film

🎬 Banshees of Inisherin 🤩🤩🤩🤩

film

A funny, absurd film set on a remote Irish island, where little ever happens — until now. One day, Colm (Brendan Gleeson) decides he no longer wants to be friends with his long-time pal Pádraic (Colin Farrell). We follow the story mainly from Pádraic’s point of view, who lives with his sister and their donkey on a small, cliff-side farm. Pádraic struggles to understand what he’s done to deserve this kind of treatment, least of all accept the matter. But, Colm’s mind is made up. He intends to spend his final years securing his legacy as a composer, and refuses to squander another precious hour engaged in dull conversation. We can all relate to some degree. Time is precious. People change. Not all relationships are meant to last forever. But, to what lengths would you go?! A charming, surprising film that will leave you perplexed until the bitter end.

Trailer

Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: 2022
Running Time: 1h 54m
MPAA: R
Director: Martin McDonagh
Writer: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan
Studio: Film4 Productions, Blueprint Pictures, TSG Entertainment
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures

Related Reviews & Articles

IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 97% Tomatometer, 76% Audience Score
Roger and Ebert: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

IndieWire / VARIETY / Hollywood Reporter / New York Times / Rolling Stone / The Guardian / Mashable / NPR / DECIDER / New Yorker / DEADLINE

Where to Watch: HBO Max, Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube etc.

🎬 She Said 🤩🤩🤩🤩✨

film

One of the best films I’ve seen so far this year. Of course, I knew the story already. The #metoo movement. The allegations around Harvey Weinstein and what became of him (read: jail). But, She Said is the story of the investigative journalists who broke the momentous news despite the forces of power playing against them. With the support of the New York Times editorial board, these two women fought to bring this article to life. They managed to tell the stories of those who were afraid to speak out. Thanks to their passion for the subject and their relentless pursuit in exposing the culprits, they encouraged key figures to speak out publicly against long-standing sexual abuse practices in Hollywood, and the work place as a whole. You could say they gave this movement its legs. Wonderful, relevant watch. A film about journalism at its finest. Highly recommend.

Trailer

Genre: Drama, History
Released: 2022
Running Time: 2h 9m
MPAA: R
Director: Maria Schrader
Writer: Rebecca Lenkiewicz (screen), Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey (New York Times)
Starring: Zoe Kazan, Carey Mulligan, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Frank Wood, Adam Shapiro
Studio: Annapurna Pictures, Plan B Entertainment
Distributor: Universal Pictures

Related Reviews & Articles

IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 87% Tomatometer, 91% Audience Score
Roger and Ebert: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

IndieWire / VARIETY / Hollywood Reporter / New York Times / The Guardian / Empire / TIME

Where to Watch: Peacock, Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, RedBox etc.

🎬 The Pale Blue Eye 🤩🤩🤩✨

film

Chilling, eerie and haunting. The Pale Blue Eye is a tale of murder and deceit that gravitates toward the occult. At first, you’ll want to escape into the untouched, snowy woods of the Hudson Valley, where Detective Augustus Landor lives alone — his own family gone. But then, we discover a U.S. cadet has hanged himself and had his heart cut out. Landor begrudgingly takes the case. But, it won’t be his last murder investigation.

I read Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart in school, and it’s the kind of story that sticks with you. Harry Melling does a fantastic job of playing the poet, and there are references to Poe’s other work throughout. Christian Bale is equally great as Detective Landor, and so are the supporting performances. The perfect watch for a gloomy winter weekend.

Trailer

Genre: Crime, Horror, Mystery
Released: 2022
Running Time: 2h 8m
MPAA: R
Director: Scott Cooper
Writer: Scott Cooper (screen), Louis Bayard (book)
Starring: Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Simon McBurney, Timothy Spall, Harry Lawtey, Toby Jones, Lucy Boynton, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Gillian Anderson, Robert Duvall
Studio: Cross Creek Pictures, Streamline Global Group, Le Grisbi Productions
Distributor: Netflix

Related Reviews & Articles

IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 64% Tomatometer, 73% Audience Score
Roger and Ebert: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

IndieWire / VARIETY / Hollywood Reporter / New York Times / Vulture / Rolling Stone / The Wrap / DEADLINE

Where to Watch: Netflix

🎬 Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery 🤩🤩

film

I have to admit, I didn’t like the first Knives Out film, and I liked this second one even less. Even good performances by Edward Norton and Janelle Monae couldn’t save it for me. Without giving anything away, I figured out the “murder mystery” within the first 30 minutes and spent the rest of the film thinking it was rather dull. Also, Daniel Craig’s accent as Detective Benoit drove me crazy, but I’m very particular about accents. That being said, I’m in the minority here. Daniel Craig was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance and the general consensus is that people love this movie. It’s not that I’m against whodunits in general (I used to read detective novels as a kid), but this series hasn’t managed to capture my interest, despite the star-studded cast. Let’s just say, I’m way more excited for Ocean’s 14 to come out. But, what do I know? Go check it out yourself!

Trailer

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Released: 2022
Running Time: 2h 19m
Studio: T-Street
MPAA: PG-13
Starring: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monae, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista
Director: Rian Johnson
Writer: Rian Johnson

Related Reviews & Articles

IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% Tomatometer, 93% Audience Score
Roger and Ebert: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

IndieWire / VARIETY / Hollywood Reporter / New York Times / The Wrap / DEADLINE

Where to Watch: Netflix

🎬 Amsterdam 🤩🤩✨

film

This star-studded comedy is based on a real-life murder plot and the three friends — a doctor, a nurse, and a lawyer — who get caught up in the middle. It’s after World War I, Mussolini is gaining more power in Europe, and Christian Bale’s character, equipped with a glass eye and a broken back, works as a plastic surgeon, sowing wounded veterans back together. But, amid all the madness and misery, Amsterdam attempts to capture the joys of life — that precious time when the world still seems good and beautiful and true. Similar to JoJo Rabbit or The Producers, this film takes a lighthearted, humorous approach to an otherwise gloomy affair (read: war). Though I’d argue, the first two do it better.

