He was born ready!
Since I already shared the full version for today song of the day, it only seems right to share the classic scene from 1997’s Boogie Nights, featuring Mark Wahlberg performing The Touch.
Tag Archives: Mark Wahlberg
Song of the Day: The Touch by Mark Wahlberg
Happy birthday, Mark Wahlberg!
You got the touch
You got the power
After all is said and done
You’ve never walked, you’ve never run
You’re a winner
You got the moves, you know the streets
Break the rules, take the heat
You’re nobody’s fool
You’re at your best when when the going gets rough
You’ve been put to the test, but it’s never enough
You got the touch
You got the power
When all hell’s breaking loose
You’ll be riding the eye of the storm
You got the heart
You got the motion
You know that when things get too tough
You got the touch
You never bend, you never break
You seem to know just what it takes
You’re a fighter
It’s in the blood, it’s in the will
It’s in the mighty hands of steel
When you’re standing your ground
And you never get hit when your back’s to the wall
Going to fight to the end and you’re taking it all
You got the touch
You got the power
When all hell’s breaking loose
You’ll be riding the eye of the storm
You got the heart
You got the motion
You know that when things get too tough
You got the touch
You’re fighting fire with fire
You know you got the touch
You’re at your best when when the road gets rough
You’ve been put to the test, but it’s never enough
You got the touch
You got the power
You got the touch
You got the power
Lyrics: Stan Bush
Music Video of the Day: Good Vibrations by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch (1991, directed by Scott Kalvert)
Mark Wahlberg, the man once known as Marky Mark, is 54 years old today. That’s the type of news that really makes you realize how quickly time passes.
Good Vibrations was Mark “Marky Mark” Wahlberg’s first MTV-promoted music video. The woman in the video is model Traci Bingham, who later went on to appear on Baywatch. Boxer Mickey Ward was brought in to show the 18 year-old Marky Mark how to convincingly throw a punch in the ring. Years later, Wahlberg would play Mickey Ward in The Fighter.
I would love to be able to go back to 1991 and tell everyone that Marky Mark was destined to be an Oscar nominee. They would be so shocked that they probably wouldn’t even flinch when I told them that, when Marky Mark turned 54, Donald Trump was serving his second nonconsecutive term as President.
Enjoy!
Film Review: Patriots Day (dir by Peter Berg)
On April 15th, 2013, a terrible crime was committed.
Two brothers, Tamerlan and Dzokhar Tsarnaev, bombed the Boston Marathon. I can remember the exact moment when I looked up at the television and I saw the footage of the bomb going off as a group of runners ran across the finish line. Instinctively, I found myself hoping that the explosion looked worse than it actually was and that no one had been seriously injured. However, I was then flooded with images of people running in fear while other lay injured and bleeding on the ground. A photograph of man who had lost his both his legs was seared into my mind, the nightmarish image of those exposed and shattered bones coming to represent the pure evil that was unleashed on that day.
At first, there was a lot of speculation about who was responsible for the bombing. Despite the fact that it had all the earmarks of an al-Qaeda operation, many people on the news insisted that the bomb had been set by their favorite boogeymen, the right-wing militias. (The initial theory was that it was a tax day protest, which is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.) Three days after the bombing, the first photographs of the Tsarnaev Brothers were released. Looking at the security footage of Tamerlan placing a bomb on the ground right next to a child who was subsequently killed in the blast, I started to rethink my opposition to the death penalty.
Boston was shut down until the Tsarnaev brothers were tracked down and, along with hating the Tsarnaevs, I found myself fearing that the search for them would normalize the idea of suspending civil liberties. Tamerlan was gunned down in a fight with police and hopefully, he felt each bullet. Dzokhar was captured after he attempted to hide in a homeowner’s boat while whining like a little bitch. Dzokhar is one of three people on the Federal Death Row. He also has a truly creepy fan club online, though they haven’t been as active as they were in the past.
