Category Archives: Year of Release

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)

whitney houston movie posterBohemian Rhapsody, Ray, What’s Love Got to Do With It, or Walk The Line, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is not. Kasi Lemmons’s (Harriet, Talk to Me) is not even on the same level as this year’s disappointing Elvis. Naomi Ackie (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Lady Macbeth) did not encompass the legendary Whitney Houston nearly as well as Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Jamie Foxx (Ray), Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line), Angela Bassett (Angela Bassett) or Angela Bassett (Elvis). Under the right direction and with the right lead, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody should have at least been a lock for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. But, alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

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My Policeman (2022)

Brokeback Mountain set in 1950s Britain? That’s the best comparison I can give to Michael Grandage’s (Genius) understated and tender My Policeman, a movie that is beloved by audiences (96% on Rotten Tomatoes) but shunned by critics (46%). Much of the criticism has to do with Harry Styles (DunkirkDon’t Worry Darling), the singing superstar who, earlier this year, broke a Madison Square Garden record by selling out his concert for 15 consecutive nights. Much of the public was ready to declare him the next Justin Timberlake, based upon a single supporting performance in Dunkirk, a role that didn’t require him to do much. Styles was a late choice in Olivia Wilde’s highly anticipated but polarizing Don’t Worry Darling after Shia LaBeouf abruptly backed out. The film faltered for many reasons, including the less-than-flattering reviews of Styles’ inability to match his much more accomplished counterpart, Florence Pugh. My Policeman had been hyped as Styles’ acting breakthrough. He wasn’t nearly as miscast as in Don’t Worry Darling. His performance opposite David Dawson (most recognizable as King Alfred in the Netflix series The Last Kingdom) was one of the many highlights of the underseen My Policeman.

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God’s Country (2022)

gods country movie posterMovies set on barren, unforgiving terrains with gorgeous, sweeping landscapes serve as beautiful backdrops. When the same film can provide a gripping, dramatic story of survival, mystery, or tragedy set against such brutal terrain, it can often result in an unforgivable movie experience. Movies that come to the top of my mind include The RevenantThe GreyWind River, Legends of the Fall, and Fargo. Julian Higgins’s feature-length debut, God’s Country, isn’t on the same level as these movies, but I’ll argue that it could be in the same sentence. While a bit of a miss with audiences (50% on Rotten Tomatoes), it did strike an accord with critics (90%).

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The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

banshees movie posterDark comedy is not a genre that was made for me. Though there are many exceptions to the rule, the comedies I most enjoy star actors such as Will Ferrell (Old School, The Campaign, Step Brothers, The Other Guys), Adam Sandler (Billy MadisonHappy Gilmore, The Waterboy), Jason Segel (I Love You, Man, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Five-Year Engagement, Sex Tape, or Ed Helms (The Hangover, We’re the Millers, Vacation). Some of my other favorite comedies are There’s Something About Mary, all three of The original-cast American Pie films, Meet the Parents, Daddy’s Home, Get Him to the Greek, Hall PassThe Internship, and Long Shot. Some comedies I greatly liked from my adolescence include Uncle Buck, Parenthood, Father of the Bride, Three Amigos, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, The Money Pit, and A League of Their Own.

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The Menu (2022)

the menu movie posterMark Mylod’s (What’s Your Number?, The Big White) The Menu is far from a movie that usually interests me. It’s exceptionally outrageously strange while still trying to come across as something meant to be believable. I’m also not much of a fan of dark humor. Films like American Psycho, This Is The End, Burn After Reading, Blazing Saddles, The Cabin in the Woods, Little Miss Sunshine, The FavouriteBirdman, In Bruges, Inglorious Bastards, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Being John Malkovich, Borat, A Simple Favor, Hail, Caesar!, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, The Cable Guy, Jo Jo Rabbit, The Ref, Trainspotting, The Big Lebowski, Funny Games, The War of the Roses, Adaptation, Heathers, Rushmore, Death to Smoochy, Snatch, Knives Out, Observe and Report, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Game Night, or The Lobster don’t do it for me.

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