Jan 31, 2023 10 min read 2022

Top 22 Films of 2022

Well I'm a little late to the party on this one, though to be honest I have no idea why people drop their best of lists in December when there is still stuff coming out and time is needed to fully process the best of the best. And after an extended period of contemplation and reflection, I present you with my top 22 films of 2022! But first...

Honorable Mentions and Unfortunate Misses:

2022 was a great year for film. Almost too great, I may say, because while I tried to see as many new films as I could, several slipped through the cracks. Here's a quick list of films that could've been great but I just couldn't get around to seeing in time:

Till
The Whale
Armageddon Time
Women Talking
She Said
Triangle of Sadness
All Quiet on the Western Front

Also, there are some great films that didn't quite make the cut (I really wanted this list to be 22 films). So, in no particular order, is a few honorable mentions:

Emily the Criminal
Fire of Love
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Memoria
The Banshees of Inisherin
Babylon
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Three Thousand Years of Longing
Barbarian
Night of the Coconut

OK, with that business out of the way, onto the Top 22 Films of 2022!!

#22 - Top Gun: Maverick

That's right, after 36 years, Maverick is back and better than ever! Tom Cruise returns to the cockpit to deliver one of the best blockbusters in recent memory, far surpassing the original with a smart but heartfelt script, a solid supporting cast, and some of the most breathtaking action scenes brought to life with amazing cinematography capturing the real actors pilot real fighter jets, letting audiences themselves feel the need for speed.

#21 - Bones & All

On a completely different note, visionary director Luca Guadagnino brings us a small-scale romance between two outcast cannibals traveling across Regan era America. Equal parts romantic and revolting, beautiful and bloody, Guadagnino crafts an striking film with the help of gorgeous cinematography from Arseni Khachaturan, a haunting score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and stunning performances from Taylor Russel, Timothee Chalemet, and Mark Rylance.

#20 - The Woman King

Based on a West African tribe and their army of women warriors. The Woman King delivers a unique powerful historical epic lead by a commanding lead performance by Viola Davis. The film also boasts fantastic performances from rising stars Lashanna Lynch and Thuso Mbedu, as well as stunning costume and production design and some of the best choreographed fight scenes of the year.

#19 - Ambulance

Micheal Bay is back with the wildest action film of the year with Ambulance, about a bank robbery gone wrong and two brothers hijacking an ambulance and flee the police across LA. This high octane thrill ride includes one of Jake Gyllenhaal's most unhinged roles, great turns from Eliza Gonzalez and Yahya Abdul-Marteen II, and the most impressive car chases and drone cinematography ever put to film, this is a film that puts the pedal to the metal and never lets up till the credits roll.

This next course is a delightfully devilish thriller/satire on the high end culinary arts and the wealthy and vile culture that surround it. Featuring decadent production design and directing, a sharp and fiery script, and a strong and spicy ensemble including Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, and John Leguizamo, this film is a zesty and satisfying meal to die for.

#17 - Avatar: The Way of Water

Good rule of thumb: never bet against James Cameron. 11 years after the original, Avatar: The Way of Water is yet another spectacular, awe inspiring adventure to the beautiful and dangerous world of Pandora. This film is easily a vast improvement over its predecessor, featuring more nuanced characters and a more compelling, heartfelt story, while still delivering the amazing, vibrant visuals and the heart pounding action the series is known for.

#16 - Confess, Fletch

It might be a hyperbole to say Confess, Fletch is the funniest movie I saw last year but it also just might be true. Helped with a strong script packed to the brim with wit and humor, John Hamm shows off his incredible comedic chops as the titular Fletch as he navigates a twisty and farcical murder mystery starring a colorful cast of characters, featuring Kyle McLaughlin, Roy Wood Jr., and John Slattery. Its dry wit and clever wordplay may not be the most traditionally "laugh out loud" hilarious, but it kept me consistently chuckling throughout this delightful film.

#15 - Prey

If you were looking to shake up your 35 year old sci-fi horror-action franchise, your first idea probably isn't to drop your titular alien big game hunter into 18th century Montana to fight the Comanche Nation. But that's exactly what director Dan Trachtenberg and company did, delivering the best film in the Predator series since the original, with plenty of brutal and inventive action scenes and a star-making performance from Amber Midtunder.

#14 - Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is the very definition of whimsy. Using a clever mix of miniature stop motion animation and documentary filmmaking, Marcel is a sweet, beautiful, and melancholic adventure about a little arts-and-craft shell boy with a googly eye and a pair of tiny shoes searching for his family, featuring heartfelt vocal performances from Jenny Slate and Isabella Rossellini.

#13 - Athena

In the Athena apartment complex, a family and the local Algerian-French community is overturned by a youth uprising in the wake of the murder of a young boy and the following police siege of the building in this bold, intense fire cracker of a movie. This electric, white knuckle thriller boasts powerful performances and some of the most stunning, imperatively coordinated one take sequences ever put to film in this unforgettable tragedy you can't look away from.

#12 - Kimi

Leave it to the incomparable Steven Soderbergh to deliver the best 2020 lockdown-set Big Tech Hitchcockian thriller of the year (some might say the only 2020 lockdown-set Big Tech Hitchcockian thriller of the year, but whatever). Starring the amazing Zoe Kravitz as a tech worker caught in the middle of a conspiracy, Soderbergh directs with his trademark precision and creativity, knowing exactly when to steadily ramp up the tension up until the tense and satisfying finale.

