Women Talking (2022) *****

A masterful portrait of humanity at its most vulnerable and at its most brave. Also, a superlative example of feminism at its most intelligent, generous and biting.

Stars At Noon (2022) *****

Enigmatic, mesmerizing and sensuous drama set in totalitarian Nicaragua during the Covid lockdowns. A masterpiece of "exotic/erotic" cinema. But instead of an Emmanuelle-style fantasy, we have a realistic portrait of a real woman forced to humiliate herself and to sell her body in order to survive and escape from a totalitarian nightmare. Winner of the Grand Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival and Margaret Qualley's most memorable acting performance to date.

Bardo False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths (2022) ****

Uneven, but often brilliant film that explores Mexican history and identity in a deeply allegoric and personal way.

The Whale (2022) ****

Almost every film review of this film describes it as a story of an overweight man and his problems. It is not. It's a story of an angry young girl lashing out at the entire world and coming to terms with a traumatic event from her childhood when she was eight and abandoned by a father whom she adored. One of Darren Aronofsky's best films.

Tell It Like A Woman (2022) ****

An impressive achievement. Not so much for the technical craft or the directorial vision (except for the Lucia Puenzo's episode, which is indeed superbly directed). There is a thematic coherence between the first five episodes. But what really stands out is the simplicity and the emotional rawness, especially in the first two episodes. They are incredibly moving and touching in the most visceral way. The first story especially serves us a gut punch on many levels. What makes it stand out is how completely it makes us identify with a mentally challenged woman undergoing a psychotic crisis and how she manages to get out of it. The tension is unbelievable. The next two episode also deal with mental illness, but in a softer manner. The second episode is also memorable, and has some unexpected moments of subtle humour. The fourth segment is about ordinary life of a single mother raising two young children. Nothing dramatic, just everyday routine. And the fifth is a more conventional thriller about a veterinarian who discovers that the woman who brings her dog to her clinic is a victim of abuse. It's a very tense story, well handled. The last two segments are completely different from the first five. The shift in tone is jarring. The sixth episode is a Bollywood extravaganza with musical numbers. The seventh is an experimental animated film that is very difficult to decipher. On their own, they are quite interesting. But they have nothing in common with the first five episodes which are very realistic and emotionally charged. The sixth segment tackles transphobia. That's also a social issue, like in the five previous segments that deal with mental illness (the first three), single motherhood and abuse. But the treatment in the sixth segment isn't realistic at all. It's pure spectacle.  There's actually something very interesting in that tonal shift - a refusal to let women's stories be pigeonholed into just social realism, and insisting on a full range of cinematic expression. 

Segments:

"Pepcy And Kim" (Taraji P. Henson)  *****

"Elbows Deep" (Catherine Hardwicke)  ***

"Lagonegro" (Lucia Puenzo)  ****

"A Week In My Life" (Mipo O)  ***

"Unspoken" (Maria Sole Tognazzi)  ***

"Sharing A Ride" (Leena Yadav)  ***

"Aria" (Lucia Bulgheroni, Silvia Carobbio)  ***

No Bears (2022) ****

Another excellent film from Jafar Panahi. It's about an Iranian filmmaker trying to direct (via Skype) a movie filmed across the border in Turkey while residing in a small village on the Iranian side of the border, and getting involved in a serious conflict in that village over a photograph of a young couple. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

The Menu (2022) ****

It is everything that "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" (which it superficially resembles) isn't, namely clever, well-directed, thoughtful, suspenseful and effective. A minor masterpiece.

The Son (2022) ****

Superb drama, incredibly deep and profoundly moving.

Triangle Of Sadness (2022) ****

Winner of the Palme d'or at the Cannes Film Festival. A brilliant satire about modern life, loosely inspired by Cecil B. DeMille's "Male And Female" (1919). Directed by Ruben Ostlund.

Tar (2022) ****

A very surprising film that strongly denounces the excesses of the "cancel culture" while making it abundantly clear that its main character is guilty of sexual abuse on a Harvey Weinstein scale. 

