1. Ambulance
2. The Bubble
3. Morbius
© thevoid99 2023
Thursday, January 12, 2023
Thursday Movie Picks: 2022 Releases
1. Ambulance
2. The Bubble
3. Morbius
© thevoid99 2023
Tuesday, January 10, 2023
For Ever Mozart
The film is based on four different segments involving a French theatre troupe who decide to make a film in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War of the mid-1990s in the hope it would bring peace only for a few of the actors to be captured. It is a film that doesn’t have much of a plot as it often features dialogue relating to the ideas of cinema and art during wartime and how they hope it can help people. The narrative is broken down to four chapters as the first revolves around this theatre troupe coming together about taking part of a project by this aging filmmaker as the second chapter have the group and filmmaker arriving in Bosnia yet the latter chooses to abandon them where they get a closer look at the chaos of war. The third segment revolves around the filmmaker on a beachside area making his film while it would play into the reality of what modern audiences want instead of the film they’re presenting with its fourth and final segment being a concert in which a young man dresses up like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Jean-Luc Godard’s direction is largely straightforward in terms of his compositions as it is shot largely on locations in Switzerland and France with the latter for scenes on the beach as it plays into Europe emerging into the 21st Century with war still ongoing in Bosnia. While it is presented in a 1:66:1 aspect ratio to get a look into some of the locations in some of its wide and medium shots, Godard does maintain a simplicity in his presentation while adding elements of absurdity as it relates to the story. Even as it also play into discussions of literature as well as these scenes of these young actors walking through Bosnia as they get captured where they see the action of Serbian military officials. Also serving as editor, Godard keeps much of the editing straightforward with a few dissolves and fade-to-black for stylistic reasons as it play into the drama but also this air of discussion into the role art has in the world as well as how it would respond during wartime. Even as the film’s final segment is about the futility of art and its place in the world despite changing times and chaotic events in the world. Overall, Godard crafts an unconventional yet engaging film about a filmmaker and actors trying to stage a project in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War.
Cinematographers Katell Dijan, Jean-Pierre Fedrizzi, and Christophe Pollock do amazing work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of vibrant colors in many of the film’s exteriors as well as some natural lighting for some of the daytime interior/exterior settings including its final segment. Production designer Ivan Niclass does excellent work with the look of home office of the filmmaker as well as some of the hotel suites that the filmmaker’s entourage live in. Costume designers Marina Zuliani and Nadine Butin do fantastic work with the costumes ranging from some of the stylish clothing the actors were for the third segment as well as the clothes of the man playing Mozart. The sound work of Francois Musy, Jacques Descomps, and Olivier Burgaud is brilliant for the way mortar bombs, gunfire, and tanks sound from afar or up close as well as the way many of the natural sounds are presented on location. The film’s music soundtrack largely features stock music by Ketil Bjornstad, Jon Christensen, David Darling, Ben Harper, and Gyorgy Kurtag that play into some of the drama as much of its soundtrack features music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles from Michele Francini as the man funding the film, Sabine Bail as the financier’s girlfriend, Berangere Allaux as an actress appearing in the film, and Euryale Winter as a musician who dresses up like Mozart for a concerto. Ghalia Lacroix is fantastic as Jamilla as a maid for the filmmaker who joins the gang to act only to deal with the chaos of war as well as being an object of desire for the Serbian soldiers. Frederic Pierrot is excellent as Jerome as the director’s nephew who is also an actor as he also has some feelings for his cousin and co-star. Madeleine Assas is brilliant as the actress Camille who is also the filmmaker’s daughter as she deals with the chaos of war as she is an idealist hoping that this project would help stop the war. Finally, there’s Vicky Messica as the aging filmmaker as a man who wants to create a project as he deals with being in Bosnia as he later copes with the chaos around him as well as the troubling aspects of making a film that doesn’t have any commercial prospects.
For Ever Mozart is a remarkable film from Jean-Luc Godard. While it is a film that doesn’t have a strong plot in favor of being an experimental film with an unconventional narrative that is nonsensical at times. It is still a fascinating film that play into the idea of art trying to bring some escapism during a time of war. In the end, For Ever Mozart is a marvelous film from Jean-Luc Godard.
