Watch something new this December 

Indiewire published an article in November in which Christopher Nolan defended franchise movies.

Someone asked him to respond to Martin Scorcese, who thinks comic book movies, and blockbusters in general, have ruined Hollywood. Rather than siding with Scorcese, Nolan argued that Hollywood needs a balance. While original films from innovative directors matter, they cannot exist without their big-budget counterparts.

First, comic book movies bring audiences to the cinema. Without them, viewers would stay home because they can watch movies on streaming. Secondly, Studios use the profits from crowd-pleasers like Avengers to make smaller, riskier films. But I don’t intend to delve into that debate. Instead, I want to fight back against the ridiculous notion that Hollywood does not make enough original movies by highlighting some original films that came out in 2023.

Barbie and Oppenheimer deserve a mention because they continue to dominate the market. Barbie is the biggest movie of the year. It outperformed every comic book film, including Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

Oppenheimer’s box office performance is no less impressive ($952 million). On the animation front, 2023 gave us The Boy and the Heron, Hayao Miyazaki’s latest masterpiece. Like every Miyazaki film, this one takes viewers on a magical adventure through bizarre landscapes. Naturally, grief and tragedy are prominent themes.

I am hesitant to mention The Creator by Gareth Edwards because I was severely underwhelmed. But audiences and critics alike have hailed the film as the most imaginative sci-fi action thriller of the last decade. I could not disagree more. That said, The Creator is visually stunning and a welcome departure from the dull, uninspired science fiction we usually get.

Speaking of original film-making, Knock at the Cabin is more than worth the watch. Did I love it? No. But it was better than Old, which is not saying much. In the M. Night Shyamalan film, a couple and their daughter must fend off four strangers who hope to avert the apocalypse by performing a ritual sacrifice.

2023 has given us scarier horror movies. But this one stands out because of the unique concept and the tension Shyamalan maintains throughout the film’s run.

I have seen rave reviews for The Holdovers, a Paul Giamatti comedy drama in which an unpopular teacher is asked to care for students who can’t go home for the holidays. The same goes for Dream Scenario, which I can’t wait to watch because Nicolas Cage plays an ordinary fellow whose life takes a dramatic turn when he starts to appear in the dreams of millions of strangers from all over the world.

Rebel Moon is coming to Netflix in a few weeks. Zack Snyder has described the Space Opera as Star Wars for adults. I could name twenty other films. But I think you get the point. Hollywood makes plenty of original movies.

Unfortunately, the people complaining about the lack of original movies don’t watch them, which is why so many of them underperform. Use your December holiday to colour outside the box for once.

mbjjnr8@gmail.com