The Best Films of 2022

Well, seeing as though everybody else has had their "best of the year" list out since December, I guess I should get off my lazy behind, and get one out also, shouldn't I?  As always, I have a good excuse.  As a regular paying filmgoer, I choose to hold off on this list until I can see as many of the year's films as I can.  And since many of the big end of the year films usually expand slowly (sometimes very slowly) into wide release around January-February, I choose to wait.  I did get to see most of the major end of the year releases, so I feel the time is ready to make the list.

One thing I should note is that there were some films I saw but did not get to review, due to some hospitalizations I went through during the year, but they will still appear on this list.

As usual, I will be naming my favorite film of the year, followed by what I felt were the great films of 2022.  The great films can be anything that truly grabbed my attention, so they can be dramas, comedies, kid's films, whatever.  Then I'll be listing the "honorable mentions" (the runner ups), followed by my 5 favorite actor and actress performances of the year.  Aside from Best Film, all of these choices will be listed in alphabetical order.

So, with that out of the way, let's get down to the important stuff - the movies.

 

THE BEST FILM OF 2022

 

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE -  Writers and directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (credited as The Daniels) have crafted a world-bending martial arts comedy with Everything Everywhere All at Once.  It's a film that blends pure action, Sci-Fi, multiple universes, and even a parody of a specific Pixar movie that shall remain nameless for the sake of spoilers into its plot to craft what is ultimately a story about the choices we make, and how it effects not just ourselves, but others.  The film's scope is epic, which is fitting for a movie dealing with multiple universes.  And yet, it's an achingly human and relatable story at its core.  That's because its heroine Evelyn (played wonderfully by Michelle Yeoh) and all of the variations we see of her throughout the movie via alternate timelines is so pure and human.  Whether she is running a struggling family-owned laundromat, a martial arts actress, a rock, or a sympathetic lesbian in a world where everyone have evolved differently when it comes to fingers, the script never loses sight of who Evelyn is, or Yeoh's performance.  She is what anchors the film, and the movie smartly plays upon her acting and physical stunt strength.  Everything Everywhere All at Once is about choices and decisions, regrets, healing pain, and finding potential within yourself that you never knew.  It mixes these human themes with world-bending fight scenes, comedic sequences that have been imaginatively inserted, and a consistently confident tone.  This could not have been easy to achieve.  It's always nice to see filmmakers attempt something risky in Hollywood, but it doesn't always work out.  Here, all the pieces have come into place creating a wonderful entertainment.

 

 

THE GREAT FILMS OF 2022 (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

 

APOLLO 10 1/2: A SPACE-AGE CHILDHOOD -  In his best films, writer-director Richard Linklater has a unique ability to recreate a time period, and transport his audience.  His latest film, Apollo 10 1/2, is a testament to this.  Not only is this perhaps one of his finest works, it's also destined to be one of the finest of 2022.  Using high quality rotoscope animation, a technique that paints 2D animation over live action film (a technique he used previously in his films Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly), it adds a dream-like quality to what is essentially a nostalgia piece.  For most of the film, Apollo 10 1/2 is a mix of the mundane and a child's fantastic imagination, and the skill of the film is just how effortlessly it juggles both.  But even the mundane has a sense of nostalgia-dipped fantasy to them.  This is thanks in part to the animation style, and due also that the movie resembles a series of random memories that the adult version of the main character is sharing with us.  This is how Stan today remembers his childhood, and though we see some of the turmoil of the time, that is not his focus.  He is sharing the world he lived in at the time, both in his head with him going beyond the stars, and in the everyday.  The two combine to create a rich narrative, even though the film never really tells much of a plot.  It is strangely compelling, though.  More than just a mere nostalgia or vanity piece, this is a captivating time capsule that represents how many Stan's age want to remember that time period.  Apollo 10 1/2 is warm and nostalgic, which means it will likely be torn apart by the cynical.  It's certainly a movie that you have to just let the passion the filmmaker feels wash over you, and if you let it, it's one of the truly unique film experiences. 

