Whilst 2022 started kinda slow in terms of high quality releases (in my opinion), the year and especially the last month or so finished with a bang. So much so that I was still trying to catch up on releases midway through January. Even then I still missed a couple of big titles. Unfortunately I’m yet to see heavy hitters like The Fablemans, Triangle Of Sadness and Tar, so apologies for that.
I’ve tried to be broad with my choices and include a variety of different genres. This is a direct reflection of my mindset in recent years, where I’ve diversified my focus, as opposed to a few years back when two thirds of the list would’ve been horror films. Anyway, here’s my “better late than never” best films of 2022 list.
10. AFTER YANG.
It’s only right that I kick off my best of 22 list with a film starring one of the year's hardest working and most celebrated actors, Colin Farrell in the low key sci-fi drama - After Yang.
I love blockbuster Sci-Fi films as much as the next person, but I sure do love smaller budgeted low key ones as well. I often find that the smaller scale ones tend to age better, especially when the costume and production design is more subtle like we have here in After Yang. The overall look as well as the tech aspect is still detailed and futuristic, but they don’t overstep the mark so it should remain timeless.
Every time Farrell's character enters the android Yang’s memories, they are, for lack of a better term, “mind blowing”. These scenes are highly original and capture the mesmerising feel of his character's obsession. It’s a thought provoking screenplay that asks a lot of questions about what it means to be human and also being grounded and/or present in life. It’s melancholy- so sad, but ultimately, quite beautiful.
The acting is superb. Child actors who can hold their own with adults are always impressive and Malea Tjandrawidjaja who plays the grief stricken daughter is no exception. Her scenes with Justin Min (who plays Yang) and Farrell are great. Speaking of Farrell, he’s outstanding as always and once again shows why he's one of the best actors of our generation. I’ll cool my Farrell fanboying for the meantime as I’m sure I’ll get into it later down the list (hint hint).
Blink and you would’ve missed this little sci fi gem. As much as I love A24, I feel like sometimes their promotion leaves a lot to be desired. It’s a shame, because After Yang is a beautiful story that’s wonderfully acted and crafted. Hopefully this film will find its audience in the years to come.
9. THE BATMAN.
A comic book/superhero film in my top ten!?! I know what you might be thinking, and I had pretty low expectations for this as well, but man, I was impressed with Matt Reeves’ interpretation of The Batman. After the over the top CGI insanity of Snyder’s Batman films and to a lesser extent the Nolan ones, it was great to see such a more grounded version of the caped crusader on the big screen.
The slower pacing and plot reveal, along with the cinematography and colour grade, gives the film a noirish detective vibe that I have always loved about the comics. The subtle moody score, costume design and the gothic production design also add to that feeling. Wayne manor, in particular, looks amazing.
The fight choreography and action set pieces are mostly practical and also add to the gritty realistic setting. Batman’s gadgets adhere to this formula. There’s no flying around in the clouds (thank god), just Batman cruising around on a motorbike and a tough looking batmobile that reminds me of Mad Max’s interceptor. In fact, this is hands down my new favourite batmobile, it’s just that impressive (sorry 1989 Batman).
Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy over-the-top super villains, but the choice to write them as “real worldly” as possible was spot on. This was something that I definitely had concerns about going in, especially regarding The Penguin, but they nailed it. In fact, as the years go by, this Penguin performance could end up becoming the definitive one (especially with this generation).
Then we have the fantastic ensemble cast. Pattinson crushes as emo Batman and handles both the physicality and dramatic scenes with a confident ease. Dano is well cast and perfectly psychotic as The Riddler. Unsurprisingly, Colin Farrell is terrific and brings both menace and dark humour to the mix as The Penguin. Jeffrey Wright as Lieutenant Gordon does his whole sombre detective thing which also works. Andy Serkis’ portrayal of Alfred is easily now my favourite of all the past interpretations.
Zoe Kravitz as Selena was the biggest surprise for me though. Selena was surprisingly well written and she’s given quite a bit of meat to chew on. I’ve never really been that sold on Kravitz, but, like Pattinson, she more than handles the physicality of the action scenes and the dramatic moments.
