We did it all! We survived 2022! Hope all is well with you. I’m pretty excited because this is the first year since the pandemic that I actually have a top 10! This was definitely a great year for film and with such a variety. As every year, I didn’t see everything I wanted to, so the list could change over time. Before we get into the top 10, I want to make a few shout outs to one’s that didn’t quite make the list:
Barbarian – such a creepy movie. I went into it knowing nothing about it, I suggest doing the same.
Avatar: The Way of Water – I enjoyed the first one and was really looking forward to this one. It does follow the same formula as the original, but we got to know these characters a bit more, especially the newer ones. Plus, it is incredibly beautiful to see.
Prey – a prequel to the Predator franchise. Right along with the original Predator (1987), this one is definitely my favorite in the series.
Okay, let’s dig into my top 10 for 2022!
Clerks III – I will admit that the trailer did not make me excited for this, and I even was thinking of just waiting until it was available at home to watch it. But I ended up seeing it in theaters and I am very happy I did, because if this movie was ruined for me, I don’t think I would have had the reaction I had. This really hit me emotionally, which I was not expecting. But it is a lot of fun and so many laughs plus a lot of meta jokes within it. I do recommend watching Clerks (1994) and Clerks II (2006) before watching this one, because there is a lot of references to those.
Violent Night – Something I have wanted for a long time is an action movie starring Santa Claus and this one delivers. It is a bit over the top in violence, but there is so much fun to be had with it. David Harbour actually brings quite a bit to this role and is the big standout. It’s described as “Die Hard meets Home Alone” and that is completely true. I really hope we get a sequel because I want to see more from this world.
The Menu – This year I really got into cooking shows and I hate how much I love them, but they’re great! Anyway, about the movie. Anya Taylor-Joy is absolutely wonderful in this, her character sees through the facade of what is going on at this island. And seeing people talk about food as they do in this, as well as those cooking shows, she has some great things to say about it. The trailer gave off a bit of humor to it, but I laughed way more during this than I expected. It’s not all laughs though, there are some really dark things going on, but how everything unfolds is incredibly interesting.
Bullet Train – Strangers on a train all after a briefcase, what could go wrong? Oh man, was this one fun! This had some layers to it and the way this movie unfolds is really what I love in stories in general. More or less, every character has a purpose to be there and a reason to be there. I do think that this movie does suffer by the amount of characters, but overall it is so much fun.
The Black Phone – This was really creepy, but I liked this way more than I thought I would. I wasn’t completely sold on this one at first, there was definitely enough in the trailer that made me interested, but it wasn’t until I started hearing some really good things about it that I decided to give it a chance. I am so happy I did, because this may be one of my favorite horror movies ever.
RRR – Until this year, I had seen clips from Bollywood films, but never one from start to finish. That has changed now and this was the absolute best one to start with. The action is absolutely ridiculous, but I love it so much. Going into it I knew that Bollywood films had dance numbers in them and I truly was not very excited for that, however, the dance number and how it is actually part of the story is so great and such a highlight of this film. If you have never seen a Bollywood movie, this is a great one to start with and is currently streaming on Netflix.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent – Oh Nicolas Cage, thank you. There was a period of time that I completely fell off the Nick Cage wagon. But I have come around and this one just spills out his talent and insanity. This did feel like more of a generic action movie, but having Nick Cage in there helped bring this one above and beyond. Also the chemistry between Cage and Pedro Pascal was so good.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – This really blew me away. We know form the first Knives Out (2019) that Benoit Blanc is a brilliant detective, but how they handle him in this was so fascinating. He hates games because there is no logic, and seeing Benoit Blanc as kind of a buffoon sold me on this situation and setup. I really enjoyed the original, but this one was so prefect. Every character has a part to play, and as the layers unfold like an onion, oh golly!
The Batman – Holy here we go again Batman! I know: Batman has been rebooted yet again, and this time with Edward from Twilight? But Holy Christmas Batman, this one is so damn good! The darkness in this makes you feel just how nasty and dirty Gotham City is. What I loved most about this is they have really set up the world of Gotham. When I first heard about all the casting stories coming out, it sounded like this would be stuffed with too many villains – and there are quite a bit in this film – but some have a smaller part, which really worked well. I love how we get more of a detective Batman than anything else. Also what stood out is that it wasn’t heavily reliant on action. The plan is for this to be the beginning of a new trilogy; this laid the groundwork beautifully, as well as telling a contained story.
Everything Everywhere All At Once – Something I always wish for in a movie is one that will be fun, unique, surprising, quirky, and emotional. Put that all together and baby, you got a stew going. This movie has Everything going for it, unique characters with a lot of conflict. And the only way to fix the issues that are going on in this Multiverse adventure is to take our main character Evelyn Everywhere throughout it. There are parts that had me in tears, on the edge of my seat, and holding my breath. This movie takes a lot and pushes it at you All At Once. I know it looks weird, but trust me, it’s worth it.