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Taftys Movies of 2022 • COUNTDOWN, COMPLETE. 87 movies. One year. 2022.

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Tafty³³³ View member profile	7th January 2023, 01:47 AM Post #1
I found the love, I found the love in me Pronouns: He/Him Joined: 13 December 2007 Posts: 87,464 User: 5,042	Finally seen most of the movies I wanted to see. There are currently 87 movies that had a UK Release Date in 2022. I will be starting this countdown, hopefully tomorrow night, who knows, I might be able to get one more movie in or something, we'll see! But yeah. What will be victorious? The last 5 years, Top 5: 2021: 01. Spider-Man: No Way Home ★★★★★ 02. The Father ★★★★★ 03. In The Heights ★★★★ 04. Promising Young Woman ★★★★ 05. tick.. tick.. BOOM! ★★★★ 2020: 01. Jojo Rabbit ★★★★1/2 02. Parasite ★★★★1/2 03. The Invisible Man ★★★★1/2 04. 1917 ★★★★ 05. Soul ★★★★ 2019: 01. AVENGERS: ENDGAME ★★★★★ 02. THE JOKER ★★★★1/2 03. CAPTAIN MARVEL ★★★★ 04. KNIVES OUT ★★★★ 05. US ★★★★ 2018: 01. Avengers: Infinity War ★★★★★ 02. Crazy Rich Asians ★★★★★ 03. Love Simon ★★★★1/2 04. A Quiet Place ★★★★ 05. Coco ★★★★ 2017: 01. La La Land ★★★★★ 02. The Greatest Showman ★★★★★ 03. Thor: Ragnarok ★★★★1/2 04. Spider-Man: Homecoming ★★★★ 05. Split ★★★★


Josh! View member profile	7th January 2023, 02:30 PM Post #2
c: Joined: 12 March 2014 Posts: 13,153 User: 20,692	Looking forward to this Jonjo!! We've shared the same No.1 for the last FOUR years so I'm intrigued to see if that streak can be kept up for half a decade, haha.


Tafty³³³ View member profile	7th January 2023, 07:40 PM Post #3
I found the love, I found the love in me Pronouns: He/Him Joined: 13 December 2007 Posts: 87,464 User: 5,042	87. MORBIUS Score out of 5: 1/2 [UK Release Date: 31st March] Green Lantern you are forgiven. What a load of shit. Sony just need to give up with their live action Spider-Verse now, unless Feige is involved. Just drivel and pointless. ---- 86. MEN Score out of 5: ★ [UK Release Date: 1st June] What in the world did I just watch!? It hits the nail on the head when it comes to being "disturbing" and "gross" (genuinely vomit inducing a few times - and as a horror fan, yay etc..) But that was overall, a bit shit tbqh. I don't mind "uncomfortable" or "disturbing" movies when there's an actual satisfying and reasonable pay off... but this was just a bit all over the place and felt like it had no conclusive story whatsoever. Maybe I didn't understand it, but that just makes it worse for me. I feel like Alex Garland had this in his "I'm never gonna make this movie" pile and then A24 approached him and were like "give us your most random, batshit idea and we will make it". What a complete waste. So disappointed. ---- 85. WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD'S FAIR Score out of 5: ★1/2 [UK Release Date: 29th April] Boring and thinks it's more than it is. So your typical indie, arty, pretentious movie. This will be in the critics end of year lists as "Best Horror of the Year" but don't be fooled. YAWN. ---- 84. HALLOWEEN ENDS Score out of 5: ★1/2 [UK Release Date: 14th October] Halloween Ends... thank f* for that. Completely and utterly jumped the shark from what Halloween was all about. When the 2018 version was a success and a mainly crowd pleasing "requel" and reset everything that happened after the original movie, you'd think they'd have learnt from the sequels before, right? WRONG. It is just baffling wtf happened and whoever greenlit these last 2 films, needs to rethink their jobs tbqhwy. The positive takeaway from this one though is that at least it was a consistent story within itself unlike Halloween Kills. I give it 5 years before we get a full reboot again tbh. ---- 83. ORPHAN: FIRST KILL Score out of 5*: ★1/2 [UK Release Date: 19th August]* This was awful. I expected it to be silly and ott but this was 2 steps too far lmao. I thought overall it was quite… bland and wasn’t as fun as it should/could have been. Meh. Really disappointed coz I really enjoyed the first and really embraced it’s “WTF” story. ---- 82. *LICORICE PADO Score out of 5*: ★1/2 [UK Release Date: 14th January]* Not getting the hype. Quite bland and... dry. Not a lot of the "jokes" landed and I just thought it was a bit all over the place. The jokes felt a bit dated and forced & had it not been in this style of indie movie, I doubt it would have passed now. Also... the story is problematic af!? A 25 year old starts dating a 15 year old? Ermmm... unless there was some underlying sub-context to it or I missed a crucial scene where she actually says she's more his age or something, it just weirded me out throughout. Positives were that the main Haim sister can act fairly well & Bradley Cooper smashes his cameo (literally!) But everything else? Wasn't for me. Just felt bored and like I had been watching the movie for hours on end. Another indie dahling that I fail to get on board with completely. A shame really. ---- 81. FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE Score out of 5: ★1/2 [UK Release Date: 8th April] Bland, dull, lifeless and super cringe. They really need to nip this world in the bud now. Jumped the shark a few movies ago and Ezra Miller is in this far too much... vom. It's a shame what's happened to this world tbh. So much potential but... executed so depressingly.


