Today the voting body of the Southeastern Film Critics Association (which I’m proudly a member of) has announced their choices for the best of the 2023 movie year. The big winner was Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” which was named Best Picture. In addition, the film took home honors for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Ensemble, Best Cinematography, Best Score.

Below is the official press release from the Southeastern Film Critics Association along with a full list of the winners.

Monday, December 18, 2023 – The Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) has named
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer as the Best Picture of the Year. SEFCA’s eighty-nine members
located across nine Southeastern states also recognized Christopher Nolan for Best Director
and Best Adapted Screenplay. Additionally, the film earned Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best
Supporting Actor for Robert Downey, Jr. and Best Ensemble for its star-studded cast that
includes Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Aldren Ehrenreich, Jason Clarke, Tom Conti, Josh Hartnett,
Kenneth Branagh and others. Behind the camera Oppenheimer took the top prizes for Best
Cinematography (Hoyte Van Hoytema) and Best Score (Ludwig Goransson).
“This fall featured three big films from three grandmasters of cinema,” said SEFCA President
Scott Phillips. “Martin Scorsese released Killers of the Flower Moon. Ridley Scott brought
Napoleon to the big screen and Michael Mann hits theaters next week with Ferrari. Despite this
bumper crop from heavy-hitting auteurs, Christopher Nolan’s film from six months ago is
walking away with eight SEFCA awards. Oppenheimer is a stunning cinematic achievement. Our members recognized that in July, and they are rewarding it in December.”
When asked about the film year that was 2023, SEFCA Vice President Jim Farmer said, “2023
will be remembered by many as the year that featured the commercial, critical and cultural
phenomenon known as Barbenheimer. But it was also a season that offered a stunning amount
of high-quality films, with master filmmakers near the top of their games, fresher faces making
strong impressions and performers showing new dimensions. It was a pleasure to take in all that
2023 had to offer.”
Those “fresher faces” include writer/director Celine Song whose debut feature, Past Lives, lands
at # 4 on SEFCA’s Top 10 of 2023, and writer/director Cord Jefferson whose debut feature,
American Fiction, placed seventh in the SEFCA Top 10. The diverse list also includes an
animated film (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and two foreign films (Anatomy of a Fall,
The Zone of Interest).

Read SEFCA’s full list of winners below. Visit SEFCA on the web at SEFCA.net to learn more
about its members as well as past winners. You can also follow SEFCA on Twitter at
@SEFilmCritics.

Top 10 Films of 2023

1. Oppenheimer
2. Killers of the Flower Moon
3. The Holdovers
4. Past Lives
5. Barbie
6. Poor Things
7. American Fiction
8. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
9. Anatomy of a Fall
10. The Zone of Interest

Best Actor:
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer

Best Actress:
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Supporting Actor:
Robert Downey, Jr., Oppenheimer

Best Supporting Actress:
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Best Ensemble:
Oppenheimer

Best Director:
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

Best Original Screenplay:
David Hemingson, The Holdovers

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

Best Documentary:
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

Best Animated Film:
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Best Foreign-Language Film:
Anatomy of a Fall

Best Cinematography:
Hoyte Van Hoytema, Oppenheimer

Best Score:
Ludwig Goransson, Oppenheimer

Alex Garland has always been a captivating filmmaking whether solely as a screenwriter (“28 Days Later”, “Never Let Me Go”) or as a writer-director (“Ex Machina, “Annihilation”). His last film, “Men” was a letdown. But despite being called a “companion piece” to that previous work, the new trailer for his latest, “Civil War” looks like a possible return to form. It will all depend on where he goes with this potentially fascinating story.

Set in a near-future America, “Civil War” takes place in the United States as it sits on the precipice of a second civil war. The trailer tosses out clues to the political turmoil that has seen states succeed, new militaries form, and countrymen taking arms against fellow countrymen. The movie has a chance to speak powerfully to the bitter division that has engulfed our nation. It could also go off the rails if it becomes a political bludgeoning tool. I’m interested to see where it goes.

“Civil War” releases on April 26th, 2024 via A24. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Music Box Films Home Entertainment has announced the home video release of the OSS 117 films. For the very first time, 2006’s “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” and 2009’s “OSS 117: Lost in Rio” are being released on Blu-ray in a terrific new box set. The two French comedies are from the collaborating duo of director Michel Hazanavicius and star Jean Dujardin (both Academy Award winners for “The Artist”). These two hilarious spy movie spoofs are must-sees for comedy lovers and what better way than with this new stylish new box set.

The new Blu-ray box set featuring “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” and “OSS 117: Lost in Rio” releases on December 12th. See below for a full synopsis and release information.