THE FABELMANS - Steven Spielberg has said that all of his films are personal in some way, and contain a part of him or his beliefs.  His 34th feature, The Fabelmans, is a semi-autobiographical love letter to cinema in general, and is based not just on his own childhood and experiences, but on the growth and pain that his entire family endured.  Unlike a lot of projects in which the filmmaker or writer reflects on their own past, this is not a self-centered piece, seen through the eyes of the young hero meant to represent the artist telling the story.  It is a sweeping drama that covers a number of subjects, and winds up not just being a coming of age story, but also a drama of a family struggling to hold itself together through change.  The Fabelmans is a movie with the right title, as each member of the family plays a key role in the story.  This is ultimately a story about both finding your place in the world, as well as how finding that place can sometimes mean the people closest to you have to go their separate ways.  It's a mature film, with a sensational screenplay provided by Spielberg and frequent collaborator Tony Kushner that gives ample attention to both the triumphs and the failings of these individual characters.  Spielberg has stated that The Fabelmans is not completely based on his own family, but everything here has a ring of truth, and the honesty of closely examining where you came from.  It's a highly entertaining and enriching film, and stands among the best of the year, and easily one of the most powerful films the director has worked on lately.

 

GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO -  What del Toro does here is add layers of satire and social commentary, as well as adding his love of supernatural elements, all without losing the innocence and charm of the original story.  Using some of the best stop motion animation I have seen recently, del Toro and fellow screenwriter Patrick McHale (the Cartoon Network miniseries Over the Garden Wall) take the story everyone is familiar with, and add enough emotion, passion, humor and sadness to make it stand out on its own.  It draws from a time period when family entertainment was not afraid to "push boundaries", be scary, or even be tragic in their telling.  The movie is fine for children, but will likely hit adults on an entirely different level.  It's a joyous retelling, and considering that this has been the filmmaker's passion project for a number of decade, I am proud to say that it not only is distinctively the work of del Toro in both its visuals and storytelling, but that the passion for the story comes through in every conceivable way.  It is the way that del Toro takes these elements, and combines it with the story we know that makes this telling of Pinocchio so memorable.  All of this creates a wondrous entertainment, which is aided by the beautiful and unearthly stop motion animation.  Add an incredible level of detail to the backgrounds and the character designs (especially the more mystical creatures that Pinocchio encounters in his journey), and you have what is easily one of the best visual experiences of the year.  More than that, the screenplay knows how to juggle humor, mature themes, and childhood whimsy in a way as to be effortless.  Guillermo del Toro has created a truly magnificent telling here, and one that hopefully will be celebrated for many years to come.  It's truly one of the greats of the year, not just in the field of animation, but in terms of overall filmmaking.  

 

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON -  A family film like Marcel speaks to adults on their level, while appealing to kids on a completely different level, and can even be enjoyed by an adult audience on their own without the presence of children.  Based on a series of short films created by comedian Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer Camp, this is a quiet and absorbing little fantasy shot as a documentary about a tiny shell creature (endearingly voiced by comic actress Jenny Slate) searching for others of her kind.  There is such a personal and tender atmosphere to this film that really took me by surprise.  A lot of movies aimed at adults don't usually match the sense of empathy and emotion that we get here.  When we first see Marcel interacting with the human world, we immediately buy it, thanks to the wonderful effects work on display.  I never once questioned what I was looking at, or tried to figure out how these sequences were being done.  That is the true goal of any special effects film, and one that few achieve.  I was immediately drawn in, and not once did the spell the story was weaving lose its effect on me.  But more than the effects, the screenplay is the real wonder here.  It understands that we need to fully buy into Marcel and his world in order for it to work, and it's quite astonishing how easily it is to just completely be wrapped into this little character.  A lot of films entertain me, but Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is the rare film that truly brought me joy, and lifted my spirits.