“When you see someone, and you really see them, you see the kid that used to be them.”

Trailer

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Released: 2022
Running Time: 2h 14m
Studio: New Regency, 20th Century
MPAA: R
Starring: Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Chris Rock, Taylor Swift, Anna Taylor-Joy, Robert de Niro etc.
Director: David O. Russell
Writer: David O. Russell

Related Reviews & Articles

IMDB Rating: 6.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 33% Tomatometer, 62% Audience Score
Roger and Ebert: ⭐️✨

IndieWire / VARIETY / Hollywood Reporter / New York Times / DEADLINE

Where to Watch: HBO Max, Apple TV, Amazon Prime etc.

🎬 Empire of Light🤩🤩🤩✨

film

Empire of Light is a quiet, thoughtful Sam Mendes film about a mentally disturbed woman who works at a seaside cinema in 1980s England. Beautifully shot, this film is an ode to the magic of movies and the friendships and communities that shape our lives. But, it doesn’t shy away from more serious themes like loneliness, mental illness and racism. The heart of the film rests on Hilary’s (Olivia Coleman) relationship to Stephen (Micheal Ward), a new theater employee. Empire of Light teaches us what it means to grow up, experience life, and — despite all its troubles — to look ahead to the future with hope. A perfect film to bring in the new year.

Trailer

Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: 2022
Running Time: 1h 55min
Studio: Neal Street Productions, Searchlight Pictures
MPAA: R
Starring: Olivia Coleman, Micheal Ward, Colin Firth, Toby Jones
Director: Sam Mendes
Writer: Sam Mendes

Related Reviews & Articles

IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 44% Tomatometer, 75% Audience Score
Roger and Ebert: ⭐️⭐️✨

IndieWire / VARIETY / Hollywood Reporter / New York Times / New Yorker / The Guardian / The Wrap / Vanity Fair / DEADLINE

Where to Watch: In theaters
Fandango

🎬📺📚 Best of 2022

books, film, tv

Here’s my list of 2022 favorites!

Film

Top Gun: Maverick
Emily the Criminal
Don’t Worry Darling
Flee
Blonde
The Worst Person in the World
Licorice Pizza
My Policeman
Turning Red
Belle

TV

The English
Industry
Severance
White Lotus (S2)
The Dropout
Search Party (S5)
The Bear
The Playlist
1899
Formula 1 (S4)
Inventing Anna

Books

Where the Crawdads Sing
Conversations with Friends
The Woman Destroyed
The Midnight Library
Beautiful World, Where Are You
Educated
Between Two Kingdoms

🎬 White Noise 🤩🤩🤩🤩

film

Funny, strange and beautiful. Based on a Don DeLillo novel, White Noise is about a family who must come to grips with the absurdities of life (and death) while trying to survive an “airborne toxic event.” Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig are my favorite writer/director pair, and I love almost everything they put out. Then, add Adam Driver on top. I mean, please! There were some truly epic scenes and laugh-out-loud moments in this film that will no doubt be remembered and quoted endlessly. Without giving anything away, I took particular joy in the German and river scenes. And, the 80s nostalgia and fashion were lots of fun. The way the characters talk to each other as if narrating their own stories takes some getting used to, but not so much that it distracts from the film overall. Ultimately, White Noise is a meditation on life, fear, death, and what it means to believe in anything. Definitely worth checking out. Also, the end credit sequence is killer — shout out to LCD Soundsystem!

Teaser Trailer
Full Trailer
Credits
Song

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Horror
Released: 2022
Running Time: 2h 16m
Studio: A24, Heyday Films
MPAA: R
Starring: Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, Don Cheadle, Lars Eidinger
Director: Noah Baumbach
Writer: Noah Baumbach (screen), Don DeLillo (book)

Related Reviews & Articles

IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 63% Tomatometer, 45% Audience Score
Roger and Ebert: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

IndieWire / VARIETY / Hollywood Reporter / New York Times / LCD Soundsystem

Where to Watch: Netflix


🎬 Spirited 🤩🤩

film

I’m not sure what happened here. Granted, my friend talked through half the movie, so I may have missed some critical elements, but overall, I thought this film was a disaster and was unable to keep my attention or interest. I’d just watched Elf earlier in the day, which had me laughing in stitches, like always. But, Spirited felt like a waste of talent for both Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds. I just couldn’t buy into Ryan Reynolds’ character as the villain, whereas my friend couldn’t buy into the idea of Will Ferrell as Scrooge. And, the opening songs about capitalism and corporate culture were cringeworthy. The only saving grace of this film were the remaining musical and dance numbers, which by and large, were quite good. Overall though, this film couldn’t decide want it wanted to be. Drama, comedy, musical? And, all the jumping around in time made my head spin. Will definitely not be watching this one again next Christmas.

Trailer

Genre: Comedy, Family, Musical
Released: 2022
Running Time: 2h 7m
Studio: Apple Original Films
MPAA: PG-13
Starring: Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer
Director: Sean Anders
Writer: Sean Anders, John Morris

Related Reviews & Articles

IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 69% Tomatometer, 80% Audience Score
Roger and Ebert: ⭐️⭐️✨

IndieWire / VARIETY / Hollywood Reporter / New York Times / NPR

Where to Watch: Apple TV+