Best film of the year?

While I've yet to see every movie released in 2023, after just watching Dream Scenario, it may have taken over my current #1 spot as best of the year.

Extremely creative and ambitious film. Cage was great and I was absorbed all the way through. The pervasive absurdity combined with a steady undercurrent of unease made for a fascinating viewing experience. Transitions from humor to horror and back again were impressively smooth and effective.

The film is intelligent too, and seems to have a lot to say. To be honest, there's so much to unpack here that I think I'll need to watch it again before making any definitive claims regarding its messaging. But that's something I look forward to doing.

The only thing that holds me back from calling this a masterpiece is the last 15 minutes or so. Not that I disliked it, but I'm just not sure the film ended as strongly as it could have. I'll have to reflect a bit more on this, but regardless, my overall impression was very positive.

Initial rating: 9/10. Highly recommended.