Athena (2022) ****

Superbly directed war movie co-written by Ladj Ly ("Les Miserables").

Bones And All (2022) ****

A film about cannibals which is unlike any other film about cannibals.

Lady Chatterley's Lover (2022) ***

A fine adaptation of D.H.Lawrence's literary masterpiece. Way better than Sylvia Kristel's version from 1981 and almost as good as the French version from 2006.

Babylon (2022) ***

Watching this film makes one realize, once again, what a great masterpiece of Hollywood cinema is "Singin' In The Rain" (1952). As for "Babylon", it's an uneven effort, occasionally brilliant, but way too long and way "too much", especially when elephants, rattlesnakes and alligators show up. Brad Pitt plays a character based on John Gilbert, while Olivia Hamilton gets Dorothy Arzner and Margot Robbie has a lot of fun with Clara Bow. 

Avatar: The Way Of Water (2022) ***

Not as good as "Waterworld" (1995), but close.

All The Beauty And The Bloodshed (2022) ***

A documentary about Nan Goldin and the Sackler Family.

Fire Of Love (2022) ***

White Noise (2022) ***

Persuasion (2022) ***

Innovative adaptation of Jane Austen's best novel.

Navalny (2022) ***

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) ***

The first 13 minutes of this film are quite misleading (although essential to understand the rest of the movie). 

Sharp Stick (2022) ***

Top Gun Maverick (2022) ***

Impressive sequel to the 1986 classic.

She Said (2022) ***

Excellent film about New York Times investigative journalists exposing Harvey Weinstein's rapes and sexual abuses.

Elvis (2022) ***

Fine Elvis Presley biopic, but more conventional than Baz Luhrmann's many earlier films.

Turning Red (2022) ***

Pixar animated film set in Toronto. 

Deep Water (2022) ***

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The Fabelmans (2022) ***

A portrait of the most successful Hollywood film director as a young man, growing up in America from 1952 to 1965.

Lightyear (2022) ***

Excellent "Toy Story" spin-off. Fast-paced, exciting fun.

The Good Nurse (2022) ***

Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne give fabulous performances in this tense suspense thriller based on a true story.

The Sea Beast (2022) ***

Where The Crawdads Sing (2022) ***

Blonde (2022) ***

The Assassination of Hollywood (and JFK) by the Coward Andrew Dominik. But Ana de Armas deserves the highest praise for her superlative performance as Marilyn Monroe.

The Batman (2022) ***

Close (2022) ***

Les Cinq diables (2022) ***

Mascarade (2022) ***

La Nuit du 12 (2022) ***

A police investigation of a horrible crime.

Tori et Lokita (2022) *

Belgian drama about two juvenile African immigrants trapped in a cycle of despair and abuse.

Viens je t'emmene (2022) **

Rien à foutre (2022) ***

Chronique d'une liaison passagère (2022) ***

En corps (2022) ***

Pacifiction tourment sur les iles (2022) *

Saint Omer (2022) ***

Thought-provoking courtroom drama about a young Senegalese mother in France who kills her young daughter.

L'Innocent (2022) ***

A young man learns that his mother is about to marry a man in prison.

Kaymak (2022) ***

EO (2022) ***

The Quiet Girl (2022) **

The Eight Mountains (2022) **

An Italian film, directed by Belgians, about a life-long friendship and mountain-climbing.

All Quiet On The Western Front (2022) ***

After "Mutiny On The Bounty" (1935-1962) and "West Side Story" (1961-2021), this is the third remake of a Best Picture Oscar winner. What film will be next ? And why are all the pacifistic "war is pure hell" movies always set during World War I, and never during World War II ? Oh yes, and the film is absolutely riveting.

Competencia oficial (2022) ***

Excellent satire about an eccentric film director (Penelope Cruz) working with two very different actors. Shot in Spain, but directed by Argentinian filmmakers.

Argentina 1985 (2022) ***

Impressive film about the tragic history of Argentina.