One year ago, I was writing about how much I loved Licorice Pizza and Nightmare Alley- my two favorites of 2021. Of the roughly two-hundred and fifty films I watched this year, none was better than those two. That said, there were plenty of exceptional movies in 2022. Some were released early to voting critics like me and into Los Angeles county theaters for one week to qualify for the Oscars. So if you haven’t seen them yet, don’t worry. Some are coming soon and others from earlier this year are available to rent or stream.
Ten: Triangle of Sadness
It’s a batshit crazy romp, pointedly satirical with a thought provoking ending. I never thought I could feel this way about a film that features a veritable flood of sewage on board a luxury yacht, but director has a way of daring you to look away.
I mean, I’m not saying I would drink Aubrey Plaza’s bathwater, I’m just saying…wait, yeah I guess I am saying I would drink Aubrey Plaza’s bathwater. Sorry.
Okay, now we’re talking – this is the kind of film you expect on a Top Ten list and it certainly deserves to be here. Click the review for details.
Six: The Banshees of Inisherin
Part of me feels like this charming little film is being over-praised. Like it’s getting more love than it even wanted. But Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson make every scene something to behold.
Five: A Man Called Otto
A January 2023 release in theaters, but considered a 2022 film for awards consideration. This American adaptation of the lauded Swedish original stars Tom Hanks as a grumpy old man. Fortunately the film leaves that one note to peel back the layers so that we see he is not a Karen, he’s a mile deeper than that. Usually people describe a film as a Hallmark Movie when they’re trying to slag it, but my Mom loves those films and watching this, I imagined her really digging it -and that made me kind of love it, too.
Four: Tár
The first time I watched Todd Field’s extraordinary film, I was left so cold, I thought I might put on a sweater. Yes, Cate Blanchett is brilliant, and yes, we aren’t supposed to feel too warmly toward the character, but still. Upon second viewing, everything seemed to click into place. I think I could see Field’s deep knowledge of the subject matter, as well as his disdain for the pretentious elements of it. He’s having fun with the absurdity. Either way, if Blanchett isn’t holding a golden statue in her hands in March, something is wrong. It’s a towering performance among a whole career of them.
There are many reasons why people pooped on this movie, while acknowledging a performance by Brendan Fraser that currently has him as the odds on favorite to win the Oscar. My arguments are in the review.
One: Aftersun
We all bring our own background, experiences, and baggage to every film we see. That’s the reason some people hated The Whale, for example. This little film about a divorced dad, quietly suffering from severe depression, and on holiday with his daughter, was so much of my real life 20 years ago, that the emotional wallop it gave me was the most moved by a film I had been in many years. Does that make it the best film of 2022? It makes it my best film. It wrecked me, but seeing a great film is always uplifting in the end. Paul Mescal and young Frankie Corio bring this very personal story by first-time director Charlotte Wells into your heart in a quiet, naturalistic way. Nobody makes a big thing about anything. That’s part of what makes the emotional release surprisingly potent.
Next time : a look at the misses and the best International films, plus best performances
