New Releases Challenge (Official, February 2023)

[maxwelldeux]

New Releases Challenge

Since many here watch a lot of movies from all decades in this challenge we will focus on new movies only.

Goal
Watch as many movies from 2022 or 2023 as you can. Discuss them. But don't mention older movies. A 2021 movie? Please - so passe. Something from 2020? Hindsight tells me it's not worth it. Earlier in the 2000s? I'm not a historian - don't bother me with it. And god forbid if the first number of the year starts with a 1... you'll be sent to cinema jail.

Eligibility
Films must be from 2022 or 2023 according to IMDb. Which means the year in brackets next to the title, not the release-date in your country.

Challenge runs from February 1, 2023 to February 28, 2023 in your local time zone.

Rules
- Each feature film (over 40 minutes) counts as one entry.
- 80 minutes of short films or miniseries/TV episodes counts as one entry.*
- Films must be watched one at a time and at single speed (not sped up).
- Rewatches are allowed and are good for the soul.
- Please include year of release when listing your viewings. Listing your viewings otherwise your score will NOT be included in the leaderboard.
*Special note about miniseries/tv-series: Only episodes that have been shown for the first time in '22 or '23 are eligible, f.e. only Simpsons episodes that premiered in '21 or '22 are eligible, all others aren't.

I reserve the right to exclude participants who intentionally number their viewings incorrectly. If you play the game, you're expected to play properly.

Bonus Challenge #1: Black History Month
In the past, I've ran an unofficial challenge for Black History Month - instead, we'll do it as a bonus challenge here. This bonus challenge is for anyone wanting to celebrate Black History Month by celebrating Black cinema. I'm not really going to define what "Black cinema" is; rather, the definition is relatively open and can be interpreted by the player. The only ask is that you respect the spirit of the challenge and make sure it really is "Black cinema."

- If you want a movie to count for this bonus challenge mark it with the tag #BLM

Leaderboard Bonus Challenge 1

Rank	Participant	Count
1	magnusbernhardsen	5
2	flavo5000	3
3	sol	2
3	dirty_score	2
5	maxwelldeux	1
5	Good_Will_Harding	1

Bonus Challenge #2: Double-dip the Oscar Nominees
This bonus challenge is to encourage a little double-dipping and watch new releases that have been nominated for an Oscar. You know. For reasons.

- If you want a movie to count for this bonus challenge mark it with the tag #Oscar
- Note: For this bonus challenge only, shorts and features will be counted the same. Each film, no matter the length, can count here for a point.

P.S. A movie can count for both Bonus Challenges!

Leaderboard Bonus Challenge 2

Rank	Participant	Count
1	gunnar	42
2	jeroeno	31
3	flavo5000	27
4	DudeLanez	20
5	monclive	11
6	sol	10
7	Good_Will_Harding	9
8	Rufus-T	8
8	Tngy	8
10	whizwilly	7
11	Silga	6
11	Lonewolf2003	6
13	magnusbernhardsen	4
14	ororama	3
14	maxwelldeux	3
14	blocho	3
14	peeptoad	3
14	dirty_score	3

Leaderboard

Rank	Participant	Count
1	gunnar	117
2	jeroeno	89
3	klaus78	68
4	St. Gloede	50
5	flavo5000	48
6	beavis	39
7	magnusbernhardsen	38
7	blocho	38
9	sol	35
10	72aicm	27
11	maxwelldeux	21
12	DudeLanez	20
12	Silga	20
14	Tngy	19
15	Good_Will_Harding	16
16	vortexsurfer	15
17	dirty_score	14
18	nimimerkillinen	13
19	jdidaco	12
20	monclive	11
20	AB537	11
22	whizwilly	9
22	Lonewolf2003	9
24	Rufus-T	8
24	VincentPrice	8
26	peeptoad	6
27	tommy_leazaq	4
28	Cinepolis	3
28	ororama	3
30	Ritesh	2
31	shugs	1

[gunnar]

I've been lining up tons of stuff to watch so I'm definitely in. It should be fun. I've also been saving most of the Academy Awards nominees to watch this month with an eye toward double dipping so Bonus Challenge #2 is right up my alley. I have 45 of the 54 nominees from this year still to watch. Babylon is supposed to go to VOD tomorrow and All That Breathes and Empire of Light should be available next week. Hopefully, The Whale, Living, Tell it Like a Woman, and Women Talking will follow soon as well, rather than just being available in theaters (if that).

