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Best and Worst Films from March 2023

Best Films from March 2023:

3. Moffie

This wasn’t the greatest month for me, but a couple of movies still stood out with Moffie being my first entry on this list. This South African gay drama takes an honest look into the experiences of gay men in the country during this period as well as offering a frank depiction of the military. The ending was too ambiguous and it left a lot to be desired, but this is a wonderfully cinematic, very well directed film by the great Oliver Hermanus that is a great history lesson of South Africa’s nationalism, racism and homophobia.

2. Asterix Versus Caesar

Asterix Versus Caesar is one of the best movies in this franchise. It adapted two comic book volumes instead of one, resulting in a brisker, more eventful film. The characters are so well developed and the humor is fantastic. The highlights are its 80s banger of a soundtrack and its fluid, gorgeous animation that delights in every sequence. ‘Cleopatra’ is great, but this one came close to that film in terms of quality and it really needs more attention as it’s such an underrated flick.

1. Of an Age

Of an Age is another incredible film from the great Goran Stolevski. While the film is simple and minimalist in its story, it is also quite strong in the depiction of first love and just how powerful it can be. The lead actors have outstanding chemistry, leading to all of their shared scenes feeling very believable. The ending is truly heartbreaking. It will be interesting to see if this movie ends up on my top ten list for the year because as of now it is my number one. Stolevski is surely one of the most talented emerging directors today.

Worst Films from March 2023:

3. Mr. Jealousy

This was an early effort for Noah Baumbach, and as such it was quite mediocre. He tried to emulate Woody Allen in style and humor way too hard, but failed miserably. It’s not a bad movie, but it’s so weakly plotted and populated by uninteresting characters that it really did not signal greatness for Baumbach just yet.

2. Magic Mike 3

This was the weakest movie in the Magic Mike trilogy as it was the least sexy and the least entertaining one. Selma Hayek and Channing Tatum definitely did have great chemistry, but the addition of the theater plot made the movie unexciting and bland.

1. Infinity Pool

This is another bad movie from Brandon Cronenberg, the son of David Cronenberg. The apple surely fell very far from the tree as his movies continue to make me baffled at how mediocre they are. The premise here was good, but the execution was full of pointless blood and gore that it ended up infuriating me more than anything else.