Top 10 Movies of 2022
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Top Gun: Maverick
The Batman
The Banshees of Inisherin
The Whale
Nope
Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio
Avatar: The Way of Water
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Honourable Mentions
Bullet Train:
A great ensemble cast with John Wick style action (Same director). Hilarious, fast paced, and a solid story. Feels very anime.
Decision to Leave:
Korean crime drama with phenomenal editing and cinematography. Creative, quirky, and very different.
Glass Onion:
Not as refreshing or clever as Knives Out. More comedic and pulls it off with a wonderful cast. Daniel Craig is great.
The Northman:
Epic viking revenge story. Think Gladiator + Dark Souls, twisted and gory but beautifully shot. Worth it for the final fight scene!!
10) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Ryan Coogler’s heartfelt farewell to Chadwick Boseman and a perfect continuation of T’Challa’s legacy (that post-credits scene!). Powerful performances by Leticia Wright and Angela Basset, the later stealing every scene she is in. Tenoch Huerta plays Namor as complex, sympathetic, and menacing. With a tragic backstory and interesting twist on his name he is the best villain of Phase 4.
Loved the themes of spirituality vs. science, colonization, and western imperialism. Ludwig Goransson is a master composer, once again creating an entire set of motifs for the Talocan people while adapting the Wakandan music to the new leads.
Unfortunately too much setting up future MCU projects, a rushed climax, and some cheap suit design kept it from being excellent. Still better than most Marvel movies and worth watching even if you’re sick of superhero content.
8/10 - Great but not excellent. Excited to revisit when its on Disney+ on Feb 1, 2023.
9) Avatar: The Way of Water
A technical marvel. Live action and CGI elements blend seamlessly. Underwater scenes are breathtaking and MUST be seen in IMAX and 3D to get the full experience. The story is surprisingly fresh and character focused, ending with a tense, emotional, and action packed climax. Leaving many loose threads for 2024’s Avatar 3 to resolve. Sam Worthington is as wooden as ever but Zoe Saldana is phenomenal, especially when expressing anguish and pain.
Another great sequel from James Cameron. Even if you aren’t a huge fan of the story or its long run time its absolutely worth seeing in the theatre while you still can.
8/10 - It took him 13 years to make this movie and it shows. Can't wait for Avatar 3 and 4 and however many sequels he makes.
8) Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio
Not to be confused with the live action remake on Disney+, this isn’t the children’s story you remember. In keeping with Del Toro’s signature style, it’s grim but also uplifting. Taking place in fascist Italy and exploring multiple father-son relationships.
This is not CGI, but stop motion animation. Hand animating the puppets for each frame while maintaining such stunning dynamic lighting and shot composition is insane! Fantastic music, sound design, and voice acting breathe life into a story that is as heartwarming as it is tragic.
8/10 - Beautifully crafted and surprisingly wholesome. I highly recommend it. Streaming on Netflix now!
7) Nope
A masterfully crafted meta-textual exploration of spectacle and the compulsion to capture and exploit nature. Like all of Jordan Peele's films the less you know the better. Definitely benefits from more than one viewing to get all the hidden clues and story threads.
IMAX shots were astounding and hypnotic, with sound design so immersive you are left in awe. Be sure to see this cleverly interwoven plot on a big screen with big sound. Daniel Kaluuya’s uses his eyes with incredible subtlety and Keke Palmer’s charisma is infectious.
8/10 - Not as great as Get Out but better than Us. A must watch if you like Jordan Peele's modern Twilight Zone style stories.
6) The Whale
Atmospheric soundscapes, extreme close ups, and a claustrophobic 4:3 aspect ratio submerge you into this grueling story about finding meaning when drowning in loss. Adapted from a stage play this film has excellent dialogue, blocking, and character work.
Darren Arronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream) is known for asking difficult questions in the most uncomfortable way possible. The movie is not for everyone but the acting is brilliant. Worth watching to see Brendan Fraser engross himself in the role.