Tafty³³³ View member profile	8th January 2023, 01:34 AM Post #4
I found the love, I found the love in me Pronouns: He/Him Joined: 13 December 2007 Posts: 87,464 User: 5,042	80. THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH Score out of 5: ★1/2 [UK Release Date: 14th January] YAAAWWWWWNNNNNN. Dunno what I expected but I kinda wanted it to be a full on, dramatised Baz Lhurman's Romeo & Juliet situation. But got a movie that was recorded for class of 2002's English lesson, instead. Major snoozefest. Found it very hard to keep interest. I don't even think the performances were anything special either. Solid, sure, but not as exciting as you would probably come to expect from them. It was so hard for me to take it so seriously largely down to the Shakespearian language. ---- 79. AMSTERDAM Score out of 5: ★1/2 [UK Release Date: 7th October] This is as bad as the reviews say it is. Generic, bland and just a really big mess! The (mostly) stellar cast could not save this useless and boring script and screenplay. Also, what was with the completely random and pointless POV shots? Just a load of drivel in all honesty. Very, very disappointed. How do you use that cast and produce this? BAFFLING. ---- 78. BLACK ADAM Score out of 5: ★1/2 [UK Release Date: 21st October] This... exists ig. It's literally everything wrong with the DCEU wrapped up into one movie. It focuses too much on one thing and not enough of the other. There are 5 action sequences too many. Too many to the point that the novelty of their action scenes gets lost pretty quickly so that by the time it comes to the main fights, you are tired and exhausted from it all that you really end up not giving a shit for the all important "final battle". Dry, cringe and forced "humour". Horrendous dialogue and delivery by the actors. Wooden and one note performances. Annoying child actor. Kahndaq is such an awfully boring place. There were one or two cool shots, but that's about it in this overstuffed, bland affair. They also introduce characters to their world as if we're supposed to know or even care about who tf they are!? Feels forced and just like "Justice League"... rushed. Why not build these characters up before having them team up in another movie where we're learning about another new character? Also that end credits bit woulda hit different if Superman was actually in a good DCEU movie.... This isn't the "new start" many like to believe it is for the DCEU. If it is, then it's gonna fall off a cliff just as fast as it did last time. One day they will get there. In my lifetime...? Maybe. Maybe not. It's just really hard to even pretend to give a shit. Sorry. ---- 77. AMBULANCE Score out of 5: ★1/2 [UK Release Date: 25th March] Bring back 90’s all out Action movies. You know, the ones that are still not great, but a lot of fun, criminals are… y’know criminals (without forced, cringe redeeming character arcs), people actually getting shot (not as many aimless shots just for the purpose of “entertainment”) and stories/plots that actually make f*ing sense. I expected a fun, generic all out action, but got something so fing stupid that it may be one of the stupidest and dumbest movies I’ve ever seen. If that’s what you’re looking for, great. You’ll have a literal blast, but yeah. Not my thing. (I usually hate this type action flicks at the best of times but sometimes I can find the fun in them) ---- 76.* THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE Score out of 5: ★★ [UK Release Date: 23rd March] Jessica shines bright in a very one-tone and boring story. Both her and Andrew Garfield do their best with it all and it's nice to see Jess get a decent role again. But overall, yeah, this wasn't for me on the whole. ---- 75. DISENCHANTED Score out of 5: ★★ [UK Release Date: 16th November] I actually didn’t find this as bad as most tbh. Nowhere near the level of the first movie but I enjoyed a lot of it. I felt like it dragged and plodded along more than it should have and it didn’t really know what to do with some of the core characters though. Also, not a single song was on a level with any of the first movie ones. Amy Adams really excels in the role. She is literally a real life Disney Princess. I actually liked the story of her having to battle between good and bad and I really liked the use of other fairytale tropes. Just wish that the songs were as catchy and memorable as the first and that the story didn’t feel like it was being so stretched out. Pretty poorly paced. ---- 74. JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION Score out of 5: ★★ [UK Release Date: 10th June] Maybe everyone had shattered my hopes for this so much that I was actually expecting this to be worse than what it was.. idk. However, although still not particularly any good, it wasn't "dreadful" like I feared. I'm going to forget all about this movie by the time I write this review though. Cringe, cheesy, forced/unmemorable use of legacy characters... but I actually quite liked the story/plot somewhat, despite it being executed in a bland and uninspired way. Which swings in it's favour over the terrible film that came before it, Fallen Kingdom. Still, every cast member except Bryce, DeWanda & Mamoudou felt liie they were just there for the paycheck and were phoning it in 95% of the time. Yes, even the legendary trio! This film, not as bad as people said/set me up to believe, but really not very good either. It's a shame. ---- 73. THE WONDER Score out of 5: ★★ [UK Release Date: 16th November] Hmm… one of those movies that probably just isn’t for me. It’s not a “bad” or “poor” movie, it just wasn’t my thing I guess. I found myself wondering aimlessly throughout and then realising I’m actually watching a movie and lose interest again so soon after. Florence (as ever) was great in her role. But overall the story and screenplay was just… boring I think and didn’t really keep my interest much at all. It did start picking up when Libby decided she needed to start interfering and actually help the girl, despite the others telling her not to. Not gonna remember this much, if at all. It that’s ok it’s just one of those movies that others might find to be to their tastes but this one for me, not so much. The second Florence movie of 2022 where she delivers a great performance but most the other things let it down for her! ---- 72. DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS Score out of 5: ★★ [UK Release Date: 28th July] Aside from a couple of chuckles here and there I found this quite bland and generic tbh. Not even sure kids are going to be that into it as my nephews were very indifferent towards it and they're more the age for this. The animation was quite dull and boring too. Nothing special but did get a couple of laughs out of me. ---- 71. DON'T WORRY DARLING Score out of 5: ★★ [UK Release Date: 23rd SEPTEMBER] Florence Pugh is possibly the best actress of this new & upcoming generation, imo. She is the highlight of this movie and absolutely carries this. Unfortunately for her, she doesn't have the help she needs in the moments where it matters the most. She deserved better. Harry Styles was SHOCKING. He was British, but had about 30 different accents in every scene he was in and gave next to no emotion & expressionless every damn time Florence was acting her heart out! Find that quite disrespectful tbh. (Also, was it me or was like 80% of his lines all off camera? Lmao) I do think I was set up for this movie being worse than it actually was by some of my friends (thank you guys!!!) but it still wasn't anywhere near as good as it should've been. I thought the story was interesting overall but executed in such a hollow and lifeless way that it was hard to care and it really felt like it dragged on and on and on and on. Probably the biggest disappointment of the year for me. BUT LET IT BE KNOWN. MISS FLO WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR IT BEING SO LACKLUSTER. SHE DESERVES BETTER.


