Misc round up

Bits and pieces too short for a full post and a few best of lists for the year 

My favourite song of 2023 -Sympathy- Declan McKenna

Of course favourite songs often relate to personal circumstances so when this came out I really felt like I needed it. I had this song going round in my head for weeks and weeks after I first heard it in the summer. I’d initially pegged it as a summer tune but it works just as well any time of the year. Its writer describes it as “like a dream about love and compassion, it wants us to let go of inhibitions and allow ourselves to truly connect with others rather than over thinking and hiding your feelings away.” It seems to mark a new direction for Declan McKenna as he matures as an artist and I can’t wait for his third album `Whatever happened to the Beach` due in February which will also include `Nothing Works, another earworm with an odd video that came out in November.

Sympathy video link -

https://youtu.be/AniO6LmCq_s?si=tquMmBdCZwNyP5io

 

In second place I’d put Bleachers’ `Modern Girl` which I’ll lazily summarise as being like Bruce Springsteen crossed with Billy Joel.

And I couldn’t end the year without mentioning `Peaches`. Its only about a minute and a half long and part of a film about a game character yet `Peaches` has been inescapable in 2023. Not to be mistaken for songs by The Stranglers or Justin Bieber or the Presidents of the United States of America each of whom have a song with the same name.  This song from the Super Mario Bros film released back the Spring is sung as only he knows how by Jack Black who voices Bowser in the film. It’s an overheated ballad of in which the character declares his love for said Princess and it calls to mind those old Meat Loaf songs where nothing was too much.

 Even if you’ve not seen the film there’s the video which so far has fifty- six million views and is extra funny. There have been lots of entertaining cover versions online in different styles including acapella, metal, vocal/guitar, acoustic, people dressed as Bowser, kids versions and more besides. My favourite is by the streamer Slimcicle in which he melodramatically laments the loss of his “huevo” (egg) ie his adopted digital daughter JuannaFlippa with reworked lyrics. Though `Peaches` is in with a chance of a Golden Globe fans have been unhappy it has not been nominated for an Academy Award yet surely the ceremony has to have Jack Black performing it? That would be a showstopper of the best kind.

 

Released earlier this year, Scrapper is the debut feature from Charlotte Reagan. It’s a low-key indie picture with occasional flourishes that add a sense of character. Twelve-year-old Georgie lives alone in the house she shared with her recently deceased mother. Streetwise and mature for her age she earns money stealing bikes and has managed to convince social services an uncle called `Winston Churchill` is looking after her! When her long missing young father Jason turns up her organised life is impacted while he struggles to adapt to the role of parent after spending much of his twenties abroad.

There’s a lightness of touch to this film that largely eschews the `grimmer the better` approach you might expect for a balance that suggests it is perfectly feasible for a twelve-year-old to look after herself. Particularly early on Regan adds a dreamy ambience to some scenes as well as sudden edits to suggest the busy mind of a child. She shoots the housing estate and surrounding area to emphasise rather than darken the colours and her camera is often at waist level so we see things from Georgie’s perspective. This is heightened by the inclusion of a tower of bike parts the girl has constructed. Both a monument to her mother and the foundation of a wish to climb to heaven to reunite with her it is a reminder that, however resourceful she is, Georgia remains a child. In one scene we see her mind’s eye view of this tower stretching up into the clouds.

The drama is kept low key avoiding the tendency for this sort of film to develop into tragic melodrama. The interactions between Georgie and Jason are naturalistic and banterish as both characters slowly warm to each other and the film never falls either into sentimentality or melodrama.  Admittedly the premise does stretch at credulity as you can’t believe social services wouldn’t make a physical visit to the house or that Georgie’s mother (who knew she was terminally ill) would not have made some more practical arrangements but you have to get past that and enjoy the results. Lola Campbell makes a strong impression in her first role and the part is written to avoid the cliched angry teen replacing it with something altogether more subtle. Harris Dickinson as Jason leans into the nuance of the script in which he is not the Bad Dad you might expect but neither is he beyond helping Georgie nick bikes! Often it feels like we’re peering into real lives.

 

Visually arresting yet narratively slim Aquaman – The Lost Kingdom closes out a year in which superhero films have taken a hit from critics and public alike. I’m not buying the idea they are completely outmoded (see my best of list below) but this one is an example of everything people have taken against them for. It looks amazing as a colourful cornucopia of undersea creatures and contraptions float about creating a real sense of otherworldliness. The production inventively integrates well known aquatic creatures into craft and buildings. Yet the story that they serve is not especially original and doesn’t engage the viewer. A film this vibrant to look at should never be boring yet for stretches this one is. Any promising strands about global warming or families are quickly shoved aside for gymnastic action that is so clearly digitally generated it feels like any other superhero film you might name, except we’re underwater. A decent cast have little to work with though Patrick Wilson is able to add some nuance to his character Orm, Aquaman’s estranged brother. 

