Check out our favourite films of 2022 below:

Honourable Mention: Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter

The horror genre had another great year in 2023, and one film that was uniquely frightening was the gothic horror of André Øvredal’s Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter. Øvredal explored the fresh territory of the vampire genre with this picture, and it delivered on the sheer shock and terror of its horror moments. This Dracula was a beast of the abyss, and the blood and dread that followed made for a terrifying experience. Audiences were sure to feel a ghoulish shiver run up their spines with this horrorfest, and Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter delivered on its promise to leave you with plenty of sleepless nights.

10. Napoleon

Sir Ridley Scott brought his immense talent for world creation to life on the big screen once again with his colossal epic Napoleon, and it was an awe-inspiring watch. With two fearless performances from Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix as ambitious general Napoleon Bonaparte and Vanessa Kirby as Josephine, the woman he would conquer the world for, Napoleon was a rousing and ambitious project that chronicled the age of the Napoleonic Wars and the man who re-shape the destiny of Europe. With its gigantic battle scenes, beautiful costumes and set pieces and intense emotional drama at the heart of its story, Napoleon made for an incredible sight on the big screen.

9. Killers of the Flower Moon

Martin Scorsese is a living legend of cinema, and he brought an incredibly profound and deeply heart-wrenching tale of love and betrayal to life in Killers of the Flower Moon. With its scale and majesty, Killers of the Flower Moon could be considered to be the great director’s magnum opus, and in every frame, you felt the director’s pull to his characters and this American story that was so deeply personal to him to tell. Leonardo DiCaprio shocked audiences with a completely left-facing turn as the slow-witted and malignant Ernest Burkhart, while Lily Gladstone brought a dynamic bravery to the role of Burkhart’s wife Mollie, who served as the voice of the Osage people and the terrible troubles that this picture documented. Everything of Scorsese as a filmmaker was present in Killers of the Flower Moon, and it’s an utterly triumphant work.

8. Air

A true underdog story awaited audiences in Air, and this true-life story of ‘hustle and grind’ and the decisions that would help turn a floundering Oregon-based shoe company called Nike in the late 1980s into a gigantic powerhouse brand was on show for everyone to see in all its glory. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Tucker, and Triple Crown-winning actress Viola Davis only added to the star power of this picture, and Air was a fun, enjoyable and ultimately uplifting story of why sometimes you’ve got to ‘just do it’.

7. Barbie

Barbie went blockbuster in 2023, and this prancing, dancing and neon-pink whirlwind of cinema was an utter pop culture phenomenon that saw audiences lining up in their ‘think pink’ wardrobe, and this was fun for everyone to enjoy. Margot Robbie shines in this ‘fish out of water’ story, as Barbie finds her way into the real world, and things get real. Then there was Ken. Oh, Ken, and Ryan Gosling was completely addicting to watch in his performance, and man-o-man, could he hold a tune. Barbie was a pure party of delight, filled with every shade of pink imaginable, and it was the perfect film to groove out to with your girlfriends…and maybe a Ken or two.

6. What’s Love Got to Do with It?

My feeling is that 2023 is bringing back the rom-com, and one of the year’s best was the fabulous, fun and poignant watch of What’s Love Got to Do with It? Directed by celebrated British filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and written by socialite turned screenwriter Jemima Khan, this was a poignant and layered film that explored the very construct of love and how it grows between two people, and the result made for a film that was both sassy and serious. Lily James again shows that she’s a serious talent to keep an eye on, and the end result was a charming picture packed full of joy that audiences were sure to fall in love with.

5. John Wick: Chapter 4

Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski have forever changed the landscape of action cinema with their work on the John Wick franchise, and it got gnarly in the fourth chapter as the legendary assassin John Wick (Reeves), the ‘Baba Yaga’ himself, declared war on the High Table itself, and the result was utterly explosive. Big action met big drama in John Wick: Chapter 4, and the result was an utter rush that had your adrenal gland working overtime in one of the year’s best action pictures.

4. The Equalizer 3

As the culminating chapter to one of the decade’s greatest action franchises, much expectation was levelled on Antoine Fuqua’s The Equalizer 3 and the return of Denzel Washington as Robert McCall. And the two-time Academy Award winner didn’t disappoint in this dramatic, edgy and visceral action film. Operatic in its construction and delivery, Fuqua and Washington delivered this final chapter for this modern-day ronin who had to deliver justice at all costs. Violent and instinctive, The Equalizer 3 made for an intense and bold watch, and it was undoubtedly one of this year’s best cinematic events.

