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2022 is, practically, in the books. This year, I was invited to join the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. It’s something that I’ve wanted for a long time, but sort of gave up on at times. But, thanks to my friend Caleb Masters, I was able to join the group. This allowed me greater access to new release movies than I could have expected. I put up rookie numbers for a critic, but this year, I watched 100 new releases—and I’m going to run down my Top 10 Movies of 2022.

Before we jump in, we’ll start with a few honorable mentions that are definitely worth your time.

2022 Honorable Mentions:

Nope (Dir. Jordan Peele)

Peele’s third entry returns the writer/director to a more straightforward tale. One of many movies about movies this year, Nope forces us to consider the commodification of entertainers and the welfare of animals in entertainment. It also feels old school in a way. It’s heavily inspired by Spielberg, and it feels like it could have succeeded in the 80s or 90s as well. With a strong ensemble, a fantastic creature design, and some great humor and horror, Nope makes for a fun night at the movies. 

The Phantom of the Open (Dir. Craig Roberts)

This small British film about a real life amateur golfer who fumbles his way into the British Open has a lot of heart. Mark Rylance embeds Maurice Flitcroft with great pathos. He wants only to play golf at the highest level, even though he’s just not very good. This leads to many great shenanigans. And while the story is fairly familiar, narratively, Roberts creates an often visually intriguing tale. It’s small and simple, but has a ton of heart and is a great crowd pleaser. 

See How They Run (Dir. Tom George)

It was a hard year for any comical ensemble murder mystery not starring Daniel Craig. Amsterdam was shredded upon arrival, and See How They Run was relegated as a dollar store knock off of the Knives Out brand. Yet, Tom George’s little meta take on the genre and its trappings is a blast. Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan lead a wonderful ensemble, and everyone is having a great time toying with the long beloved genre of the whodunit. At times, it might be a bit too cute for its own good. But, I don’t care because it is such a good time. I think its actually a bit better than Glass Onion, but I need to rewatch both to be sure. 

Murina (Dir. Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović)

Maybe one of the most tense and suspense-filled movies I watched this year was the Croatian domestic drama Murina. Murina is the Croatian word for Moray Eel, which is fished for by our central family. Set amidst a paradise, this tense tale introduces us to headstrong teenager Julija and her abusive father. Their relationship is the central conflict that soon has us rooting for Julija. For Julija, she needs to leave or her father needs to leave—or something more final. The underlying threat of danger for both Julija and her father keeps us engrossed, and an underwater sequence late in the picture will have you on the edge of your seat hoping for a happy ending. It’s a strong first feature with a gripping narrative. If you like suspenseful drama, don’t miss this one. 

The Top 10 Movies of 2022

10. RRR (Dir. S. S. Rajamouli)

Fierce battles, tiger punching, and dance numbers? It’s the biggest and most bombastic movie of 2022 by far. Rajamouli’s 3-hour epic, which recounts a fictional “what if” scenario of two Indian revolutionaries meeting, becoming best friends, and fighting, manages to navigate multiple genres and tones in the cleanest way imaginable. It’s fun for group watching or a night by yourself. It’s action cranked to 11, with great heart and earnestness. If the 3-hour run time worries you, it could be broken up into a couple of viewings, but to be embraced in full by its hyperbolic, hyper-sensational aura will make for a thrilling time. 

9. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (Dir. Dean Fleischer-Camp)

I didn’t know if the little shell who could would crack the top 10, but I think about Marcel a lot. Voiced by the fabulous Jenny Slate (Parks and Rec, Obvious Child), Marcel comes to life as a fully realized being. It’s easy to forget while watching this tale that Marcel is simply a small shell with a googly eye and Sharpie features. But, he comes to life and brings us along for a journey in this mockumentary that finds our documentary filmmaker and our beloved Shell walking through hard periods of life together. Marcel, and his grandmother (voiced by the wonderful Isabella Rossellini), have found themselves without their friends and family, and Alan (the documentarian) takes it upon himself to help them in their search to discover what happened. It’s an incredible blend of live-action and stop motion, but the small scale and intimacy aids in rendering those lines invisible. It’s a story about family and love and loss, all told through the googly eye of an adorable shell. 