Jean-Luc Godard Films: All the Boys Are Called Patrick - Charlotte et son Jules - A Bout de Souffle - The Little Soldier - A Woman is a Woman - Vivre sa Vie - Les Carabiniers - Contempt - Bande a Parte - A Married Woman - Alphaville - Pierrot le fou - Masculin Feminin - Made in U.S.A. - Two or Three Things I Know About Her - La Chinoise – Weekend (1967 film) - Sympathy for the Devil (One Plus One) - (Joy of Learning) – (British Sounds) – Tout va Bien - (Letter to Jane) - (One A.M.) - (Number Two) - (Here and Elsewhere) - (Every Man for Himself) - (Passion) - (First Name: Carmen) - Hail, Mary - (Soft and Hard) - (Detective) - (King Lear (1987 film)) - (Keep Your Right Up) - (Nouvelle Vague) - (Allemagne 90 neuf zero) - (JLG/JLG - Self-Portrait in December) - (Historie(s) de Cinema) - (In Praise of Love) - (Notre musique) - (Film Socialisme) - (Adieu au Language) – (The Image Book)
© thevoid99 2023
Monday, January 09, 2023
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Set during the 2020 pandemic, a tech billionaire invites his closest friends to his island for a getaway weekend to solve his own murder mystery with the renowned detective Benoit Blanc being a surprise guest where he realizes something is wrong. It is a film that explore the world of the rich in which five people who are either famous or are influential go to this Greek island to meet their friend to celebrate the launch of a new formula yet things don’t go well where everyone has a motive. Rian Johnson’s screenplay has an offbeat structure though much of its narrative is straightforward as it involves these five people who are all close friends with this tech billionaire in Miles Bron (Edward Norton) as they’ve all become successful because of him. Among those he invites are his head scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), the governor of Connecticut in Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), controversial fashion designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), and men’s right influencer Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) while Jay brings her longtime assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick) and Cody brings his girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline).
Another invitation was sent to Bron’s former business partner in Alpha co-founder Cassandra “Andi” Brand (Janelle Monae) who reluctantly goes while an additional invitation was sent to Blanc where Bron has no clue who sent that invitation. The weekend getaway isn’t just a reunion between old friends who all met at a bar they used to hang out but also to announce the launch of a new alternative fuel that Bron wants to present to the world much to the concerns of both Toussaint and Debella believing that this fuel is dangerous. Johnson’s script doesn’t just play into this event where Bron is expected to be murdered only for the night to not go as planned. It’s also in the characters as Debella’s governor campaign was funded by Bron as she reluctantly allows him to create a factory for his new fuel while Toussaint is also someone who raises concerns about the fuel yet is forced to cover up for him to save his reputation. Jay is a politically-incorrect former model-turned-designer who is in trouble as she is being blackmailed to make a statement to save Bron while Cody is dealing with declining interest as he wants to be part of Bron’s new media outlet.
Then there’s Andi as she was the one introduced Bron to everyone and was the smartest person around until Bron became powerful and she was forced out of the company they created with Cody, Debella, Jay, and Toussaint testifying on his behalf to get Andi out. The script also play into this island that these people are in, that also has another guest in a slacker named Derol (Noah Segan) who just lazes around and doesn’t do anything, as it’s run by this alternative fuel that Bron believes will create good yet when a key character dies. Everything becomes questionable but also raises a lot of questions about why Bron wanted to be the victim in a play-murder mystery where nearly everyone on this island has a motive in wanting to kill him. Yet, it is Blanc that is trying to figure things out but there is questions into how he got an invitation that is revealed in the second half as it plays into more intrigue while raising the stakes into the suspense and drama itself.
Johnson’s direction is definitely stylish not just for its playful sense of intrigue but also setting it almost entirely in this Greek island as it is shot on location in the island of Septses in Greece with some interior scenes set in New York City shot on location in Belgrade. Yet, the film opens with Cody, Debella, Jay, and Toussaint each receiving a big box as they call each other that is revealed to be a mysterious series of mini-games that ultimately unveils this invitation. It then cuts to a scene of Andi in a garage with the box herself as she just smashes it with a hammer while Blanc’s first scene is him in a bathtub playing a game with some celebrities on his laptop is the moment he gets the mysterious invite. While a lot of Johnson’s compositions are straightforward with its approach to wide and medium shots to establish the locations but also in scenes that are showed from one perspective and then be shown in another perspective from another character that wasn’t shown onscreen.
