Here are my favourite 10 songs released in 2022. In no particular order.
All My Friends – Stereo Jane.
Check Your Feelings – A.b. Violet.
Not Another Rockstar – Maisie Peters.
Drama – My Life As A Moth.
The Rip – Porridge Radio.
Lonely Choir – Vôx Vé.
Caterpillar – Julie Odell.
Honest (feat. Slayyyter) – Peking Duk.
Isabella – June Again.
Proof (feat. Stella Donnelly) – Methyl Ethel.
There is a Music playlist with the tracks embedded below.
I watched 68 new (or recent) film releases during 2022. Broken down across cinema and home streaming as follows:
Seen in cinema: 29. Seen via home streaming: 39.
The complete list of all 68 is on my New Film Releases Seen in 2022 page.
My favourites are listed below, along with what I said about them on social media. Any film that got a rating of 9 or 10 ⭐️ makes the end-of-year favourites list. They are not listed in order of preference but rather in the order I saw them.
All the good things I heard about CODA were true. It is an exceptional film. A brilliant cast, a great story, beautifully shot, a fabulous score, and songs. I’m only sorry I didn’t see it at the cinema. A must-see film. I got salty sea spray in my eyes at the end.
Update: I also got to see CODA in the Strand cinema on the 19th of April after it was rereleased due to winning the Academy Award for best picture.
The Worst Person in the World is a tremendous film. Renate Reinsve is brilliant as the lead. Her character Julie can’t see things through. I so related to that. As anyone who knows me will attest I’m like that. I also related to the mushrooms trip, a story for another time!
I loved Everything Everywhere All At Once. It’s quirky, manic, nods to plenty of other films, has a message I fully endorse, and entropy gets a shout-out in the credits song. What’s not to like.
The Novice film is superb. It’s a brutalist study of obsessive drive to be the best in the things you do. Brutalist in the architecture of the campus and the intense training. Isabelle Fuhrman is remarkable as the lead. Amy Forsyth is great as support. The music and videography are brill.
I enjoyed Top Gun: Maverick way more than I expected. A lot more. It’s formulaic, has plot beats where you’d expect them, and a predictable ending. But it doesn’t matter. It’s visually stunning. The flight scenes are incredible. And it’s not jingoistic. Thankfully!
See it on the biggest screen you can.
I really enjoyed The Valet film. It’s a story about how people are just people at the end of the day. Irrespective of what circles of society they move in. You can be rich and still be alone. It’s a love letter to people who too often get treated as invisible by others. Recommended. Eugenio Derbez and Samara Weaving are ace in lead roles. The supporting cast is good as well. Streaming now on Disney+ in the Uk and Hulu in the USA (and Canada I assume). I upped my rating from 9 to 10 after repeated viewings. Fuller review published here.
Holy moly. The Quiet Girl is definitely on my favourite films of the year list. It’s a remarkable work. Catherine Clinch is brilliant in the title role of Cáit. Andrew Bennett and Carrie Crowley are also superb. It’s a subtle story about grief, loss, and new connections. A must-watch film.
I laughed out loud a lot watching See How They Run. So did many others. I emerged into the afternoon sun with a huge grin. It’s fantastic. Very noir in places. With a gumshoe-like detective. Saoirse Ronan is comedy gold as the constable. Some bits have a Wes Anderson vibe. I suspect I’ll be at the cinema to see it again soon. So good 😘
Narrator: He was. The next day. It was just as good the second time!
Don’t Worry Darling is right smack in the sweet spot of Sci-fi stories I like. Think “what’s behind the facade of small-town America” novels. I can’t say more without spoilers. Suffice to say that I loved it. It looks fab. The Dolby sound is fantastic. The cast is great. See it.
She said is a fantastic film. It tells the story of the reporters (and managers) at The New York Times who investigated and published the story about Harvey Weinstein’s manipulation and sexual harassment of young women in his company and actresses on film projects. The story ignited the #metoo movement and led to the trial, conviction, and imprisonment of Weinstein. The film is done brilliantly. I loved it and had pesky New York Times print run dust in my eyes three times. Easily one of my films of the year.
I added 13 new music releases to my library this week. Here is a Music playlist with a selected track from each: https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/ian-robinsons-new-music-playlist-25th-december-2022/pl.u-mJAaRTz4ga.
There is an Apple Music player embedded below as well. Links to other music streaming services are available via the Link Site URLs for each artist below.
