Michael Cieply: Film-wise, the most exciting part of the year is behind us

Six months later, the strikes are over. Ten days later the holiday starts. Unfortunately, when it comes to movies, the most exciting part of the year is already behind us.

It’s troubling to realize that there aren’t necessarily any notable, watchable pop culture event movies planned for the rest of 2023.

There are definitely some great pictures, maybe even an Oscar winner, that haven’t been released yet. December 8 brings Poor stuff from Searchlight, with a story as challenging as any since The shape of waterand the promise of an award-winning performance from Emma Stone. As, The survivorsof Focus and Napoleonfrom Sony Pictures Classics, will have gone far, and masterfrom Netflix, will be shown in at least some movie theaters and will add a nostalgic character study, a historical epic and a musical biopic to the season mix.

The color purpleby Warner and Ferrariby Neon was meant to brighten Christmas for what studio star Frank Price called “the unique crowd” (eg in 1991). The Prince of Tides, which gave Price the green light, caught her at Columbia). Meanwhile Amazon MGMs American fiction will attract the I-don’t-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry cultured.

And of course the popcorn movies: Trolls. A Hunger games follow up. Wish. Beyonce. Aquarius.

Not a bad mix. But there is nothing explosive in it – nothing that wakes up and shocks the audience Barbie And Oppenheimer last summer.

This is a change from last year Everything everywhere at the same time (the ultimate best film) and Top Gun: Maverick (a prize contender) faltered in the early and middle months, leaving behind some interesting but underwhelming sequels (Avatar: The Way of Water And Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and some Oscar bait in the middle (The Fablemen, The whale, Babylon) for November and December.

Not long ago, the holidays were much more exciting — before Covid and the streaming reset, studios big and small rolled the dice with ambitious, moving pictures that not only caught the attention of viewers and voters, but also be required It.

The original Avatar was one of them. Released in domestic theaters by Fox on December 18, 2009, the film promised to shake up the industry with its extremely expensive immersive technology and was almost as captivating as its hype, albeit an infinitely smaller competitor. The pain vaultwon the best Oscar of the year.

Dare to try something different The artist, which was released by Warner and Weinstein on November 23, 2011, did not dare to watch either. It was black and white. It was (almost completely) quiet. The film wandered the awards circuit with a dog named Uggie and ended up winning Best Picture.

It was a movie to wake up the season. The same goes for Paramount The Wolf of the Wall StreetA 2013 Christmas release that rocked the holiday with its transgressions (and lost the final Oscar for it). 12 years slave) and Warners American SniperAnother Christmas movie that shocked the country’s war-weary conscience so much that it topped the box office list of 2014 releases (but saw) Birdman nominated for best film).

These were aggressive films, pictures that did not like to settle in a safe narrative space or in a familiar prize genre. Above all, they appealed to the audience, grabbed them by the scruff of the neck, and insisted that the films receive seasonal attention.

This made the holiday unpredictable. And enjoy it. And the very best part of the film year.