Average Dude Movie Reviews! The Best Movie of 2023 Part 2…
Here it is, this is my continuing quest…spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of movies…the thrill of victory…and the agony of defeat…the human drama of cinematic entertainment…this is
When last we saw our Average Dude…
…we were recapping the Best Movie of 2023 candidates, leaving off with:
Equalizer 3: What, I hear you saying, is an August movie doing in consideration for this lofty accolade? To be honest, I was pretty surprised myself. Yet here we are. And there’s no one person to thank for the late summer gem that this movie was. Denzel delivers, always. But he couldn’t give us a 4 star movie all on his lonesome.
The story was nothing new, that’s true. But seeing D’s take on the character – complete with all the gravitas at his disposal – just made it so cool. Add to that the spectacular locations that were more than window dressing for the action…well, it was just special. Was it a litte more special given that it popped up when I was expecting the dregs of Hollywood? Fair. But it still got a 4 star rating and I’m sticking to it. Fight me.
Dumb Money: Wow, what a surprise this one was! When you think of real life feel good stories, you think of movies like Cinderella Man, The Blind Side or Homeward Bound: the Incredible Journey (YES IT WAS! DON’T MAKE ME FIGHT YOU!). Yes, sure, those are fantastic movies that happened to real folks far and long away. Dumb Money was a feeler that hit very close to home because A)it was recent. Like, last year recent, and B)it very well could have been you or me. If any of you made money off that adventure in finance, I’d love to hear your story.
The Hunger Games BoSaS: I’m going to find a way to make that stick. BOH-sass. It’s just so satisfying to say. This latest visit to Panem was also satisfying. Also unsatisfying, but in a good way. It left me wanting more. There is clearly more tale to tell about Coriolanus Snow’s climb to the top, and I won’t truly be satisfied in this futureworld story until I see it. What’s great about BoSaS is that it’s not just a repackaging of the JLaw Hunger Games. It’s a new world on multiple levels. It helps that the source materials are top shelf.
The Shift: I can’t say enough about this movie and the movie company that created not only the Shift, but Sound of Freedom. Both movies are important movies (I explained that a couple of times, I think) and both movies definitely deserve to be Best Movie of 2023. With SoF, it is important to shed light on the evil that supposedly ‘civilized’ people still inflict on the weakest among us.
The Shift is important on a much more personal level. Not to get all preachy on you, but watch this movie with an openness of mind and heart. And if it raises an uncomfortable itch within you…don’t ignore it. Scratch it. What did the great sage C S Lewis say? if (it’s) false, (it’s) of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
Wonka: I don’t know how how many times or how many ways I can compliment this movie. In an age where movies have created all the magic you thought possible…Star Wars. Superman. Avengers, et al…along comes a movie that shows us that yes, there is still some magic to be found. And from a prequel, at that. Wonka truly was a magical movie that appeals to our inner kid. This is what I imagine folks seeing Wizard of Oz back in 1939 felt. Pure. Movie. Magic.
For the WIN…
And that’s the list, people. All the movies this year that the Average Dude has given at least 4 out of 5 stars, popcorn bags or whatevers. I gave hard consideration to BOTH offerings from Angel Studios. The Shift and Sound of Freedom made really strong arguements for the top spot. In the end, I opted for pure entertainment value the way momma used to make it. So…the award for Average Dude’s Best Movie of 2023 goes to…
See my full review for Wonka here!
Check back again this week to see how I reviewed ‘The Boys in the Boat’!
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