M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a lifelike doll that’s programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by Gemma, a brilliant roboticist, M3GAN can listen, watch and learn as it plays the role of friend and teacher, playmate and protector. When Gemma becomes the unexpected caretaker of her 8-year-old niece, she decides to give the girl an M3GAN prototype, a decision that leads to unimaginable consequences.
M3GAN was definitely a pretty solid way to kick off 2023, even before the film was released there was people already talking about it (very strong marketing) luckily the film itself is quite great, which is due to a lot of factors.
For starters the acting is actually really strong here, for a film about a robotic doll the acting hits quite hard in a lot of areas, Alison Williams does a really solid job as the lead, Violet McGraw once again shows she’s a very exciting new talent and seriously hits it out of the park with a lot of the mother and daughter moments. Jenna Davis who voices M3GAN you may not recognize, mainly due to her being more of a influencer (kind of) she went viral for the penny nickel dime video that came out years ago back when Jenna Davis was a child. The now 18 year old actress does a shockingly fantastic job voicing M3GAN, she’s intimidating yet humorous there’s this nice balance between the two that makes M3GAN herself such a fun character and really captures what makes such a fun horror movie villain. Horror villains like Chucky and Freddy have this humor to them but also stay on task and are serious when they need to be, the exact same can be said for M3GAN.
The writing from Akela Cooper (who wrote Malignant) pushes this even further, perhaps what makes M3GAN stand out the most is the balance of being campy and wanting to say something about it’s themes. The film does indeed talk about technology and parenting which the film does a pretty good job of avoiding the obvious “technology bad” element that a lot of movies tend to do, it actually connects the two themes of parenting and technology quite well even if it isn’t the most profound discussion in the world the movie does make it work. Then there’s the campiness that is just truly fun, M3GAN is a film that knows what it exactly wants to be and isn’t afraid to embrace it especially during the last half of the film. It’s something that a lot of other films really tend to forget, if you have a bizarre premise with a lot of hysterical moments such as M3GAN singing Titanium by David Guetta and Sia, or M3GAN doing random dances that look like they came from Tiktok why not go all out? Finally the film itself is actually quite hilarious and just an overall fun time, the moments I mentioned before are only two of what makes the film hilarious there’s plenty of other moments here that truly shine and give the film character.
Overall M3GAN is an incredible solid way of kicking off 2023, while it did have to hold back on the kills due to the PG-13 rating (although I believe that they are going to release the R rated cut when it goes on VOD) that doesn’t hurt the movie that much. It’s still a hilarious movie with strong writing and a horror movie villain that will most definitely become an icon.
A detective investigating a man’s death in the mountains ends up meeting and developing feelings for the dead man’s mysterious wife in the course of his dogged sleuthing.
Decision To Leave has been on my radar for awhile, I finally got around to watching it and it most certainly didn’t disappoint. This is Park Chan-wook’s first film since 2016 (Handmaiden), I’ve talked before how Oldboy (2003) is one of my favorite films of all time, part of why I love Chan-wook so much is how different his films are from one another. One moment he will create something truly brutal and quite disturbing and in another he will create something genuinely really sweet and charming. Decision To Leave is actually pretty romantic in ways you wouldn’t really expect, that’s mainly due to the performances from Tang Wei and Hae il Park who almost immediately have fantastic chemistry between one another, there’s so much emotion and power put into the performances that are just charming, the writing is very raw and allows the characters to understand each other and build their connection even further. Heck there’s even some dark humor that discusses death that is a little twisted but at the same time it really works, outside of performances and writing the film itself has this natural look to it. The filming is very well done with tons of shots that add depth to the characters and the current scene taking place, overall Decision To Leave is truly fantastic and is definitely one of the best films of 2022.
Decision To Leave is available on all VOD platforms.
Veteran detective Augustus Landor investigates a series of grisly murders with the help of a young cadet who will eventually go on to become the world-famous author Edgar Allan Poe.
