I had no trouble picking my Top 10 films this year. Certain films stuck with me. None of these are perfect. They all have flaws. However, their strengths significantly overshadow their shortcomings. Furthermore, I went a little off-script. I ranked a couple higher than the grades I originally assigned them. The star ratings are an emotional feeling at the time I see the picture, and that can change with repeat viewings.
These are my favorites of the year right now, followed by another 10 I wanted to celebrate. I also enjoyed a lot of movies that didn’t make the cut. If your favorite isn’t listed, there’s a good chance I simply loved these more. Of course, I might have outright disliked it too. There’s an addendum at the end for those.
Click on any entry to open the review.
And so now, without further ado, the best of 2022.
Directed by Baz Luhrmann – Starring Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson
Directed by Jordan Peele – Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Brandon Perea
Directed by Todd Field – Starring Cate Blanchett, Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer
Directed by Joseph Kosinski – Starring Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer
Directed by Steven Spielberg – Starring Michelle Williams, Gabriel LaBelle, Paul Dano, Judd Hirsch
Directed by Rian Johnson – Starring Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista
Directed by Ruben Östlund – Starring Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Burić
Directed by Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert – Starring Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan
Directed by James Cameron – Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang
Directed by Akiva Schaffer – Starring John Mulaney, Andy Samberg, KiKi Layne, Will Arnett
Just Missed the Top 10
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Barbarian
- The Menu
- RRR
- Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
- Apollo 10½
- Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris
- Hustle
- Petite Maman
- Moonage Daydream
Worst of the Year* (in alphabetical order)
It’s tradition, so I submit the following titles as the biggest wastes of time. Some were so bad I didn’t even bother to write a review. It is said that “the opposite of love is not hate. It’s indifference.” I outright detested these, so at least they provoked a reaction.
Bones and All
Day Shift
Halloween Ends
Jackass Forever
Men
Spiderhead
- BABYLON (directed by Damien Chazelle) is the first movie I’ve walked out of in a decade. No review, but needless to say, I didn’t care for the first 30 minutes.
7 Responses
1. The Fablemans
2. Nope
3. Top Gun Maverick
4. Elvis
5. Tar
6. Glass Onion
7. Triangle of Sadness
8. Barbarian
9. Avatar
10. Wakanda forever
Obviously I agree 💯. Our lists overlap a lot. ❤️
10. haven’t seen, but it’s been on my radar since your rave review last spring/summer (?) when it hit the Disney+
9. B+: I enjoyed it I think better than the original just for the sheer gorgeous visuals; seen it 1 1/2 times (due to a too long bathroom break) and haven’t been back… might rewatch before it leaves theaters – a very good technical accomplishment more than an engrossing story/characters
8. A: my #2 in my top 10 – originality in physical form
7. A-: the first of a 3-part special jury prize I gave to The Menu, Glass Onion and this because they’re all wickedly funny and sharp aims at the 1%
6. A- (maybe B+?): a sharp sequel or continuation of a character that is also in the aforementioned special jury prize section
5. A: tie for #1 (with Babylon) on my list – a most entertaining and moving tale of moviemaking and familiar discord
4. A-: another technical accomplishment and the rare sequel that (I think) tops the original to stand alongside the aforementioned Avatar 2: The Avatarring
3. A: a fascinating and riveting epic biopic of a Cancel Culture targeted toxic personality in the rare form of an egghead female; made my alphabetical top 10 section
2. A-: Jordan Peele’s latest made my 11th place runner-up section alphabetically; certainly one of his more fascinating works to date
1. B-: a mildly recommended but very messy bit of over-the-top biopic fluff from Baz Luhrmann who is hit and miss in my estimation both here and elsewhere; liked mostly for Tom Hanks’ over-the-top prosthetic-ridden performance as Col Parker even more so than Austin Butler’s pretty convincing Elvis impersonation/transformation (?)
11. B: A solid marvel effort that looks to move onward and upward from tragedy and still tell a story in a particular character’s universe even with that actor dead far too young
12. B: Horror thriller starts out solid and keeps us guessing before pulling the rug out in the middle with a hilarious extended interlude that eventually segues back to the story we thought we were getting; well-made and entertaining enough (the twists recall what PSYCHO must have felt like to its premiere audience)
13. A-/B+ (?): The third and final part of my 1% targeting special jury prize alongside the aforementioned Glass Onion and Triangle of Sadness; deserves award consideration for Hong Chau for how she responds to the question What are these?
14. on my radar; haven’t seen; keep forgetting it’s on Netflix as I missed it theatrically
15. B: well-made but not sure who the target audience was; too dark for kids, the musical numbers to my mind are almost inappropriate (and I like a good one) and the story is imaginatively if challengingly adapted by Del Toro
16. another one that fell through the cracks though when I heard Netflix was dropping with little fanfare a Richard Linklater rotoscope animation about childhood and space exploration I was intrigued…on my radar now
17. I kept putting off seeing in theaters; bought sight unseen rather than rent; still haven’t seen – stars two fave actresses in a bit of fluff so could be good…
18. B: The rare Netflix film that played theatrically around me; Adam Sandler gives a startlingly affecting performance in a fun sports movie that keeps feeling like it’s gonna get darker or more serious than it does
19. another one I missed, Sciamma’s followup to Portrait of a Lady on Fire is in my cloud queue and will catch up eventually…
20. A-: Saw twice in IMAX, made my 11th Place runners-up; gorgeous and fascinating and hypnotic rumination on Bowie and his legacy
As to the “worst of” (surprised THE WHALE didnt make the cut for you but glad to see BABYLON – #1 best tie – got a mention as a walk out) 😛 …
liked Bones and All, didn’t hate Halloween Ends, loved Jackass Forever – it topped my TV-inspired special jury prize alongside Bobs Burgers and Downton Abbey 2: The Downtoning (or whatever it was called); also liked Men well enough to see 2 or 3 times… haven’t seen the others and doubt I will now… there were way worse films in 2022 – I walked out of both TYSONS RUN because the main actor was playing an autistic kid in a terrible way that recalled Data in the early seasons of TNG and ALINE because I couldnt believe the middle aged actress/writer/director was playing her as a kid and adult with special effects allowing her to do both and it just didn’t work – didnt make it much into either and have yet to go back to catchup
Thank you for being a passionate film lover. Here’s to another great year of movies in 2023!!
Oh wow, you actually walked out of a movie?? Oh no!!! That’s actually something I’ve wondered about, whether you’ve sat in something so bad that you actually bailed. I’ve read quite some strong responses to Babylon, so it’s not *that* surprising, but the fact it’s a Damien Chazelle movie. Lol wow. This might actually compel me to see it more.
The last movie I think I walked out on was Todd Phillips’ Project X. that was godawful
What I saw was an assault on the senses. However knowing it was 3 hours 9 minutes was the thing that ultimately caused me to “hit the eject button.” Time is precious and this movie was not. 😉
Yeah that runtime is intimidating me as well.
Great list though! You saw my post on Facebook so you know what I was working with last year. I hope to get 2023 off to a strong start so maybe a 3+ movie is not the best way to go. On the other hand, could be a good challenge, so we’ll see. I might end up hating it as well