Here are links to each release on Apple Music, the artist’s Instagram accounts, and their links page or website
Martin Feral – A Break From Me – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Aspen Jacobsen – Arsonist Daughter – Album on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Manu Meyer – Girls Don’t Lie – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Marisa And The Moths – Pedestal (Stripped) – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Maeby – Best Part of Me Is You – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
The Max Headroom – Days On Days – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Thomas Deed – New Star Rising – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Casey Rose – Honest Woman – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Roanoke – Wolf Motel – EP on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Lucius Arthur – A Violent Dichotomy – Album on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Mark Daly – Nothing To Lose – EP on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Anna Mieke – Theatre – Album on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Byolegy – Move On (Feat. Aistė) – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site – Aistė Instagram
I added twelve new music releases to my library this week. Here is an Apple Music playlist with a selected track from each: https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/ian-robinsons-new-music-playlist-18th-december-2022/pl.u-764X6TW1VP
There is an Apple Music player embedded below as well.
Here are links to each release on Apple Music, the artist’s Instagram accounts, and their links page or website
Gandalf’s Fist – Widdershins – Album on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Ami Alex – Two Worlds Apart – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Lucid Blues – I Ride – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Coco & The Liffey – Mental Love – Single on Apple Music – Instagram
Bemis – When You’re Not Around – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Website
Saint Celebrity – True Say – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
My Silent Bravery & Eli Lev – I’m Ready – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site – Eli Lev Instagram
Overlaps – Love Coma – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Hack Poets Guild – Daring Highwayman (feat. Marry Waterson, Lisa Knapp & Nathaniel Mann) – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Raphael Love – Passing Out – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Natelle – Natelle – EP on Apple Music – Instagram – Link Site
Steve Fairclough – Postcards – Album on Apple Music – Instagram – Website
I added five new music releases to my library this week. Here is an Apple Music playlist with a selected track from each https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/ian-robinsons-new-music-playlist-11th-december-2022/pl.u-V94NKiBb7a
There is an embedded player below as well.
Here are links to each release on Apple Music, plus the artist’s Websites and Instagram accounts.
Plastic Harpoons – Modern World – Album on Apple Music – Instagram – Website
Taken By Trees – Another Year – EP on Apple Music – Instagram – Link List
Justin Courtney Pierre – Permanent Midnight – EP on Apple Music – Instagram – Link List
A. B. Violet – Cold Cold Heart – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link List
Freddie And The Scenarios – Self Pity City – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link List
CATT – Change – Partial Album on Apple Music – Instagram – Link List
The WAEVE – The WAEVE – Partial Album on Apple Music – Instagram – Link List
Oliver Nelson & Lilla Vargen – Long Summer Nights – Single on Apple Music – Oliver Nelson Instagram – Lilla Vargen Instagram
Tilsen – Don’t Want You to Die – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link List
The Good Water – Breadcrumbs – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Link List
I added five new music releases to my library this week. Here is an Apple Music playlist with a selected track from each https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/ian-robinsons-new-music-playlist-4th-december-2022/pl.u-mJA04Fz4ga
There is an embedded player below as well.
Here are links to each release on Apple Music, plus the artist’s Websites and Instagram accounts.
Calista Garcia – Kalamazoo – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Artist Website
The Weather Machine – Applecore – Album on Apple Music – Instagram – Band Website
Juice Box – Halcyon Days – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Artist Links Page
Forty Nights – Part the Water – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Artist Links page
Vôx Vé – Home Movies – Single on Apple Music – Instagram – Artist Links Page
Wired has published an article on How to Get Started on Mastodon. In response to the sudden growth of people moving from Twitter. Including me. Mastodon is where you’ll find me posting the stuff I used to post on Twitter.
The article is at https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-get-started-use-mastodon/
Find me on Mastodon dot Social at https://mastodon.social/@ianRobinson
I played cricket for Civil Service NI Cricket Club for a few decades. I wasn’t working in the civil service, but the club was open and the closest to my house in Dundonald, so I joined. I had tried another club slightly further away in East Belfast, but I didn’t like the atmosphere. A story for another time!
I had a great time playing for Service and have fond memories of the time and the people over those decades. Both of my teammates and opponents. Including one memory of being completely stitched up by a fast bowler in a game Service played against Shorts Cricket Club. That’s Shorts sports club associated with the famous aircraft manufacturing firm in East Belfast (not the club I alluded to above).
We were playing Shorts at their Inverary Avenue sports grounds near Belfast City Airport. Like many sports club grounds, this was used for cricket in the summer and football in the winter. The Inverary Avenue cricket wickets at the time had a reputation for being unpredictable when it came to bounce. Balls jumping from a good length or keeping low was common. Generally, they were pitches where it was better to be a bowler than a batsman.
As you probably know, in cricket everyone has to bat. Even the bowlers. I was a bowler who batted well down the order for all of my cricketing career. Not far enough down the order, I’m sure plenty of people I played with thought! If I had to bat, then things were not going well for the team.
