Another reincarnation of Batman, an impressive Russian debut, hits from the independent studio A24, and other standout projects in our list of the 10 best films of the first half of 2022.
No matter what, the show must go on. And cinema continues to delight us with high-profile premieres and truly gripping, significant projects. Through the collective efforts of the 'After Credits' editorial team, we have selected for you the 10 best films of the first half of 2022.
10th Place — The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Sometimes there are times when you want to watch an adventurous film in the evening. One with beautiful scenery, shootouts, and all that. And then say at the end: 'That was a damn good movie!' That's the moment to turn on the new adventure film with the notorious Nicolas Cage, playing himself. You'll immerse yourself in the world of modern cinema, shed a tear of nostalgia for old cinema, and have a good time with old Nick.
9th Place — C'mon C'mon
Director Mike Mills invites everyone to join a journey through American cities in the company of the sweet but life-worn Joaquin Phoenix and the young dreamer Woody Norman. This is a touching film-dialogue that helps find the right words when it seems your vocabulary has run out.
The black-and-white film with a touch of childish naivety doesn't hide a double bottom; its message is simple — sometimes conversation heals better than any action or inaction. It tries to show by its own example how everyone, even a hardened egoist, can become more empathetic and open to this world if they start listening and paying attention to the world.
Life is an endless journey without a destination or clear goals. So Joaquin Phoenix in the new drama 'C'mon C'mon' from studio A24 explores the world, but through the eyes of children, along with this st
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8th Place — The Execution
We couldn't ignore one of the most impressive Russian-produced films. Although at times during viewing it felt like you were watching David Fincher, Bong Joon-ho, or even M. Night Shyamalan.
'The Execution' is a thriller about the search for a maniac in the USSR of the eighties. How many detective stories on this topic have we already seen? That's right, not many good ones. But Lado Kvataniya — it's worth knowing that he was a music video director in the past — proved that even with such a complex theme, an interesting and beautiful start to a film career can emerge. Undoubtedly, the noir, gloominess, perfectly constructed visuals, dialogues, and atmosphere of hopelessness, combined with plot twists, made the film one of the strongest domestic debuts of recent times.
'The Execution' is distinguished by an interesting non-linear narrative, where numerous chronological jumps come together into a common puzzle in a powerful finale. This is always watched in one breath. The good preparation of the director/screenwriter is also noticeable, who gathered materials before the start of filming, very accurately recreated the life of that time, while putting the right meanings into everything. The feature film turned out to be a 10 out of 10 for Kvataniya.
7th Place — Licorice Pizza
'Licorice Pizza' is a new project by the brilliant director Paul Thomas Anderson ('There Will Be Blood', 'The Master'), who once again turns to past events. The plot unfolds in the early seventies in the San Fernando Valley: there, two opposites meet — fifteen-year-old boy Gary, possessing incredible charisma and strong business acumen, and the older Alana (though the girl tells everyone she's twenty-five, a couple of scenes hint at a more mature age), unoccupied with anything serious and expecting nothing new from her future. Before us is a story of impossible love with an incredible nostalgic atmosphere capable of making you truly believe in this feeling.
Paul Thomas Anderson demonstrated an incredible situational comedy built on breaking stereotypes about the people around us. As in one of his past works 'Punch-Drunk Love', the maestro turns awkward characters into screen heroes, revealing two young talents to the world: Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim. And the simple, deliberately deceptive script gets its vibe in the director's hands, forming a series of unique scenes with some of the best actors of our time.
6th Place — Cha Cha Real Smooth
Before us is a romantic comedy that won the Audience Award at the Sundance Festival. — a film about self-discovery, although the author also touches on themes of autism and other important mental health issues. The screenwriter tries to write a modern romantic story about how to find love and learn to love. And this is also the first producing project of Dakota Johnson, through which she was able to express her thoughts and emotions on important issues.
Adults are all the same children, only with money and cars. Our world is overrun by infantile individuals who don't know what they want from life. What to do about it and where to run un
Open material'Cha Cha Real Smooth' is not only an indie rom-com but also a touching coming-of-age story. One of the most pleasant surprises of the first half of this year.
5th Place — Drive My Car
Ryusuke Hamaguchi adapted three stories by Haruki Murakami in one film and deservedly won worldwide recognition, culminating in an Oscar for Best International Feature Film.
Theatre director Yusuke (Hidetoshi Nishijima) struggles with the loss of his wife and child, while simultaneously working on a production of Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya'. He is assigned a new personal driver, Misaki (Toko Miura), who blames herself for her mother's death. These seemingly strangers help each other better understand themselves.
