With the post-COVID-19 world finally allowing in-person screenings, there are a lot of hotly anticipated indie films to look out for this 2023. Luckily, movie buffs and casual enjoyers alike have plenty to look forward to throughout the year.
Today, we’ll be taking a look at some of the most anticipated features to consider adding to your “watch list.” The Pod Generation This picture features Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor, leading a futuristic comedy set in a world where couples can rent detachable, artificial wombs called “pods”, allowing for shared pregnancies and flexible parenting. The film raises very interesting ideas about the role of technology in fertility and parenthood, meaning this feature will no doubt be a talking point at dinner tables. Cat Person Nothing quite captures the anxiety of online dating quite like Kristen Reoupenian’s short story Cat Person, published in 2017. This romantic comedy thriller became a viral hit for its sinister story unraveling a courtship that turns bitter, complete with ghosting, catfishing, and red flags everywhere. Susanna Fogel, who co-wrote Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart, is at the helm of the much-anticipated movie rendition. There’s high hopes that this film is going to take a stab at breaking the internet just like the story did. Look out for Oscar-winning Coda’s Emilia Jones and breakout star Nicholas Braun in their lead roles. Eileen Based on Ottessa Moshfegh’s chart-topping novel, the movie adaption follows the unraveling of the iconic Eileen Dunlop, a misanthropic woman stuck in a rut both personally and professionally. When a charismatic new member of the staff, Rebecca, joins the office, their friendship flourishes. However, things take a devious turn when Rebecca influences Eileen into participating in a heinous crime. Thomasin McKenzie plays a sublime role as the slightly odd Eileen, while Anne Hathaway provides an award-worthy performance as the seductive Rebecca. Sometimes I Think About Dying Main character Fran finds herself to be a ghost in her own life. Isolated in her dreary office job, she passes the time wishing she couldn’t simply disappear. That is until a dynamic new hire, Robert, arrives and tries to strike up a friendship with her. Daisy Ridley provides a stellar performance as the alienated Fran, a woman who craves human interaction but struggles with the real-life demands of partnership. Run Rabbit Run A psychological thriller that was the talk of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival is set to make waves. Succession’s Sarah Snook takes on the identity of a frazzled mother struggling to make sense of her daughter’s unexplained emotional decline in the days after her seventh birthday. The film is an exploration of the anxieties that come with motherhood, as well as a personal reckoning for the main character. Directed by Daina Reid, the film is widely anticipated considering she was nominated for an Emmy for The Handmaid’s Tale, so you ought to expect a stunning portrayal of trauma and grief. Is it fair to say that the Academy Awards mean less to people than the awards show did about 20 years ago?
Unfortunately, yes. It does seem that award shows across the board are experiencing a decline in viewership and interest among the general public. And you know what? I couldn’t care less about that, because for movie lovers like myself, it remains a golden opportunity (pun intended) to discuss the best films of the year. For filmmakers and cinephiles like myself, that’s all we ever really want to do. So for today’s blog post, I’ll be sharing my picks for the top awards of the most important film show of the year. Note: I’m not aiming for what I think is most likely to win, but rather personal preferences based on the nominees available. Best Picture: “Everything Everywhere All At Once” This year has many excellent nominees, but it’s an easy choice for me to go with “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” This utterly original film from the filmmaking team known as The Daniels bursts with as much color and creative energy, living up to its flamboyant name with a smorgasbord of multiversal hijinks held together by an original and moving story. Michelle Yeoh, who also received a Best Actress nomination for this film, gives one of the best performances of her already impressive career. Yeoh and the many excellent supporting actors, including Jamie Lee-Curtis and Stephanie Hsu, get the chance to show off their range as they play various versions of themselves throughout this wacky story. But that’s the thing: Behind all the self-aware jokes lies a deeply serious movie about the strains of modern life. The loneliness and disconnection from each other, the confusion over self-identity, the sense that life should be better than it is — it’s all rendered in loving detail. This is absolutely the most original film of the year. Best Director: Todd Field for “Tár” It’s truly disappointing that Todd Field’s psychological drama about a fictional orchestra conductor ended up bombing at the box office last fall. “Tár” deserved more from audiences, and so does Todd Field, who turned out a stunning depiction of conducting with Cate Blanchett giving one of her greatest performances (which is really saying something for a woman who already has two Academy Awards). Following the downfall of fictional composer and conductor Lydia Tár, it premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival in September 2022. It won Blanchett the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. Field deserves a nod for this film, and he should get the recognition for it. Best Actor: Daniel Kaluuya for “Nope” Will “Nope” finally bring Jordan Peele the spotlight he deserves? Because while Todd Field feels like an obvious choice for Best Director, it’s hard to argue against the need to officially recognize Peele as one of the great emerging directors of our time. However, his latest film, the genre mashup of science-fiction, western and horror, ultimately didn’t hold together quite as well as the modern horror masterpieces “Get Out” or “Us.” However, Daniel Kaluuya, the star of “Get Out,” brings another brilliant performance in “Nope,” elevating the overstuffed story with an emotional and intelligent approach to his horse-wrangling protagonist. It might not be the time for Peele’s Oscar, but perhaps it’s the right time to recognize Kaluuya as one of his generation’s best actors. Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh for “Everything Everywhere All At Once” Yes, we’re coming back to “Everything Everywhere All At Once” for this one. Michelle Yeoh has led a long and distinguished career, primarily in the martial arts genre, which doesn’t normally get a lot of love from critics or award shows. It’s tough for any actor to play a dozen different versions of the same character, yet Yeoh does so brilliantly, while also retaining a vulnerability that brings the film to a deeply moving conclusion. She also bravely depicts the reality of Chinese family and culture, especially the relationship between mothers and daughters. And yes, it would be pretty cool to finally have an Asian actress take the industry’s most prestigious award. Who better to receive it than one of the most visible Asian actors of all time? |
AuthorBardya Ziaian is a Toronto-based business executive, film producer, actor, and entrepreneur with specific expertise in the areas of Fintech, brokerage services, and financial systems. Archives
February 2023
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