In 2022 I watched a total of 171 movies. 142 of them were first-time watches, of which 75 were new releases for the year. I only watched the same movie more than once on two occasions, and both of them are on the list below which reflects my 10 favorite movies of the year.
I struggled a bit to put this list together because despite a handful of sure-fire hits in my opinion, there was not a wealth of movies I really, truly enjoyed. I’m sure as the years go on, I will nonetheless find the movies that slipped through the cracks the first time around.
Find the complete summary of my year in movie-watching here, on my Letterboxd 2022 Year in Review.
Barbarian
It’s probably of no surprise to anyone that one of my favorite movies of the year is an inventive horror movie that flips the script on the genre. Directed by Zach Cregger of internet sketch comedy troupe Whitest Kids U’Know, Barbarian is a movie I prefer to say very little about but rather blanket recommend to anyone who is a fan of horror and/or impeccable comedic timing.
Bullet Train
On paper, Bullet Train seems like a movie that would come and go without leaving much of an impression, but it has ended up as one of my favorite action comedies in recent memory. The script is tight and punchy and makes good use of a limited settings with some very memorable characters and action set-pieces.
Deadstream
Co-writer/co-director/co-producer Joseph Winter stars as a washed-up internet personality attempting to salvage his waning career by spending a night in a haunted house, all while streaming the event Paranormal Activity-style. Horror meets social media seems to be a rising trend in the indie scene these day and I think Deadstream has pulled it off as a comedy nearly flawlessly.
Everything Everywhere all at once
This Hong-Kong-inspired sci-fi comedy was steadily near the top of my favorite movies for the entirety of the year. I even watched three quarters of it with no audio, over the shoulder of a neighboring passenger on a trans-Atlantic flight. It hits so many different strong notes for me, all while balancing its emotional familial core with zany off-the-wall comedic gags.
Glass onion
Rian Johnson’s follow-up to Knives Out is bigger and bolder in pretty much every way possible. While I didn’t feel that the cast was is as strong as its predecessor, I think Glass Onion‘s strength lies within its more complicated and nuanced story, feeling more like Johnathan Lynn’s Clue or something out of Agatha Christie’s bibliography.
Nope
While it probably doesn’t have as strong a thematic message as Get Out or Us, the sheer inventiveness of Jordan Peele’s Nope made more an impression on me than any of his other films. I loved his unique twist on the alien abduction subgenre of horror and how he managed to get under my skin in ways I never thought possible.
The Northman
Many people are going to dismiss The Northman of being just another retelling of the story that inspired Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but I admired how Robert Eggers infused his adaptation with the grim and brutal visual language for which he has come to be known. I was glad that it didn’t end up being a wall-to-wall Viking slaughter-fest and instead had a more personal and scaled-back story to tell.
Speak No Evil
Of everything I have watched throughout the year, nothing struck my heart with such concentrated dread and hopelessness as Christian Tafdrup’s Speak No Evil. It’s the kind of horror movie that succeeds in its simplicity, a conflict of man versus the darkest side of man, how a single mistake could lead to total downfall.
Triangle of Sadness
I was reminded of Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Lobster while watching Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness, not just because they are both very dry satirical works, but because both films have very distinct first and second halves. The over-the-top lampoon of the rich and influential of the first half is flipped on its head in the back half, giving way to scathing social satire and commentary, all while remaining hilarious end-to-end.
Turning Red
Probably one of the most emotive works Disney has produced in years and it hit straight at the core of what it was to be someone growing up in the late-90s/early-00s. I didn’t have to relate to the feminine adolescence side of the story to absolutely adore everything about this movie and be bitter as hell that it was relegated to a streaming platform.
