2022: A rundown of the best films
1. Everything Everywhere All at Once
'Everything Everywhere All at Once' is a beautifully absurd film that balances drama, comedy, and action. As Evelyn Quan (played by Michelle Yeoh) struggles to deal with her taxes in an IRA office, she is suddenly flung into the multiverse where she must connect a variety of versions of herself to defeat the being that is trying to harm the multiverse.
Aside from the multiverse-jumping, hotdogs for fingers, and putting ‘literally’ everything on a bagel to destroy the universe, Everything Everywhere explores a gut-wrenching side of mother-daughter relationships and possible divorce. There are many layers to unpack with this film, which makes each watch more enjoyable than the next, noticing things you didn’t see within the first watch. This film is a rollercoaster of emotions where you’ll be crying one minute and laughing the next.
5/5
2. Aftersun
Starring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio, 'Aftersun' tells the story of divorced Scottish Dad, Calum, and his daughter Sophie, 20 years later after their final summer vacation. Older Sophie reflects on her last memories with her loving father at the age of 12, not knowing of the struggles he was facing at the time.
Director, Charlotte Wells beautifully captivated viewers with nostalgia and sunscreen filling the air of the theatre. The story is delicate and heart-warming but despite this, it is clear that something isn’t quite right as the story goes further with a dark presence that will shatter the viewer and leave you walking out of the cinema with a deep pit of melancholy and a lump in your throat.
5/5
3. The Northman
With a murdered father and a mother taken away by his uncle, protagonist, Prince Amleth goes on a journey to avenge his father. This cinematic masterpiece, directed by Robert Eggers, is heavy on gore and nudity like his previous films e.g. The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019), similarly, these films all have a strong sense of darkness and savagery. It definitely keeps the audience on the edge of their seat as Alexandar Skarsgård (Amleth) puts on a raw and brutal performance motivated by love and hate.
Visually, 'The Northman' is a beautiful movie as we see the culture of Vikings and pagan beliefs with rituals and blood sacrifices, it is not a film for the faint-hearted.
The casting is perfect for the film, with appearances from Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, and even Icelandic singer Björk, each role is played exceptionally well in this barbaric adventure.
4/5
4. The Banshees of Inisherin
The heartbreaking story of two lifelong friends whose friendship suddenly comes to an end. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson (Pádraic and Colm) star in this dark drama, as Pádraic tried his best to repair a relationship that is irreversible due to the fact Colm just doesn’t like him anymore.
Director, Martin McDonough, who also directed Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) perfectly captures a depressing situation with snippets of comedy but also an overwhelming darkness.
5/5 stars
5. Tár
Cate Blanchett stars as a fictional musical conductor and composer, Lydia Tár. 'Tár' is a forceful and powerful woman, to say the least, but her downfall lingers from the start as corruption slowly consumes her. Blanchett’s performance carries the film with a brilliant score, and it is quite a thrilling experience but a dark story.
4/5
6. Nope
Directed by Jordan Peele, who also directed Get Out (2017) and Us (2019), Peele didn’t fail to captivate the audience with a thrilling experience of not knowing what was going to happen next. Peele created a movie with an odd alien experience that hasn’t been done before which made it more realistic with stunning visuals.
3.5/5
Honourable mentions:
Pinocchio (directed by Guillermo Del Toro)
Glass Onion: A Knives Out mystery (directed by Rian Johnson)
Don’t Worry Darling (directed by Olivia Wilde)
The Bob’s Burgers movie (directed by Loren Bouchard)
X (directed by Ti West)
Men (directed by Alex Garland)
See how they run (directed by Tom George)
Minions: The Rise of Gru (directed by Kyle Balda)