By Original-Cin Staff

So, that was 2022. Among many filmic analyses of this past year, a striking one came recently from the New York Times which noted that while many prestige, “highbrow” titles were abundant in theatres and receiving ecstatic reviews, they weren’t putting bums in seats.

What did we see this year? In sheer box office numbers, nobody could touch Tom Cruise whose return to the Top Gun franchise dominated globally. Of course, box office doesn’t tell the whole story. There were all sorts of smaller dramas, comedies, and documentaries that beguiled us, not that any of them will necessarily go on to receive coveted awards.

No matter. At Original-Cin, we saw as much as we could, always in the hope of discovering something awesome. And we did. We also discovered some clunkers. Herewith, we name both, alongside titles we are excited to witness in the coming year. Thanks as always for reading.

Jim Slotek

Loved: Everything Everywhere All At Once. The directorial duo The Daniels threw everything that popped into their heads against the screen, no matter how weird or absurd (hot dog fingers anyone?) to create a frenetic and hilarious race to save all of existence. And Michelle Yeoh was up to the challenge of playing scores of versions of herself as she hopped universes like a hobo hopping boxcars. Through it all, it remained, unwaveringly, a movie about hope and love.

Meh: Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. The worst movie in the wizarding saga may be the last. No charm, few fantastic beasts, and an extended Nazi take-over/fixed-election metaphor (it’s even set in 1930s Berlin). Can’t understand why the kids didn’t swarm the theatres to see it.

Not on the Awards Radar but Should Be: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Not since Jean-Claude Van Damme spoofed himself in the movie JCVD has a pop cultural icon shown himself to be so self-aware. Nicolas Cage plays a Nicolas Cage who is so desperate for work he accepts a $1 million offer from a reputed arms dealer to attend a birthday party. Self-referential, anarchic, and the most entertaining film Cage has done in years.

Most Anticipated in 2023: Oppenheimer. Christopher Nolan on the conflicted co-inventor of the A-bomb, based on the biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. I have high hopes that Nolan will rediscover storytelling in this starry take on one of the most complicated and complex minds of the 20th century. (I also want to see how he re-creates the Trinity blast without CGI as announced). Cillian Murphy plays Oppenheimer, with Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr. and Rami Malek.

Thom Ernst

Loved: Damn! These best-of lists are a pain. I was moved to tears by director Darren Aronofsky's The Whale, which is as good of a film as Brendan Fraser's sure-to-be Oscar-winning performance. Then again, movies don't get much better than Everything Everywhere All At Once, the most acrobatic feat of scriptwriting this year. And it's hard to be a Torontonian and not love Turning Red; even harder to be Canadian and not put Women Talking on its proper pedestal. But you want one film, right? One? OK. For the most fun I had at the movies this year, it's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. But that's likely to change before this ‘best of’ list even is published.

Meh: Firestarter. In correcting a cinematic wrong, the makers of Firestarter (2022) made a cinematic worse. The central villain in the film and in Stephen King's novel is a vicious Indigenous hitman named Rainbird. In the original 1984 movie, Rainbird is played by non-Indigenous actor George C. Scott, who was excellent, but it’s fitting that Rainbird be cast more appropriately this time around. And he is, by the superb Canadian actor Michael Greyeyes. The prospects are exciting. But much of King's intent for Firestarter is compromised with a drastically altered perspective of characters—Rainbird's in particular. I can't say why because that would be a spoiler, but trust me, the film is spoiled long before you'd get to the part that this review might have ruined.

Not on the Awards Radar but Should Be: Pearl. There is not much chance of any title in director Ti West's gothic-fairy-tale horror trilogy ever showing up on the Oscar stage. Too bad, because not only has West suitably re-jigged the jump-scare with something far more likely to push us to the edge of our seats, he has drawn out a bizarre performance from actor Mia Goth. A little bit Repulsion, a little bit vengeance thriller, a little bit Wizard of Oz. It all ends with a jaw-dropping whacked-out end credit sequence.

Most Anticipated in 2023: Aren't we due for another installment of Final Destination? Because that's what I'm looking forward to. We'd be up to #6 by now. This is the franchise that models its gruesome death scenes using the Rube Goldberg machine's theories of cause and effect. The set-up is always fun: a massive accident on a plane, highway, racetrack, roller-coaster or suspension bridge results in the death of the entire cast, only to find out it was a premonition. When the premonition begins to play out in real time, the group is alerted to the danger and able to escape. But escape is not for long when death comes for them with a series of deadly accidents. Incidentally, Final Destination 6 is listed in IMDb without a release date. The killer opening set piece? First responders arriving at an accident scene.