 My favourite films of 2023

Blue Beetle: How you define a great superhero film as far as I’m concerned is not so much by the special effects or action but the supporting features beyond that. In this case we have the Reyes family who are brought to life vividly in early sequences so that you are with them all the way. I would happily have watched a non SFX drama with this family at its heart. When a tragedy occurs halfway through it really cuts deep and the finale is well earned. Detach it from the overall superhero films / DC narrative and it is a great film at every level.

Wonka: I was never a big fan of Roald Dahl and aficionados may well say that this film isn’t true to his intent but I found it welcoming and with just the right amount of sweetness. The fact that no attempt is made to add a realistic hue to the story makes it even more satisfying.

Barbie: A surprisingly constructed tale of men's and women’s different positions in the world and views of it, Barbie is far from the frivolous fantasy world we thought it would be. It actually has some points to make yet choses to do so with a dayglo palette. Packed with great moments, it has to be America Ferrara’s speech that makes the most impact.

Shazam- Fury of the Gods: Its funny how three of my favourite films of 2023 are superhero movies that the critics hated and the public largely ignored. Well, they’re missing out. This is an action filled romp with some great set pieces and Helen Mirren clearly having a great time.

The Flash: This film never stood a chance given the twin issues of the ongoing DC changes and the lead actor’s questionable behaviour. Yet separate the actual film from that baggage and it flies with as much speed and stealth as its hero.

Saltburn: Not that many seemed to see this during its fleeting cinema run so it’s been fun reading the reactions now it’s available on streaming. No, it’s not the sort of film you might expect even as you watch it and I sense it may become a cult classic. Home to some superb performances, unexpected turns and, yes, some controversial moments it’s a film you’ll either get or not.

Asteroid City: Although stylistically you know what to expect from a Wes Anderson film (check the number of Anderson memes online) what gets forgotten are the knotty plots, the vivid characters and how enjoyable the end package is. The director sees everything from the most ordinary to the extraordinary with a unique vision.

Across the Spiderverse: There isn’t a film this year that looks quite like this; in fact, there’s probably not an animated film ever that looks like this certainly not one produced in the Western world. Exploding with a variety of animated styles- sometimes within the one scene – it is a great watch and a total filmic experience.

Oppenheimer: Despite my appreciation of Christopher Nolan’s latest it’s not a film I would necessarily want to see again which isn’t true of the others in the list. It a grim yet fascinating watch, more so for being true. The second half is more like a stage play and the performances are excellent.

 My favourite (new) tv of 2023

Lockwood and Co: Probably the most popular cancelled show ever, this adaptation of Jonathan Stroud’s books hit all the targets both creatively and commercially. Yet somehow Netflix saw fit to cancel it. When they recently published their end of year stats it still didn’t add up. 

Doctor Who specials: RTD2 as someone wittily dubbed it saw the former showrunner return with a quartet of specials filled with his usual brassy trademarks. If there’s a slight sense of déjà vu to some of it, he is still also clearly fizzing with new ideas exemplified by the just shown Xmas special which suggests a bright, bold future for the sixty year old show.

Picard season 3: Fans got what they wanted this year with the reunion of the Next Gen cast in a manner designed to evoke warm nostalgia. That they manged to fit a tense adventure in as well makes it all the better, certainly a cut above even some of the original series.

One Piece: An adaptation of a Manga series sprung elastically onto screens and for those with no knowledge of the original (like me) was a bold and pleasant surprise

Wednesday: Sharp, sassy and dressed in black Wednesday Adams dominated the early months of the year. While there was a sense her dark humour was lightening as the season progressed the show eared a second season.

The Rig: Watching the first episode of this series we all thought we knew where it was going yet there were surprises and left turns round every turn and the result were consistently engaging evolving into a tale we didn't expect at all. 

 

Released twenty- five years ago, `Up` is generally considered to signal the start of REM’s artistic decline and I sort of followed that narrative as I remember finding it a bit dull. This year it was re-released in a bells and whistles box set which although I didn’t buy persuaded me to find my old copy (yes physical media, folks) and give it another try. I feel I am now ready for it’s more world weary, cautious atmosphere. Or perhaps I didn’t listen to it properly in 1998. Hearing it now for the first time in years `Up` seems inventively creative and different. It neither sounds like a record from 1998 nor indeed from 2023, instead it is timeless. The melancholy that pours out of much of the music is though more in keeping with the world today or at least as I see it. I don’t know how old REM were when they made it but this is definitely not  young person’s music. Grumbling guitar, static and electronic percussion pad around the edges of songs that move at their own pace.  As ever Michael Stipe’s lyrics are often obscure yet a line will cut through. The LP is home to the unashamedly romantic `At my most Beautiful` which is a long way from the sardonic `The One I Love`, Michael Stipe has moved from describing love as a `prop` to counting the eyelashes of his partner. If there are still moments when you have no clue what he's on about – “Haven’t you noticed? I ate the lotus” – the songs seem to have percolated thoroughly making them sound richer after all that time.