With the end of the year being such a busy time for movies, the only way to get my thoughts out on everything I’ve seen is by writing mini reviews. On top of the excitement of award-caliber releases this time of year, it was St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) time as well, and I was lucky enough to make it out to a screening on the final night of the festival. My thoughts on my screening of All of Us Strangers at SLIFF as well as six other films are below!

All of Us Strangers

Distribution Studio: Searchlight Pictures Director: Andrew Haigh

When SLIFF announced its schedule, I drew an imaginary circle around All of Us Strangers. I’d been anticipating this film all year, and was excited that I’d be able to see it a month before it has a wider release.

Led by a career best performance from Andrew Scott, All of Us Strangers is a heartbreaking and powerful story about the impact of loneliness and the immense effect it can have on every waking moment of one’s life. Part love story and part fairy tale, All of Us Strangers is a one of this year’s most rich and though-provoking films. On top of Scott’s stunning showing, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy, and Jamie Bell each bring their own eye-watering performances. Masterfully and carefully directed by Andrew Haigh, All of Us Strangers doesn’t falter even once. The film is shot and framed beautifully, almost hypnotizing at points. It’s a very secluded world that the viewer gets wrapped up in, and although it’s pretty, there’s an uneasiness throughout that will have you begging to leave. You don’t want to leave because Haigh has done anything wrong, but you’ll want to leave because you can’t handle the sorrow.

It has already taken home seven British Independent Film Awards. Here’s to hoping it can sneak into the Academy Awards race, although I worry it won’t be widely seen enough to break through.

9.6/10

Napoleon

Distribution Studio: Sony Pictures Releasing Director: Ridley Scott

For lack of a more sophisticated term, Ridley Scott’s Napoleon was very “meh.” Most of the disappointment stems from my anticipating something special. Not informative enough to excite history buffs, yet a little too “in the weeds” to entertain more casual viewers, Napoleon is seemingly a history-based movie that doesn’t have an audience. Some of the battle sequences are undoubtedly exciting and filmed well, but there’s still something odd about many of them. It might be the scale of the armies, or it might just be because the structure of the film was messy.

The saving grace was the comedy and a shining performance from Vanessa Kirby. While you might not expect a movie about Napoleon to be funny, this film’s take on Napoleon as a bit of a klutz is compelling and very humorous. Unfortunately, Joaquin Phoenix feels like he’s sleepwalking through most of the bloated runtime.

6.7/10

Saltburn

Distribution Studio: MGM Studios Director: Emerald Fennell

Emerald Fennell’s follow up to 2019’s Promising Young Woman was one of my most anticipated films of the year, especially with the announced cast that was tied to it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get what I was hoping for. While we get excellent performances from the entire cast, particularly from the always hard-to-read Barry Keoghan, the film struggles from a poor third act that undermines what Saltburn is allegedly trying to say. It’s hard to go into details without spoiling what makes the movie fall apart, but Fennell seemed more interested in making a film for those people who are chronically online and who made their ways to the theater because they know something weird happens in a bathtub. On top of the hard to believe character decisions, the audience is spoon fed information towards the end of the film. Not only is this insulting to viewers, but it doesn’t make sense with the film’s nearly first person point of view that we’re given for the previous hour and 45 minutes.

With all that being said, the dark humor and cinematography work very well throughout. It’s undoubtedly a pretty film with great moments in the first two-thirds. Seeing how Saltburn played out made me think differently about Promising Young Woman, and not in a good way.

6.5/10

Godzilla Minus One

Distribution Studio: Toho Studios Director: Takashi Yamazaki

We’ve been inundated with countless big screen versions of Godzilla in the last several years, and we’re even seeing small screen versions as well. Godzilla fatigue definitely exists, but there’s something so charming and compelling about the monster that keeps me and most fans always interested in seeing whatever version comes next.

Godzilla Minus One seemingly came out nowhere, and I’m glad it did because it is now my favorite Godzilla film. I’ve never seen a Godzilla film that cares equally about its human characters and its monster. Koichi, our main character, is a WWII kamikaze pilot that has suffered from immense guilt. He felt he was to blame for countless deaths after his decision to flee during the war and also from allowing Godzilla to wipe out the technicians on Oso Island, the base he landed at after fleeing. The emotional weight from Koichi, as well as the anti war and anti government sentiment that the story is built around give new meaning to Godzilla and the stakes around everybody’s survival. Godzilla’s character design was also impressive. Its aggressive and sickly appearance properly conveyed that its a monster that spawned from nuclear waste. Godzilla Minus One is Godzilla at its best, and is an impressive feat with just a $15 million budget.

