UPDATED: My Favourite Films of 2022

'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

I’m a huge film fan, as many will know.  I didn’t have time nor money to see any Toronto International Film Festival movies during the festival.  So I’ve been playing catch up since.

I’m happy to share my top favourites of the year below.  As I see more, I reserve the right to add them to my favourites list.  

UPDATED March 31, 2022:

MY FAVOURITE MOVIES FROM 2022:

1: Everything Everywhere All At Once - So much fun to watch again and again, original, zeitgeisty, hilarious, with a heart of gold at the centre of its bagel, this feels like this year’s Parasite (meaning, the small awesome indie that wins hearts and takes the top prize at the Oscars over other more conventional, respectable but less loved flicks.)

2: Riceboy Sleeps - The struggles of the immigrant experience in Canada are laid bare in this quiet, touching, beautiful story about a Korean single mother raising her son in suburban Vancouver in the 1990s.  Its quiet authenticity including both comedic and tragic story lines deeply moved me.  When news of an illness convinces the mother, played beautifully by Choi Seung-yoon, to take her now teenage son to South Korea to finally meet his family, the cinematic journey moves into unforgettable territory. 

3: She Said - This compelling, riveting thriller / tribute to investigative journalism follows two New York Times journalists taking on the sexual monster Harvey Weinstein and inspiring the beginnings of the #MeToo movement.

4: Nope - Truly creepy, slow burn horror flick by Jordan Peele.  Not as good as Get Out nor Us, but still quite something to behold. Remembering some scenes still makes me shudder, which means it got under my skin.  And that’s always a great thing in a movie.

5: Top Gun: Maverick - I was late to the party watching this only last month on the big screen (where it should be seen).  It’s totally entertaining and hits all the right notes, or all the right moves.  Good job, Tom Cruise!

6: The Fabelmans - Touching and very personal memory play by the esteemed Steven Spielberg, beautifully crafted and acted. 

7: Aftersun - Small, subtle indie about a lonely, troubled single father played by the gorgeous Paul Mescal trying to connect with his teenage daughter on a trip abroad.  

8: The Batman - Finally caught this artful, very dark, brooding, slightly twisted take on the franchise starring Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz.  The art direction and various other technical effects, plus the acting were superb, although Pattinson is no Christian Bale.  Not sure his take brought much new to the role.  I enjoyed it though as I do dig super hero movies like this but this won’t be for everyone.  Plus like many movies this year, they could’ve easily cut 30-45 minutes from the long running time.

9. The Whale: Brendan Fraser deserves the acclaim he's been receiving for his deeply effecting embodiment of a grotesquely obese, gay man near the end of his life.  There wasn't an inauthentic moment from him, so much emotion and love shines through the incredible make-up.  I cried a few times. 

10. Triangle of Sadness:  Fascinating, provocative satire exploring class and the excesses of clueless wealth amid characters on a doomed private cruise.  And lots of yummy Harris Dickinson throughout.  Magnificently acted and crafted, I'm giggling about parts of it now a couple hours after watching it.  

11: Women Talking - Beautifully written and acted and very timely.  It often felt like a play rather than a movie.  But clearly this hits so many important notes about the power of collective action to overcome systemic oppression and abuse.  

12: The Banshees of Inisherin - I first found this a tad boring and confusing (why is he cutting off his fingers?!!) but later I came to appreciate it as a big metaphor for the uselessness of civil war (the Irish civil war to be specific.)  

13: Good Luck To You, Leo Grande - Wonderful, sex positive story about an older woman learning to get comfortable and embrace her sexuality with the help of a gorgeous male escort.

14:  Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Entertaining but not as good as the first one.  But beautiful and superbly acted.  

And the rest of my favourites in order:

Elvis

Armageddon Time

The Woman King 

Tár 

All Quiet On The Western Front 

Bros

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Turning Red

Glass Onion: Knives Out 

The Wonder

Golden Delicious

The Swimmers 

Thor: Love and Thunder

White Noise

The Menu 

Doctor Strange 2: The Multiverse of Madness

My Policeman

Uncharted

The Edge of War

The Good Nurse

I want to see as soon as possible, in order:

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

 

Argentina, 1985

Till 

Babylon 

Empire of Light 

Decision To Leave

RRR 

Crimes of the Future

I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Living

Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris

Emancipation

 

Devotion

I have no plans to see Avatar’s sequel as the first one didn’t do much for me. 

