December 2023 Movie Reviews (Oppenheimer, The Killer, May December)

As we enter the final month of 2023, let’s review three releases from this year, one major motion picture that’s now streaming, along with a pair of films that recently came out on Netflix.

Oppenheimer (2023)

Universal Pictures, 180 minutes

It’s hard to find any technical faults with writer-director Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic, Oppenheimer. This detailed true story boasts an excellent script, outstanding cast, great direction, and is overall, also just a fantastic-looking film too.

Oppenheimer tells an interesting story, exploring the most impactful years in the life of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. My main issue with the movie is that it’s almost too detailed and it’s filled with just so much information.

Nolan clearly had a lot of facts that he wanted to put into the movie, as is evident by its three-hour long runtime. While all of the information in the movie feels important, and the movie is never boring, there’s no time to really explore any of the characters in the story besides the titular physicist. There’s also no time for any moments of levity or scenes where we’re focusing on building characters instead of further showing plot.

Oppenheimer is still supremely well-done, but if Nolan had opted to make this a five-hour miniseries (something he would never do in reality), the result could’ve been fantastic and more well-rounded in terms of delving more into characters. The version of Oppenheimer we’re presented with is a movie made up of well-crafted scenes that feel like they’re showing the most important bullet points from Oppenheimer’s life. As it is, this is still a worthwhile, yet heavy, film for those curious to learn more about one of the most impactful humans of the past century.

Grade: 8/10

The Killer (2023)

Netflix, 118 minutes

The Killer is a David Fincher-directed thriller about an assassin tracking down his former employers after a hit goes wrong. It’s also one of those movies where the critics enjoyed the film far more than the general public seemingly did. After watching The Killer, it’s easy to see why.

While a general, one-line description of The Killer makes it seem like it might be a fast-paced action thrill ride, similar to something like a John Wick movie, this is actually pretty far off. The Killer is more methodically paced and there really isn’t too much action overall.

Most of the movie is spent just learning the general worldview of Michal Fassbender’s main character, largely through means of voiceover since he rarely even speaks to other people. He goes around generally musing on life and listening to The Smiths between carrying out hits. I think this discrepancy between expectations and what Fincher delivered led to viewers who went in expecting something more thrilling being disappointed.

Personally, I still enjoyed The Killer. It’s not great, but it’s an intriguing look at what an individual who’s an assassin might be like that feels more real than the super badass assassin you get with most films. If you don’t expect a more action-driven movie going in, and also don’t mind rooting for a protagonist who’s actually a pretty awful person, I think you’ll enjoy the stylish and well-done The Killer.

Grade: 7/10

May December (2023)

Netflix, 113 minutes

May December is a pretty good drama focusing on an actress who goes to meet a woman that she’s going to be playing in an upcoming movie, along with the woman’s family to better learn about her. The woman who the actress will be playing, named Gracie, had an affair with a seventh grader before going to prison twenty-three years ago. Now though, Gracie is married to the (former) child she had the affair with, who is now 36-years-old, and the couple have twins about to graduate high school.

As you’d probably expect, the movie is an uncomfortable watch. There’s definitely a level of campiness, which is extremely evident judging by the overly dramatic musical score of the film, that lightens the feel of what’s really a quite disturbing story. I’ve seen some film sites categorize the genre of the movie as a comedy, but I don’t think that’s really the case – this is squarely in the drama realm.

May December has some quality performances, with Natalie Portman, as the actress, and Julianne Moore, as Gracie, being the obvious standouts. It’s a movie that held my interest, but, at the same time, never really exceeded my expectations or surprised me in any way.

Grade: 6.5/10