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What were the best movies of 2023?
How do you choose between “Oppenheimer” and “Killers of the Flower Moon”? Both were seminal films done by iconic filmmakers. Both were blessed with performances and technical achievements that will stand the test of time.
In other years, something like “Barbie” could have been the best film. This year, the bench was deep: “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Maestro” and “The Holdovers” had the kind of hallmarks that could have pushed “Coda,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Parasite” to second place.
The battle, though, raged between the biography of a man who was a game changer in the race between nations and a look at the greed that fostered a hidden agenda among those determined to get the Osage Nation’s wealth. Both were cautionary tales that let their creators try new ways of storytelling.
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Read more from critic Bruce Miller and listen to the discussion on the latest episode of the Streamed & Screened podcast through the audio player above:
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Matthew Goode, Anthony Hopkins star in 'Freud's Last Session'
Don’t pay attention to common wisdom. Youshouldmeet your heroes, actor Matthew Goode says.
Cast opposite Anthony Hopkins in “Freud’s Last Session,” Goode was unsure how the two-time Oscar winner would receive him. Since Hopkins had already played C.S. Lewis (Goode’s role), “this could be a very intimidating job,” he remembered thinking. “He’s one of the greatest actors of all time.
"Luckily, I had a great experience. He was amazing.”
Hopkins, as you may guess, stars as Sigmund Freud, the acclaimed psychoanalyst. The film suggests what might have happened had the two met and discussed their views of religion.
Read more here:
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Movie review: 'The Iron Claw' one of the most revelatory films of the year
Based in truth, the drama leans into those “Great Santini” moments and shows how professional wrestling played with its participants’ minds. Living under what others said was a curse, most of the Von Erichs met dreadful ends. They weren’t happy celebrities. They were young men who didn’t measure up.
Directed by Sean Durkin, “The Iron Claw” gives Zac Efron his best role to date. He’s Kevin Von Erich, the stable one of the bunch, who tried to play father when their selfish dad couldn’t.
Read the full review from critic Bruce Miller:
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DVD review:'The Exorcist: Believer' could be the start of something new
When you learn “The Exorcist” was rebooted by the folks behind the “Halloween” remake, you see the game plan. This isn’t a one-and-done venture. It’s the start of another franchise.
In “The Exorcist: Believer,” we find TWO possessed teenagers, an ecumenical look at exorcism and a guest appearance by Ellen Burstyn as the actress who had to put up with a head-spinning daughter 50 years earlier.
The changes are slight but they’re enough to suggest this could be spun into three films.
Read the full review from critic Bruce Miller:
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