Johnson also maintains attention to detail when it comes to close-ups or shots that was shown previously in a scene be shown again where it is all about the small details. Notably in some of the dialogue with Blanc being someone who is a lot smarter than people realize yet has his limits in serving justice since he’s out of his jurisdiction to do something because he’s in another country. Bron’s house itself is a character in the film where the centerpiece of it is the model of a large glass onion on top of the house while the dining room features the actual painting of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Mona Lisa that Bron had purchased from the Lourve. The house does play into this metaphor of the glass onion where there are many layers but the center of it is where the truth is held as it leads to this climax. Even as the many characters in the film are all guilty of something with some coming clean yet others are unwilling to come clean in order to save themselves as it play into people of wealth as they’re more concerned with maintaining their reputations and power instead of doing the right thing. Overall, Johnson crafts a rapturous and evocative film about a detective who is invited to an island for a murder mystery game only for things to go wrong with everyone being a suspect.
Cinematographer Steve Yedlin does amazing work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of colorful and natural lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes along with some stylish lighting for the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Bob Ducsay does brilliant work with the editing with its emphasis on rhythmic cutting to play into the suspense as well as a few montages for some of the film’s humorous moments. Production designer Rick Heinrichs, with set decorator Elli Griff and supervising art director Andrew Bennett, does excellent work with the look of Bron’s lavish home including his glass onion office room with all of its gadgets and other aspects of the home itself. Costume designer Jenny Eagan does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish look of Byrd and Andi as well as the more casual look of the other characters.
Hair/makeup designer Jeremy Woodhead does terrific work with the look of the characters in a flashback scene of how they met in the late 90s/early 2000s and they would look in the present. Special effects supervisor Paul Stephenson, along with visual effects supervisors Fabricio de Vasconcellos Baessa Antonio, Geoffrey Basquin, Sameer Malik, David Sadler-Coppard, Boyd Shermis, and Erik Winquist, does nice work with some of the visual effects relating to this hydrogen-based fuel substance as well as some elements of set dressing for some of the scenes in Greece. Sound designer Josh Gold and co-supervising sound editor Matthew Wood do superb work with the sound in the way a strange hourly dong sound appears as well as other elements of sound of how things sound from afar in a particular scene and how it would sound up close.
The film’s music by Nathan Johnson is incredible for its luscious music score that is filled with Eastern European-inspired orchestral arrangements with its strings, harpsichords, and bombastic percussions as it adds to the suspense and drama as it is a highlight of the film while music supervisor Julie Glaze Houlihan creates a soundtrack that features a couple of songs by David Bowie plus the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nat King Cole, Toots and the Maytals, and in the film’s closing credits is the where the film’s title comes from in a song by the Beatles.
The casting by Bret Howe and Mary Vernieu is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Dallas Roberts as Debella’s husband, Jackie Hoffman as Cody’s mother, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the voice of Miles’ clock in the hourly dong, and Noah Segan as a slacker living in Miles’ home who doesn’t really do anything other than be a comic relief. Madelyn Cline is fantastic as Cody’s girlfriend Whiskey who seduces Miles for her own reasons while dealing with the chaos that is happening as she ponders about her time with Cody. Jessica Henwick is terrific as Jay’s assistant Peg who often has to clean her boss’s messes while also wondering the decisions that Jay often makes as she is sort of a conscious in the film. Dave Bautista is excellent as Duke Cody as a video-game Twitch streamer/men’s rights activist who is dealing with declining interest as he hopes to be part of Bron’s new media outlet but also carries some guilt as it relates to Andi. Kate Hudson is brilliant as Birdie Jay as a former-model-turned fashion designer who often says stupid and politically-incorrect things unaware of their meanings as she is dealing with her own scandals where she is being blackmailed by Bron knowing it will ruin her.
Kathryn Hahn is amazing as Governor Claire Debella of Connecticut who worries about Bron’s new idea knowing it will cause trouble but is forced to give in so that she can save her political career. Leslie Odom Jr. is superb as Lionel Toussaint as Bron’s head scientist who is aware of the dangers of this new creation that Bron is trying to push yet has to sit back and be quiet due to the fact that he also has a reputation to protect. Edward Norton is incredible as Miles Bron as a billionaire/tech mogul who has invited his friends to his island as he hopes to offer them a glimpse into the future into a new hydrogen-based alternative fuel believing it will help the world unaware of its dangers while is also arrogant in his beliefs and ideals that makes him a major target towards his old friends.
