Throwing back to the week of February 19, 1994, we find Celine Dion atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘The Power of Love,’ a cover of Jennifer Rush’s hit from a decade before.
Rush co-wrote the song and released it on her eponymous 1984 debut. It was a minor hit in the U.S. but tore up the charts in the UK, becoming that regions biggest single of the year and ninth-biggest of the decade.
Continuing my countdown of last year’s best films…
Best Films of 2023
#12. May December
Todd Haynes’ thinly veiled exploration of the Mary Kay Letourneau scandal is a darkly comic, but deeply sad, look at our fascination with celebrity and the complicated truths buried beneath the tabloid surfaces.
Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, and Charles Melton form one of the year’s best trios — I’m still bummed none of them were Oscar-nominated. Each is doing something entirely different but it somehow all gels. Melton, in particular, bares the damaged soul of his character so completely that you feel guilty for enjoying the campy perfection of his co-stars.
Continuing my countdown of last year’s best films…
Continuing my countdown of last year’s best films…
Best Films of 2023
#16. You Hurt My Feelings
Before this one, I had somehow never seen a film by writer/director Nicole Holofcener, a blindspot I’ve been meaning to remedy through a deep dive of her filmography.
Well, this was a great start. A hilarious and smart movie about the white lies we tell the people we love, You Hurt My Feelings is buoyed by a wonderful lead performance by Julia Louis Dreyfus.
Continuing my countdown of last year’s best films…
Best Films of 2023
#18. Wonka
I didn’t go into this musical prequel to Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with high expectations, which is part of why I came out so charmed. I should have put more faith in writer/director Paul King, who worked similar unlikely magic in the Paddington films.
Timothée Chalamet added musical comedy to his growing bag of tricks, fully committing to the whimsy. If his kinder and gentler version of Willy Wonka seems a far cry from the mischievous crank of the original film — a common criticism — that just makes me curious to see a follow-up movie exploring his character development.
Meet Me In Montauk 