Needless to say that this was dope as hell and I believe that not only is The Batman in the top two or three live action Batman films, but it’s also one of the top tier comic book/superhero films of our times.
8. WHITE NOISE.
Now I know that this movie was quite polarising and it definitely has its detractors, but I loved it, and thought that it was probably the funniest film I saw in 2022.
Noah Baumbach’s mumblecore style doesn’t always work for me and it's turned up to a ten in this film, so it may take some adjusting to get used to the constant deadpan chatter for some people. It’s so dialled up that it gives this film an alternative reality type-of-feel and suits the stylized costume and production design.
Speaking of the design, it’s extremely detailed and adds to the hyper realistic feel that the dialogue also encapsulates. The supermarket layout in particular is really well done. The signage and labelling of products remind me of two of my favourite 80’s films in Repo Man and They Live.
There’s a slew of great performances here and none better than Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig’s. Baumbach really knows how to write for, and also get the best out of them, and their physical transformations are also impressive (love dad bod Driver). Raffey Cassidy, who I loved in Killing Of A Sacred Deer, and newcomer Sam Nivola are well cast as the two older children. They’re given quite a bit to work with and they handle the snappy dialogue well. Plus it’s always cool to see Andre 3000 show up in something.
I’ve seen complaints that the social commentary and covid subtext is too obvious or on the nose, but I don’t have a problem with that. In fact I think that’s what actually makes it so funny. It’s played so straight, that tonally it kind of reminded me of a Verhoeven film. It’s the sort of social commentary that I was hoping to get from The Menu or even Glass onion, but failed to receive.
Look, I can see why people don’t like this film. The dialogue, the ways it's delivered and the dark turn it takes in the end certainly won’t be for everyone. But if you’re a fan of Baumbach, Driver, Gerwig etc., and you love artistic costume/production design, then I think you’ll really get a kick out of White Noise. Also the comparisons between Elvis and Hitler had me in stitches!
7. THE NORTHMAN.
From the moment they released those few stills, I was dying to see this. I’m a big fan of both The Witch and The Lighthouse, so the idea of Eggers with a significantly larger budget than his previous outings had me salivating to say the least.
Initial reviews were mixed and there was some talk about the narrative being too “basic”, but I really liked the low key approach of the straight forward revenge story. I was more interested in seeing Eggers wonderful visual style applied to a Viking setting/mythology.
From the opening shot of the volcano with the voiceover reminiscent of Conan The Barbarian, I knew I was in for a treat. Just like his previous two films, the attention to detail with set, location, production and costume design are part of what makes this film top tier. The technical aspects are another reason. The cinematography and colour palette give the film an artistic look similar to anime in some regards. The night scenes in particular look insane. There are plenty of jaw droppingly striking moments where I shook my head in pure disbelief (the Valkyrie!).
Viking movies and tv shows are a dime a dozen these days, but Eggers I’m sure is aware of this and therefore created something highly original. Having the more low key revenge story has allowed him to delve more into the mythology side of things. You can tell that it’s well researched as is the case with all of his films.
The cast is also killer. Plenty of great character actors with smaller roles are littered throughout. Dafoe, Hawke, Ralph Inneson, Kate Dickie are great, and even Bjork pops up with a cool little performance. Hard to go past Alexander Skarsgard though, as he is in full beast mode here. I was sceptical at first as to whether he could pull this off, but his physical presence, especially during the battle scenes, is very impressive. He shines in the dramatic scenes also, especially his one on one scenes with Anya Taylor Joy (fantastic!) and the forever brilliant Nicole Kidman.
It’s honestly a shame that The Northman wasn’t better received by both fans and critics. I guess lots of A24 fans considered it “too commercial” or “watered down”, and it was likely too experimental for the blockbuster bros who probably expected something more akin to the tv show Vikings. I’m sure I'm in the minority here, but I’d love to see what Eggers and his team could do with an even larger budget. I’ll be eagerly waiting.
6. EMILY THE CRIMINAL.
The underrated and underseen Emily The Criminal is a film that I think I’m going to appreciate more after every re- watch. On the surface it looks like a fairly straight forward thriller about a young woman getting involved in credit card scamming to pay off student debt. There’s a lot more at play here though as the clever screenplay is full of social commentary about capitalism, the exploitation of employees and how the current system in America essentially sets you up to fail.
