The Playmaker
Let's play
PLAYMAKER
  • It's Tuesday
    What day is it?
  • Now
    What time is it?
  • Anywhere in Auckland
    Where are you?
  • What do you feel like?
    What do you feel like?
  • And what else?
    And what else?
  • LET'S PLAY

Thirty Top-Notch Movies From 2022 That You Should Definitely Catch Up on Over Summer

Tick 'em off.
By Sarah Ward
December 22, 2022
  shares
List
Map
By Sarah Ward
December 22, 2022
  shares
List
Map
  • Arts & Entertainment

    Spencer

    Kristen Stewart turns in a career-best performance as the People's Princess in this bold and enthralling slice-of-life biopic.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Parallel Mothers

    Penélope Cruz and Pedro Almodóvar’s latest collaboration is one of their best so far, unearthing a moving must-see about motherhood.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Nightmare Alley

    Starring Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett, this mesmerisingly dark carnival noir is one of filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's very best features.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Jackass Forever

    Filled with lewd and puerile stunts and pranks, the latest 'Jackass' film is exactly what it promises to be — and also surprisingly sweet.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    The Batman

    Robert Pattinson’s turn in the cape and cowl is dark, weighty and entrancing, in a sublimely shot blockbuster that makes all things 'Batman' feel new.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    X

    Set during a 70s porn shoot on a remote Texas property, this gleefully gory and playful retro-styled slasher from horror filmmaker Ti West is a savvy must-see.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Ambulance

    OTT car chases, constantly zipping camerawork, a villainous Jake Gyllenhaal — when Michael Bay's latest high-intensity action flick works, it's a wildly entertaining ride.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    The Northman

    Directed by 'The Witch' and 'The Lighthouse' filmmaker Robert Eggers, this Alexander Skarsgård-starring Viking epic is bold, bloody, brutal and brilliant.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Top Gun: Maverick

    When it takes to the sky in astonishing aerial sequences, this Tom Cruise-starring, 36-years-later sequel will take your breath away.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Nude Tuesday

    Spoken only in gibberish, and unafraid to bare all, this New Zealand sex comedy starring Jackie van Beek, Jemaine Clement and Damon Herriman is revelatory several times over.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Elvis

    Baz Luhrmann's take on the king of rock 'n' roll is a sprawling, exhilarating spectacle, as led by an exceptional Austin Butler in the pompadour and jumpsuits.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    The Black Phone

    Reteaming with his 'Sinister' director Scott Derrickson, Ethan Hawke is unnervingly excellent in this tense and eerie 70-set horror film.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Good Luck to You, Leo Grande

    Emma Thompson is magnificent in this wonderfully candid, intimate, generous and joyous sex comedy, which follows a fiftysomething woman finally trying to explore her desires with a charming sex worker.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Three Thousand Years of Longing

    After 'Mad Max: Fury Road', Australian director George Miller spirits up an enchanting and affecting tale about stories and wishes starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    The Quiet Girl

    Tender, affecting and resonant, and filled with wonderful performances, this Gaelic-language coming-of-age drama tells a small tale with a big impact.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Muru

    Cliff Curtis turns in a weighty performance opposite Tāme Iti as himself in this bold, tense and potent response to the Tūhoe raids.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Don't Worry Darling

    Stunning to look at and featuring a phenomenal performance by Florence Pugh, Olivia Wilde's second film as a director always demands attention.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    The Woman King

    Viola Davis is fierce, formidable and fantastic in this rousing historical epic, which brings the tale of the Agojie, the all-female west African warrior troupe, to the screen.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Bros

    Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane shine in the first romantic comedy about two gay men to be released by a major Hollywood studio.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Nowhere Special

    This tender drama about a Belfast window cleaner and his young son truly is something special.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Hatching

    Bold, clever and memorable, this Finnish horror film about a tween incubating a giant egg is a crackingly thrilling watch.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Mothering Sunday

    Starring Aussie talent Odessa Young and ‘The Crown’ standout Josh O'Connor, plus Colin Firth and Olivia Colman, this handsome 1920s-set British drama is passionate, sensual and exceptionally cast.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Millie Lies Low

    There's nothing false about this astute and hilarious NZ comedy about faking it till you make it in a social media-ruled world — or about Ana Scotney's exceptional performance.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Benediction

    Acclaimed British filmmaker Terence Davies turns the life and work of World War I soldier, conscientious objector and poet Siegfried Sassoon into a lyrical biopic.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    House of Gucci

    This supremely soapy recounting of the Gucci family's 70s, 80s and 90s-era dramas is worth seeing for Lady Gaga's fantastic performance alone.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Men

    'Ex Machina' and 'Annihilation' filmmaker Alex Garland returns with a #MeToo horror film that's both blatant and piercing.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    The Lost City

    Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum's combined charms go a long way in this breezily entertaining action-adventure rom-com.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Smile

    A maniacal grin goes a long way in this predictable yet still convincingly unsettling horror film about trauma.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    The Wonder

    Exquisitely led by Florence Pugh, this 19th century-set tale of faith versus fact is mesmerising, ambitious and sumptuous.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

    The 'The Shape of Water' and 'Pan's Labyrinth' director's stop-motion take on the beloved 19th-century Italian tale might just be the most magical yet.

Tap and select Add to Home Screen to access Concrete Playground easily next time. x
Counter Pixel