Matt at the Movies: Crème de la Cramer
Matt watched 56 new films this year. Here are his superlatives.
What a year in cinema!
Despite post-COVID uncertainty and long draughts at the box office, the cinema flourished again in the final two months of 2022. There were plenty of engrossing stories, compelling performances, and breathtaking experiences to be found if you were willing to head back to the big screen. With plenty of streaming options and VOD at the tip of your fingers, many have chosen to stay home with their state-of-the-art home theater setups to avoid the hassle of picture houses.
Well I say nay, y’all! There’s something to be said for the communal experience of connecting with a piece of art that will never be duplicated from your couch. To me, there is no better artform than a complete telling of a story in two hours with actual auteurs whose vision can make you race to social media to spill your guts in excitement.
My name is Matt and I’m a movie nerd. “Hi Matt!”
Counting only major theatrical movie releases and looking at my Letterboxd account, I’ve seen fifty-six new films this year. Most were viewed at the theaters with nine at The Independent Picture House. Speaking of the “Indie”, it has slowly become my second home after the closure of the Regal Twin Manor and Regal Phillips Place.
In this edition of Matt at the Movies, we'll hand out some year end yearbook style superlatives. Let’s take a look at what 2022 has offered us.
2022’s Cinematic Superlatives
Actor of the year
Runners up: Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Cate Blanchett (Tár), Austin Butler (Elvis), and Margot Robbie (Babylon).
Winner: Colin Farrell in a close contest. He’s been doing excellent leading work for years since his breakthrough in the early 2000’s, but cannot be denied for the sheer amount of quality this year. Thirteen Lives, The Batman, After Yang, and The Banshees of Inisherin may all be nominated for acting or technical categories this year at the Oscars. He looked almost unrecognizable as The Penguin in one of this year’s biggest blockbusters, then came back with perhaps the best role of his career as Pádraic the cheerful lad in Banshees. Let’s see if he comes home to Ireland with a best acting statue as a feather to cap an unbelievable year. Can we make Farrellassaince a thing this year?
Scene of the year
Runners up: Tár’s dressing down of a Juilliard student, Babylon’s thirty minute party intro along with the first day on the set, Triangle of Sadness storm at sea yacht scene, The Northman’s village raid, and RRR’s dance off.
Winner: Aftersun and the denouement dance sequence to “Under Pressure.” This ending scene was a total gut punch and gave me my most visceral reactions I’ve had since watching The Father last year. It was well earned, not just a cheap tug at one’s heartstrings. That song will forever ring differently in my head.
Experience of the year
Runners up: Barbarian, Ambulance, Jackass Forever, Babylon, and Avatar: The Way of Water.
Winner: Top Gun: Maverick. What else could it be? Tom Cruise was arguably the most “Tom Cruise” he’s ever been. All the while doing it for a movie no one asked for and being better than it had any right to be. I viewed it on an early screening IMAX and also IMAX 4-D with my wife and we had an absolute blast! My favorite scene being the training session where Maverick proves their impossible flight run for an upcoming mission could not only be done, but in record setting time. Just pure adrenaline for two minutes and fifteen seconds. Tony Scott would have been proud of this sequel.
Foreign film of the year
Runners up: All Quiet on the Western Front, Speak No Evil, RRR, Both Sides of the Blade, and Triangle of Sadness (Have not seen The Broker, EO, or Holy Spider yet).
Winner: Decision to Leave was like a combination of Catch Me If You Can mixed with Basic Instinct. It’s agreat noir thrill ride by Park Chan-wook that has a chance of winning Best Foreign Feature at this year’s Oscars. Had me guessing at every turn.
Flop of the year
Runners up: Bros, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Black Adam, and She Said.
Winner: Amsterdam had a stellar cast with Margot Robbie, Christian Bale, and John David Washington along with a bevy of Hollywood royalty. It was directed by three time Oscar nominee David O. Russell. It was a glitzy period piece that was set to the plot of the Wall Street Putsch in 1933 that still is as much a canard as a true story. I’m not sure what was left on the cutting room floor but the pacing and editing was a total mess. This is said to have lost over 100 million at the Box Office and is now dying a quiet death on HBO Max to stream at your own leisure (punishment?).
Surprise of the year
Runners up: Prey, Crimes of the Future, and The Menu.
Winner: Everything Everywhere All at Once was almost impossible to take in. The story bounces across several universes as Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), Chinese immigrant laundromat owner, tries to save the world without further alienating her misunderstood daughter. Co-Directors Danl Kwan and Daniel Scheinert who brought the equally “out there” Swiss Army Man (a personal favorite) came back to immerse us fully within the multiverse. The images, world building, and relationships of this family seem to transcend time and space. It all ends with a massive world collapsing montage that is both overwhelming and beautiful. Hats off to a great ensemble to pull off such a visual feat of storytelling that would make Adult Swim fans give a rousing ovation.
Tune in next week for “Matt at the Movies” year-end top ten list.
Happy New Year Y’all!