Josh! View member profile	8th January 2023, 03:04 PM Post #5
c: Joined: 12 March 2014 Posts: 13,153 User: 20,692	Laughing at your review for Macbeth, hahahah. It's sooo English lesson viewing!! You literally couldn't follow along unless you'd studied it in school... my Liam walked out the room after 10 mins because he didn't have a clue what was going on But also the American accents threw me way off. Couldn't Denzel have at least tried. Life was busy around the release of Black Adam and it took a while for me to see it and I remember seeing your review and being like 'oh no'. Going to have to agree to disagree on that one though, I thought it was super fun and I'm usually not a fan of The Rock at all. Intrigued to see where DC goes in the future under the helm of James Gunn though. You're right in the sense that they do need some kind of revamp for sure.


Chez Wombat View member profile	8th January 2023, 03:37 PM Post #6
The owls are not what they seem Pronouns: He/him Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,133 User: 9,232	I actually used clips from The Tragedy of Macbeth to show to a student I was tutoring English to, so I guess you're not too far off Will have to disagree there, the visuals, cinematography and performances were excellent and that really kept me engaged, I'd never seen the play done like that before. I quite liked Licorice Pizza, the love story did feel a bit weird to me, but the aesthetic and seeing Haim in the movie made it worthwhile. My thoughts are in the other thread re: The Wonder & Men but I'd rank them both higher myself x Most of the rest here I skipped as standard rubbish franchise fare, but I was kind of interested in Don't Worry Darling, I really liked Booksmart, but the bad reviews and hilarious scandals put me off seeing it, from watching reviews of it, it looks like a huge mess!