Right off the bat, the character of Emily comes across as grounded and relatable, so when certain choices are made and the stakes become high we are totally empathetic towards her situation. I mean this doesn’t feel far fetched at all, in fact I wouldn’t be surprised if this was loosely based on a true story. This is another strong point, the realistic nature of the film which I always find helps build tension in thrillers.
Apart from the clever screenplay, it also has a great complementary score, and is really well shot and edited. The acting is also on point, especially Aubrey Plaza. I was never really that sold on her as an actress, but after this film and the amazing Black Bear she’s quickly becoming one of my favourite current actors. Her facial expressions and her matter of fact line delivery is what does it for me. Whether it be when she’s doing her awkward thing (the interview for the internship scene ha!) or her sexy/seduction thing, I always find her to be completely engaging.
This is director John Patton Ford’s first feature film, and you would never know given how polished it is and just how well he’s able to build effective tension. I feel like a lot of people didn’t see this one as it didn’t get a wide cinema release and it hasn’t hit streaming yet, but it’s on most VOD platforms and is totally worth the rental.
5. X.
You know it’s a good year (for me anyway) when Ti West releases two films, and both under the A24 banner! It’s not your normal A24 trauma fest either, in fact it’s a breath of fresh air in that regard as this film feels like more of a straightforward exploitation slasher, but with West’s patented dialogue, his overall attention to detail and of course that A24 polish ($).
Just like West’s masterpiece House of The Devil, he nails the feel and look of the period, and he does a great job of making New Zealand look like backwoods Texas during the late 70’s. The period costume design is also spot on, something that he would take to the next level in the also terrific prequel Pearl.
I love the correlation between sex and horror in X. The way sex is talked about and portrayed in this film is very refreshing and something that you’re not likely to see in many other genre films. The characters' likeability, especially Martin Henderson’s porn producer along with Kid Cudi and Brittany Snow’s pornstar characters are grounded and to a certain extent help to break down sex worker stereotypes.
Films about making films are also a big soft spot for me, and whilst they are making a porn film, the cast and crew all have larger aspirations. The director fresh out of film school even references French new wave at one point. That’s another strong point for the movie, the dialogue. West has a real knack for writing unforced, natural dialogue so it feels like we’re watching real people rather than a bunch of walking tropes/cliches. He’s the king of mumblecore horror in my opinion.
This is also a testament to the strong cast. Kid Cudi is terrific, Brittany Snow & Martin Henderson give career best performances. And after X, Scream, and now Wednesday, Jenna Ortega is about to take over the world. It’s the Mia Goth show though and she is an absolute force of nature. I didn’t realise that she played dual roles until the end credits! Amazing work from both her and the make- up fx team.
West also doesn’t mess about when it comes to the horror either. It’s paced really well, and things are subtly introduced through some cool editing and transitions, and then shit really hits the fan in the second half. There are some creative brutal kills in this one and it’s definitely not for the faint of heart.
For as much as I enjoyed Pearl (Mia Goth deserved an Oscar nom) and other films like A Wounded Fawn, Barbarian etc., X was the standout horror film of the year for me, and could honestly stand toe to toe with the other non genre films on this list as well.
4. EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE.
It seems weird to me that this film is starting to get some backlash now that we’re in awards season as it was so well received when it came out. I guess there’s just a lot of haters and edge lords out there who feel the need to be different I guess? I get that it may not be for everyone, but there is absolutely no denying the creativity of the story, the technical execution and the brilliant career best and career reviving performances on display.
I must admit that I had my doubts coming in, but the multiverse aspect and the multi-narrative tie-ins are well thought out and executed. That fact that they could go from having such thrilling and brilliantly staged action set pieces to Buster Keaton style slapstick, to hard hitting emotional beats within a ten minute period, all whilst maintaining a coherent tone, speaks wonders.
It’s the stacked cast and the sincerity of the performances that really stood out for me. For a film about the multiverse where there is literally a dimension where people have hot dog fingers, the family relationship dynamics sure are grounded and relatable. Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan’s complicated husband and wife relationship was extremely well done. I guarantee that anyone that’s been in a long term relationship can certainly relate to them on some level.
