As the year comes to an end, there is only one thing to do, and that is to make a list! So here are my five best movies of the year. Technically, I had Fire of Love in the top five, but it was a documentary, and I saw it once it released onto Disney+, so despite it being top five worthy, I decided to exclude it from the list, but I did write a whole paper on it, and I cannot recommend it enough, it is truly beautiful. So when it comes to making a top five list, it is a hard thing to do, because you have to be able to discern the difference between cinema master piece and a movie that was super enjoyable, but not quite as artful. It is probably safe to say that my top movie the last two years were more in the area of my most enjoyable. This year, The Northman, and last year, The Green Knight. Both were impeccable done, they blended action with art, but the critics and the academy seemed to disagree, they were highly lauded movies, but both ended up on the outskirts of the awards race. Of the years I have been watching movies intently, I still think 2019 stands above the rest by far, I just looked at the top ten of that list, and most of them would be ranked one or two on this list, but this was still a fun year!
1: The Northman:
So my number one movie of the year was The Northman. To summarize it quickly, I would say that it is basically the Viking version of Hamlet. A young Viking watches his father get slain, and the young Viking goes into exile, and he slowly plots his revenge on his father’s killer. During his plotting, he joins another clan, and there are some incredible action sequences, including one of the best scenes from the year, when a village is invaded, and there is no cut, just straight action as the whole village is dismantled by this crew of burly men. Simply incredible. Then later in the film there is a final fight between the Viking and the man who killed the father, and this fight occurs in the night during a volcanic eruption. Another incredible scene that just places you on the edge of your seat. It is on Amazon Prime now, and it is one of the very few movies that I went and saw twice in the theaters. It stars Alexander Skarsgard and Anya Taylor-Joy. They both give incredible performances, and Joy is by far my favorite actress in the biz right now! It blends action and art, and it just has some breathtaking scenes, and it even adds a pinch of spookiness to some scenes.
2: She Said:
Second, I have She Said, which was a movie about the start of the Me Too Movement. It specifically follows the two reporters that were responsible for digging up all the dirt on Harvey Weinstein. It goes into the depths of how hard it was to initially get people to come out against Weinstein. The journalists traveled all over the country, and they even went out of the country to try and convince some women to get in on their story. It is an incredibly emotional picture, there are multiple graphic descriptions as to the atrocities that were going on behind the scenes, and when the story comes together at the end, it is truly an emotional pinnacle, and there were many tears in the theaters at the end, not to mention that the two leading women gave great performances.
3: Tar:
Third is Tar, a story about Olivia Tar, a composer, who is at the top of the game. She is very well respected and world renown, but slowly her reputation starts to crumble. At first it is just small chips in the façade, but as time continues, worst stories come out about her, and she hits rock bottom, and the best job she can get is in Asia conducting a movie theater orchestra. It is a story about separating art from the artists, and it also is about how people in power tend to abuse those powers. It is another artfully told story, and Cate Blanchette, who plays Tar is a front runner of for best actress, and she deserves it.
4: The Fabelmans:
Stephen Spielberg tells the story of his adolescence, in the form of a fictional movie. It focuses both on his rising interest in creating movies, and it also focuses on the complex family dynamics that were present as well, specifically those that delt with his mother’s infidelity. It also touched on his dad’s ability to try and shoulder the burden and keep the family together. Spielberg got his artistic genes from his mom and his mechanical genes from his dad, and he blends them together perfectly to make great movies including this one. Not only is it a good movie about family dynamics, but it is also a great time. There are multiple story lines occurring throughout, and it is the perfect hangout movie, it is 2022’s version of Licorice Pizza. I would be happy if this won best picture. Probably the most fun I had at the theaters this year.
5: The Banshees of Inisherin:
To round out the top five, I have The Banshees of Inisherin. This is the story of two friends falling out, and it has some incredibly funny moments, but it also does a great job of matching those moments of levity with a serious tone. It is not only about friendship, but it also touches on ambition and family. This one I found the hardest time placing, honestly it could have been in any of these spots, and it would feel right. It is also the only other movie in the top five that I saw more than once. So I think that says something about it as well. Everyone I have talked to about it or seen it with has enjoyed it. It is on HBO Max now, and it is well worth the watch. Not only are the performances great, but the small island off the coast of Ireland is beautiful.
Honorable Mentions:
One of the most fun movies of the year was The Menu, it came out about a month ago, and it beat the audience over the head with class division ideas. Similarly, to The Banshees of Inisherin, it does a great job of blending dark elements with comedy. It also has Anya Taylor-Joy, who I previously mentioned does an incredible job. It is still in theaters, but I highly recommend seeing it, close to the top of my list of favorites for sure. It is also now on HBO Max. I also would be remiss to not mention The Batman, the best superhero movie of the year by far. It is a dark and gritty depiction of the Batman, and it brings him back to his detective roots. The shots with red neon in the night were stunning, and one of my favorite moments of the year was being in the IMAX theater when they revealed the new Batmobile, and the engine was so loud, I could feel my insides vibrating, an incredible moment! (on HBO Max now) Ambulance was a two hour shot of adrenaline. It was a heist filled with crashes and gun fights and explosions. It was incredibly intense, and it has some wild drone shots. Another very fun experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Finally, I would be remiss not to mention Smile. It rocked the box office this year, and it even succeeded in beating out the tentpole horror franchises that released sequels this year. It was by far the scariest theater experience I had this year. It was jam packed with jump scares, and it had multiple moments that made the hair stick up on the back of my neck, and at this point in my horror movie watching journey, this is hard to do, so if you like scary, this is the movie to check out from the year.
As far as stats go for the year, I watched 253 movies this year, and I watch 120 2022 movies, that is a lot of time dedicated to movies… 70 of which were in theaters. So I may not have set a miles record for the year for running, but I did set a movie watching record for sure.
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