 

PEARL - This is a different kind of thriller, and draws inspiration from old technicolor melodramas and even classic Disney films.  The end result is kind of a twisted mash up of The Wizard of Oz and Psycho.  Strange as it sounds, the combo does fit.  Imagine if little Dorothy Gale had an interest in torturing small animals while dreaming about going far away from her small farm life, and you'll have a good idea.  The title character (played brilliantly by Mia Goth) is a young woman who feels trapped by a stifling home life.  One of the brilliant things director Ty West does is he shoots the film as a joyous, old fashioned technicolor film with rich, beautiful, vibrant and joyful images that goes against the inherent darkness of the film itself.  There are flights of fantasy here in the tradition of old Hollywood musicals, mixed with elements of a violent thriller.  As Pearl zips about the country on her bike or does chores on her family farm, the movie has a sunniness to it.  And yet, she is also clearly mentally unhinged, and on the verge of snapping at any minute.  The movie is also that rare thriller that does not sell itself on jump scares, but rather the slow gradual descent into madness of the main character.  Her fantasies start out innocent enough, but soon become more sinister, and the way even these darker moments are shot the same way as the initial lighter ones is compelling.  Also compelling is the screenplay credited to West and its lead star, Goth.  This is a movie that's not afraid to dive into these characters, and how they slowly start to realize that Pearl may not be all there.  It's also not afraid to give its star an electrifying and single-take monologue that goes on for six minutes straight near the end.  It's a masterful performance from Goth, and this is a masterful film in a lot of ways.  This is a thrilling, uncompromising, and beautiful film.

 

 Tár -  As equally uncompromising as Pearl, this psychological thriller about a famed conductor dealing with allegations of sexual abuse not only features the best female performance of the year by Cate Blanchett, but is also one of the most unforgettable.  Unfortunately, the movie never got a wide enough theatrical release, as the movie never even came to my local cinema, and I had to track it down on line.  One of the most acclaimed films of the year (and rightly so), I never got around to reviewing this, as I was taking a break due to a medical procedure when I saw it.  However, it has stuck with me since I saw it.  Despite a running time stretching past 2 and a half hours, the movie has a kinetic energy to carry the viewer through, and Blanchett's incredible portrayal only helps add to it.  This is a compelling drama about power in the music industry, and constructed with such power and raw fervor, it's almost surprising.  There is nothing rigid on display here, from the dialogue to the storytelling, right down to how it tackles its subject matter.  How this did not go into a wider release alludes me, but it's worth tracking down.  

TOP GUN: MAVERICK - I'm just as surprised as you are to see this film here, but this is truly one of the best "blockbuster" films I've seen in a long while.  Top Gun: Maverick is not only that rare sequel that is leagues better than the original, it's also the kind of all-encompassing, immersive and stirring Summer Blockbuster that I thought Hollywood had forgotten how to make.  More spectacular and emotional than the 1986 film, this should be the blueprint all filmmakers follow when it comes to making a nostalgic follow up film.  While the script has a few too many characters and plots for the movie to handle, this matters little with how successful everything else is about this Top Gun.  The aerial sequences are breathtaking, beautifully shot, and some of the best action sequences to come out of Hollywood in quite a while.  Again, this should be a blueprint for future filmmakers on how to stage a fast-paced action sequence coherently.  Everything just has this immersive feel that puts you square in the middle of the action, and on the biggest screen, it is simply awe inspiring in a way that I thought blockbusters could never be again.  The sequences also simply feel real, using as little CG effects as possible, and if they do, they are incredibly well done or hidden so that they don't take us out of the action.  And even if some characters do get cast to the side a bit in the script, the ones that it does choose to focus on are well-written and given plenty of opportunity to stand out.  This is simply one of the best pure popcorn entertainment films to come in a while, and this is coming from someone who never really latched onto the first, even when I saw it in the theater when I was on the verge of turning 9 in 86.  My anticipation for this could fit on the head of a pin, even when the rave reviews started to come in.  I was fully impressed by the effort that went into this, and I hope it opens some eyes in the industry on how to follow up a nostalgic film in the best way possible so that it's better than its inspiration in nearly every conceivable way.

