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Best and Worst Films from October 2023

Best Films from October 2023:

3. Blood of the Condor

During the last couple of months I had my American Cinema Marathon, where I watched 26 films from both American continents. Thus, all three films in this best section will be filled with these movies. The first one is Blood of the Condor, which is this highly political Bolivian movie that is anti-American, but deservedly so. It deals with such a horrible real life story that is heartbreaking to witness, but it’s also genuinely well made and very effective.

2. Death of a Bureaucrat

Death of a Bureaucrat is a masterful Cuban comedy that gloriously lampoons not just communism, but also unnecessary bureaucracy in all of its frustrating idiocy. It’s a funny, but also suspenseful film that is fittingly fueled by a tone of despair and madness. It’s also a technically arresting feature thanks to gorgeous cinematography and superb directing from Tomas Gutierrez Alea.

1. My Cousin Vinny

Superbly written in dialogue, characterization and humor, My Cousin Vinny is a hilarious courtroom comedy that benefits from outstanding acting performances from its talented leads. This is a rare courtroom film that is genuinely funny to watch while also being sophisticated in its character arcs, memorable lines of dialogue and so many scenes that were so funny because they were so impeccably executed. It’s, thus, the best movie I saw all month and one of the best movies I have watched recently.

Worst Films from October 2023:

3. Clara Sola

Clara Sola is a Costa Rican feminist drama that benefits from a well acted, solidly developed protagonist. It is also a gorgeously shot movie. The problem here stems from the film’s overreliance on visuals to tell the story, leading to excessive ambiguity and symbolism. It’s too strange for its own sake.

2. The Nun II

I did find the second Nun movie to be better than the original, but not by much unfortunately. The scares are pretty good, but the story is weak, the dialogue is pretty bad and the characterization is beyond slight. It’s a messy horror flick.

1. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge

The second Elm Street movie is worth seeing for its homoerotic text, but otherwise it’s a film that changed the lore behind Freddy Krueger way too much to the point of no recognition. It’s an overly original movie that simply doesn’t fit well with the rest of this franchise.