Most Anticipated Movies of 2022

 

Most Anticipated Movies of 2022

(A compilation of 50 films by Chris Bush)

PART II

35. Triangle of Sadness

Director: Ruben Östlund (Force Majeure, The Square)  Cast: Harris Dickinson, Charlibi Dean, Woody Harrelson, Zlatco Burić, Iris Berben, Sunnyi Melles, Henrik Dorsin, Dolly De Leon, Vicki Berlin, Shaniaz Hama Ali, Carolina Gynning, and Oliver Ford Davies.

Ruben Östlund has demonstrated a sharp and wicked tongue in the dark-comedy morality plays that have become his signature genre of choice.  His dialogue flows effortlessly (and naturally) and cuts deep in a symphony of comedic beats and wordplay that even rivals the acidic wit of more familiar auteurs such as Yorgos Lanthimos and Martin McDonagh.  The Swedish director first landed on my radar with his 2014 hit, Force Majeure (which sadly fell victim to Hollywood's penchant for remaking every alternative language film into English with the superfluous copycat, Downhill, starring Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus), before subsequently winning the Palm d'Or in 2017 for his follow-up film, The Square.  He seems poised to make another big splash with his upcoming film, Triangle of Sadness, which  follows a fashion model celebrity couple (Harris Dickinson and Charlbi Dean) who find themselves stranded on an island with a group of billionaires and a cleaning lady after the luxury cruise yacht they've been vacationing on sinks.  Tensions rise, relationships are tested, and class statuses become obsolete in the desolation of their new circumstances as the paradigm of the the survivors' new hierarchy begins to shift and shuffle with each new revelation.  Sounds like Parasite meets the reality TV series Survivor, and that has me very excited and intrigued.  Woody Harrelson should be a standout scene-stealer as the ship's Marxist captain.  All hands are definitely on deck.

RELEASE: TBA.  A Cannes premiere seems guaranteed. 

34. The Fabelmans

Director: Steven Spielberg (Schindler's List, The Post)  Cast: Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Paul Dano, Julia Butters, Oakes Fegley, Gabriel Bateman, Nicolas Cantu, Sam Rechner, Judd Hirsch, Chloe East, Isabelle Kusman, Jeannie Berlin, Robin Bartlett, Jonathan Hadary, Cooper Dodson, Gustavo Escobar, Lane factor, Stephen Matthew Smith, Keeley Karsten, Birdie Borria, Alina Brace, Sophia Kopera, Jan Hoag, and David Lynch.

Directors have generally always found success when digging into the deep recesses of memory lane to turn their most personal experiences into great art.  Only mere months ago, Paul Thomas Anderson did it to brilliant effect with Licorice Pizza, now being hailed as one of the best films to come out last year (and possibly the best of the director's respected career.)  This fall, Spielberg will follow suite with a coming-of-age story of his own wrapped in 1950s nostalgia in the semiautobiographical, The Fabelmans.  The story will focus on his adolescent years of growing up in Phoenix, AZ, and I'm excited to see how this movie will represent the director's growth and maturity as a filmmaker in what I'm hoping will be his most personal movie since Saving Private Ryan (and I will be very disappointed if I don't get dramatic and wonderous Spielbergian moments set to the most John Williams-y John Williams score imaginable.)  One of the most interesting revelations about the project has been the casting of director David Lynch in an unspecified role, who is not known for attaching himself to just any old project (generally only acting for the camera in his own work), so I'm very intrigued to find out the capacity of his part in this.  Newcomer Gabriel LaBelle will channel his inner Spielberg as the character representing the director's younger self, with Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Paul Dano all poised to give (what will likely be) stellar performances as his mother, uncle, and father.

RELEASE: November 23rd.

33. The Stars At Noon

Director: Claire Denis (High Life, Beau Travail)  Cast: Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, Danny ramirez, and Nick Romano.

