THE YEAR OF FEELING "MID": My Top 10 Films of 2022

*LAST YEAR ON ART ISN'T EASY, I said the following:

"2021 was simply not the greatest year for film and I am very pensive about what 2022 will bring. If it is any worse or about equal to this year, I might just have another slump at caring about movies like I did for the first half of the 2010s.

Time will soon tell." 

After I wrote that, I did end up feeling better about the potential prospects of 2022's film output...and then...I settled into a strong malaise.

Unfortunately, 2022 turned out to be (IN MY OPINION, OF COURSE) a weaker year than 2021.

In fact, I will even take it a step further.

I would go as far to say that 2022 is the weakest year for film since 2015, which also happens to be the last year in which I did not give a single film a 5-star rating...and even then, I would say that 2015 is still a little better. 

I do feel like I am less involved in knowing a lot of the big films coming out in 2023, although some of them were actually meant to come out in 2022 that got delayed releases. I am going to be taking a very casual approach in the film watch this year, but I am not fully out of the loop yet. I am still holding out hope that 2023 will be the "savior of film" that many thought 2022 would be.

I am going to be listing my top 10 films along with some Honorable Mentions. 

The sad truth is that I ended up giving none of these films a 5-star rating...and in fact, the only one that I even feel like might eventually get bumped up to that honor would be my #1 selection. 

And for the first time in quite a while, I had even so few films I gave a 4.5 rating to that all of my honorable mentions plus a couple from my top 10 were only 4 stars. 

Now, this may sound like I am being harsh to these films, but I did enjoy them. In the end, they ended up being what I liked the most out of what 2022 had to offer.

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SEVEN HONORABLE MENTIONS:

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EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

(The Daniels)

Here is the honest truth. I admire a lot of what The Daniels do as filmmakers. They are bold and they have a lot of ideas...and I also appreciate that a film so original and bold in its storytelling is going to potentially win more Oscars in one night than has happened in over a decade. 

I personally just didn't connect with a lot of the film, but I did enjoy multiple aspects from it. I think Michelle Yeoh is a powerhouse, Ke Huy Kuan is absolutely delightful, and as much fun as Film Twitter seems to be bashing her, Jamie Lee Curtis is also fun as the peculiar auditor Deirdre. 

Do I think Curtis is Oscar worthy though? No. And the woman is THIRSTY. She is such a thirsty campaigner.

I am going to be giving this film another chance soon, but I think this was just an unfortunate case of the hype just not living up to the final product.

I just decided to give it an honorable mention because I do have to admit that the creativity and originality and the effort put into the film are hard to ignore.

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GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY

(Rian Johnson)

Even though I will admit some of the sheen has worn off since I first viewed this around the holiday season, I very much enjoyed the follow up to Knives Out.

I think that there was enough different about the plotting and the mystery that kept me very intrigued the whole time, and I do love how the major final blow all came down to a certain famous Italian painting.

I think I wasn't as overly enamored with the ensemble for this film as I was with the first film, but I still think there was a lot to really like about Glass Onion. I will be eagerly awaiting the third installment!

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NOPE

(Jordan Peele)

With his third film, Jordan Peele managed to divide people a little bit...which is sort of similar to the response that his second film Us had received.

I think the thing about Nope was that it truly showed his skill as a director of grandeur: the sweeping landscapes and visual effects and more of an attempt at horror through sci-fi which seems like a darker version of Spielberg film.

I also have to give a shout-out to the infamous monkey scene, which was truly tense work from Peele and also the moment in which we as an audience realize the truth behind the spaceship in the sky.

I still think Peele is 3 for 3. Hopefully his fourth effort doesn't break the trend...I certainly wouldn't want him to become the next M. Night Shyamalan. 

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AFTERSUN

(Charlotte Wells)

I have been going back and forth on Aftersun from the moment I saw it. 

On one hand, I found the way it was presented to be very interesting and unique and that the message it was trying to convey was strong.

However, it also left me feeling surprisingly disconnected for a film that was supposed to aim straight for the heart.

Maybe this is one that will need another viewing in the future, but I do admire a lot of what Wells was trying to do and I do think Paul Mescal was very good and a great highlight.

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ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

(Edward Berger)

I certainly felt like the idea of remaking All Quiet on the Western Front was a little bit much...but then again, the original film was made in 1930 and I also think having it done in German gives the film a certain edge that the original one didn't have.