About the Films:

Year: 2006, 2009

Total Runtime: 200 Minutes

Director: Michel Hazanavicius

Screenwriters: Jean-François Halin, Michel Hazanavicius

Cast: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Béjo, Al Tarouk Aure Atika, Philippe Lefèbvre, Louise Monot, Alex Lutz, Rudiger Vogler, Ken Samuels, Constantin Alexandrov, Reem Kherici, Pierre Bellemare, Serge Hazanavicius, Laurent Capelluto, Moon Dailly

“OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” – A box-office sensation in France, comic star Jean Dujardin stars as secret agent Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, a.k.a. OSS 117 who in the tradition of Maxwell Smart and Inspector Clouseau somehow succeeds in spite of his ineptitude. After a fellow agent and close friend is murdered, Hubert is ordered to take his place at the head of a poultry firm in Cairo. This is to be his cover while he investigates Jack’s death, monitors the Suez Canal, checks up on the Brits and Soviets, burnishes France’s reputation, quells a fundamentalist rebellion and brokers peace in the Middle East. A blithe and witty send-up not only of spy films of that era and the suave secret agent figure but also neo-colonialism, ethnocentrism and the very idea of Western covert action in the Middle East.

“OSS 117 Lost in Rio” – The pride of French intelligence, Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath – code named OSS 117 – has a new mission that takes him to the Bossa Nova Brazil of the 1960’s. Teaming up with a sexy Mossad agent he has to capture a Nazi blackmailer with an embarrassingly long list of World War II French collaborators.

Special Features:

Cairo, Nest of Spies:
– Feature Commentary by Jean Dujardin and director Michel Hazanavicius
– Making Of Featurette
– Deleted and Alternate Scenes
– Blooper Reel
– Photo Gallery
– Theatrical Trailers

Lost in Rio:
– Feature Commentary by Jean Dujardin and director Michel Hazanavicius
– Cavalcade in Rio: Making Of Documentary
– Deleted Scenes
– Blooper Reel
– The Jean Show: Jean Dujardin on Set
– France Never Responds: Cast Appearances in Cinemas
– Photo Gallery
– Teasers and Theatrical Trailers

The International Space Station looks like it could be an incredible setting for the upcoming science-fiction thriller “I.S.S.”. The film is directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite who works from a script by Nick Shafir. The new trailer does a great job setting up the scenario and then giving us a small taste of the tension that looks to drive this potentially fresh and fun early 2024 feature.

The film’s story sounds intriguing. High in earth’s orbit sits the International Space Station. Onboard, astronauts from the United States and cosmonauts from Russia live harmoniously, free from the geopolitical tensions between the two countries. But after war breaks out on the planet below, both groups secretly receive orders to seize control of the station at all cost. Even if it means confronting those you’ve drawn close to on the other side. Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, Pilou Asbæk, John Gallagher Jr., and Maria Mashkova star among others.

“I.S.S.” Is currently set for a January 2024 release . Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

“Stand By Me” remains one of the definitive coming-of-age dramas from the 1980s. Now Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is releasing this gem on 4K Ultra HD in a new exclusive steelbook. Directed by Rob Reiner and based on a 1982 novella by Stephen King, the story follows a group of four boys who discover a dead body while out on a hike. The film is anchored by great storytelling and a star-studded young cast. “Stand By Me” remains a timeless classic and this is a terrific edition to own.

This 4K UHD exclusive steelbook of “Stand By Me” includes the film on standard Blu-ray. It releases on December 5th. See below for a full synopsis and release information.

About the Film:

Year: 1986

Runtime: 88 Minutes

Director: Rob Reiner

Screenwriter: Raynold Gideon & Bruce A. Evans

Based on the Novella “The Body” by Stephen King

Cast: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, Richard Dreyfuss, Kiefer Sutherland, Casey Siemaszko, John Cusack, Marshall Bell, Frances Lee McCain, Gary Riley, Bradley Gregg

In a small woodsy Oregon town, a group of friends – sensitive Gordie (Wil Wheaton), tough guy Chris (River Phoenix), flamboyant Teddy (Corey Feldman), and scaredy-cat Vern (Jerry O’Connell) – are in search of a missing teenager’s body. Wanting to be heroes in each other’s and their hometown’s eyes, they set out on an unforgettable two-day trek that turns into an odyssey of self-discovery. They sneak smokes, tell tall tales, cuss ’cause it’s cool and band together when the going gets tough. When they encounter the town’s knife-wielding hoods who are also after the body, the boys discover a strength they never knew they had. STAND BY ME is a rare and special film about friendship and the indelible experiences of growing up. Filled with humor and suspense, STAND BY ME is based on the novella ‘The Body’ by Stephen King.

Special Features:

4K ULTRA HD DISC

• Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision.
• Dolby Atmos + DTS-HD MA 5.1 and Mono audio options.
• Special Features:
  • Deleted and Alternate Scenes (presented in HD)

BLU-RAY DISC

• Feature presented in High Definition
• 5.1 audio.
• Special Features:
  • Picture-in-Picture Commentary with Director Rob Reiner and Actors Wil Wheaton & Corey Feldman
  • “Walking the Tracks: The Summer of Stand By Me”
  • Audio Commentary with Director Rob Reiner
  • Music Video

Michael Mann’s spectacular snapshot biography “Ferrari” has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2023 movie year. With its December 25th theatrical release fast approaching, NEON has released five new character posters highlighting several members from the film’s terrific ensemble. Included are stars Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz, along with Shailene Woodley, Patrick Dempsey, and Gabriel Leone. Check them out below and let me know what you think.

Read my full review of “Ferrari” HERE.