This afternoon, the American Film Institute (AFI) announced its annual top 10 movies of the year list. A good precursor for the rest of awards season. This could very well be our Best Picture lineup at the Oscars.
AFI Movies of the Year
“American Fiction”
“Barbie”
“The Holdovers”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Maestro”
“May December”
“Oppenheimer”
“Past Lives”
“Poor Things”
“Across the Spider-Verse”
Snubbed films include “Air,” “Rustin,” “All of Us Strangers,” and “The Color Purple.” Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of A Fall” was deemed ineligible due to it being an international film.
Let’s tackle Blitz Bazawule’s “The Color Purple,” for a hot second. This is another setback for the upcoming movie musical, which hasn’t been showing up in any of the year-end awards, including this week’s National Board of Review honorees. There is reason to be concerned.
Not counting the press screenings that have happened around the country, ‘Color Purple’ online screeners were sent out a few weeks ago. The lame excuse that it just hasn’t been seen enough is a misguided one — there have been plenty of ways for critics to catch it these last few weeks.
There’s a reason why this film is still under embargo. Two weeks ago, I posted my thoughts about “The Color Purple” on social media. It’s set for a theatrical release, via Warner Bros, on December 25th.
Last year, AFI’s 2022 film picks were “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Elvis,” “The Fabelmans,” “She Said,” “TÁR,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Women Talking,” “The Woman King,” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”