Got some free time over the holidays? Well here are some movie recommendations for you.
Jerome Douvendahns, resident film critic at sablues.org presents his top 10 movies of 2023. No Hollywood super hero sagas part 10 here, in fact Hollywood is losing out to some French, Danish and Finnish films.

THE BEASTS. (French)
Thinking of setting up an organic farm in some idyllic Spanish countryside? Well think again because it could prompt some beastly behaviour from some locals.

ANATOMY OF A FALL. (French)
You think the Higgins and Lehrman court case has gone on a bit! That’s nothing compared to the investigation into a fatal fall of a bloke in a small town in the French Alps.

SISU (Finnsh)
It’s the last desperate days of WWII. The Nazis with their scorched earth tactics are retreating from Finland. You think that’s bad! Just wait until a certain Finnish ex-commando gets a hold of them, that’s when some real scorching begins!

REVOIR PARIS (French)
Virginie Efira is captivating in this film. As Mia she stops at a Parisian bistro to take shelter from a downpour. An atrocity like the terrorist attack in Bataclan occurs. What follows in the aftermath for two of the survivors is absorbing and poignant.

GODLAND (Danish)
You think the Nazis in Finland, the Beasts in the Spanish countryside and the Terrorists in a French Bistro are bad? Just wait until you venture into remote parts of Iceland in the 19th century. To make matters worse you have to spread the word of God and if that isn’t bad enough you have got to lug around a big wooden cross along with a heavy alter piece. Does it all go well for him? Hell no! … but you can enjoy the captivating Icelandic scenery as you witness his undoing.

THE KILLER (US)
What skills and mindset do you need to be a hired assassin? The first part of this thriller gives you an insight into what it takes. What follows thereafter is a captivating vendetta.

TETRIS or AIR? (US)
In the world of big US business and capitalist risk taking, what will win out, Tetris or Air Jordans? What wins hands down is a Cold War saga involving US entrepreneur Henk Rogers and Tetris USSR inventor Alexey Pazhitnov.

NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU (US)
It’s a scary horror sci-fi movie with unrelenting twists, turns and great CGI. What more could you ask for if its excessive escapist entertainment that you want.

SCARLET (French)
What! Yet another French movie in the list of top movies for 2023. Oh yes and it is because this movie is so enchanting. It is set in Normandy shortly after WWI. The characters are fascinating and the storyline in its weaving of fantasy, history, folklore, romance and drama is so absorbing.

COCAINE BEAR (US)
OK so for this holiday period what you need is a therapeutic belly laugh, you know the sort of laugh you can’t control and it leaves you aching afterwards. Hang on! Isn’t this movie about the death and destruction wreaked by a coke-fueled rampaging black bear? Well yes, and you will howl with laughter and disgust and be all the better for for it.

THE NIGHT OF THE 12TH (French)
If Cocaine Bear is an insult to your sensibilities then this “Who Done It” will be more to your liking. It centres around an ongoing investigation into the gruesome murder of a young women in the town of Grenoble.