The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland into the Past: 2023

Welcome to The Wasteland into the Past! Join this journey backwards in time as I take a cinematic look at years past. Each article will focus on a singular year and my Top 5 films from that year. Turn back the clock with me…and let’s get started! 

2023 

The Iron Claw 

Do you know the tale of the Von Erich wrestling family? If not, buckle up and prepare for tragedy…and get the tissues ready. Sean Durkin crafts an artful and emotionally resonant look at a “cursed” family and the stress, pressure, competitiveness, trauma, and abuse that led them down a dark path of destruction. If you wondered what an A24 pro-wrestling film would be like, this is it. The Iron Claw mixes incredible camera work, music, and performances to capture the attention of the audience. But it is the emotionally tumultuous ride that will keep you there until it all boils over in the most devastating way possible. 

Oppenheimer 

Are you prepared for a cinematic experience that will leave you reeling from the fact that the world is on the precipice of its own destruction? Yeah…I know that is a lot but so is Christopher Nolan’s landmark biopic Oppenheimer. Nolan finds every way to create a compelling and engrossing cinematic experience from its framing narratives to visual effects to music/soundscapes to complex characters. J. Robert Oppenheimer was a bit of an unknowable man and Cillian Murphy digs deep into that to create a compelling leading character. But this giant ensemble will not be outdone with the likes of Robert Downey Jr. giving a career best turn. Somehow Nolan made a three-hour, R-rated biopic into a box office juggernaut and the event film of the year. 

Poor Things 

What is one of the boldest films in themes, visuals, and content in all of 2023? That award just might have to go to the unique Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and his film, Poor Things. It is Frankenstein meets Candide. There are layers of female empowerment messages all wrapped in a crazed science fiction and dark comedy packaging. Emma Stone gives one of the most dynamic, detailed, and wide-ranging performances of any actor all year (and maybe even ever). You have a stacked support cast including an unhinged Mark Ruffalo and an ever-perfect Willem Dafoe. This steampunk alternate world is brought to life with such earnestness and effort with impressive costuming, hairstyling, make-up, production design, and a score that is so “other-worldly” that it will have you compelled around every turn. This is the weirdest and most perfectly rendered package out there. 

Killers of the Flower Moon

Does Scorsese still get it almost 60 years later? He is still out there making some of the most impressive films around. Scorsese adapts this haunting true crime tale about some of the darkest times in American history and the horrors committed against the Osage people. Killers of the Flower Moon is not a story of the Osage people per se nor is it about the FBI who investigated these atrocities. In classic Scorsese form, he puts us in the shoes of the criminals and forces us to look in the mirror. Lily Gladstone steals every scene with her quiet power as Leonardo DiCaprio is a pathetic wretch stuck between his wife and his corrupt and dangerous kin. DeNiro is a towering and terrifying monster as well. This three-and-a-half-hour western crime epic is a sight to behold thanks to the legendary Scorsese and his incredible crew of brilliant filmmakers.   

The Boy and the Heron 

Should Hiyao Miyazaki come out of retirement for another go? If he still had efforts like The Boy and the Heron left in him, maybe he should never have stepped away at all. This is a beautiful film. When you watch it, that might seem like an understatement…which is true. This is a gorgeous and affecting cinematic experience like only Miyazaki can bring to life. This is a tale of love and loss. Grief and finding a new family. These universal and affecting themes are all brought to life in this creative and visionary fantasy world. The central titular duo makes for such an engaging pair as they explore a wondrous world of birds. There is plenty of emotion that film every frame and a quiet majesty that only Miyazaki can deliver.