Spoiler alert: year end lists are silly and idiosyncratic.
This year, I tried to see as many films as possible without alienating my wife or my friends and coworkers. However, I do hope that you’ve enjoyed our last two months as Hollywood and beyond hit us with a true onslaught of quality movies.
As I look through my top ten, I see a group of auteurs with unique vision. They are taking chances, creating opportunities for rising and established stars to shine, and most notably showing us what is still possible in the climate of today’s film industry. In a time of paint by numbers plots and superhero overload, these movies have something to say.
Without further ado, let’s get into our top ten for the year.
Top 10 of 2022
Honorable Mentions:
Resurrection, RRR, Barbarian, The Batman, Cha Cha Real Smooth, The Whale, Jackass Forever, Men, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, She Said, Nope, The Northman, and The Fabelmans.
#10 - Triangle of Sadness
This year’s Palme d’Or winner at Cannes from the provocative Swede Ruben Östlund hits like a brick in the face. The film is an absurd and hilarious look at wealth, privilege, and misanthropy. It’s like watching White Lotus on steroids. Bring a barf bag.
#9 - White Noise
I had no idea what to expect from this film, having never read the acclaimed postmodern 1985 novel by Don DeLillo. When the corniness turned to camp all bets were off in this engrossing story about a suburban professor and his mixed family living through an airborne toxic event (and the existential crisis that follows). I was not expecting a dark comedy, but White Noise delivered.
If you missed it, it’s now streaming on Netflix (watch the end credits).
#8 - Everything Everywhere All at Once
This movie can be a bit “much” in terms of visuals and the use of the multiverse to deliver a poignant family drama about a Chinese immigrant family running a laundromat in America. However, no matter how chaotic the world they occupy seems and regardless of the ridiculous, varied roles each of the actors portray, this is a story about a struggling family. Relationships between husband and wife, mother and daughter, and old and young are fighting to hold on or be broken apart forever.
It’s worth a watch for Michelle Yeoh’s performance alone.
#7 - The Menu
When a horror/comedy is done correctly, it’s one of the best theater going experiences one can have. The Menu not only nails the pretentiousness of elite foodie culture but also features nomination-winning acting Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes.
Perhaps most impressive was that it was the rare R-rated, adult-themed movie that scored well at the box office and had legs kept its legs through multiple weekends. That may prove to be its greatest feat yet.
#6 - Decision to Leave
Decision to Leave is a great noir pic that pays off by the end. You may need a corkboard, pictures, and string to follow the plot, but I was delighted by the twists and turns. This should make the final cut for the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards, demonstrating once again South Korea is currently the top dog on the international scene.
#5 - Aftersun
The visuals of this movie - moving from home video to live scenes and intercut with past memories - could seem like a mess. However, the simple story of a father and daughter vacation in the Mediterranean goes much deeper and we witness main character Calum (Paul Mescal)’s struggle to fight off depression around his daughter Sophie (Frankie Corio, who delivers an impressive performance). This film hit me hard, and every emotion felt earned by the end. Mescal’s performance was one of the year's best and deserving of a Best Actor Oscar nomination.
#4 - Top Gun: Maverick
With over $700 million in domestic box office, Tom Cruise’s second outing as Maverick might just prove he’s the most bankable actor of all time - even for a blockbuster we didn’t know we needed. Maverick played for months and never stopped putting butts in seats.
Despite his personal foibles, Cruise is a stalwart for the theater experiences and the joy of cinema. He’s gone as far as to call out motion smoothing settings on TVs to give fans the optimal theater-quality experience at home. He is one of the last true movie stars, and Hollywood is a more grand idea when people like Cruise are on top of it. This may be the most enjoyable action movie of all time, and that’s a hill I’ll die on.
#3 - The Banshees of Inisherin
I needed two screenings of this film to fully appreciate each character's motives. On second viewing I felt a lot more loneliness, and was even sad that such a lifelong friendship could so abruptly end.
I’m not complaining. I got over the emotions and realized this may have been the funniest movie of the year. It wasn’t just the dolt Pádraic or the dry Colm, either. Every supporting and tertiary character from priest to store clerk to bartender brought an Irish sense of humor that added to the rich experience. Expect Oscars in March!
#2 - Babylon
“You don’t just become a star. You either are one or you ain’t!”
The line from Nelly LaRoy (Margot Robbie) echoes throughout this three hour film. In Hollywood, you can walk down the street one day and be on the big screen the next. The main characters come from all walks of life and go through the big machine until the last drop of talent is squeezed out. It’s a big swing, with big stars, big sound, big visual set pieces, and even bigger bravado that I’ll take ten out of ten times over safer choices.
Babylon is Oscar winning director Damien Chazelle’s fourth full length feature film and a return to form. Its excess is its greatest strength. Some may find this film crass or gimmicky, but you can’t deny the raw power that Pitt, Robbie, Calva, Adepo and Smart showcase in front of the cocaine-fueled jazz backdrop of the late 1920’s movie scene. As silent films are experiencing their last legs and the new age of talkies take over, characters must decide if they can adapt to the future of cinema or be left behind.
Behind all the partying, glamor, and exploitation of every conceivable marginalized group possible, the film centers on dreams. Seeing your name on the marquee, becoming part of something larger, and losing yourself in the magic of moviemaking becomes its own drug. Each character is driven to highs and lows they never dreamed of while pursuing fame. This is a love story to cinema from a director using all his powers to take you on a crazy ride. Chazelle, you’re a star baby!
#1 - Tár
Todd Fields could not get a project green lit for over fifteen years and turned mainly to writing scripts, even after the critical success of his previous full-length feature Little Children.
With Cate Blanchett’s Lydia Tár in front of his camera, he created one of the best characters in cinema since Daniel Day-Lewis’ Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood. She is an absolute force of nature in very scene. Watching her portrayal of the fictional, troubled, savant maestro was like watching a true artist work. She should be a lock for Best Actress at the Oscar ceremony and cement her place next to greats like Hepburn and Streep.