JR'S TOP TEN FILMS
(2022 YEAR END EDITION)
"Good Old JR" Jim Rutkowski weighs in with his TOP FILMS of 2020

CINEMA RETROSPECTIVE
(2022 YEAR END EDITION)
The "Big Tuna" Vito Carli weighs in with a Look at the Year in Film

 

DUNE: PART 2
(****)--VITO CARLI

"...science fiction films simply do not get much better than this."

 

LISA FRANKENSTEIN
(**½)-VITO CARLI

"If I was an alienated 15-year-old girl this might be my favorite movie"

 

ZONE OF INTEREST
(***)-VITO CARLI

"I admired Zone of Interest from a distance more than I loved it."

 

PERFECT DAYS
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...it makes visual poetry out of-everyday occurrences."

 

AMERICAN FICTION
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...a very good, provocative film which would be ideal for seeing and discussing..."

 

MAESTRO
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"The biggest crime this film commits is it only very good in an excellent year..."

 

AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...the film’s strong elements outnumber its weaknesses..."

 

FALLEN LEAVES, (Kuolleet lehdet)
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...one of the finest romantic films of the year"

 

HEART OF STONE
(*)-VITO CARLI

"...abysmal, still born cinematic failure in almost every sense"

 

POOR THINGS
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...lingers in your imagination like a vivid fever dream."

 

LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...mandatory viewing for fans of early rock n’ roll."

 

CINEMA RETROSPECTIVE
(2023)-VITO CARLI

The "Big Tuna" Vito Carli weighs in with Summation of the Year in Film

 

BARBIE
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...has great visuals, the script is not quite as impressive"

 

GODZILLA MINUS ONE
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...shockingly and surprisingly good"

 

SALTBURN
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...an exquisitely shot and wickedly amusing class comedy."

 

the KILLER
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...works as efficiently as a well-oiled machine..."

 

the MARVELS
(*½)-VITO CARLI

"There is nothing marvelous about the film..."

 

the CREATOR
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"Creator is not perfect, but it’s thoughtful, exciting, and compelling."

 

ANATOMY OF A FALL
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...darkly rewarding... "

 

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...a bit overrated because of its politics."

 

EL CONDE
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...gets more points for its ambition than its actual execution."

 

BLACK MIRROR SEASON 6
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...six good to great little mini sci-fi movies."

 

DEAD RINGERS (mini-series)
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...sure to make you think as it horrifies and repulses you."

 

A HAUNTING IN VENICE
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...a perfect fun film for the Halloween season"

 

FREMONT
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...looks and feels different than everything else that’s playing anywhere."

 

TIN AND TINA
(**½)-VITO CARLI

"...slow moving and it takes a very long time-for the horror to really start"

 

PERSONALITY CRISIS: ONE NIGHT ONLY
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...many great revelatory moments-but it is inconsistent and overlong..."

 

BLUE BEETLE
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...charming blend of family drama, action, ethnic observation, and comedy"

 

PAST LIVES
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...will leave you pondering where you ended up and where you could have gone"

 

JOHNNY AND CLYDE
(*)-VITO CARLI

"It's rare to see a professional production-with such sub-par acting..."

 

OPPENHEIMER
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...one of the great movie events of this year"

 

ASTEROID CITY
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...style is much more impressive than the content"

 

FOR ALL MANKIND (Season 1-3)
(***½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...a refreshingly retro devotion to honor and the common good."

 

CINEMA RETROSPECTIVE
(MID YEAR 2023)-VITO CARLI

The "Big Tuna" Vito Carli weighs in with Year in Film at the half way point

 

FLASH
(**½)-VITO CARLI

"...a great hour and a half ride that ends in a car crash..."

 

R.M.N.
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...the most timely, powerful, and absorbing film I have seen so far this year."

 

SHOWING UP
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...nothing major happens in Showing Up, so every little thing is important..."

 

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON SEASON 1
(***)-VITO CARLI
"...it could become a classic sci-fi program. It is just not there yet."

 

ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET.
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...plays like the best After School Afternoon Special you never saw"

 

INFINITY POOL
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...a perplexing, puzzling, and disturbing film..."

 

SUZAME (Suzume No Tojimari)
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...a wacky and imaginative piece of entertainment..."

 

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 3
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"It's like a rollicking, fun filled roller coaster ride-shared with good friends"

 

HIS ONLY SON
(**½)-VITO CARLI

"...there isn’t really enough visual material or plot to make a good feature film..."

