We are at the mid-point of the year, 2023 has flown past and there has been plenty of movies to get excited about. In amongst the minefield of franchise movies, some good some bad, there has been some good quality. We're here to discuss the Best Movies of 2023...So Far, so enjoy our recommendations and read our reviews from the Film Focus team.
ASTEROID CITY
Following a writer on his world famous fictional play about a grieving father who travels with his tech-obsessed family to small rural Asteroid City to compete in a junior stargazing event, only to have his world view disrupted forever.
"With it being his 11th feature, Wes Anderson proves that he has so much more to say, as Asteroid City oozes with his signature style, terrific performances, some of the best visuals of the year and a lovely message behind it all. It's one of his best in recent years." - BECCA JOHNSON
PAST LIVES
Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.
"Past Lives soars on the back of Greta Lee's transcendent performance. Writer and director Celine Strong’s debut is a love story of jaw-dropping maturity." - M.N. MILLER
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4
John Wick uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.
"An epic, beautifully shot, brutally choreographed finale to John's saga and delivers quite possibly the greatest final hour in action cinema history." - JACK RANSOM
SCRAPPER
Georgie, a dreamy 12-year-old girl, lives happily alone in her London flat, filling it with magic. Suddenly, her estranged father turns up and forces her to confront reality.
"A lot of incredible debuts came out of the Sundance Film Festival this year but none quite as beautifully charming as Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper. This bubbly little indie has a lovely sense of comfort to it but it also packs an emotional punch too. Regan centres Scrapper around Georgie, a young girl who is having to make her own way in the world having just lost her mother, and by doing so affords the story to be told from a creatively fresh perspective. Scrapper is driven by its central performances. Harris Dickinson is endearing as a father trying to reconnect with his daughter, but Lola Campbell - who makes her feature film debut here in a lead role - is the highlight. Her incredible talent is evident as she is the glue that holds the film together. Scrapper is an absolute delight and I implore you to keep an eye out when it’s released in cinemas later this year." - ALEX GILSTON
AIR
Follows the history of sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan.
"Sports, style and a star-studded cast, what more can you want from a film? Air is my favourite film in 2023, so far, for its storytelling and high calibre acting. Time stood still for me watching and learning about how the most iconic shoe, and basketball star in history came to be. Matt Damon makes his role seem effortless and Viola Davis is compelling to watch in this true story. Whilst it's hit and miss with reviews, for me, it's a class film, with interesting artistic choices." - ROMEY NORTON
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
Miles Morales catapults across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.
"After the triumph of Into the Spider-verse it didn't feel like another animated movie could compete, yet Across the Spider-verse manages to build on it's predecessor and take bigger swings in not only the aesthetics but in the story-line to accompany it." - ELLIOT LINES
THE BLUE CAFTAN
A middle-aged tailor and his wife find their relationship turned upside down by the arrival of a handsome new apprentice.