my best picture nominations from an alternate universe
writing on movies
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March 2 housekeeping note | My deepest apologies dear readers, I know this newsletter is coming one day late. Things have been DiFFicuLt on the mental health front lately, and I’m going to transition *something new* to a bi-weekly newsletter. More to come 💙.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—Oscar season. For all the problems and controversy this single award show brings, it’s one of my favorite things. I love the anticipation. I love the horse-betting and speculation that goes on the weeks (months?) before. I love the red carpet. I love the horrible clips they show throughout the broadcast. I love the sappy speeches. I love the aftermath. But mostly, I love getting a chance to have the culture at large focused on one form of art and all it has to offer.
One of the best things I discovered upon moving back to the Berkshires in 2017 was that my go-to movie theater from high school, the Triplex, was still in business. It had changed since I was thirteen—adding a screen, taking away the serve yourself candy—but not by much. The seats are still horribly uncomfortable, and the prices are still below ten dollars a ticket.
While I miss being able to see any movie at any time as I could in New York, I love not paying thirty dollars for a date to the movies. Instead, I go every Monday to the $5 ticket nights with Matt and my friends and see whatever is there.
25 days until the Oscars. And in the spirit of internet list-making, I present to you my favorite nine movies of 2022. There are some notable titles not on the list. No, I did not like the Fablemens. No, I did not like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Sure, I semi-liked Everything Everywhere All at Once (sue me) and tolerated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. I really don’t want to get into all of that.
To me, what makes a great movie is what happens both when I’m sitting in the seat and what happens after I leave the dark, moody theater. In a great movie, I lose track of time, I lose track of myself. I’m not a body sitting in an uncomfortable chair with sour patch candy stuck to my back molars, I’m something else floating above the earth being carried by a director who I can trust to tell me a story. And, when I leave the theater, there’s something about the acting, the plot, the visuals that I can’t shake. There’s some moment from the film that follows me as I go about my day making coffee, walking my little dog, and falling asleep at night.
These nine movies here made me feel these things. And so, I’m sharing them with you now. (Plus, a bonus list at the bottom here of movies that I didn’t see but that are on my watch list before March 12.) Love the list? Hate it? Did I miss something? Let me know, art is always best when it’s shared and debated 🎬.
Nine. She Said (directed by Maria Schrader)
I loved this movie, not just because of the takedown of abuse and power, but because of the way it shows reporting and writing as an arduous and unforgiving process. Finally, here is the truth in a way that most stories glamorize.
Eight. Emily the Criminal (directed by John Patton Ford)
Best supporting actor IMO. Theo Rossi, you were robbed.
Seven. Top Gun: Maverick (directed by Tony Scott)
I loved this movie from its opening credits mimicking the original 1986 version. Then I never stopped loving it.
Six. The Woman King (directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood)
This was the first movie I saw this past year that made me feel like movies are back. It wasn’t a remake, it wasn’t a sequel. It was an original story with blockbuster starts (Viola Davis) and scene-stealing newcomers (Thuso Nokwanda). Robbed an oscar nom, fuck To Leslie.
Five. Tár (directed by Todd Field)
Cate Blanchett is mother. Cate Blanchett is father. Todd Field is a genius.
Four. Babylon (directed by Damien Chazelle)
This movie was a roller-coaster ride that went up and never came down. My cheeks hurt when I left the theater because I smiled throughout the entire movie. The party scene at the beginning. Brad Pitt’s final moments in the movie. Both left me devastated in the best way possible.
Three. Decision to Leave (directed by Park Chan-wook)
A will-they-won’t-they romance framed by a murder mystery. I’m not sure there are better stories, to be honest. And the scene on the beach. The scene on the beach. The scene on the beach.
Two. The Banshees of Inisherin (directed by Martin McDonagh)
What does it mean to leave a mark on this world? Is it sublime artistry? Is it kindness? The movie doesn’t answer the question, but it poses it in an incredibly unique way.
One. Aftersun (directed by Charlotte Wells)
Did I see this movie alone during one of my worst depressive episodes? Yes. Did I sit, stunned in silence for the entire movie? Yes. Did I weep through the credits? Yes. Do I regret it? Never. I will remember the last scene of this movie for the rest of my life.
*bonus new* the movies I missed
As close as the Triplex is to my heart, like most theaters in 2022, blockbusters and sequels and prequels and comic book movies dominated the screens. A few movies never came out near me. An incomplete list of movies I missed that I will watch before the ceremony:
Saint Omer (directed by Alice Diop)
Causeway (directed by Lila Neugebauer)
The Inspection (directed by Elegance Bratton)
Till (directed by Chinonye Chukwu)
Cinco Lobitos (directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa)
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (directed by Laura Poitras)
Talk soon.
Great list! xx