My 8 Favorite Movies of 2022!

[TageRyche]

MY 8 FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2022

By Jay Roberts

I know, I know. You are wondering why I only plan to briefly write about eight movies on my best of list. Well, I just don't think the other 8 movies of the sixteen 2022 releases I saw really made enough of an impression on me that I'd want to sit through them again. Or, you know, they were kind of bad.

But the funny thing for me, though perhaps not for movie theater owners, is that of those sixteen movies, I only saw three in an actual theater. In fact, most of the movies I saw came on my weekly visit to my local comic shop after the movies had come to streaming (or started off there, as the case may be).

Regardless of where I saw the movies though, the following eight movies were either just so damn good that I loved them, or they were movies I might never have seen on my own but loved them once I did.

The Hulu streaming service had a pretty good year because they placed two movies on the list.

Those two movies came in at:

#8 - PREY - I wasn't sure if I was going to see this one because it was on Hulu but then I got to see it at the comic shop and I really did like it a lot. I saw some people complain about the dialogue being in English rather than native language given the setting of the story. But I was glad to not have to read the movie. And as good as I thought this movie was, it was the movie's lead Amber Midthunder (still a freaking cool ass sounding name, by the way) who really made the movie sing. I don't own any of the Predator movies on DVD and I don't think I've seen the original one with Schwarzenegger since it was first released. But I would get this one on DVD for sure. (Yes, I prefer physical media!)

#7 - THE PRINCESS - I saw this movie on a whim and was again not expecting much. But once more, I had a real fun time with the movie. Hulu did well with these first two movies on my list. I don't think I can sum up the movie better than what I wrote when I first saw it so I'll just put that here:

"It's got a paper-thin plot and that's being generous but it was just a hilariously entertaining bloodbath as actress Joey King goes from prestige projects to simply just Xena Warrior Princess (or more aptly a teenage Red Sonja) and kicking/killing the ever-lovin' crap out of a castle full of guys in repeatedly ridiculous manner to save her family.

It was just bonkers but in a good way because you just want a movie that is so patently absurd sometimes."

Netflix had a really good year as well. They had three movies make the list starting with:

#6 - GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY - People I know have been telling me to watch the first Knives Out movie for quite a while now but I never got around to it. But I got to see this one just a few days before writing this article and as a confirmed lover of all things mystery, I found myself rather captivated by this one. That shouldn't have been quite the surprise it was but considering the director of the movie is responsible for the worst Star Wars movie ever, you can understand where my reluctance comes from. 

However, the all-star cast was fantastic. Daniel Craig (despite that weird accent he uses in the movie) is great. Kate Hudson is hilarious as the dippy fashion designer and Janelle Monae rocked her role too. And the tiny cameos were priceless! Now I'm going to have to go check out the first one as I hope there are more Knives Out movies to come.

And if that movie was a surprise, Netflix really took the cake for me when I saw a movie that sounded preposterously dumb but was so outrageously funny that I couldn't believe I almost didn't bother watching it. I'm speaking, of course, about:

#5 - THE BUBBLE - The movie is a send-up of trying to make a movie in the midst of the pandemic and all the insane catastrophes that come from doing so. It's patently absurd. But the Karen Gillan (Nebula from Guardians of the Galaxy and from Doctor Who) led cast just rolls along hilarously. David Duchovny and Pedro Pascal are also riotous. I spent most of the movie just flat out laughing my butt off. Then I told a bunch of people that also like movies that they should check it out as well.

The next movie was a theatrical release but I actually didn't see it there.

#4 - UNCHARTED - Okay, I know the vast majority of movies based off of video games aren't exactly known for being great cinema or anything. And I don't think the reviews for this movie were all that kind either.

But for a big, dumb and ridiculously plotted action movie, I thought it was well worth the time I spent watching it. Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg's back-and-forth banter was worth it all by itself. But it was filled with great visuals and while the treasure hunt story might not be anything new, it kept my attention on the screen. 

Now, I know I'm not exactly the person you would think of as being anything close to being a romantic but on occasion I enjoy one of those rom-com movies. And when the well-worn cliches of that particular genre are done without actively insulting my intelligence, so much the better. Such was the case with:

#3 - MARRY ME - Yes I know trying to buy that Jennifer Lopez would randomly marry Owen Wilson and then actually end up falling for him is movie studio "magic" but you know what? It actually wasn't bad. I ended up being entertained by the movie and shockingly enough enjoyed two of the songs that were featured in it, thus endangering my heavy metal bonafides I know. And since this is now available to see for free via one of the streaming services I have access to, I have ended up watching it a few times since. And the rewatchability of a movie is a big factor in how much I enjoy it.