I'm guessing that for the shorts, I should mark it something like this

80 minutes of shorts
Animated Short #1 (24 minutes) #Oscar
Animated Short #2 (37 minutes) #Oscar
Animated Short #3 (19 minutes) #Oscar


As a side note, you might want to update the note in the first post about mini-series an tv episodes. I think that you probably copied it from last year and forgot to change it to '22 and '23 instead of '21 and '22.

[maxwelldeux]

I like your marking for shorts. That'll work. And good catch - fixed!

[jeroeno]

I have a lot of catching up to do from 2022 (and haven't seen anything from 2023 yet) so I'll play.

[sol]

It starts! First in.

1. Don't Worry Darling (2022)



While this thriller disappointingly never resolves what a pivotal plane crash actually is and why it occurred, the movie is thoroughly engaging while it lasts with lots of small, subtle hints of something not quite being right. Florence Pugh is very strong in the lead role and it is easy to identify with her unease, which largely (and rather ironically) stems from everyone else's lack of unease. The film could have possibly done without some of its 'scary' parts when it is obvious that she is just imagining a reflection of her friend and so on, but I thought this was pretty great overall though with a thought-provoking solution.

[72aicm]

I’m in for a few. Thanks for hosting Max.

[Good_Will_Harding]

Let's get started!

1. Infinity Pool (2023)

Was initially on the fence about this one, despite really liking director Brandon Cronenberg's previous film, Possessor. The trailers just didn't do much for me, but this wound up coming to a few theaters that were close by, so I went and enjoyed it a fair amount. The junior Cronenberg directs with increased confidence and a larger scale, plus there are plenty of fun ideas and memorable images throughout, but they don't all really come together to make a satisfying, coherent whole. I appreciate Alexander Skarsgård continuing to tackle very unusual projects and work with more talented directors, when he has the looks of someone who could easily coast on Marvel-lite stuff, and I also quite enjoyed Mia Goth's supporting turn here as well. but overall, this doesn't amount to very much in the end. Worth seeing, but not something that will stick with me for very long.

[blocho]

1. Bullet Train (2022)
Delightful mayhem on a Japanese bullet train, bloody and fun. This movie is very much the progeny of Tarantino and Guy Ritchie. It doesn’t make much sense, but it doesn’t have to.

2. Documentary Now (2022), Season 4, Episodes 1-4
Decently funny, though it's hard to do a satire of Herzog given that his work already approaches self-satire at times.

[jeroeno]

1. Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (2022) Rewatch
2. Holy Spider (2022)
3. Unrueh (2022)
4. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) Rewatch

[72aicm]

1. Triangle of Sadness (2022)

[monclivie]

1. Avater: The Water of Water (2022) - 7/10 #Oscar
Your typical 90's action/sci-fi popcorn movie with an hour of Terrence Malick's The Smurfs on the Beach film in the middle.

[Silga]

1. When You Finish Saving the World (Jesse Eisenberg, 2022) 3/10

[gunnar]

1-4 - Resident Alien Season 2 (2022) Episodes 9-16 (352 minutes with 32 minutes to carry forward) - The second season was pretty entertaining and I thought it was also a little more consistent than the first season. I still like the comic book version of the main character a lot better than Alan Tudyk's version, but I've grown used to it. The supporting cast is excellent.

These episodes have been sitting on my dvr since last summer so time to get them watched. I've got a few other shows on there in addition to the movies and streaming shows that I have lined up.

