Weekend Watch - December 2022 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. Since last week was the Year-End Watch, this week, we are looking back at the films that released specifically in the month of December, focusing on the films that have a chance to make it onto this blog’s list of the Greatest Films of All Time. As always with these recaps, the films will be organized into three categories: Sure Things, Possible Things, and Long Shots. December brought a slew of holiday movies, awards bait films, and a few not-so-surprise hit blockbusters to close out the year and tie a nice bow on it all. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Empire of Light: Apparently Sam Mendes’s film starring Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, and Colin Firth doesn’t do quite enough with its premise of romance at the movies to make it a film worth watching, according to both critics and fans. Its awards chances for Olivia Colman and perhaps for its cinematography leave it here as a long shot.

Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths: Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s semi-autobiographical film about a Mexican journalist/filmmaker hit Netflix this month to the tune of critical and fan-based mediocrity. Its length combined with its frenetic pacing and story structure don’t seem to be hitting the notes that his past couple of films (Birdman and The Revenant) were able to, and so it looks like this’ll be left off of the list barring a crazy miracle.

Babylon: Damien Chazelle told audiences exactly what this film was going to be about and still critics and fans are taken aback by the film’s aggressive debauchery. Like Bardo, Babylon suffers from issues of length and overstuffing, and, unfortunately, excellent performances from Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and Deigo Calva don’t seem to be doing enough to raise this film to the ranks of its director’s previous three films.

Corsage: This under-the-radar film fictionalizing the year that Empress Elisabeth of Austria turned forty has gotten a lot of love from the few people who have seen it, with plenty of praise specifically for Vicky Krieps’s leading performance. In a lot of ways, this feels like a film that is good but doesn’t quite have enough going to be truly great, but it sounds like it’s worth checking out.

Emancipation: Apple TV+’s film about a runaway slave, starring Will Smith, seems to have run into an unfortunate combination of factors that will most likely keep it from being considered “Great”. Will Smith is unfortunately not an overly marketable face in Hollywood at the moment, and the film industry seems to finally be moving past its desire to see slave films and the brutality of slavery depicted on-screen (trauma porn doesn’t make a film great).

White Noise: Noah Baumbach’s science fiction/comedy/mystery seems to be suffering from the classic “The book was better” criticism, not quite escaping the shadow of its critically acclaimed source material. Adam Driver’s performance looks to be the film’s saving grace and what keeps it as a long shot.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody: The Whitney Houston biopic starring Naomi Ackie has released to okay box office numbers and ratings. Ackie’s performance is phenomenal, but the film does very little innovation to its story or its genre, and as a result, it feels like an even less impactful rehashing of Bohemian Rhapsody. Don’t get me wrong, the film is entertaining and fun and informative, just not overly deep.

Possible Things:

Women Talking: Even though its wider release technically comes this weekend, Sarah Polley’s film about women living in an oppressive religious system started its awards campaign in December. The film was initially a frontrunner in many awards categories and looked to be a legitimate contender for best film of 2022. Now that people are seeing it, that no longer seems to be the case. It missed out on most nominations from both the Critics Choice and Golden Globes and is receiving reviews that are only just above average. We’ll see how it does once more people give it a shot.

Sr.: Netflix’s documentary about the life of Robert Downey, Sr., is another hit for the streaming service who seems to have found a new niche in documentary filmmaking. I don’t know that this translates into any wider love, but my mom really liked it, and it’s receiving generally positive reviews, so it could do something and make its way even higher.

Avatar: The Way of Water: I toyed with putting this as a sure thing, especially with its passing Top Gun: Maverick at the box office last weekend, but its average critic reviews leave it just as a possibility, in need of the awards love that it will no doubt be receiving to make its way solidly onto “the list”.

One Fine Morning: Mia Hansen-Løve started her film’s awards campaign in December as well. Léa Seydoux’s performance is receiving a lot of praise, and the director’s other films have a tendency to flirt with making their way onto the list as well. I’m curious to see just how far One Fine Morning will rise.

