8 minute read
Streaming 2022's Cinematic Highlights
Streaming 2022's Cinematic Highlights
CATCH UP ON SOME OF THE YEAR’S BEST MOVIES FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR COUCH
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By Abby Olcese
It’s December, which means that in addition to all your holiday prep work (or avoidance of holiday prep work—no judging!), it’s time for that other time-honored tradition: catching up on all the movie releases from the past year that you haven’t gotten around to yet.
As of this writing, there are still a number of high-profile films yet to hit theaters, many of which will still be in circulation of one kind or another by the time you’re reading this. If you’re not feeling the theatrical experience just yet, or you just want to brush up on everything that came out before the crush of year-end prestige pictures, there’s no time like the present to snuggle up on the couch with a hot drink, beloved pet and/or significant other, and check out some of 2022’s best offerings. Here are some recommendations of standouts to check out on streaming and VOD.
Awards Contenders
Everything Everywhere All At Once Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s latest brain-bending sci-fi comedy enjoyed a surprisingly long stint in theaters thanks to growing word-of-mouth, making it arthouse studio A24’s most financially successful release so far. Its jam-packed plot and frenetic pacing may not be for everyone, but it remains one of the most original and audacious movies of the year—or maybe the decade so far, for that matter.
Michelle Yeoh stars as Evelyn Wang, a frustrated laundromat owner who learns via her typically meek husband Waymond (former Goonies and Temple of Doom star Ke Huy Quan, in an astounding comeback role) that she’s the key to saving the multiverse from a fabulously-dressed destructive being named Jobu Tupaki. Colorful, sophomoric, and oddly touching hijinks ensue involving kung-fu battles, a talking raccoon voiced by Randy Newman and people with hot dog fingers, among other elements. (VOD)
Nope
Like Everything, Everywhere All At Once, Jordan Peele’s Nope is specifically engineered to make you love cinema and everything that’s possible within the medium. In addition to celebrating spectacle, creativity, and a pioneering spirit, however, Nope also contains fascinating commentary on specific aspects of the Hollywood machine, namely the often-exploited performers, craftspeople, and even animals the system loves to chew up and spit back out for our own entertainment. Also notable: Michael Kamen’s career-best score, which, like the movie itself, references other work while remaining thrillingly original. (VOD)
The Woman King
From the moment Viola Davis’ Nanisca and her fierce army of woman warriors rise from the grass in the opening scene, we know what kind of movie The Woman King is going to be. Gina Prince-Bythewood continues the red-hot action streak she started with 2020’s The Old Guard with a historical epic that utterly rips but is surprisingly emotional and tender. Prince-Bythewood’s movie hits the expected beats of its genre while emphasizing the relationship and vulnerability that makes it stand out from the crowd. (VOD)
Fire of Love
Sara Dosa’s documentary about the lives and careers of married volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft is a quirky, visually stunning crowd-pleaser. Fire of Love is made up mostly of footage the Kraffts shot during their prolific career (which ended with their deaths in 1991) and analyzed with appropriately wry narration from Miranda July. The film wonders at nature’s bizarre glory alongside its subjects and admires their commitment to science and each other while also remaining curious about the legacy they left behind. Come for the lava. Stay for the weird love story. (Disney+)
Let's Get Stabby
Bodies Bodies Bodies
Halina Rejin directs a script from award-winning playwright Sarah DeLappe (The Wolves) and “Cat Person” author Kristen Roupenian that plays like a molly-fueled Agatha Christie whodunnit. On the eve of a hurricane, a group of backstabbing, rich-kid friends gather at one member’s (Pete Davidson) family home to ride out the storm with drugs, drinking, and games. When the power goes out and someone turns up dead, the relational dynamics quickly plummet into chaos as corpses start to pile up alongside long-buried grudges. (VOD)
Barbarian
