Good recent movies list12/7/2023 ![]() The film earned over $1 billion - the first and only R-rated film to do that - and made a remarkable run through awards season beginning with an unexpected Golden Lion at Venice, on to 11 Oscar nominations including Best Picture. Luckily that didn’t happen tying the Batman villain mythology to a troubled character instead became an undeniable box office smash. The origins of this Joker went deep into the human mind, so much that it courted pre-release controversy for fear its depiction of anarchy might spark violence. And in the hands of his chosen star Joaquin Phoenix, it was not only fascinating to watch but also a combination of inspirations that went beyond Batman and into Taxi Driver and King of Comedy territory. But Todd Phillips had an idea: an origin story of Joker aka Arthur in a movie that transcended its genre and became a darkly hypnotic and chilling psychological profile of an emerging killer. We’ve seen the arch villain Joker played over the years by actors from Cesar Romero to Jack Nicholson, Jared Leto to Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning turn in The Dark Knight, proving the character is turning out to be the Hamlet of its time for actors. From Superman to Batman to Justice League to Aquaman we have seen numerous iterations of the properties. There was certainly nothing terribly original on the surface about another DC comic book movie. We struggled with the films of Christopher Nolan and other filmmakers, and pictures starring great actors like Denzel Washington, whose work this century towers above just about any other actor in Man on Fire, Fences and other films. So, while 2007’s Paranormal Activity isn’t here despite hatching a slew of low-cost, high-gross found-footage and genre movies, you will find here Get Out, the Best Picture Oscar-nominated culmination of Jason Blum’s genre dynasty formula that began with Paranormal Activity (even though he was tossed off the Paramount lot shortly after). ![]() We’ve limited ourselves to live-action films and leaned into pictures that allowed for discussion of the output of directors. ![]() Deadline’s Pete Hammond, Todd McCarthy, Joe Utichi and Mike Fleming Jr accepted the challenge to choose the most influential so far. As we wait for the boom times to return once a Covid vaccine establish herd immunity and movie theaters fill again, it seemed worthwhile to reflect on what a great first quarter the 21st century has been for movies. This has been a trying year for movies, with the closing of cinemas in the pandemic, and a pivot by many filmmakers and stars to streaming service projects.
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