2016’s Patriots Day is about that tragic day and the subsequent manhunt for the Tsarnaev brothers. This is another one of Peter Berg’s films about professional, no-nonsense men who have a job to do and who do it well. Mark Wahlberg plays a cop. Kevin Bacon plays the FBI agent who heads up the investigation. John Goodman plays the Boston police commission while Michael Beach makes an appearance as Deval Patrick, the then-governor of Massachusetts who ran a bizarrely overlooked presidential campaign in 2020. Just as he did with Deepwater Horizon, Berg emphasizes the human cost of the tragedy along with the official efforts to track down the men responsible. The ensemble comes together impressively, recreating those scary few days and also paying tribute to a city that refused to allow itself to be defeated. Patriots Day follows the common, blue collar citizens of Boston as they deal with a horrific act of evil. Even though we all know how the story turned out, the film manages to create a decent amount of suspense as the authorities search for the Tsarnaevs. As for the brothers themselves, the film portrays them as being initially cocky and eventually pathetic. To the film’s credit, it doesn’t ask us to consider things from the point of view of the terrorists. There’s no moral relativism here. The film knows who deserves to be heard.
Patriots Day is a tribute to the first responders and the citizens of Boston who refused to allow the Tsarnaevs to win. With so many people now making excuses for terrorism, Patriots Day is a powerful reminder of the human cost of such actions. The Tsarnaevs through they were striking a blow for their ideology. Instead, they just reminded us how strong people can be.
The Films of 2025: Flight Risk (dir by Mel Gibson)
Flight Risk, Mel Gibson’s first directorial effort since the Oscar-nominated Hacksaw Ridge, opens with Winston (Topher Grace) being arrested by Madolyn (Michelle Dockery), a U.S. Marshal.
Winston is an accountant, one who moved around a lot of money for the Mafia and who arranged for a lot of bribes to high-ranked officials. That said, Winston is not a particularly dangerous or even cunning fugitive. If anything, he’s extremely neurotic. He worries about the safety of his mother. He tells Madolyn (and the audience) way more than anyone could possibly need to know about his bathroom habits. He’s on the run because the government wants him to testify against his former employers. Winston is far more frightened of the Mafia than he is of the government and with good reason. The Mafia wants him dead. The government still needs him alive.
After Winston is arrested in Alaska, Madolyn arranges for them to be flown to Anchorage by a Texas-born bush pilot named Darryl Booth. When a man claiming to be Darryl (Mark Walhberg) shows up, Madolyn and Winston promptly get on the plane. From the minute Wahlberg started speaking, I was rolling my eyes. Wahlberg’s Texas accent was perhaps the worst that I’ve ever heard in a modern movie and that’s saying something. Fortunately, it turned out that Wahlberg’s accent was deliberately bad. The man calling himself Darryl Booth is not actually Darryl Booth. He’s not from Texas. He’s not a professional pilot. Instead, he’s a hitman who has been sent to kill both Winton and Madolyn. Unfortunately, Madolyn and Winston don’t realize that until the plane has already taken off.
Flight Risk starts out as an enjoyably silly movie but it’s ultimately done in by the limitations of its plot. Nearly the entire film takes place in that cramped and nondescript airplane and neither Madolyn nor Darryl are really compelling enough to hold onto your interest over the entire course of the film’s 90 minute running time. Winston, on the other hand, is actually a compelling character and Topher Grace shows, once again, that he deserves a bigger film career than the one he has. Unfortunately, Winston spends the majority of the film incapacitated. He’s either in handcuffs and stuck in the back of the plane or he’s sitting up front and freaking out but he never gets to do as much as one might wish. Instead, the entire film comes down to Darryl taunting his targets and Madolyn struggling to figure out how to fly the plane. To be honest, the film actually makes flying look pretty easy. I mean, Madolyn has no experience as a pilot and she somehow still manages not to crash. How difficult could it be?
Of the three main actors, Topher Grace gives the best performance, managing to give a fully-rounded performance even when Winston is incapable of moving. For the first thirty minutes or so of the film, Mark Wahlberg is enjoyably over-the-top but then his character just becomes a standard talkative villain. Michelle Dockery is stuck playing a boring character and she never brings much life to her flat dialogue. If anything, she’s outacted by an unseen Leah Remini, who provides the voice of Madolyn’s partner and proves that she can still curse like a champ.
Flight Risk continues the pattern of scripts that rank high on Hollywood’s “black list,” (that is, the annual list of the most popular unproduced scripts in Hollywood), being turned it into disappointing films. At least it’s slightly more fun than Cedar Rapids.
Film Review: Deepwater Horizon (dir by Peter Berg)
2016’s Deepwater Horizon tells the story of the 2010 explosion that led to the biggest oil spill in American history.
