Fallen Leaves is a 2023 Finnish-German comedy drama film written and directed by Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismaki. It is Kaurismaki’s 20th full-length film and a continuation of his Proletariat series. The film was selected for the Palme d’Or in its main competition section, where it won the Jury Prize. (Wikipedia)
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May December is a film drama directed by Todd Haynes, and starring Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton. Loosely based on the true life story of Mary Kay Letourneau, the film follows Elizabeth (Portman), an actress who travels to Georgia to meet and study the life of the controversial woman Gracie (Julianne Moore) she is set to play in a film—the woman being infamous for her 23-year-old relationship with her husband Joe (Melton), whom she first met when he was 13 years old.
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The Holdovers is director Alexander Payne’s tribute to classic film-making of the 1970s. Simultaneously, a coming-of-age story of a private boarding school-boy and a character study of an isolated school teacher, the film is set in 1970 and the relationships amongst the various characters is reflected in that context. The film stars Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
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When Evil Lurks is a Spanish language horror movie written and directed by Demian Rugna. The premise of the movie concerns a remote village where two brothers viz. Pedro and Jimi find a demon-infected man (a “rotten”) just about to ‘give birth’ to evil incarnate. The brothers decide to get rid of the body, only to end up unintentionally spreading the chaos.
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The Creator is director Gareth (Star Wars: Rogue One) Edwards’ troubling ode to the best scifi and action films of the 1970s/80s. The movie stars John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson and Alison Janney.
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The Killer. No, not the John Woo Hong Kong movie classic but a 2023 Netflix film helmed by David Fincher and starring Michael Fassbender as the titular character. Based on a French comic book, though it has nothing to do with superheroes, The Killer is probably best described as the perfect antidote to the John Wick franchise and tries its level best to inject a certain realism into the hitman genre.
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The Marvels. What a misnomer. Originally conceived as the sequel to the commercially successful Captain Marvel, Bree Larsen’s Carol Danvers has been relegated to team member, equal with the teenage Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel (introduced in her own Disney+ streaming TV series) and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau (who gained her light-based powers by walking through a Hex barrier. Hmm). If you keep your expectations, you might survive this silly illogical Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) vehicle. Thankfully, it’s relatively short – under two hours. Whew!
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Gran Turismo is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film directed by Neill Blomkamp from a screenplay by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin. The film is based on the racing simulation video game series of the same name. It tells the true story of Jann Mardenborough, a teenage Gran Turismo player who became a professional racing car driver. The film stars Archie Madekwe as Mardenborough alongside David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Darren Barnet, Geri Halliwell Horner, and Djimon Hounsou. (Wikipedia)
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The Magnificent Meyersons is a family drama written and directed by Evan Oppenheimer. The ensemble cast includes Kate Mulgrew, Richard Kind, Ian Kahn, Jackie Burns, Daniel Eric Gold, Shoshannah Stern and Barbara Barrie.
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Suitable Flesh is an American horror movie directed by Joe Lynch and written by Dennis Paoli. The movie is based on “The Thing on the Doorstep”, a 1933 short story from the maestro of cosmic horror, H.P. Lovecraft. The movie stars Heather Graham, Barbara Crampton and Judah Lewis. Horror film fans would recognise Paoli from his work with the late director Stuart Gordon and on films like Re-Animator and From Beyond.
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The Exorcist: Believer is an American horror movie directed by David Gordon Green. The film is a sequel to the classic move, The Exorcist, and is intended to be the first film in a new trilogy based on The Exorcist franchise. A franchise that Universal Studios reportedly paid the handsome sum of $400 million to obtain. Released in cinemas on October 6th, 2023, the movie has grossed $112 million worldwide against a $30 million budget.
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No One Will Save You is a 2023 American science fiction horror film written, directed and produced by Brian Duffield, starring Kaitlyn Dever. The film opened in theaters on September 19, 2023, and was subsequently released to streaming services by 20th Century Studios as a Hulu original film in the United States and on Disney+ Star internationally. (Wikipedia)
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Joy Ride is a 2023 American comedy film directed by Adele Lim, in her feature directorial debut. The movie follows four Asian American friends as they bond and discover the truth of what it means to know and love who you are, while they travel through China in search of one of their birth mothers.
