Tag Archives | ReviewOfTheYear

Charts and tables with the data are below. I only really started forcing myself to exercise more in April. So with the extra time in 2023, I might be able to hit 3,000 Km.

BTW the data for compiling these stats was exported from Apple Health in CSV format using HealthExport. A fantastic app.

Favourite Books Read in 2022

By Ian Robinson on December 31, 2022 in Books

I read 36 books in 2022. Here are my favourites.

My Top 10 New Music Tracks from 2022

By Ian Robinson on December 31, 2022 in Music

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.

Favourite Films Seen in 2022

By Ian Robinson on December 31, 2022 in Films

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.

Rating:

 10/10

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.

Rating:

 9/10

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!

Rating:

 9/10

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.

Rating:

 9/10

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.

Rating:

 9/10

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.

Rating:

 10/10

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.

Rating:

 10/10

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.

Rating:

 9/10

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!

Rating:

 9/10

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.

Rating:

 9/10

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.