The Pale Blue Eye serves as an origin story to Edgar Allen Poe (kind of) I will give credit where credit is due it’s definitely one of the better Edgar Allen Poe movies that have come out recently. But that really doesn’t mean much when the movie itself falls short, Christian Bale and Harry Melling are both quite great especially Harry Melling who actually does a far better job as Edgar Allen Poe than you would expect. The film itself is shot pretty well and the location helps the movie standout a bit from a lot of other gothic horror films, unfortunately that’s where the movie really ends for me. While the story itself is interesting in concept the movie really doesn’t do anything with it, it’s way too slow for it’s own good especially combined with a 2 hour and 8 minute runtime that just draws out. The worst offender is the twist ending that was way too predictable but at the same time made very little sense, it’s honestly one of those endings that completely breaks a movie and truly makes the rest of the movie seem incredibly pointless. Finally The Pale Blue Eye does barely little to differentiate itself from other gothic horror movies, while yes the filming and the locations help out a bit just about everything else is working against it. A lot of this movie is a gothic horror movie with an Edgar Allen Poe overlay over it, it’s a shame because this did have potential but unfortunately much like a lot of Scott Cooper’s work the ideas are most certainly there the execution is just severely lacking.
Got to be honest, January actually seems very promising this year. There’s definitely films here that have a lot of potential to be some early favorites.
12. There’s Something Wrong With The Children – January 17th (VOD)
Decadence, depravity, and outrageous excess lead to the rise and fall of several ambitious dreamers in 1920s Hollywood.
Part of what I truly love about film is that you will get times when directors go completely off the walls and create something incredibly unhinged. Babylon is definitely one of those cases, this is most definitely not a film that’s going to be for everyone. But It absolutely worked for me, for starters the cast was truly fantastic, I could write an entire post on how or what each of the characters contributes to the film but we would be here all day. Margot Robbie gives yet another really exciting performance that really captures the insane nature of the film, Diego Calva is truly great here as well. His interactions with the rest cast feels very genuine and we quickly see his character Manuel climb to the top as the film goes on, some smaller performances that really stood are Li Jun Li who is just having a ton of fun, P.J. Byrne who gives some of the film’s best comedic moments that are truly hilarious, Jovan Adepo who gives an incredibly solid performance and really dives into his role and finally there’s Tobey Maguire who honestly gives one of the most hilarious performances I’ve seen all year, he is very representative of how unhinged the film really is especially during the final act. The cinematography is beautiful and really captures a lot of the bizarre nature of the film combine that with the film’s overall theme…change and adapt. At the beginning we see (in the perspective of the characters) Hollywood at it’s prime, slowly but surely as new film technique’s are introduced and are the next big thing we see some of the character’s desperately trying to change and adapt, for some they adapt decently well but for others it starts their downfall which leads into some quite powerful moments. The writing really reflects that with a lot of the characters trying to figure out ways to standout in the new era of film, lastly there’s the film’s final moments where we see how far film has come, other characters realizing that they can’t adapt so they completely walk away. It’s truly some really strong elements combined into one bizarre film!
College professor Jack Gladney and his family’s comfortable suburban life is upended when a nearby chemical leak causes “The Airborne Toxic Event,” releasing a noxious black cloud over the region that forces the Gladney family to evacuate.
White Noise is definitely an odd one and quite different from what Noah Baumbach usually does, it’s honestly hard where to actually begin with the film but I’ll try my best. The performances here are pretty great, particularly Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig who completely steal the show. It’s great to see Adam Driver deliver yet another insane performance that is also yet another very different performance, his career has really shown he has a ton of range so I’m glad to see that be applied here. White Noise is actually Greta Gerwig’s first live action performance since 2016 and it really reminds you how great of an actress she really is, the interactions between Driver and Gerwig are truly great and at times quite humorous as well. Something very eye catching almost immediately was the film’s overall style, it’s use of color is quite captivating and the film has this early 90s family film look that when it’s mixed in with disaster film elements is quite a lot of fun. The main flaw White Noise does suffer from is the third act mostly and the complete shift in tone, while I do admire it going for something completely unexpected I’m not exactly sure if it completely worked. The first two acts were investing and were decently straightforward but then the film just throws a curveball for the sake of throwing one, it’s very nonsensical and is honestly quite hard to keep track of what exactly is going on. I will say however that the scene plays while the credits roll is a lot of fun, despite my issues with third act I do think White Noise is still a solid film, it is a tad disappointing in some areas but it does succeed when it comes to performances and the filming.
Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, a former soldier develops a bond with a baby ocelot in the jungles of Peru.
I went into Wildcat expecting a very straightforward documentary about wild cats but instead it ended up being something quite fascinating. The documentary follows Harry a young British veteran who got back from Afghanistan who is struggling with PTSD he meets Samantha an American scientist where they both foster baby Ocelots. The first bit of the documentary is about an Ocelot named Khan who sadly suffers from a tragic fate which completely destroys Harry emotionally, then the rest of the documentary follows another Ocelot named Keanu. The way Harry’s PTSD is connected to his love for these animals is truly gut wrenching at times, there’s moments where he completely breaks down and describes what he saw in Afghanistan that completely destroyed him. He also deals with self-harm saying he wants to be happy and that Samantha (the founder of the non-profit organization that helps these animals) plus Keanu makes him happy. It’s truly heartbreaking seeing Harry in pain, luckily he really helps Keanu get released back into the wild. Wildcat is a such a beautiful documentary that’s also really heartbreaking as well, Harry really pours his heart into Keanu even when he’s at his lowest point mentally, being alone in the jungle for a long period of time could most definitely affect someone’s mental health especially given Harry’s PTSD and suicidal thoughts. As far as filmmaking goes the documentary is beautiful, the jungle is truly wonderful to look at, the many close up shots are personal and add so much power to the documentary. Despite some of the heavy topics discussed in the documentary, it leaves as a very hopeful one, the documentary leaves the viewer with this inspiring and pretty satisfying energy that really matches the film. At it’s core the documentary is very heartwarming, it gave both Harry and Keanu a second chance to adapt and come out on top.
I’ve said this before but when it comes to film genres the horror genre is by far the most diverse, it has a ton of subgenres that give the filmmakers so much room to create something truly special, which is one of the many reasons why it’s my favorite genre in film. I’ve been wanting to do a best horror films of *insert year here* list for awhile now and was actually supposed to last year, however things got busy but the time is right now. Especially since 2022 was such a fantastic year for the genre, it was a fantastic year for film in general but a lot of the quality came from the horror genre and it looks like that’s going to be the case in 2023.
Before we begin with the list there’s two honorable mentions that are worth mentioning.
Hellraiser (2022) – directed by David Bruckner
One thing that 2022 really did a fantastic job with is taking a series that has went downhill and completely turn the boat around, that is absolutely the case for Hellraiser. It’s the best film since the original all the way back in 1987, what really works here is the performances, Bruckner’s haunting direction and the atmosphere. Odessa A’Zion’s character actually goes through some really solid character development and just gives a fantastic performance. Jamie Clayton makes Pinhead her own and still captures the haunting atmosphere of the character from the original. Bruckner applies the same sort of atmosphere he used in his previous film The Night House and uses it here which leads to a beautiful dark film. Really hoping for a sequel for this one
Sissy – directed by Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes
Sissy is a slasher film that really rewards the viewer, it takes it’s time to introduce the characters, establish a thrilling atmosphere and giving some character development. When the film starts to get going it gets really great, the kills are fantastic, the dialogue is surprisingly really investing, it’s a slasher film that brings really strong elements to the table that some modern slasher films often forget.
Now let’s get into the list!
25. The Black Phone – directed by Scott Derrickson
The Black Phone is definitely one of the bigger names of the horror genre from this year and rightfully so, it’s been a bit since Scott Derrickson’s last horror film which was Deliver Us From Evil (2014), like I said in my review The Black Phone is Derrickson’s best film since Sinister (did not like Doctor Strange or Deliver Us From evil), what we have here is a simple story but a truly haunting one. What really makes The Black Phone are the performances Ethan Hawke is truly fantastic here and gives one of the most unsettling performances of the year, the atmosphere coming from him gives the mindset and feel of a completely deranged person. Mason Thomas and Madeline McGraw both give some of the best child actor performances I’ve seen in a very long time. When the performances and atmosphere are combined together they really result in such a haunting film that Derrickson did a wonderful job directing.