Janelle Monae is phenomenal as Cassandra “Andi” Brand as Bron’s former business partner who gets a reputation as she is often seen from afar and is quiet until when she decides to speak while Monae brings a lot of layers into her performance that is full of humor but also some depth into a woman who felt cheated as well as wanting some idea of justice. Finally, there’s Daniel Craig in a sensational performance as Benoit Blanc as the renowned detective who gets a mysterious invitation to Bron’s island while trying to uncover everything that is going on as he also has a lot of questions about everyone around him where Craig brings some humor as well as a lot of wit into his character that makes Craig a joy to watch while the scenes he has with Monae are also a joy in the way they help each other.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a spectacular film from Rian Johnson that is headed by great performances from Daniel Craig and Janelle Monae. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous locations, its approach to suspense and drama, and an exhilaratingly rich music score by Nathan Johnson. It is a film that isn’t just full of excitement and thrills but also a film that explores a group of people on an island dealing with a murder mystery and much more with a detective trying to solve it and uncover some dark truths. In the end, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a tremendous film from Rian Johnson.
Rian Johnson Films: Brick - The Brothers Bloom - Looper - Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi - Knives Out - (Knives Out 3)
© thevoid99 2023
Friday, January 06, 2023
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Ever since he recorded a parody of the Knack’s My Sharona into My Bologna in late 1979 that eventually lead to a long-standing career as an artist of his own who is famous for music parodies as well as some unique originals and genre parodies. “Weird” Al Yankovic is a figure that is difficult to define when it comes to being the subject of a movie bio-pic as a parody trailer from 2010 showed exactly what might’ve been. However like all other movie bio-pics before him, Yankovic too would play into the many plot schematics that is expected where that person comes from humble beginnings, being rebellious, creating the first hit song, becoming famous, doing drugs, alienating those, crashing down to Earth, killing some people along the way, doing mountains of cocaine, sex scandals with farm animals, losing everything including the money, going home, and then make that great comeback album that unfortunately sucked ass. Actually, a lot that was mentioned didn’t exactly happened to Yankovic in real-life as he never drank, did drugs, doesn’t eat meat, doesn’t say profanity in his records, and never took himself seriously but he does have an addiction to dessert.
Since Yankovic’s life doesn’t play to those schematics, that doesn’t mean that he and co-writer Eric Appel would make Yankovic’s own life to play into those many clichés with lots of exaggerations and such where much of the film takes place from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s with lots of anachronisms, dramatic liberties, inaccuracies, and all sorts of ridiculous embellishments that somehow work. Even in Yankovic’s relationship with his parents Nick and Mary Yankovic (Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson, respectively) is played into clichés with the young and teenage Yankovic (Richard Aaron Anderson and David Bloom, respectively) feeling like his parents don’t understand him though the reality was that Nick and Mary Yankovic were more than supportive as they would sometimes appear in Yankovic’s music videos and concerts to the delight of fans. Still, the script does play into the clichés where young Al tries to ponder his father’s hatred for the accordion and polka music where the latter of which is considered to be evil music where the teenage Yankovic was invited to a party unaware that it’s a secret polka party that is considered forbidden with the accordion also considered taboo. It is among these things that play into this surrealistic approach that Appel and Yankovic provide as well as the legendary story of Yankovic’s relationship with Madonna that supposedly never happened.
Appel’s direction is definitely stylized as it opens with Yankovic being sent to the emergency room where the ER doctor (Lin-Manuel Miranda) is about to declare Yankovic’s time of death until Yankovic gets up and asks the doctor for a piece of paper and a number 2 pencil. It then shifts to life of the young Yankovic trying listen to his favorite radio show hosted by Dr. Demento (Rainn Wilson) who would later become Yankovic’s mentor. Shot largely on location in Los Angeles with additional locations in Pompona and Tarzana, California, Appel does keep a lot of the compositions straightforward with some wide and medium shots to establish some of the locations with the latter playing into some of the drama as it relates to Yankovic and his parents but also some strange sequences of how Yankovic creates the song Eat It after eating guacamole laced with LSD. It is among these strange yet hilarious moments that Appel creates where nearly every scene is a play of every cliché expected in a bio-pic but also being aware of how ridiculous it is.
