Monthly Film Roundup: December 2022

Films Watched: 11

How Many Were First-Time Watches: 8

Best Films: Living (2022), Glass Onion (2022), Battle of the Sexes (2017)

New Releases: Violent Night, Living, Avatar: The Way of Water, Spirited, Glass Onion

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FULL LIST AND REVIEWS

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Casablanca (1942)
Even on its 80th anniversary, this classic romantic drama feels as timeless and thrilling as ever. Wartime tensions reach boiling point as Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid act out a heartbreaking love triangle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Violent Night (2022)
A film born from a pun, this film is exactly as good and exactly as bad as the title would suggest. It’s storytelling is almost as messy as it’s bloodshed, but David Harbour’s performance as a gnarly Santa means the film succeeds as a bit of throwaway festive fun
⭐️⭐️⭐️

La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc (1928)
Featuring stunning set design and great cinematography and a powerful central performance from , this silent historical drama still packs a real punch. Most powerful is the performance of Renée Jeanne Falconetti, whose commitment to the role is staggering and at a level rarely seen in cinematic history
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Living (2022)
Exquisitely designed and beautifully directed, this ‘Ikaru’ remake makes for a worthy adaptation of the Japanese classic. Bill Nighy delivers perhaps his strongest ever performance in a moving drama about rediscovering the meaning of life
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

King Kong (1933)
Sure, it suffers from wooden acting and dated effects, but the narrative, ambition and innovation of this classic horror can’t be undersold. Sporting Max Steiner’s excellent score, and rich with metaphors of exploitation and human destruction, it’s still a wonderfully entertaining film nearly 90 years later
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Pretty Visuals. Pretty Boring. This sequel delivers more of the same blend of all style and little substance. Of course, James Cameron does deliver some moments of greatness, but they’re too few and far between in this thinly plotted three hour slog that takes itself way too seriously
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Battle of the Sexes (2017)
Well directed and tonally balanced, Feminism VS Chauvinism has never tasted sweeter. Sparky performances from Emma Stone and Steve Carrell mean this true tennis story is an entertaining affair.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Elf (2003)
Aided by what might be Will Ferrell’s defining role, this hilarious Christmas cracker is an annual treat. Wonderfully uncynical and brilliantly paced, the cast and crew delivered a festive classic
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spirited (2022)
Though this film has the making of two great movies (a musical ‘Christmas Carol’ or a modern twist on the tale), their cramming together means the end result is worse than the sum of its parts. Despite some great songs, fun performances and an enjoyable tone, it can never quite decide if it wants to be a musical or not
⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood (2019)
Tom Hanks is wonderful in this calming biopic about America’s favourite neighbour. The healing power of Fred Rogers is demonstrated in a quirky, delicate and heartwarming movie
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Glass Onion (2022)
A mystery wrapped within a mystery, this film is an absolute knockout whodunnit. Rian Johnson writes and directs this sharp comedy thriller with astonishing style, and Daniel Craig’s returning character continues to cause wonderfully entertaining havoc amongst a great new cast of suspects
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️