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Beauty and the feast: Savoring 鈥楾he Taste of Things鈥�What happens when you combine sumptuous food with a tender drama? French film 鈥淭he Taste of Things鈥� features one of the most romantic movie moments our critic has ever seen.
鈥楶erfect Days鈥� asks, what constitutes a happy life?What does it mean to live a life of meaning? Wim Wenders鈥� new film argues for the importance of moments.
Oscars go global: Most international best picture lineup in historyFor the first time, two international films have been nominated for best picture. And every nominee for best documentary feature is international, another first.
First LookFantasies and epics: Oscar nominations celebrate whimsy and scope鈥淥ppenheimer鈥� topped Oscar contenders with 13 nominations, followed by 鈥淧oor Things鈥� with 11 nominations. Martin Scorsese鈥檚 dark Western, 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon,鈥� received 10 nominations, and Greta Gerwig鈥檚 near-musical 鈥淏arbie鈥� received 8.
From 鈥榃onka鈥� to war: The 10 best films of 2023Our critic鈥檚 Top 10 list for 2023 features contenders outside typical studio fare 鈥� ones that offer new perspectives on war and fabulous finds for foodies.
The Candy Man can: 鈥榃onka鈥� is scrumpdiddlyumptiousThe cheery prequel 鈥淲onka鈥� imagines the origin story of Roald Dahl鈥檚 chocolatier while celebrating 鈥渢he knockabout joys of unfettered high spirits,鈥� our critic says.聽
鈥楾he Zone of Interest鈥� asks us to consider the unthinkableWhat lessons lie in a Nazi officer鈥檚 effort to create an idyllic family life? 鈥淭he Zone of Interest鈥� juxtaposes the Arcadian and the hellish in what the Monitor鈥檚 critic says is the most powerful film he鈥檚 seen this year.
鈥楢merican Fiction鈥� asks: What, in our society, should a Black writer be?Full of serious-minded humor, 鈥淎merican Fiction鈥� uses satire to poke at both race and publishing in America. Will the film change the discourse on either one?
鈥楪odzilla Minus One鈥�: How a 70-year-old monster stays evergreenSetting a new record for Japanese live-action films, 鈥淕odzilla Minus One鈥� has become the highest-grossing foreign language film of 2023, with a global take of $52 million after two weeks.
Bring your appetite: Wiseman鈥檚 latest film is a feast for the eyesIn Frederick Wiseman鈥檚 latest documentary, he trains his lens on a family-run French restaurant. Besides being a delight for foodies, says the Monitor鈥檚 film critic, it鈥檚 also a moving commentary on life.聽
They can鈥檛 all be Scrooge: How holiday films shineAs two Christmas classics turn 20, we鈥檙e reminded of the genre鈥檚 true gifts. More than making you laugh or cry, good holiday films often reinforce that life has meaning.
At the 100-year mark, Disney offers nostalgia, hope, and 鈥榃ish鈥�Disney鈥檚 latest animated offering leans heavily on references to a century鈥檚 worth of prior films. Our columnist suggests that the retelling of familiar narratives helps people 鈥� motivating them to work together for common goals.
What鈥檚 the best way to capture Leonard Bernstein?Dramatizing the life of a great artist can be fraught. The biopic 鈥淢aestro鈥� focuses on conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein鈥檚 personal life. But what of his art?
Battered Marvel finds an unexpected champion in 鈥楲oki鈥�Superhero films are not pulling people in the way they once did. But one Marvel TV offering 鈥� about an anti-hero who forms bonds that transform him 鈥� illustrates the importance of relationship-building, our columnist writes.聽
鈥楾he Holdovers鈥� offers a prep school Scrooge a shot at redemptionWhat makes people change? In 鈥淭he Holdovers,鈥� a teacher of ancient history faces his own past to find a way forward.聽
Escaping North Korea: 鈥楤eyond Utopia鈥� documents one path to freedomMost Westerners know little about North Korea or what it鈥檚 like to live in 鈥� or leave 鈥� the rigid country. 鈥淏eyond Utopia鈥� shows the lengths defectors are willing to go to experience freedom.聽聽
First LookMaster 'Flower Moon' filmmaker Scorsese says he鈥檚 still learning鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon,鈥� which opens Friday in theaters, is the latest feature of Martin Scorsese鈥檚 ambitious filmmaking. His passion for cinema as an art form is stronger than ever. 鈥淏ecause there is no limit. The limit is in yourself,鈥� he says.
鈥楩lower Moon鈥�: A true tale of oil, Native rights, and murderMartin Scorsese鈥檚 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon鈥� is聽an anti-Western Western with a grievous, true-crime story to tell.
Scenes from a marriage 鈥� at a breaking pointRiveting courtroom dramas offer more than legal machinations, argues Monitor film critic Peter Rainer. What makes 鈥淎natomy of a Fall鈥� a standout, he says, is its acting and insights into human nature.聽
Why AI stories are more about humans than about machinesRepresentations of artificial intelligence in popular culture help push society to think more about technology鈥檚 role 鈥� and which human values it reflects.聽
