2022 was certainly a year for cinema, there were a lot of movies that came out, both in theaters and digitally through streaming services with a lot of really good films, and a lot of really bad films. Notable flops include the works of Marvel’s 4th Thor attempt and the weird inclusion of Morbius into the Sony catalog that no one was asking for. Also, worth noting the thousands of awful low budget romcoms on streaming services where the only claim to fame is the fact that they got an old Disney Channel teen to be in a movie where they make sex jokes. Also, Jurassic World was bad.
But I am here to talk about what I thought was the cream of crop rather than the crumbs of the crud, so here are some honorable mentions that won’t get as much of my time.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (dir. Guillermo del Toro)
Advancement in creativity when it comes to approaching animation shows me that Disney’s plan of retelling old stories in live action adaptations is honestly the worst way to go about it. This adaptation of Pinocchio’s story is the best there is, the animation is crisp, the voice work is great, and the twist on a tried-and-true tale is impeccably well done.
The Whale (dir. Darren Aronofsky)
I’m a sucker for Brendan Fraser, depressing films, and interestingly dainty color grading. There is a lot of that here, and while there are some clear issues with the original writing choices, this adaptation is successful. Big props to everyone, but especially Brendan Fraser who I still think deserves that Oscar.
Top Gun: Maverick (dir.Joseph Kosinski)
Unfortunately, while I usually disagree with old white men on most things, I think I have to agree, this movie kills. It deserves not only the crazy box office numbers it upholds, but the amount of praise it has for what it does, and how it conceives a sequel so mighty after so many years after the original.
TÁR (dir. Todd Field)
Cate Blanchett is the only person I would be slightly okay with receiving the award for Best Actress other than Michelle Yeoh (I want it to be Michelle though). The story examines a lot of feelings that resonate within our current culture so well, a lot of people unfortunately won’t see it in the best way, but dear god if it isn’t one of the greatest examples of the artist’s egotistical downfall in media we have ever seen.
10. Triangle of Sadness dir. Ruben Ostlund
Triangle of Sadness is an incredibly astonishing tale about the greed of those with elite power, wealth, and/or status. Centered around the attendees and crew of an exclusive cruise trip, they enter a tumultuous day filled with awful treatment of the middle-class staff members. Then, the rich and powerful get a rightful trip to hell when the ship encounters a storm and gets raided by pirates. This film is all about power and the structures around it, how those structures form and change, how those within power see these structures form and change, and with all that, the film has an air of neat comedy. It is really a hilarious story that has you wheezing through some portions and fist pumping in gratitude seeing the suffering of those who make money off of people suffering. Another big toss up for the Oscars, I want to see Dolly De Leon win for her performance as Abigail, yet Stephanie Hsu deserves the award for Best Supporting Actress. Tough choices.
9. The Northman dir. Robert Eggers
YES, VIKINGS. Beyond all the terrible stuff Vikings did, the concept of them in movies is really cool, I mean just look at How to Train Your Dragon. Now take that movie, take out the dragons, and move it from the family-friendly side of the spectrum to the ‘dear almighty why is there so much blood’ end of the spectrum, and you get The Northman. The Northman, beyond all of the incredible Viking action and symbolism, is a film about vengeance, duty, and fate. But even beyond that, it is a movie made by Robert Eggers to look absolutely incredible. Some of the scenes are so creatively shot and brutally filmed that you’d be scared to go home to find your house raided, because you believed you were actually in the Dark Ages. Anya Taylor-Joy is again incredible in a movie, and Alexander Skarsgård as Amlith is just wow. So brutal, so much raw Viking energy radiates off of him the entire film, and that final battle, while I won’t spoil anything, is exactly how I want a final Viking showdown to occur. So good.
8. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On dir. Dean Fleischer Camp
Jumping off from gory Vikings to a tiny shell with shoes. Marcel the Shell is a wonderful character, and God this movie makes me love being alive in this world. The playfulness of the story, the happiness that just exudes from the character of Marcel, and the heartbreak that occurs with the sadness of what happens in his story is just everything. There is a lot to learn and remember here about life and its paths, and also about family and its ups and downs. It is such a heart enriching experience, you’ll leave this movie with the energy to be a better person for at least a week, which isn’t forever, but better the most days. Anyways, it should win best animated feature if nominated, if not then whatever, I think it wins. And go watch this movie please. It is like 90 minutes long, that isn’t too long, and you need to enjoy this. I want a sequel.
7. The Banshees of Inisherin dir. Martin McDonagh
Dear lord, this was a late watch for me. The exact insecurities of the two main men in this film are everything honestly. On the one hand, Padraic is someone being confronted with the idea of their good traits being bad traits, the uplifting nature of their kindness being taken for dullness, and in a small town being seen as someone without worth being around. Then you have Colm, whose own mortality has severed that friendship, not out of sheer boredom, but of a sheer fear of being mortal. He is afraid he isn’t timeless, only timely; he is on a clock that repeats day in and out. He is afraid that nothing he does will matter or will make a difference. Due to his actions and due to the nature of his friend, the events that take place that cause a lot of damage, and paths are taken that can’t be come back from. There is a lot to dissect in this film, honestly, I would like to watch it over and over until I get all of it down pact, but even after my first watch I can tell this is a project that will resonate with people for a while. Not only is the story really good, but damn near everything else is as well. Colin Farrell is deserving of those Best Actor Nominations; Brendan Gleeson deserves way more recognition for what he gives to this. Kerry Condon is also really stellar, and I now understand why Barry Kheogan is being nominated for his role as Dominic, he steals every scene, and his character is just so world defining. There is a lot here, and God I wish I could talk at length about how I feel about this. But it deserves all the recognition it gets.
You can read Harrison’s review of The Banshees of Inisherin here.
6. Nope dir. Jordan Peele
Cinema is back, get out of here Top Gun and Avatar whatever the Sequel. You don’t matter anymore because Jordan Peele made a blockbuster. A movie very much in the style of Jaws is so well fitting for Nope, both in the blockbuster subsection of films while also being very much on Jordan Peele’s brand of important racial messaging and critique on art. The film critiques the treatment of people of color in early filmmaking by comparing them to the horses the main characters train to be seen on screen. This film’s strong story, and great theming are accompanied by strong performances by Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya, a soundtrack fit for a blockbuster revival, and a movie monster beyond all rational forms of horror. It is great. And Jordan Peele needs to release the supposed 3 and half hour cut, I want to see it, and more on that, I want to see Keke Palmer’s character explored way more.
5. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery dir. Rian Johnson
Glass Onion is a really good mystery, and Ben Shapiro can just go remember he flunked out of the creative genes directly into being an awful person. His opinion on a good movie is worth just about as much as his opinion on anything else. (Right in the trashy benny boy). Anyway, this movie’s themes about corruption and falsehoods are great. The absolute deception Ed Norton’s Miles Bron pulls as a successful ‘self-made’ man is incredible. The references to the same deception in actual pop culture is just as incredible. I love the side cast just as much as always, and Janelle Monae deserves the literal world for playing two characters here. Then Daniel Craig, God what an actor, he is only on the second film playing Detective Benoit Blanc, yet I like his character just as much as his rendition of James Bond. Thank God Netflix pulled out 100 million for him. Seeing this as the year end film for Netflix is refreshing, especially after the last big release for Netflix’s year end was Don’t Look Up, and I’d rather refer to this movie as a good Netflix studio project rather than ever actually mention Don’t Look Up again. A good mystery will be a good mystery, and God this gets that done incredibly. Watching Blanc just savagely tear apart the fake mystery of the party then the actual mystery revealed halfway through is so delightful every time. It is also so refreshing to see a mystery film allowing those actually affected by the events of a mystery get the credit for the win of the film, rather than a detective not emotionally involved. Not as good as the first film though.
