My Top 10 Movies of 2022

How have I not done a movie recap since January 2018!? Oh yeah, COVID. What is it about COVID time that makes it like warp-speed? I mean, I knew it had been a while but FIVE YEARS of nothing after religiously doing an annual movie recap for a decade straight and it’s only just now dawning on me that it’s been five years since the last one? Well, fear not–even though I’m pretty sure that COVID permanently altered my all-time favorite hobby of seeing movies in the theater, I am beyond happy that movies in the theater are once again back on the menu of possibility. I just need to get my groove back. But shoutout to AMC Stubs (I wish I had an affiliate link but alas I just pay for it–gladly) and similar programs at Regal and whatever other theater chains still exist for ostensibly saving me hundreds of dollars a year–when I think of the money I spent between 2008 and 2018 at movie theaters I…don’t even want to think about it. Now I spend $20 a month to see, pretty much, zero movies–but it could just as easily be $20 a month to see every movie, multiple times.

Anyway, I digress. Also, I’m not going to belabor this post or stick to the format I used to use–I’m just going to share the 10 movies released in 2022 (or in a few cases, 2021 but I saw them in 2022) that stood out for one reason or another. I’ll also say this: movies this year–and last–for the most part sucked. I mean, I get it–the world sucked for the past few years and making movies was no small feat. But I sure hope that now that the world is pretty much open again that someone figures out how to make a decent movie again soon because even the most hyped 2022 films were, in my opinion, solidly disappointing. Wait–one exception–Jurassic World Dominion–no Jurassic Park movie ever disappoints me because just by existing it is not capable of disappointing IMO.

Ok, here we go. In no particular order, these movies were either standout good, fun, so bad they were good or actually kind of great.

• Men. I just saw this last night so I’m putting it first because OMG it was crazy good…with the emphasis on crazy because holy fuck what even was that movie?! It gets an automatic A+ for the English countryside and house…and from there it was just creepy good until it went off the rails and became WTF legend on par with Hereditary and Midsommar, and then some. If you want a more storied review than this, the NYT has you covered. And if you want the real real, Reddit never disappoints.
• Fresh. If you don’t like horror or gore, skip this one. If you do like horror and/or gore, this may even be a bit much for you, as it was for me. But still kind of A+. Which reminds me, I need to watch it again.
• Deep Water. My boyfriend Ben Affleck looking hot af; Ana de Armas even hotter. Even if that pretty much sums up the movie, I still watched it at least four times and need to watch it again.
• Jurassic World Dominion. The original stars in a random new Jurassic Park movie in the middle of a movie desert? What’s not to like? Loved it.
• Don’t Worry Darling. I don’t know why this got panned–I loved it and thought it was great. Definitely worth a watch, and also an Oscar contender IMO, in multiple categories.
• Homebound. Yes, another English countryside horror-ish/suspense movie but OMG this one is good and not gory or even really scary, just suspenseful and creepy. IMO this was actually the tightest 2022 movie on all fronts–well made, acted, directed and just a good film.
• Tár. I need to watch it again to decide what I really thought of it but I will say that it definitely didn’t live up to the hype on first watch. Cate Blanchett will win Best Actress for sure though. It’s definitely solid and worth a watch but it’s no Whiplash or anything.
• Hatching. Ok, yes, I do like horror movies. And this wasn’t even scary, just weird and awesome and gorgeous. Yes, it’s in Finnish with subtitles but still so worth it, if for no other reason than the “huh?” value.
• Nightmare Alley. Ok, if you’re looking for a non-horror movie that’s really good, this is it. Beautiful cinematography–especially the Art Deco hotel, but also just in general. Good story and really good movie.
• Spiderhead. For the music alone, this movie wins. It’s just a good, entertaining watch, nothing scary or overly spectacular, but IMO it was weirdly under-hyped by Netflix and should have gotten higher billing.

Ok, so now go watch Men and tell me wtf did we just watch. 🤣