And Ryan Gosling is possibly even better as the Kenniest Ken to Ever Ken, just radiating vacant himbo energy in every scene. Margot Robbie is pitch-perfect as ‘Stereotypical Barbie’, practically sparkling with cheery glamour even while suddenly plagued by thoughts of death and the reality of existing as a woman. But who could have predicted the feminist fantasia we actually got? Set in a matriarchal land of living dolls, where everything is blissful and neon and perfect until the fears, insecurities and toxic masculinity of the real world encroach, it’s a wickedly smart, unabashedly silly satire smuggled to the masses inside a fuschia-coloured disco ball. Maybe we should have expected it – after all, with Greta Gerwig writing and directing, along with her husband, Noah Baumbach, serving as co-writer, you knew it wasn’t just going to be a film about, like, an inspirational fashion model. It was the biggest movie of 2023, and one of the year’s major pop culture events in general, but for all its world domination, Barbie ended up being one heck of a strange movie. In this vicious age, niceness can go a long way – and Theater Camp is some very nice stuff.

Needling drama kids (and drama adults) is like shooting fish that have been shoved into a high school locker, and the movie does indulge in some fairly broad cliches, but it never feels cruel, and the biggest laughs often come from just how big-hearted it is. Following the attendees of a theater-focused summer camp in the Adirondacks as they plot a last-minute tribute to their ailing founder (Amy Sedaris, who’s sadly not around much), it mines the inherent humour of passionate people whose ambition far outstrips their resources. But writer-directors Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman have clearly studied those influences closely, and they obviously know the small-stakes art world they spend the movie affectionately mocking on an intimate level. 📺 The best TV and streaming shows of 2023īorrowing equally from the mockumentaries of Christopher Guest and modern single-camera sitcoms like Parks and Recreation, this spirited little comedy is pretty far from being something you’ve never seen before. But what movies were the greatest? Here are our picks. Overall, it was a great year for movies – even the Oscars were enjoyable. And don’t forget the one about the dancing killer doll ! Past Lives made audiences swoon, while small-time charmers like Theater Camp, Scrapper and Rye Lane reasserted the vitality of indie filmmaking.

Martin Scorsese dropped another masterpiece, while Across the Spider-Verse made comic-book movies fresh again (at least until Madam Web, anyway). But in terms of pure moviemaking, the year was particularly strong. There was the #Barbenheimer phenomenon, of course, which helped power the domestic box office to its strongest overall numbers since 2019. Before all the strikes hit, though, there were indications that the movie industry was coming back to life. It took a few years, but 2023 felt like the year that Hollywood finally found its footing post-pandemic – which is ironic, considering Hollywood also shut down for large parts of the year.

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