Netflix returns to the conversation one last time in this article and I have Palmer at the comic shop to thank for being able to see this one. He's a gigantic movie fan, even has a movie related podcast called Academy Rewind, where he and his co-host talk about every Best Picture nominated film ever! Anyway, he knew I loved the first movie so much, that he said he's wait to see the sequel film until I came into the shop that week so I could see it too. Given that I also bought a graphic novel that is set in between the two films, it probably isn't much of a shock that the next movie is:

#2 - ENOLA HOLMES 2 - I absolutely loved the first movie and how great Millie Bobby Brown was in the film. With the first film being so successful, a second movie was a foregone conclusion. And it definitely lived up to my expectations. The brief review I wrote about the movie was that it "was all kinds of awesome." And it was! Just another great romp through Victorian England with drama, mystery and comedy all mixing together perfectly. A villain you don't see coming and yet another bravura performance from Brown. And I'm also quite enjoying Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes too! Can I please get a third movie ASAP?

So what could possibly be my favorite movie of the year? Well, it's a sequel long anticipated. I saw it sitting in the theater, then rented it on PPV until the DVD came out and I bought that. It's probably the best damn sequel since The Empire Strikes Back and it did a seamlessly perfect job of paying homage to its past while propelling the story forward with new characters. And it that isn't enough for you, it had so many great action sequences that I felt every twist and turn on the screen like I was right there in the cockpit with the actors!

That's right people, my favorite movie of the year is:

#1 - TOP GUN: MAVERICK 

This movie has it all. It lives up to the long anticipated and desired hopes for a sequel, it has thrilling action sequences and tells a great story that honors the original film while telling story in the here and now. All in all, I couldn't have asked for anything more from the script and the performances were superb. This is the best movie of 2022, bar none!

With 2023 less than a week away, the 2022 movie year is over for me. But I'm looking forward to what the new year has in store for me on the silver screen or the TV screen, wherever the best in movies (for me) happens to be. With apologies to Siskel and Ebert, I'll see you...at the movies!

[Yngve J. Chapleen]

It was an OK year.
Strange statement since I actually made myself available for everything released this year that tickled my fancy, yet I feel the selection was lacking pizzazz. For me, the year is not over yet, though. I have a few potential list entries to watch, so I'll probably reveal my choices after the new year. One of the hopefuls is your #6, which I'll watch probably tonight.

I've also seen your 8, 7, 4, and #1. I have no idea how they will fare for me, as I have to revisit the list of movies I saw and pull up my own ratings to compile a Top 10. I'm a huge fan of Martial Arts movies and not one I saw in 2022 can hold the candle to the great ones from the past. Comedies had slim pickings too. There were one or two over-the-top violent movies to offset all the chick flicks the studios are popping out on a conveyer belt, but I feel there weren't enough to balance the books. In fact, I think that is what's wrong with the cinema today. Too many romcoms and teenagers saving the world flicks, and not enough macho sh*t:)

[RJhog (Admin)]

I have seen Top Gun: Maverick, Uncharted and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery from your list. I also watched The Adam Project, Father Stu, Memory, Dr. Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, The Gray Man, The School For Good And Evil, Black Adam and Spirited.  All were pretty decent.

I started Me Time and just couldn’t get through it.

I would like to see several, one being A Man Called Otto.

[TageRyche]

I saw Dr. Strange and The Gray Man, but they didn't rank high enough for me to put them on the list.

[Yngve J. Chapleen]

Don't know what happened but I lost half the content of my post so I'll have to redo it later

[TageRyche]

I looked at your list. We have nothing in common obviously. Sadly, there's none on your list that I even want to see.

[Yngve J. Chapleen]

That's Ok.

We like different things.
Myself, I'm not big on teenagers saving the world movies.
Sadly, sometimes I'm forced to watch them, but that doesn't mean I have to like 'em.

[Yngve J. Chapleen]

Take Two.
Action!
So here is the deal.
As previously stated, I had my worries the list will not be complete 10, and I was right. Seen more new movies within a year of their release than perhaps ever before, and while there were a decent number of films that provided an hour and a half to two and a half hours of entertainment, most of them remained within that timeframe. However, lists are made of more than that.

The next "level" would be repeat watches or at least the prospect of such in the near future of.. let's say 10 years. Getting closer, but still not a List "materials" grouping. 5 of these movies will work well as my honorable mentions though. The good thing is that there was a bit of competition so the 5 honorable mentions needed a bit of a selection.

Now, comes the Best List, and for me, only 5 movies deserve that spotlight (3 of which were late entries, aren't you glad I waited)? These are the movies I would buy on Blu-ray, (if I was still buying hard copies of movies, that is).
Let's start with:

Honorable Mentions

... and NoW My 5th Best Movie Of The Year - SUPERWHO?

My 4th Best Movie Of The Year - THE WITCH 2: THE OTHER ONE

My 3rd Best Movie Of The Year - MAD HEIDI

My 2nd Best Movie Of The Year - VIOLENT NIGHT

My BEST Movie Of The Year - BULLET TRAIN