I love the supporting cast here, from Jenny Slate through to Prones Picks favourite James Hong who I had no idea was even in it until I saw him on screen. Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan steal the show though. With the exception of maybe one or two roles, I’ve only ever thought of Yeoh as an action star, so to see her crush it dramatically in English and Cantonese was super impressive. Same goes for Quan. After only viewing him as a child actor in The Goonies and Temple of Doom, I was more than pleasantly surprised when he did some of the best dramatic work of the year.
It truly was an emotional rollercoaster ride and seeing it with a packed and responsive crowd was amazing. I laughed, I cried and I cheered along with the majority of the audience. You could feel the vibes during and after the session with most of the crowd still buzzing. Definitely my favourite theatre going experience of ‘22.
Everything Everywhere All At Once is the sort of film that Marvel wishes it could make. In fact, I would not be surprised if the two Daniel’s get snatched up and given some garbage to direct- banishing them to the filmmaker purgatory universe. No matter what happens next though, one thing is for sure, the two Daniels have crafted a wholly original and genuinely beautiful film about family, relationships, love and life.
3. NOPE.
Nope is a massive return to form for writer/director Jordan Peele after the somewhat underwhelming (well for me anyway) Us. Peele wears his influences on his sleeve with this one and when I exited the cinema, I felt like I had just seen an 80’s sci fi blockbuster in the same vein as Spielberg or Carpenter.
Jaws is the obvious influence here, but look deeper and you can also see influences from 90’s American sitcoms and also anime (particularly the alien design). On a technical level this is Peele’s most ambitious project to date, and he more than succeeds in taking that next step up into the “blockbuster realm”. Everything from the lighting, camera work, elaborate set pieces and special effects is meticulous and executed with the confidence of a veteran.
The screenplay and especially the dialogue is also fantastic and just like his contemporary Ti West, Peele truly has a knack for writing natural unforced dialogue. Look no further than the scenes between the two siblings played by two of my favourite actors in Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer. It’s the small subtleties like certain looks they’ll give each other along with the dialogue exchanges that makes them so damn convincing.
Speaking of Kaluuya, he is at his stoic best here. I mean what this man can say whilst saying nothing (longing stare or raised eyebrow) is on par with some of the greatest to ever do it. Keke Palmer is getting a hell of a lot of love for her performance and rightfully so. She is the perfect yin to Kaluuya’s yang and brings the humour as well as nailing the emotional beats. The supporting cast is also solid and full of Prones Picks favourites like the ever reliable Steven Yeun, cult legend Keith David and Brandon Perea from the OA. It’s Michael Wincott though who’s the best of the supporting cast though and damn near steals every scene that he’s in playing the world famous cinematographer Antlers Holt (lol).
The film is not without Peele’s patented social commentary either, and just like his other two films it’s both fairly obvious in parts, but also hidden for us to decipher on further viewings. This is the sort of blockbuster filmmaking that really gets me excited. Nope is a highly original, well thought out, well executed and wonderfully acted film that in many other years would have been my number one pick. Cannot wait to revisit this one.
2. THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN.
Ever since I saw the magnificent In Bruges I’ve been a fan of Martin McDonagh fan, and whilst not all of his films have worked for me (Three Billboards- yeesh) the pairing of Gleeson and Farrell had me keen as mustard.
At first glance the plot may seem a little silly and after watching the trailer you could be mistaken for thinking that Banshee’s is a straight up dark comedy. While it certainly is darkly humorous in parts, it’s definitely sadder and more melancholy than I expected, and those particular elements are what elevates the film.
The island setting is absolutely stunning, and from the opening shot I was utterly captivated by the cinematography. The attention to detail with the costume, set and production design is so on point that you are immediately transported into their world.
A lot of people have complained that the parallels between the civil war and Colm’s beef with Padraic are a little too obvious, but I think that this is just circumstantial and that the true meaning of the film is a lot deeper. Being an artist or creative, I’m constantly at war with myself regarding balancing how much energy I give to my projects and how much energy I give to personal relationships. I think a lot of us can probably relate to Gleeson’s character in that sense, and what I took away from the film was that placing too much pressure on yourself to focus exclusively on achieving great professional heights can be damaging and that balance in life is the key. Obviously this is open to interpretation, as I’ve seen many other take-aways that I also agree with.
