The mind-bending Everything Everywhere All At Once (Fri 7 & Thu 20 Apr) might not initially seem like catnip to awards panels. But the twisting comedy drama quickly became a break-out smash, with 007 and Crouching Tiger star Michelle Yeoh catapulted back into the global spotlight. Described by IGN as "the most awarded film of all time", it received 11 Oscar nominations (winning seven, including Best Picture, Actress, Supporting Actor and Actress, and Screenplay) and 10 BAFTA nominations. A film like no other!
Nominated for six Oscars, Tár (Sat 8 Apr) remarkably left the Academy Awards empty handed! Regardless, the drama was named Best Picture of the Year by more critics than any other film released in 2022 - thanks in part to a powerhouse performance from Cate Blanchett. She deservedly won Best Actress awards from BAFTA, the Golden Globes, and Venice Film Festival, in a performance that has redefined her career.
Spanish auteur Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (Sun 9 Apr) gave us a very different version of the story of the wooden toy who dreamed of being a boy. While Disney's own 2022 live-action remake of their 1940 cartoon feature arguably suffered from a case of wood rot (winning Worst Remake at the Golden Raspberry’s), Del Toro’s stop-motion animation blossomed. Dark and beautifully made, his long gestating passion project deservedly walked away with the Annie, BAFTA and Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
The original adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front won Best Picture at the third Academy Awards in 1930, earning it ‘classic’ status. But that adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's anti-war opus has now been arguably surpassed by Edward Berger's, as his German language All Quiet On The Western Front (Mon 10 & Mon 17 Apr) amassed seven BAFTAs (including Best Film and Director), and four Oscars (including Best International Feature Film).
The feature debut of director/writer Charlotte Wells, Aftersun (Tue 11 & Wed 12 Apr) became a firm film festival favourite, picking up wins at Cannes, Munich, and many other festivals. It also earned 16 nominations at the British Independent Film Awards, winning seven (including Best British Independent Film, Best Screenplay and two Best Director awards). An impressive debut, Wells also picked up a Directors Guild of America Award and a BAFTA, while Paul Mescal was in also the running for a Best Actor Oscar.
Having previously worked together for 2008's cult hit In Bruges, writer/ director/ producer Martin McDonagh's reunion with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson has produced one of the most acclaimed movies of the decade! The heart-warming The Banshees of Inisherin (Thu 13 & Sat 15 Apr) premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival (where it picked up Best Actor and Screenplay wins), and went on to receive nine Academy Award nominations, four BAFTA wins (including Outstanding British Film), three Golden Globe wins (including Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy), and five awards from the London Film Critics' Circle. An utter gem of a movie.
Brendan Fraser put in a truly hefty performance as the reclusive and obese Charlie in Darren Aronofsky's The Whale (Fri 14 Apr). A surprising role for the former star of The Mummy trilogy, it won Fraser the coveted Best Actor Oscar, plus accolades from the Critics' Choice Awards, Hollywood Critics Association and Screen Actors Guild.
First coming to prominence as an actress, Sarah Polley has made a seamless transition to writing and directing. Her Women Talking (Tue 18 Apr) is a deftly balanced drama about abuse and secrets, inspired by a real event, and based on a book by Miriam Toews. Polley's script won the Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars as well as similar awards from other film orgs, including the Alliance of Women Film Journalists.
Forty-five years after Elvis Presley passed away, and film-maker Baz Luhrmann's glitzy slick musical, Elvis (Wed 19 Apr) reminded everyone why they called him 'The King of Rock'n'Roll'. Nominated for 15 AACTA Awards (the Aussie equivalents of the BAFTAs), it jived away with a rockin’ 11, including Best Lead Actor for Austin Butler - a feat he repeated at both The BAFTAs and Golden Globes.