Today’s tonic: “(Dis)Ordered Liberty” by Erin O’Toole

Today’s tonic: “(Dis)Ordered Liberty” by Erin O’Toole.  Refreshing and I wish we had heard more of this tone from him when he was in charge of the CPC 

https://erinotoole.substack.com/p/disordered-liberty 

#cdnpoli 

Today's tonic: "Putting Christ back into Christian"

Today's tonic: "Putting Christ back into Christian" by Michael Coren

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2022/12/24/putting-christ-back-into-christian.html  

#MerryChristmas, everyone!

My 2016 comedy short film "Tri-Curious" is back on YouTube!

Actors Rob Salerno and Trevor Ketcheson

My first short film as a director Tri-Curious is now available for the world to see on YouTube as of December 1, 2022.

The film spent the last 5 years available on Dekkoo, a fine, paid subscription media streaming service focused on gay male content, until last month when the licence they purchased from me expired.  (Man, how time flies!)  Before Dekkoo, Tri-Curious had racked up 1.5 million hits on YouTube.  The video has been private these five years to respect the licensing agreement.  But now I think it's time the public be able to watch the film again without a subscription for a while.

Re-watching it, I'm super proud of the moments the filmmaking team captured with sexy actors Trevor Ketcheson, Rob Salerno and Michael Went.  For my directing debut, I'm very happy with it.  The opening wide shot of Queen Street East in Toronto facing south across a long-gone parking lot is no longer possible as condo construction has blocked the view we captured in late 2015.

A special shout out to the crew who worked hard over two days of shooting in autumn 2015, including cinematographer Nico Stagias, assistant director Allen Braude, associate producers Jefferson Darrell and Tom Yarith Ker, sound guys Randy Resh and Pirhan Dastoor, make-up artist Mishka Prefontaine, and musician extraordinaire Mike Freedman. 

The film chronicles the last minute anxiety that threatens to ruin a young couple's first threesome together. 

As a young gay male couple gets ready for their first threesome together, one half of the pair gets cold feet and wants to cancel.  The trouble is, it’s 20 minutes until their “guest” is set to arrive at their apartment. 

The film wasn't autobiographical but did explore some issues around sexuality, monogamy and relationships that continue to intrigue me to this day.   I followed up Tri-Curious in 2020 with my next short film The Big Snore, which also did a festival run and got picked up by Dekkoo in 2021 where it will play exclusively until March 2026.  

In the mean time, if you haven't seen it yet, please have a look at Tri-Curious.  If you have seen it, give it another view.  I hope you enjoy it!   

Tonight's tonic: Tina Kotek becomes the 2nd ever out lesbian elected as a U.S. governor, after Maura Healey won in Massachusetts earlier this week...

Tonight's tonic: @TinaKotek becomes the 2nd ever out lesbian elected as a U.S. governor. The 1st @Maura_Healey was declared the winner in Massachusetts on Tuesday night. Both strong awesome women.  

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/11/politics/tina-kotek-christine-drazan-oregon-governor-race-result/index.html 

 #USPolitics #LGBTQ

Today's tonic: "Cuba overwhelmingly approves same-sex marriage in referendum"

Today's tonic: "Cuba overwhelmingly approves same-sex marriage in referendum"

#Equality #Cuba #LGBT

Today's tonic from writer John Ivison: "Pierre Poilievre should know better than to tear down Canadian institutions"

Today's tonic from writer John Ivison:

"@PierrePoilievre should know better than to tear down Canadian institutions...The new authoritarians are not to be found in Ottawa or Washington, but they are thriving in Beijing and Moscow"

#cdnpoli #authoritarian

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/john-ivison-poilievre-should-know-better-than-to-tear-down-canadian-institutions

This weekend's tonics: "In His Desk!" and "Democrats flip Alaska seat and defeat Sarah Palin in special election, big loss for GOP!"

