This week on The Movie Gourmet – I have fallen behind because my reviews of Broker and Empire of Light are still not live. Broker is an exceptional film, which will take the #2 slot on my top ten movie list, and Empire of Light is going on the list, too. In my defense, I have been busy covering Noir City in person, while covering Slamdance virtually, and I’ll catch up soon.
Important note: many of the year’s most prestigious films have become available to stream (see below in CURRENT MOVIES): Aftersun, The Eternal Daughter, The Fabelmans, The Banshees of Inisherin, Decision to Leave, Armageddon Time and Triangle of Sadness. Check out my ever-updated Best Movies of 2022.
RUMINATION ON THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS
I was very pleased to see nominations for some achievements that I feared would be overlooked:
- Paul Mescal, Best Actor for Aftersun;
- Hong Chau, Best Supporting Actress for The Whale;
- Kerry Condon, Best Supporting ACtress for The Banshees of Inisherin;
- Barry Keoghan, Best Supporting Actor for The Banshees of Inisherin;
- Brian Tyree Henry, Best Supporting Actor for Causeway.
OTOH I was aghast that Broker, especially, and Decision to Leave were snubbed in the international category.
And I can’t believe that the movie Elvis and Austin Butler were nominated, although the film editing is deserving.
CURRENT MOVIES
- The Whale: regret to redemption. In theaters.
- All the Beauty and the Bloodshed: justice by erasure. In theaters.
- Madoff: Monster of Wall Street: adding some jawdroppers to a familiar story. Netflix.
- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery: skewer the rich. Netflix.
- Babyon: “wanton excess” is inadequate to describe this movie. In theaters.
- The Eternal Daughter: consumed by mom. In theaters.
- Kimi: an adequate REAR WINDOWS ends as a thrilling WAIT UNTIL DARK. HBO Max.
- Aftersun: who’s coming of age is this? In theaters.
- The Fabelmans: a mom, a dad and their genius kid. In theaters.
- Decision to Leave: he’s obsessed, and she asks, “Am I so wicked?”. In theaters.
- Causeway: affecting and uplifting. AppleTV.
- The Menu: immune from pretension. In theaters.
- All Quiet on the Western Front: the trauma of war. Netflix.
- Armageddon Time: coming of age – right into a moral choice. In theaters.
- The Banshees of Inisherin: no limits on stubbornness. In theaters.
- Tar: a haughty spirit before a fall. In theaters.
- Triangle of Sadness: more subtlety, please. In theaters.
WATCH AT HOME
At year-end, I suspend my usual The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE so I can highlight the very best movies from 2022. These are on my list of Best Movies of 2022 and they shouldn’t be overlooked. Now you can watch them all at home.
- Nope: an exceptionally intelligent popcorn movie. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
- Montana Story: a family secret simmers, then explodes. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
- Compartment No. 6: a surprising journey to connection. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
- Poser: personal plagiarism. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
- The Tale of King Crab: storytelling at its best. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
- 12 Months: an authentic relationship evolves. Amazon.
ON TV
On January 31, Turner Classic Movies plays Angel Face, the 1953 film noir from director Otto Preminger, This movie has it all, the droopy-eyed magnetism of Robert Mitchum, the fragile beauty of Jean Simmons, and (along with They Won’t Believe Me) the most SHOCKING ENDING in film noir.