9.1/10

May December

Distribution Studio: Netflix Director: Todd Haynes

Todd Haynes brings such a specific look and precision to his films, and it’s hard to describe what makes his style work so well. The experience I had with May December was similar to how I felt after watching his 2015 masterpiece Carol; I was just in awe of how sophisticated and intelligently everything was put together. His prowess combined with acting heavyweights Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore was every bit as great as we knew it should be. Loosely based on the life of teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, who had a relationship with one of her underage students, May December uses her story as a framework to tell its own story. Portman plays Elizabeth, an actress, and Moore plays Gracie, a teacher who started a family with her former underage student. Elizabeth decided that to properly portray Gracie in a film version of her life, she needed to spend time with her and her family.

What ensues is a psychological mind game that slowly reveals more and more about our two leads and those around them. What makes May December even more memorable and striking is the show stopping performance from Charles Melton, who plays Gracie’s former student turned husband Joe. Melton plays this complex character with such nuance and believability, that I hope to see his name as part of this years Academy Award nominees for Best Supporting Actor. Watching Melton portray a man with the physicality of an adult, but the emotional ability of an adolescent is both heartbreaking and harrowing. May December is one the biggest surprises of the year and undoubtedly one of my favorites of 2023.

9.5/10

Dream Scenario

Distribution Studio: A24 Director: Kristoffer Borgli

With Dream Scenario, we get another Nicolas Cage oddball project where he doesn’t hold back. The concept is intriguing; Paul, played by Cage, begins appearing in people’s dreams all around the world, but what he does in those dreams is mostly useless and meaningless. Writer and director Kristoffer Borgli takes this opportunity to say something about fleeting fame, cancel culture, and how people’s opinions can turn on a dime. Although these themes are cleverly explored, there is a feeling that Borgli left some things on the table.

Cage gives a great performance as a man who is both confused but intrigued by what has happened to him and the fame that comes with it. The movie is hilarious, albeit mostly in the first half. A dream sequence montage early on in the film is one of the funniest scenes of the year, a truly laugh-out-loud series of dreams where Cage is standing around doing nothing while craziness ensues around him. With how funny the film is and how interesting the concept is, you’re left wishing that it all added up to just a little something more. To be clear, I still consider Dream Scenario to be one of the better films of the year even with its faults.

8.7/10

The Boy and the Heron

Distribution Studio: Toho Studios & Studio Ghibli Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Whether or not The Boy and the Heron is Hayao Miyazaki’s last film doesn’t really matter. Either he sent his career off in the most beautiful way possible, or he just simply added another masterwork to his filmography. The Boy and the Heron tells the story of Mahito, a boy who is clinging to the idea that his deceased mom might still be out there somewhere. While dealing with the emotional toll of a busy father and a new stepmom, Mahito embarks on an unexpected journey in a world where both the living and the dead coexist. His stepmother, Natsuko, has disappeared into this world and Mohito follows a quirky grey heron into that same place so he can try to find her.

As is the case with Miyazaki’s other films, The Boy and the Heron is rich in countless ways. It has immense story depth, stunning animation, and unforgettable characters. Being rated PG-13, this film deals with more adult subject matter, having characters grapple with death, an unstable society, and discovering self worth. Mahito’s journey helps him confront his inner conflicts and insecurities, and the path we take to get through it all is stunning. Miyazaki builds worlds that you’ll never want to leave, and with The Boy and the Heron, we get characters and settings so exciting and masterfully crafted that sadness washed over me when the credits hit.

It’s important to mention that although I’ll typically always recommend watching movies in their native language, I opted to watch the English dub version of this movie. After hearing the rave reviews of this dubbed version and because of the impressive English voice cast, I couldn’t miss watching it in English. What we get is equally strong, if not stronger, vocal performances when compared to the Japanese version. The film’s team made it clear that they cared deeply about getting the cast right for the English dub. I can’t wait to rewatch The Boy and the Heron in Japanese next time. If it were up to me, not only should this be taking home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but it should also be nominated for Best Picture. It’s a shame that high quality animated films rarely get the appreciation or recognition they deserve.

9.6/10

Written by: Stefano Todaro