 

RENFIELD
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...not particularly deep or artistic but it does hit a vein, and it Is a whole lot of fun"

 

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...lively, energetic, invigorating and loads of fun"

 

CHILDREN OF THE MIST
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...viewers will be horrified that this kind of thing still goes on"

 

THE LOST KING
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...minor but pleasant crowd-pleasing film..."

 

STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS SEASON 1
(***)-VITO CARLI
"...it could become a classic sci-fi program. It is just not there yet."

 

MY YEAR OF DICKS
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...I discovered more and liked it more each time I saw it."

 

ANT-MAN AND WASP: QUANTUMANIA
(*1/2)-VITO CARLI

"...a failure on almost every level."

 

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...a commendable version that keeps your interest..."

 

AVATAR THE WAY OF WATER
(**½)-VITO CARLI

"...I stopped caring about the story-but not the visuals..."

 

LIVING
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...captures the tedium of government bureaucracy as well as Gilliam’s Brazil"

 

M3GAN
(**½)-VITO CARLI

"...those not expecting too much originality may have a reasonably good time"

 

THE WHALE
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...(you) will never forget the astonishingly convincing lead performance"

 

WOMEN TALKING
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"Everyone in the film is almost equally terrific"


 

TOP 10 FILMS-2022
(2022)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
Good Old JR picks his TOP 10 Films of the Last Year

 

CINEMA RETROSPECTIVE
(2022)-VITO CARLI

The "Big Tuna" Vito Carli weighs in with Summation of the Year in Film

 

GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY
(***1/2)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...as much a creative success as its predecessor."

 

WEDNESDAY (a Netflix limited series)
(**1/2)-VITO CARLI

"...hum drum and ordinary, with similar plotlines having been done better..."

 

BLACK ADAM
(*1/2)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...Black Adam contains little that’s new, enervtating, or interesting."

 

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...some of the best scenes and most memorable characters of the year"

 

TROLL
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...a decent ride of large-scale action and near-misses..."


 

TAR
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...it's rare to see a cinematic character as-multidimensional as Lydia Tar"


 

A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...a worthy sequel that doesn’t reinvent or upstage the first."


 

WOMAN KING
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...an inspiring tale of female autonomy and sisterhood"


 

WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...some inspired madness..."


 

WEREWOLF BY NIGHT
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...a veritable feast for the eyes"

 

TOP GUN: MAVERICK
(***½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...a better time than Top Gun — more nimble, more exciting, more soulful."


 

MOONAGE DAYDREAM
(***)-VITO CARLI

"The more normal/popular Bowie got the more conventional/boring he became..."


 

the MUNSTERS
(***½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...more of a train wreck viewing experience..."


 

PEARL: AN X-TRAORDINARY ORIGIN STORY
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...a cross between an old-melodrama and a traditional slasher horror film"


 

SANDMAN (DC Universe limited series)
(***½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...a heartfelt tale full of emotional depth and-an incredible amount of humanity..."

 

EMILY THE CRIMINAL
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...Plaza’s groundbreaking performance is a-career making thing of beauty"


 

THOR: LOVE & THUNDER
(**)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...veers from dark and dour tragedy to glib, dismissive comedy..."


 

NOPE
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...imaginative, thought provoking and exciting, but it feels a little too long."


 

LIGHTYEAR
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"The best thing in Lightyear is the surprisingly mature story"


 

APOLLO 10½: A SPACE-AGE CHILDHOOD
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"I cannot think of a better film that could be seen with the whole family..."


 

PREY
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...it smashes through a low bar with ease"


 

BOTH SIDES OF THE BLADE
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...emotionally bruising-is definitely worth sitting through..."


 

the GRAY MAN
(**)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"The gears keep turning in a routine and predictable motion."


 

NEPTUNE FROST
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...a veritable feast for both the eyes and ears"


 

the AUTOMAT
(***½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...a slice of nostalgia as sweet and fluffy as a piece of-lemon meringue pie..."


 

PISTOL
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...if you are a punk fan it is must see TV"


 

RRR
(****)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...like taking that first breath of outside air after being cooped up all day..."


 

CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH
(***)-VITO CARLI

"... a film of exceedingly small, human pleasures..."


 

AFTER YANG
(****)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...a profound film for the glass-half-full atheist"


 

CRIMES OF THE FUTURE
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...a fitting last film-it serves as a summation of his (Cronenberg's) career..."