9/10 - Excellently made, difficult to watch, but powerful and thought provoking. You will hate it or love it.
5) The Banshees of Inisherin
A quirky tale about the pains of a broken friendship. Stunningly shot and sharply written, this ridiculous dark tragi-comedy is full of great dialogue and some heartbreaking sequences. Director Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Three Billboards) reunites with Colin Farrell & Brendan Gleeson who have brilliant chemistry together. Every member of this cast gives a top tier performance.
Filmed on location in the Irish isles with jaw dropping views and an equally somber but lovely musical score. I was marveled by this magnetic and tragic tale of loneliness and unrequited love.
9/10 - I am proud of myself for watching this without subtitles 😂
4) The Batman
This dark brooding noir crime drama was everything I wanted in a Batman story. Three hours long but Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) used the time to develop Gotham city as a character, expertly balancing action and drama. I doubted Pattinson at first but he’s fantastic as a younger Batman navigating the boundaries between his “identities” and Paul Dano as the villain was perfectly unhinged.
Beautifully shot, using sparse but vivid colour and harsh light to create the perfect atmosphere. Also my favourite soundtrack of the year. Not a retread of Nolan’s trilogy, it’s unique, and more faithful to the comics.
9/10 - Finally an excellent live action detective Batman story, I already own it on 4K.
3) Top Gun: Maverick
I hate Tom Cruise and the glorification of war, but this was shockingly impressive and definitely earns it’s place in my top 3. In an age where audiences are content to stream from home this is a clear reminder of what only a theatre/IMAX experience can deliver.
Action sequences are exceptional and use minimal CGI, flying the actors in actual fighter jets. But the action is not mindless, it serves a story that has heart and an emotional core. It’s straightforward and simplistic but hits harder than expected.
Joseph Kosinski (Tron Legacy, Oblivion) has earned his spot with Nolan and Villeneuve as one of my favourite modern directors. So of course I own the 4K disc.
9/10 - A near perfect action movie. Damn you Tom Cruise 😑
2) The Fabelmans
Spielberg celebrating the magic of making movies through pivotal and difficult moments in his life. This is a masterpiece, and no one does it like him. As a kid fascinated by movies from my first visit to the cinema (Jurassic Park) this was deeply personal to me. Even if my childhood filmmaking career didn’t extend beyond my teenage years, the film expertly captured my obsession with the medium.
Great art should elicit emotions, and I was certainly feeling several with this. You know the feeling when you get a great hug…like a really great hug…that warm cozy feeling. Thats how I felt sitting in the theatre chair as the credits rolled. I did not want to leave.
10/10 - A masterpiece that should not be skipped and very close to being number 1.
1) Everything Everywhere All at Once
Unexpected perfection. No movie this year delivers on all fronts like it. Hilarious, clever, philosophical, action packed, and surprisingly emotional. I rarely cry in the theatre but there were tears streaming in more than one scene. That it still hits emotionally while showing the most ridiculous things is a testament to the mastery of storytelling.
The fight choreography is on par with the best Hong Kong action movies with a visual effects team of only 7 people (including the two directors). Michelle Yeoh is a delight but the real stand out is Ke Huy Quan, delivering the monologue of the year.
Fabelmans was like going to a fancy wagyu steakhouse with a Michelin star chef, you expect greatness and get it. Everything Everywhere was like going to a local diner and being blown away with perfection. That is why it more than deserves the top spot.
10/10 - I can’t wait to see what “The Daniels” cook up next. Raccacoonie spin off?
There it is! I still have plenty of movies that came out this year that I haven’t seen. (Tar, RRR, Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Elvis, The Menu, Triangle of Sadness, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, etc.) I’ll eventually get to them and if any break through into this Top 10 I’ll share them at some point.
For now there is lots to look forward in 2023 and I am looking forward to sharing my list of Most Anticipated Movies of 2023!
2024 is an exciting year with tons of movies! This is a list of what I am most looking forward to and why you might be interested as well.