If you somehow still haven’t seen this word-of-mouth sensation, believe what your friends say and go in as cold as possible. Zach Cregger’s debut film starts with a tense opening act, then swerves in unexpected directions that will simultaneously make your stomach drop and incite hoots of laughter. That its best aspects haven’t been fully revealed by now is a miracle of marketing and its many fans’ dedication to keeping the movie’s secrets under wraps. Watch it now before someone spoils it for you at a holiday party. (HBO Max)
Deadstream
Made with care and a wicked sense of humor by filmmaking couple Joseph and Vanessa Winter, the plucky found-footage horror-comedy Deadstream belongs firmly to the Evil Dead II school, taking great pleasure in practical effects, potent scares, and putting its lead character through a well-deserved ringer. Joseph Winter also stars as disgraced internet personality Shawn Ruddy, who hopes to regain his lost clout with an overnight livestream in a haunted house. As you may have already guessed, Shawn isn’t alone, and it’s going to be a rough night. (Shudder)
Movies Hollywood Did Dirty
Bros
The Discourse didn’t do Billy Eichner and Nicholas Stoller’s romantic comedy any favors, but I implore you to overlook all the annoying tweets (including some of Eichner’s own) and check it out. Bros is a legitimately good romantic comedy that deserves to be seen and appreciated by more people, regardless of whether someone online told you that you had to in order to be a good ally. Eichner’s movie is frank about the sex lives of gay men but also takes notes from the best examples of the genre in terms of making a character-driven movie about two leads with great romantic chemistry. Watch it. It’s fun, I promise. (VOD)
Turning Red
Disney made the choice to send Turning Red straight to streaming presumably as a pandemic precaution, though it’s a bummer they couldn’t have held it for a few months and released the film theatrically later in the year. Domee Shi’s debut feature follows a Chinese-Canadian girl whose physical reaction to puberty and mounting family pressures manifest as a giant, adorable red panda. It’s a heartwarming, funny and moving adventure from a perspective Disney and Pixar haven’t given us before. (Disney+)
Prey
Like Turning Red, Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey deserved a theatrical opening but was bafflingly only given a streaming release. Trachtenberg’s entry into the Predator franchise is refreshing, building on the original 1987 movie’s commentary on macho masculinity by showing natural intelligence and survival skills in an Indigenous woman, Naru (Amber Midthunder, in a breakout performance). Prey is lean, smart, shot beautifully, and features the other best film score of 2022. It’s not just a good Predator movie. It’s a good movie, period. (Hulu)
Animation!
Marcel the Shell with Shoes on
If you love the whimsy and sweetness of the Paddington movies, the detailed stop-motion craft of Fantastic Mr. Fox, or the aesthetic of Amelie, you owe it to yourself to watch Marcel the Shell with Shoes on, an 89-minute adventure featuring the diminutive seashell star of the 2010s YouTube shorts. Dean Fleischer- Camp and Jenny Slate’s film has immense heart and a childlike sense of creativity that encourages us to seek delight in the everyday and look for the good in everything, even (especially) when it’s tough to find. (VOD)
The Sea Beast
This family film dropped unceremoniously on Netflix earlier this year, but don’t let that deter you. The most recent effort from Disney veteran Chris Williams (his résumé includes Moana, Frozen, Big Hero Six and Bolt) is worth a look. Set in a fantasy world where humans are constantly under threat from sea monsters, The Sea Beast follows young orphan would-be hunter Maisie (Zaris-Angel Hator) as she stows away on a ship, befriends reluctant mentor Jacob Holland (Karl Urban) and discovers the truth about the giant creatures that roam the waves. This is colorful, charming entertainment that any kid into high adventure and fantastical creatures (or former children still into that stuff) can enjoy. (Netflix)
Wendell & Wild
Stop-motion legend Henry Selick’s first film in over a decade—and his first collaboration with Jordan Peele—was worth waiting for. The supernatural young adult thrill ride is a little overstuffed (there are lots of ideas packed in here), but it’s still a great story about an orphaned teen (Lyric Ross) who summons two demons (Peele and Keegan-Michael Key) to revive her dead parents. Wendell & Wild also features a plot involving the school-to-prison pipeline, a heroic transgender supporting character, and an expertly curated soundtrack of POC-fronted bands like X-Ray Spex, Death, and TV on the Radio. It’s an impressive piece of work, even if the movie can’t quite contain everything within its 105-minute runtime. (Netflix)