Bardo False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths

Karen Gordon

Loved: I needed an infusion of intelligent, soulful, joyful distraction in 2022. I got that from two movies: Everything Everywhere All At Once is a frenetic, unpredictable, utterly gonzo movie that gives an unhappy, bitter woman — played by the formidable Michelle Yeoh — a run-through of (seemingly) a million chances to see roads not travelled. Led by a superb performance by Daniel Jiménez Cacho, Bardo False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is a non-linear “waking dream” that follows a man assessing his life, and what had meaning for him. Both entertaining, moving, and uplifting experiences.

Meh: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Not bad, but meh is how I felt about it. In the category of comedic movie murder mysteries, I had much more fun with See How They Run and Bodies Bodies Bodies.

Not on the Awards Radar but Should Be: God’s Creatures, a beautifully wrought, haunting family drama by the directing team of Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer. Emily Watson and Paul Mescal are both formidable in roles of mother and son.

Most Anticipated in 2023: I’m a big fan American indie director Kelly Reichardt’s understated dramas, (like Wendy and Lucy and First Cow), so I am really looking forward to seeing her first comedy. Showing Up, which stars her frequent collaborator Michelle Williams plus Hong Chau, and André 3000, is a comedy about an artist preparing for her new show.

Kim Hughes

Loved: Moonage Daydream. Director Brett Morgen’s boundlessly innovative homage to David Bowie cast the singular performer in an unexpectedly new light while upending the notion of what documentaries must look like. I was genuinely astounded. Aftersun also knocked me out.

Meh: Babylon. Its first half-hour is dazzling, its last half-hour is a trainwreck, and while Diego Calva is certain to emerge as a major star, the film’s gratuitous excesses and flabby sidebars made it a slog.

Not on the Awards Radar but Should Be: Sundown. Technically from 2021 but released in 2022, director Michael Franco’s slow-burn rumination on wealth (maybe) as a man slowly falls apart in Mexico is elevated by Tim Roth’s understated yet incredibly absorbing performance. Also, Daughter of Rage, filmmaker and sociologist Laura Baumeister’s debut feature which made its world premiere at TIFF and is the first-ever narrative feature directed by a Nicaraguan woman. All noteworthy but the film is mentioned here because of its extraordinarily sympathetic story about crushing poverty and the horrible choices it imposes.

Most Anticipated in 2023: Barbie. In almost anyone else’s hands, a film based on the iconic doll — which has been simultaneously delighting and dehumanizing impressionable little girls for generations — would be preposterous. But judging by its wildly ironic first trailer, Greta Gerwig is absolutely the director for the job, leaning on partner Noah Baumbach for help with what will doubtless be a script steeped in scathing satire. The casting, with Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, looks spot-on, too.

John Kirk

Loved: The Sandman. Neil Gaiman’s 1980’s comic triumph cemented his reputation as one of the world’s premiere fantasy writers while highlighting his patience in waiting for the right time to release his magnum opus to a small or large screen. Every episode of the epic first season could be watched while reading Volume One of the Absolute Edition (HC) in hand. A nerdy way to describe this Netflix show’s success, but when you consider the worldwide reach of this book, you have an immense bunch of nerds who agreed. Tom Sturridge plays a picture-perfect Lord Morpheus and is backed up by stellar performances by Gwendoline Christie, Mark Hamill, and Stephen Fry. The talent is as amazing the production’s dedication to Gaiman’s storytelling. In just over a month of its release, Netflix reported 390 viewing million hours worldwide. That’s a lot of nerd love for a 40-year-old comic series that goes to show the quality of its story.

Meh: Jurassic World Dominion. Then there’s the other side of the coin. With a story this predictable, only bigger dinosaurs could draw in box office sales. Combining the cast from other iterations was a fun gimmick yet despite three subplots, it was still just a matter of everyone being chased by dinosaurs in various forms and from different ages of existence. The original theme of this story was what science shouldn’t do just because it could, but in director Colin Trevorrow’s sequel that gets thrown out. A lack of critical acclaim didn’t stop the film from being a financial success. Dinosaurs inherit the world and the box office but it’s at the expense of a decent story.

Not on the Awards Radar but Should Be: Prey. Filmed in Calgary, this is an unexpected addition to the Predator franchise. In the 18th century Northern Great Plains, a deadly alien predator threatens the safety of a Comanche First Nation, and it is up to an aspiring young hunter, Naru, to protect her tribe from the vicious humanoid alien while dealing with encroaching French fur traders hunting buffalo. There is a complex weaving of historical and human themes in this camouflaged sci-fi story. Naru is an unlikely hero, and one admires the creativity and prowess she demonstrates combatting against her technologically advanced and physically superior enemy. The film, like its hero, is somewhat of an underdog that was premiered at San Diego Comic Con in 2022 and later released as a HULU Original film where it earned instant approval from fans of the franchise. Directed by John Trachtenberg and featuring a cast of lesser-known actors, the film is an innovative approach to a well-worn franchise.

