We close a great year of cinema that aims to continue in 2024 by remembering and ordering the best premieres of the entire year, and with the top 8 movies with which we hope you agree.
1. John Wick 4
Beyond these hackneyed sayings, the truth is that we thought that second parts were only good from time to time, and that third parts could be salvageable except for honorable exceptions. But we did not expect that a fourth installment would be, not only exceptional but the best of a franchise that has defined, in the 21st century, at the height of streaming and series, a purely cinematographic genre such as action cinema.
A new chapter, the “definitive” one (at least for now), of John Wick’s story of revenge, death, and redemption. More enemies, more bullets, more blows, more blood. Everything seen so far is surpassed here…
To date, it is the biggest action show I have seen in theaters this year. I think it offers a more satisfying experience than its biggest rival in this category, ‘Mission: Impossible: Death Sentence – Part 1’, although both are of course extremely entertaining.
2. Barbie
Only its soundtrack and its songs would have made it a phenomenon, but some gags and phrases will stay with us for a long time. The film has been a lesson in how to combine comedy and product IP with auteur cinema and reflection, in how to make something unique and popular at the same time, and in how cinema in theaters can still be a phenomenon beyond comics. The only bad thing about Barbie is that they try to repeat her unrepeatable formula ad nauseam.
Barbie’s perfect existence begins to undergo strange changes that force her to travel to the real world in search of answers. Ken accompanies her and what they discover will change her life forever.
It is a very inventive comedy that plays with expectations, exudes a love for cinema, and, above all, takes advantage of a great cast that wants to laugh and have a good time. Of course, he gets into the debate about machismo in society with a speech that is perhaps questionable for a Hollywood blockbuster, but he does it with a sense of humor and respect for his characters; That’s where it wins. And above all, don’t miss Ryan Gosling’s show as Ken; He deserves the Oscar nomination.
3. Monster
Although we have told you a lot about his Netflix series, Makanai, the Maikos’ Cook, Hirokazu Koreeda is, above all, one of the best filmmakers in the world in the last two decades. He is a signature that every film he releases is at the top of the year and with this film, winner of the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Festival, he was not expected to lower the level. This time, the director of A Family Affair or Nobody Knows has also decided to give us his umpteenth original story of family dynamics. But the relationships of the two protagonist children with their fathers and mothers are only the starting point of a mystery story in three phases in which the educational environment and, above all, the relationship that unites them both also becomes fundamental. A beautiful, tragic, and subtle portrait of friendship, love, and the hardness of childhood.
4. The Fabelmans
Steven Spielberg is getting older, and like every artist, he decided that it was time to open up to his stage of childhood nostalgia. If with West Side Story he paid tribute to his father by creating the remake of his favorite movie, then he aimed directly at himself and his childhood with them. The film achieved 7 nominations for the 2023 Oscars and started as a favorite, although Everything at the same time everywhere was so devastating that it made us forget it.
5. Past Lives
24 years ago, Nora’s family moved from South Korea to Canada, and she left behind her best friend and first love. They both try to maintain the relationship from a distance but Nora ends up considering it an obstacle to her career. Now they meet again in New York and review the decisions that have led them there, as well as the concept of destiny. It is a beauty, one of the most exciting and best-photographed romantic dramas in recent years.
6. The Creator
It is impressive, one of the biggest cinematic spectacles of 2023. This vibrant thriller has the best visual effects we have seen in movie theaters this year. The story has nothing new, it recycles from many sources, and there are situations where the script can be somewhat cliché, but it is worth entering the amazing fantastic world created by Edwards and launching into this action-packed suicide mission. Who knows, maybe in a few years we will be in a similar situation.
7. Wonka
The film tells part of the origins of Wonka, the mysterious character from ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ and how he became famous with his sweet creations. To do this he will have to survive in a cold city thanks to his ingenuity and his new friends, discovering a fierce market that does not accept the arrival of a competitor.
The director of ‘Paddington’ does not disappoint and delivers another instant Christmas classic (like chocolate). With the help of a charming Chalamet, King combines the stories of Roald Dahl with the ingenuity of classic cinema to offer vibrant musical entertainment that comforts the soul, an explosion of joy that leaves you in an excellent mood and moves with a message very appropriate for these dates.
8. Killers of the Flower Moon
An incredible true story about a massacre of Native Americans that occurred in the 1920s, a modern western where cowboys rob and kill with impunity. From a romance, we see why and how the crimes occur, as well as the investigation that puts an end to it.
It is a gripping story about the corruption of the human soul that ranks among Scorsese’s best works. At 80 years old, this living legend of the seventh art is especially inspired by telling the massacre of the Osage Nation and is surrounded by a sensational cast led by his favorite actors: DiCaprio and De Niro, both giving their best in the role of two despicable characters.