I think one of the most fascinating things about Claire Denis right now (and truthfully, she's always been a fascinating and provocative artist) isn't so much that she's shown no signs of slowing down at 75, but rather that she's taking much more exciting risks at this stage of her career.  The French filmmaker has been a trailblazer for other female directors and a pioneer in modern indie cinema for many years, boasting a rich filmography that includes modern French classics like Beau Travail and White Material.  Critics have praised how her films recall the lyricism of early French cinema while never shying away from the harsh face of the contemporary culture that she so often explores, and her work continues to influence and contribute to the identity of European cinema today.  So when she made High Life a few years ago- a trippy, surrealist sci-fi stunner about a group of ex-cons being used as human guinea pigs aboard a spacecraft researching black holes- it was clear we were entering a new phase of the auteur's career, one in which she would continue to explore many of the themes that have become familiar in her work, but in ways that were still bold, exciting, and fresh.  Her upcoming film, an adaptation of Denis Johnson's acclaimed novel, The Stars At Noon, definitely seems like a continuation of this new phase, retaining the same edge and risky ambition that made High Life such a fascinating deviation for the director.  Set in 1984 against the backdrop of the Nicaraguan Revolution, the story follows the romantic relationship between a headstrong young journalist (Margaret Qualley) and a mysterious wealthy businessman (Joe Alwyn) who become embroiled in a labyrinth of lies and conspiracies as they are forced to try and leave the country.  Like High Life, the story contains the hallmark themes that are found in Denis' filmography (colonialism, imperialism, economic and political issues), but if you don't know anything about Johnson's novel (and I do), I can promise you those themes are explored in a very strange, cerebral and philosophical way that's very much in the same vein of Denis' last film.  I'll admit I was extremely disappointed when Robert Pattinson dropped out of this project due to scheduling conflicts, and were he still a part of it, I probably would have placed it much higher.  However, this is the perfect kind of film for Denis' artistic sensibilities, and if she can translate the mood and vibe of the book while putting her personal stamp on it, it's going to be something really special.

RELEASE: TBA.  Will probably premiere at Cannes or TIFF.

32. Showing Up

Director: Kelly Reichardt (First Cow, Certain Women)  Cast: Michelle Williams, Hong Chau, Judd Hirsch, Maryann Plunkett, John Magaro, André Benjamin, Heather Lawless, Amanda Plummer, Larry Fessenden, and James Le Gros.

One of the most distinct voices in American cinema, Kelly Reichardt continues to craft rich and engaging dramas that often explore the bleak underbelly of American culture (the exploitation of greed and capitalism, the mirage of the American dream, underseen folks living within the margins of society) through a realist lens and minimalist structure.  She would describe her films as "just glimpses of people passing through," but in all honesty, I don't think that statement does nearly enough justice to how intelligent, political, and contemplative her work truly is.  Her next movie finds the director reteaming with Michelle Williams in what will be their fourth collaboration following Wendy and Lucy, Meek's Cutoff, and Certain Women, in a vibrant and sharply funny portrait of of an artist (Williams) on the verge of a career-changing exhibition.  As she navigates family, friends, and colleagues in the lead up to her show, the chaos of life becomes the inspiration for great art.  This sounds excellent (like Frances Ha a la Reichardt) and I'm getting the sense this could be her most joyous and light film to date; a side of hers I'm not accustomed to seeing, which is partly why I'm so excited about it.

RELEASE: TBA. Very difficult to say where this will show up first.  Reichardt's work has debuted at numerous different film festivals in the past, so Cannes, Venice, and Telluride are possible candidates.

31. The Whale

Director: Darren Aronofsky (Requiem For a Dream, The Wrestler)  Cast: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, Ty Simpkins, and Sathya Sridharan.