Most Anticipated in 2023: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. This has “must-see” stamped all over it! The incredible cast includes Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Toby Jones and the incomparable John Rhys-Davies reprising his role as Sallah. Then there’s the premise of Indy’s adventures set in the age of the Space Race, a perfect setting for him to reencounter his age-old nemeses, the Nazis. True, the spectre of the fifth installment (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) looms menacingly in the background and there is the question of the believability of an ancient archeologist achieving the same standard of adventure as in his younger days. Director James Mangold has a lot on his shoulders; this is the first in the franchise not directed by Steven Spielberg or including a story by George Lucas. But when you hear that all-too familiar John Williams score, fears melt away and the anticipation for Indiana Jones’ next adventure grows even stronger.

Liam Lacey

Loved: Petite Maman. Céline Sciamma’s short poetic film is about an eight-year-old girl, Nelly, who, following the death of her grandmother, meets a young girl in the woods, who she comes to conclude must be her own mother as a child. I love the way the realism and fantasy are in harmony, not through special effects but naturally, as through the mind of a child.

Meh: Nope/Tár/The Fablemans. These are three positively reviewed awards-contenders that I found disappointing. Nope, Jordan Peele’s horror-Western, wants to say something about race and spectacle but lacks character development, suspense, and narrative coherence. I couldn’t get the point of Tár, Todd Field’s arty, fictional portrait of a woman conductor (Cate Blanchett, acting up a storm), apparently an amalgam of Harvey Weinstein and Leonard Bernstein, who is losing her mind and her career because of her predatory, shitty behaviour. Finally, in The Fablemans Steven Spielberg lets us know that, as a boy, he really wanted to impress his unhappy mom, but his movie-memoir feels uninspired compared to, say, Federico Fellini’s Amacord or even Woody Allen’s Radio Days.

Not on the Awards Radar but Should Be: My favourite genre movie of the year was Steven Soderbergh’s Kimi, a fine-tuned COVID thriller starring Zoë Kravitz and cannily modelled on various seventies conspiracy films. Also, I was moved and disturbed by Nadav Lapid’s urgent Ahed’s Knee, which traces a day in the life of an Israeli filmmaker (a ferocious Avshalom Pollak) tormented by personal grief and rage at his national culture.

Most Anticipated in 2023: I’m still looking forward to the same film I was looking forward to last year, Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which finished shooting in 2021. Based on David Grann’s compelling non-fiction bestseller, the film is about a series of murders committed on the Osage Nation in Oklahoma in the 1920s after oil was discovered there. The cast incudes Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, Brendan Fraser, Jesse Plemens and Tantoo Cardinal with a score by Robbie Robertson.

Bonnie Laufer

Loved: The Banshees of Inisherin. I was truly gobsmacked when I saw this movie at TIFF. They immediately had me at the Martin McDonagh, Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell reunion who last dazzled us with 2008’s In Bruges. Banshees is set in the 1920s on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. Farrell’s character Pádraic is devastated when his buddy Colm (Gleeson) suddenly puts an end to their lifelong friendship. These two actors have a very special on-screen chemistry and while the absurdity of their situation draws you right in, it is Farrell’s facial expressions (without even having to say one word) that makes his brilliant performance award worthy.

Meh: Babylon. Overrated, frenetic, and insane. I am a huge fan of director Damien Chazelle but what was he thinking? This three-hour mess had me fidgety from beginning to end. I won't deny some strong performances by Margot Robbie and newcomer Diego Calva, but Babylon just rubbed me the wrong way. I’m now going to go listen to the La La Land soundtrack.

Not on the Awards Radar but Should Be: I vote for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. This film was pure fun from beginning to end. Daniel Radcliffe is absolutely fantastic as Weird Al, even learning to play the accordion for the role. While Radcliffe solidly helms the film, the secret sauce is the brilliant cameos seen throughout. We need more comedies recognized come awards season!

Most Anticipated in 2023: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Call me nostalgic, but I am über-excited to see an 80-year-old (!) Harrison Ford back cracking that whip! Steven Spielberg did not direct the film (his first time not at the helm) but James Mangold (Walk the Line) handled this long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull which I am sure will bring a fresh, fun perspective to the franchise. Plus, the cast includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Mads Mikkelsen, and you can’t go wrong with that!

The Year in Review: The Marvelous, The Meh… and What We Can’t Wait to See in 2023

REVIEWS INTERVIEWS

About Contact