Ranking the Movies that I Watched in November 2023
1. The Social Network
This is one of my all-time favorite movies, so it is not surprising that this is my favorite movie of the month. I’ve watched it so many times that I have certain lines memorized, but it never fails to entertain me. It is beautifully edited, and the cast is so talented. The Social Network is currently on Netflix. But it never stays for too long, so I would watch it now while you still can!
2. Now You See Me
Now You See Me manages to be a really good magic show and heist movie at the same time.
3. Home Alone
I think it’s universally agreed that Home Alone is a perfect Christmas movie.
4. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. I’m not usually a big fan of book-to-movie adaptations, but in this case, I actually liked the movie more than the book. The movie is pretty true to the book, and the changes that are made don’t take too much away from the plot or character development. Additionally, it is just a good movie. It doesn’t feel like an adaptation. It feels like cinema.
5. Spider-Man: Far from Home
I love a good action movie. I haven’t watched this movie in a couple of years, so it was almost like watching it for the first time. Spider-Man: Far from Home is a fun movie that manages to deal with the topic of grief while still being a high school comedy.
6. Killers of the Flower Moon
This is a long movie that deals with some pretty heavy topics, but it is also such an important story. Lily Gladstone is absolutely incredible, and the cinematography is also amazing.
7. Blue Beetle
I was not expecting to sob during this movie, but there is a scene that just made me bawl.
8. Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King
I’ve been meaning to watch this comedy show for a while. It definitely has some really funny parts, but I just didn’t laugh as much as I expected to laugh.
9. The Nightmare Before Christmas
It took me a while to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas, but I am so happy that I watched it! It is very cute, and now I can’t stop singing “Kidnap The Sandy Claws.”
10. No Hard Feelings
Speaking of songs that I can’t stop singing, the acoustic version of “Maneater” that Andrew Barth Feldman sings is so good which shouldn’t be surprising because Feldman actually played Evan Hansen on Broadway. As for the actual movie, I was a little disappointed. I was expecting it to be a bit funnier.
11. Now You See Me 2
Compared to the first movie, Now You See Me 2 is a letdown, not necessarily because it is bad but because the movies have such different tones. The first movie is very thoughtful and a bit more realistic than the second movie. Now You See Me 2 is significantly more lighthearted and doesn’t take itself nearly as seriously as the first which is fine, but I wasn’t expecting that much of a tonal change.
12. The Holdovers
I had high expectations for this movie. I was expecting it to be reminiscent of Dead Poets Society. The Holdovers did remind me of Dead Poets Society a little, but it is long and the plot is convoluted. I think I might have liked this movie more if the plot was expanded to be a TV show. The Holdovers has the kind of rambling plotline of Gilmore Girls (a show that I absolutely love), but it doesn’t have enough screen time to achieve what Gilmore Girls achieved over several seasons.
