Despite the efforts of profit-driven studio executives, cinema endured through 2023. Strikes by writers and actors, rising streaming costs and corporate decisions that treated creators as expendable highlighted an industry too often steered by executives chasing short-term gains. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes paused production, promotion and releases, but ultimately secured stronger contracts and protections … Read more

Despite the greed of some studio executives, cinema endured through 2023. Writing and acting strikes, rising streaming costs, and debates about artificial intelligence exposed an industry driven often more by profit than by craft. In Hollywood, concerns rose about AI replacing writers and visual effects artists, and about streaming models that sometimes failed to fairly … Read more

Has the superhero movie bubble burst? Critics and fans have debated this for years, but in 2023 the question felt more credible than it has in a long time. Once-reliable franchise properties from studios like Disney and Warner Bros. faltered at the box office, and even iconic characters weren’t guaranteed ticket sales. At the time … Read more

Has the superhero movie bubble finally burst? Film writers and commentators have debated this for years, but 2023 felt different. Several high-profile comic-book adaptations failed to meet expectations, suggesting that familiar intellectual properties no longer guarantee box-office success. Even tentpole characters like Batman couldn’t ensure profitability: at the time of writing, five of the nine … Read more

2023 stood out as one of the strongest years for cinema in the 2020s so far. Major studio releases earned rare critical acclaim while smaller films found larger audiences because of their clear quality. Over the year, our reviewers and a number of established contributors assessed more than 100 new releases—from blockbuster phenomena like Barbenheimer … Read more

In 2023, work from some of the world’s most accomplished filmmakers helped shape what many are calling the best year for cinema so far in the 2020s. Major studio tentpoles earned unusually strong critical praise, and smaller independent films saw increased box-office returns simply because they were exceptional. Across the year, our critics and a … Read more

The year 2023 presented another difficult chapter for the film industry. Filmmakers continued to contend with the aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, an industry tilt toward product-driven entertainment, and corporate priorities that often sidelined artistic risk. Streaming services faced a decline in goodwill as subscription costs rose, ad loads increased, and numerous titles were quietly … Read more

2023 was another difficult year for the film industry. Filmmakers continued to navigate the economic fallout of the pandemic, evolving distribution models, and studio priorities that often valued instant profitability over artistic risk. Streaming services faced subscriber fatigue, rising fees, and increasing ad loads, while some titles were removed from platforms and libraries, limiting access. … Read more

Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire (2023) Director: Zack SnyderScreenwriters: Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, Shay HattenStarring: Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Charlie Hunnam, Staz Nair, Fra Fee, Cleopatra Coleman, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Carey Elwes, Corey Stoll, Jenna Malone, Anthony Hopkins Rebel Moon began as a pitch … Read more

Another year of cinema has passed, and what a rich selection it was. Over the last twelve months we saw inventive releases across horror, action and drama: the finale of the John Wick saga, striking debuts from Kyle Edward Ball and the Philippou twins, and new works from established masters like Steven Spielberg and Martin … Read more