8. Fire of Love (Dir. Sara Dosa)

When I was in middle school, a trio of us constructed a volcano for a science experiment (as many kids do). And I remember, in doing research for that, being stricken by the events of Pompeii and learning about Mount St. Helens. So, the core topic of Fire of Love was very fascinating for me. It’s a love story first and foremost. A love story about a husband and a wife. But it is also a love story of a man and volcanoes. And, a woman and volcanoes. Katia and Maurice Krafft dedicated their lives to the study and documentation of volcanoes. And Fire of Love lays that out through archival interviews, narration, and video of and by the Kraffts. They were scientist rock stars in Europe—appearing on talk shows and discussing their trade. The story is poetically beautiful, and the awe-inspiring images of lava and volcanoes also reminds us of the dangers inherent in the beauty of nature. And it reminds us of the devotion of love that can push us to achieve greatness.

7. Triangle of Sadness (Dir. Ruben Östlund)

The 2022 Palme D’or winner has had a bit of a divisive run amongst critics, from what I’ve seen. So, when I finally sat down to watch it, I wondered how it would land with me. And, as you can tell, it landed very well. In a year filled with “eat the rich” class warfare stories, Triangle of Sadness works the best for me. Told in three sections, the biting bleak comedy follows a young couple who are attempting to live a lifestyle maybe well beyond their means. We’re introduced to them and are shown who they are in the extended opening sequence. We then move to a boat where more players arrive, including the wonderful Woody Harrelson. From there, we see the rich living excessively at the expense of the crew—from airlifting in Nutella to forcing them to swim while trying to work. It has jokes aplenty from well written satire to toilet humor. It might have one of the strongest final scenes from 2022. 

6. Everything Everywhere All at Once (Dir. The Daniels)

The joke has already been made, but it’s fair to reiterate that the best multiversal movie of the year did not come from the House of Mouse. Following up their 90-minute fart joke from 2016, The Daniels showed up in 2022 with a breakout hit about a small working-class family struggling in their finances and their relationships. Lead by Michelle Yeoh and supported by a fantastic Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once throws caution to the wind and swings for the fences minute after minute with some of the wildest jokes and setpieces you could ever imagine or hope for. It explores multiple genres, multiple styles of acting and performance, all in the sake of what matters most in life: relationships and family. It is remarkable what The Daniels were able to pull off here. It should not work, but it absolutely does. It’s another film, similar to Marcel, that due to its scope and intimacy, it almost comes off as effortless. But, when you consider the use of sets and actors and the ways they made the most out of both of those components to tell a story of this size, it truly is a feat. 

5. After Yang (Dir. Kogonada)

Arguably the smallest and simplest story on this list, After Yang might be one of the most emotionally affecting. Featuring a strong performance from Colin Farrell (who has had an absolutely stellar year) as Jake, the film is a meditation on grief, loss, and purpose. After Yang is set in the untold future, but robotics has allowed for near-human replication while cloning has also advanced to new heights. When Yang, the family’s android companion, malfunctions, Jake tries to find a way to restore him—but exploring Yang’s world forces Jake to contemplate his own life and family. Kogonada does an absurd amount with very little while managing to build out a fascinating, fully realized futuristic world. But the film succeeds in the quiet moments, as Jake discovers Yang might have been much more human than he could have ever thought possible. And in doing so, rediscovers what really matters in his own life. 