Tafty³³³ View member profile	9th January 2023, 06:07 PM Post #7
I found the love, I found the love in me Pronouns: He/Him Joined: 13 December 2007 Posts: 87,464 User: 5,042	70. NIGHTMARE ALLEY Score out of 5: ★★ [UK Release Date: 21st JANUARY] Really didn't hold my interest much, if at all. Some absolutely beautiful shots and cinematography though. The story was just a bit uninteresting and boring to me. Feel like I've seen that sorta thing done better and to better effect in general. No amount of blood/gore or horror is going to convince me otherwise (and this is Guillermo Del Toro so there's plenty) I find GDT to be hit and miss, but always like his style and this isn't any different. But yeah, overall, not for me but glad some people can appreciate and like it more. ---- 69. UNCHARTED Score out of 5: ★★ [UK Release Date: 11th FEBRUARY] Big fat meh. I'm not familiar with the game so I have nothing to directly compare it to in regards to casting, story etc.. They really do have so much money to waste on something that we've seen been done literally hundreds of times before... and somehow... it is still never really that good. Tom Holland saves this. But that's coz he's a great, likeable & watchable actor (as I said, this is more in the context that I don't really know Nate as a character). Everyone else seemed to have trouble with their accents, weren't really around that long enough for me to care enough or they were just really unlikeable characters. I just think it could've been a bit more fun and exciting overall. ---- 68. I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY Score out of 5: ★★ [UK Release Date: 26th DECEMBER] Anthony McCarten should not be allowed near another movie about a prolific musical icon, ever again. How on God’s green Earth do you butcher one of the most storied and prolific singers in the history of music, when the story is right in front of you? Gross. Not much I loved but I appreciated that they showcased her voice so much, but it did little to nothing to show the real impact of her achievements and to show just HOW influential she is. Her story deserved better storytelling. Naomi was actually better than I presumed she would be, but maaaannnn what a waste of a story. Butchered just like what happened to Bohemian Rhapsody. It's literally just bullet points of some of her "moments" in movie form. GET HIM AWAY AND DON’T LET HIM TOUCH ANOTHER MUSICAL ICON PLEASE. Whitney deserves so much better! ---- 67. SMILE Score out of 5: ★★ [UK Release Date: 28th SEPTEMBER] This wasn't executed well at all. Possibly the worst paced movie I have seen in a while. Everything was just a drag and every scene felt like a chore to actually finish. The premise was strong. The idea was generic, but interesting. The performances were actually OK too, but the execution... extremely poor. The creepy factor is huge for me though. I am sat in my bedroom writing this within half an hour of it finishing and I am scared to turn my light off/I doubt I will be looking ahead of me for too long lmao. This could and should have been so much stronger and it saddens me that it wasn't. ---- 66. HOCUS POCUS 2 Score out of 5: ★★1/2 [UK Release Date: 30th SEPTEMBER] It was "better" than I had anticipated, but it still wasn't great. The 3 young Sanderson Sisters at the start were amazing and somehow got & understood their characters better than the original 3 did. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to watch it again, but I wouldn't say "no" if someone suggested to watch it again. ---- 65. PARALLEL MOTHERS Score out of 5: ★★1/2 [UK Release Date: 28th JANUARY] Every year, awards season always reminds me that I'm really not all that bothered by 90% of dramas. This is no different. A movie I'm sure most will love, but for me, it just felt a bit generic, boring and meh. I feel like it's been a story that's been told a few times before and executed better. Decent performances ofc, but idk. Something just didn't hit for me. Meh. But Penelope Cruz blocking Lady Gaga from getting an Oscar nomination for House of Pooccii is A-OK in my book! ---- 64. THE LOST DAUGHTER Score out of 5: ★★1/2 [UK Release Date: 7th JANUARY] Olivia Colman is one of the most watchable actresses of all time. Everything she's in, she's just sublime. This is no different. Great performances all round tbh and a solid enough directorial debut for Maggie Gyllenhaal. However, something was missing from this despite the performances and solid directing. I think it just felt a bit generic and could have been much more fascinating than what it was. Then again, I was wanting this to turn into a reverse Eden Lake but this time, the protaganist (Olivia) managing to kill the entire scummy family. I feel like we could have explored more about that family and what made them "bad people" and so insufferable, instead of flashing back to her past constantly. It was ok. Needs a bit more to it though, but I'll probably be on the "give Olivia the damn actress award again" train soon. ---- 63. THE ADAM PROJECT Score out of 5: ★★1/2 [UK Release Date: 11th MARCH] It was.. alright. Decent enough compared to other "straight to Netflix" movies, but overall quite generic and meh. Some of the script and one-liners are really, really cringey. The acting was the most basic and phoned in you can get from the actors involved. The rock songs over certain scenes felt very Guardians of the Galaxy and was executed in a way that felt like they went to a random rock playlist on Spotify, hit shuffle and they were immediately like "yep! That's the one!". Bland and generic, but ok compared to the usual Netflix fodder we're accustomed to. ---- 62. OPERATION MINCEMEAT Score out of 5: ★★1/2 [UK Release Date: 15th APRIL] This was fine. Solid performances from the cast but ultimately everything felt pretty rushed and didn't feel as impactful as the story lends itself to be. It didn't feel like they spent as much time on the actual operation as they did everything in between. The tone kinda felt off and didn't really match the story either. Not bad, worth a watch on a Sunday evening as it airs on telly, but could have been so much more. ---- 61. ELVIS Score out of 5: ★★1/2 [UK Release Date: 24th JUNE] Meh. It's definitely a Baz Lhurman movie, he has such a distinctive style, flare and technique. But also, the structure is a complete MESS. It really feels like an extended trailer or just a montage of clips thrown together to try and make it feel like a complete story, whilst the bulk of the story is missing. It wasn't bad, just very "eh. could've done without this". I also have a very irrational hatred for Elvis and his voice. Like, it's just warbling, not singing to me. Even his speaking voice feels a bit eccentric. Almost like he's taking the piss most of the time. How Col Tom got away with his abusive ways for so long idk. But people need to stop taking advantage of stars like Elvis, Michael, Whitney & Britney etc.. it's just so sad people like that exist. Solid cast, bar, Tom Hanks. That hurts to say. Meh. Not a bad music biopic, but not one I'm gonna care about.