However, I still actually prefer the original film which stayed very true to the Remarque book. I also think the original film is still rather potent and visually impressive even for its time...and sure, it does look very dated but if you were to go back and check out other films from that era, you would be amazed at how seamless of a job Lewis Milestone did.

Berger does also do a splendid job with this version and the lead, Felix Kammerer, was very good and worthy of award nominations.

I think what really hurt the film was its final act and the film not always landing its emotional punches...although when it did, I was moved (such as the crater scene).

I am also not overly fond of the score and its repetitive use of the 3-note horn motif.

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THE BATMAN

(Matt Reeves)

To be completely honest, I am just as surprised as some of you that I enjoyed this version as much as I did...but here we are!

Frankly, I am almost wondering if this was a mistake and if I should put it in my top 10.

I decided to give a smaller film its due in my #10 slot, but I was definitely very pleased with how striking and dark this trip into Gotham was.

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CAUSEWAY

(Lila Neugebauer)

Such a quiet and genteel film that contained one of my favorite duos in a film in recent years. A lot has been said about the wonderful performance by Brian Tyree Henry, who managed to eek out an Oscar nomination...but I do want to shed some light on Jennifer Lawrence, too.

I do think she is a better actress than many give her credit for...but she got so caught up in the whole Hunger Games franchise, not to mention the bombastic and shrill world of David O'Russell.

And yes, the Weinstein connection is also rough too.

I do think BTH was the film standout, but I do think Lawrence gave us some of her best work in years. Such a lovely and subtle performance.

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And now...THE TOP 10:

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#10 - Women Talking

(Sarah Polley) 

When it comes to screenplays this year, I feel like so many people have raved about what a splendid job Sarah Polley did with bringing Women Talking to the screen.

And yet all season, it seemed as though many voting bodies kept shafting the film in a lot of ways. 

I have admittedly not read the book so I cannot comment on how well the adaptation is. However, I have seen the ads that show how Polley incorporated a lot of the Miriam Toews dialogue into the script and that Toews herself was over-the-moon with the adaptation. 

I do think that the film deserved more than what it got in terms of nominations.

Polley would've made for a worthy Director nomination, and I also feel that the trio of Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, and the absolutely lovely and underrated Judith Ivey (where has she been lately?!) were all more worthy of Supporting Actress nods than some of the contenders that made it in. 

I do feel like maybe the film played it a little too safe at times, and perhaps the claustrophobic nature of the setting made it have moments where it seemed to drag...but those were very fleeting.

I would be curious to see how well this one fares as more people see it in the years to come.

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#9 - Living

(Oliver Hermanus)

Why?

Is there really any purpose in adapting the iconic 1953 Kurosawa film Ikiru?

Living doesn't really compare with Ikiru, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone...but in a year like 2022 where I didn't connect with as many films as I wish I had, I did respond very well to the story and also how well it adapted to the handsome setting of London in 1953.

I am going to reiterate the word "handsome" because under the direction of Oliver Hermanus (a director I actually had no knowledge of prior), Living is a very handsome and gorgeous film to look at. You could sort of compare it to Phantom Thread in terms of the aesthetic.

And the English language adaptation was done by the renowned Japanese British author Kazuo Ishiguro, who splendidly captures the whimsical polite stuffiness of fairly well-off Londoners. 

The film also contains what may be Bill Nighy's best work as the humorless civil servant who realizes that his life is coming to an end and that he wished he had done more for himself and for others.

So yes, I think this adaptation was worth tackling and it was done with as much tender loving care that could've been given.

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#8 - White Noise 

(Noah Baumbach)

This will be, perhaps, the most divisive and controversial selection on my list.

Aside from a few select critics, like Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian, very few people responded well to Noah Baumbach's film adaptation of Dom DeLillo's sardonic satire White Noise.

The tone is very bizarre, the characters are just as bizarre, the situations feel brash and cartoonish at times, but a lot of that stems directly from how DeLillo's material was written.

Sure, maybe it wasn't the perfect adaptation but I was honestly very pleased and impressed with what Baumbach...a filmmaker who has never really tackled anything on this scale before...was able to achieve here.

Driver proves that he is still one of the most versatile actors working today, but I think one of the best things about this movie is that it reminds all of us how good of an actress Greta Gerwig is. 

