December 22nd
The Banshees of Inisherin
Avatar: The Way of Water
Triangle of Sadness
The Lost King
Hurstos top films for 2022
Here we go folks - it's time for reviews of the Christmas releases, (well, those I've seen so far. ) Plus below is my list of top films for the year! 10% of what I've seen made the list. And let me wish you all a very happy Christmas, holiday season, whatever you are (or are not) celebrating. All good wishes for 2023, and for plenty of great movie viewing.
The Banshees of Inisherin
Dir: Martin McDonagh
Length: 114 mins
 |
© Searchlight Pictures - funny, dark,
poignant - a small story with large ideas |
Padraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson) have spent their lives on the remote island of Inisherin, and have been lifelong friends. That is until Colm decides Padraic is too dull for him, and declares they are no longer friends. Colm wants to puruse his folk music, leave a legacy to be remembered by, and orders Padraic to stay away from him, with the threat that he (Colm) will otherwise cut off his violin-playing fingers. Padraic's sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon), and disturbed local man Dominic (Barry Keoghan), son of the local policeman, try to settle the rift, but things escalate from bad to worse. From the stars and director of In Bruges, comes another bitingly dark drama/comedy, that sneaks up on you, with its deep themes, stunning settings and tour de force performances. Farrell gives his best perf yet; his goodhearted, simple Padraic is beyond poignant in his childlike refusal to understand why this distressing rejection has happened, but as tensions escalate the story becomes more of an allegory/metaphor for war, and how humans need to settle things with extreme responses. The delicate balance between humour and heartbreak works perfectly and the film is a worthy recipient of its umpteen wins and nominations, including 8 for the forthcoming Golden Globes. 4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended
Avatar: the Way of Water
Dir: James Cameron
Length: 192 mins
 |
© Searchlight Pictures - what a masterpiece
of film-making
|
A decade after the Na'vi, the indigenous inhabitants of Pandora, have sent humans packing back to Earth, Jake Sully (once human, now Na'vi and played by Sam Worthington) is living blissfully with his wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and their four children among the Omatikaya clan. But as he says, happiness is fleeting, and the "sky people", (the humans) return to the planet. Jake leads a resistance but eventually, to protect his family, he flees the forest where he lives, to take refuge with a community of reef-dwelling Na'vi, the Metkayina. Their chief Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and his mate Ronal (Kate Winslett), and their clan teach Jake's family the ways of the sea. But the ruthless Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) is hell-bent on destroying Jake. If you haven't seen Avatar, (2009) then you may not know what a Na'vi or an Avatar is, and I don't propose to start telling you here. But I will tell you this: here is a spectacular sequel to the first film, so dense with plot, action, characters, gorgeous visuals, special effects, and themes relevant to our world today, that it is simply an overwhelming and wonderful experience. Perhaps it is a tad long - maybe a ten-minute cut of the battle scenes, but aside from that, this is one of the most immersive, beautiful and moving films you will see in a long time. Family and its importance looms large. As do themes of exploitation of natural resources, persecution of indigenous people, and destruction of wildlife. Combine all these elements and you have something truly memorable and totally worth the time investment.4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended
The Lost King
Dir: Stephen Frears
Length: 108 mins
 |
© Transmission - a historical mystery is
solved - based upon a true story |
When she attends the Shakespeare play Richard III, Phillippa Langley (Sally Hawkins) feels the king has been misrepresented unfairly and depicted in a negative light. Then, incredibly, she starts seeing apparitions of the king, appearing in the form of the actor from the play, in full costume. She joins a Richard III society, and starts obsessively researching the monarch, whose remains have never been found. After much research Phillippa comes to the conclusion he is buried in a long gone cemetery somewhere in Leicester. After an uneasy alliance with the local university, an archaological dig begins - in a carpark! This film is based upon a true story, although there has been much argy-bargy in real life between Phillippa and the university bods over who should take the credit for a major discovery. Steve Coogan shines as John, Phillippa's kind and encouraging husband, and Hawkins puts in a good turn. There is a bit too much whimsy for my taste, but it's pleasant watching, perhaps super-fascinating for history buffs. 3 - recommended
Triangle of Sadness
Dir: Ruben Ostlund
Length: 127 mins
 |
© Sharmill - shallow folks brought low
on the cruise from hell |
Glam couple Yaya (Charlbi Dean Kriek), a model and social media influencer and male model Carl (Harris Dickinson) are dating. In a three part narrative, part one sees them arguing over who should pay the restaurant bill. In part two, they head off on a luxury yacht cruise around the Greek Islands. A motley crew of wealthy pain-in-the bum people are also on board, and the captain (Woody Harrelson) is a drunkard. Rough weather turns the cruise into a vomitorium (yechhh!) and then everything goes pear-shaped! Part three of the narrative kicks in, seeing the social order turned upside down, with those who were low on the social food chain rising up, and the rich and powerful "beautiful people" brought low. This is biting social satire, exposing the ultimate shallowness and uselessness of wealth and beauty. The film won the Palme D'or at Cannes this year, but won't be to everyone's taste, as it features some of the most revolting (but sort of hilarious) scenes up on the big screen. But it's all part of Ostlund's way of bringing the rich low, and there's enough black humour, strong acting and witty dialogue to make it a worthy and unusual film experience (for those with strong stomachs!) 3.5 - well recommended
Hursto's top films for 2022
I've seen around 270 films this year. I eschew those I think will be disappointing, hence so many high scores. It was a great year for strong films. I had to dig deep to get that 10% of films that were top viewing for me. Remember, it's all subjective! So, in no particular order (except for a couple of standouts) here goes:
Top feature films
Elvis - a standout 5-star film
Nowhere special
The quiet girl
Avatar: The way of water
The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything, everywhere, all at once
Cyrano
Honorable mentions - feature films:
The unbearable weight of massive talent
Good luck to you, Leo Grande
Thirteen lives
Belfast
Limbo
Top Aussie Films
Molly Johnson: The drover's wife
Firefront (doco)
Moja Vesna
How to please a woman
Top Documentaries
Moonage daydream - 5 star standout film
Street gang: How we got here
Chef Antonio's recipes for revolution
Top Foreign language films
Petite maman
Everything went fine
Quo Vadis Aida
Full time
Language lessons
Honorable mentions: foreign language films
Parallel mothers
Man of God
Lunana: a yak in the classroom
Nordic by nature (doco)
Flee (animation) 4
Top Streaming Films
David Attenborough – A life on this planet (doco)
Don’t look up
