THE OUTFIT is one of the best films with one of the worst trailers of 2022. The marketing might have had you fooled that you had it all figured out, but this tense little chamber piece about a British cutter (suit maker) in 1930s Chicago caught up in organised crime is all about the little details. Mark Rylance is the aforementioned seemingly nervy man with shears, needle and thread landed with a body in his shop, Zoey Deutch is his spirited assistant and Johnny Flynn a brutal mob enforcer trying to clean up a mess before his boss (Simon Russell Beale) arrives. The script from writer-director Graham Moore is clever in an unshowy way, full minor and major twists that keep you on your toes, and while other films have gone to similar places before, tight control of the storytelling and an ensemble all going above and beyond makes this unexpectedly memorable. SSP
Review in Brief: The Outfit (2022)
Original vs Remake: Nosferatu vs Nosferatu the Vampyre
The Orphanage (2007) Review
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) Review
Rian Johnson Movies Ranked
Review in Brief: The Sea Beast
If you had to deliver THE SEA BEAST as an elevator pitch, it would be PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN meets HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, though this beautiful animation on Netflix is easily as fun as the former and as imaginative as the latter. It’s more in the tone of something like Laika’s BOX TROLLS because it presents itself as an exciting romp to start with before being revealed as something far darker and more contemplative, but still for kids. Following a colourful crew of sea monster hunters (lead by Jared Harris and Karl Urban) and their wide-eyed kid stowaway (Zaris-Angel Hator), the film has thrills and fun aplenty although the Western world’s legacy of empire and exploitation of people and the natural world looms large. It probably doesn’t need to be touching in 2 hours, that said this gives more than enough time for every character including the titular creature to be given a compelling arc. SSP
Pinocchio (2022) Review
Review in Brief: Red Rocket (2021)
Following TANGERINE and THE FLORIDA PROJECT, Sean Baker has delivered another sun-kissed tragicomic deconstruction of the American Dream focussed on another marginalised community. Moving from shining the spotlight on the experiences of trans sex workers to hotel homeless in his previous two films, with RED ROCKET he follows a twilight star of the porn industry looking for his next big break. Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) is not a nice guy, but he is a beguiling one that you’re strangely compelled to root for despite the number of people he manipulates and screws over, chiefly his recovering addict ex Lexi (Bree Elrod) and Strawberry (Suzanna Son) a teenager who just wants to be famous. Fans of Baker’s previous work will likely know what to expect with this – grubby Americana, down-to-Earth heart and slightly uncomfortable humour – but it’s good to play the hits. SSP
Review in Brief: RRR (2022)
SS Rajamouli’s RRR will get a reaction from you, that’s for sure. Never mind the latest from Marvel, DC or Tom Cruise, this is the big film with the most awesome imagery of 2022 and it’s not even close. Said awesome imagery includes, but is by no means limited to the sight an entire menagerie of animals bursting in slow-motion out of the back of a truck to charge/maul/eat colonial oppressors. This film turns two real Indian revolutionaries (Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju) into folk heroes and tells their story of rebellion and resistance against the British Empire as a warm buddy movie, a lavish Bollywood (actually Telugu language) musical and a thrilling action epic full of explosions, cartoony baddies and fantastical fight choreography. At 3 hours it’s a commitment but the time flies by, chiefly due to the winning chemistry of stars NT Rama Rao Jr and Ram Charam and the film’s searing visuals. This is without doubt, the most cinema. SSP
