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I am a movie geek; I have watched a fair amount of films in 2023. From scary alien invasions to cheesy rom-coms, I have seen nearly all of this year’s newly released films. As the year comes to a close, let’s look back on some of the best movie releases of the year.
Starting the list strong with “Barbie.” The movie was based on Barbie (Margot Robbie) as she encounters an existential crisis in Barbieland. Because of this, she travels to “human” land in order to regain her identity. This is the only thing that anyone was talking about back in July and August. The doll itself is a classic, something that everyone has had when they were a child. For me, it was so cool to see something I played with as a kid come to life. Not to mention, the plot of the movie was absolutely stellar; I think the ending scene had everyone (including me) walking out of AMC sobbing.
Enough with the tears, one of the funniest movies I saw this year was “No Hard Feelings.” I may be biased since I love Jennifer Lawrence, but I believe this film marked a comeback for R-rated comedies. The film is about a 30-year-old woman, Maddie (Lawrence), who was hired by a wealthy couple to help their teenage son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) come out of his shell before college. Although the movie was quirky for the most part, I believe that Lawrence’s personality adds the perfect amount of comedic flair to the film.
Next on the list would be “Red White and Royal Blue.” Now I know many would disagree with me putting this movie on the list, however, the movie holds a special place in my heart. I actually read the book first before watching the film and this is the one of few films that does the book its justice. The way Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez portrayed their characters was so authentic; it almost made me believe they were in a relationship in real life. Even though the cringe factor was definitely present in some scenes, this factor only made me want to rewatch the film over and over (which I have already done several times).
Of course, “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” found its spot on the list. I have been obsessed with “The Hunger Games” series ever since I was a child, and this film has made this phase of mine return. Even though the film was three hours long, I did not get bored for a single minute again. The movie was action-packed and even though many of the actors are “newer” to the industry, all of their performances were amazing. They certainly did the series justice.
There are so many more movies that deserve a spot on this list and everyone’s list is going to differ based on their preferences. However, all of these films have one common theme: teenagehood, which is what I think made these films so much more enjoyable.