24. Smile – directed by Parker Finn
From one very popular horror film to another let’s talk about Smile, quite honestly this is the biggest surprise of the list. A lot of people including myself were very surprised by Smile, it could have easily been a forgettable studio horror film that would be talked about for less then a week and then be forgotten about. That’s not the case here! Although Smile might not be original it does take the subject of trauma and mental illness and executes it very well, Sosie Bacon gives a very strong performance, the camerawork helps the film standout quite a lot and much like The Black Phone the atmosphere truly helps build the film. It’s a haunting film about a subject that might be overdone in horror films, but it’s the execution that makes Smile standout among the crowd.
23. Orphan: First Kill – directed by William Brent Bell
Orphan: First Kill was going to happen eventually, Orphan has become such a popular horror film over the years to the point where they just couldn’t ignore that. There were some concerns about Orphan: First Kill mainly because of the director William Brent Bell which I won’t go much into I’ll just say his directing career is not good. However those concerns went away when the film came out, Isabelle Fuhrman is such an underrated actress, each time I see her in a film she absolutely nails it and that really applies here, even as a 25 year old she still killed it as Esther. It’s truly amazing how well she pulled it off she still feels the exact same from when she played Esther back in 2009, everything else really keeps what made Orphan so great from the brutal kills, to adding more character development to Esther and the overall atmosphere it’s truly a blast of fun, the twist also completely takes advantage of just having a complete blast combining the build up and this campy nature to it. Prequels in film are often times hard to get right but this right here is an example of a really good one.
22. Piggy – directed by Carlota Martínez-Pereda 
It’s pretty unfortunate that Piggy has been forgotten about because on the surface it may sound like another one of those “victim of bullying gets revenge” sort of movies, but that’s not the case here. The movie surprisingly has a strong commentary on bullying and body shaming, it questions the mortality on both sides both Sara and the bullies. Laura Galán does a really great job as Sara and gives a very genuine performance, the film has a ton of gore like a lot of French (part Spanish) horror films tend to have, the ending ties the bow very nicely and leaves with a pretty high note.
21. Watcher – directed by Chloe Okuno
Watcher might not be anything for the genre but much like some of the other films on this list so far it’s the execution that really gives the film the push. Maika Monroe gives such a strong performance here and the same can be said for Burn Gorman who gives a very creepy performance that really matches the atmosphere the film is going for, the final moments of the film are quite disturbing mainly due to how raw they really feel, Chloe Okuno truly does a fantastic job with her direction creating a haunting atmosphere that will definitely get under the viewers skin.
20. The Innocents – directed by Eskil Vogt
The Innocents is a very well crafted horror film that really plays with the idea of abandonment, I’m not typically a fan of creepy kid films as a lot of them tend to use the exact same ideas combined with not very good acting. But here the children are brilliant and almost instantly get under the viewer’s skin, there’s a lot naturalistic performances that have a range of emotions. The Innocents doesn’t rely on jumpscares or gore to be scary or even to be slightly disturbing, it’s all in the atmosphere and the performances that really elevate the film.
19. Speak No Evil – directed by Christian Tafdrup
If it’s one thing to take away from Sundance 2022 it’s that it had a lot of films that had a simple enough plot but quickly drove into madness, Speak No Evil was one of those it has a simple setup of two families meeting but quickly becomes much darker. The direction the film takes is quite unexpected and ends up being quite disturbing, it’s pretty shocking yet very welcoming. It piles on the disturbing elements and the elements of fear until it just explodes into this one giant bomb of “what the hell is going on here.” Going into Speak No Evil knowing as little as possible is key so if you haven’t already be sure to watch it on Shudder.