#11 - Glass Onion

Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig return for another Beniot Blanc mystery set in an exclusive party for a group of wealthy and out of touch "disruptors" on a tech billionaire's private island off the coast of Greece. With an all-star cast featuring the likes of Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Dave Bautista, and Kate Hudson, a whip-smart and fiery script filled with tangled twists and biting satire, a stunning cinematography and directing, Johnson proves a master of the genre in this whodunnit unlike any other.

#10 - The Fabelmans

Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg looks back on his childhood in this wonderful semi-autobiographical coming of age story. With a moving and heartfelt script co-written by Tony Kushner and an amazing cast featuring Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, and Gabriel LaBelle, Spielberg crafts a beautiful and heartbreaking tale about the intersection of family and art and the struggle of pursuing your passion at the expense of those you love.

#9 - After Yang

Visionary filmmaker Kogonada's hauntingly beautiful sophomore feature follows a family in the near future grappling with the loss of their android companion. Gorgeously shot with exquisite naturalistic/futuristic production and hosting fantastic performances from Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, and Haley Lu Richardson, this meditation on memory, loss, and humanity provokes the mind, pulls the heartstrings, and lingers in your soul long after the credits roll.

#8 - Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio

Only horror luminary Guillermo Del Toro could take the tried and true tale of Pinocchio and bring it to life in a bold and captivating way. Implementing an international army of artists and animators to craft the most beautiful and intricate stop motion animation seen in years, Del Toro, along with co-director Mark Gustafson and co-writer Patrick McHale, transform the fairy tale into a handcrafted. heartfelt saga set in 1930s Italy, contrasting the rise of fascism with a moving story about loss, innocence, and family.

#7 - Aftersun

Sometimes the smallest films pack the biggest punch. Charlotte Wells' phenomenal debut feature traces a young woman's childhood memory of a vacation with her father. Led by two near perfect performances by Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio, Wells creates a gorgeously shot tapestry of melancholy and regret, all building to a stunning and emotional climax that will rip your heart out. A powerful, deep film and a stunning debut for a extraordinarily talented filmmaker.

#6 - The Batman

And here I lose all my cool indie cred by putting a superhero film in my top ten, but who cares because The Batman is leagues above its genre peers. Boasting a rockstar cast with the likes of Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Jeffery Wright and John Turturro, excellent cinematography, production design, and action set pieces, director Matt Reeves and company craft a twisty, noir-infused thriller set in the most stunning and dark adaptation of Gotham City, a bold and pulpy reimagining on the classic caped crusader.

#5 - Nope

Modern horror master Jordan Peele returned last year with his biggest, wildest film to date. Starring the incredible Daniel Kaluuya and the electric Keke Palmer as sibling ranch proprietors who witness an unbelievable, otherworldly event in their gulch. Equal parts terrifying and thrilling, Peele unveils a new vision of horror on a massive scale with incredible cinematography and sound design, a hilarious and tense script, and jaw dropping creature setpieces that have to be seen to believe.

#4 - RRR

Probably the biggest surprise of 2022 came out of the Tollywood film industry in South India. Yes, I am of course talking about S.S. Rajamouli's gonzo masterpiece RRR. Starring the incredible superstar duo Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Jr. as a pair of heroic and superhuman revolutionaries and best friends in an epic saga where every element is turned up to eleven (Action!! Melodrama!! Dance!!) to deliver one of the most spectacular and exhilarating theater experiences I've ever had.

#3 - Decision to Leave

While investigating a rock climber's mysterious death, the lead detective begins to suspect the dead man's suspicious and alluring wife, all while they form an unusual and secret romance. With immaculate cinematography and editing, along with a fantastic cast, master South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook weaves together a complex yet beautiful web of desire and deception. Every shot is a breathtaking work of art, always inventive and stunning to behold, in this thrilling romantic mystery.

#2 - Tár

Writer/director Todd Field returns to cinemas after 16 years with one of the most complex and powerful character studies in recent memory. Starring the incredible Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár, a highly accomplished conductor and an imposing figure in the world of classical music, Field crafts an psychologically intricate and haunting profile of Lydia as her facade of power and control begins to shatter in the wake of personal struggles and public scandal. Blanchett delivers a performance of a lifetime along with an impressive supporting cast, evocative cinematography, powerful sound design and score, to create this deep, hypnotic dive into the dark mind of an artist.

#1 - Everything Everywhere All at Once

Well, surprise, surprise: the best movie of the year is the movie that really tries to do almost everything, all at once, and pulls it off in spectacular, unbelievable fashion in this action comedy sci-fi drama Everything Everywhere All At Once. From the delightfully unorthodox writing/directing duo of The Daniels and with about a quarter of the budget and quadruple the imagination of your average studio blockbuster, comes one of the greatest cinematic wire acts ever seen, balancing outlandish humor, mind blowing action, and heartfelt family drama in a film that's both infinite and intimate in scope. With an phenomenal cast, including the revolutionary return of Ke Huy Quan and the eternally excellent Michelle Yeoh, a script that's smart, hysterical, and moving in equal parts, incredibly inventive production design and visual effects, Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the truest examples of the power and potential of cinema distilled into one extraordinary film.