There's no doubt that Darren Aronofsky is one of today's most exciting filmmakers; a maestro of breathless, fever-dream movies with ambitious, larger-than-life themes.  Sometimes he scales back the scope of his canvas to deliver a more raw, bruised, and intimate character portrait that exists within a more familiar reality (such as The Wrestler), and other times we find him operating between the spaces of reality and something more surreal and hyper sensational ( like Black Swan.)  I've been trying to figure out where his upcoming adaption of Samuel D. Hunter's play, The Whale, will fall within: The Wrestler or Black Swan.  Hunter's play is a psychological drama about a 600-pound middle-aged man (Brendan Fraser) trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Sadie Sink), who he abandoned when he chose to be with his gay lover, who later died.  On one hand, I'm definitely getting vibes of The Wrestler (also about a broken man trying to reconnect with an estranged daughter), however, Fraser's insistence that the movie will be unlike anything we've ever see on screen before has we wondering if some of the more profound and evocative moments will take place within his character's head (which could put it in the latter category.)  But regardless of what kind of movie he's put together, I'm mostly just so excited to see something new from the director, who hasn't put out anything in the five years since mother! began polarizing audiences after its Venice debut.  I'm also excited for Brendan Fraser's performance, who seems to be making a comeback this year between this film and a few other exciting projects he's got stacked in the pipeline. 

RELEASE: TBA. My money is currently on a Venice debut, given his history at the festival.

30. Wendell and Wild

Director: Henry Selick (Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas)  CasT: Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key, Lyric Ross, Angela Bassett, James Hong, Sam Zelaya, Tamara Smart, Seema Virdi, Ramona Young, and Ving Rhames.

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele- known simply as "Key and Peele" from their hit sketch comedy television series on Mad TV- are one of the most dynamic writer-comedian duos in Hollywood (if not the most sensational of their generation.)  Their writing features the sharp observations and witticisms that make great, hilarious comedy so in tune with the current moment, and their chemistry together has echoes of classic double acts such as Abbott and Costello and Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.  This year, they'll inject something new into their collaborative creativity, projecting that ineffable chemistry onto the canvas of a stop-motion animated film!  Wendell and Wild finds the duo lending their voice talents to two scheming demon brothers (the titular Wendell and Wild) as they face their arch-nemesis, the demon-dusting nun, Sister Helly, and her two acolytes, the goth teens Kat and Raul.  Stop-motion is my most favorite form of animation, and this sounds like an incredible, absolute hoot!  Of course, when making a stop-motion animated film, you've got to have the best talent in the field on your side, so who better to join forces with than director Henry Selick.  The stop-motion wizard behind classic films such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline wrote the screenplay with Key and Peele (based on one of his original stories), and I'm so excited to finally see another film from him after a 13-year hiatus following Coraline.

RELEASE: October 2022.

29. Asteroid City

Director: Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom)  Cast: Tilda Swinton, Tom Hanks, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Adrien Brody, Margot Robbie, Rupert Friend, Sophia lillis, Jason Schwartzman, Jeff Goldblum, Bryan Cranston, Matt Dillon, Hope Davis, Jeffrey Wright, Liev Schreiber, Maya Hawke, Tony Revolori, Fisher Stevens, Steve Park, Jake Ryan, and Ethan Josh Lee.

If there's one director that doesn't seem to have been hindered by the pandemic, it's Wes Anderson.  Before COVID hit, the filmmaker had nearly finished post-production on his last film, The French Dispatch, which was then delayed over year due to the cancellation of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival.  The director then announced later that year that he was in pre-production for another film- a romantic comedy-drama that would take place in a European setting- with hopes of shooting sometime the following year.  At last year's BFI London Film Festival, he unveiled the title of his next film as Asteroid City, shortly before announcing that he was already prepping to begin shooting yet another film within the next few months, which was only recently revealed to be an adaptation of Roald Dahl's, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.  I imagine we'll have to wait a year before that one comes out, but Asteroid City is slated for a release sometime this year, and I'm excited we're getting another work from Anderson so soon (essentially three within the span of three years!)  In typical Wes Anderson fashion, the cast is once again stacked to the heavens, and the film will also reunite the director with Oscar-winning composer, Alexandre Desplat, in their sixth collaboration.  I was honestly a bit let down by The French Dispatch, a movie that I appreciated and admired more for its individual moments and pieces than I actually loved as a complete whole.  However, a romance is the perfect vehicle for Anderson's sweetness, whimsy, and charm, so I'm definitely more optimistic about this film. 

