We are at a crossroads in cinema.
The outbreak of a global pandemic has accelerated the conversation in the industry between film and television and how cinemas and cinemas co-exist. If you talk to people who are “in the know”, they worry about the future. I’m still optimistic.
The cup is half full. Art and the way we consume content has changed dramatically, as it has over the past decades. Does this mean fewer cinemas? Perhaps it does not mean the end of my dearest sanctuary, my church, where I go to escape and praise the celluloid gods.
After discarding my first personal attendance of 94The tenth Full of slaps and history-making moments, the Oscars ceremony was a blast.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to make my first ever trip to Europe, wandering through gorgeous scenery and a couple of gratuitous stops on a red carpet to wear a ‘wrong color’ tuxedo, but more importantly I saw some movies that kept me intrigued, particularly the award Palme d’Or for Ruben Ostlund’s black comedy “Triangle of Sorrow” with the discovery of famous Filipino actress Dolly de Leon.
Also in France, Baz Luhrmann’s movie “Elvis” captured festival goers, cementing the position of Nickelodeon star and former Disney Channel star Austin Butler in the future of Hollywood, and remaining in the highest level of acting roles seen in 2022.
The summer blockbuster season has come into the fold with the dominance of Joseph Kosinski’s high-flying sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” proving there’s no movie star like Tom Cruise.
Marvel Studios wrapped up its Phase 4 with visual teases for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Thor: Ragnarok” before capping off the emotional farewell yet to come Chadwick Boseman with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” building a new appreciation for his fellow castmates, Nor The legendary Angela Bassett.
We graduated the fall festival with Telluride who gave us the world premiere of Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking” with a glamorous ensemble and “Empire of Light” with another knockout turn from Olivia Colman and Toby Jones.
After stopping in Venice before heading to the Colorado mountains, Todd Field’s long-awaited 16-year-old is back in the writing and directing chair with the psychological complex “Tár,” which features sexy turns from Cate Blanchett and criminally undervalued Nina Hoss.
TIFF is back in full force, desperately trying to navigate a weekend full of Emmys awards, but bringing the goods with the premiere of Steven Spielberg’s personal childhood story, “The Fabelmans,” and a dynamite outing from (lead or supporting?) Michelle Williams and veteran actor Judd Hirsch. .
It was great to see that before director Gina Prince-Bythewood made her landmark sequel “The Woman King,” she had long been one of the best in the game as movie fans revisited classics like “Love and Basketball” (2000). Within the story of Dahomey’s empire, the filmmaker has brought an onslaught of talented black women to the fore—both in front of and behind the camera—such as Thuso Mebedu and editor Terylene Shropshire.
The comeback stories were highlights, like Brendan Fraser’s rise to a new stratosphere of fame and gratitude with his transformation in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale.”
The New York Film Festival gave a belated voice to Mamie Till Mobley’s harrowing story, in the form of Daniel Deadwiller’s ferocity in Shinone’s harrowing drama Choco. “Till” also reminded us that Whoopi Goldberg is still a great actress when she gets the right car.
The Hollywood industry should have looked in the mirror at its responsibility in empowering a monster like Harvey Weinstein with Maria Schrader’s touching film She Said.
It also became a game of “will they” or “won’t they” when it came to Antoine Fuqua’s release of “Emancipation” with Will Smith. Although I was divided by the critics, I was able to pull off the genius of cinematographer Robert Richardson and the memorable roles played by Ben Foster and Charmaine Bengois.
Then there’s “Everything Everywhere” in between, and the story of Ke Huy Quan’s triumphant comeback is the spirit of the season, along with Michelle Yeoh’s long-awaited adoration tour.
I will always continue to advocate for the animation medium, which has had great outings with “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” and “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.”
Documentaries continue to thrive with innovation, most notably with the artisan mastery of Ryan White’s “Good Night Oppy,” which would go down as one of the most outrageous picks from the shortlist in recent memory.
I’m not sure I cried more with films like Matthew Heinemann’s “Retrograde” and Chris Smith’s “Father” while I found more love in the musical space with Daniel Geller and Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song, “Dina Goldfein,” “Moonage Daydream.” Brett Morgan.
Some of the best moments in filmmaking this year came with international and non-English language features such as Belgium’s “Close” and Denmark’s “Holy Spider”, both of which ranked very high on my list and underrepresented in various categories. I’m not sure I’ll have three more memorable hours than watching the Indian Tollywood party ‘RRR’ with my wife on our couch at home giving her the two new leading men to admire from afar with Ram Charan and NT Rama Rao Jr.
I finished the year with a bunch of VFX-driven scenes like Roland Emmerich’s “Moonfall,” which was as fun as it is unbelievable, and James Cameron’s billion-dollar blockbuster “Avatar: The Way of Water.” In regards to the latter, as the evolution in the animation medium continues with discussions of undeniable beauty like “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” I chose to learn about motion capture creations to complement Cameron in an animated feature, which shouldn’t be seen as a slight. I strongly advocate for animation and its ability to be appreciated in various artistic categories. If people support things like “The Adventures of Tintin,” “Avatar 2” can also be watched in the same place.
Finally, even though it’s not an Oscar category yet, I’ve included two additional accolades for Best Acting and Dramatic Action, which are overdue from being approved by the Academy. The honorees are casting directors and stunt coordinators.
With the final voting for the Oscars set to start on January 12th before being announced on January 24th, it’s always great to encourage industry voters to watch as many movies as possible. Most importantly, a reminder that the list below is not absolute. If a movie or performance isn’t listed, it doesn’t mean I hated it. Naming the best of any art form is subjective, and tastes change over time.
As of today, and looking forward to 2023, this is mine.
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