This nearly three-hour meditative film tells of quiet despair and attempts to overcome it. Through references to Chekhov, conversations about nothing, sentimental thoughts. The director pays important attention to details, to what we usually don't notice in everyday life. Confessions over a glass of whiskey, night drives to nowhere, fragmentary phrases, monotonous work — all of this is elevated to an absolute here, because by not seeing all this, you risk missing your own existence. Especially when you're trying to cope with the bitterness of loss.
4th Place — Top Gun: Maverick
'Top Gun: Maverick' is a sequel to a film from thirty years ago that few expected. The first film was released back in 1986, becoming known in the CIS as 'The Best Shooter'. The original had a number of flaws: the mothballed script, based on glorifying American aviation, the saccharine love line, and the absence of an antagonist for most of the film. The sequel, however, seems to have come out without any blemishes. Young director Joseph Kosinski made a sequel that surpasses the first film on all fronts.
The legendary return of Tom Cruise to the role of the brave pilot Pete Mitchell is undoubtedly the main event of this summer season. The second 'Top Gun' is an exemplary summer blockbuster that showcases unique direction of action scenes, while not forgetting to immerse the viewer in the social life of the brave soldier. The world around the character develops so rapidly that the need to perform most dangerous stunts live is lost. By fixing the viewer's attention on the details of the screen world, the director paints a portrait of Tom Cruise himself with a few strokes: for the actor, as for the screen hero, the events of the film are one of the last missions in an outstanding career, whose end is already very close. And if the first 'Top Gun' elevated Tom Cruise's career to a new level, the sequel seems to immortalize it altogether.
3rd Place — The Batman
Even at the time of the appearance of information about the filming of another project about Batman, logical questions appeared online: 'Why?', 'Again?', 'Another comic book, aren't you tired?', 'Will the parents die again?'
On the other hand, it was interesting — what would come out this time? How else can you unfold the story of a vigilante in a mouse costume? The result is a monotonous detective film in noir style with famous comic book characters placed in the modern world. Our avenger seems to have ended up in the cinematic universe of David Fincher and, along the way of solving deadly riddles, manages to stage epic fights and chases that you will definitely not forget.
2nd Place — Everything Everywhere All at Once
Before us is another 'multiverse of madness' only not from Marvel, but from studio A24. — this is a chaotic vinaigrette of many places, events, and characters, each living their own life and their own dramas. When in one of the universes the main character, played by Michelle Yeoh, faces inevitable evil, she has to travel to other worlds to save not only her family but also her reality.
Studio A24 released a new sci-fi comedy 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' about family, the meaning of life, and the multiverse at the beginning of the month. Almost immediately after the release, it became known that the composer
Open materialThis is an absolutely mind-blowing and extravagant film that confuses and barely lets you catch your breath. It bursts with energy to such an extent that not all viewers are satisfied and stay until the end. But if you do watch it to the end, you can experience catharsis or at least simple relief from the thought that you are not alone in your madness and total misunderstanding of how this world works.
1st Place — The Northman
The author of such original hits as 'The Lighthouse' and 'The Witch', Robert Eggers, this time decided to show the mythological reality of the Scandinavian Vikings, which is rarely seen in cinema. This is not quite a standard Shakespearean story, nor is it quite a story of a son's revenge for his father (although the plot is built on this). If we were asked to describe the new film in three words, they would be aggression, violence, and blood.
Yes, some people may disagree with our assessment of 'The Northman', but this always happens with such projects. People went to the film for entertainment or, at least, a historically accurate movie about Vikings without any mysticism. But they got the exact opposite — it is first and foremost a myth, and only then historical plausibility. It's worth mentioning the fact that many people left the hall during the screening. This can be explained both by the mismatch with expectations and by the fact that at certain moments the film even becomes uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, the film is incredible — cold Scandinavian landscapes, camera movements, clever filming techniques, and the richness of the image, and how beautifully the setting, the village, and all the life around it are constructed! A strong script, good plot twists, and a non-sagging finale. Also a big plus of the film is one of the most powerful acting casts. We especially highlight Alexander Skarsgård, who delivers one of the best roles of his career here. And even if you don't like this kind of cinema, you have to watch it. You have to watch it to understand that Hollywood is not always so beautiful, polished, and unambiguous. It can be dirty, eerie, and defiantly beautiful.
Which films of the first half of the year did you like the most?
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