Best of 2022 - From my perspective

You know the drill...

Below are my top 10 movies, albums and tracks of the year. 

As always, lots of stuff that I haven't seen or heard... Frankly, this is a year were music in particular was impacted by having less commutes. The minutes allocated to discovering new artists has been below par.

With regards to films, it has been a bit the same, more so because this year I took the time to revisit some of my favourites, while also getting acquainted with a few classics. 

I have a ton of movies that I want to watch but haven't had the chance, such as The Northman, Glass Onion and All Quiet on The Western Front.  

Having said that, pretty good year. Four or five of them are epic stuff.

MOVIES 

Everything Everywhere All at Once
Top Gun
Competencia Oficial
Triangle of Sadness
Banshees of Inisherin
Living
The Batman
Vengeance
Prey
Good luck to you, Leo Grande

ALBUMS

Foals - Life is Yours
Harry Styles - As It Was
Taylor Swift - Midnights
Arctic Monkeys - The Car
Joey Alexander - Origin
Terno Rei - Gêmeos
Håkan Broström Meets Carl Winther Trio - The Copenhagen Session
Avishai Cohen - Shifting Sands 

Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morales & The Big Steppers

TRACKS 

Foals - 2am
Arcade Fire - The Lightning II
Harry Styles - As It Was
Danny Ocean - Fuera del Mercado
One Republic - I Ain't Worried
Taylor Swift - Maroon 
Garrett Mahoney - Back Home
Dan Deacon, London Contemporary Orchestra & the Royal Scottish National Orchestra - Already Dead

Terno Rei -  Dias de Juventude

Hazel English - Summer Nights

Home Alone (1990) - A trip down memory lane...

 

Today I took my girlfriend to go see Home Alone (1990) at Prince Charles Cinema in London. 

Carolina had never seen it before and - as a staple of my childhood and one of my favorite Christmas movies - I just had to show it to her. 

The screening was just before 4pm and - to my surprise - was nearly packed (with adults and children).

That alone truly added to the viewing, which was already special on its own as it evoked all sorts of nostalgia of a time I was very happy.

Thought about my Mom, Dad, growing up and taking further steps into my passion for cinema. It was also a stark reminder of just how much of a happy childhood I had.

Interestingly enough, I enjoyed a lot more watching it now than I did about 15, 20 or 25 years ago.

One of the best parts of today was getting to share this with Carolina, who not only was watching it for the first time, but it was also her first visit to the iconic Prince Charles Cinema.

Seemed to be a great debut, as she was laughing out loud and having a grand time. 

I can't say I was anxious with the fear of Carolina perhaps not enjoying it... despite all these years since i last saw Home Alone, I felt this cult classic enjoyed that precise status due to its habilty to pass the test of time. 

And now that I've watched it, I can confirm it has done so with striking colors.

As a classic film from the early 90s, (a love labor of the collaboration between John Hughes and Chris Columbus) it's impressive to see how it still stands as a comedy masterpiece, carried by two of the best villains ever on screen played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, rivaling with the ever charismatic and lovable Macaulay Culkin.

But we there's so much more to it... 

From the incredible John Williams soundtrack, to the supporting cast (Catherine O'Hara, John Heard, John Candy) and even the iconic opening credits design, the movie is mandatory viewing for everyone out there wanting to have a good time.