On this particular day at Inverary Avenue, I didn’t get to bat for long on the exciting wicket the ground staff had prepared. From memory, I lasted three deliveries from a reasonably quick bowler on the Shorts team.
The first ball I don’t recall. The second I most certainly do. It was a genuine bouncer, not just an erratic bounce from the pitch. This was a time before helmets were compulsory at all levels in the game, and I wasn’t wearing any head protection.
I took guard (middle stump as always) and waited for the delivery. It was pitched short, bounced true, and followed a path towards my head. Rather than duck under it as would be the recommended course of action, I stood up tall and tried to lean backwards to let the ball pass in front of me. But it swung, as cricket balls will, and was still coming towards my head as I swerved backwards and stood on my toes at full height. I still recall the whistle from the spinning ball and the seam as it passed just under my chin. There was a breeze as it passed. Thankfully it didn’t hit me.
There was clapping and encouragement from the Shorts team to the bowler on an excellent bouncer. Fully justified as it was a superb bouncer. One that I would have been proud off If I had delivered it. But at that particular moment, I was technically a batsman, and from that perspective, I wasn’t a fan.
The bowler returned to his mark for the next ball. Given the speed and accuracy of the last delivery, I was expecting something similar again. The bowler ran in, bowled, and I heard the clatter of my stumps as he bowled me with a perfect yorker that I didn’t have time, or the skill, to keep out. It was a ball that was wasted on me. A very skilful bit of fast bowling.
I tucked my bat under my arm (something I had done a lot before) and walked off. I may have nodded at the bowler as I did so in acknowledgement of a job well-done, given the Bowler’s Union and all.
Sometimes when I watch a film it just clicks, and I get into it on an emotional level. Whether this happens is related to my mood and state of mind at the time of watching. I can’t predict when it’ll happen or what type of film it’ll happen with. Someone could probably research why it happens and deduce some answers, but I’ll just go with it and be thankful.
The latest film that reached into my brain and tickled all the right places is The Valet (2022), released in May on Hulu, Disney+, and other Disney-owned streaming services. I don’t think it got a cinema release beyond a premier. This lack of cinema release probably means it won’t get much industry and awards buzz later this year. This is a shame, as I think it should. It will definitely be on my favourite films of 2022 list. It’s a remake of a 2006 French film with the same name.
The plot for The Valet is pretty simple on the surface. The logline on IMDb says: A movie star enlists a parking valet at a Beverly Hills restaurant to pose as her lover to cover for her relationship with a married man.
The story is a lot deeper than this synopsis suggests. It has important things to say about multiculturalism, family, immigrant experiences, the job-based class divide, people driving the service economy, high-profile success, and the loneliness that anyone can experience irrespective of their background, success, and current status in society. The story is set in Los Angeles and is told via characters who are successful in the film industry and real estate sectors, alongside others who work in the service and retail sectors that underpins almost all modern life.
In the text below, I’ll dig deeper into the plot and highlight some of the things I love about the film in a VERY SPOILER-HEAVY way. So if you haven’t watched the film yet, you should do that before reading on.
Bottom line: I loved The Valet, and it’s now one of my favourite films.
Olivia Allan (Samara Weaving) is a successful and famous film star who has a new film about to be released. As she says later in the film, her face is one of the most recognisable in the world. This is evidenced early in the film when we see giant billboards advertising her perfume brand, plus other billboards and posters for her new Amelia Earhart film. These billboards are often seen with others promoting the services of Ronnie the Realtor. This conjunction plays a significant part in the plot. Ronnie the Realtor’s advertising on bus stop seats directly leads to Olivia first meeting Antonio Flores (Eugenio Derbez), the eponymous valet. More on this later.
Olivia is in a relationship with wealthy married real estate businessman Vincent Royce (Max Greenfield). He has been promising to leave his wife Kathryn (Betsy Brandt) for a year. As a result, Olivia and Vincent have to meet via clandestine methods to stop their relationship from becoming public. Vincent can’t risk letting Kathryn know as she and her father have a controlling stake in the real estate business and would force him out if there was a divorce. Olivia can’t risk news of her involvement with a married man becoming public. Her fledgling film production company is focused on telling empowering women’s stories, and a clandestine affair doesn’t fit that narrative. Olivia decides that she has had enough of the secret relationship on the night of her and Vincent’s first anniversary. She leaves the hotel where they met and orders a ride-share pickup at the front, where some paparazzi photographers have gathered.
