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  • Emily the Criminal on Random Most Underrated Movies Of 2022

    (#4) Emily the Criminal

    • Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Jonathan Avigdori, Kim Yarbrough, Gina Gershon, Bernardo Badillo, Wesley Han, Brandon Sklenar

    If all you know of Aubrey Plaza is her comedic work, prepare to be blown away by her dramatic turn in Emily the Criminal. She plays Emily, a debt-ridden woman in need of quick cash who agrees to participate in low-level credit card fraud. It turns out that she's really good at the activity, leading the guy she works for (Theo Rossi) to give her increasingly risky tasks. It doesn't take long for her to get in over her head. A smaller company distributed the film, and because they couldn't advertise it as widely as the major studios promote their stuff, it got lost in the shuffle when it was released in August.

    Plaza's performance alone is worth seeing Emily the Criminal for. The actress thoroughly sheds the “weird” comedic persona that made her a star, effectively playing both the character's desperation and the undeniable thrill she gets from pulling off a scam. Story-wise, the movie builds suspense from the way Emily gets deeper and deeper into the credit card fraud business, putting her in both legal and physical danger. This is a fascinating picture about an aimless woman who finds purpose in life through committing crimes. 

  • Ambulance on Random Most Underrated Movies Of 2022

    (#11) Ambulance

    • Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen, Eiza González, Moses Ingram, Jackson White, Cedric Sanders, Garret Dillahunt, Keir O'Donnell, A Martinez, Devan Chandler Long, Colin Woodell

    Michael Bay is known for his high-octane action movies. He is not, however, known for telling deep stories. Ambulance is therefore a perfect project for him. It's more of a premise than an outright story, and the characters are in constant motion. Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is an unemployed veteran who can't afford the life-saving operation his cancer-stricken wife needs. He therefore agrees to take part in a supposedly simple bank heist with his adoptive brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal). Things go wrong, and the two end up fleeing from police in an ambulance - with a nurse (Eiza Gonzalez) and a wounded patient in the back. Universal Pictures weirdly chose to release Ambulance in April, opposite the highly-anticipated sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It's the kind of frenetic action picture that would have slayed during summer, when audiences are primed for this sort of thing.

    Bay pulls out all the stops, delivering a movie that puts the pedal to the floor early on and doesn't let up. He and his stunt team devise thrilling chase sequences that keep you alert for the duration of the 136-minute running time. Amid the vehicular mayhem, Gyllenhaal and Abdul-Mateen create a strong chemistry that makes us care about what happens to their characters. Ambulance is easily one of Bay's best films. It deserved better than it got during its theatrical release. 

  • Crimes of the Future on Random Most Underrated Movies Of 2022

    (#16) Crimes of the Future

    • Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, Kristen Stewart, Scott Speedman, Welket Bungué, Don McKellar, Yorgos Pirpassopoulos, Tanaya Beatty, Nadia Litz, Lihi Kornowski, Denise Capezza

    David Cronenberg got famous making “body horror” movies like Videodrome and Scanners. Crimes of the Future marked his return to that subgenre after many years away. The film's incessant weirdness and icky visuals were made quite clear by the advertising, likely driving away viewers who didn't know what to make of something so outside-the-box. Viggo Mortensen plays Saul, a performance artist whose body grows unnecessary internal organs, and Lea Seydoux is his partner, who surgically removes them onstage. Kristen Stewart is also here, playing a bureaucrat whose job is to keep tabs on people with such organ-developing abilities. 

    Crimes of the Future proves Cronenberg hasn't lost his touch. There are many wonderfully squirm-inducing moments in the film, one of which involves an erotic encounter between a woman and the gaping wound on Saul's abdomen. It's not all gross-out stuff, either. The movie has a wickedly dark sense of humor that it uses to satirize performance art and explore themes related to the evolution of the human body. It's a unique, eccentric work from a master filmmaker.

  • Athena on Random Most Underrated Movies Of 2022

    (#18) Athena

    • Dali Benssalah, Sami Slimane, Anthony Bajon

    Athena is a foreign-language film, and those are always tough sells to a domestic audience. A portion of moviegoers simply doesn't like to read subtitles. Even without that issue, Netflix released the film with no advance fanfare, more or less letting people simply discover that it exists. It's tough for a film to survive like that, as the streamer is flooded with other movies and TV shows. Set in a French suburb, the story depicts what happens when an Algerian boy named Idir is murdered by white men wearing police uniforms, and his three brothers, outraged at the crime, become activists for justice. 

    Countries around the world have grappled with racism and police violence. Athena dives fearlessly into those subjects. It has a sense of outrage that comes across. Director Romain Gavras shoots the film in a you-are-there style that adds immediacy and urgency. The result feels like more than watching a movie, it feels like having a full-fledged experience that's emotional, visceral, and intellectual. The hard-hitting way Gavras tackles the themes leaves you with a lot to think about afterward. 

  • After Yang on Random Most Underrated Movies Of 2022

    (#10) After Yang

    • Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, Haley Lu Richardson, Sarita Choudhury, Clifton Collins, Eve Lindley, Brett Dier, Orlagh Cassidy, Ritchie Coster

    After Yang earned rave reviews following screenings at the Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals. The film is the story of a family, left adrift when their “techno-sapien” helper Yang (Justin H. Min) suddenly breaks down. Dad Jake (Colin Farrell) goes to great lengths to have him repaired, only to learn his internal processors contain memories and information previously unknown to the family. Despite those positive notices, the distributor only gave the movie a token theatrical release that coincided with a debut on Showtime.

    Science fiction is always best when tackling big ideas. After Yang is no exception. It's a poignant story about life, loss, and connection. Even though not technically human, Yang is like a son to Jake and his wife, and like a brother to their daughter. His malfunction is therefore akin to a death. Rather than being depressing, the film has a distinct uplifting quality, as Jake's quest reveals how much of life's beauty Yang has absorbed. 

  • I Want You Back on Random Most Underrated Movies Of 2022

    (#7) I Want You Back

    • Charlie Day, Jenny Slate, Scott Eastwood, Manny Jacinto, Clark Backo, Luke David Blumm, Giselle Torres, Isabel May

    There aren't as many good rom-coms as there used to be, which makes I Want You Back a welcome presence. Charlie Day and Jenny Slate play strangers who meet and commiserate over the fact that they've both been recently dumped. Together, they hatch a plan to destroy their respective exes' new relationships and win them back. The movie was made for Amazon Prime, a service that has seen its TV series break out, but hasn't had the same luck with its original movies. Consequently, this one got a little buried. 

    Two good reasons to see I Want You Back are obvious: Charlie Day and Jenny Slate. They're always funny, and their comic interplay is hilarious. Are there a few predictable plot elements here? Of course, but a smart, witty screenplay gives the stars a lot to work with. An R rating also affords the movie a chance to go a little edgier than most rom-coms, which helps set it apart from the pack. 

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