Looking back at the movies that were released since January 1, I can’t say that I saw every movie that was on my to-watch list (and I’m still trying to get in as many as I can before midnight on 12/31) but I think there were some definite highlights. These are ten films that I loved for one reason or another. The forceful showing of speaking truth to power in Argentina, 1985, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, and Holy Spider. The action sequences in The Batman and Everything Everywhere All at Once. The exploding farts of Jackass Forever. Of all of the years in movie history, 2022 was definitely one of them.
10. Jackass Forever (Jeff Tremaine)
I wasn’t sure where I’d put the latest installment of the Jackass franchise on this list, or if I’d leave it off completely. I would be lying if I said there was another movie that gave me more laughs and enjoyment. Johnny Knoxville and company have not gotten any more mature in middle age (and neither have I as I’m still laughing at this nonsense). They are still looking for inventive ways to hit their friends in the groin. Come for the pranks with pig semen and stay for the heartfelt stories of friendship.
(Jackass Forever is streaming on Paramont+)
9. The Batman (Matt Reeves)
I was a big fan of Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson’s take on the Caped Crusader saga. Batman is darker then previous iterations and Gotham is basically a dump and this movie is almost three hours long. It was a brisk three hours, though. It’s a well-made and well-told superhero movie that has me looking forward to another movie (or more) from this director and star.
(The Batman is streaming on HBO Max.)
8. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (Anthony Fabian)
This was a surprisingly delightful movie starring two of the best European actresses working today. Lesley Manville (a favorite in Mike Leigh’s movies) and Isabelle Huppert are fantastic in this charming and delightful movie. Manville plays a housekeeper in 1950’s England who dreams of owning a fancy Christian Dior dress so she saves up every penny she can and travels to Paris to purchase the gown. Huppert is a Dior employee who is protective of the company’s legacy. Sometimes adults can get their own fairy tales, and this is one of them.
(Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is streaming on Peacock and available for rent on the usual VOD platforms.)
7. Argentina, 1985 (Santiago Mitre)
This is the third (or, depending on which way you read, the first) about institutions reckoning with the unthinkable. Argentina’s submission for the Academy Awards is about the real-life trials of the leaders that ruled during Argentina’s military dictatorship and committed many atrocities. It was a polarizing event in the country’s history with many who wanted to move on. Ricardo Darin stars as the lead prosecutor, Julio Strassera and he’s compelling as a reluctant lawyer who becomes a national hero.
(Argentina, 1985 is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.)
6. Everything Everywhere All At Once (Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert)
I’m not sure there’s much I can add about the uniqueness of this movie that my SunBreak colleagues Josh and Morgen haven’t already said, but it’s not a surprise it ended up on all of our best-of lists. It’s a compelling film unlike anything I’ve seen before, cliché I know. And Michelle Yeoh is an international treasure and a force of nature.
(Everything Everywhere All at Once is streaming on Showtime.)
5. Emily the Criminal (John Patton Ford)
When I reviewed this quiet gem of a movie a few months ago, I called it “Ocean’s 11 for gig workers” and that feels more apt today because popular culture seems to have collectively come to realize Aubrey Plaza’s genius. She stars as a young woman living on the edges of society. A criminal record keeps her from any upward mobility so she’s forced into the gig economy for a Door Dash-like company. The desperation capitalism forces upon her leads her to a path of crime, namely returning stolen merchandise to retail stores. But can she get out before she’s too deep into this criminal enterprise?
(Emily the Criminal is streaming on Netflix.)
4. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)
2022’s best documentary comes from Academy Award winner Laura Poitras. It tells the story of artist and activist Nan Goldin and her campaign to stop museums from accepting money from the Sackler family, who deserve much of the blame for the opioid epidemic. Poitras has incredible access and she follows Goldin around the world and stages protests in some of the most prestigious museums. At first her campaign seems quixotic because if there’s one thing Very Important Organizations dislike, it’s turning away rich people’s money. The jury remains out whether or not the Sacklers will be held responsible for the immense blood on their hands, but Laura Poitras and Nan Goldin showed us one way in which they were.
(All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is currently in theaters.)
3. Pinocchio (Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson)
During my time as a ‘ute, Disney’s telling of Pinocchio was ubiquitous, but was always far from my favorite story. It was fine, but I think the reason I never took to the story was that it wasn’t until just now that Guillermo del Toro had the opportunity to tell this story. It’s a wonder of animation and storytelling by someone whose imagination seems to have few boundaries. Set with a backdrop of fascist Italy under Mussolini, it’s a fresh retelling of this fairy tale. I don’t know what more to say beyond “positively delightful.”
(Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is streaming on Netflix.)
2. Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)
Watching Decision to Leave felt like there was a movie designed in a lab for my enjoyment. Park Chan-wook (for my money, Korea’s best filmmaker) is such an intricate and deliberate filmmaker. Calling this film a murder mystery or an erotic thriller feels incomplete because it’s also like a master class in filmmaking. The pacing is excellent, the tension is expertly crafted, the story perfectly told.
(Decision to Leave is streaming on Mubi.)
1. Holy Spider (Ali Abbasi)
This film, set in Iran and made by Iranian-born filmmaker Ali Abbasi, is the Academy Awards Foreign Language submission from … Denmark? It’s true. The Iranian regime very, very much did not like this movie. It’s not a flattering image of the country and its patriarchal society. It is about a female journalist (Mehdi Bajestani, Best Actress at Cannes) who tries to get to the bottom of why there is a serial killer murdering sex workers throughout the city of Mashhad and the police have so few clues. It’s based on a true story. The movie is riveting and compelling at every turn. I don’t want to give away too much of this movie but I can say it’s a brilliant piece of filmmaking and the boldest movie I’ve seen this year. I don’t think it would be hyperbole to say that the final scene is one of the most disturbing moments I’ve ever seen in a film.
(Holy Spider is currently playing in theaters.)
All of the Sunbreak’s Year-end lists: Josh | Morgen | Chris | Tony