The screenplay is brilliantly written and the casting is spot on, especially the main supporting cast. Kerry Condon is a revelation. Her character is smartly written and she gives one hell of a performance as the sister torn between her dreams of leaving the island and her love for her brother. Barry Keoghan is also terrific and deserves all the flowers he’s getting. It’s the sort of role that could have easily been butchered, but he has a great understanding of who he’s playing and brings both the right amount of humour and emotion.
Gleeson is also reliably solid, but it’s Farrell who truly shines. How such a quick witted handsome man can play such a believable dufus is beyond me. He completely deserves the Oscar and it’s straight up robbery if he loses. In fact you could say the same regarding Condon and Keoghan for best supporting roles as well.
Any other year Banshees Of Inisherin would likely be my number one film; it's one of those rare films where the hype is actually warranted. It’s a smartly written, beautifully shot film with arguably the performances of the year, and I feel like after future viewings this may overtake In Bruges as my favourite McDonagh film
1. BONES AND ALL.
In a year with so many highly anticipated films, Bones And All was the highest on my list. Director Luca Guadagnino’s films aren’t going to be for everyone, but I loved his Remake of Suspiria. That showed me that he had a better understanding of the genre than a hell of a lot of other “celebrated” horror filmmakers.
What sounds like a fairly brutal horror film about cannibals on the run is a bit of a red herring as the film crosses multiple genres, and it's obviously influenced by non genre films as well. Similarities to Badlands and Near Dark have been made, but it also feels like a great American road trip film to me. Films like Jerry Schatzberg’s Scarecrow and/or Monte Hellman’s brilliant Two Lane Black Top also feel like big influences.
It’s a gorgeous looking film, with plenty of stunning wide shots perfectly capturing the beauty of the middle American landscape. This is where I see the similarities with Malick, well that and of course the whole lovers on the run trope (Badlands).
The attention to detail with the period, especially the costume design is perfect. I’m usually not the biggest fan of needle drops in period films (especially the 80’s), but they are nicely done. This along with Trent Reznor’s fantastic score plus those aforementioned design elements add a real authenticity to setting.
What I enjoyed most about Bones And All though were the performances from the two leads- Timothee Chalamet and Taylor Russell. As I mentioned earlier, on paper the film looks like a coming of age horror flick, but at its heart it’s definitely a love story. The perfectly cast couple have terrific chemistry and their relationship is heartbreakingly beautiful. The subtlety of their intimate scenes and all the longing staring really got me. The scene where they make out on a ferris wheel to Joy Division’s Atmosphere made me feel like I was in my late teens falling in love for the first time again.
I’m a big fan of all the genres that this film is dipping into. Horror, road trip, coming of age and romance all probably shouldn’t work within the one film, but Luca does a wonderful job maintaining a consistent tone throughout. Who knew a film about cannibalism could be so sweet.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS.
I know I say this after most lists that I make, but damn this was a hard list to come up with. I have half a dozen or so films that didn’t make the cut, that would definitely have been on previous years best of lists. What can I say, it was a great year for cinema.
It really hurt me to leave off the breathtaking, heartbreaking and poetic documentary Fire Of Love (currently streaming on Disney). The terrific De Palma- esque thriller The Watcher just got squeezed out after I watched After Yang. Ti West’s prequel to X Pearl was a blast (best end credits sequence of the year). The panic-inducing horror adjacent thriller Resurrection was great (Rebecca Hall with arguably the monologue of the year). The technically brilliant French film that flew under the radar Athena (currently streaming on Netflix) really impressed me. There’s the wholly original horror film A Wounded Fawn (currently streaming on Shudder), and of course the edge of your seat nostalgic thrill ride that was Top Gun Maverick.
Thank you for checking out my “better late than never” best films of 22 list. Please let me know what are some of your favourites from this year in the comments, and also if you have any recommendations for some bangers that I may have missed. I hope that you have a fun movie-filled week. Peace.
Commenti