18. See For Me – directed by Randall Okita
See For Me was the first film I saw at the 2022 Sundance film festival and it has stayed within the Top 100 Best films of this year, the film is one of the more unique home invasion films to come out in recent years. The film has fantastic representation for disability representation and even non-binary representation as well, Skylar Davenport is visually impaired and identifies as non-binary, they do a fantastic job in the leading role the film is a lot in the same vein as Hush where the film shows through the lens of someone with a disability, it feels so much more authentic and the direction balances the dramatic moments with the atmospheric ones. I do hope we get to see more of Skylar Davenport in the future as they have the makings of being an very exciting talent.
17. Fresh – directed by Mimi Cave
Sundance 2022 had quite a lot of disturbing films previously mentioned Piggy and Speak No Evil and Watcher (well the ending is pretty disturbing), Fresh Is a mixture of a disturbing film and a very very dark comedy. I wasn’t exactly sure if it was going to work but due to Mimi Cave’s atmospheric direction and the performances from Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan (this is honestly some of the best acting he’s done) it really comes together very nicely. As I said in my review the film does feel a lot like 10 Cloverfield Lane, but the film takes those elements and makes them it’s own. Finally the balance of comedy and disturbing moments is really strong here it really makes me excited to see what Mimi Crave does next.
16. Scream – directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
It’s already been said numerous times already but it’s quite incredible to see the consistent great quality that comes out of the Scream franchise (third movie is definitely the weakest but it’s definitely not bad), Scream 2022 only keeps that quality up with such an entertaining ride of a film. It’s essentially a huge celebration of the franchise and continues what made the other films so great, newcomers to the franchise are a lot of fun particularly Jenna Ortega (one of her many roles of the year) and Jasmin Savoy Brown. The film has a lot of brutal kills that are very well done, the legacy characters are given their time to shine and the overall film is just really entertaining. Olpin and Gillet previously worked on Ready Or Not and very easily applied their success here, Scream VI comes out next year which I’m looking forward to!
15. Prey – directed by Dan Trachtenberg
Remember at the beginning of the list with Hellraiser when I mentioned about completely turning franchises around? Well that is most certainly the case here, The Predator series has struggled to have a good film for awhile now. Outside of the first film and Predator 2 (like I said in my review it depends who you ask but I found it to be fun) the quality was lacking. However Dan Trachtenberg takes the series back to it’s roots and creates a very thrilling film that has some seriously gorgeous atmosphere. He uses a lot of the same techniques he used with 10 Cloverfield Lane and succeeds masterfully, Amber Midthunder gives one of the strongest performances of the year and really makes me excited to see what comes next for her. Prey is not the ordinary franchise film it allows the characters actions, cinematography and visuals to tell the story there’s a lot of quiet moments here that truly are striking. Prey is something you just wouldn’t see a lot of mainstream studios attempt at all, I’m truly happy we are going to see more of Amber Midthunder and I do hope this means Dan Trachtenberg will be directing more!
14. Mad God – directed by Phil Tippett
Mad God is a unique one on the list, for one thing it’s a stop-motion animated horror film which isn’t too common (most of the time you see those with shorts.) the film is Tippett’s passion project something he’s wanted to make for several years now, he’s done so much visual effects work for many recognizable films such as A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, Jurassic Park, The Robocop movies and many others. Mad God is an almost narrativeless film that makes the viewer to try and come up with their own conclusion of what’s going on. I said this in my review but I will say it again Mad God is a beautifully crafted nightmare that also feels like an acid trip from hell, the film has the abandonment feel that really sticks with you throughout the film, I still stick with what I said in my review where my interpretation of the film is how civilizations can easily crumble, inventions made by the civilians are used against them by their god. Whether that’s the case or not Mad God is truly a fantastic film that I’m truly glad Phil Tippett shared with the audience.
13. The Sadness – directed by Robert Jabbaz
The Sadness I only heard about thanks to a few people on Film Twitter and Horror Twitter discussing it, saying how shocking and disturbing it was…that really doesn’t even begin to describe it. The Sadness takes the whole zombie genre and asks “what if zombies were intelligent and are sadistic rapists?” It’s very shocking and quite disturbing but definitely one of the most unique zombie films to come out in recent years, the film mainly succeeds due to the acting and attention detail especially with the graphic kills and the fear in each of the character’s eyes. Definitely not for everyone but if you like zombie films and disturbing films this might be for you.