RELEASE: TBA. Cannes or Venice are both realistic possibilities.

28. Elvis

Director: Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet)  Cast: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Olvia DeJonge, Luke Bracey, Natasha Bassett, David Wenham, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Xavier Samuel, Kodi Smit-Mcphee, Dacre Montogomery, Yola, Alton Mason, Leon ford, Kate Mulvany, David gannon, Adam Dunn, Alex Radu, Elizabeth Cullen, Chaydon Jay, Melina Vidler, Gary Clark Jr., Josh McConville, Christian McCarty, Charles Grounds, Mike Bingaman, and Gareth Davies.

I'll be the first to admit that music biopics are an overdone, cliché-ridden genre in Hollywood.  The formulas are repetitive and predictable, generally leave a lot to be desired, and tend to be creatively uneven, either being a great film with a lackluster central performance, or (and this is mostly the case) a strong central performance let down by a frustratingly safe and mediocre film.  But if there's one word to describe Baz Luhrmann, it certainly isn't "safe."  His films are a kaleidoscope of intoxicating music and imagery that come barreling at you with frenetic movement and dizzying camera takes.  He's so high energy he could make a Barnum and Baily show look tame.  Although there's been aspects of his work I've found criticism in, it's never overshadowed his undeniable talent as an exciting and uniquely individualistic filmmaker, and if excess is the director's Achilles heel, he at least does it so well that he essentially wears it like a badge of honor.  So when he announced that his next project in almost 10 years would be a musical biopic covering the life of legendary singer, Elvis Presley, I was immediately excited and optimistic that his signature dose of "Spectacular Spectacular" would be just the thing to breathe life back into the tired genre.  Tom Hanks is sure to give an awards-worthy performance as the singer's scheming and volatile manager, Colonel Tom Parker, with equally promising turns from Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Kodi Smit-McPhee as famed singers B.B. King and Jimmie Rogers that seem likely to land on some radars as well.  The one question mark here in all this is the relatively unknown Austin Butler, who is stepping into the shoes of The King himself.  Aside from a brief role as a member of the Manson Family in Quentin Tarantinio's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the bulk of his body of work has mostly consisted of being a teen heartthrob on popular shows for Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and the CW, so there's really not much to go off of.  One is thing certain though: this will be the role that either makes or breaks his career, and if he pulls it off it's going to be a star-making turn for him.

RELEASE: June 24th.

27. The Banshees of Inisherin

Director: Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)  Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, Barry keoghan, and Kerry condon.

The UK's prince of black comedy is back!  It's been five years since his last movie, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which went on to be his most commercially successful and awards-friendly film to date, picking up two Oscars for Best Actress (Frances McDormand) and Best Supporting Actor (Sam Rockwell) along the way.  Now that the auteur and British theatre veteran has become more of a household name across the pond, he's going back to his Irish roots for his fourth feature-length film, The Banshees of Inisherin, which reunites the director with his In Bruges stars, Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell.  Both actors will once again bring the buddy chemistry that was such a highlight in In Bruges, but this time through a slightly darker and more melancholy lens, as they play two lifelong friends whose relationship reaches a crisis when one of them abruptly decides they no longer want to be friends anymore.  Definitely sounding like an adult version of Disney's Ralph Breaks the Internet, with a chamber piece kind of vibe that reserves most of the space to the two central performances and McDonagh's biting dialogue, which I am very much into and ok with.  What's even more interesting is that this will be McDonagh's first feature-length film set in Ireland, which is exciting since the bulk of his theater work (as well as his debut short film, Six Shooter) have all taken place in his ancestral country, and his style of writing and comedy are so distinctly (and gloriously) Irish to the core.  Many of his fans have suspected that The Banshees of Inisherin is possibly the unpublished third installment of his Aran Islands Trilogy, or at least somehow related to it or the first two plays of the trilogy he did publish.  Whatever the case ends up being though, this is sure to make a huge splash on this year's movie slate.

