Everything Everywhere All At Once has slowly and quietly followed the established A24 template, a studio known for releasing groundbreaking, original, and independent movies. Through initial word of mouth, the co-directed film by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (who also co-wrote), Everything Everywhere All At Once, has become a movie everyone has at least heard of, even if they have not seen it. Other nonconventional A24 films that generated a lot of buzz and earned Best Picture nominations in the last half dozen years include Minari (2020), Lady Bird (2017), and Moonlight (the Best Picture winner of 2016). While I appreciated all three movies, I only enjoyed Moonlight. I know that many will die on the sword for Lady Bird. I was not one of those people. A growing number seem willing to do the same for Everything Everywhere All At Once. Again, I am not one of them. I found the story incredibly uneven, the pace hurried, and the narration unreliable.
Category Archives: Year of Release
Smile (2022)
If watching the trailer for first-time feature director Parker Finn’s Smile evokes memories of a particularly disturbing videotape from an, at the time, unknown movie that had the casual horror filmgoing fan cowering their eyes behind their hands for the better part of two hours, it’s because it’s supposed to. I’m referring, of course, to the 2002 classic The Ring, and the comparison I’m making is the phone call the watcher receives after watching the videotape, which tells them they have seven days to live. Likewise, the Smile trailer informs us that when the viewer sees “it” (what “it” is, we are uncertain), they will soon die. While there are both similarities and differences between the two films, what is certain is that The Ring grossed $129 million domestically at the box office, a figure Finn would gladly like to duplicate.
The Woman King (2022)
Living Legend Viola Davis (Fences, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) captivates every scene she’s in, regardless of the movie. With as much range as anyone in Hollywood, Davis has earned her share of accolades, amassing four Academy Award nominations in the last 13 years. But she’s never had the opportunity to headline a big-budget movie on her name alone. In Gina Prince-Bythewood’s (Love & Basketball, Beyond the Lights) The Woman King, Davis gets the opportunity to do just that. Davis’s performance could earn her a sixth Oscar nomination (in a very competitive year). The film, filled with epic battle scenes, told an important true story. Ultimately, though, The Woman King failed to live up to my expectations.
Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
Don’t Worry Darling, Olivia Wilde’s (Booksmart), may have been the most talked-about movie of the year. While the film garnered much buzz, it was the much-publicized dysfunction between some cast members (most notably Wilde and Florence Pugh) and different versions of why Shia LaBeouf exited from his role (a he-said/she-said story from him and Wilde) and how it played out in reputable news outlets, as well as the tabloids and social media. There was much worry that Wilde’s second directorial effort would be known for the hoopla surrounding it rather than the film itself. With a production budget of $35 million (compared to just $6 million for Booksmart), I’m sure Wilde felt considerable pressure for her film to succeed. Despite lukewarm ratings from critics (39% on Rotten Tomatoes), it has resonated with audiences (82%). While not a perfect movie, I was thoroughly engrossed in the setting, the characters, and the story’s direction.
Barbarian (2022)
The most important advice from the various reviews I read about Barbarian, Zach Cregger’s (Miss March) first stab (pun intended) in the horror genre, was to know as little about the film as possible before watching it. As many of the reviewers I respect mention this in the early parts of their reviews, I will do the same. If you need some assurances before making a decision, watch the first part of the trailer. If you have enough data to make a decision, cut off the trailer.