Tafty³³³ View member profile	9th January 2023, 06:11 PM Post #8
I found the love, I found the love in me Pronouns: He/Him Joined: 13 December 2007 Posts: 87,464 User: 5,042	QUOTE(Josh! @ Jan 8 2023, 03:04 PM) Laughing at your review for Macbeth, hahahah. It's sooo English lesson viewing!! You literally couldn't follow along unless you'd studied it in school... my Liam walked out the room after 10 mins because he didn't have a clue what was going on But also the American accents threw me way off. Couldn't Denzel have at least tried. Life was busy around the release of Black Adam and it took a while for me to see it and I remember seeing your review and being like 'oh no'. Going to have to agree to disagree on that one though, I thought it was super fun and I'm usually not a fan of The Rock at all. Intrigued to see where DC goes in the future under the helm of James Gunn though. You're right in the sense that they do need some kind of revamp for sure. RIIIGHT!? The accents (or, the lack of) were the worst thing about it tbh. I was disappointed with every one in that cast because of this. I like most of them usually! I'm very excited for the James Gunn revamp. The Snyder fanboys aren't happy though lmao. I don't think I've seen a single director have so many fans as Zack lmao. He's not even that good!


Tafty³³³ View member profile	9th January 2023, 06:16 PM Post #9
I found the love, I found the love in me Pronouns: He/Him Joined: 13 December 2007 Posts: 87,464 User: 5,042	QUOTE(Chez Wombat @ Jan 8 2023, 03:37 PM) I actually used clips from The Tragedy of Macbeth to show to a student I was tutoring English to, so I guess you're not too far off Will have to disagree there, the visuals, cinematography and performances were excellent and that really kept me engaged, I'd never seen the play done like that before. I quite liked Licorice Pizza, the love story did feel a bit weird to me, but the aesthetic and seeing Haim in the movie made it worthwhile. My thoughts are in the other thread re: The Wonder & Men but I'd rank them both higher myself x Most of the rest here I skipped as standard rubbish franchise fare, but I was kind of interested in Don't Worry Darling, I really liked Booksmart, but the bad reviews and hilarious scandals put me off seeing it, from watching reviews of it, it looks like a huge mess! LMAO! SEE!!! I get it from a cinematography standpoint. Stunning visually. But yeah, doesn't help I'm not too big on the story originally but I was hoping for a Baz 'Romeo + Juliet' kind of dramatisation of it! Yeah I can't forgive LP for it's story and having it have such a prominent part of the movie. Problematic as f***. But I was actually impressed with the lead Haim sisters performance! She surprised. DWD is a massive mess. It's so weird coz the story and idea is strong, but it's poorly executed and I feel Olivia was in over her head with it tbh. Also, Harry was horrendous. There's a specific moment in the movie where Florence is giving her all (y'know as Florence does) and he's supposed to bounce right off of her, but he just has no emotion or reaction and it's such a knee-jerk moment... Miss Flo carried that film though.


Josh! View member profile	9th January 2023, 06:40 PM Post #10
c: Joined: 12 March 2014 Posts: 13,153 User: 20,692	QUOTE(Tafty³³³ @ Jan 9 2023, 06:11 PM) RIIIGHT!? The accents (or, the lack of) were the worst thing about it tbh. I was disappointed with every one in that cast because of this. I like most of them usually! I'm very excited for the James Gunn revamp. The Snyder fanboys aren't happy though lmao. I don't think I've seen a single director have so many fans as Zack lmao. He's not even that good! I'm with you on Snyder!! I much prefer Gunn's zany style so I'm looking forward, not backwards haha x Not the shade to Penelope Cruz for getting the Oscar nom! She's one of my favourite actresses ever so I was so surprised when that was revealed. Parallel Mothers is far from Almodovar's best but I thought the baby-swapping storyline was plenty interesting. I loved Operation Mincemeat too so I'm sad to see you were indifferent. I think I was just so impressed because it wasn't a story that I knew before so I felt wowed by it. Did you know of the real-life plot beforehand, or not? x