RELEASE: October 21st.

26. God's Creatures

Directors: Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer (The Fits)  Cast: Emily Watson, Paul Mescal, Aisling Franciosi, Declan Conlon, Marion o'Dwyer, Isabelle Connolly, Toni O'Rourke, John Burke, and Steve Gunn.

I love when fresh talent breaks onto the scene with the kind of bold and captivating debut that immediately signals the birth of an exciting and original new artist.  One of the best debuts that was released in the last decade came out of the 2015 Venice Film Festival from director Anna Rose Holmer, alongside her producer, Lisa Kjerulff, and editor, Saela Davis (both of whom helped develop the story and pitch with Holmer.)  Even more impressive was the fact their film was funded almost exclusively through grants from the Venice Biennale College-Cinema initiative, which offers financial support for new filmmakers trying to make their first or second audio-visual work on a microbudget.  Their debut film, The Fits, premiered to international acclaim from critics and went on to win a slew of accolades, including an Independent Spirit Award for Holmer.  Nearly seven years later, Holmer is in the final stages of finishing her long-awaited sophomore feature, this time with Davis sharing the director's chair alongside her.  Set in a rain-swept Irish fishing village, God's Creatures is a psychological drama about a mother who lies to protect her son, and the devastating impact that choice has on her community, her family, and herself.  I'm totally intrigued and hooked by this premise, which definitely teases the kind of morality play that promises big, dramatic fireworks, especially from the performances of the cast.  That cast includes the criminally underrated Emily Watson (so happy to see her in a lead role), as well as Aisling Franciosi, whose soul-shaking breakthrough performance in Jennifer Kent's The Nightingale was nothing short of revelatory.  On top of all that, the film is yet another addition to A24's already impressive roster for this year.  The studio tends to be very selective about the dramas it gets behind (being a bit more adventurous with more genre-oriented material), especially from relatively new or unknown filmmakers, so their confidence in the movie is very telling.  Think Minari or Moonlight.

RELEASE: TBA, but I'm guessing the two directors will return to Venice with this one.

25. The Batman

Director: Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, War for the Planet of the Apes)  Cast: Robert Pattinson, ZoË Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, Barry Keoghan, and Colin Farrell.

Here it is folks!  The one and only superhero film on this list.  In all honesty, I'm quite sure I've had it up to here with this genre.  I feel like I've been very forgiving of its shortcomings because I've been so distracted by the immense and exciting talent these movies tend to attract.  But I think from here on out the bar is going to be much higher for me.  They release roughly 3-5 films like this every year, and its gotten to the point where I really need this genre to prove to me it can do more than just one thing; that it can evolve beyond its constricted formula (Marvel: I'm mostly looking at you.)  This is why I won't be including a few of the films from this genre that most audiences are really looking forward to this year, such as Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder or Ryan Coogler's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.  Which brings us to Matt Reeves' upcoming reiteration of the caped crusader.  Yes, it's a superhero film.  Yes, this character has been done multiple times on screen, including three times in the last ten years alone.  And yes, it's no easy feat to top or match Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.  However, I have a very good feeling about this film and have a variety of reasons to support my judgement.  While these costumed heroes have a reputation for fighting bad guys and saving the world- and Batman is no different- the caped crusader is at least especially unique for two reasons.  1) He has no superhuman powers (just lots of fancy toys and impressive hand-to-hand combat skills), and that mortality grounds his character in a much more relatable humanity.  And 2), in addition to fighting crime, the character also does a great deal of sleuthing and detective work, which is something that Reeves has stated will be given more attention to in this movie.  This is especially intriguing to me, since the character's story and Gotham-set world have traditionally been rooted in an almost classic crime-noir kind of setting, with nods that mirror some of the best stories and films in that genre such as Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep, and Chinatown, but with the stylish, sensationalized twist of Frank Miller's Sin City.  In fact, Reeves has even said that his script took inspiration from a variety of 1970s crime films, such Chinatown, The French Connection, Klute, and Taxi Driver, and well as the works of Alfred Hitchcock.  He also said that his goal in making this film was to craft a more personal and character-driven story, one that explores the emotional cost of Batman's trauma while constantly grappling with the ethics of his own personal code in ways that would "rock [him] to his core."  All these indications alone promise a unique and original addition to the superhero cannon that I genuinely don't think we've seen yet, and that has me beyond excited.  On top of all that, the cast looks utterly fantastic, with Colin Farrell looking completely unrecognizable  under layers of prosthetics as The Penguin, and Paul Dano channeling some serious Zodiac killer vibes as the most original interpretation of The Riddler we've seen thus far.  And of course, just as equally promising is Robert Pattinson as the titular character himself and Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, who (based on the footage I've seen) is radiating all the mystery, complexity, and sexuality that makes for a classic and compelling femme fatale character.  On multiple polls, The Batman was rated the most anticipated film from audiences, and with everything this movie has going for it, it's easy to see why.