The Whale: Once a frontrunner in the best actor categories, Brendan Fraser’s campaign seems to be losing a bit of steam now that people are seeing his film. Its borderline nihilistic take on reconciliation and obesity and the end of life seems to be a bit much for many critics. Fraser’s performance and positive audience reactions are keeping this film as a legitimate contender for now.

The Quiet Girl: A film almost entirely in Irish Gaelic is relatively unheard of up until now, but this film about a foster daughter in Ireland has hit some solid chords with critics and fans. Ireland’s official submission for best international feature film might climb even higher if it plays its cards right.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish: Perhaps the biggest surprise of the month is this sequel to the Shrek spin-off Puss in Boots. Fans and critics alike are raving about this animated film that now looks to be the biggest contender looking to upset Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio for Best Animated Film this year.

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical: Netflix’s film adaptation of the stage show is a heartwarming hit that also hit meme status on TikTok thanks to some fancy footwork from its young cast. I don’t necessarily expect it to receive any major awards love to elevate it beyond its place here, but it’s received better reviews than the long shots, so it’ll sit here as a possibility.

Sure Things:

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio: I already did an entire Weekend Watch review of this film but suffice it to say that its combination of horror, wonderment, and stylizations has made it an instant hit with both critics and fans. It looks to be one of the most solid locks, come awards night, to win for Best Animated Film.

2022 Year-End Watch

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where this week, we have a special year-end edition, recapping my personal favorite films of 2022 and looking forward to the films coming out in 2023. In the future, the last week of the year for the blog will be like this one. There won’t be any new reviews in the days surrounding Christmas and New Year’s while I take a break to spend time with family and prep for the next year. The Year-End Watch will be the annual post recapping the prior year and looking forward to the next, released either on the final weekend of the old year or the first of the new. This recap will provide a brief explanation of my personal top-5 films of 2022 and a look at the thirteen films I am most looking forward to releasing in 2023 (one for each month and one that doesn’t yet have a set release date). Let’s get into it.

Watch This Film’s Top 5 Films of 2022 (Subjective)

• NUMBER 5: Hustle – directed by Jeremiah Zagar, starring Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah, and Juancho Hernangomez.

  • Why it’s in my top 5: This film is more of a personal love than a true “Great Film”. Adam Sandler gives a quality performance, and the story gives a nuanced (if a bit inaccurate) picture of the lives of aspiring professional athletes that touches on some excellent emotional chords, but its true greatness lies in the fact that it feels like a film that everyone involved had a great time making. Feel-good NBA movie starring Adam Sandler and actual NBA players – that’s a film that is right up my hidden gems alley.

• Number 4: RRR – directed by S.S. Rajamouli, starring N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan Teja, and Alia Bhatt.

  • Why it’s in my top 5: This film represents a lot of what makes global film so great. It is unabashed in its drama and action, embracing its use of CGI to produce some of the most insanely thrilling action sequences ever brought to screen. The story of friendship, passion, romance, and revolution also feels so rich compared to some of the other action films (even good ones) in recent history. To cap it all off, the film’s musical numbers – “Naatu Naatu”, “Komuram Bheemudo”, and “Etthara Jenda” specifically – put a final finishing touch on the film that push it over the top for me.

• Number 3: The Batman – directed by Matt Reeves, starring Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, and Jeffrey Wright.

  • Why it’s in my top 5: This film executes a film about Batman better than maybe any other adaptation, in my opinion. It embraces the hero’s detective background, critiques his darker tendencies, and gives both Bruce Wayne and Batman decently satisfying story arcs. Combine that with great visuals, an excellent score, and an ensemble of performers delivering great performances and you get an all-time classic comic book film that hopefully helps launch a new era of stories from Batman and his associated properties.

• Number 2: The Fabelmans – directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams, and Paul Dano.

  • Why it’s in my top 5: As a fan of many of Spielberg’s films, this one feels like the culmination of the director’s storied career (not just because of its semi-autobiographical nature). His love of filmmaking is on full display in a way that not only explains his passion but also transmits it to the audience. This is one of those films that continues to stick with me – his explorations of family dynamics, filmmaking, hobbies vs. passion, and artistic expression continue to keep me engaged now nearly a month and a half after the film released.

• Number 1: Everything Everywhere All at Once – directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu.