Owned by British Petroleum, the Deepwater Horizon was an oil rig sitting off the coast of Louisiana and Texas. A series of explosions, which were found to be the result cost-cutting and negligence on the part of BP, killed eleven men, injured countless others, and led to an 87-day oil spill that leaked 210 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of America (or the Gulf of Mexico, as it was known back then. I know, it can be heard to keep track). I can still remember when the disaster happened. It was seen as an early test of the “government-can-fix-anything” philosophy of the Obama era and it pretty much proved the opposite. Private citizens (including Kevin Costner) offered to help and were rebuffed. The governor of Louisiana was criticized for ordering the construction of barrier islands, even though they were more effective than was that the federal government was offering up. The CEO of British Petroleum issued a self-pitying apology. For a generation coming of political age in 2010, witnessing the government’s ineffective attempts to deal with the oil spill was as radicalizing a moment as the COVID lunacy would be for people coming of age in 2020.
In all the chaos surrounding the oil spill, it was often overlooked that 11 people died in the initial explosion. In all the rightful criticism that was directed towards British Petroleum, the heroic efforts of the workers on the Deepwater Horizon, all of whom risked their lives to try to prevent the disaster from getting worse, were also often overlooked. To an extent, Deepwater Horizon corrects that oversight, paying tribute to the men on that rig while also portraying the extent of the environmental disaster caused by BP’s negligence.
The film centers of Jimmy Harrell (Kurt Russell) and Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg), two engineers who attempt to warn BP execs like Donald Virdrine (John Malkovich) that cutting costs on safety will inevitably lead to disaster. Russell, Wahlberg, and Malkovich are all ideally cast, with Russell and Wahlberg capturing the spirit of men who try to do their job well and who live their life by the philosophy of not leaving anyone behind. Malkovich is playing a corporate stooge, the man who many people blamed for the disaster. But, to his credit, Malkovich is able to turn Virdrine into a complex character. Virdrine makes terrible mistakes but he never becomes one-dimensional corporate villain. Though Deepwater Horizon is dominated by its special effects and the explosion is an undeniably intense scene, the film doesn’t forget about the human cost of the disaster. Russell, Wahlberg, and Malkovich are supported by good performances from Ethan Suplee, Gina Rodriguez, and Kate Hudson. (Hudson, in particular, deserves a lot of credit for making her thinly-written role into something compelling.) Kurt Russell does such a good job of capturing Jimmy’s quiet confidence and his expertise that, the minute he’s injured by the explosion, the audience knows that Deepwater Horizon is doomed. If even Kurt Russell can’t save the day, what hope is there?
Director Peter Berg specialized in films about ordinary people who found themselves caught up in extraordinary situations. His well-made and earnest films — like Lone Survivor, Patriots Day, and this one — were rarely acclaimed by critics, many of whom seemed to take personal offense at Berg’s unapologetically patriotic and individualistic vision. Personally, I appreciate Berg’s pro-American aesthetic. At a time when we were being told that individuals didn’t matter and that everyone should be content with merely being a cog in a bigger machine, Berg’s films came along to say, “This is what team work actually means.” It’s been five years since Berg’s last film. Hopefully, we will get a new one soon.
THE CORRUPTOR (1999) – Chow Yun-Fat and Mark Wahlberg fight corruption in Chinatown!
In the late 90’s, I was all in on actor Chow Yun-Fat. Having only discovered his excellent Hong Kong film work a couple of years earlier, I was so excited to see what kind of splash he would make in American films. I loved his first American film THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS (1998), but I will admit it was an exercise in style over substance, and it really didn’t show off his acting abilities. Chow was working hard to improve his English language skills during this time, but that limited his performance the first time around. As I settled into my seat on the film’s opening weekend at the box office in March of 1999, I was hoping to see the Chow Yun-Fat I loved from his Hong Kong movies. But more on that later…
THE CORRUPTOR opens with a bomb going off in Chinatown, followed by a sidewalk assassination in broad daylight. It seems there’s a turf war being fought between a street gang called the Fukienese Dragons, led by Bobby Vu (Byron Mann), and a Chinese criminal organization called the Tung Fung Benevolence Association, led by Uncle Benny Wong (Kim Chan) and Henry Lee (Ric Young). We then meet Nicholas Chen (Chow Yun-Fat), a heroic, highly decorated NYPD cop who runs the Asian Gang Unit. His unit is tasked with trying to keep the peace in Chinatown, but with all the recent violence, they’re clearly failing. Knowing he needs more help, Chen requests additional manpower and gets the young and eager Danny Wallace (Mark Wahlberg). The two men don’t hit it off immediately as Chen had wanted a more experienced, Asian cop. Over time, however, Chen begins to trust Wallace and begins to let him into the inner workings of the unit.
