Monthly Film Roundup: November 2022

Films Watched: 15

How Many Were First-Time Watches: 15

Best Films: Bones & All (2022), Matilda (2022), The Menu (2022)

New Releases: Bros, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, The Menu, Bones & All, Matilda, Strange World, She Said

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FULL LIST AND REVIEWS

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Bros (2022)
Laugh-out-loud funny and full of heart, Billy Eichner’s lead performance and co-writing credit mean Hollywood’s first mainstream LGBTQ+ romcom is a total winner
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Poltergeist (1982)
An effectively creepy horror from Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg. Well performed and tightly scripted, it provides supernatural thrills in abundance
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Eyes Without a Face (1960)
An impressively gruesome horror from Georges Franju. Gory, twisted and darkly entertaining, the influence of this mad scientist thriller can be seen all over John Woo’s Face/Off
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Missing it’s titular hero, this superhero sequel manages to overcome a dragging runtime and underwhelming third act by anchoring its tone in one of somber grief. It’s equally refreshing for the entire lead cast to be women of colour in such a large budgeted blockbuster
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)
A perfect satire of music biopics, where not a single word is true. Weird Al parodies his own life in perhaps the funniest comedy of the year. Daniel Radcliffe gives his all to the role of Al, and it’s his sincere performance that makes the film really shine through even the silliest moments
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Menu (2022)
Midsommar for Foodies, this darkly comic horror gets stranger but tastier with every course. Ralph Fiennes sees over proceedings with his usual enigmatic charisma
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Enchanted (2007)
A wonderfully charming fairytale blending romcom with musical fantasy. It’s biggest strengths are in its parody-level Disney pastiches, though it does loose its way in the final act
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Crash (1996)
“Nightcrawler’s” lurid obsession with traffic collisions is taken to new heights in David Cronenberg’s ambitious adaptation of the controversial novel. Perhaps it suffers from too much of a good thing, but this film is surprisingly boring considering it consists solely of sex scenes and car crashes 
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bones and All (2022)
Luca Guadagnino directs his first coming of age drama since Call Me By Your Name, and though it lacks the emotional heights and narrative clarity, it makes up for it in thrills and bite. A stunning fusion of genres, this cannibal horror romance is well performed, well shot and well worth your time
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Matilda (2022)
The fifth star is purely personal sentiment, but this adaptation of the Tim Minchin’s masterpiece musical is perfect in every way. The kids are FANTASTIC, Emma Thompson is scene stealing, and the musical sequences are exquisitely executed. It’s message of championing hope, imagination and love is impossible to resist
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Strange World (2022)
Disney’s best film of the year is a colourful, swashbuckling romp with a thinly veiled message about climate change. The fast moving story is adventurous, wonderfully representative, and clearly what the terrible ‘Lightyear’ should have been
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

She Said (2022)
A powerful investigative drama breaking down the work that went into taking Harvey Weinstein down. Respectful to the victims and well performed, it’s a timely story that continues to this day
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1408 (2007)
Forget Haunted House thrillers, this is a haunted room thriller. With John Cusack giving an effective performance, and claustrophobic direction from Mikael Håfström, this Steven King adaptation makes for an entertaining horror, but sadly suffers from too many clichés and a lacklustre conclusion 
⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Kings Speech (2010)
Great acting in exquisite locations; what more could you want from a historical biopic? It’s admittedly not the best picture of 2010 (as anointed by the Oscars and BAFTAs), but it’s still a thoroughly entertaining affair
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Theory of Everything (2014)
Another great biopic in my double bill of true stories. What this one lacks in narrative clarity, it makes up for in a more emotional tone, and sports a transformational performance from Eddie Redmayne
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️