 

TURNING RED -  Like the best films to come out of the Pixar Studio, Turning Red is a movie that mixes emotion and real life experiences with the fantastic that only the animated film medium can provide.  Making her feature directing debut, Domee Shi was greatly inspired by her own experiences of being 13-years-old in the early 2000s, as well as the Japanese Anime that she used to watch regularly, to create a heartwarming and funny story that covers some pretty tricky coming of age issues for an animated family comedy, as well as adding some heartwarming notes about family and mothers and daughters in the mix.  Turning Red is frank in how it handles the tricky subject matter of puberty, and yes, menstruation, which are brought up throughout the film.  But nervous parents need not worry that it will suddenly inspire some very hard questions from young kids who are not ready to know about it.  The film is first and foremost a relatable fantasy about a girl trying to find her place in her own world.  It simply is brave enough to also handle some obvious issues in a mature way that will likely fly over the youngest viewers.  That's what makes Turning Red stand out.  There is so much identity and truth to the characters and what the film is saying.  Even if you never had the exact real world experiences, you can still relate to it and sense its accuracy.  The film is also a visual wonder, so much so that it's a crying shame it's getting placed on streaming, instead of the theatrical release it was meant for.  I understand that Studios are struggling to get people back to theaters for movies that don't involve capes or superpowers, but there is just as much a need to watch animation like this on the big screen.  We need diverse genres at the cinema now more than ever, and I truly hope that the theater never becomes a permanent home only for "event" movies.  That bit aside, here is a movie that is as magical, truthful, and funny as anything Pixar has done, and serves as a wonderful directing debut for Shi, who I'm sure has many more stories and personal experiences to share, and I eagerly await them.

 

THE WHALE - This has been a largely polarizing movie for critics and audiences.  Some have praised it and called it brave, particularly for the lead performance from Brendan Fraser, which is easily a career best, while others have called it a grotesque spectacle that revels in stereotypes of the obese.  Having just seen the film, I honestly don't understand what those who criticize the film are getting at.  I found this moving, involving from the first frame to the last, and tremendously heartbreaking.  The film is an adaptation of a stage play by Samuel D. Hunter, who also provides the screenplay here.  And even though the film never really leaves the apartment of the main character (aside from a few exterior shots now and then), it doesn't feel claustrophobic or overly staged.  Director Darren Aronofsky has given us one of his most powerful films, and when you consider this is the guy who did Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler, that's saying something.  This is a story of a man who truly believes that people are amazing, and uses his optimism of humanity to combat his addictions that are slowly killing him.  He has to be optimistic, because he has so little in his own life.  If he didn't believe in others, he would probably be in a worse state than we already find him.  Beyond Fraser's performance, this is also one of the best acted films I've seen in a while.  The entire small cast is note perfect.  Yes, with its limited setting and number of characters, its origins as a stage play are transparent, yet it never bothered me here like it sometimes does.  Aronofsky's visual style and the performances are more than enough to make the emotions in this piece larger than life.  It's rare for a film to grip me this strongly emotionally, but it's always a wonderful experience when one does.  When you see as many movies as I do, you start to notice how few of them actually leave any sort of impact.  Here, from the first second to the start of the end credits, I was feeling something, and it was certainly not disgust or hatred as others have claimed.  This is one film I can't wait to revisit.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Scream, Marry Me, Death on the Nile, The Cursed, Dog, The Batman, X, The Lost City, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, The Northman, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Lightyear, Elvis, The Black Phone, Minions: The Rise of Gru, Thor: Love and Thunder, DC League of Super Pets, Prey, Beast, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Barbarian, The Woman King, See How They Run, Smile, Bros, The Banshees of Inisherin, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Menu, She Said, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

 

 

MY TOP FIVE PERFORMANCES BY AN ACTOR (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

Austin Butler in Elvis

Paul Dano in The Fabelmans

Brenden Fraser in The Whale

Judd Hirsch in The Fabelmans

Ke Huy Quan in Everything Everywhere All at Once

 

 

MY TOP FIVE PERFORMANCES BY AN ACTRESS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

Cate Blanchett in Tár

Hong Chau in The Whale

Stephanie Hsu in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Michelle Williams in The Fabelmans

Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once 

 

So, those are my favorites of 2022 in a nutshell!  Hopefully, as we go further into 2023, we will get many more bright moments to come in the cinema.

 

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