Appel also create scenes that does spoof other films but also real-life moments from stories of other real-life musicians add to the sense of absurdity. Even when Yankovic finds himself in the ire of legendary Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar (Arturo Castro) who felt rejected when Yankovic passed on doing a show for Escobar’s birthday. Though the reality was that Yankovic and Escobar never met, the idea that the latter would be a fan of the former is still hilarious as it plays up the tone of the film that also delves into stylish action moments inspired by films of the 80s. The film’s climax does play into this sense of redemption yet because this isn’t based on any form of fact or anything realistic. It still has this absurdity into what Yankovic endures but also getting some unlikely inspiration for his magnum opus in a song that would give him validation but also the ire of some. Overall, Appel crafts a monumentally idiotic, stupid, and ridiculous film that manages to fucking hilarious and so much more about the life of one of the Weird One.
Cinematographer Ross Riege does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its colorful look for the daytime exterior scenes along with stylish lights for the interiors at the Yankovic home and for some of other interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Jamie Kennedy does excellent work with the editing as it has elements of style in a few montages as well as some of the absurdist-humor moments in the film. Production designer Dan Butts, with set decorator Laura Harper and art director Jack Carnevale, does amazing work with the look of some of the places including the first mansion that Yankovic have as well as the villa where Escobar lived in. Costume designer Wendy Benbrook does fantastic work with the costumes such as the many Hawaiian shirts that Yankovic wore as well a few costumes for some of his songs as well the clothes that Madonna wore during that time in the 80s as well as a look she would have in the many years to come.
Makeup artist K.T. Chandler does nice work with the look of the characters including some of the celebrities Yankovic meets as well as a look his mother would have late in the film that would inspire one of his great songs. Visual effects supervisors Charles H. Joslain, Joseph Sperber, and Izzy Traub do incredible work with some of the visual effects with the most notable moment is the acid trip sequence in all of its insanity. Sound designer Mike James Gallagher and sound editor Anthony Vanchure do superb work with the sound in the way music is presented on a radio as well as certain sound effects that would play into Yankovic’s music. Music by Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson, with additional music by “Weird” Al Yankovic, is wonderful for its orchestral-based score that is a spoof of dramatic-based music scores with elements of bombastic arrangements and rock textures for some of the action and fight scenes while music supervisor Suzanne Coffman cultivates a soundtrack feature some of the comedy music of the 1960s and 1970s that would inspire Yankovic as well as the music of the times including some new music by Yankovic including a new song for the final credits.
The casting by Wendy O’Brien is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Suzanne Krajewski-Yankovic as Tony Scotti’s wife in the European singer Sylvia Vartan, Michael McKean as a club MC, Dot-Marie Jones as a club goer who wants ice cream, Patton Oswalt as a heckler at the club, Josh Groban as a waiter an expensive restaurant, Seth Green as the voice of a radio dee-jay, Thomas Lennon as an accordion salesman who tells the young Yankovic that he’s going to get a lot of pussy through the accordion, Richard Aaron Anderson as the young Yankovic, David Bloom as the teenage Yankovic, and Lin-Manuel Miranda as the ER doctor who almost declares Yankovic dead. For the appearances in the party scene, the performances from Jack Black as famed radio dee-jay Wolfman Jack, Emo Philips as Salvador Dali, Conan O’Brien as Andy Warhol, Paul F. Tompkins as Gallagher, Demetri Martin as Tiny Tim, Nina West as Divine, Jorma Taccone as Pee-Wee Herman, Akiva Schaffer as Alice Cooper, and David Dastmalchian as Queen bassist John Deacon are a joy to watch as are some of the un-credited people who play other famous figures such as Elvira, Grace Jones, Devo, and David Bowie.