We soon find out that things are much more complicated in Chinatown police work than they might have appeared at first. Chen is not quite as heroic as initially presented. He’s a morally conflicted man who wants to do good work for the people of Chinatown, but in the process, he’s compromised himself by taking sides and forming a delicate alliance with Uncle Benny and Henry Lee. And Danny isn’t quite the young, green cop he was presented as either. In fact, he’s been secretly tasked by Internal Affairs to monitor Chen and his unit. As Wallace sees what’s really going on in Chinatown, and after Chen saves his ass on multiple occasions, it becomes harder and harder for him to do his job and build a case against Chen. As the film reaches its conclusion in this world of grey, we will see if Chen and Wallace can work together and take down Henry Lee and Bobby Vu, who have formed an alliance to take over Chinatown’s criminal activities. And we will find out what Wallace will do with the information he has on Chen.
I’m a big fan of THE CORRUPTOR, and the primary reason is the excellent performance of Chow Yun-Fat. No other American made action film showed off the extraordinary charisma that made him a superstar in Asia in the 1980’s. In this film, Chow is able to play both sides of the law and still remain incredibly likable. He pulls this balancing act off in a way that appears effortless, and yet there are very few actors in the world who are capable of doing it. Mark Wahlberg had emerged as a major film star a couple of years earlier with the runaway success of BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997). I think he’s very good in this film as well, as his character must reconcile his ideals against the reality of fighting crime in such a dangerous environment. There’s a scene near the end where Chen has been informed that Wallace is internal affairs and confronts him about it. Wahlberg is incredible in the scene, setting the stage for the exciting resolution of the film.
THE CORRUPTOR has several excellent action set-pieces, beginning with a shootout at a lamp shop. This is when I knew this movie was going to present the Chow Yun-Fat I know and love. His personality is displayed in the scene, along with his two guns blazing in slow motion. There’s also an intense car chase through crowded streets and a final showdown on a cargo ship that really stood out to me. Director James Foley was probably hired based on his prior work that showed an ability to deal with moral ambiguity in films like AT CLOSE RANGE (1986) and GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (1992). While he wouldn’t be my first directorial choice for an action film, he does a fine job in my opinion.
Overall, I recommend THE CORRUPTOR to any person who likes Chow Yun-Fat, Mark Wahlberg, or an entertaining action film. It’s not in the league of Chow’s best Hong Kong films, but it is his best American action film, because it actually gives him a strong character to play. That went a long way with me.
I’ve included the trailer for the film below:
Scenes that I love: Angels Live In My Town From Boogie Nights (Happy Birthday, John C. Reilly)
Today is John C. Reilly’s 59th birthday. This provides me with a great reason to share a scene that I love from 1997’s Boogie Nights. In this scene, John C. Reilly and Mark Wahlberg star in one of the best films never actually made, Angels Live In My Town.
Brock Landers and Chest Rockwell were quite a team.
10 Oscar Snubs From the 1990s
Ah, the 90s. Some would say that this was the last good decade that the world would ever experience. It was certainly a good decade for films! Still, there were some notable Oscar snubs during this decade. Here are ten of them.
1990: Ray Liotta Is Not Nominated For Goodfellas
The fact that Ray Liotta did not even receive a nomination for playing Henry Hill in Goodfellas will always astound me. While the film did receive several nominations (and really, it should have won the majority of them), Ray Liotta was snubbed despite the fact that it was his performance that pretty much held the film together. Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise, and Val Kilmer were among those who were considered for the role before Liotta received it. They’re all fine actors but it’s hard to imagine any of them bringing Henry to life quite as well as Ray Liotta.
1991: John Goodman is Not Nominated for Barton Fink
“I WILL SHOW YOU THE LIFE OF THE MIND!”
It’s a little bit amazing that John Goodman has never received an Oscar nomination. I don’t think he’s ever been scarier (and, in his way, more poignant) than when he played Charley “Mad Man Mundt” Meadows in Barton Fink.
1993: The Age of Innocence Is Not Nominated For Best Picture
While we’re on the subject of Scorsese films that were snubbed by the Academy, it’s amazing to me that Scorsese’s witty, smart, and visually stunning adaptation of The Age of Innocence did not receive a Best Picture nomination.