[blocho]

3. The Menu (2022)
“We have reached the base camp of Mount Bullshit,” one character says early in this movie. I know whereof she speaks. Here in New York, there is no lack of fancy-ass cuisine that produces equal parts delicious food and twee affectation. It’s not my idea of a good night out, but my mother loves it, so a few times a year I end up in a fancy restaurant. I’m talking about the sort of place where every vegetable is described in the menu down to the specific varietal, the waiters never stop talking, and every course is put together by tweezers. Here’s an example: I was at a high-priced chicken yakitori restaurant recently, which sounds like a contradiction in terms, but that’s New York these days. Loud hip-hop was blaring when I walked in, so I asked if the music could be turned down a bit, which seemed like something that might be possible to ask given the prices. No, I was told. The chef required music while he worked, I was told. He’s a former beatboxer, I was told. I don't give a fuck, I thought.

So I’m on board with a satire of high-end dining, which for the first half of this movie exaggerates reality only a bit. Then the story takes a bloody turn and can’t really hold together in the end. But it’s a decent dark thriller. The biggest letdown is that there plenty of potential comedy in the narrative that doesn't come to fruition.

4. The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) #Oscar
Martin McDonagh, Brendan Gleeson, and Colin Farrell reunite for a macabre little fable dominated by existential themes. It’s quite haunting and beautiful. I’d like more of this from McDonagh and less of Missouri.

His first feature set in Ireland, this is also a return for McDonagh to his days as a playwright. Five of his plays were set in County Galway, three of them on the Aran Islands. Inisherin is a fictional island, but the movie was partially filmed on Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands. Some of the plot details from those plays also recur in this movie. A desire to avenge a dead pet, for example, provides narrative impetus in The Lieutenant of Inishmore, as it does in Banshees.

Also, this has my new favorite move line:

[maxwelldeux]

Also, this has my new favorite move line:

[peeptoad]

1. Medieval (2022) 6

[dirty_score]

01. Fresh (2022)



y'all should watch this with your significant other come Valentine's Day. Before dinner.

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Don't Worry Darling (2022)

2. Brian and Charles (2022)



The robot here is very amusing, basing his every conversation on things read in a dictionary and his oversized box design has a neat backyard invention vibe. Does this work as a narrative though? The film begins as a mockumentary with the protagonist talking to someone before this angle is forgotten. The narrative also hinges on two tiresome clichés as the farmer learns that true love is just around the corner, and he finally learns to stand up to the local bully when his robot is in danger. And the concept of a grown man being bullied by someone who acts like a teenager is meant to be taken seriously. Um.

[jeroeno]

5. The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022) 6/10
6. Bros (2022) 5,5/10
7. Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) 5/10
8. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) 6,5/10 #Oscar
9. Bullet Train (2022) 8,5/10

Spoiler

1. Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (2022) 7/10 Rewatch
2. Holy Spider (2022) 8/10
3. Unrueh (2022) 6,5/10
4. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) 6,5/10 Rewatch
5. The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022) 6/10
6. Bros (2022) 5,5/10
7. Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) 5/10
8. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) 6,5/10 #Oscar
9. Bullet Train (2022) 8,5/10

[72aicm]

2. The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

[Silga]

2. Lucy and Desi (Amy Poehler, 2022) 9/10

“P.S. I Love Lucy was never just a title.”

What's New?

1. When You Finish Saving the World (Jesse Eisenberg, 2022) 3/10
2. Lucy and Desi (Amy Poehler, 2022) 9/10

[Good_Will_Harding]

2. Knock at the Cabin (2023)

Here we have Shyamalan's second adaptation in a row, and also his second R-rated film, after The Happening. And it's another reliably tense, understated, and extremely well polished thriller from one of the few studio filmmakers that's still able to make films solely on their own terms. If nothing else, it works as a pretty tremendous acting showcase for Dave Bautista, who really gets a lot to do here as he's playing against type, and continually proves that he's the most talented from the current crop of wrestlers-turned-actors by a pretty sizable margin. It was also pretty entertaining to see Rupert Grint in this, who I don't think I've seen in anything since he last held a magic wand about a dozen years ago.