I posted these two on my Twitter late this week:

Today's tonic: "In His Desk!" Hahaha! Thank you, Lawrence O'Donnell, for what you do: "Donald Trump Got Caught With Classified Docs In His Desk" because where else would the sinister idiot hide stolen stuff?

https://youtu.be/wwYV2haruoo

#MarALagoFBIRaid #InHisDesk #uspoli

Another tonic: Democrats flip Alaska seat and defeat @SarahPalinUSA in her comeback, big loss for GOP in special election, "Mary Peltola set to make history as the first Alaska Native in Congress"

The Democrats do appear to have major wind in their sails as they enter the home stretch before the mid-term elections in early November...

https://cnn.com/2022/08/31/politics/mary-peltola-alaska-house-special-election/index.html…

#uspoli

Today's tonic: "Police call for Brazil's Bolsonaro to be charged for spreading Covid misinformation"

Police call for Bolsonaro to be charged for spreading Covid misinformation.  Brazil’s federal police ask supreme court to charge president over bogus claims in October 2021 social media broadcast.  

#Brazil #COVID19 #misinformation

Today's tonic: "How Jan. 6 Plan Emerged From Military Coup Plot | The Beat Exposes Trump's Criminal Intent"

Today's tonic: In light of today's FBI raid on Trump's Florida home, I thought I'd share MSNBC's Ari Melber must-see report from a few days ago, 'How Jan. 6 Plan Emerged From Military Coup Plot'.

#uspoli #USPolitics #todaystonic #MarALagoRaid

Today’s tonic: “Ontario has a doctor shortage. So why isn’t the Ford government licensing more internationally trained physicians living here?”

Today’s tonic: “Ontario has a doctor shortage. So why isn’t the Ford government licensing more internationally trained physicians living here?” 

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/08/07/ontario-has-a-doctor-shortage-so-why-isnt-the-ford-government-licensing-more-internationally-trained-physicians-living-here.html 

#onpoli #cdnpoli #doctors #todaystonic #foreigntraineddoctors

Today’s tonic: Conspiracy theories aren’t theories, they’re stories. Let’s treat them that way.

Starting a daily post I’ll call, “Today’s tonic”: articles that bring reason, intelligence, & common sense to counter the nonsense, lies, & bigotries currently on the rise in our society.  

Starting with Dan Leger today:

https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2022/08/05/conspiracy-theories-arent-theories-theyre-stories-lets-treat-them-that-way/

#cdnpoli #onpoli #uspoli #conspiracy

The great Joan Guerin: 1944 to 2022

My late aunt Joan Guerin

This year has so far been a tough year for my family.   

Just weeks after we lost Janis Murray (the youngest sister of my mother Dianne), my aunt Joan Guerin, the younger sister to my late father Fred, passed away in Peterborough, Ontario.  

Joan struggled for years with health issues, her heart finally failing on April 5th, 2022.  

Joan had one of the sharpest minds I had ever encountered and I was proud to call her my aunt.  A lawyer by training, she spent a career building a family law practise in Peterborough, Ontario.  

In recent years, she reminded me greatly of my late father, in physical mannerisms, in outlook, in humour, in intellect, and in spirit.  One of the few women in the Guerin family, she never married, but devoted her time to her extended family, including her many nephews, as well as friends, clients, and colleagues.    

Joan was also political and a bit of a NDP supporter in a family of mostly Liberals.  It made for interesting conversations over the years, and we shared many values.  While months or sometimes even years could go by between our conversations, the bond she built with me, as she did with all of her nephews, was strong.  

I was honoured when she asked me, plus another cousin, Marc Guerin, along with a longtime friend and colleague Suzanne Essex, to be the three co-executors on her will.  

"But there won't be much money left to distribute," she joked to me years ago.  "I intend to spend my money!"  

Sadly, my dear cousin Marc, who was only a couple of months older than me, lost his own battle with cancer in February 2021.  

Thus, Suzanne and myself have been working away since April 5th making plans for Joan's celebration of life and doing the work that goes with these responsibilities.  Thank you to my older brother David who's given me good advice on these important duties.  

