Christian's Top 10 Movies of 2022
As we here at The Couch continue to recap 2022 in sports in entertainment, Film and Television contributor Christian Becker offers his ranking of the best films of an abnormal year.
You can read fellow Film contributor Sierra Slaughter's Top 10 here as well.
10. The Fabelmans
Yeah I know, you’ll see this is on a lot of year end lists. But for good reasons. Steven Spielberg telling the personal story of his upbringing and early love of movie making? What could be better? What would be a mundane, sappy story if told from anybody else’s point of view turns out to be a compelling tale of family and passion in the hands of Spielberg.
9. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
One of the most pure fun experiences I had at the movies in all of 2022. What sounded like a weird Nicolas Cage love letter turned out to be… well, that, and so much more. A Cage movie within a Cage movie that’s as silly and entertaining as anything he’s done before. Plus I’d like to nominate Cage and Pedro Pascal for best bromance at the Oscars.
8. Nope
THIS is why we go to IMAX theaters. A fully immersive, haunting experience that only Jordan Peele can bring. One of those movies where you can’t look away from the screen out of fear of missing something. The way Peele uses visuals and sound to tell what could have been a very familiar UFO story proves he continues to grow and excel as a filmmaker.
7. Apollo 10 ½ : A Space Age Childhood
A lot of great animated films came out this year, but this is one I would bet you haven’t heard of. This flew under the radar on Netflix earlier this year and that saddens me, because it’s so, so wonderful. Richard Linklater can be a hit or miss director in general, but when he hits, he hits BIG. A cozy, coming of age saga that’s equal parts summer comedy, and eye-popping space epic. The smile never left my face while this was on.
6. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Hot take… this MIGHT be better than the first Knives Out? I know! How can that be? Because Rian Johnson has true love for the murder mystery genre that he carefully crafts something that’s traditional, yet subverts our expectations at the same time. The ensemble cast is so much fun, and I left thinking that I could watch 100 more of these movies if we could somehow keep Rian Johnson alive until the end of time to make them.
5. The Batman
Not that this was a hard thing to accomplish this year, but The Batman was far and away the best comic book movie of 2022. Matt Reeves lifted every element that makes this character the icon that he is and put him on screen in one of the greatest Batman adaptations I’ve ever witnessed.
4. The Banshees of Inisherin
I’m a gigantic Martin McDonagh fan, so I had high expectations for his reteaming ofColin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. And boy, how they met! The perfect cocktail of laugh out loud funny, and painstakingly sad.
3. The Menu
It’s not often I ever go into a movie these days completely blind to what it’s about or even what the tone is. I honestly contemplated not even going to see this. So color me shocked when this turned out to be one of my favorites of the year. Magnetic performances, twists around every corner, and I’m a sucker for single location settings in movies.
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2. Top Gun: Maverick
The film that solidified the “movies are BACK!” battle cry. Seriously, my parents went to this thing, my grandparents went to this thing, I’m pretty sure my dog somehow went twice. All for good reason! This movie was a thrilling experience, and seeing it in IMAX is without a doubt one of the most memorable movie going experiences I’ve ever had. A packed theater of cheers and tears, and not a single moment felt false.
1. Everything Everywhere All At Once
I re-watched this movie again the other night and I still cried like a baby. The Daniels prove that original, creative storytelling did not die in 2022, but rather thrived. This movie is a gift to anyone who calls themselves a film fan. The type of crazy idea that makes you want to go out there and put your crazy ideas out into the world.
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