Fault wise, I don't have too much to complain about here, other than my continued disappointment that Shyamalan still hasn't reunited with composer James Newton Howard since he started making good films again - and I suppose the wrap up here is a bit too quick and clean for my liking, but given how forward moving and purposeful the pace was for most of the film, I shouldn't have been too surprised there. On the whole, this is still definitely another worthwhile entry into the filmography of one of the most interesting current working mainstream American directors.

New school

1. Infinity Pool (2023)

[dirty_score]

02. Severance (2022) Episode 1 + The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2022) #Oscar | 57 min. + 34 min. = 91 min.



Haven't seen the others but this seems to be the strongest contender to win the oscar in the animated shorts. Really good animation with cozy vibes, reminded me a bit of Winnie The Pooh.

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Don't Worry Darling (2022)
2. Brian and Charles (2022)

3. Argentina 1985 (2022) #Oscar



Those called to the stand have some memorable stories to share, particularly a pregnant woman, and there is definitely something satisfying in watching two men prepared to risk it all in the hope of seeing justice done. As a motion picture experience though, this rarely rises above standard courtroom drama narrative trappings. Much of the film simply revolves around witnesses on the stand giving lengthy accounts. A threats angle also disappears fairly early on with the overall film barely tapping into paranoia or fear that the two prosecutors presumably felt. The whole thing is certainly well acted though.

[Tngy]

1. Triangle of Sadness (2022) 9/10 #Oscar
2. The Twin (2022) 4/10

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Don't Worry Darling (2022)
2. Brian and Charles (2022)
3. Argentina 1985 (2022) #Oscar

4. The Northman (2022)



As a Viking prince grows up believing that he is destined to avenge his father's murder, this medieval epic begins promisingly enough with many curious Hamlet parallels including protagonist's name being an anagram for Shakespeare's Danish prince, but the more the movie wore on, the more tiresome I found it to be. The fantasy tinged mythology bored me and I disliked the film being shot in Old English. It would be one thing if Scandinavian characters spoke modern English as a Hollywood co-production 'prerequisite', but to have them speak like the characters in The VVitch just felt senseless to me.

[blocho]

I disliked the film being shot in Old English. It would be one thing if Scandinavian characters spoke modern English as a Hollywood co-production 'prerequisite', but to have them speak like the characters in The VVitch just felt senseless to me.

Did the characters speak in Old English, the language that developed into Middle English by the 1200s, or do you mean they spoke in Modern English but with 17th century vocabulary and linguistic mannerisms, like in The Witch? Actual Old English, for example, would be almost unintelligible for us.

Incidentally, Shakespeare's Hamlet was based on some traditional Danish folklore. I'm assuming the movie is based on that folklore rather than on Shakespeare.

[monclivie]

2. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) 8.5/10 #Oscar
It's from the olden days of 2021, but only seen in Colorado at that time. Somehow still waiting for the European release.

stay away grandpa!

1. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) - 7/10
2. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) - 8.5/10

[jeroeno]

2. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) 8.5/10 #Oscar
It's from the olden days of 2021, but only seen in Colorado at that time. Somehow still waiting for the European release.

stay away grandpa!

1. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) - 7/10
2. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) - 8.5/10

But this is from 2021 thus not for this 2022-2023 challenge.

