang/請問，還有哪裡需要加強) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – It is a genuinely odd film, sometimes weird, sometimes wondering, often fascinating, but it also has moments where you wonder what it is that you are watching.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There are mid-credit scenes and a slightly mean audio commentary at the end of the credits.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this film.

A pair of scissors in someone's hands.

Miss Shampoo Review –

Tonight, as I was sitting here cursing the heat and the humidity, I thought I would take my mind off it by watching something different. It was at that moment that I realised that it had been a while since we dived into Taiwanese Cinema, and a new romantic comedy just dropped on Netflix.

So to set the scene, it is a rainy night as Fen (Vivian Sung) is practicing her haircutting technique in the salon. When Tai (Daniel Hong) crashes into the salon badly wounded. Thai mercenaries are chasing him, but some quick thinking from Fen saves his life. All the bosses in town are trying to work out who killed Tai’s Boss. But the last thing that Fen was expecting was to see Tai walk back into her salon to ask for a cut when she is only able to wash hair. Nor was she expecting the world she was about to enter.

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