Summer is right around the corner, and with that comes movie season! For April, the BFBs each selected three 2022 movies that they were particularly excited about seeing. From Spielberg to Chan-Wook, we've got upcoming cinema covered. Check out our staff picks.
Pedro
Nope (June, theaters)
Jordan Peele's first two movies are two of my favorite horror movies of all time. Expectations are high, even though I know nothing about the story. Daniel Kaluuya returns in a Peele film, and Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun will also be part of a very promising and talented cast. The trio will be joined by horses, an isolated village and strange events. The trailer is exactly how I like it: intriguing while still keeping us in the dark about its story. Love it.
Decision to Leave (May in Cannes / Fall US release, TBD)
Whenever Park Chan-wook announces a new project, I get immediately excited. It doesn't matter what genre, the director of Oldboy and The Handmaiden never disappoints. Even though I know that a Park thriller is certainly not a conventional thriller – or, perhaps, precisely because of that – I’m pretty sure this will be tense, crazy, and with some unexpected twists. What do we know about the plot? Well, it involves murder, suspicion, betrayal, seduction, ghosts and shape-shifting humans. I want it now!
Killers of the Flower Moon (November, AppleTV+)
Set about 100 years ago, the film follows a series of mysterious deaths in a tribe that leads to the creation of the FBI. Who directs? Martin Scorsese. Who stars? Leonardo DiCaprio, Jesse Plemons, Robert De Niro, Brendan Fraser... do I need to say anything else? Well, if you insist, we also have Eric Roth writing and cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto. It’s said that the film distributed by Apple has a $200 million budget and I've been thinking about it since the day it was announced. It will certainly be a big player in next year's Oscars.
Lydia
White Noise (TBD, Netflix)
Frances Ha changed my life. A Gerwig and Driver reunion is too good to pass up. It will be the first screenplay of Noah Baumbach to use source material that is not his own mind. The plot summary gives me academia-based First Reformed vibes. It was shot in my state, it’s a period piece (the ‘80s, so their outfits are about to be terrible), and its supporting cast is straight bizarre. I’m hoping Baumbach really leans into his Royal Tenenbaums influences like he did with The Meyerowitz Stories. I also hope this is a comeback for Driver since last year’s failed Oscar bait. Actually, I don’t really care if it’s good or not. I just want to see Gerwig put her all back into lead acting for the first time since 20th Century Women.
The Banshees of Inisherin (October, theaters)
Taken from Barry Keoghan's Twitter.
After the stinker that was 3 Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Martin McDonagh took the hint and moved back to the U.K. to make another movie with his Irish drinking buddies. I don’t personally love McDonagh’s crass writing style, but I do consider In Bruges (2008) to be a masterpiece. I am hoping – no, praying – that The Banshees of Inisherin can replicate that success. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason are comedic gold, and the addition of Barry Keoghan is going to make for a beautiful Gaelic trio.
Asteroid City (TBD, TBD)
Virtually nothing is known about this movie aside from its cast and its setting (the very specific 4 million square miles that encompass Europe), but I am obsessed with Wes Anderson's latest ventures and the prospects that Asteroid City will be just as good if not better than The French Dispatch are pretty solid. Yeah, first-time collaborations with Tom Hanks and Margot Robbie are cool, but I am looking forward to more great roles for Jeffrey Wright, Adrien Brody, and Tilda. Also, I am manifesting a Hope Davis career resurgence.
Tyler
Lightyear (June, theaters)
Pixar’s crowning achievement has always been the Toy Story franchise. As seen in Luca and Turning Red, the animation powerhouse is going through a new wave with different styles of animation, intimate stories, and filmmaking that goes above and beyond without flying too close to the sun. With this Toy Story spinoff, Lightyear is the origin story of Mr. Infinity and Beyond himself. It seems to be a sci-fi adventure film with 2001: A Space Odyssey-like visuals and likely the most distinct action in a Pixar flick since The Incredibles.