Tafty³³³ View member profile	10th January 2023, 12:19 AM Post #11
I found the love, I found the love in me Pronouns: He/Him Joined: 13 December 2007 Posts: 87,464 User: 5,042	QUOTE(Josh! @ Jan 9 2023, 06:40 PM) I'm with you on Snyder!! I much prefer Gunn's zany style so I'm looking forward, not backwards haha x Not the shade to Penelope Cruz for getting the Oscar nom! She's one of my favourite actresses ever so I was so surprised when that was revealed. Parallel Mothers is far from Almodovar's best but I thought the baby-swapping storyline was plenty interesting. I loved Operation Mincemeat too so I'm sad to see you were indifferent. I think I was just so impressed because it wasn't a story that I knew before so I felt wowed by it. Did you know of the real-life plot beforehand, or not? x Aha! I like Penelope. I thought her performance was decent in PM. But I'm definitely grateful she prevented Gaga from getting an Oscar nom for HoG (which would've been completely undeserved imo). I was aware of the plot, but only because my friend sold it to me after we saw the poster for this film in 2020 at some point. She then told me the story and it sounded incredibly interesting. The tone was all over the place in the movie though, I thought


Tafty³³³ View member profile	10th January 2023, 12:44 AM Post #12
I found the love, I found the love in me Pronouns: He/Him Joined: 13 December 2007 Posts: 87,464 User: 5,042	60. BROS Score out of 5: ★★1/2 [UK Release Date: 28th OCTOBER] This was… fine, I guess? It really would have been better if Billy Eichener wasn’t so insufferable and was just one of the side characters instead. His character was really unlikeable, to me. Appreciate what they were going for but it was a bit thin, plot and story wise. Saw an article say that it’s ok that this bombed, coz Queer films like this CAN bomb - and they’re absolutely correct - It’s just a shame that Hollywood probably won’t see it that way. I didn’t dislike or like it tbh. It’s just a pretty forgettable, throwaway romcom that I just wanted to like more than I actually did. ---- 59. AVATAR: THE WAY OF THE WATER Score out of 5: ★★1/2 [UK Release Date: 16th DECEMBER] Literally more of the same. Absolutely stunning visuals but the story and screenplay is still so bland, generic and just really, really boring. But gorgeous visuals. I’d heard good stuff about Zoe Saldana and she definitely delivers, but I was surprised at how much of a backseat both her and Sam’s character took? But at least the visuals were nice. Bar a couple of the characters, the acting was dreadful. Especially Spider and that GOD AWFUL VILLAIN… AGAIN??? Nice visuals though. I just find it hard to care about this franchise and their characters and it’s a real shame coz idk if you’ve read this but ERMAGAHHDDD THE VISUALS!!!! The final action sequence, again was solid but it just takes way too damn long to get there with very little holding your interest until the last 40-50 mins but by that point, the whole gimmick of 3D visuals was worn and tired out… but the visuals were nice. James is a master director. Absolutely no denying that. But beyond that and THE VISUALS everything else just falls into absolute mediocrity that would get nothing more than a very “that’s decent for what it is” reaction if it was a straight to bargain bin DVD/streaming sci-if movie. Coz believe me, with such one dimensional, bland and boring characters it certainly leans more towards that. He sacrificed visuals for everything else. But at least the visuals were good. So over long and over produced at times. The world of Pandora is stunning. It’s just a shame it’s tied to such mediocrity when it comes to everything else but the visuals and technical aspects. I’ll try again with the 3rd but when will I just accept it’s probably not for me? At least the visuals were great though!!! EDIT: Oh and the whale was the star. What a badass!!!! We Stan forever!! They looked amazing too ofc! ---- 58. TURNING RED Score out of 5: ★★1/2 [UK Release Date: 11th MARCH] Wasn't too huge on this. It was cute and funny at times, but also pretty grating/annoying. Appreciate the coming of age story a lot. Especially one that can be aimed and hopefully help young teens that go through this experience understand it that bit more. Not an essential Pixar movie for me personally. Doubt I'll be in a rush to see it again. But it's my least fave of the Pixar 3 since covid. The soundtrack is pretty nostalgic tho lmao. ---- 57. THE HOUSE Score out of 5: ★★★ [UK Release Date: 14th JANUARY] 3 short stories. 