If you have not already listened to the podcast of this category, this is the final results, so this will spoil the course of the discussion on that podcast! Be warned!
The movies! The word itself is so funny to use in the 21st century, because it really was a novel thing to have images that moved when the artform came to be well over a century ago. But movies are real and important now because we decided to talk about them more often! I (Kyrie) made the push to turn Iris In Audio into a monthly podcast, because there is a deep joy in watching a movie then getting together with friends to discuss it. I am really proud of what we turned the show into, and in that spirit, we decided to hand out awards to the movies that really meant something to us in 2022. Your winners are…
The Winner
North By Northwest – The Dettmar Cut
Six’s Omi is a cinematic genius. If she was with us I am sure she would simply say it was a mistake in the recording, but we all know she was able to key into Alfred Hitchcock’s intentions. North By Northwest was a fun time all around, a deeply silly caper starring Carey Grant as a bumbling businessman in the middle of a Cold War plot. Be it him trying to get with the femme-fatale with all the charisma of a sea cucumber or drunkenly explain to the police officers that, no really it was secret evil man who made him drink all that booze, from start to finish it’s a wild ride full of iconic set pieces.
While Jennifer still felt the movie works without the CIA scene removed, there is something to the chaotic whirlwind of events surrounding Grant’s character to makes the audience feel just as lost and confused as he is. Despite all that, it was a blast to watch a movie that mocked a genre before it was even codified by the likes of James Bond. The dialogue is snappy and funny, the acting fits the tone perfectly, and that musical score! North By Northwest just works as a movie and easily climbs to the top of list.
The Runners-Up
Thief
The death of James Caan sent shockwaves, and for good reason. The actor was the definition of an icon, working for over 60 years as a leading man. And his talent shined brilliantly in this Michael Mann directed thriller. The story about a work for hire lock-picker trying to turn his crimes into blue-collar work, and the explosive tale of violence that follows when reality doesn’t match his expectations. The movie is dark, moody, and seemingly always followed by the waft of cigarettes that is emblematic of crime drama of the era.
I didn’t find it as compelling, but it’s near impossible to miss the immense talent on display in this movie. The lighting, soundtrack, and acting all come together to execute on a beautiful crime drama. Not bad for Mann’s directorial debut! Thief is a movie about that feeling of being stuck, being taken advantage of, and being fed up with it enough to do something about it. It is easily one of Caan’s best roles in a lifetime of amazing performances, and Thief stole the runner-up slot while making it look easy.
One Cut of the Dead
Single take movies always seem like a good idea at first. How hard could it be, you don’t even need to turn off the camera! But behind even the simplest of shoots, problems will always rise up in ways you just can’t account for. One Cut of the Dead is a one shot horror movie, which becomes a comedy about making movies, then a comedy about the making of a one-shot horror movie! Multi-layered meta story telling has become passé in recent years, but One Cut works magic about the beautiful chaos of making a movie.
It’s hard to describe the joy of realizing that the final act of the movie is a dramatized behind-the-scenes look at the making the one-shot horror movie in the first act, but it all comes to gather in the end in a big sweaty triumphant heap. Takayuki Hamatsu as the scummy director on camera but loving family man and dedicated artist behind it just floored us, and the layered storytelling is here to be one unbroken love letter to the process of working with passionate people to make even simple projects. The movie works even when you know where it’s going, but definitely watch this with a group of friends who have never heard of it. One Cut was a cut above the rest and earns it’s runner-up spot.
And that’s it for the 2022 Iris In Audio award! It was a blast to think back on what I learned in film classes in college, for Jennifer to indulge in her love of the medium, and Six gaining a new appreciation of movies. We are excited to see what 2023 brings, but for now – stay tuned for the next category, the Oops All Anime award!
Our art for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