The performances of Tommy O’Brien, Jack Lancaster, and Spencer Treat Clark in their respective roles as Yankovic’s friends/bandmates in drummer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz, guitarist Jim “Kimo” West, and bassist Steve Jay are terrific to watch as friends who support Yankovic but are troubled by his alcoholism while the duo of Will Forte and “Weird” Al Yankovic are fantastic in their respective roles of Ben and Tony Scotti as the men who would sign Yankovic with the former being completely dismissive of Yankovic’s talents. Quinta Brunson is excellent as Oprah Winfrey as the talk-show host who interviews Yankovic in his rise while her question about his parents would become a major plot-point while Arturo Castro is superb as the infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar as a fan of Yankovic’s music until he gets pissed off that Yankovic turned out the invitation to celebrate his birthday. Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson are brilliant in their respective roles as Yankovic’s parents in Nick and Mary Yankovic with the former being a man who hates polka and accordions with a lot of anger where Huss brings a lot of laughs as the angry disapproving father with a secret to hide while Nicholson plays it straight as someone who supports her son but hopes he doesn’t anger his father as she would later turn her frustrations into something that would inspire one of her son’s greatest songs.
Rainn Wilson is amazing as Doctor Demento as the famed comedy dee-jay who would discover Yankovic and become his mentor where he would guide him but also introduce him to drugs much to his regret as well as wanting to become a father figure to Yankovic. Evan Rachel Wood is phenomenal as Madonna as the famous pop singer who seduces Yankovic in the hope he would parody one of her songs so she can get a big sales bump as Wood captures the voice and look of Madonna pitch-perfectly as well as that personality of a woman who wants to rule the world as it is truly one of her finest performances ever. Finally, there’s Daniel Radcliffe in a tremendous performance “Weird” Al Yankovic as a young man that wanted to create music as Radcliffe brings that offbeat humor to the role while also displaying that angst as someone wanting to win his father’s approval as Radcliffe plays up the absurdity in a performance that is truly one of his best.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a sensational film from Eric Appel that features a great leading performance from Daniel Radcliffe as well as incredible supporting work from Rainn Wilson, Toby Huss, Julianne Nicholson, and Evan Rachel Wood. It is a film that refuses to take itself seriously or to be accurate in favor of just being ridiculous as well as make fun of many of the clichés expected in movie bio-pics. In the end, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a phenomenal film from Eric Appel.
© thevoid99 2023
Sunday, January 01, 2023
The "Unofficial" Best Films/TV Series of 2022
Here are the 2022 releases that I missed out on: Tar, The Banshees of Inersherin, Babylon, White Noise, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Wonder, Kimi, All Quiet on the Western Front, Lady Chaterlee's Lover, Corsage, Sick of Myself, The Last Movie Stars, Lynch/Oz, Argentina 1985, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, Dead for a Dollar, See How They Run, Godland, The Inspection, EO, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Other People's Children, Sidney, The Swimmers, Saint Omer, Emily, Wendell & Wild, No Bears, Master Gardener, The Menu, One Fine Morning, Rogue Agent, RRR, Women Talking, Chevalier, The Fablemans, The Whale, Not Okay, Honor Society, Babysitter, She Said, The Woman King, Prey, Broker, Aftersun, Joyland, Stars at Noon, Tori and Lokita, Three Thousand Years of Longing, Brother and Sister, Holy Spider, Armageddon Time, Men, Peter von Kant, X, Pearl, The Quiet Girl, Flux Gourmet, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Nanny, The Watcher, Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul, Resurrection, Breaking, Alice, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Eternal Daughter, Swallowed, Triangle of Sadness, Fire of Love, Turning Red, The Fallout and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio.
