The second part of Keiron Self’s ‘22/‘23 film preview bestraddlement covers January, and five movies promising various Hollywood royalty in their credits. Previews of all these January 2023 films can also be found in the December/January issue of Buzz, available to read online now.

A MAN CALLED OTTO

Tom Hanks finds his inner grump in A Man Called Otto, an American remake of a Swedish film based on Frederik Backman’s bestselling novel, A Man Called Ove. Hanks removes his normally sunny disposition to play cantankerous curmudgeon Otto, happy to dislike people and be disliked. He likes his own company and is rude to all and sundry – until he gets new neighbours, a family with two kids. Their sunny matriarch Mariana Trevino is eager to point out Otto’s many flaws, and forces him to become part of their lives – plus there’s a cat that seems to take a liking to him, against all odds. Will his icy disposition thaw? What do you think? Expect heartwarming vibes and new acting ground broken from an older, craggier Hanks whose presence will hopefully warrant this remake of its enjoyable Swedish predecessor.

Dir: Marc Forster (12A, 120 mins)

A Man Called Otto opens Fri 6 Jan

EMPIRE OF LIGHT

Like Spielberg this month, Sam Mendes is also drawing on his love affair with the silver screen in Empire Of Light, a heartfelt, small-scale drama that depicts life in a British coastal town and the cinema at the heart of it. Colin Firth plays the dodgy manager of the Empire cinema, with Olivia Colman his deputy. She is gradually unravelling on lithium but makes a connection with a new staff member (played by Michael Ward) who also has issues to contend with. Set in the early 1980s, racism, social unrest, high unemployment are prevalent – an unfortunate mirror to today’s world – and the cinema offers an escape, a force for good. Elements of Mendes’ life have been mined, including his own relationship with his mother, and this looks to be a heartfelt love letter to the wonder of the movies and a snapshot of a turbulent time. Roll the projector.

Dir: Sam Mendes (15, 119 mins)

Empire Of Light opens Fri 13 Jan

BABYLON

This new offering from Whiplash, La La Land and First Man director Damien Chazelle has epic written all over it: a three-hour-plus running time, the backdrop of the early years of Hollywood, and heavyweight stars including Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Jean Smart, Olivia Wilde, Eric Roberts to name a few. Diego Calva plays a newcomer to the industry, as it evolves from the silent films of the 1920s to the talkies. He finds himself embroiled in the excesses of Hollywood: cocaine-fuelled parties, debauchery, snake fighting and ruthless ambition are all present and correct via Pitt’s arrogantly amusing leading man, Robbie’s hedonistic actress and a world bursting with seedy energy. This should be a gorgeously shot, jazz-fuelled, sweaty experience – big, brash, bombastic and another evolution for exciting writer/director Chazelle’s moviemaking.

Dir: Damien Chazelle (15, 188 mins)

Babylon opens Fri 20 Jan

TÁR

Cate Blanchett is on apparent award-worthy form in this epic dissection of artistry from writer/director Todd Field, whose last film Little Children was released 16 years ago. It appears the wait has been worth it. Blanchett plays Lydia Tár, a driven, passionate conductor and classical musician; she is unapologetic in her approach to her work, treating her ambitious assistant Noemie Merlant and her lead violinist wife Nina Hoss with short shrift. Field, however, has fashioned more than a snapshot of an artist’s life: Tár, by early accounts, is also a gripping thriller and unsettling psychological horror boasting a riveting performance from Blanchett with a shattering sound design and score to boot. Destined to provoke and shine a light on abusive relationships within the creative industries as well, Tár ought to be a unique, absorbing cinematic experience and a welcome return to the big screen from Field. The baton has been raised.

Dir: Todd Field (15, 158 mins)

Tár opens Fri 20 Jan

THE FABELMANS

Steven Spielberg returns to the big screen after his excellent adaptation of West Side Story with the most personal entry in his filmography to date. Essentially an autobiographical film about his youth, Spielberg – who co-wrote the script with acclaimed Angels In America writer Tony Kushner – tells the tale of Sammy Fabelman and his family, as Sammy grows up between the ages of seven and 18. The boy, played for the most part by Gabriel Labelle, is intrigued by filmmaking, creating home movies to provide a focus away from his parents and their decaying marriage. Paul Dano and (on award-winning form) Michelle Williams play his parents, with Seth Rogen a sympathetic ‘uncle’ who may be part of the reason the marriage is crumbling. Cinema is an escape, a lifeline, the inspiration to both Sammy and Steven – making this a heartfelt, no doubt deeply personal ode to the movies and to family.

Dir: Steven Spielberg (12A, 151 mins)

The Fabelmans opens Fri 27 Jan

words KEIRON SELF