1993: Dazed and Confused Is Completely Snubbed
Okay, maybe this one isn’t as surprising as the Academy snubbing as Scorsese picture. Even today, it’s doubtful that the Academy would embrace a film about a bunch of stoned Texas high school kids. Still, it bothers me that Dazed and Confused received not a single nomination. It’s certainly better remembered than many of the films that were nominated that year.
1995: Heat Is Completely Ignored
Considering that the film is now regularly cited as one of the best crime films ever made, it’s interesting to note that the Academy totally ignored Heat. The film received no acting nominations. Michael Mann was not nominated for his skill in juggling several different storylines. The film didn’t even receive any technical nominations. The cinematography was ignored. You would think that the massive shoot-out would have gotten the film a nomination for Best Sound Editing but, even in that category, Heat was ignored.
Needless to say, Heat was not nominated for Best Picture. The 1995 Best Picture line-up has always seemed like an odd mix of films, with Babe, Apollo 13, Sense and Sensibility, and Il Postino all losing out to Mel Gibson’s Braveheart. Apollo 13 and Sense and Sensibility didn’t even receive nominations for their directors, Ron Howard and Ang Lee. It was an odd year, I guess. Heat was not the only acclaimed film to miss out on a Best Picture nomination but at least Casino, Leaving Las Vegas, and Dead Man Walking still received nominations in other categories. Heat was totally snubbed.
1996: Steve Buscemi Is Not Nominated For Fargo
Despite being a cultural institution, Steve Buscemi has never received an Oscar nomination. I would have nominated him for Fargo.
1997: Boogie Nights Is Not Nominated For Best Picture, Best Director, or Best Actor
Despite receiving two acting nominations for Burt Reynolds and Julianne Moore and a screenplay nomination, Boogie Nights missed out on the big award. To be honest, I have a feeling that the film would have been nominated if it had been released today. But, in the year of Titanic, the Academy may not have been ready to embrace a film about the Golden Age of Porn. And they certainly weren’t ready to embrace Mark Wahlberg, despite his award-worthy performance of The Touch. Given a choice, the Academy will always embrace the James Camerons of the world before it embraces the Jack Horners. That said, as we saw in the film, Dirk and Angels Live In My Town swept the AFAA awaards and that’s the important things.
1997: Billy Zane Is Not Nominated For Titanic
C’mon, he was the best thing about the movie! If Billy Zane can’t receive a nomination for shouting, “I hope you’ll be very happy together!” while chasing Leo and Kate through a sinking ship, what is the point of even having the Oscars?
1999: Reese Witherspoon Is Not Nominated For Best Actress For Election
Reese Witherspoon’s performance as Tracey Flick is iconic precisely because it feels so real. Everyone has known as Tracey Flick. Everyone has been annoyed by a Tracey Flick. Everyone has hoped for a Tracey Flick to fail. And everyone has inwardly lost a little faith in karma as the Tracey Flicks of the world have continued to find work as mid-level bureaucrats. In fact, I imagine that might be the reason why Reese Witherspoon was not nominated for her outstanding performance in Election. No one wanted to reward Tracey Flick.
1999: Bruce Willis Is Not Nominated For Best Actor For The Sixth Sense
Seriously, everyone really took him for granted. Just try to imagine The Sixth Sense with someone else in his role.
Agree? Disagree? Do you have an Oscar snub that you think is even worse than the 10 listed here? Let us know in the comments!
Up next: A new century brings new snubs!
2022 In Review: Lisa Marie’s Top 30 Films of 2022
Without further ado, here are my top 30 films of 2022!
(Why 30? Because Lisa doesn’t do odd numbers! Also, be sure to check out my picks for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021! Wow, I’ve been doing this for a while!)
30. Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (dir by Dean Fleischer Camp)
An animated film with heart, Marcel The Shell With Shoes On would probably be ranked higher if Marcel’s favorite news show had been something other than 60 Minutes. Still, questionable viewing habits aside, Marcel and Nana Connie and all the other shells were amazing characters and the end of the movie brought tears to my mismatched eyes. With this film and I Want You Back, Jenny Slate had quite a year.