Here are the best films of 2022 that I have seen so far:
1. Decision to Leave
Top 2022 TV Shows
1. Ms. Marvel
Saturday, December 31, 2022
The Year-End Reflections of 2022
In the year of 2022, I saw a total of 320 films in 189 first-timers and 131 re-watches with 52 of those first timers were films directed or co-directed by women as part of this pledge as I have managed to achieve that goal which is a small victory. It was a year where streaming practically took over everything that I watched with a lot of these first-timers coming from MUBI as I’m glad to be fully on board with the world of streaming while I’m also set to say good riddance to the expensive world of cable that has become outdated and financially problematic. One of the highlights of the year has been my Blind Spot Series and here is the final ranking of the 2022 Blind Spot Series:
1. Army of Shadows
1. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
2. This Happy Breed
3. A Married Woman
4. The Recorder Exam
5. I Am Love
6. La ricotta
7. Oslo, August 31st
8. Cycling the Frame
9. Code Unknown
10. Heaven Knows What
11. Fermiere a Montfaucon
12. Rejected
13. Scenes with Beans
14. Middle of Nowhere
15. Cul-de-Sac
16. Land of My Dreams
17. Le Coup du berger
18. Trofilm
19. Berenice
20. Goodnight Mommy
21. Timecrimes
22. 24 Hours in the Life of Clowns
23. The Tenant
24. Mood Indigo
25. Palo Alto
This was a good year in sports as the Atlanta Braves won another division title but faltered in the playoffs while the Atlanta United and Atlanta Hawks did alright though I really don’t care for the Falcons. I’m happy that Argentina won the World Cup this year as the World Cup is always something I need to watch despite my issues over the fact that it was set in a terrible country that used slave labor and the blood of immigrants to build these stadiums. Then there’s the world of streaming as MUBI has become my go-to service for films while I also love what Amazon Prime, Disney+, Netflix, and other places have offered as it has given me a chance to seek out more as I hope to have Hulu, HBOMax (before it becomes Warner Discovery… blech), and being away from cable for good.
Then there’s the world of professional wrestling as it’s been a fucking insane year with a lot of highs but also a lot of lows. It was the year Vince McMahon’s personal life became public as he has been forced out of WWE though he is eager to come back with Triple H being the new head of creative as he’s done some good things but also some bad things though I’m willing to give him a chance. AEW started off well but had a terrible summer due to injuries and then came the aftermath of All Out where everything crashed due to a disastrous media scrum and brawl behind the scenes. AEW is still dealing with other issues while the status of CM Punk remains a big question though personally, I hope he doesn’t come back to wrestling ever. There’s been other things in AEW that have been troubling such as Tony Khan’s purchase of Ring of Honor that has been chaotic with ROH and AEW talent making things overwhelming. Though ROH hasn’t been able to get a TV deal which Khan has been trying to do, there is still some hope for the brand while Khan is still dealing with growing pains.
Other companies have been going through some good and bad though NWA has been going through problems and what happened this past November as it is clear that Billy Corgan has fucking lost his mind. The decision he made by having Tyrus (formerly known as Brodus Clay) the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion instead of someone as hot as Matt Cardona is truly the worst. No wonder Nick Aldis left the NWA and I hope Aldis finds a new home somewhere as he is too good to be in a small company as hopefully either WWE or AEW picks him up or even New Japan.
The year has been incredible for professional wrestling as here is my top 15 matches of 2022:
1. FTR vs. the Briscoes trilogy (ROH Supercard of Honor XV/2 out of 3 falls at ROH Death Before Dishonor/Double Dog-Collar Match at ROH Final Battle)
2. Will Ospreay vs. Orange Cassidy-AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door
3. Sheamus vs. WALTER for the WWE Intercontinental Title at Clash of the Castle
4. Jamie Hayter vs. Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women’s World Championship at AEW Dynamite
5. Jamie Hayter vs. Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s World Championship at AEW Full Gear
6. Will Ospreay vs. Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at the New Japan Pro Wrestling Wrestle Kingdom 16 Night 2
7. CM Punk vs. MJF Dog-Collar Match at AEW Revolution
8. Jamie Hayter vs. Riho at AEW Dynamite
9. Bryan Danielson vs. Hangman Adam Page for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship at AEW Dynamite
10. Chris Jericho vs. Bandido at AEW Dynamite
11. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE World/Universal Heavyweight Championship in a No-Holds Barred match at SummerSlam
12. Wheeler Yuta vs. Jon Moxley at AEW Dynamite
13. Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz, Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, and Jon Moxley vs. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, 2.0., Daniel Garcia, and Jake Hager at Anarchy at the Arena at AEW Double or Nothing
14. The Acclaimed vs. Swerve in Our Glory for the AEW World Tag Team Championship at AEW All Out
15. Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi at the 2022 G1 Climax
Wrestler of the Year: Will Ospreay & Jamie Hayter (tie)
Runner-Up: Jon Moxley
Tag Team of the Year: FTR
Runner-Up: The Briscoes
Breakout Star of 2022: Daniel Garcia
Runner-Up: Dominik Mysterio
Well, that is all for 2022. Let’s hope 2023 is a better and healthier year. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
© thevoid99 2022
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