Considering we have only really heard about her writing/directing prospects as of late with Ladybird, Little Women, and the upcoming Barbie movie (that she co-wrote with Baumbach, who happens to be her boyfriend), I loved getting to see Gerwig tackle a role like Babette...and to be fair, Babette was written in the book as being larger and frumpier. I think that regardless of that, I loved what Gerwig brought to the table.

It'll be interesting to see if this movie develops more of a positive following over time, because I honestly found it to be thoroughly well done and entertaining.

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#7 - Top Gun: Maverick

(Joseph Kosinski)

I went into this film ready to complain.

I kept saying to myself "There is no way in hell that a fucking sequel to Top Gun is worth this much praise!"

Well, that crunching sound you hear is me eating my hat.

I am not saying that there is necessarily anything revelatory about the writing or how anything evolves in this film...but this is simply a prime example of how a classic movie formula can truly just be an amazing breath of fresh air when done to its absolute best potential.

With a reliance on actual physical planes and less on CGI affects, it was hard not to marvel at the craftsmanship at play. 

I had made a comment when I first saw the film that I couldn't believe that I enjoyed it more than some of the "prestige" films I had already seen that are always built up to be the Oscar bait offerings.

And I would rank it as my second favorite of the Best Picture nominees, which I have to admit, I really wasn't expecting it to be that high. I have already mentioned one Best Picture nominee on this list (Women Talking), and I still have my favorite of the nominees coming up.

Even though I liked 2022 less than 2021, the fact that 3 of my top 10 selections made the actual Best Picture lineup is a solid win considering only one of my list made it last year (Drive My Car). 

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#6 - The Novelist's Film

(Hong Sang-soo)

I decided to give a shout-out to The Novelist's Film to also shine a light on the work of South Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo.

For anyone who might have read my Top 10 List of 2021, I did single out Hong's In Front of Your Face as an honorable mention.

Hong's work is often somewhat experimental and smaller scale. If you compare him to the widely known Korean directors like Bong Joon-ho or Park Chan-wook, that would make Hong Sang-soo the low budget indie guy...someone who has more of a tie-in with a filmmaker like Mike Leigh or the one director he really reminds me of: Yosujiro Ozu.

Ozu's films always revolved around domestic realism and often told stories from the point of view of similar characters each films (and in some cases, the same actress playing the same role in different scenarios). Hong's approach is he loves to write about artistic people, such as performers and writers and directors, and puts them in very menial settings and lets a very naturalistic story grow from there.

I feel like The Novelist's Film manages to take that same formula but gives more of a whimsical twist that felt very alive and refreshing.

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#5 - Argentina, 1985

(Santiago Mitre)

The political history of Argentina has always been fascinating...I mean...need I mention Eva and Juan Peron? 

I was very intrigued when I learned about the existence of Argentina, 1985 as it follows the trials in the wake of a bloody military dictatorship within the country. This is the same era in which the 1985 film The Official Story covers and I found that film to be truly fantastic and a film that deserves more attention today.

I have heard some criticisms that Argentina, 1985 sort of takes too much of a slick and stylish approach that makes it seem a little more generic...maybe along the lines of The Trial of the Chicago 7 or The Post. 

I personally didn't really think that, at least to that extreme of an extent.

I appreciated that the film dealt with such a truly horrific event but managed to find ways to not make the tone truly bleak and horrific at all times. I thought that the film handled the moments of levity rather well and it gave the film a bit of a boost without sacrificing the importance of the story at hand...which was truly heinous at its basic core.

Argentina, 1985 is one of two films on my top 10 that managed to get a nomination for Best International Feature. I think that award seems very likely to go to one of my honorable mentions: All Quiet on the Western Front.

However, there is one other film that was nominated that is going to get a mention couple of slots higher.

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#4 - Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

(Dean Fleischer Kamp)

In a world that often makes me want to scream and throw a large bulky tape dispenser at many people around me, I guess you could say I find myself also being a bit of a pessimist.

Deep down though, I would like to think that there is some warmth...and a sense of hope.

I may be a bit of a cynic, but I think it is nearly impossible to not fall under the spell of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.

This is easily one of the cutest films ever made with such a strong heart and a unique premise. 

I wouldn't even say that the film flirted with the idea of being TOO cute or too cloying. I actually think it was immensely successful at managing a very precarious tightrope walk between being too cute or  slight or fluffy.

    Wonderful stop-motion animation and a truly clever and ingenious script.

Jenny Slate and Isabella Rossellini give wonderful voiceover performances here, and I do think it is nice to see Slate have more of a career these days after it seemed like she got screwed over on SNL. 

