My Year in Movies (2022)
I watch a lot of movies. After extensive calculations of the movies that came out in wide distribution in 2022, it turns out that I see on average between one to two movies a week. When possible, I try to see movies in the cinema (I am fortunate enough to have almost all my local cinemas offering $5 Tuesdays). However, with the rise of the streaming services sometimes that is no longer an option...or the better option.
Regardless, if you are reading this. Then you want to know what I saw and I what I thought. Well, here we go. A full list is at the end, but first some compiled lists.
Top 10 New Movies of the Year
These are movies that had a profound impact on me or movies that I think were just really well done.
1. Everything Everywhere All At Once – I saw this film three times in the cinema and once at home. The following words cannot express the profound impact that this movie has had on me. It commands your attention in every minute of the film. Although originally skeptical of the idea, I can now say that this film has found itself in my list of Top 10 Favorite Films of All Time.
2. Spirited – Yes, you read that right: Spirited. The Ryan Reynolds/Will Farrell re-imagining of “A Christmas Carol.” This movie was so much fun that I saw it in the theater twice within the span of three days. The songs are catchy and the choreography is inventive. I personally can’t wait to see and or be in a stage adaptation of this film.
3. CODA – Now before people come at me about this being a 2021 film, please hear me out. It was not in wide distribution where I live in 2021, nor do I have Apple+. So I am still keeping it in this list, as its post Oscar win re-release kept it in my local art house cinema for over a month. This movie is beautiful and inspires me to make art that is truly accessible to all. See this movie.
4. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (Netflix) – The only movie that I wanted to see in the cinema, but was unable to find a showing within two hours of my location. This brilliant re-telling was the passion project of del Toro’s for the last ten years. The stop motion puppetry is beautiful as is its design. This may not be suitable for younger audiences. So don’t just put it on for the kids and expect to leave the room. If you do, don’t be surprised if they find you later and ask you questions about Death, Nazis, and Mussolini.
5. Jurassic World Dominion – So this film is going to be a controversial pick for many. However, there is no way that I was not going to include it. I saw it multiple times in the cinema. I love dinosaurs. I love the Jurassic World franchise. Does all of it need to make sense? No. Sometimes, you just need a roller coaster ride.
6. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – Gosh, this was just a delightful film. The whole thing really. Very family friendly, although I recommend watching it with your kids to answer any questions they may have as the film does have a few darker tones that arise from time to time. Otherwise, boy, just delightful.
7. The Batman – I like Batman. Always have. I also like this Batman. This new cinematic vision of Batman approaches the Dark Knight in what feels like his second year on the job. An imposing force, but still not the master detective that we know he will become.
8. Cyrano – Another 2021 film that didn’t get a wide release until 2022. Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac is one of my favorite plays and this adaptation was excellently done. I am still unsure how I feel about the musical aspect of the film, I personally feel it was a little unnecessary. However, Peter Dinklage’s performance was spot on.
9. Eiffel & The Rose Maker (Tie) – Ah…Paris. I will lump both of these foreign language films as my number nine pick. Eiffel is a 2021 French romance following a fictionalized romance between Gustave Eiffel and Adrienne Bourgès, his childhood sweetheart while he constructs his famous tower. The Rose Maker is a 2020 french comedy about a rose maker’s last chance at saving her family’s farm and legacy. Although, both films were released in previous years, they did not get worldwide distribution till now.
10. I Heard the Bells – This one surprised me. Are there faults with the movie? Yes. Are there moments of slightly more religious overtones than I like in a film? Yes. However, there is a lot of love that went into this movie. The movie chronicles the life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as his life is rocked after the tragic passing of his beloved wife. This was the first film by Sight & Sounds Films. After the film, my cinema screened a behind the scenes featurette of the making of the film and I feel that the creators of this film and I have a lot in common with our care of historic families. The time and energy spent researching and crafting the world of the Longfellows felt very similar to my experiences with the Tafts. This film was supposed to be a limited run with a handful of performances and ended up being popular enough to run for the entire month of December.
