In 2022, the cinema was back in a big way, and I was very pleased to be able to watch 36 films released this year; either at the cinema or on streaming services. The world is still feeling the aftershock of the lockdowns, but in the cinemas at least it felt like a return to 2019. After a few months, people weren’t even wearing masks anymore.
It also felt like 2019 because we had a full program of superhero movies. Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson managed to find a somewhat fresh take on the Dark Knight in The Batman, by focusing on a younger, still grieving, and unsure of himself Bruce Wayne. It somehow managed to make the nearly three hour run time work and featured exceptional supporting performances from Collin Farrell and Zoë Kravitz.
On the other side of the superhero divide, Marvel had one of their weakest years yet. Thor Love and Thunder underwhelmed after high expectations from director Taika Waititi following the success of Thor: Ragnarok. Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness fused Sam Raimi’s dark horror comedy with the Marvel source and Dr Strange’s own kaleidoscope visual style, but didn’t do much to be more than the sum of its parts.
Merry Christmas Violence! Yes, it’s the annual somewhat festive special, this year covering The Peripheral (no Christmas content) and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (lots of it).
After all that, they log in to The Peripheral (9:45), Amazon’s new cyberpunk thriller based on a William Gibson novel. Includes lengthy chat about the plot and themes, plus spoilers for a big plot turn in the second episode.
This fortnight, Nick and Alastair knuckle down for some premium telly with new Star Wars series Andor and eagerly awaited boat show 1899.
Finally, they’ve also seen all of 1899 (26:13), the new series about mystery on a boat from the creators of their beloved Dark. Can it possibly live up to that legacy? Be aware, they go into full show-ruining spoilers from 33:57.
This fortnight, Nick and Alastair take in an exquisite menu of famed predators, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and The Bear.
After which, they ready their napkins for some high-class dining with excellent new high-tension kitchen-set comedy-drama The Bear (29:07).
Nick and Alastair tackle some big TV shows this Halloween, with Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Werewolf By Night. At least the last one is appropriate for the season.
And then move on to She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (27:33), which might’ve inspired almost as many arguments, before finishing on Marvel’s other seasonal release: spooky one-off Werewolf By Night (39:41).
This fortnight, Nick and Alastair are trapped inside a basement in Inside Man, not to mention the metaphorical cage of their own grief in After Yang.
Finally, they’ve also watched After Yang (31:54), a sad (but good) sci-fi film about the passing of a robotic family member.
Nick and Alastair abandon the real world once again for one of their occasional recommendation specials! This time, they return to some beloved franchises during their eighties era, with Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt and Doctor Who: Earthshock. (Be aware – there are spoilers for the then-shocking endings of these 30+ year old stories. Enter at your own risk.)
Lastly, Alastair improves the lighting (up to a point) with unique Doctor Who serial Earthshock (30:23), as the Cybermen return for revenge, so angry that they’ve pulled off all their cling film.
This fortnight, Nick and Alastair effortlessly interweave the real and the fantastic with House of the Dragon and Thirteen Lives.
Lastly, Nick and Alastair are going deeper underground with Thirteen Lives (26:39), a movie about a bunch of kids trapped down a mine in Thailand. If that sounds familiar, it’ll be because it really happened.
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