Final call for adding to my film count for the year. As I mentioned last week, I’m up in the Thumb of Michigan for the next two weeks. This means my options are limited for films. That is in no way me saying anything bad about the theaters there. I have spent so much time at Firebird Theater in Sandusky, Bad Axe Theater, and the Cass Theater, in my home town, Cass City. Those three theaters are responsible for the film nerd I am today, and they mean so much to me. At some point in the future, I’ll share exactly what it is about them that is so special to me. For now though, the final films I saw during 2023. Will any of them make my Top 10, Bottom 10 list later this week?

#111 Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire

I’ve had issues with Snyder films in the past. He is usually all about making things look cool first, and then worrying about the story second. Sucker Punch is a good example of this. All of his films have a common gimmick in them. The dude loves to film things in slow-motion. In this one, it probably added a good 20 minutes to the run time. The Rebel Moon epic is currently set for a possible trilogy. If this part one of the first third is any indication, it’s going to be a slow ride.

For the first 3/4 of the movie, I was bored. We would meet a new character, see them fight or do something to show what the bring to the story, then rinse and repeat until we had our team. In between these moments though we get heavy exposition dumps. Why not just start the saga with that instead of showing them in narrated flashbacks? It’s not like Netflix is telling Snyder to simmer down. This movie is all about showing off new planet designs, creatures, light swords, and a bad guy who is part machine. The main bad guy wants the rebellion snuffed out. It doesn’t take long watching this movie to see that Snyder must have loved Star Wars, and wanted to try it himself. Hopefully Part 2 in April is more the last 40 minutes, and not the first 90. 3 out 5 Slow-Mos

#112 Migration

This was just a nice family movie. My Brother and I took the kids to see this, and they all liked it. My youngest nephew wanted to know when he could watch it again on TV. The movie itself really isn’t anything mind blowing. It’s just ducks trying to get to Jamaica for the winter. They really could have come up with a better villain though. I know it’s a kids movie, but it really is unbelievable that he just pops up where ever the ducks go. Voice cast was good, but Keegan-Michael Key’s Delroy got annoying after awhile. In the end, while it’s a harmless one, I think this one will be forgotten by this time next year. There was more of a reaction from the kids for the Kung Fu Panda and Garfield trailers before the movie. 3 out 5 Duck L’oranges

#113 Ferrari

This one was frustrating. This was a biopic of Enzo Ferrari that takes place during just the summer of 1957. This film feels like it is as long as a few months with how much the pacing slows down. There is a great film somewhere in this 2.25 hours. You just need to cut about a half hour of padding that doesn’t need to be here. The casting is kind of a mixed bag here. Driver is ok as Ferrari, Cruz is barely there at points in the film, and Woodley just doesn’t seem like she was the right choice for character she plays. Still, for as few of them we get, the racing scenes are pretty great. The climactic 1957 Mille Miglia is the best part (and hardest to watch part) of the film. It’s just a bummer the film is dragging its feet to get to that historic race. 2.5 out of 5 Possible Fiat Partnerships

So ends what was a truly great year of movies. 113 movies in a year is a number I probably won’t come close to next year. The strikes kind of saw to that. Before I truly move forward to 2024, I have two posts to wrap up things. The first on Tuesday will be my Top 10/Bottom 10 of the year, and there will be one the next day on Wednesday where I will talk about what is on my radar for 2024. Get comfortable for that one as it a long read.