Although Avatar: The Way of Water did not make the Top 10 New Movies of the Year List, do not assume that I did not like the movie. In earnest, I saw this movie so recently that I do not have fully formed opinions about it. It is a visually stunning film that needs to be seen in 3D to fully appreciate what was created. However, the story itself is problematic. If this had been a documentary about the biodiversity of Pandora, it would have made the list.
Worst Movies of the Year
1. The Bubble (Netflix) – This movie wins the prize of being the only movie of the year that I could not finish. Despite having a cast of actors that I genuinely like, the movie was just awful. I stopped it at the one hour mark and could never bring myself to watching the second hour. When people compile a list of things that are a waste of life, this movie should be on that list.
2. Hocus Pocus 2 – The only thing keeping this out of the number one spot is I made it through this movie. I know that there are many that really enjoyed this film. I did not. I’m sorry, Mom. In the grand list of movies that didn’t need a sequel this was near the top. Oh and Disney: Every Villain Doesn’t Need A Redemption. They set this up for at least another sequel, if not two, so I suspect we’ll be seeing more of this franchise on this list.
3. Disney’s Pinocchio (2022 Live Action Film) – Admittedly, I did not see this film. I watched the trailer and a few clips from the film and all I can say is, no. No. No. No. And Tom Hanks is in it. Don’t watch this film, please. Do yourself a favor. I don’t typically watch bad movies, so I struggled coming up with a third. In all honesty, Minions 2: The Rise of Gru is a better use of your time.
How big of a check did CVS cut to be included in this movie? Of all the places this movie could have taken the Sanderson Sisters. Also, how do you send them to CVS and not include a massively long receipt joke? Do better Disney.
Best Re-Releases of the Year
I love watching classic movies on the big screen, it’s how they were meant to be seen.
1. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) – I watch this film every year. This was my first time watching it on the large screen. This film always hits a special emotional resonance with me, but I was unprepared for how it would hit in this format. I tried to keep my emotions as controlled as I could, but I know that my mother sitting next to me could hear me softly weeping.
2. The Quiet Man (1952) – This movie has always been one of my staples and one of my favorite John Wayne movies. This film is an excellent reason why you need to see some of these films on the big screen. I have seen this movie dozens of times, but only in this format could I pick up small details hidden in the background that would be virtually impossible to see on a television.
3. Jaws (1975) – I have seen Jaws several times on the big screen, but this was the first time in 3D. In my opinion, it’s scarier on the big screen. What made this viewing so memorable to me, was there were several families that came to see the movie in my showing and they all must have thought “it’s not that scary.” And through the course of the film, most of them had to leave because it was too intense for the little ones. Let this be a reminder parents, just because its an old film doesn’t mean that it has lost any of its intensity.
4. Nosferatu (1922) – I had an incredible opportunity to watch this on the big screen back in October. The film was celebrating it’s 100th anniversary. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come in 100 years. There is an iconic image that comes to mind of the shadow of the titular vampire ascending a staircase whenever someone mentions this movie. Unbeknownst to me, this moment occurs in some of the final moments of the film. A Very interesting watch, if you can see it on the big screen, do it.
5. The Blob (1958) – I don’t know how I have never seen The Blob before. This is the pinnacle of campy B-movie horror and I am here for it. Those of us in the audience laughed at how ridiculous it was. The only thing that could have made the viewing better is if I had seen it at a drive in.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm just narrowly missed the list for best re-releases. I have seen it several times on the big screen and for whatever reason, I just wasn’t feeling it the day that I saw it this past year. The image above is one of my favorite moments from the film where Bruce Wayne takes one last look before deciding to alter the course of his life by becoming the Batman.
Best Documentaries
Admittedly, I did not see that many this year. And not all of these were actual films. However, I think that their stories are important enough for you to watch and learn from.
1. Writing with Fire – This documentary was nominated for Best Documentary by the Academy. Writing with Fire is a 2021 Indian documentary film directed by filmmakers Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas about the journalists running the Dalit women led newspaper Khabar Lahariya, as they shift from 14-years of print to digital journalism using smartphones. The women reporting on these stories are amazing and everyone should know their story.
