Clappy’s Clapback Calendar
2023 made home to stunning and spectacular films that introduced itself to the world of cinema! Join Clappy as we bring you on a ride of iconic and popular films that made their staple throughout last year!
Clappy Warning: Some films may contain mature themes and explicit content. Viewer discretion is advised.
Spiderman: Across the Spider-verse
Enjoyed the first Spider-Verse movie? Well, look no further! Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse had finally swung in to start off this 2023 line-up! With the perfect mix of action, comedy, and romance, Across the Spider-Verse offers jaw-dropping, heart-crushing moments, leaving you yearning for more. Following the first movie exploring the answer to who can be heroes, this movie dives into an existential crisis of heroism and fate! An adventure of defining heroism, redesigning fate, this movie truly leaves you hanging for more!
Suzume
And we welcome back another tear-jerking, soul-crushing Makoto Shinkai film! Rooted from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, this film is more than meets the eye! It delves into a heart-touching journey of navigating through unresolved grief as Suzume embarks on a grand adventure to save the world from supernatural forces. A beautiful mix of fantasy, diving into the themes of loss and acceptance, with a hint of romance on the side!
Past Lives
Next in line is a stunning debut feature film from Celine Song, Past Lives! The film follows the narrative of lost love and possibilities. It explores the themes of what could be and coming to terms of what is. A tale of reminiscing a long, lost love between childhood sweethearts, healing a self left behind in the past. The film uses little words and yet creates an impact that shakes the viewer’s heartstrings!
Barbie
Ready for another round of existential crisis? Don’t we have the movie just for you! Barbie had surely made a positive scene, ringing loud this year! The film presents the cruel realities of harsh and unrealistic societal expectations, executing the film in a light, lively, and engaging manner. With its central theme of women empowerment, the film depicts feminism without degrading, rather representing the struggles of men as well. An enthralling journey of self-discovery in a judgmental society!
Little Mermaid
Missed our favorite little mermaid from childhood? Well, you’re in luck! Next in line is the live adaptation of the Little Mermaid, featuring the story of the lovely and adventurous Ariel who seeks for life over land! True to the original Disney film, the live-adaptation presents the familiar story from childhood of a little mermaid seeking to know more about life on land. An adventure that leads her to find love and the freedom she longed for, strap right in as the Little Mermaid swims right on over to reawaken your childhood!
Rookie
It’s now time for something light-hearted, wouldn’t you agree? Up next is Cinemalya’s winner for the Audience Choice Award, Rookie! The film features a cute and light queer love story between two women navigating through life and finding their place and passions. All while presenting the issues of gender inequality, showing how women are objectified in a male-dominated society. From the director herself, Rookie takes you through the journey about the moments in each of our lives that shape us, especially how our earlier years build our person!
Oppenheimer
What is good and evil in the eyes of a genius — a question grappled in the film Oppenheimer that is about the renowned theoretical physicist who was a key figure in the creation of the first atomic bomb during World War II. It explores the necessity and rationale of scientific innovation and progress and its role in the complex world of politics and war. Nolan’s muse, Cillian Murphy takes your breath away in the best performance of his career delivering a convincing troubled genius. For Nolan’s first venture in the biopic genre, it certainly feels crafted by a maestro.
A Very Good Girl
Definitely surprising, but every Filipino needs a Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly de Leon film tandem. Check out Leo Aquino’s recent film review on A Very Good Girl!
Killers of the Flower Moon
A recent work of the well-respected Scorsese, the film is a depiction of the conflict of Oklahoma’s Osage Nation indigenous people against white American land opportunists set in the 1920s. With themes of love, deception, racism, and justice, it is an excellent cinematic epic. Although equipped with a star-studded cast, relative newcomer Lily Gladstone, takes the spotlight and allows us to sympathize with her character. Killers of the Flower Moon is a strong reminder from the past about taking care of our relationship with the indigenous folk as it positions itself as a politically relevant piece in modern times.
Poor Things
A renaissance-like and artistic take on the classic Frankenstein but make it female. The film is an inspiring adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s novel that tackles growth, self-discovery, reinvention, liberation, and freedom. It is a feast to the eyes with its bright and soft visual aesthetics where each frame is a painting brought to life. Its witty and rich dialogue packs punches of humor coupled with deep existentialism to the viewer. This is also undoubtedly Emma Stone’s bravest acting work. Poor Things is a definite must-see by every person at least once in their lifetime.
Priscilla
Imagine being 14 years old and finding out that the world’s biggest rockstar has taken a liking to you; could be a dream come true but a nightmare in the realest of senses. Priscilla is a captivating film about Priscilla herself and Elvis Presley’s turbulent marriage while they both navigate his fame and stardom. One thing that can’t go unnoticed in this film is Caeli Spaeny and teen heartthrob Jacob Elordi’s flawless transition to these serious roles, it is admirable. Much like Coppola’s preceding films The Beguiled and Marie Antoinette, she manages to give women an important narrative in the 21st century as it exhibits adolescent loneliness, loss of innocence, and imbalanced power dynamics.
Iti Mapukpukaw
Iti Mapukpukaw is an animated film about Eric,a mouthless animator who communicates with his mother and co-worker through a whiteboard hanging around his neck. Tasked to check up on his uncle, his childhood memories on alien abduction are unraveled. It is a heartfelt tale on healing and trauma recovery. This rotoscope animated feature demonstrating technical brilliance bagged the Best Full-Length Feature Film of the Cinemalaya Festival and is also this year’s Philippine entry for the Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film. Give yourself a favor and watch it!