At the same time, Antonio is riding past the front of the hotel on his bicycle. He gets distracted by a bus stop bench with an advertisement and picture of Ronnie the Realtor, as his ex-wife had previously told him that she was in a new relationship with him. This causes him to crash into the back of the car waiting to collect Olivia in front of the hotel. The commotion that results from this accident attracts the attention of a photographer. He takes a picture of Olivia and Vincent (who had followed Olivia out), with Antonio captured in the background.
This picture is sold to celebrity gossip sites and published with a tagline saying that Olivia Allan and Vincent Royce were seen having a lover’s spat. Vincent lies to his wife and tells her that the argument was between Olivia and the other guy in the picture — Antonio. Unsurprisingly she is sceptical about this. Vincent tells all this to Daniel, his corporate lawyer. Daniel (Alex Fernandez) has the idea that they could make Vincent’s lie to Kathryn seem genuine if they find the other guy in the photo and get Olivia to pretend to be going out with him. Antonio agrees to this to get the money his ex-wife needs to complete a college course. He hopes to use it to get back into her good books and rekindle their relationship. Olivia agrees to do it to stop a scandal overshadowing her upcoming Earhart film release. And to divert the bad publicity and impact it might have on the potential sale of her production company.
While the film’s title is The Valet, I think this is Olivia’s story and how she changes over time. The bulk of the film plays out as the two very different worlds that Olivia and Antonio inhabit collide. These interactions are not played for cheap laughs, but rather the story and the message the film conveys are a celebration of people from all walks of life, family ties, immigrant stories, and to highlight that success doesn’t guarantee happiness or good relationships. You can be rich and still be alone, just as easily as you can if you are a service worker like a valet or a janitor. It’s a love letter to people who too often get treated as invisible by others.
Olivia has what many would consider a perfect life. She is famous, very successful, and lives in an archetypical house in the Hollywood hills. But as her character outlines later in the film, she has no real friends beyond the people that she pays. Such as her assistant Amanda (Tiana Okoye) and her publicist Jennifer (Katie Carpenter). She is estranged from her family and in a relationship with a married man who is most likely lying to her about his plan to leave his current wife. There is genuine pathos in the part of the film where Olivia confides all this to Antonio. In addition, the stress associated with ensuring the success of her production company affects Olivia. We see in the film that quite a few people are working in her office, and they all rely on her success for their jobs.
It’s evident that Olivia is lonely despite her professional success. Indeed, it’s probably because of her success and the professional bubble she has built around herself to further her film career.
Part of the ongoing deception to convince everyone that Olivia and Antonio are dating involves them attending the premier of the Earhart film. This is so stressful for Olivia that she has too many “happy pills” and champagne to calm her nerves. The unexpected attendance of Vincent and Kathryn does not help her stress levels at the premier. This is part of Kathryn’s attempt to expose the lie of Olivia and Antonio’s relationship as she suspects it is a cover.
Olivia’s over-indulgence at the film premier leads to Antonio having to take her home to his apartment as he doesn’t know her address and can’t use the limo they came in in order to avoid pictures being taken of Olivia drunk. The following day there is a crowd of people in Antonio’s kitchen who have come to see the famous film star. Olivia is persuaded to have breakfast with them while waiting for Amanda to arrive and take her home. During this time, she sees the loving relationships in Antonio’s extended family and his mum’s relationship with their Korean landlord. This highlights the very different interactions that she has with people. During this breakfast, Antonio’s son invites her to attend his school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in which he plays Lysander.
When the reviews for the Earhart premier are published, the film is well received and deemed a great success. Olivia attempts to arrange to meet with Amanda, Jennifer, and then Vincent, but all three have other plans, and Olivia is left alone again. She decides to go to the school play and spends more time with Antonio’s family and co-workers. At the end of the night, she asks if she can stay in his apartment again rather than go home to an empty house.
I like that Olivia and Antonio don’t hook up and become a couple, but rather their interactions result in them becoming friends after a few bumpy episodes that you’ll know from the film.
Several subplots and many other characters get reasonably constructed story arcs during the runtime. I think these add to the overall feel and enjoyment of the story. For example, Antonio’s Valet parking colleagues (one of whom is fretting about deportation), the detectives forming a buddy relationship, Antonio’s extended family, Mr Kim’s Korean family, people campaigning to stop the gentrification of their neighbourhood by Vincent’s development company, the usually unseen kitchen staff who see hope for themselves after Antonio is featured in the news with Olivia, and the team in Olivia’s production company. Their faces and reactions as she freaks out when the paparazzi picture is first published are priceless.
I only finished 7 books in 2021! My reading time was spent on other things to do with tech and cybersecurity. From the 7 books I finished, I can recommend these 4 as my picks of the year.