2. The Forgotten Disaster of the SS Eastland (YouTube) – I have posted about this before and will continue to in the future. Caitlin Doughty (Funeral Industry Reformer and Green Death Advocate) takes the viewer along to learn about this largely forgotten disaster. The disaster of the SS Eastland happened three years after the sinking of the Titanic, killing more people than the Titanic (mostly women and children) and happened on the Chicago River. To watch this documentary: https://youtu.be/UCHt2MOVCbg
Although not a new documentary, I did re-watch the 2018 Mister Rogers documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor. I tend to watch portions or the documentary in its entirety any time I am in need of a reminder of the power of kindness in the world.
The Marvel of It All
So, I really feel like the MCU needs its own category. Some films do some things amazingly well. Meanwhile, there is a certain level of fatigue that is starting to set in.
1. Werewolf by Midnight (Disney +) – Technically a special, but I am including it in this list because I felt that it was the best executed of the Marvel projects this year. It had a solid story that it wanted to tell and it told it. I am also a sucker for classic horror.
2. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – This movie was good. A brilliant way to honor the legacy of both Chadwick Boseman and the character he brought to life. As for the rest of the movie, I felt that there was just maybe too much. It’s similar to how I feel about Captain America: Civil War. There is no doubt, that this is a good film, but it could have been a great film. We didn’t need to introduce Riri Williams in this movie. I like her character and understand her role in the future of the MCU, but the time introducing and developing her story could have been better used elsewhere.
3. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – I love the Sam Raimi-ness of this film. Zombies and Music Note fights? Love it! I wish the film had spent a little more time in the multiverse. However, if you want a good movie about the multiverse, watch Everything Everywhere All At Once.
4. Thor: Love & Thunder – After the brilliant new vision of Thor in Thor: Ragnarök, I was excited to see what Taika Waititi would do with the character next. Unfortunately, it felt too loose and ungrounded. There were too many stories trying to be told and in the process, we lose the opportunity to tell at least one really good one. In my opinion, telling the story of Jane Foster losing a battle with cancer and donning the mantle of Thor should have been the main focus of the film. Then again, it’s a comic book movie, so what do I know.
One of my favorite Marvel offerings this year was the Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special. As much as I enjoyed it, I could not bring myself to list it as a movie. It’s a holiday special and a real nice one too.
And that’s about it. There were a lot of great films I saw this year and maybe next year, I will write more often about what I am seeing. Thank you for reading and watch movies.
The Master List (in no particular order):
The Worst Person in the World, Butter, The Batman, Cyrano, The Quiet Man – 70th Anniversary (RR), Writing with Fire, CODA, Everything Everywhere All At Once (x4), The Rose Maker, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Bob’s Burger Movie, Jurassic World Dominion (x3), Eiffel, The Duke, Thor: Love and Thunder, Elvis, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, Jaws (1975) (RR), Bullet Train, The Blob (1958) (RR), Top Gun Maverick, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (RR), Avatar (RR), The Mummy/The Bride of Frankenstein: Double Feature (RR), Nosferatu (RR), Black Adam, The Creature from the Black Lagoon/The Phantom of the Opera: Double Feature (RR), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Banshees of Inisherin, Spirited (x2), Ticket to Paradise, The Dark Crystal – 40th Anniversary (RR), I Heard the Bells, Avatar: The Way of Water, It’s a Wonderful Life (RR), Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, See How The Run, Death on the Nile, Where the Crawdads Sing, Weird (Roku), Spiderman: No Way Home, Legion of Super Pets, Minions 2: The Rise of Gru, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers (Disney+), Turning Red (Disney+), The Adam Project (Netflix), Hocus Pocus 2 (Disney+), The Munsters (Netflix), Lightyear (Disney+), Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Netflix), The Curse of Bridge Hollow (Netflix), The Bubble (Netflix)
*(RR) stands for re-release
“The only thing I do know is that we have to be kind. Please, be kind. Especially when we don’t know what’s going on.” - Everything Everywhere All At Once