RELEASE:  March 4th.

24. Disappointment Blvd.

Director: Ari Aster (Midsommar, Hereditary)  Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Nathan Lane, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan, Kylie Rogers, Parker Posey, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Denis Ménochet, Hayley Squires, Michael gandolfini, Zoe Lister-Jones, Richard Kind, and Meryl Streep (rumored.)

Ari Aster is one of the most exciting and provocative directors to have emerged in the last decade.  With only two feature films under his belt, Hereditary and Midsommar, the auteur has carved out a name for himself as a gripping storyteller who doesn't pull back any punches.  His two unsettling horror films brilliantly pick at the scabs of mental trauma and relationship dysfunction, examining the deeply buried scars we're in constant denial of and don't have the courage to look at.  Although his next film, Disappointment Blvd., has been described as more of a tragicomedy, Aster says it's not a complete departure from the horror genre that was front and center in his previous work, calling it a "nightmare comedy."  Joaquin Phoenix- who is probably the most brilliant and fearless actor working today, and thereby ups the ante of excitement for just about any project he touches- is also the lead in the film, which chronicles an intimate, decades-spanning portrait of a successful entrepreneur.  Not much else is known about the plot other than that, as Aster has been very secretive about the project since the early phases of pre-production, but he has teased that the film's runtime will clock in at a whopping four hours!  Clearly this is something very ambitious, and although the length is a bit of shock, it's not a complete surprise given the director's cut of Midsommar ran almost three hours.  Regardless of how long you'll be sitting though, the pairing of Phoenix and Aster should produce some very fascinating results, as the actor himself carries a lot of personal trauma and pain of his own that he's pulled from to influence his most profound performances, and that darkness he brings could be a driving force in this film that pushes Aster's work to another level.

RELEASE: TBA.  Cannes or Venice are my top bets.

23. After Yang

Director: Kogonada (Columbus)  Cast: Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Malea Emma, Tjandrawidjaja, Haley Lu Richardson, Ritchie Coster, Sarita Choudhury, Clifton collins Jr., Ava DeMary, and Brett Dier.

Film essayist-turned-filmmaker, Kogonada, delivered with Columbus the kind of knockout debut that most fledgling directors wish they could make, proving that writing about cinema with such keen depth and analysis was not the only talent he had in his arsenal (if you love film and haven't read his contributions to Sight & Sound and The Criterion Collection, they are incredible and absolutely worth checking out.)  Now that he's established himself as a serious talent behind the camera, he's been hard at work with new projects in the pipeline.  His sophomore feature, After Yang, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year and was met with international acclaim.  Based on a short story by Alexander Weinstein and set in a not-too-distant future, After Yang focuses its drama on a family attempting to reconnect as they struggle with the grief of losing one of their family members: an android named Yang who functions as a live-in companion and caretaker.  As Yang slowly beings to become more and more unresponsive, the film becomes a mediation on what it truly means to be human, and what qualities in a relationship define the idea of family.  I was very excited for this movie last year and got very disappointed when it became clear that A24 would probably not release it until 2022 (thankfully, I don't have too much longer to wait.)  Based on everything I've heard, it sounds like a much more thoughtful and poetic take on Bicentennial Man, and an overall much better film than that movie too.  Colin Farrell, who is clearly making the rounds by showing up in just about every movie I'm looking forward to this year, also stars in this as well, and its again yet another film from A24.  Wowza!

