My Top 10 Films of 2022
It’s little exaggeration to say that I’m at the Alamo Drafthouse every weekend. I frequently see a movie on both Saturday and Sunday and sometimes even pull a double feature. There’s always something to see, whether it’s a new release, an old classic or an undiscovered international gem waiting to be found.
As the year comes to a close, I figured I’d go back through my Drafthouse receipts and compile a Top 10 list of the best films I’ve seen this year, released this year. There are some recurring themes (smart comedies, A24 films), but the list still really runs the gamut in terms of genre and I’m excited to take this trip down memory lane. Let’s jump in.
10) Nope
I’ve never been a huge horror fan, but Jordan Peele drew me in with the sci-fi premise of “Nope” and he absolutely delivered. Peele combines westerns, sci-fi and horror in cohesive, compelling way with a side of his trademark social commentary, asking why we can’t seem to resist staring at spectacle, even when we know it’s unhealthy.
9) Vengeance
B.J. Novak of “The Office” fame writes, directs and stars this clever satire of true crime podcasts and West Texas. Novak proves he’s got the comedic chops (I still think about the “Six Flags of Texas” joke to this day) while balancing the film’s more cutting remarks with tender moments of genuine human connection. A strong supporting cast (Ashton Kutcher, Issa Rae, Dove Cameron) keep things interesting and add a nice texture to this little corner of the world.
8) The Whale
With only a couple weeks left of December comes the film that seems to be the start of the Brendan Fraser renaissance. Fraser plays Charlie, a morbidly obese man desperately trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Sadie Sink), with incredible pathos. Sometimes uncomfortable and often heartbreaking, “The Whale” earns its spot as an awards season contender on the shoulders of Fraser’s visceral performance as a man simply wanting to do right by those he loves.
7) Bullet Train & Bodies Bodies Bodies
This was a toss up between the two films, and ultimately I decided to just award the spot as a tie, because it’s my list and I can do whatever I want. Both films are some of the best comedies of year, and each has its own niche.
“Bullet Train” is an action heist flick set on the (surprise) Japanese bullet train: think “Snowpiercer,” but not depressing. Though not a Guy Ritchie film, it has that feel to it, soaked through with hyper-kinetic action and sardonic wit. The main appeal is watching Brad Pitt fight and deliver one-liners as he makes his way through the train and the movie’s sprawling cast of characters. Success on all counts.
“Bodies Bodies Bodies” is a hilarious send-up of online influencers crossed with a murder mystery. Locked in an extravagant mansion during a hurricane, the group (including Pete Davidson and Amandla Stenberg) must race to figure out who is killing them off one by one. The unaware, self-centered way of influencer culture is excellently captured, and some of the kills are just as funny as the dialogue.
6) On the Count of Three
Another bit of comedy finding new avenues to explore, this follows two friends (Jerrod Carmichael and Christopher Abbott) who make a suicide pact and their escapades on what they plan to be their final day on Earth. One friend debates trying to mend the relationship with his father while the other eventually decides to take revenge on the doctor who molested him as a child. Despite the admittedly dark set-up, the film is by and large very funny, finding the humor in the foibles of relationships and the effect that only best friends can have on each other.
5) The Batman
The only comic book entry on the list, Matt Reeves’ take on the Dark Knight was an intense breath of fresh air for the genre. One part “Batman: Year One” and one part “The Long Halloween,” Reeves and his actors craft a Gotham consumed by moral decay and a Batman who is not yet the hero he can be.
Robert Pattinson takes this iteration of Batman on a journey from a man fueled purely by vengeance to someone who begins to accept his role as a symbol of hope against the darkness. Along the way, he fights and flirts with Zoe Kravitz’ Catwoman and races to stop the terrorist plot of the Riddler, played to unhinged perfection by Paul Dano. Everything about the film, from the writing to the acting to Michael Giacchino’s superb score are firing on all cylinders, and I cannot wait to return to Reeves and Pattinson’s Gotham.
4) The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Nic Cage in any role is going to be a good time, but Nic Cage playing himself? Now you’re in for a treat. Needing to make ends meet, this lightly fictionalized and heightened version of Cage agrees to be the entertainment at the party of a Nic Cage supefan Javi (Pedro Pascal). Just one wrinkle: Javi also happens to be a cartel head. Cage is caught up in a series of increasingly incredulous schemes in order to assist Javi, who Pascal infuses with a heart of gold and the two characters form a genuine, heartwarming bond over their shared desire to be seen at more than face value.
The film is a whip sharp examination of the divide between Nic Cage, the meme and Nic Cage, the man. It’s littered with callbacks and references to the myth and history of Nic Cage while also digging into what makes this man tick. Both Javi and Cage have had personas or jobs forced upon them, and in this brief respite from the world they’re allowed to drop the masks and be themselves, which is what draws them so closely together.
Once the movie revs up it never really stops, and it’s such a pleasure to be whisked along in this crazy story. Almost every sequence has at least one laugh out loud joke – the bit where Javi and Cage discuss their favorite movies is particularly hilarious – and Cage deftly plays himself without devolving into caricature. He knows when to go for the laughs, but he can also pull back and elicit moments of heartbreak or self-doubt in his performance. Aside from “Pig”, this just might be one of Cage’s best roles in recent memory.
3) Everything Everywhere All at Once
If you had told me last year that Ke Huy Quan, famous for being Short Round and one of the Goonies, would have a serious chance at an Oscar nomination, I absolutely would not have believed you. And yet here we are. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” stars Quan along with superstar Michelle Yeoh and newcomer Stephanie Hsu as the family at the center of the year’s best multiverse movie (sorry Sam Raimi).
