The Year 2023 in Movies

Continuing with the final part of our year in review, Matt Lynn Digital invites you to look back at the last year in reviews of books, movies, music and television. We look at these with individual categories, one per day through today. Today we share the forty-seven (47) movies from nine (9) decades reviewed by Matt Lynn Digital in 2023.

(The 1972 movie The Godfather).

The top rated movie we watched in 2023 was The Godfather (1972). Earning 4.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5, the film presented solid exposition of the power dynamics and traditions for the family as established by the family patriarch Vito, along with the command-and-control structure of the working the business.

(The 2023 movie Oppenheimer).

Four movies earned 4.5-stars in 2023, including the movie Oppenheimer (2023). The movie detailed the role American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer had in the development of the atomic bomb. The further movie Gone Girl (2014) was joined by There Will Be Blood (2007) and the movie Mystic River (2003).

(The 2023 movie Killers of the Flower Moon).

The movie Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) leads a dozen movies that earned 4.25-stars from Matt Lynn Digital. The ongoing murders of members of an affluent Native American tribe for profitable mineral rights, under the guise of marriage and love, made for a somber yet at times poignant movie. Other films to earn 4.25 stars included the movie The Banshees of Inisherin (2022), the biopic King Richard (2021), the biopic The Aviator (2004), the animated movie The Incredibles (2004), the pandemic-fueled horror movie 28 Days Later (2002), the alcoholism-fueled movie Leaving Las Vegas (1995), the coming-of-age movie The Breakfast Club (1985), the supernatural comedy Ghostbusters (1984), the political history movie Reds (1981), the independently released Friday the 13th (1980) and, finally, the movie Apocalypse Now (1979).

(The 2022 movie Death on the Nile).

The mastermind detective movie Death on the Nile (2022) leads a group of nine (9) movies to earn 4.0-stars from Matt Lynn Digital in 2023. Other quality movies in this group include the movie The Hateful Eight (2015), the biopic Walk the Line (2005), the historical drama Gladiator (2000), the movie The Big Lebowski (1998), the psychological horror movie The Silence of the Lambs (1991), the comedy Home Alone (1990), the science fiction movie Planet of the Apes (1968) and, finally, the film noir movie The Maltese Falcon (1941).

(The 2019 movie El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie).

Eighteen (18) movies earned the 3.75-stars rating for 2023, led by El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019). That coda to the Breaking Bad (2008-2013) television series spells out what happened with character Jesse Pinkman. Other movies earning 3.75 stars include the science fiction movie Alien: Covenant (2017), the animated movie The Secret Life of Pets (2016), the animated movie Inside Out (2015), the live-action animated movie Paddington (2014), the movie Chef (2014), the supernatural horror movie Oculus (2013), the biopic The Express (2008), the comedic movie Clerks II (2006), the science fiction blockbuster War of the Worlds (2005), the comedy Freaky Friday (2003), the movie Frequency (2000), the science fiction movie The Fifth Element (1997), the crime drama Absolute Power (1997), the family movie Hocus Pocus (1993), the neo-noir movie Blow Out (1981), the dystopian crime movie A Clockwork Orange (1971) and, finally, the animated movie Cinderella (1950).

(The 2021 movie Cry Macho).

A pair of movies led by the western movie Cry Macho (2021) earned 3.5-stars from Matt Lynn Digital. The other is the fantasy comedy Jack Frost (1998).

(The 2023 movie Nefarious).

Alleged demonic possession was in play for the movie Nefarious (2023), which at 3.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5 completes our reviewed movies for the year. Having felt manipulated by this film to make a political point, our feeling was that we could have enjoyed this movie more if the presentation had taken a different approach.

Matt Lynn Digital appreciates your continued interest in the content we offer. Should you have albums that you’d like us to review, or similar work to that mentioned above, please be sure to let us know.

Matt – Sunday, December 31, 2023

Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson and Rosario Dawson in the Kevin Smith movie ‘Clerks II’

The sequel to the Kevin Smith movie Clerks (1994) began on cinematic fire. A dozen years later, Clerks II (2006) brings back Brian O’Halloran as Dante Hicks, whose world makes a move to Mooby’s fast food after Randal Graves, as portrayed by Jeff Anderson, sends their collective slacker dreams up in smoke with a pot of coffee left on overnight.

(From left, Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves and Brian O’Halloran as Dante Hicks in the Kevin Smith movie Clerks II).

The move to Mooby’s, which takes place at what clearly is a former Burger King restaurant, comes moments after Dante discovers that the Quick Stop with adjacent RST Video of the original Clerks movie had burned Randal had caused a fire the night before. The discovery comes upon opening the notorious anti-theft doors of that original movie. The discovery is presented to Dante’s comic disbelief, followed by efforts to extinguish the total loss of a fire that introduces the search for what becomes the location for a movie set ten years after the original film.

(Rosario Dawson as Becky Scott in the Kevin Smith movie Clerks II).

A decent amount of time passes between that devastation and our seeing Randal working with Dante in fast food. We are quickly introduced to the pair’s new manager, Becky Scott as portrayed by Rosario Dawson. Dante continues with his plan to move on from his minimum wage lifestyle, still, with his overbearing fiancée Emma Bunting presented as a tonic to this ailment. Bunting, as portrayed by Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, brings with her a move to Florida plus a home and the operation of a carwash as furnished by her wealthy parents as a means for setting the couple up after marriage.

(From left, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith as Emma Bunting, Zak Knutson as Sexy Stud and Kevin Weisman as Lord of the Rings geek in the Kevin Smith movie Clerks II).

The tension for Randal that the pending move brings outweighs the better nature of his wishes for Dante’s longer term happiness. Randal does go about planning a proper sendoff for Dante, while an elaborate day in the life story at Mooby’s introduces the writing humor of screenplay writer Kevin Smith that we met with the original Clerks. Beyond the clear feelings that Dante has developed for his boss at the restaurant, Becky, we take notice of the lackadaisical approach Randal takes to his work. Not only is he leaving much of the work to devout Christian teenager Elias Grove, as portrayed by Trevor Fehrman, we see Randal planning a bachelor party for Dante that evening at Mooby’s that brings in Sexy Stud as portrayed by Zak Knutson.

(Trevor Fehrman as Elias Grover in the Kevin Smith movie Clerks II).

A string of cameos filled by customers fills out the restaurant operation as the core tension of the movie takes place. We are reacquanted with Jay and Silent Bob, as portrayed by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith respectively, along with fleeting roles by Kevin Weisman in the role of Lord of the Rings geek. Jason Lee, Wanda Sykes, Earthquake (aka Nathaniel Martin Stroman), Ethan Suplee, Ben Affleck, Scott Mosier and Walter Flanagan. The delivery of Jay and Silent Bob to what presents itself later in the film, after the tension reaches its highest pressure point, lends itself to a second sequel that we know appeared in 2022.

(From left, Jason Mewes as Jay and director Kevin Smith as Silent Bob in the Kevin Smith movie Clerks II).

I largely found the second installment of Clerks offered the sensibility of the original while getting into the graphic style of humor that made the film a cult classic. The humor landed a bit more strongly than did the peace of mind in life that endeared many to the writing of Kevin Smith in the first place. I give Clerks II as written and directed by Kevin Smith 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, November 15, 2023