Bullet Train (July, theaters)
Rarely will I ever see a trailer for a movie and say “this movie looks like a lot of fun,” but the trailer for Bullet Train made me think that. A new action flick from stuntman director David Leitch (co-director of John Wick, Deadpool 2), Bullet Train has a stellar cast in Brad Pitt, Brian Tyree Henry, Joey King, Bad Bunny, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Logan Lerman as assassins on a bullet train going from Tokyo to Kyoto all with similar missions to carry out. The fight choreography looks incredible, and I’m hopeful that everything else clicks.
Babylon (December, theaters)
Damien Chazelle is only 37 years old and has already made three incredible gems with Whiplash, La La Land, and First Man. His hot streak is looking to continue with this 3-hour period epic about Hollywood going from silent movies to talkies. Like Bullet Train, Babylon has a stacked cast with Brad Pitt (once again), Margot Robbie, Tobey Maguire, Olivia Wilde, Samara Weaving, Max Minghella, Katherine Waterston, and Flea. With a cast like that and Chazelle in the director’s chair, how can I NOT be excited about it?
Sophie
Bones & All (TBD, theaters)
When I heard that Luca Guadagnino was filming another movie with Timothee Chalamet AND Michael Stulhbarg in Cincinnati (of all places), I lost my mind. All of last June, I was praying that somehow I would stumble across the crew filming. Unfortunately, I did not, but that won’t stop me from buying a ticket when Bones & All comes out. Also, the cast looks like a phenomenal lineup; I’m most excited to see the scream queen herself Jessica Harper in her most recent performance since Suspiria.
Don’t Worry Darling (September, theaters)
I adore Florence Pugh, but I am rather critical of Harry Styles. I think his music is mediocre at best and Gen Z girls treat him like he’s the Messiah. However, I am genuinely curious about whether or not he can act. I am highly anticipating Don’t Worry Darling so I can finally conclude whether or not Harry Styles deserves all the hype.
Halloween Ends (October, theaters)
The first Halloween movie is good; it tells the creepy story of Michael Myers, great. Since the original came out in 1978, eleven unnecessary Halloween movies have come out. But get this, Michael Myers never dies! Ugh! I can’t wait for Halloween Ends to come out because judging by the movie's title, Michel Myers should die. Then I will finally live in peace without anticipating yet another Halloween movie.
Chance
The Munsters (TBD, Peacock)
In the works for over twenty years, this long-gestating project is the dream film of its director, one of the most exciting voices at work today: Rob Zombie. Zombie’s lifelong obsession with the television show on which the film is based has already produced one earth-shattering artwork (being Zombie’s hit song, “Dragula”), why should this not be the same? Starring the typical Zombie troupe, The Munsters is certain to be among the zaniest films in the director’s already bug nuts filmography, and his first feature to get a PG rating. The only downside is that I haven’t already seen it. Rob, if you’re reading this, give me a call, I can promise you a glowing review.
Blonde (December, Netflix)
We all love to see a bad boy go good and cater to a broader, younger audience on occasion, but what about the opposite? What if we turned the nasty dial all the way up? Well, after a long fight with Netflix, the maverick filmmaker has secured an NC-17 rating for his adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ hit Marilyn Monroe novel. Ana de Armas is here! JFK is here! Period sex! I’m sure the discourse around this one will be healthy. I, for one, am pumped.
The Fabelmans (November, theaters)
My most normal pick and quite possibly my favorite, Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical film is full of nothing but promise. With a screenplay by Tony Kushner and a cast that includes Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, and Seth Rogen, it’s already set up to be another late-period Spielberg masterpiece, but there’s more there for me than that. Supposedly, David Lynch is going to play John Ford (one of my favorite directors of all time) in a brief, famous encounter between the cinematic giant and the greenhorn Spielberg. Just imagining it brings me to the edge of tears. As a fellow kid who was obsessed with movies, this is my Joker.
-Pedro, Lydia, Tyler, Sophie & Chance