With the help of family, I'm proud of the obituary we've written for Joan, which is posted on the website for Comstock-Kaye funeral home in Peterborough.  This Saturday April 23rd, we will follow Joan's wishes and bury her ashes at the same cemetery plot where her late parents were buried in Peterborough.  And soon thereafter, family, friends and former colleagues will gather to celebrate her life.  

I've been reflecting on losing two fabulous women in our families in so short of a time.  While we had some expectations the losses were coming, it nevertheless saddens.  I've only begun to process these events, and I expect I'll continue to do so for months and years.  But I also want to celebrate their great lives.  

These women were awesome!  Some would call them "kick-ass".  They set their own courses in life and lived them to the fullest.  They were inspirations.  They taught us how to do it.  

Thank you, Joan, for everything you did for our family!  I love you and will miss you!  

My official list of Favourite Films of 2021

Spider-Man hotties Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire
together in one multiverse

The Oscars this Sunday will provide a bit of fun and distraction amid these otherwise trying times.   

I'm happy to finally share my official list of Favourite Films of 2021.   I'll be happy if I surprise you a bit.  

1. Spider-Man: No Way Home - This may strike some people as not very high-minded of me, but I'm going with my heart.  This was the best Spider-Man movie ever.  It beautifully pays tribute to all previous Spider-Man movies with tender thoughtfulness.  The scenes with Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire were so enjoyable, the tragic twists of the plot highly moving, including the bittersweet yet appropriate ending.  I have such love for Marvel movies, this one will be played again by me over and over for years to come.  Lots of fulfilling and emotional themes here elevate the work beyond a typical super hero movie.

2. The Power of the Dog - Beautiful scenery, astonishing acting, haunting music, sensational filmmaking all around.  This sly story about a young man who goes to great lengths to protect his mother from a complicated, alpha-male anti-hero is a fascinating one, even if the characters are mostly repulsive or odd.  

3. CODA - If you're not into great super hero movies or odd character studies, chances are you'll love this movie about a teenage girl, the only hearing member of a deaf family, who is surprised to discover after joining her school’s choir that she has astonishing, natural singing talent.  This is a beautiful film.  Troy Kotsur deserves his many awards for his hilarious gem of a performance.    

4. The Lost Daughter - I luxuriated in the serene world of this film and often wished I could be on the same beach as Olivia Colman’s character, when she was alone at least.  Astonishing directorial debut here by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

5. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - Exciting, wondrous, sexy, hilarious. I’ve watched it about six or seven times since its release last summer.  Yes, I love good Marvel movies, as you can see.  

6. Belfast - Very touching and timely tale about a family struggling amid the early troubles of Northern Ireland.

7. Don't Look Up - That final scene with Meryl Streep is the stuff of comedy legend.  I’ll say no more. 

8. No Time To Die - They saved Daniel Craig’s second best Bond flick for last.

9. West Side Story - Very entertaining and accomplished re-imagining of the 60s classic.

10. Cruella - Colourful and engaging new classic!! 

11. King Richard

12. The Tragedy of Macbeth 

13. Being the Ricardos

14. Licorice Pizza

15. Dune 

16. Passing

17. The Eternals

18. Mountain Lodge

19. Tick Tick...Boom! 

20. Black Widow

21. Chaos Walking

22. Fisherman

23. Boy Meets Boy

24. Fear Street: Part One - 1994

25. Seaspiracy

26. I Carry You With Me

27. In The Heights

2021 FILMS I HAVEN'T SEEN BUT STILL WANT TO SEE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, in order of preference: 

The Eyes of Tammy Faye 

The King's Man

Nightmare Alley

Spencer

Drive My Car 

Cyrano

Scarborough 

Night Raiders

Respect

Fear Street: Part Two - 1978

Fear Street: Part Three - 1666

Last Night in Soho 

Benediction

Mothering Sunday

OTHER 2021 FILMS I SAW WHICH UNDERWHELMED ME, in alphabetical order:

Moffie

Sequin in a Blue Room

Voyagers

The fabulous Janis Murray: 1955 to 2022

Jan and me at my 40th b-day party

My aunt and dear friend Jan Murray passed away today after a long battle with cancer.  I took the time a couple of weeks ago to write a love letter to her:

Dear Jan, 

We’ve shared a lot of beautiful memories of good times together.  