Quan plays soft spoken patriarch Waymond, a man often overpowered by his ambitious wife Evelyn (Yeoh) who is still endeavoring to keep his family together through personal and financial struggles. Quan’s performance makes crystal clear how deeply Waymond loves Evelyn and daughter Joy (Hsu), and thanks to the mutliversal conceit, Quan gets to exhibit astounding range belying his child actor beginnings. From action hero to acclaimed director, Quan inhabits the many versions of Waymond with aplomb. The Director Waymond segments are particularly powerful, a road not taken look at what might have happened had Evelyn and Waymond not married. Director Waymond is successful but not entirely fulfilled and yearns for a simpler life. “In another life,” he declares to Evelyn, “I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.” It is easily the most romantic line of dialogue I’ve heard all year, and it’s hard to convey on paper the emotion with which Quan delivers the line.
What makes “EEAAO” such an accomplishment is that Quan’s performance is just one of the film’s many strengths. Yeoh and Hsu turn in standout performances as well, with Yeoh nailing Evelyn’s bewilderment and reluctance at being named the multiverse’s chosen one. And much like Quan’s Waymond, Yeoh expertly showcases the love Evelyn has for her daughter and is guided by that love throughout the film. Hsu, without revealing too much, consistently chews the scenery without overacting and is a joy to watch.
That is perhaps the movie’s greatest strength, it’s ability to take something profound, wrap it in something utterly bizarre and not lose any of the profoundness. Writers and directors Daniels never lose sight of what really matters and have made a fantastic script that for all the bizarreness (and there is a lot of bizarreness), knows exactly what to focus on and does so with laser-like precision.
The stakes aren’t saving the multiverse, not really, they’re a mother striving to mend her fracturing relationship with her daughter. Yes, “EEAAO” is a multiverse movie, but it’s not about the multiverse. It’s about the choices we make, the people we love and a daughter’s relationship with her parents. Daniels firmly plant these universal themes at the heart of their movie and those themes that make the film so incredibly resonant.
2) Empire of Light
Set in a sleepy British coastal town, Sam Mendes’ latest film succeeds in its simplicity. It is, like some of my other high ranked films, intensely focused on human relationships and the way we bond with other people. The movie follows two workers at the Empire Theater, Hilary and Stephen (Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward) as they form a deep connection amid the racial tensions of the 1980s and Hilary’s struggles with mental illness. While Colman and Ward both play their roles excellently, the film’s best moments are often when nothing is said, when the two characters simply inhabit the same space, sharing a glance or a quick touch. The movie feels very much like a play in its intimacy: the camera sits quietly in tender moments between characters, allowing the audience to linger in the stillness and fully experience the emotions of each particular scene.
The feeling is enhanced by Roger Deakins’ cinematography and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score, both of which lend an ethereal, otherworldly sense to the film. It has a subtle but distinctly magical effect, the wonder and beauty of film amplified by the music, making it seem as if it is some kind of fairy tale. “Empire of Light” is one of the few films I’ve seen this year can I can call truly beautiful, both visually and emotionally.
1) Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
It might seem incredulous that anyone could rank the movie about the talking shell (with shoes on) as one of the best films of the year, but once you’ve seen “Marcel the Shell,” it’s hard not to rank it so highly. A tender story about finding your place, watching Marcel on his journey will move you in the best possible way. Jenny Slate voices Marcel perfectly, expertly mixing cuteness and precociousness in such a way that you can’t help but be endeared to him. Brought to life by Slate, Marcel faces problems with a constant, infectious optimism and watching him do just about anything is enough to bring a smile to your face. He delightfully befriends insects in the garden, hops along the computer keyboard and navigates Rube Goldberg-like contraptions to collect food or move around the human sized house in which he lives— he is only an inch tall, after all.
Marcel is mostly alone in the large empty house: his grandma Connie, voiced warmly by Isabella Rossellini, is the only other shell there, as the rest of the clan was lost in a crisis years ago. Marcel’s quest to find the rest of the shells is the thrust of the movie, where he’s assisted in making PSA videos by documentarian Dean (director and co-writer Dean Fleischer-Camp) who unknowingly booked Marcel’s home as an AirBnB. The interplay between Dean, Connie and Marcel is incredibly sweet and never fails to warm my heart whenever I watch it.
And while “Marcel” would still be a very good movie if it was just Marcel’s cutesy antics, the film is elevated by its willingness to investigate the more uncomfortable parts of life. We see Marcel burdened by his viral fame and he retreats into himself (metaphorically). When Marcel is presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity, Dean and Connie must coax the vibrant Marcel of the past back out to make sure he doesn’t lose out on his dream. It’s a touching story of how those closest to us can support us and the value of caring deeply about our loved ones.
The film’s most powerful moments are incredibly spoiler-heavy, so I won’t detail them here. But suffice it to say they are thematically related to the above idea of having a loving support system, and they address a universal, inescapable part of life with poignancy and grace. Even after that spoilery event, Marcel isn’t broken. He forges on in the face of adversity, retaining his positive outlook and is ultimately rewarded for it.
What started as an adorable story about a talking shell evolves into something profound, but the film never loses its heart, and that’s the beauty of it. Life is never all good or all bad, but a constant, swirling mix. “Marcel the Shell” portrays that confluence of highs, lows and everything in between through the unexpected lens of a tiny talking shell, and the result is something strikingly authentic. Marcel, through the strange alchemy of the script, Slate’s performance and the stop motion animation, seems infinitely relatable. You feel his triumphs and heartbreaks just as acutely as he does. You feel these things so intensely and are reminded that there is good in the world, and it’s wondrous.