……………………………………………………….

Best and Worst Films from April 2023

Best Films from April 2023:

3. I’m No Angel

Along with ‘She Done Him Wrong’, I’m No Angel is considered to be the best Mae West movie and for a reason. It’s a hilarious film that has a thin plot, but it benefits from West’s numerous instantly iconic lines of dialogue that made me laugh throughout. Cary Grant was also strong here and their dynamic was superb. The highlight was the courtroom drama third act that saw West at her most playful and domineering. It’s such a provocative movie that is also admirably feminist. For all these reasons, it took this third spot over the Disney classic ‘The Parent Trap’.

2. Maratonci trce pocasni krug

Maratonci trce pocasni krug is one of the best and most iconic Serbian movies, the one film that has stood the test of time and is just as enjoyable now as it was back in the eighties. It features a stellar cast with every performer delivering a terrific performance. The script is top-notch, the themes are very specific to the Serbian/Yugoslav experience and the characters are very well written and so memorable. The highlight is its accomplished mixture of various genres and tones.

1. Zelig

And the best movie I saw all month has to be Zelig. In it, Woody Allen recreated the late twenties in a staggeringly detailed manner. The grainy cinematography, poor sound quality, memorable songs and the brilliant narration from Patrick Horgan all lent this picture unprecedented realism. It genuinely felt like watching a film from that era. The editing and the mixing of the new with the old footage was particularly impressive. Consequently, Zelig is a truly idiosyncratic mockumentary that is funny and impressively stylish, leading to one of Allen’s finest features hailing from his most creative era.

Worst Films from April 2023:

3. State Fair

I did not see that many mediocre movies this month, so I had to chose the solid State Fair for the third placement in the worst section. It’s a perfectly solid pastoral slice-of-life tale with one great musical number, but it’s very thinly plotted and unremarkable in its technical aspects and acting performances.

2. The Mouse and His Child

The Mouse and His Child is this very strange 70s animated feature that was an admirable experiment, but one that did not quite work unfortunately. It tried to bridge a family-friendly tone with some rather mature themes, not succeeding at either one of those. The animation and the soundtrack are solid, but the overall story and characterization left a lot to be desired.

1. The Magician’s Elephant

Netflix is usually quite strong at their animated fare, but unfortunately this movie is their weakest effort so far. It has its charming moments for sure, but the overall plot is so uninspired and its messaging so bland that it left me wondering why they even sought to adapt this material in the first place. It was a big disappointment for sure.