4. TÁR (Dir. Todd Field)

TÁR is a film I had grown hesitant to see. I love Cate Blanchett, and the trailers seemed intriguing, but the runtime and additional knowledge of the story started to push me away. But, I finally sat down and hit play (clocking in as my 100th 2022 release to see). And, I am so glad I finally caught up with it. What I expected was a near 3-hour meandering drama with a strong performance. What I got was something much wilder. Cate Blanchett is captivating as Lydia Tár. She delivers lectures on the history of composers and conductors that will draw you in. She carries herself as a semi-celebrity casually engaging with fans with ease. And she flips the switch to higher modes when the story calls for it. It’s a powerhouse performance, and it is just one compelling component of this tale of a famed composer reckoning with past behavior. Field’s style and direction is as compelling as Blanchett’s performance, and the camera, when it moves, is mesmerizing. I was a bit begrudging about giving this film its due, but finally seeing it, I understand the love. It’s easily one of the best of the year.

3. The Fabelmans (Dir. Steven Spielberg)

Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical story of a young boy falling in love with movies is definitely a movie for me. Young Sammy is immediately captivated by the power of movies after seeing his first film with his family—The Greatest Show on Earth. Sammy receives a train set for Hanukkah, and is soon using the family camera to recreate moments from the movie. From that point forward, everything Sammy does is to forward his goals of being a filmmaker, much to his practical father’s chagrin. To his dad, Burt, Sammy’s movie making is simply a hobby that he’ll grow out of. But Sammy doesn’t. And as he grows up, he continues to understand the power and impact of celluloid. He learns how to lie at 24 frames per second and how to manipulate an audience through trick cuts and hero shots. It’s a love letter to Hollywood; another running theme in 2022. It’s a wondrous story about Spielberg’s career, and the running themes he’s dealt with. 

2. X / Pearl (Dir. Ti West)

Cheating a bit here, but it’s my list, and my rules. Watching X in theaters, I was reminded of how exciting a movie could be. It was the first movie I watched in theaters this year that gave me that feeling. It was wild, gratuitous, grimy, and interested in the depths people will go to for fame. Ti West followed that up a few months later with a prequel in Pearl. Mia Goth plays Maxine, Young Pearl, and Old Pearl. In Pearl, she delivers the performance of the year, but unfortunately, the Globes and the Oscars refuse to acknowledge horror in any real way 90% of the time. X and Pearl is an inspired one-two punch that deals with art, artist, movies, and the cost of chasing fame at all costs. I personally lean towards X as the stronger of the two, but I think Mia Goth’s turn in Pearl keeps it in consideration of being almost as good as X. In Pearl, she gets a multi-minute monologue that is captivating, and has one of the great final shots as the credits start to roll. West appreciates Hollywood’s history, and the metanarrative regarding Wizard of Oz and knowing how Judy Garland was treated in Hollywood adds a lot of depth to both films. It’s good stuff. 

1. Top Gun: Maverick (Dir. Joseph Kosinski)

Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Who woulda thought? I do not like 1986’s Top Gun. I have seen it a handful of times, but can’t get into it. But, I love Tom Cruise and his willingness to die for our cinema sins. So, I watched Top Gun: Maverick opening weekend, and it was thrilling. I laughed, I cried, I white-knuckled through the finale. All because it feels and looks so real. Tom doesn’t do anything halfway at this point (ignoring that Mummy thing). I applaud his devotion to stunt work and making movies spectacles. The use of real fighter jets in this adds so much weight—couple that with training the other actors to fly as well, and then capturing that at real speeds and altitudes with state-of-the-art tech, it’s what Hollywood has always been about—spectacle. This is the first movie I’ve seen in a very long time that casual audiences have fallen in love with and I heard them excitedly and openly talking about. It’s old school movie making that feels fresh because there are no Movie Stars anymore and everything is shot against a green screen with even the costumes added digitally. Maverick is tactile. It is real. It’s also a discussion of age. It’s a conversation about old technology vs new technology. It’s about honest-to-God blockbusters and not CONTENT™. I saw Maverick opening weekend, and seven months later, I went and watched it again in theaters. The staying power, the cultural impact, and the authentic nature elevate this into a plane where it’ll be remembered as one of the best of the 2020s. 

Well, there you have it. Those are my top 10 movies of 2022. Let me know what some of your favorites were, and let me know if I missed the mark on anything! Have a good New Year, and here’s to 2023!

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