3. Saltburn

Emerald Fennel shocked audiences with her debut feature, Promising Young Women, and its follow-up, the fantastical gothic thriller Saltburn, which was a film of shocking INSANITY! Fennell invited audiences into a lavish experience of debauchery and excess with this psychodrama, and its twisting, edgy and shocking narrative made for one of the most intense cinematic experiences of the year. Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi cemented their position as two stars worthy of the A-list, and the Saltburn made for an experience of pure, unadulterated hedonism with the volume turned all the way up. Saltburn was a cinematic experience that set your senses on fire, with its narrative left to spin around your mind for days.

2. Living

Bill Nighy is an absolute treasure of an actor, and he gave the performance of a lifetime as Mr Rodney Williams in the tranquil and deeply moving Living. An emotional rollercoaster exploring the very necessity of life and what makes it meaningful, Living was an emotionally rousing, beautifully filmed piece of cinema, and by its end frame, you were sure to be wiping away the tears. Powerful in its construction and delivery, Living was an incredibly special watch, and its story was sure to find its way into the hearts of all audiences who basked in its beauty.

1. Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan is a giant of the cinematic craft, and he turned his attention to one of the most significant moments of the 20th century in the discovery of the Atomic Age and its long-lasting consequences in Oppenheimer. Large and operatic in its spectacle, Oppenheimer was a film of cause and effect, action and consequence, and how innovation can lead to both discovery and destruction in the same moment. Nolan’s narrative was a masterwork of story, and his assembled cast, including Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr and Kenneth Branagh, led an incredible group of players and built an atmosphere of total immersion. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was an utter cinematic masterpiece and is likely to be one of the most important narrative events of the 21st century.

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Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.

As a filmmaker with her finger on the pulse, Emerald Fennell has been one to watch ever since her shocking debut with her cracking story of female revenge in Promising Young Woman. It was a film that startled audiences and showcased a bold new filmmaking talent. Naturally, we were waiting for her next film with bated breath. That film is Saltburn. And it makes for a WILD watch. From its first images and marketing materials, it was clear this was going to be a lavish and sexy watch of exorbitant hedonistic urges. Fennell not only delivers the ultimate voluptuary watch, but she has control of every aspect of this ferocious feature. This focus and devotion to both narrative and character show in the final product.

Saltburn’s narrative is shaped by past influences, along with a collective feeling to themes of wealth, desire, obsession, jealousy and change. But all of it is fed through Fennell’s own unique vision. And for Fennell, the focus is on delivering the unexpected. Saltburn’s narrative does progress in the usual way, taking an almost Great Gatsby-esque approach to the initial first act, with the young poor Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) drawn to the affluent and beautiful Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). But in Saltburn, nothing is what it seems, and Felix’s ancestral home and its many trappings act as a disguise and pull the audience into a host of new directions, each more shocking and twisted than the last. Character and narrative exist in a duality in Saltburn, and Fennell brings audiences a host of rogues, cads, delinquents, spinsters, and the queen bitch to this story, and her approach to her characters makes for a shockingly original watch.

At the centre of Saltburn is Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick, a mousey, inconspicuous young college student who falls under the illusion and gaze of the beautiful and wealthy Felix Catton. And let it be said that Keoghan is a pure revelation in the role. His performance as Oliver is utterly subtle, and as an audience member, you never know what he’s going to do next. It’s plain and clear that the gorgeous Felix utterly spellbinds Oliver, but this mesmerizing voyeurism takes many twisting turns, and Oliver’s ultimate goals are not made clear until the picture’s final moments. Keoghan keeps audiences guessing with his performance, and whatever you think his ultimate aim is, well, you’ll never guess what he truly wants. Keoghan’s Oliver is a complex and resoundingly multi-faceted character, and through the narrative, we come to see his metamorphosis, and his change has lasting effects on the entire narrative.

Playing opposite Keoghan’s Oliver is Jacob Elordi as the wealthy, glamourous and utterly desirable Felix Catton, and via Elordi’s performance, it’s easy to see why Felix becomes the obsession of Oliver’s eye. Elordi is hands down the man of the moment right now, and he’s rapidly proving that he’s an actor who takes his craft seriously. Though he’s gifted with the looks of a Greek good and the quintessential cool of James Dean, Elordi is first and foremost an actor, and he’s choosing projects that fully test his range. And this suits Saltburn down to a tee. Elordi’s Felix is the ultimate upper-class prince. Dashing, charming and utterly dreamy, he instantly pulls people into his circle and under his spell. But this is no rehashing of The Great Gatsby, and Elordi’s Felix knows the power of his position in the world, and he has a cruelty of character that he’s more than happy to unleash when he wants to. Elordi’s performance as Felix is deeply impressive, and his character will spellbind audiences.

