Now that Omicron is bearing down on us, spoiling holiday plans and making a trip to the cinema seem like anything but an escape from reality, you’re probably wondering where you can check out the year’s best films—the deluge of prestige and studio fare thrust upon us these past few months en route to awards glory. And there have been so many outstanding films, from the Paul Thomas Anderson coming-of-age saga Licorice Pizza to Spielberg’s dazzling West Side Story remake and Denzel Washington eating up Shakespeare in The Tragedy of Macbeth. With more streaming services than any reasonable human can keep track of, however, it’s a task that’s become damn near impossible.
With that in mind, here’s a handy guide of where to see all the most talked-about films of the year.
The Power of the Dog
Director: Jane Campion
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jesse Plemons
Synopsis: A deeply macho rancher with a sexual secret terrorizes his younger brother’s new bride and her son.
Where to Watch: Theaters and Netflix
Licorice Pizza
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Bradley Cooper, Sean Penn
Synopsis: A 15-year-old child actor and entrepreneur strikes up a deep friendship/business partnership with a 25-year-old photo assistant in the shadow of ’70s Hollywood.
Where to Watch: Theaters
Belfast
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Jude Hill, Caitriona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Ciaran Hinds, Judi Dench
Synopsis: A 9-year-old boy and his working-class family navigate The Troubles in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1969.
Where to Watch: Theaters and On-Demand
West Side Story
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Rachel Zegler, Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist, Rita Moreno
Synopsis: A remake of the 1961 classic about two star-crossed lovers tied to rival white and Puerto Rican gangs on the West Side of 1957 Manhattan.
Where to Watch: Theaters and HBO Max/Disney+ in late Jan.
Dune
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa
Synopsis: A new adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal 1965 sci-fi novel set in a future where warring Houses clash over precious spice, and a young prince emerged as a possible messiah.
Where to Watch: HBO Max
King Richard
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Starring: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton
Synopsis: A story based on the life of Richard Williams, who raised and trained his daughters Venus and Serena to go from Compton to becoming two of tennis’ greatest.
Where to Watch: HBO Max
CODA
Director: Sian Heder
Starring: Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant, Eugenio Derbez
Synopsis: A hearing girl in a culturally deaf fishing family pursues her dream of becoming a singer.
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Don’t Look Up
Director: Adam McKay
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill
Synopsis: Two astronomers try to convince an ignorant, anti-science presidential administration (sound familiar?) that a comet is heading directly toward Earth.
Where to Watch: Theaters and Netflix (Dec. 24)
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Director: Joel Coen
Starring: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Corey Hawkins, Kathryn Hunter
Synopsis: An adaptation of Shakespeare’s revered play about a power-hungry Scottish lord who, pushed by witches and his scheming wife, murders his way to the throne.
Where to Watch: Theaters (Dec. 25) and Apple TV+ (Jan. 14)
tick… tick… BOOM!
Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Ship, Robin de Jesus, Vanessa Hudgens
Synopsis: A thrilling musical set in ’90s New York City and based on the life of the late Jonathan Larson, a struggling playwright who would go on to pen the Broadway hit Rent.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Being the Ricardos
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, J.K. Simmons
Synopsis: A chaotic week behind the scenes of the ’50s sitcom I Love Lucy, as Lucille Ball is accused of being a Communist and wrestles with her husband Desi Arnaz’s infidelity.
Where to Watch: Theaters and Amazon Prime
The Lost Daughter
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson, Paul Mescal
Synopsis: An adaptation of the Elena Ferrante novel about a woman on summer holiday in Italy who is besieged by memories of her years as a young mother.
Where to Watch: Theaters and Netflix (Dec. 31)
Parallel Mothers
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Starring: Penelope Cruz, Milena Smit, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon
Synopsis: Two single women raising babies form a complicated bond while confronting their country’s dark past.
Where to Watch: Theaters (Dec. 24)
Drive My Car
Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Starring: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, Masaki Okada, Reika Kirishima
Synopsis: An adaptation of the Haruki Murakami novel about a stage actor coming to grips with the disappearance of his screenwriter wife, who was discovered to be having an affair.
Where to Watch: Theaters
Titane
Director: Julia Ducournau
Starring: Agathe Rousselle, Vincent Lindon
Synopsis: A woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a childhood car accident, leading her to kill and be sexually aroused by cars, bonds with a lonely fireman who lost his daughter. Winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Where to Watch: Theaters and On-Demand
The Worst Person in the World
Director: Joachim Trier
Starring: Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Herbert Nordrum
Synopsis: A film told in twelve chapters over four years about a twenty-something woman’s romantic and professional struggles.
Where to Watch: Theaters (Feb. 4)
A Hero
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Starring: Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh, Alireza Jahandideh
Synopsis: An Iranian man forced into prison by his greedy creditor desperately tries to settle his debt during a two-day prison leave.
Where to Watch: Theaters (Jan. 7) and Amazon Prime (Jan. 21)
Red Rocket
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Simon Rex, Bree Elrod, Suzanna Son
Synopsis: A former porn star turned hustler returns to his hometown in rural Texas to start his life over—and finds himself romancing a teenager who works at the local donut shop.
Where to Watch: Theaters and On-Demand (TBD)
Flee
Director: Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Starring: Amin Nawabi
Synopsis: An animated documentary a la Waltz with Bashir about a gay Afghan refugee who shares his incredible story of fleeing Afghanistan and eventually settling in Denmark.
Where to Watch: Theaters
The Green Knight
Director: David Lowery
Starring: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury
Synopsis: An adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight about King Arthur’s young nephew, who embarks on an epic journey to fulfill his end of the bargain with the Green Knight.
Where to Watch: Theaters and On-Demand
Passing
Director: Rebecca Hall
Starring: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, Andre Holland, Alexander Skarsgard
Synopsis: A Black woman in 1920s Harlem rekindles a relationship with her estranged high school friend, who is passing as a white woman.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Spencer
Director: Pablo Larrain
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Jack Farthing, Sally Hawkins
Synopsis: An exploration of Christmas weekend 1991, as an embattled Princess Diana comes to terms with her suffocating and abusive marriage to Prince Charles whilst at the Queen’s estate.
Where to Watch: Theaters and On-Demand
House of Gucci
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Al Pacino, Salma Hayek
Synopsis: A biopic of Patrizia Reggiani, an Italian social climber who married Maurizio Gucci, the eventual head of the Gucci fashion house, and then arranged his murder.
Where to Watch: Theaters and Paramount+ (TBD)