You can read Abbey’s review of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery here.
4. The Fabelmans dir. Steven Spielberg
Such a special film to any who watch it, so deeply personal, so deeply rich with ideas and lessons learned through years of creating. Steven Spielberg isn’t my favorite director, but this is probably my favorite movie he has made. The Fabelmans is a love letter like no other to the history and creation of movies, but it also represents what movies are about. Not just about plot, but about people, about what they reveal in the film, about what people are, about how they make people look, about that draw to humanity that makes movies so relatable and inspiring. It’s about sacrifice to what you really want, about sacrifice to art and writing and filmmaking that we rarely expose because the truth of it hurts so much. What we make will always be imbued with who we are, and the struggles we have lived in. While creative works are so fulfilling, they are also so dangerous, they spread barriers bigger and wider between you and what you want to be, between you and who you love. We see that in this fantastic movie, and I love how Spielberg gets it so right decades into his career and life, and I am so happy this is a story he has decided to tell.
3. One Piece Film: Red dir. Gorō Taniguchi
I won’t ever NOT defend One Piece, and while I could spend the allotment of any amount of my time shilling for this single piece of creative media, I will just specifically talk about Film Red, and how incredible it is. There may be better anime movies or even better fighting One Piece movies, but I am a sucker for well-done musicals, and in this case, it is a well-done Musical One-Piece film. It is lively, it gets your heart racing, the actions and animation are crisp, and the songs are nostalgic with the images they show you. And not oddly enough if you know the series, the emotional moments in this film are striking and the funny bits are incredible. There is so much here that just works to those who watch One Piece, yet there is also a lot for people who really don’t know anything. It is easy to get into, not asking for a lot of knowledge to enjoy, and a genuinely eventful experience in theatres.
2. The Batman dir. Matt Reeves
I have a review on the Batman on the Film club website, where I go in depth on all my thoughts on the film. It is still the greatest superhero film of all time, and the greatest superhero outing of 2022. That’s right, surprise surprise, Thor: Love and Blunder somehow wasn’t as good as this masterpiece of character portrayal and superhero theming. Anyways, beyond my ever-growing disdain at Marvel’s awful movie creating, this movie is a rare win for DC studios. Battison is probably my favorite portrayal of the character, and this version of Gotham is more real and more lived in than any other one. I will like any other person geek out over the cool chase scenes of Nolan’s Gotham, but the air, the atmosphere of this Gotham is just invigorating, you feel the crime, you feel the need for a vigilante. Everything about this film is so well crafted. The only downside is the nature of that 3 to 4 year wait for the next installment to release.
You can read my full review of The Batman here.
1. Everything Everywhere All At Once dir. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
I am not the only one who will put this on their list, and probably not the only person who will have this as their number one, yet I might be one of the only ones with this also as their favorite movie. Seeing this in IMAX was an insane experience, having a packed room full of people crying over this story at the same time was even crazier. It is some legendary stuff to be able to jampack such a rich and developed story with not only amazing laughter but incredibly well-meaning themes that brings even those who don’t understand to tears. This will be my favorite movie for as long as I can have it, in the year it has been out I have seen it 5 times, once recently because when I first wrote this, I got a craving to view it again. It is a movie that hits just as hard, and just as engaging as the first time I saw it. Every time I watch it, I notice those little things that just make everything more special. No movie in the past decade, or even century, has been more deserving of the Best Picture win then this film, and if it doesn’t win it is a worthy of a protest within the Academy halls. I could go on forever about the impact this movie has on the individual and on movie culture as a whole, as a movie about generational trauma, about depression, about love and empathy, about anything. There is so much within this movie that just works so perfectly, I would honestly be ok watching 10 or 20 more low performing superhero films just if I get another movie like this in my lifetime. It is outstanding.