My absolute favourite story you’ve ever told is the occasion in the mid-1970s when you were living in Guelph while attending university.  We also lived in Guelph, where my mom and dad met and eventually married in 1967.  In 1972, the year I was born, our family moved into a home on Eleanor Court in the city’s north end.  You must’ve started at University of Guelph probably in 1973 or 1974, although you were living elsewhere in town.  But you visited us often on Eleanor Court.  

One day, my mom Dianne, your eldest sister, had driven you back to your student apartment (I think somewhere near Water and Gordon Streets?) after one such visit to our home.  Mom brought two or three-year-old me along for the ride and I was buckled up tightly into a kid’s chair in the backseat.  If I was three, it would’ve been 1975.  

Now as we know, you and my mom could talk.  You had long, beautiful conversations your whole lives.  And that day was no different.  Mom’s car pulled up to drop you off at your student apartment, but of course there was still more to talk about.  So you both kept on talking about whatever was on your minds that afternoon.  I was no doubt unhappy about being tied to a chair and stuck in the backseat.  I’m not sure what time of year it was, so no telling if it was a warm Guelph day.  But as you can imagine, three-year-old me was getting impatient.  

I must’ve finally deduced that the delay I was experiencing getting out of this baby seat was due to the fact that Mom and you were still talking in the front seat.  And that relief would only come for me after you finally got out of the car so we could drive back home and I could be released from this bondage. 

So little three-year-old me blurted out, “Jan, get out.”

You told me you and Dianne looked back at me and then broke into uproarious laughter.  No doubt, my protestation probably brought the adult conversation that afternoon to a swift end and you took your exit to resume another week of studies.  Mom drove me home and released me from the backseat.  

Jan, you told this hilarious story again and again over the decades.  Every time I introduced you to new people in my life, or you introduced me to people in your life, you mentioned this hilarious story about the impatient toddler who told you to “Get out” of the car.  And I loved each and every time you told it.  

But you didn’t really get out of the car, did you?  You stuck around, metaphorically speaking of course, and my life and the lives of our whole family, the lives of everyone you ever met, were enriched and made more beautiful because of you.   

Jan, when I think of you, I think of: 

• Joie de vivre

• Passion

• Great style

• Hard-work

• Studiousness

• Perseverance

• An open heart

• Strength

• Street-smarts 

• Wisdom

You embraced the most cosmopolitan of lives in Toronto as an adult.  When I was a teenager, I always looked up to you and was inspired by the example you gave.  You often mentioned your “gay buddies” as early as the 1980s.   Your presence and your example gave me hope as a closeted teen.  It showed me a way forward in the family, that a happy life could be possible.  You were talking about gay people living happy lives whom you called “friends”.  That meant so much to me in those days.  

Over the years, you became a dear friend, a confidant, someone I knew had my back and would always listen.  I have tried to be that friend and confidant back for you.  We’ve shared so many glasses of wine or delicious meals together.  Maybe too much wine on occasion, but who cares?  We were having fun!   We’ve sat through so many amazing movies or had so many great conversations about the world we’re living in.  

You joined our family for every holiday event you could attend.  We’d often meet up in downtown Toronto or in Mississauga and you’d give me a drive to Guelph or Cambridge.  Sometimes I’d pay for the gas, sometimes I’d pay with a bottle of wine we’d enjoy at the festivities, but often you simply accepted no payment.  You were so generous and loving.  You became a staple of my life and of our family.  You made our world bigger than it was because of all you brought to the table.  

I related to your struggles in life, as I shared them.  Even though we are of different generations, we came from the same family and were facing the same challenges of modern times.  We had each other to turn to.  Thank you for all the listening and advice you’ve given me.  I hope I’ve been able to give you a modicum of what you have given me.   

There are too many memories and occasions to count that brought such joy.  Some that stand out as I write this: 

• Your absolutely adorable crush on Chris Pratt.  The way you swooned when you first laid eyes on that hunky actor in Guardians of the Galaxy brought such a smile to my face and everyone else in the room at the time.  Yes, you have very good taste in men.   It was so much fun watching you swoon again when we watched Chris Pratt in Jurassic World in Montreal last year.  