In addition to the leading presence of Keoghan and Elordi, Fennell fills out the rest of the cast with a range of stunning performers. And all leave their marks on the picture. Noted actress Rosamund Pike makes for the ultimate Queen Bitch as a Elsbeth, Lady Catton, Felix’s mother, and her tongue is wicked. Speaking in insults rather than pleasantries, Elsbeth’s frightful wit and banter will cause a reaction from audiences, and Pike steals every scene she is in. Alison Oliver’s Venetia Catton, Felix’s sister, is a playful tease, and her spacey demeanour sucks audiences in. Oliver is utterly witchy in the role, and she’s completely incorrigible. Archie Madekwe’s Farleigh Start, Felix’s cousin, is an A-class prat, and this spoilt prick takes an instant dislike to Oliver. Their back-and-forth hate is delicious, and Farleigh’s got one hell of a chip on his shoulder. Finally, the great Richard E. Grant brings everything together as Sir James, Lord Catton, Felix and Catton’s father, and he’s uniquely nuts in the picture.

Saltburn is an example of pure, unadulterated hedonism that is sprinkled with a good helping of fairy dust, cocaine and champagne in equal measure and topped off with a sizeable serving of nasty and stinging sexual energy. It’s a cocktail of pure manic bliss and is an utterly feral time in cinemas. But this rolling excess of crazy is not merely for pure shock value, well not just shock value, but it plays an essential part in the narrative and reveals the true intentions of our crazy batch of characters. There’s is a world that knows no limits, and this is expressed through the striking visuals and neon rainbow colour spectrum brought to the screen by Fennell and cinematographer Linus Sandgren. All of it will leave audiences in a buzzing trance.

A key part of the success of Saltburn and its hold over audiences is its magnificent setting. The famed and reclusive estate of the Drayton House serves this purpose, and it’s easy to get lost in the Catton family seat of Saltburn. The location and setting of this grand estate are the perfect places to tell this story, and we come to watch as Oliver quickly assimilates to its historical, weathered, and opulent rooms and soon begins to change in its presence. It’s a beautiful estate, and through a unique sense of production design, lighting and cinematography, audiences are pulled deeper into Fennell’s devilish and decadent narrative. I also must say that Saltburn is a film best enjoyed in the company of a full cinema, and the collective experience of watching this film is what makes it so flavorful to consume.

Nothing is off limits in Saltburn, and this is a picture that will set your senses on fire. It’s a piece of work from a director who is testing the edges of her cinematic voice, and Emerald Fennell is pushing the boundaries in every direction and with great results. Saltburn is a piece of cinema that is utterly unique in its style, and its narrative will be spinning around your mind for days on end. Once you arrive at this opulent and operatic tale, you won’t be able to leave.

Image: Warner Brothers Pictures

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Watch the ALL-NEW trailer for Saltburn below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.

Fennell both writes and directs this intense piece of cinema that has swept the festival circuit and caused a riot of emotions from those who have managed to get an early peak at it. With its dreamlike and ethereal imagery, and bold themes of class, power and uninhibited hedonism, Saltburn feels like a modern-day morality play akin to the likes of Faust or The Portrait of Dorian Grey, and with it;’s striking gothic tone, It sure to get under your skin.

It also stars some of the best talent of the moment, including Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick and Jacob Elordi as Felix Catton, with Keoghan’s Oliver quickly falling under the spell of the beautiful and aloof Felix. It’s a hell of a trailer to watch, with Fennell letting the ambience and atmosphere of the picture wash over you while also holding back at the core narrative of the picture, which leaves audiences open to a world of surprises.

In viewing the trailer myself, I almost feel that Saltburn feels like a ‘vampire film…but without the vampires’. There’s a dark, mysterious, and ultimately chilling feeling to the picture, and I’m certain that audiences will get a hell of a shock when they sit down to watch this film in a dark cinema.

 

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Prepare to have yourself transported away to a singular fantasy when Saltburn arrives in cinemas on November 16.

Image: Warner Brothers

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