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Cobweb is a 2023 American horror thriller film directed by Samuel Bodin in his directorial debut. Its screenplay was written by Chris Thomas Devlin. The film stars Lizzy Caplan, Woody Norman, Cleopatra Coleman, and Antony Starr. (Wikipedia)
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Past Lives is a 2023 American romantic drama film written and directed by Celine Song in her feature directorial debut. Starring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro, the film follows the relationship between two childhood friends over the course of 24 years, as they contemplate their relationship when they grow apart to have different lives. The plot is semi-autobiographical inspired by real events from Song’s life.
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Shortcomings is a 2023 American comedy-drama film directed and produced by Randall Park (in his feature directorial debut), from a screenplay by Adrian Tomine, based upon Tomine’s comic book story that was first published in 2004 in the pages of Optic Nerve #9 – #11.
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Talk to Me is a 2022 Australian supernatural horror film directed by Danny and Michael Philippou and written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, based on a concept by Daley Pearson. It stars Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji, Miranda Otto, Zoe Terakes, Chris Alosio, Marcus Johnson, and Alexandria Steffensen. The film follows a group of teenagers who discover they are able to contact spirits using a mysterious embalmed hand, only for things to go too far. (Wikipedia)
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Barbie is a 2023 American fantasy comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig, from a screenplay she wrote with Noah Baumbach. Based on the Barbie fashion dolls by Mattel, it is the first live-action Barbie film after numerous computer-animated films and specials. The film stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, and follows the pair on a journey of self-discovery following an existential crisis. It features a supporting cast that includes America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell. (Wikipedia)
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The Breaking Ice is a romantic coming-of-age drama written and directed by Singaporean helmer Anthony Chen. The film is released on tenth anniversary of Chen’s debut Illo Illo. Set in China, the movie revolves around the blossoming relationship between three young adults in their twenties.
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The Last Voyage of the Demeter is a 2023 American supernatural horror film directed by André Øvredal and written by Bragi F. Schut Jr. and Zak Olkewicz. It is an adaptation of “The Captain’s Log”, a chapter from the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. The film stars Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, and David Dastmalchian. Its plot follows the doomed crew of the merchant ship Demeter led by Captain Elliot (Cunningham) who attempt to survive the treacherous ocean voyage from Transylvania to London while being stalked by a legendary vampire known as Dracula (Javier Botet). (Wikipedia)
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Babylon 5: The Road Home is a 2023 American animated film directed by Matt Peters, with a screenplay by original Babylon 5 franchise creator, J. Michael Straczynski. The premise involves John Sheridan becoming unstuck in time and space, similar to the B5 episode, “War Without End”. The film reunites the surviving members of the original cast as voice talents.
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MALBATT: Misi Bakara is a Malaysian war movie that tells the story of the 19th Battalion Malay Regiment, which was deployed as part of the United Nations peacekeeping force in 1993, and their mission to rescue the trapped American soldiers following the Black Hawk Down attack. Directed by Adrian Teh, the movie is the first Malaysian film to be formatted and released in the IMAX (DMR) format.
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No Hard Feelings is an American sex comedy film directed by Gene Stupnitsky from a screenplay he co-wrote with John Phillips. It stars Jennifer Lawrence (who also produces) as a 32-year-old Uber driver who answers an ad to date a shy 19-year-old (played by Andrew Barth Feldman) in order to boost his confidence prior to college. Laura Benanti, Natalie Morales, and Matthew Broderick co-star. (Wikipedia)
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Paradise is a German dystopian science fiction movie, now streaming on Netflix. Directed by Boris Kunz, the premise of the movie revolves around the discovery that years of life can be transferred from one person to another. This process is monetised by the AEON corporation. A terrorist organisation – Adam – led by Lilith seeks to kill all who benefit from the AEON de-aging.
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Oppenheimer is a 2023 biographical thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the film chronicles the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, an American theoretical physicist who was pivotal in developing the first nuclear weapons as part of the Manhattan Project, and thereby ushering in the Atomic Age. The film stars Cillian Murphy in the lead role.
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