A truly charming film to the absolute NTH degree, and probably the biggest surprise of the year for me...although I suppose it may battle Top Gun: Maverick for that title. 

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#3 - The Banshees of Inisherin

(Martin McDonagh)

Martin McDonagh's fourth film would also get my vote for Best Picture of the movies that actually got nominated...and that doesn't really surprise me.

I have always been a fan of McDonagh, which began first due to his success as a playwright. Some of his best works in that regard included The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Pillowman, and The Lieutenant of Inishmore.

I also quite love his film output so far, which has included 2008's In Bruges (which also featured Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson), Seven Psychopaths (featuring Farrell again), and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri. 

Farrell and Gleeson are back again in The Banshess of Inisherin which might not rank as my favorite of his works, but I was rather fond of it nonetheless.

This film still has a lot of his snappy and quippy dialogue (something he excels at) along with some gruesome details at times, but this is easily him at his most genteel.

The scene between Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon by the water is easily one of the most beautiful scenes of his career either as a writer or director...and it is performed to perfection by those too.

Farrell and Gleeson are also absolutely splendid opposite one another and I have to admit that in my world, the entire core cast is Oscar worthy.

The whole result is a truly feckin' good time...if not, also one that is feckin' bleak...and filled with a truly picturesque Irish landscape.

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#2 - The Quiet Girl

(Colm Bairead)

We aren't leaving Ireland yet!

Strangely enough, the quirky and stormy world of Banshees isn't the last we are seeing of Ireland on this list, as I was quite enchanted by this sweet story of a young 9-year-old girl named Cait who is sent to live with distant relatives in rural Ireland during the summer of 1981.

The film was only 90 minutes long, but it was paced very delicately. It is one of those films that sadly will fall into that trap of being a "nothing happens in this" film.

And admittedly, I can understand the sentiment...even if I feel like the film worked for me. 

The Quiet Girl is a coming-of-age film...and those can often be rather divisive as one person might find the film to be treacly and cloying while the other views it as being emotional and powerful.

I think a lot of what makes a film like this work comes down to the ensemble, the script, and how it is directed. 

Colm Bairead was able to capture a truly enchanting performance by the young Catherine Clinch in her film debut...and her screen presence is very charming.

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#1 - Decision to Leave

(Park Chan-wook)

The simple truth is that no other film from 2022 managed to have that certain quality that made me think, "Oh yes, this is going to contend strongly with for my top slot".

Considering how prolific films (and all media) from South Korea have been in the last few years, it still surprises me that Decision to Leave seemingly got shafted from the actual final list of nominees...and some, ironically, felt it got kicked off by the likes of The Quiet Girl.

I did write an actual review for Decision to Leave, which I will link here:

REVIEW: Decision to Leave

I will let my review speak for itself for the most part, but I do want to stress that I admire so much what this film was able to achieve in its tone and how it was structured.

The film managed to take the concept of a suspenseful romantic drama but also gave it a bit of a sly and slinky edge...and then as it progressed, it felt truly dark and tragic as if it came straight from the world of Ingmar Bergman. 

And my next thought will lead me to the CONCLUSION:

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As I stated at the beginning, I was not too pleased with 2022 in terms of its film output. 

The real truth is that aside from Decision to Leave, I don't think any of these films would have a chance of joining any of my top 10 lists from previous years. 

Maybe some of these films will improve upon a second viewing and I will feel compelled to give them a little more credit...but as it stands, the passion for most of these films is simply not as strong as it has been in other years.

When it came to 2021, I was so critical of the output, but I STILL found three films worthy of my 5-star rating: C'mon C'mon, Drive My Car, and The Worst Person in the World. 

The same can be said for 2020 as well, in which I gave 5-star ratings to Quo Vadis, Aida?, The Father, and Never Rarely Sometimes Always.

Looking back on 2020, I am actually kind of sad that it got a bad rap as it was a fairly solid year. 2021 has aged a little better, but I think it mostly suffered from the wrong films getting major awards attention. 

I think we simply live in a world know where we are finding the best kind of creativity and content in the television medium...and while film does still provide its moments of greatness, I feel like the great films are often less seen at the expense of the bigger and more populist fare (do I even have to say Marvel? I guess I did...oh well...)

I am even more pensive about 2023 than I was about 2022. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised when I start to write this post for next year.