12. Soft & Quiet – directed by Beth de Araújo
Soft & Quiet was my favorite film of SXSW 2022 when I first reviewed it and that still remains true especially after a rewatch last month. It’s a brutally honest film about a white supremacist women group flat out saying their racist beliefs that ultimately leads into disturbing events. The point the film is getting across is to show and say that anyone who you would least expect can be a white supremacist, the beginning of the film surprises the viewer by letting this information flow out naturally. Unless you have actually heard what ends up happening in the film this is a very surprising reveal, the acting is very realistic, the cinematography is shot in this very raw style that is truly haunting. What truly makes the film work is there is no sugarcoating, it’s the brutally honest truth that unfortunately is very very real. It’s not going to be for everyone but if it sounds interesting to you give it a go, just know what you are getting into.
11. We’re All Going to the World’s Fair – directed by Jane Schoenbrun
I saw this one back at the 2021 Sundance film festival, it finally released in April of this year and I still really love it. One of the many things I love about the horror genre is someone will always come along and bring a new type of horror and Jane Schoenbrun does just that, it combines elements of the coming of age genre and internet horror subgenre then paints a surprisingly very sad picture. Mainly due to the film focusing on observations of being lonely on the internet and that wanting to be a part of a group on the internet can be dangerous. The film doesn’t only say “internet bad” it actually tells the dark sides, Anna Cobb gives a terrific performance as well. There’s this haunting atmosphere to the film that’s truly beautiful and really captures the topic. Schoenbrun really has a really strong directing style that instantly gets the viewer’s attention, they have another horror film called “I Saw The TV Glow” coming out pretty soon (already in pre-production so it could be released next year).
10. Terrifier 2 – directed by Damien Leone
To start off the top 10 we have Terrifier 2 a film that was not only one of 2022’s many sequels that are better than the first film, but a $250,000 budget film that made $12.2 million at the box office. Terrifier 2 gained a large fanbase very quickly and it’s very easy to see why, the film is absolutely entertaining and is a huge love letter to the classic splatter film genre and even has the spirit of it. The gore combined with the kills are nasty but truly incredible, Lauren LaVera gives a very strong performance plus her character Sienna is just one of those characters that you instantly really like. Finally you can really feel the passion that went into this film, it’s very clear that Leone is a huge fan of the horror genre and it definitely shows here. Very excited to see what’s in store for Terrifier 3.
9. The Menu – directed by Mark Mylod
I was definitely expecting The Menu to be great but what I wasn’t expecting was for it to be a very clever fantastic film. The performances combined with the atmosphere is truly what elevates the film, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes and Hong Chau all give some of the best performances of the year. Fiennes and Chau are both genuinely intimidating and their personalities blend so well together which really helps. The atmosphere is very thrilling but at the same time darkly funny, there’s a really sweet balance of the two different types of atmospheres the film is going for and it truly works, it’s a genuinely investing critique on the food influencer culture. Finally there’s Anya Taylor-Joy which gives yet another fantastic and very memorable performance, The Menu is very well written, darkly funny and very strongly acted!
8. Barbarian – directed by Zach Cregger
Barbarian was this year’s Malignant, a truly off the rails ride from beginning to end that you never wanted to stop. Without giving anything away because as everyone says it’s definitely a requirement to go into Barbarian knowing as little as possible, the film has this strong urban legend type feel to it that is just really creative. Justin Long and Georgina Campbell are truly fantastic here and deliver some quite strong performances, it’s the very definition of a midnight film especially when watching it with a crowd. The atmosphere is truly perfect and remains an entertaining ride from beginning to end.
7. Nope – directed by Jordan Peele
Jordan Peele’s third film Nope is his biggest film yet especially when it comes to scale which is truly epic. The film has this mix of styles from a ton of directors such as Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, M. Night Shyamalan, Hitchcock and John Carpenter, Spielberg mainly comes from the third act being a huge spectacle and the creature of the film sharing lots of similarities to Jaws. Hitchcock and Carpenter come in with the suspense of the film (some could argue the score is partly Spielberg and Carpenter), Shyamalan comes in with some of the characters and a few of the shots, finally there’s Kubrick who is definitely the cinematography (absolutely gorgeous.) the part that stands out the most is Jordan Peele took all of these directing styles and completely made them his own. Finally there’s Daniel Kaluuya’s and Keke Palmer’s performances that are some of the very best of the year.