RELEASE: March 4th.

22. The Eternal Daughter

Director: Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir, The Souvenir Part II)  Cast: Carly-Sophia Davies, Tilda Swinton, Joseph Mydell, and Alfie Sankey-Green.

Joanna Hogg in coming in hot after last year!  The second half of The Souvenir not only brought the story and themes of the first film full circle, but saved the most brilliant and poignant parts of Hogg's semi-autobiographical drama for last, establishing both films (together) as a straight-up, bonafide masterpiece.  Yes, it's that good, and was probably my second favorite film after The Power of the Dog.  So naturally, still feeling the afterbuzz of cinematic euphoria from that film, I am in state of complete and utter excitement for Hogg's next feature: a ghost story about a middle-aged woman and her elderly mother who must confront long-buried secrets when they return to their former family home, a once-grand manor that has become a nearly vacant hotel brimming with mystery.  Definitely getting the sense that this will be less jump-in-the-night, haunted house spookfest, and more in line with such films as Personal Shopper and Rebecca with a possible dose of Shirley Jackson mixed in.  The idea of Hogg's filmmaking aesthetic applied to this kind of story sounds downright intoxicating, and I can't wait to see the finished results.  In many ways, The Souvenir was almost something of a ghost story itself in how it dealt with reconciling the pain and demons of the past, so this should be a very good fit for the director.  The incomparable Tilda Swinton- another one of my favorite actors who will be showing in up in just about everything I can't wait to see this year- rejoins Hogg following their collaboration in The Souvenir, in yet another addition to the (yes, wait for it) A24 cannon for 2022.  Am I sensing a recurring theme here? 

RELEASE: TBA.  I'm guessing Hogg will once again show up at Cannes this summer like she did last year with The Souvenir.

21. Master Gardener

Director: Paul Schrader (The Card counter, First Reformed)  Cast: Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver, Quintessa Swindell, and esai Morales.

Paul Schrader is a Hollywood legend.  At 75 years old, the screenwriter behind Taxi Driver has only continued to astonish and remind us why he is such a gifted and iconic storyteller.  Although he's been directing a lot his own scripts for many years, I really feel that within the last decade he has established himself as one of the most exciting auteurs working today, and the one-two punch of First Reformed and The Card Counter has left me and every devoted cinephile clamoring for more.  Clearly, that praise and high demand has not fallen on deaf ears, and he's already in production on a new film not even a year after The Card Counter premiered at Venice.  Master Gardener stars Joel Edgerton as a meticulous horticulturist who tends the grounds of Gracewood Gardens, a beautiful estate owned by a wealthy dowager (Sigourney Weaver.)  When she orders him to take on her troubled niece (Quintessa Swindell) as an apprentice, his life is thrown into chaos as dark secrets from his past emerge.  I'm very intrigued by this premise.  Parts of it seem radically left-field for Schrader and unlike anything he's done before, while some of the aspects are still so typically Schrader, and like most of his work, I'm sure there's much more to it than meets the eye.  Furthermore, I'm in love with the potential pairing of Edgerton and Weaver acting opposite each other, which should produce some extraordinary, high-caliber performances from these two thespians.  Most of all though, I'm just extremely glad and excited we're getting more new work from Schrader so soon and this frequent.

RELEASE: TBA.  Filming only began on February 3rd, so I'm really hoping it's finished in time for Venice.  Not guaranteed, but certainly not impossible either.  Fingers crossed.

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