  • Why it’s in my top 5: EEAAO remains this year’s singularly most pleasant surprise. It manages to give you romance, action, sci-fi, family drama, and most other things in between in a package that (for me) never feels too overwhelming and that lands consistently from start to finish. If you are familiar with Letterboxd, of the fifty-one films that I have seen that released in 2022, this is the only film that has a five-star rating. I can think of nothing bad to say about it. Its creativity and freshness have helped renew my hope in modern filmmaking.

Watch This Film’s Most Anticipated Films of 2023:

• January – Plane: Look, January is usually a weak month for film, and 2023 doesn’t look like it’s gonna prove any different. Gerard Butler and Mike Colter in a bad action movie might be enough fun to help me ignore the other mediocre films releasing (unless M3GAN turns out to be a sleeper hit).

• February – Magic Mike’s Last Dance: Are we getting a Marvel movie in February? Yes, and excited as I am to see Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, I’m currently more excited to see Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek dance together. It’s probably not an overly groundbreaking film, but I could’ve said 80 for Brady or Cocaine Bear instead, and I didn’t, so there’s that.

• March – Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: In a month full of potential blockbusters that have me excited, the D&D film sticks out as the only one that isn’t technically a sequel. Its cast and the marketing that I’ve seen so far have me optimistic that even if it isn’t the greatest film ever made, I’m still going to have a great time.

• April – The Super Mario Bros. Movie: As great as the Sonic the Hedgehog films have been, I feel like the Mario movie has a chance to elevate video game adaptations to critical greatness as well. Much of its marketing is giving me LEGO Movie vibes, and that’s one of my favorite films of all time, so I feel like this one should be a solid entry next year.

• May – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: This film has all the makings of a classic superhero send-off film (think Logan but with jokes), and that has me incredibly excited for it. The Guardians films continue to be highlights of the MCU, and I don’t expect this one to be any different – color me excited.

• June – Asteroid City: Should I have put the Spider-Verse sequel here? Maybe, but that first weekend of June has a track record of producing stinkers, particularly when they’re sequels, so I’m instead going with Wes Anderson’s latest flick – a film about a nerdy kid convention that stars Anderson’s usual cast of characters and a few new faces as well. I am very optimistic about this one.

• July – Barbie – Honestly, I could put all four films currently slated for release in July at this place and not really be lying. What makes Barbie stand out for me right now is its amazing teaser that dropped last month, spoofing the 2001 trailer. I can’t wait to see what Greta Gerwig cooks up in this one.

• August – Haunted Mansion – August doesn’t have a whole lot going for it right now, and the remake of Eddie Murphy’s flop based on the iconic Disney ride doesn’t have me overly optimistic, but I’m waiting until I see a little bit more from DC before I give any credence to Blue Beetle, and The Last Voyage of the Demeter is giving me more cult classic vibes than truly great film. I don’t know. The month is a toss-up.

• September – Next Goal Wins – Since I found out about this film’s existence, I have been stoked. Michael Fassbender directed by Taika Waititi in a film about New Zealand’s soccer team that lost a match 31-0. This has all the makings of another hit from Waititi, and I hope it brings Fassbender back to top form as well.

• October – Kraven the Hunter – Sony’s track record in comic book films outside of the MCU hasn’t been the most inspiring, but I’m optimistic that Aaron Taylor-Johnson has what it takes to make the character and the film enjoyable. I’m not a big horror guy, so that’s why Saw X isn’t here.

• November – Dune: Part Two: The first installment of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel was one of my favorite films of 2021, and, considering everything that’s coming in the story for this second half, I can’t help but be out of my mind excited for the sequel.

• December – Wonka – That’s right, Timmy gets two spots on the most anticipated films list. He keeps picking good properties, and I don’t expect Wonka to be any different. I have no idea what to expect from the story, but the set photos and promotional details have me optimistic on it.

• Unlisted – Killers of the Flower Moon: A lot of people thought this film would be dropping this year and were disappointed that we didn’t get the Scorsese-Spielberg Best Director matchup we all wanted, but it got pushed to 2023, and I’m excited to see what the prolific director turns out with this one.