Matt writes: As end-of-the-year lists make their annual rounds, ten of our contributors recently spotlighted various essential films from 2022 that they feel were overlooked, including Alli Haapasalo’s marvelous prize-winner, “Girl Picture.” Click here to find all the recommendations from our writers Simon Abrams, Carlos Aguilar, Robert Daniels, Isaac Feldberg, Marya Gates, Christy Lemire, Nell Minow, Katie Rife, Peyton Robinson and Clint Worthington.

Trailers

Broker (2022). Written and directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. Starring Song Kang-ho, Dong-won Gang, Bae Doona. Synopsis: Boxes that are left out for people to anonymously drop off their unwanted babies. Debuts in the US on December 26th, 2022.

Babylon (2022). Written and directed by Damien Chazelle. Starring Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Brad Pitt. Synopsis: A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood. Debuts in the US on December 23rd, 2022.

Emancipation (2022). Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Written by Bill Collage. Starring Will Smith, Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa. Synopsis: A runaway slave forges through the swamps of Louisiana on a tortuous journey to escape plantation owners that nearly killed him. Now playing in the US.

One Fine Morning (2022). Written and directed by Mia Hansen-Løve. Starring Léa Seydoux, Pascal Greggory, Melvil Poupaud. Synopsis: With a father suffering from neurodegenerative disease, a young woman lives with her eight-year-old daughter. While struggling to secure a decent nursing home, she runs into a friend who although being in a relationship, embarks an affair. US release date is TBA.

Return to Seoul (2022). Written and directed by Davy Chou. Starring Park Ji-Min, Oh Kwang-rok, Guka Han. Synopsis: A twenty-five-year-old French woman returns to Korea, the country she was born in before being adopted by a French couple, for the very first time. She decides to track down her biological parents, but her journey takes a surprising turn. US release date is TBA.

When You Finish Saving the World (2023). Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg. Starring Julianne Moore, Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk. Synopsis: Evelyn and her oblivious son Ziggy seek out replacements for each other as Evelyn desperately tries to parent an unassuming teenager at her shelter, while Ziggy fumbles through his pursuit of a brilliant young woman at school. US release date is TBA.

The Mean One (2022). Directed by Steven LaMorte. Written by Finn Kobler and Flip Kobler. Starring David Howard Thornton, Krystle Martin, Chase Mullins. Synopsis: In a sleepy mountain town, Cindy has her parents murdered and her Christmas stolen by a blood thirsty green figure in a red Santa suit – The Mean One. But when the ravenous, Christmas hating creature begins to terrorize the town and threatens to ruin the holiday, she finds a new purpose – trapping and killing the monster. Debuts in the US on December 15th, 2022.

The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari (2022). Directed by Rory Kennedy. Synopsis: Portrays human bravery and resilience after a tragic volcano disaster in New Zealand. Debuts on Netflix on December 16th, 2023.

Copenhagen Cowboy (2023). Created by Nicolas Winding Refn. Starring Angela Bundalovic, Andreas Lykke Jørgensen, Li Ii Zhang. Synopsis: A young heroine, Miu who travels through Copenhagen’s criminal netherworld. Debuts on Netflix on January 5th, 2023.

1923 (2022). Created by Taylor Sheridan. Starring Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, Brandon Sklenar. Synopsis: The Duttons face a new set of challenges in the early 20th century, including the rise of Western expansion, Prohibition and the Great Depression. Debuts on Paramount+ on December 18th, 2022.

The Big 4 (2022). Directed by Timo Tjahjanto. Written by Timo Tjahjanto and Johanna Wattimena. Starring Abimana Aryasatya, Putri Marino, Lutesha. Synopsis: Tells the story of an elite assassin that is targeted by murderous gangsters after sparing a girl’s life during a massacre. Debuts on Netflix on December 15th, 2022.

A Man Called Otto (2023). Directed by Marc Forster. Written by David Magee (based on the novel by Fredrik Backman and the screenplay by Hannes Holm). Starring Tom Hanks, Rachel Keller, Mike Birbiglia. Synopsis: Otto is a grump who’s given up on life following the loss of his wife and wants to end it all. When a young family moves in nearby, he meets his match in quick-witted Marisol, leading to a friendship that will turn his world around. Debuts in the US on January 13th, 2023.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023). Directed by Steven Caple Jr.. Written by Joby Harold, Darnell Metayer, Josh Peters, Erich Hoeber, Jon Hoeber. Starring Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage, Pete Davidson. Synopsis: Based on the ‘Transformers’ spinoff ‘Beast Wars’ which feature robots that transform into robotic animals. Debuts in the US on June 9th, 2023.

Cocaine Bear (2023). Directed by Elizabeth Banks. Written by Jimmy Warden. Starring Ray Liotta, Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich. Synopsis: An oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists, and teens converge in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound black bear goes on a murderous rampage after unintentionally ingesting cocaine. Debuts in the US on February 24th, 2023.

White Noise (2022). Written and directed by Noah Baumbach (based on the book by Don DeLillo). Starring Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, Raffey Cassidy. Synopsis: Dramatizes a contemporary American family’s attempts to deal with the mundane conflicts of everyday life while grappling with the universal mysteries of love, death, and the possibility of happiness in an uncertain world. Debuts in the US on December 30th, 2022.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023). Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. Written by Matthew Fogel. Starring Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day. Synopsis: A plumber named Mario travels through an underground labyrinth with his brother, Luigi, trying to save a captured princess. Debuts in the US on April 7th, 2023.

The Rig (2023). Created by David Macpherson. Starring Emily Hampshire, Iain Glen, Calvin Demba. Synopsis: A group of workers on a remote Scottish oil rig are due to return to the mainland when a mysterious fog enshrouds them and supernatural forces take hold. Debuts on Prime Video on January 6th, 2023.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). Directed by James Cameron. Written by James Cameron, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. Starring Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Kate Winslet. Synopsis: Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the planet of Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their planet. Debuts in the US on December 16th, 2022.

The Eternal Daughter

Matt writes: Filmmaker Joanna Hogg and actor Tilda Swinton recently spoke with Marya E. Gates about their latest acclaimed collaboration, “The Eternal Daughter.” You can read their full conversation here. 

Rian Johnson on “Glass Onion”

Matt writes: Writer/director Rian Johnson talked to Nell Minow about “Glass Onion,” his crowd-pleasing follow up to the hit comic mystery, “Knives Out.” You can read their full conversation here.

Free Movies

Sundown (1941). Directed by Henry Hathaway. Written by Barré Lyndon and Charles G. Booth. Starring Gene Tierney, Bruce Cabot, George Sanders. Synopsis: In 1941, a mysterious Somaliland native woman helps the British against the Nazis. 

Watch “Sundown“

The Bigamist (1953). Directed by Ida Lupino. Written by Collier Young. Starring Joan Fontaine, Ida Lupino, Edmund Gwenn. Synopsis: A man secretly married to two women feels the pressure of his deceit.  

Watch “The Bigamist”

Monstrosity (1963). Directed by Joseph V. Mascelli and Jack Pollexfen. Written by Vy Russell, Sue Dwiggins and Dean Dillman Jr. Starring Marjorie Eaton, Frank Gerstle, Frank Fowler. Synopsis: A rich but unscrupulous old woman plots with a scientist to have her brain implanted in the skull of a sexy young woman.

Watch “Monstrosity”

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