Released in February of this year, this film about Ted Kaczyski and his descent into madness was unfairly overlooked. Sharlto Copley was perfectly cast as Ted K. This is a film that probably won’t make Ted’s supporters happy but, at the same time, it also avoids painting him as just being a straight-out madman. It’s refusal to simplify makes the film far more than just another true crime biopic.
28. Dashcam (dir by Rob Savage)
Starring Annie Hardy as herself, this low-budget horror film is a scathing satire of life during the age of COVID and performative “wokeness.” After the past few years, there’s something rather cathartic about Hardy’s refusal to obey.
27. The Batman (dir by Matt Reeves)
At this point, I’m fairly cynical about comic book movies in general and Batman films in specific. I mean, how many Batmen have we had over the past ten years? (Actually, I think only four but it feels like a lot more!) That said, I enjoyed The Batman, for both its noirish atmosphere and it’s willingness to embrace the melodrama. You have to love the fact that the villain was basically a nerdy podcaster.
26. Operation Mincemeat (dir by John Madden)
Based on a true story, this film was a throwback to the earnest World War II films of the past. Colin Firth, Kelly MacDonald, Matthew McFayden, and Johnny Flynn were all well-cast and did their part to bring this moment of WWII history to life.
25. Father Stu (dir by Rosalind Ross)
You don’t have to be from a Catholic background to appreciate Father Stu but it probably helps. This was one of those roles that only Mark Wahlberg could have pulled off.
24. See How They Run (dir by Tom George)
This stylized murder mystery was terrifically entertaining and witty. Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan are both treasures.
23. I Want You Back (dir by Jason Orley)
Two friends conspire to win back their respective romantic partners and end up falling in love with each other instead. This was an enjoyable comedy, one that was blessed with an outstanding cast that included Jenny Slate, Charlie Day, Scott Eastwood, and Gina Rodriguez. The scene in which Jenny Slate sings Suddenly Seymour is a classic.
22. Ambulance (dir by Michael Bay)
This was the film that Michael Bay was born to direct. For once, Bay’s hyperkinetic style was perfectly matched by the story being told. It also helped that the ambulance was a real ambulance and not a robot pretending to be an ambulance.
21.Send Me (dir by Nick Palmisciano)
This is a heart-breaking documentary about the efforts of 12 veterans to evacuate as many allies as they could during the disastrous withdraw from Afghanistan. This film deserved more attention than it got.
20. The Bombardment (dir by Ole Bornedal)
Based on a true story, this Danish film deals with the accidental bombing of a school during World War II. It’s been overshadowed a bit by All Quiet On The Western Front but, in its quieter way, The Bombardment is also a strong look at the horrors of war.
19. Goodnight Oppy (dir by Ryan White)
This is a poignant documentary about Opportunity, the NASA exploration rover that spent 15 years exploring Mars. This movie proves that a robot can make you cry.
18. Dark Glasses (dir by Dario Argento)
Don’t listen to the critics. This enjoyably over-the-top giallo was an entertaining return-to-form for Dario Argento.
17. Wildcat (dir by Melissa Lesh and Trevor Fost)
This poignant documentary follows a depressed veteran as he finds purpose helping to raise a baby ocelot in Peru. Be prepared to cry.
16. Apollo 10 1/2 (dir by Richard Linklater)
Richard Linklater’s animated film was well-received by critics but it’s still hard not to feel that it’s been a bit overlooked. Narrated by Jack Black, the film details the 1969 moon landing from the perspective of a child with a very active imagination. Nostalgic, sweet-natured, and ultimately rather moving, Apollo 10 1/2 is a film that celebrates life.
15. Three Minutes: A Lengthening (dir by Bianca Stigner)
This haunting and moving documentary, which is narrated by Helena Bonham Cater, examines a three-minute snippet of 16mm film that was shot in a Jewish town in Poland in 1938, shortly before the Nazis invaded. By examining every aspect of those three minutes, this documentary becomes both a memorial for the inhabitants of that town and a much-needed reminder of the horrors and reality of the Holocaust. With anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial on the rise, this is an important documentary.
14. The Northman (dir by Robert Eggers)
The Northman is occasionally thrilling and occasionally ludicrous but it’s always watchable. Robert Eggers finds moments of humor and odd beauty in this Viking epic. Nicole Kidman embraces the melodrama and goes all out. I just hope Valhalla was actually worth all the trouble.
13. Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (dir by Joel Crawford)
Yeah, you knew this film was going to show up on my list. To be honest, the film could have been about just about anything. I’d watch Puss In Boots read the phone book as long as Antonio Banderas returned to do his voice. The fact that the film itself was cute and even touching was an added bonus.
12. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (dir by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson)
Yes, a puppet can make you cry.
11. Babylon (dir by Damien Chazelle)
Was it flawed? You bet. Did it run a little bit too long? Yes, it did. Could I have done without the scene with the elephant? You better believe it. That said, this film was so gloriously excessive and over-the-top that it was easy for me to forgive its flaws. The critics may not have liked it but Babylon is a film that will be rediscovered.
10. The Fabelmans (dir by Steven Spielberg)
I went back and forth over whether to put The Fabelmans or Babylon in the number ten spot. In a way, they’re kind of similar in that they have their flaws but they’re both saved by their director’s obvious love of cinema. In the end, David Lynch’s role as John Ford moved The Fabelmans into the 10th spot.
9. Everything Everywhere All At Once (dir by the Daniels)
To be honest, I think some people are going a little bit overboard in their praise for this film. Yes, it’s one of the year’s best but 2022 wasn’t that strong of a year and Everything is one of those probable Best Picture winners that, like Nomadland and CODA, will probably not be quite as celebrated after it actually wins. That said, Michelle Yeoh and especially Ke Huy Quan deserve all the praise that they’ve received and I appreciated that the film featured the destruction of an IRS office. It’s not as perfect as some say but, due largely to the cast, it still deserves to be in my top ten.
8. Nitram (dir by Justin Kurzel)
This is another unfairly overlooked film, this time from Australia. Caleb Landry Jones gives a powerful and disturbing performance as a troubled young man named Nitram who commits an act of shocking violence. Anthony LaPaglia and Judy Davis play Nitram’s parents, who are both troubled in their own individual ways. Essie Davis plays the older woman who falls in love with Nitram, despite the fact that Nitram is incapable of loving anyone.
7. Emily the Criminal (dir by John Patton Ford)
Aubrey Plaza plays Emily, who discovers that not only does crime pay but, in the gig economy, it’s one of those few ways to get ahead. Part thriller and part satire, Emily the Criminal reminds us that Plaza is one of the most interesting actresses working today.
6. All Quiet On The Western Front (dir by Edward Berger)
This German anti-war epic stays true to the themes of its source material while updating the plot for the modern era. The contrast between the generals and the diplomats planning battles and the soldiers dying in them is a powerful one.
5. Elvis (dir by Baz Luhrmann)
This wonderfully excessive biopic features good music, a great performance from Austin Butler, and a wonderfully eccentric one from Tom Hanks. Luhrmann is hardly a subtle director but Butler’s performance keeps the film from spiraling out of control.
4. Vengeance (dir by B.J. Novak)
This whip-smart satire of both true crime podcasts and the red state/blue state divide deserved far more attention than it received. Ashton Kutcher has actually become a surprisingly dependable character actor. Director and screenwriter Novak tells the story with sensitivity and a sharp eye for the absurd.
3. The Banshees of Inisherin (dir by Martin McDonagh)
In his best film yet, Martin McDonagh examines friendship, art, violence, and anger in Ireland. Brendan Gleeson no longer wants to be Colin Farrell’s friend. Farrell’s attempts to discover why leads to all sorts of surprising and macabre developments. Gleeson and Farrell have never been better. Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan offer up poignant support.
2. Tar (dir by Todd Field)
Lydia Tar is a brilliant artist. Does it matter that she also might be a terrible human being? Todd Field’s return to filmmaking meditates on the meaning of art, morality, and the consequences of hubris. Cate Blanchett is perfectly cast. The scene where Tar talks to a student who objects to playing music by a white male is a real litmus test. Do you think Tar is a bully or do you think the student is being too sensitive? For all the talk about how Lydia dismisses the student’s claims, many also fail to note that the student is the one who calls her a “bitch” and runs out of the room. Much as in Field’s previous film, no one is as perfect or as justified or as blameless as they may believe.
And, finally, my top film of 2022 is….
- Top Gun: Maverick (dir by Joseph Kosinski)
After 2 years of lockdowns and pessimism, Top Gun: Maverick was finally released and it reminded audiences of what they loved about movies in the first place. Top Gun: Maverick was the movie that we needed in 2022.
Well, that concludes my late look back at 2022! Now, let’s focus on 2023!
Lisa Marie’s 2022 In Review:
Through the Shattered Lens 