6. X – directed by Ti West
Ti West completely masters the whole 70s and 80s slasher film throwback idea with X, from the craft, the filming, acting, directing it completely feels like a film that is straight out of the 70s and 80s. The cast is truly some of the best of 2022 Mia Goth truly nails it with both her performances, Jenna Ortega once again is truly great, Britney Snow’s performance is wonderful to see since she’s back in horror again and Kid Cudi gives a solid performance. X combines slow burn elements, with character moments and slasher elements as well. Sure at the film’s core it is a slasher film however it does have it’s theme of old age which is genuinely sad as well, the film takes it’s time to develop the characters as well as Pearl who is truly well written. X is a film that not only feels like a throwback film from the 70s and 80s but it also looks like one.
5. Resurrection – directed by Andrew Semans
Resurrection was my favorite film from Sundance 2022 and that still remains true, it’s a bizarre disturbing film that really goes insane during the third act in all the right ways. It has a bizarre nature that has a lot of David Cronenberg like filmmaking to it including some elements from Cronenberg but like a lot of films on the list it makes those elements it’s own. Without a doubt Rebecca Hall is truly the standout here, her performance is incredible as well as haunting. Finally there’s the 10 minute monologue that is one of the best scenes from a film in 2022, it’s intimidating, it invests the viewer and it’s masterfully acted by one of the very best actresses working today.
4. Bodies Bodies Bodies – directed by Halina Reijn
Bodies Bodies Bodies as a film works so much more than you would expect, the incredibly fun cast particularly Rachel Sennott, Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova and Myha’la Herrold is one of the main aspects that really makes the film work. They all easily connect with one another giving the viewer plenty of very memorable moments, the film is also one of the very few films to actually capture how someone from Gen-Z would talk and act. The Gen-Z style humor truly works here and it’s very clear that Haliana Reijn and Sarah DeLappe understood that, the tight and close up shots create a thrilling atmosphere and makes the film actually very grounded. Finally the film takes the whodunnit genre and does something different with it, the leads to a twist that is very cleverly written into the story. I’m very excited to see what Halina Rejin does next.
3. Crimes Of The Future – directed by David Cronenberg
David Cronenberg returned in 2022 with a film that reminds the audience why he’s the master of body horror with Crimes Of The Future. You can feel the classic Cronenberg feel in the atmosphere within the first few seconds of the film, it’s the dark and mysterious atmosphere that compliments the world the film is taking place in. With this world surgery is the new sex and the world itself compliments that with a lot of architecture that actually tells the story of the world. While some might argue that there wasn’t enough world building, the film builds the world visually in a more non traditional way, there’s tons of shots here that really speak for themselves. The cinematography tells a lot of the story with some gorgeous shots that are captivating, Viggo Mortensen and Léa Seydoux are both phenomenal here and give some genuinely chilling performances. Kristen Stewart gives this truly unique hypnotic and terrifyingly beautiful performance that is truly unforgettable, Cronenberg’s direction is truly masterful and is just absolutely beautiful to see return.
2. Bones and All – directed by Luca Guadagnino
Luca Guadagnino has already proven that he can nail the horror genre with his previous film Suspiria (2018) and he once again nails it here. Bones and All is cannibal love story that takes elements of romance, horror and drama blends them all into one to create a masterfully crafted film. The very old low budget feel of the film is truly relaxing and really shows the beauty within the cinematography, Taylor Russell gives one of the best performances of the year and quite honestly one of my favorites from a horror film. There’s something so sweet and touching about her performance that instantly connects you to her, Timotheé Chalamet gives his most interesting performance of his career yet and really connects well with Taylor Russell. Mark Rylance is absolutely terrifying here and has the “low budget horror villain” type feel to him that makes your skin crawl. When you combine the performances, the music, cinematography and the old low budget feel you get such a haunting film that is absolutely gorgeous.