• I also remember the relaxing drinks we enjoyed at the open window bistro in old Montreal this past June.  

• The time you insisted I read out loud my entire first screenplay for you. 

• The time we went off to New York state to attend the wedding shower for a gay buddy of yours marrying an American.  We enjoyed the house party, but nothing was more entertaining than the karaoke performances we saw later that night at the bar next to our hotel.  We didn’t sing ourselves because we understand the limitations of our talents, unlike most of the folks who got behind the microphone that night.   But man, some of those folks were awesome to watch.   

   

There are too many memories to count.  I cherish them all. 

Every room you entered was made brighter, more fun and more full of love because you arrived. 

Yes, I am very glad that you “didn’t get out of the car” after all.   You stayed with us and changed all of our lives.  

With love,
Matt  

My Favourite Films of 2021? Still thinking about it... ;-)

***UPDATED March 6, 2022 **** As I watch more 2021 films, I'll move them up if I love them.  Please expect a new post on my Top Favourites before Oscar Night. *****

I've always enjoyed compiling my list of Favourite Films each year.   Before COVID, it was easy for me to check out many new films long before the end of the year by attending film festivals or heading often to movie theatres.  Nowadays, the release of some films on streaming services like Netflix partially makes up for the loss the festivals and open movie theatres during lock down. 

But I'm still far behind in my viewing of the biggest films of 2021.  Furthermore, I'm also hesitant to come out with my big list too soon because I have found that my thoughts on my favourite films evolve over time.  The test of time for me is to acknowledge which of my favourite films I actually watch over and over again because they excite me and deliver each time.  That's not something you can know from one viewing.  It takes months to acknowledge which Blu-ray I'm turning on again and again (I always buy Blu-rays of my favourites.)  

For instance, I went back to my 2020 favourites list and changed it again.  Of my favourites that year, I continually go back and re-watch Christopher Nolan's masterpiece Tenet, for which I have the Blu-ray.  My initial top choice of that year was Supernova, a perfectly romantic and nuanced story which I continue to admire.  But its subject matter and style don't make for enjoyable repeat viewings.  So I moved it down to my third choice for 2020, below the stunning Promising Young Woman, a film I have watched multiple times as its awesome rhythm and quality remain continually enjoyable (despite its dark subject matter.)

So I'm going to think long and hard about the films of 2021 before I come up with any kind of final list of favourites.   And again this year, I still have so many acclaimed movies even to see for the first time.   I imagine I will come up with a final list before this March's Oscars.  

In the mean time, I'm going to simply list the 2021 films I've seen so far which I would consider to be major contenders for my heart or my Top Ten, in alphabetical order so as not to preempt my own deliberations.  This is tentative, of course, as there are many other 2021 films I still need to see.  

TOP 10 FILMS OF 2021 I'VE SEEN SO FAR, in alphabetical order (updated March 6, 2022): 

Belfast

CODA

Don't Look Up

King Richard

The Lost Daughter

No Time To Die

The Power of the Dog

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Spider Man: No Way Home

West Side Story

OTHER 2021 FILMS I'VE SEEN WHICH I ENJOYED AS WELL, in alphabetical order:

Being the Ricardos

Boy Meets Boy

Black Widow

Chaos Walking

Cruella

The Eternals

Fear Street: Part One - 1994

Fisherman (extremely sexy short gay film)

I Carry You With Me

Licorice Pizza

Mountain Lodge

Passing

Seaspiracy

Tick Tick...Boom! 

The Tragedy of Macbeth

2021 FILMS I STILL WANT TO SEE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, in order of preference: 

The Eyes of Tammy Faye 

Spencer

The King's Man

Cyrano

Nightmare Alley

Drive My Car 

Respect

Scarborough 

Night Raiders

Fear Street: Part Two - 1978

Fear Street: Part Three - 1666

Last Night in Soho 

Benediction

Mothering Sunday

OTHER 2021 FILMS I SAW WHICH UNDERWHELMED ME, in alphabetical order:

Dune

In The Heights

Moffie

Sequin in a Blue Room

Voyagers