Top Gun: Maverick, starring Tom Cruise. Photo / AP
Glitzy premieres and blockbuster releases might have made their welcome return this year, but the past 365 days for film have remained unique.
Kiwi director Jane Campion made history by being the first woman to be nominated twice for Best Director at the Oscars – and winning it. But her win was quickly overshadowed by Will Smith’s outburst and slapping of Chris Rock, an act that had ramifications for months and resulted in his resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
Meanwhile, Kiwi actress Melanie Lynskey won hearts all around the world with her speech after winning the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series.
And Hollywood heavyweight Bruce Willis announced his retirement from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia.
Later in the year, award-winning director Quentin Tarantino confirmed his 10th film will be his last and Brendan Fraser made his return to the big screen with his film, The Whale, a film that earned him an “eight-minute standing ovation” during its premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
And amid all the newsworthy moments, the industry released some major films, too.
Lillie Rohan looks at the movies that shaped 2022, and what audiences can look forward to in 2023.
Buckle in Elvis lovers because this film feels like you are quite literally watching the King in action.
In the Baz Lurhmann-directed biopic, Austin Butler takes on the mammoth role of Elvis Presley and was so convincing in his role, it genuinely felt as though the King had been reincarnated in the 31-year-old actor.
In fact, the young star’s performance was so convincing he found it difficult to let go of his accent and during the film’s press tour, many couldn’t help but point out the differing accent of Bulter. He later addressed the criticism and said he was so dedicated to doing the role justice that he ultimately ended up losing touch with his own identity by the time filming wrapped.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise there is an Oscar buzz surrounding the biopic.
As for the film itself, it is told from the perspective of Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker, whose financial abuse of the beloved star is a major focus and includes Lurhmann’s take on how the two came to work together and shocking moments during their working relationship.
Following Elvis from his early years right through to his last, the film includes songs fans know and love as well as recreated hit performances including his Las Vegas residency.
The drama surrounding this Olivia Wilde-directed film deserves a movie of its own.
There was a rumoured love triangle between Wilde and the film leads, Harry Styles and Florence Pugh. A shocking Venice Film Festival debut where Styles allegedly spat on his costar, Chris Pine - aka “spitgate” - and that’s before we even get to the alleged screaming match between Pugh and Wilde.
But whether it’s the drama surrounding the film or the brilliance of the psychological thriller, it’s definitely a film you’ll want to add to your summer watch list this Christmas break.
The film follows Alice (Pugh), an idyllic housewife and her husband, Jack (Styles) in a town that feels like the Truman Show mixed with a suburban ‘50s sitcom. While everything appears normal at first, it doesn’t take long for Alice to feel as though something isn’t quite right and it’s here viewers are subject to multiple shocking twists.
It’s heart-racing, to say the least.
In the early 2000s, it was hard to turn anywhere without seeing an advert for a rom-com or talking to someone who had just seen one but in recent years, the film industry feels like it has veered away from the typical girl meets boy heartwarming love story.
Thankfully, Ticket to Paradise saved all our rom-com yearning hearts.
Featuring Julia Roberts and George Clooney, the two co-star as divorced lovers who reunite for one simple reason. Their daughter.
Despite hating each other and wishing their marriage never happened, they call a truce in order to save their daughter from a shotgun wedding with a man she met in Bali.
Will their common goal see the former love birds reuniting or will it drive them further apart? That’s something you’ll have to find out for yourself but trust us when we say, you’ll have a few giggles along the way.
After the huge success of the 2018 film Black Panther, it’s no surprise the Marvel sequel earned US$180 million (NZ$294m) in ticket sales during its first week in cinemas. According to The Walt Disney Co, that made it the second biggest opening of the year.
Tainted with sadness, the film begins in the thick of the aftermath of King T’Challa’s death - played by the late Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020 - and follows the prominent figures of Wakanda, including Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright), as they attempt to deal with the death of the Black Panther while facing a new threat from the underwater territory of Talokan, led by the mutant Namor.
Despite only being released in November, the film is already being dubbed a top contender for the Oscars Best Picture winner and is definitely one you want to watch before the award season comes around.
Oh, you thought Tom Cruise was done with the Top Gun franchise? Think again.
We follow Cruise as he reprises his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in a film based 30 years after the original 1986 Top Gun.
Time may have passed, but Maverick is still the endearing limit pusher audiences fell in love with all those years ago, only this time he is working with a round of recruits who will work together on an adrenaline-inducing mission they may not return from alive.
Sounds exactly like the Top Gun we know and love, but there is a twist and it comes in the form of Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (played by Miles Teller), who enters the scene and Maverick has to navigate a rocky relationship with the son of his late best friend and RIO Nick “Goose” Bradshaw.
This is a perfect film to bring generations together over the holidays, but don’t be surprised if you spot your dad growing out a mo post-viewing.
Marvel films are always a massive hit with cinema fans, and this one is no different. Set to play a huge part to play in the backstory to the upcoming 2025 film Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, it’s no wonder this is one of the most anticipated 2023 films on our list.
Set to be released in February next year, Paul Rudd will reprise his role as Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly will return to her role as Hope Pym / Wasp as they continue to explore the Quantum Realm along with their family and face Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors.
But it wouldn’t be a Marvel film without a surprise. Following the release of the film’s official posters, fans are speculating Bill Murray is set to join the cast and the poster indicates that his MCU role is bigger than initially expected.
Due to hit cinemas in May, Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric and one of our favourite comedic actresses, Melissa McCarthy, as Ursula.
Like the original 1989 film, it will follow the youngest of King Triton’s daughters as she discovers a world beyond the sea. And while the initial announcement of the film in 2019 caused a splash, garnering racist backlash online, others were more than impressed with Disney’s diverse casting as hashtags like #representationmatters went viral.
Now with the teaser trailer earning over 25 million views on YouTube in only two months, it’s safe to say the film will be a must-watch next year.
Despite hitting the milestone age of 80, Harrison Ford isn’t ready to hang up his hat and is returning for the fifth and final time to play the beloved archaeologist Indiana Jones.
Directed by James Mangold, the film - due to be released in June - will feature a series of new faces, including Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Jones’ goddaughter Helena, and Mads Mikkelsen as villainous Voller, inspired partly by real-life Nazi-turned-Nasa-engineer Wernher von Braun.
The plot is said to blend fact, fiction, fedoras and fascists, and Empire has reported it will include a major scene set at the Apollo 11 ticker tape parade in New York which was thrown to celebrate the astronauts on August 13, 1969.
Barely anything is known about the Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (Ken) fronted film, and that’s the exact intention. Earlier this year Robbie said, “our goal is to be like, ‘Whatever you’re thinking, we’re going to give you something totally different – the thing you didn’t know you wanted.”
What we do know is that the Mattel film has been in the works for more than a decade after a series of failed attempts to bring it to life and is rumoured to include multiple versions of Barbie and Ken.
Whatever we are in for plot-wise, the behind the scene pictures and teaser trailer have us very excited for its July release.
Due to be released in November, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set 64 years before the first instalment of The Hunger Games trilogy and will answer some of the biggest questions from the original series.
But aside from the intriguing plot - which follows the young Coriolanus Snow - we are excited about the stellar cast line-up which includes Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer and Viola Davis.
And what better way to prep for it than to do a little time travelling yourself and watch the original films that most definitely took over pop culture in 2012.
From where to get the best view to when the roads will close.