[jeroeno]

10. Mi país imaginario (2022) 7,5/10
11. Tori et Lokita (2022) 6,5/10
12. The Fabelmans (2022) 7/10 #Oscar
13. Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022) 4,5/10
14. Pahanhautoja (2022) 7,5/10

Spoiler

1. Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (2022) 7/10 Rewatch
2. Holy Spider (2022) 8/10
3. Unrueh (2022) 6,5/10
4. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) 6,5/10 Rewatch
5. The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022) 6/10
6. Bros (2022) 5,5/10
7. Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) 5/10
8. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) 6,5/10 #Oscar
9. Bullet Train (2022) 8,5/10
10. Mi país imaginario (2022) 7,5/10
11. Tori et Lokita (2022) 6,5/10
12. The Fabelmans (2022) 7/10 #Oscar
13. Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022) 4,5/10
14. Pahanhautoja (2022) 7,5/10

[monclivie]

2. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) 8.5/10 #Oscar
It's from the olden days of 2021, but only seen in Colorado at that time. Somehow still waiting for the European release.

stay away grandpa!

1. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) - 7/10
2. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) - 8.5/10

But this is from 2021 thus not for this 2022-2023 challenge.

Guessed this could work as an exception since it wasn't released in cinemas in ANY country until June 2022 and it's nominated for this year's Oscar, but right, there's that IMDb rule, so o-o-okay, I'm back at 1 point

[Silga]

3. Elvis (Baz Luhrmann, 2022) 6/10 #Oscar

What's New?

1. When You Finish Saving the World (Jesse Eisenberg, 2022) 3/10
2. Lucy and Desi (Amy Poehler, 2022) 9/10
3. Elvis (Baz Luhrmann, 2022) 6/10 #Oscar

[Good_Will_Harding]

3. All The Beauty and Bloodshed (2022) #Oscar

A very rousing and impactful documentary by Laura Poitras, who also made the equally transgressive Oscar winner Citizenfour. Poitras appears to gravitate towards subjects which are very timely and controversial, and this film is no exception. It centers on the career and activism of Nan Goldin, as well as the downfall of the Sackler Family's wealth and influence within the pharmaceutical industry, as well as the impact they had on the ongoing opioid crisis in America. Goldin is a figure who I was really only familiar with in name only, though some of the photography shown in the film did seem familiar to me. This film does a pretty good job of painting a three-dimensional portrait of her as an artist and the eventually a public figure within the fight against big pharma companies. I came away feeling quite moved and like I learned a lot about the life and career of this film's central subject, which is all you can really ask for in a good doc.

New school

1. Infinity Pool (2023)
2. Knock at the Cabin (2023)

[maxwelldeux]

1. Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)
This was great - loved the pace and story to it.

2. Blackout (2022)
Action scenes were decent. Story and writing weren't, but the action was good enough to keep it entertaining.

[gunnar]

5 - Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor (2022) (88 minutes with 8 minutes to carry forward, 40 total) - A decent end to Jodie Whittaker's time as the Doctor.

6 - Triangle of Sadness (2022) - 7.5/10 - #Oscar - A male model and his controlling social media influencer girlfriend get invited to take a trip on a yacht with a group of very rich (and not necessarily well behaved) people. Things go well at first, but take a turn for the worse. I didn't really enjoy the opening section of the movie, but started liking it quite a bit more once they got on the yacht.

7 - Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022) - 7.5/10 - #Oscar - A cleaning woman (and war widow) in 1950s London becomes infatuated with owning a Christian Dior dress and travels to Paris to buy one, making a number of friends along the way. Leslie Manville does a nice job as Mrs. Harris. The movie is old-fashioned and doesn't really add anything new, but it's pleasant to watch and a good way to spend a couple of hours. The costumes are also very nice.

8 - Elvis (2022) - 6.5/10 - #Oscar - I think that Austin Butler did a nice job as Elvis, but I didn't like Tom Hanks as Colonel Parker. The early part of the film worked best for me, but the film felt overly long while also glossing over quite a bit.

9 - The Fabelmans (2022) - 8.5/10 - #Oscar - I've read various mixed reactions to Stephen Spielberg's film based on his youth, but I enjoyed it. Gabriel Labelle is really good as Sammy Fabelman. I also liked Michelle Williams and Paul Dano as his parents. Judd Hirsch was good in his brief role as Uncle Boris, but it seemed like a very small role to get an Academy Award nomination.