1 hit. 1 mid. 1 miss. But the one constant is the animation. Just excellent work. I do find that with stop-motion animation though, the stories are largely bland and often random. This isn't any different in that respect. The first short was actually really, very good. As creepy as the humans looked, it added to the whole feel and aura of the story which had a really random concept, but was genuinely creepy/terrifying at times. The 2nd story was terrible. Really didn't like that one and it was just a tad too... uninteresting and random. The final story was decent and recovered from the 2nd story at least, but it wasn't as interesting as the first. Just wish the stories were more consistent throughout. The animation was top notch ofc though. ---- 56. SKINAMARINK Score out of 5: ★★★ [UK Release Date: N/A I believe it's actually getting a release date in the UK this year - oops] Horror… but make it ASMR! Watched this on a whim after seeing it added to the top 50 Best Horror Movies of 2022 list on Letterboxd. Happy I did, but at the same time… you saw very little. Butttt… I think it worked? Coz I’m sat here after watching it, at 1:10am, contemplating whether I actually need to sleep or not. Really f*ing creepy when it works! But not an awful lot happens and you literally see next to nothing. I think it could be one of those where I’ll think about it over the next couple of days and how creepy it is, but wouldn’t necessarily recommend it unless I knew it was the sort of thing you’d be into. I LOOOVED the style of it. Extremely unique and helped hold my interest. I liked elements of it A LOT but 80% of it was just nothing - although I’m trying to decide whether that is the reason why it worked when it was creepy. ---- 55. SWAN SONG Score out of 5*: ★★★ [UK Release Date: 17th JANUARY - think I got the last day it was in cinemas down - oops - what a mess lmao]* A beautifully emotive movie that strikes thanks to it's beautifully tender and rich performances. The film on the whole is kinda one note and never pushes itself that one step further to engage it's viewer that little bit more, which is fine. The biggest thing that brings this film to life is Mahershala Ali's stunning performance with... himself (and everyone else... but mostly himself). A solid concept that doesn't really push any boundaries and plays it a bit too generic & safe at times, but that's okay. Very much here for another Mahershala awards moment. Such a simple but effective and stunning performance. ---- 54. PIGGY Score out of 5: ★★★ [UK Release Date: 11th OCTOBER] This was alright. Wasn't quite what it could've been though. Maybe my expectations were just a bit too different to the end result, but I def expected a bit "more". Strong lead performance though and pretty uncomfortable (in the way that it's supposed to be and not a needless way) but it kinda drags a bit in the middle and sets up for an ott finale. Good, not great. ---- 53. SING 2 Score out of 5: ★★★ [UK Release Date: 28th JANUARY] Very cute and endearing enough. Got a few chuckles from me throughout, especially Gunther. My issue with this and the first one though is that I love music and musicals etc.. but they don't seem to show the full performances and instead just use tidbits throughout. Would love if they just went all out with the songs tbh. Preferred this to the first as I felt it had a bit more going for it, but it's just cute, family-friendly popcorn fodder ultimately. Kids love it though and that's the main thing I guess! ---- 52. THE BAD GUYS Score out of 5: ★★★ [UK Release Date: 1st APRIL] This was surprisingly good. The animation style is really odd to me though lol. I feel it's a bit inconsistent? Story was interesting and a great voice cast. I think Shark is absolutely my favourite though. Got quite a few actual LOLs out of me. A lot of fun to be had tbh. Their best since the How To Train... franchise. ---- 51. STRANGE WORLD Score out of 5: ★★★ [UK Release Date: 23rd NOVEMBER] Maybe having such low expectations to begin with helped with my experience and feeling about this movie (literally zero expectation - odd for a new Disney Animation) but I actually ended up quite enjoying this. The animation is stunning. The colour pallet was gorgeous. The action scenes were fun and I really liked the characters. The thing that lets it down though is the screenplay. More specifically the Grandfather-Father-Son story. Just boring, uninteresting and extremely generic. But apart from that I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. In terms of characterisation, this is a big move for Disney. I just hope they don’t blame it’s inevitable underperformance and flop status on those things. Cute movie. Interested about a rewatch coz I think I’ll be able to gloss over the generic and boring screenplay a bit more.