1. Pearl – directed by Ti West
It’s quite amazing to see two Ti West films that are both masterfully crafted and are completely different from one another release in the exact same year, Mia Goth gives the best performance of 2022 not only is her performance a wonderfully written character study of Pearl but it leads to several unforgettable terrifying moments that truly make this film special. Mia Goth has a 6 minute monologue towards the end of the film and it’s easily my favorite scene from a film in 2022, it’s well filmed, truly well acted and the writing is haunting with tons of little details thrown in. the atmosphere is thrilling there’s something very eerie about the town the film takes place in. Where anything can happen at any given moment, it matches the type of town you would have in a nightmare it’s truly haunting and the style of the film only makes it that more effective. The use of Technicolor and replicating it into a film from the 1930s as well as combining classic horror is truly captivating and really making this a beautifully crafted masterpiece. Pearl is a film that truly feels like a beautiful nightmare that you really want to keep exploring because of it’s beauty and depth, there’s so much to this film that Ti West created and Mia Goth compliments with her performance. It’s a film that has every single element working with it to create such a wonderful film.
Matilda, an extraordinary girl armed with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination, dares to take a stand against her oppressive parents and head teacher to change her story with miraculous results.
Honestly the more I thought about Matilda: The Musical the more I actually thought it wasn’t too bad. There really isn’t a whole lot to say here as it does play out as expected, but I will say between the performances that are actually pretty decent particularly Lashana Lynch and Emma Thompson who both give really fun and very strong performances. Emma Thompson really captures what made Miss Trenchbull so terrible from the original film really well, there’s also the music that’s actually quite great. The music isn’t really my cup of tea but I absolutely won’t deny that it’s very enjoyable and did get me to sing-along at times (outside of the baffling opening), the movie does run for a bit too long it clocks in for nearly 2 hours where at times you really do feel like the movie has run for a bit too long. Having that said the music, performances and some of the jokes are enough to keep the viewer entertained, this isn’t going to be something I’ll ever come back to but it’s an overall decent watch.
An obese and reclusive English teacher tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.
It is absolutely no secret that Darren Aronofsky is one of favorite filmmakers of all time, from Requiem For A Dream, to Black Sawn to Mother and a few others. Aronofsky masters at taking a handful of actors and actresses and giving them an unforgettable transformative performance. That is most certainly the case with Brendan Fraser who gives one of the most touching, heartbreaking and powerful performances of the year. Words can’t even begin to describe how much goes into his performance, Fraser’s character Charlie has so many layers to him there’s the side of him that is shown quite a lot throughout the film someone who has this very positive attitude even when he is being completely judged he tries to laugh it off or ignore it. Then there’s the side where he’s in pain he’s tired of people judging him for who he is, which leads to the film’s theme of people completely judging you without even trying to understand you as well the film itself challenging the viewer on stereotypes. This is something I’m sure everyone has went through at some point in their life and it’s shown wonderfully here, Charlie is a character that someone can easily connect with, I’ve said before that I’m autistic and in the past I’ve been judged for it yet I try to be as positive as I can be. But deep down inside I’m trying not to cry being judged for who you are is a very real pain and as I said earlier the way the film portrays that is just masterful. Hong Chu and Sadie Sink are both incredible here, they both deliver strong performances that each contribute to the film. Hong Chu delivers such an honest performance her character Liz has some of the most casual dialogue with Charlie from a film in 2022. Elle played by Sadie Sink is Charlie’s daughter who Charlie constantly says is a beautiful person and wants to help out no matter what, it doesn’t matter whether Elle is horrible to him. He still wants to help which leads to some very beautiful moments from Fraser, this all leads up to the final moments of the film. The last few scenes are truly heartbreaking and very real, Charlie thinking about the moments he enjoyed most with his family and really celebrates those moments is truly crushing and absolutely powerful with every meaning of the word, the writing combined with the direction is truly incredible and completely makes the film into something special.
Jerome Reviews... 