 

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
(****)-JIM RUTKOWSKI

"...an all-out assault of metaphysical possibility"


 

MOON KNIGHT (Marvel Universe limited series)
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...often entertaining, exciting and delightfully imaginative"


 

DR.STRANGE AND THE MULTI-VERSE OF MADNESS
(**½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...generally operates more on the level of self-pastiche than any real inspiration"

 

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
(***1/2)-VITO CARLI

"...a truly original risk-taking cinematic gem..."


 

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
(**½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"... a spider’s web comic what-iffing its way through two and a half hours"


 

the NORTHMAN
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...this film makes its characters as exotic, unknowable and brutal as possible..."


 

the BATMAN
(***½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...arguably the best superhero movie since Logan..."


 

X
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...finds clever ways to enliven and update a fairly formulaic plot..."

 

TURNING RED
(***1/2)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...the broadness of anime to the usual bitter sweetness of a Pixar production"


 

MORBIUS
(**)-VITO CARLI

"...a totally underwhelming mixture of the superhero and horror genre tropes..."

 

ENCANTO
(***1/2)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...thought-provoking and stimulating"

 

ACADEMY AWARDS PREDICTIONS-2022 EDITION
2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006
Two Critics, 23 nominations with 38 total predictions for 2022


 

DRIVE MY CAR
(****)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...its patient storytelling is only matched by its temporal scope."


 

CODA
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"While-predictable, it has more resonance than many more original films..."


 

NIGHTMARE ALLEY
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...reliably beautiful in its visuals-a lack of flair in the storytelling..."


 

KING RICHARD
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...the film is not really about the girls so much as it is about the-God like dad."


 

WEST SIDE STORY
(****)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...a resplendent entertainment..."


 

LICORICE PIZZA
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...takes you back to a time when-anything was possible"

 

the ETERNALS
(**½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...a gutsy mess..."


 

A HERO
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...a stern cautionary tale about the fickleness of people and-social media"


 

NO TIME TO DIE
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...destined to change how the franchise proceeds in the future"


 

WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY
(****)-VITO CARLI

"I've rarely enjoyed watching-people talk more on screen"


 

DON'T LOOK UP
(**½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...not as shrewd nor smart as it obviously think(s) it is"


 

the POWER OF THE DOG
(****)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...cold, cruel, and impossible to ignore"


 

the POWER OF THE DOG
(***1/2)-VITO CARLI

"...wiser and more powerful than the majority of films I've seen this year"


 

LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...recommended to Anglophiles, horror fans, and lovers of 60s films..."


 

BELFAST
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...a crowd-pleasing film that will  undoubtedly please fans of classic Hollywood..."

 

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...the type of superhero introduction that every fringe character should enjoy."


 

the FRENCH DISPATCH
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"Anderson tells the stories using almost every imaginable form and technique(s)..."


 

INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US
(*1/2)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"What begins as a thoughtful exploration of grief-turns into mindless blood sport"


 

THIS IS NOT A BURIAL, ITS A RESURRECTION
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...serves as a fine tribute to the skills of the late great lead actress..."


 

DUNE
(***½)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...Villeneuve understands what makes the novel run and what keeps it-vital..."

 

TITANE
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"... a work that will thrill some and repel others..."


 

the MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...a decent balance of-intrigue, as well as a character-driven standalone story..."

 

CRY MACHO
(***)-VITO CARLI

"... a mostly enjoyable and optimistic cinematic diversion..."


 

the GREEN KNIGHT
(****)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...likely to take up space in you mind for a long time after watching it..."


 

BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR-SEASON ONE
(***)-VITO CARLI

"...an eerily disturbing limited series"


 

THE SUICIDE SQUAD
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...a refreshing dose of sarcasm in a genre that often takes itself too seriously"


 

GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE
(**½)-VITO CARLI

"...left me feeling somewhat empty and wanting more"


 

BLACK WIDOW
(**1/2)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...perhaps the single most mediocre film of the-Marvel Cinematic Universe."


 

ANNETTE
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...far more and thought provoking than anything else I have recently seen."


 

OXYGEN
(***)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...an engaging style, which almost makes up for missed narrative opportunities."

 

STILLWATER
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...will probably give casual movie goers much more than they expect"


 

BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN-PART 2
(***1/2)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...Part Two serves as a great continuation and conclusion to this adaptation"


 

PIG
(****)-VITO CARLI

"...packs quite a wallop and it may be the best thing he Cage has ever done"


 

BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN-PART 1
(***1/2)-JIM RUTKOWSKI
"...a well-seasoned production overall and a fine adaptation of the source material"


 

PAPER SPIDERS
(***½)-VITO CARLI

"...features two of the finest performances I have seen in months"

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