With only a few days left in 2022, I still have not seen The Fablemans or Aftersun or The Banshees of Inisherin or Tár, and based on everything I’ve heard about them, they will all be on my “Best Of” list for film this year. However, I have seen a lot of great movies that I want to talk about. So, knowing that, here are ten films that if you have not seen yet, you are seriously missing out on.
Beavis & Butthead Do The Universe
WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: I’m calling 2022, “The year excellent comedies came back to the movies.” Since making lists of the best films of the year, I have never had three comedies in my top ten (and two more from 10-20!) and it was so good to just have a good laugh. Mike Judge’s return to these characters (and to the big screen) isn’t anything you wouldn’t expect from a Beavis & Butthead movie, but why the fuck does it have to be? This movie kept me laughing hard for a long time. That counts for something
Confess, Fletch
WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: Jon Hamm is an absolute joke assassin, and also smart enough to know that a Chevy Chase impression for Confess, Fletch was not going to cut it. He plays to every one of his strengths which are similar to Chase’s- his charm, his wit, his ability to blend in all while looking out of place. Surrounded by an amazing cast (including the hilarious Annie Mumolo, who will be robbed of a Best Supporting Actress nomination), Hamm has the exact right voltage in his star power to make this film one of the funniest (and best) films of 2022.
Everything Everywhere All At Once
WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: No film has captured be in such a fantastic way like Everything Everywhere All At Once from the directing team known as Daniels. Because the film is dealing with alternate realities crashing into each other, you know this film is about big ideas. But, perhaps more importantly, it’s an earnest, touching and sweet film about the relationships which exist within a family with some absolutely dynamite performances, lead by the absolutely note perfect Michelle Yeoh.
Kimi
WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: Director Steven Soderbergh has given us the Rear Window of the COVID/internet generation in Kimi, a sharp, smart thriller. Zöe Kravitz (very good in The Batman, but amazing here) plays an agoraphobic tech worker who may have digitally witnessed a crime while doing her job and even we spend a lot of the film wondering if she is the hero or just a person whose fears and anxieties have gotten the best of her. This film takes advantage of it’s short (89 minutes) run time by setting the scene quickly and then keeping us on the edge of our seats for the entirety of the third act.
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On
WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: Both this film and EEAAO made the A24 draft that our site hosted, and both for similar reasons. Much like the Daniels’ film, Marcel The Shell With Shoes On has a lot of heart while also being a weird fucking little gem of a film. You need the weirdness to be hooked, but you also need to fall in love with this little shell (voiced by the amazing Jenny Slate). Add Isabella Rossellini as the voice of Marcel’s grandmother, and this film provides way more laughs and emotions that anyone could possibly expect.
Prey
WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: Three comedies and a movie starring the Predator in my top ten (so far)? 2022 fucking rules. This movie would have looked gorgeous on a big screen and a Hulu release did not do this film justice. But even on a small screen, this movie delivers huge thrills and amazing action sequences.
Three Thousand Years Of Longing
WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: With a story adapted by his daughter, George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) is back giving us a visually stunning and wild ride. Also, this movie has Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton playing a genie and the nerd who has found him… what more do you fucking want from a theatrical experience? Miller throws all the tricks he knows how so we know the movie is going to look amazing all while letting two of the best actors of our generation draw you in.
Top Gun: Maverick
WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: It’s rare that the highest-grossing film of the year is one of the best, and perhaps that is where Top Gun: Maverick is the most impressive. Because this is a big, silly popcorn movie but I’ll be damned if it isn’t also thrilling and exciting and just a pulse-pounding, heart-racing sky-romp that literally hits every right note. Tom Cruise, handling his deal with the devil for looking so good despite being 93 years old, takes us right back to where we needed him. A maverick. A hero. Possibly the guy who saved movie theaters in 2022.
The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent
WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: While we’re talking about Tom Cruise and movie stars, this film needs us to believe in the movie star power of Nicolas Cage, a very different kind of actor. In this film, playing a version of himself, Cage just allows himself to go for it, which is exactly what this movie needs. It’s a wild performance that always feels an inch away from being completely unhinged, but that is where Nic Cage cashes his checks, baby. And the chemistry he has with Pedro Pascal is absolutely charming.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: First things first, this film has the best supporting acting performance of the year. Evan Rachel Wood is playing Madonna and is just giving an absolutely note-perfect performance and I am already sad that she will not be nominated for an Oscar, because she will deserve it. As for Weird, as a massive “Weird Al” fan, the best compliment I can give the movie is to say that this is exactly the movie I was hoping to get. And you can’t ask for more than that.
Fancy Boys Club 
I really enjoyed The Fabelmans. Spielberg really knows how to tell a story.
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I enjoyed The Fabelmans; Spielberg really knows how to tell a story!
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