Spoiler

1-4 - Resident Alien Season 2 (2022) Episodes 9-16 (352 minutes with 32 minutes to carry forward)

[sol]

I disliked the film being shot in Old English. It would be one thing if Scandinavian characters spoke modern English as a Hollywood co-production 'prerequisite', but to have them speak like the characters in The VVitch just felt senseless to me.

Did the characters speak in Old English, the language that developed into Middle English by the 1200s, or do you mean they spoke in Modern English but with 17th century vocabulary and linguistic mannerisms, like in The Witch? Actual Old English, for example, would be almost unintelligible for us.

A bit of both, I think. Most of the dialogue was unintelligible. But nah, it's probably the latter since I could make out some phrases and ideas.

Incidentally, Shakespeare's Hamlet was based on some traditional Danish folklore. I'm assuming the movie is based on that folklore rather than on Shakespeare.

That's correct, it's based on Scandi folklore, however, with a protagonist whose name is an anagram for Hamlet, the allusion was definitely intentional.

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Don't Worry Darling (2022)
2. Brian and Charles (2022)
3. Argentina 1985 (2022) #Oscar
4. The Northman (2022)

5. The Beasts (2022)



Setting up a eco-friendly farm, a couple are met with hostility and suspicion by locals who know not understand their farming methods in this slow burn thriller. While there are a number of intense interactions between the couple and the locals, the slow pacing gets in the way of tension truly building. It also does not help that the locals are painted as simplistic virtual rednecks, while the main couple are presented as simple, virtuous do-gooders who want to do nothing more than farm their crops in peace. That said, the film does mount a pretty great climax, even if it is followed by a dragged-out aftermath.

[blocho]

5. Vengeance (2022)
A New York magazine writer decides to reinvent himself as a podcaster (like every writer in America over the past decade) by going to Texas to investigate the death of a woman he hooked up with a few times. That sounds noirish, but this is really a comedy, and it’s pretty funny in the beginning when it’s mainly making fun of the podcast phenomenon. It’s a bit less funny when it’s focused on the fish-out-of-water dynamic in Texas. And it’s utterly trite when the protagonist, alienated by his big city life, finds community and meaning in a small town. By the end, the movie is trying to say something about America and digital civilization in a state of incipient collapse, which is ironic because that’s the dubious initial project of the podcaster. Vengeance is just an odd movie in the end, entertaining enough and quite well-written but also kind of bogus intellectually.

6. The Fabelmans (2022) #Oscar
I read this movie is the story of Spielberg’s own life and how he became a filmmaker. That’s not true. Those story elements are window-dressing. What this movie is really about is not what made Spielberg a filmmaker but what made him make the movies he did, over and over and over and over again. Through the course of five decades, his foremost themes have been families split apart and children in peril. That this thematic obsession was caused by his parents’ divorce has long been known. Here at last it is portrayed by Spielberg himself. And the results are occasionally quite good. Michelle Williams as a fictionalized version of Spielberg’s mother is a misfire, but Paul Dano as the father is quite good, and there are several beautifully shot scenes.

Of course, the movie kind of falls apart eventually. Because it’s overlong and stuffed with too many subplots. Because characters repeatedly deliver extremely earnest perfectly worded monologues, sometimes directly into the camera. Because Spielberg can’t help winking at the audience occasionally. Because it’s Spielberg, after all.

In any case, even if for nothing else, the movie is worth seeing for the one-scene appearances by Judd Hirsch and David Lynch.

[shugs]

1. Halloween Ends (David Gordon Green, 2022, ) - 3/10
Ugh, what a stinker.

[klaus78]

1. As bestas (2022) 7/10
2. Blonde (2022) 6/10
a. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2022) 4/10
b. Le pupille (2022) 7/10