X is a 2022 slasher film written, directed, produced and edited by Ti West. It stars Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure, and Scott Mescudi. The film’s plot is set in 1979 and follows a cast and crew who gather to make a pornographic film on an elderly couple’s rural Texas property, but find themselves threatened by an unlikely killer.
Black Adam is a 2022 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by New Line Cinema, DC Films, Seven Bucks Productions, and FlynnPictureCo., it is a spin-off from Shazam! (2019) and the 11th film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani, the film stars Dwayne Johnson as the titular character alongside Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Bodhi Sabongui, and Pierce Brosnan.
Hellraiser is a 2022 American supernatural horror film directed by David Bruckner, with a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, from a screen story they co-wrote with David S. Goyer. Despite sharing the title of Clive Barker’s original 1987 film Hellraiser, the film features a new story and is not a direct remake or a new adaptation of his 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart. It is a reboot of the titular franchise and the eleventh installment overall. A co-production between Spyglass Media Group and Phantom Four Films, the film stars Odessa A’zion, Jamie Clayton, Brandon Flynn, Goran Višnjić, Drew Starkey, Adam Faison, Aoife Hinds, Selina Lo and Hiam Abbass. (Wikipedia)
Moonage Daydream is a 2022 documentary film about English singer-songwriter David Bowie. Written, directed, produced and edited by Brett Morgen, the film uses previously unreleased footage from Bowie’s personal archives, including live concert footage. It is the first film to be officially authorized by Bowie’s estate, and takes its title from the 1971 Bowie song of the same name. (Wikipedia)
Three Thousand Years of Longing is a 2022 fantasy romantic drama film directed by George Miller and starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba. Miller wrote the screenplay with Augusta Gore, adapting the 1994 short story “The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye” by A. S. Byatt.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is an epic fantasy movie drama series directed by Peter Jackson, based on the classic J.R.R. Tolkien novels viz. The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and Return of the King. The trilogy was released from 2001 – 2003 and was critically acclaimed and a smash hit at the box office (almost $3 billion), with the final movie sweeping the Academy Awards in 2004.
With the prequel series, The Rings of Power being – like most modern-day adaptations – highly divisive, it is probably instructional to analyse the reasons why The Lord of the Rings trilogy works in a way that seems to have eluded the folks behind The Rings of Power series. Thus, although almost everybody in the civilised world has probably seen these films, a spoiler warning is still necessary.
Nope is an American scifi horror film drama, written and directed by Jordan Peele. The film stars Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Michael Wincott, and Brandon Perea. The film has been generally well-received and has grossed over $148 million worldwide with a production cost of about $68 million.
Top Gun: Maverick will no doubt be the highest grossing movie of 2022, with $1.38 billion worldwide box office earnings (without a China release, no less) thus far. Now, this phenomenal success caught everybody in the movie industry by surprise. After all, while Top Gun: Maverick is a sequel to a popular movie, that was 36 years ago! Would the sequel be able to resonate with modern day audiences? We all know the answer to that now but the questions remains – why did Top Gun: Marverick work?
Prey is a 2022 American science fiction action film directed by Dan Trachtenberg and written by Patrick Aison, based on the Predator franchise by Jim Thomas and John Thomas. It is the fifth installment in the franchise and a prequel to the first four films.
Hatching (Finnish: Pahanhautoja) is a 2022 Finnish body horror film directed by Hanna Bergholm. The film won the Grand Prix and the Prix du Jury Jeunes at the Festival international du film fantastique de Gérardmer 2022.
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phases 5 – 6 is our response to the recent announcements made by Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige at the San Diego Comic Convention. The number of new films and TV set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is staggering and confirms Marvel Studio’s plans to keep its stranglehold on contemporary pop culture.
The Black Phone is a 2021 American supernatural horror film directed by Scott Derrickson and written by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, who both produced with Jason Blum. It is an adaptation of the 2004 short story of the same name by Joe Hill.
Thor: Love and Thunder is the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Its recent opening box office gross of US$132 million is the best so far for the Thor MCU film series and third biggest in 2022. Check out our non-spoiler review here. What follows is our critical analysis of the movie, with spoilers.
Thor: Love and Thunder is an American superhero film drama featuring Thor, the Marvel Comics character. The movie is the fourth in the Thor film series, a sequel to the well-received Thor: Ragnarok, also directed by Taika Waititi, who helmed this film, which is the 29th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Crimes of the Future is a 2022 science-fiction horror drama written and directed by legendary Canadian film maker David Cronenberg. Though it shares a title with Cronenberg’s second movie of the same name (released in 1970), this film is totally unrelated to the earlier movie.
The Northman is a 2022 American epic historical film directed by Robert Eggers, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sjón. The movie is based on the legend of Amleth, written by 12th century Danish author Saxo cognomine Longus. The movie stars Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is a 2022 American absurdist comedy-drama film written and directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as “Daniels”). The film has grossed over $57 million worldwide, becoming A24’s highest-grossing film domestically. The film was acclaimed by critics, who lauded its imagination, direction, the performances of the cast, and its handling of themes such as existentialism, nihilism, and Asian American identity.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness grossed $480 million worldwide in the first week of its release. No argument about the movie being a massive commercial success already but what about its merits? Is the movie a worthy addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)? This is exactly what we will discuss in this movie analysis.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a 2022 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Doctor Strange. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to Doctor Strange (2016) and the 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The Secrets of Dumbledore is a 2022 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by J. K. Rowling and Steve Kloves. It is the sequel to The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), the third instalment in the Fantastic Beasts film series, and the eleventh overall in the Wizarding World franchise.
The Outfit is a 2022 American crime drama film directed by Graham Moore in his directorial debut from a screenplay by Moore and Johnathan McClain. The movie stars Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Dylan O’Brien, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Simon Russell Beale.
Moonfall is a 2022 science fiction disaster film co-written, directed, and produced by Roland Emmerich. Starring Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley, Michael Peña, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu, and Donald Sutherland, the movie follows two former astronauts alongside a conspiracy theorist who discover the hidden truth about Earth’s moon when it leaves its orbit and set to collide with the Earth.
Death on the Nile is a 2022 mystery film directed by Kenneth Branagh from a screenplay by Michael Green, based on the 1937 novel of the same name by Agatha Christie. The novel had been previously adapted as a film in 1978 and is a sequel to 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, also starring Branagh as the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot.
Deep Water is a 2022 erotic psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne, from a screenplay by Zach Helm and Sam Levinson, based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. Lyne, of course, is best known for erotic film thrillers like Fatal Attraction, Indecent Proposal, 9½ Weeks and is his first film in 20 years.
The Batman movie analysis is our breakdown of the latest franchise reboot of DC Comics’ most valued intellectual property. Obviously The Batman movie analysis will contain spoilers so… if you are looking for a review of The Batman without spoilers, please click on this link. As always, we will analyse the movie based on the following story elements: plot, characters and themes.