DalekTurret32 View member profile	10th January 2023, 10:06 AM Post #13
FIVE YEARS OF THE TURRET 15-20 Joined: 12 March 2015 Posts: 4,754 User: 21,666	I liked Morbius, Denzel Macbeth and Turning Red Thought Lost Daughter, Black Adam and Licorice Pizza were good, but not great. If you want a gritty, modernized version of Macbeth, the 2006 Australian version is like that. Reviews have been mixed though, but, personally, I enjoyed that one.


JackTheeStallion View member profile	10th January 2023, 10:55 AM Post #14
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 15 March 2006 Posts: 48,139 User: 223	I loved Orphan: First Kill and Smile! I thought the former was on the right side of ridiculous and so fun/camp - it reminded me of Malignant in that respect. Then Smile I genuinely found creepy and really enjoyed/found interesting the use of mental health and that being a factor in it all. A lot I haven't seen here but was on the fence to see - namely Strange World, Skinamarink and Piggy. I think they all sound at least worth a watch based on what you've said?


Josh! View member profile	10th January 2023, 06:33 PM Post #15
c: Joined: 12 March 2014 Posts: 13,153 User: 20,692	QUOTE(Tafty³³³ @ Jan 10 2023, 12:19 AM) Aha! I like Penelope. I thought her performance was decent in PM. But I'm definitely grateful she prevented Gaga from getting an Oscar nom for HoG (which would've been completely undeserved imo). I was aware of the plot, but only because my friend sold it to me after we saw the poster for this film in 2020 at some point. She then told me the story and it sounded incredibly interesting. The tone was all over the place in the movie though, I thought I'd have put Alana Haim in the mix too (not that you liked Licorice Pizza, lmao). Last year was such a tough Best Actress category, someone had to be gulled!! I liked Gaga but maybe she was over-acting in places, bless her. Very low for Avatar!! You're one of the few somewhat negative reviews I've seen on Letterboxd, haha. I was really drawn back into the world after so long and I was so sceptical about the idea of a sequel beforehand (didn't really love Avatar 1 either). THE VISUALS!!!!


Tafty³³³ View member profile	10th January 2023, 09:47 PM Post #16
I found the love, I found the love in me Pronouns: He/Him Joined: 13 December 2007 Posts: 87,464 User: 5,042	QUOTE(DalekTurret32 @ Jan 10 2023, 10:06 AM) I liked Morbius, Denzel Macbeth and Turning Red Thought Lost Daughter, Black Adam and Licorice Pizza were good, but not great. If you want a gritty, modernized version of Macbeth, the 2006 Australian version is like that. Reviews have been mixed though, but, personally, I enjoyed that one. Glad you like them! For me they just lacked something and I'm particularly upset that I didn't love 'Turning Red' as much as I should. </3 Hmm.. I'll think about that one. Not sure I "want" it aha. I just expected it to be like it. Thanks for the recommendation and if I can remember it then I shall give it a watch!


Herbs View member profile	10th January 2023, 09:50 PM Post #17
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 14 March 2006 Posts: 5,731 User: 214	Agree with your comment about Billy E in Bros. He soured what was actually a good movie for me! Interested you put Liquorice Pizza so low. I did think it was overrated, but I did find the Haim girl to be a highlight


Tafty³³³ View member profile	10th January 2023, 09:51 PM Post #18
I found the love, I found the love in me Pronouns: He/Him Joined: 13 December 2007 Posts: 87,464 User: 5,042	QUOTE(JackTheeStallion @ Jan 10 2023, 10:55 AM) I loved Orphan: First Kill and Smile! I thought the former was on the right side of ridiculous and so fun/camp - it reminded me of Malignant in that respect. Then Smile I genuinely found creepy and really enjoyed/found interesting the use of mental health and that being a factor in it all. A lot I haven't seen here but was on the fence to see - namely Strange World, Skinamarink and Piggy. I think they all sound at least worth a watch based on what you've said? Yeah I hated OFK so much. I expected it to be somewhat silly/stupid and ott, but that was a couple of steps too far for me tbh. 'Smile' I wanted to like so much, but it didn't hit much at all for me. Some of the scares were well executed though. I find 'Strange World' pretty underrated, but I kinda get why it's not connected with a lot of people. The main story of it was really boring and dull. 'Skinamarink'... I can't stress enough about how you don't see anything, like, at all... but it was a very unique experience for me. I'd be intrigued to see what you make of it, but I suspect you would hate it tbh. 'Piggy' is ok. A tad overrated but it's a decent watch!


Tafty³³³ View member profile	10th January 2023, 09:55 PM Post #19
I found the love, I found the love in me Pronouns: He/Him Joined: 13 December 2007 Posts: 87,464 User: 5,042	QUOTE(Josh! @ Jan 10 2023, 06:33 PM) I'd have put Alana Haim in the mix too (not that you liked Licorice Pizza, lmao). Last year was such a tough Best Actress category, someone had to be gulled!! I liked Gaga but maybe she was over-acting in places, bless her. Very low for Avatar!! You're one of the few somewhat negative reviews I've seen on Letterboxd, haha. I was really drawn back into the world after so long and I was so sceptical about the idea of a sequel beforehand (didn't really love Avatar 1 either). THE VISUALS!!!! Out of the main contenders, I'd agree with putting Alana up there, but I wouldn't have had her win. Best Actress was really impressive iirc. I think Supporting Actress always tends to be that bit better/harder to choose from though. Yeah. Really not a fan and the B-Movie villain is incredibly off-putting for me. He's such a boring, 1 dimensional character. At least Box Office Queen Zoe slayed her very miniscule part!! Oh and ofc how could I forget... THE VISUALS!!!


Tafty³³³ View member profile	10th January 2023, 09:59 PM Post #20
I found the love, I found the love in me Pronouns: He/Him Joined: 13 December 2007 Posts: 87,464 User: 5,042	QUOTE(Herbs @ Jan 10 2023, 09:50 PM) Agree with your comment about Billy E in Bros. He soured what was actually a good movie for me! Interested you put Liquorice Pizza so low. I did think it was overrated, but I did find the Haim girl to be a highlight I largely agree about 'Bros'. He really was insufferable as a lead. Kinda like that spin-off of a popular side character but falls completely flat coz they're a better character in small doses. Yeah the movie wasn't for me and it was really hard for me to ignore the romance aspect when they kept mentioning their ages throughout.