Best and Worst Films from August 2023
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Best and Worst Films from August 2023
Best Films from August 2023:
3. Footlight Parade
August is always the month when I have my anniversary marathon. This year, I watched every movie that was released from 1913 all the way to 2013. One of the highlights of this experience was Footlight Parade, a glorious 30s musical that does have an inferior, thinly plotted first half, but the second half was incredible to witness, especially that one number where hundreds of girls danced and swam in synchronized motion. This just might be the most ambitious musical number in the history of cinema.
2. Antarctica
Antarctica is a Japanese movie that depicts how strong a bond between dogs and humans can really be while never being cloying or emotionally manipulative. The ending scene was touching, earned in its emotions and simply unforgettable. The cinematography is also gorgeous and the timeless score from Vangelis is one of his best works. It’s one of the best and most underrated dog movies of all time.
1. The Last Detail
The best movie I saw during my anniversary marathon this month was Hal Ashby’s The Last Detail, which is an amazing dramedy that deals with the cynicism and hopelessness of this particular era remarkably well. It’s a phenomenally directed, deftly paced and wonderfully scripted movie that also has outstanding humor at times. The protagonist’s machismo was often very funny, but the depiction of these men’s brokenness made the movie quite touching as well. Jack Nicholson was perfectly cast and it’s hard to imagine anybody else playing this role. It’s one of his greatest and most underrated performances. It’s a rare 70s drama that really appealed to me.
Worst Films from August 2023:
3. Audition
Audition is a Japanese horror movie that cleverly disguises itself as a melodrama in the first half before becoming shocking and disgusting in its brutal ending. The violence in Audition was repulsive and irredeemable and the movie trying to somewhat empathize with the killer was also not great. It’s a highly overrated movie, thus its inclusion in the worst section.
2. Friday the 13th Part 2
Friday the 13th Part 2 is a lazy sequel that does have some memorable kills and a great Jason in his first role as the main antagonist of the series, but the other characters are thoroughly uninteresting, the technical aspects are inferior this time around and the movie is mostly just violent without ever being truly creepy. This really wasn’t a great month for me when it comes to horror.
1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Yes, this is controversial, but I do continue to find this Spider-Verse sequel highly mediocre. The animation is a spectacle of different styles and mediums, but because it is so hectically paced you cannot really enjoy it. The movie’s extremely fast pacing, weak characterization, overwhelming action and very familiar storytelling ultimately spelled doom for it. It’s not only inferior to the original, but it downright destroyed any optimism that I might have had about this trilogy and now I am not looking forward to the conclusion. It is probably the singular most overrated animated film of all time.
