My Favorite Movies Of 2022
It's time to share my list of my favorite films I saw released in 2022. As always with these lists, I wouldn't have seen every movie I wanted to see in any given year, but here's how things stand as of today.
The Batman - The trailer didn't really do the movie justice because it wasn't the most appealing trailer, but this was fantastic. Great detective noir style Batman. I need more Batman movies like this. I'm not sure if it's going to happen though due to the DC shake-up.
The Adam Project - A fun little sci-fi flick from Netflix starring Ryan Reynolds. It's a movie that I could almost even see fitting in the MCU. The kid they picked to play Ryan Reynolds younger self was perfect.
The Lost City - So much fun. It was really funny, especially one scene in particular with Brad Pitt. I always say this, but I want him to do more comedies. And you can never go wrong with Sandra Bullock either.
Everything Everywhere All At Once - True story: I was going to see Morbius in theaters, but changed my mind when I saw the poor reviews it was getting, so I opted for this film instead. I still haven't seen Morbius. Best choice ever. This film is so brilliant and holds a very top spot in my favorite films of the year. Not only is it a fun and ridiculous ride, but it dives into some deep themes including generational trauma and learning to be who you are and becoming a better person. And it's a better film about the multiverse than Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore - Yes, I know how people feel about these films and I have my own strong feelings about Rowling, but I still enjoy these movies. I loved the interactions between Dumbledore and Jacob. I would have loved to see more of that. I have doubts that the series is going to continue though because of all the controversies and failure at the box office.
Top Gun: Maverick - One of the rare cases where the sequel is better than the first movie? I think so. Super solid, impressive visual effects, and a touching scene with Val Kilmer. Without a doubt another one in a top position for my favorite films of the year.
Lightyear - I also know how people feel about this movie and I think it's unfair. I think this movie is underrated. Is it the best Pixar movie? No. But I enjoyed it. Sure the end twist was kind of eh, but I live for Sox. He's my favorite new Pixar character.
Till - I'm glad a movie was finally made about this story because it deserves to be told. It's a gut punch, but handled in a respectful way. I don't know that I could watch it again though. It's one of those movies you can only watch once, I think.
Black Adam - This was a pretty fun movie. It doesn't hold a candle to other Marvel movies, but it actually felt more Marvel than DC. It's not perfect, but it was a good time. I'm glad it did well at the box office because despite everything, I really do want DC to succeed.
Ticket To Paradise - I saw this on Halloween and it was funny. Julie Roberts and George Clooney are great together.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story - This faux biopic Weird Al made about himself is hysterical. It's so off the rails. I would laugh just thinking about it. I dug the Michael Jackson joke where Weird Al claims he parodied him. It's just quintessential Weird Al.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - A moving tribute to both the character and Chadwick Boseman done in a respectful way. It squeezed my heart both in the beginning and the end, and I really liked the story of Namor too and the introduction of Riri Williams. The best MCU movie released last year.
The Menu - Another of my top films of the year. This was so well done. It's quite intense with shades of dark humor. It's one of those movies that will sit with you long after it's over.
Glass Onion - The Knives Out sequel. This one also reminded me of The Menu for some reason. Maybe because it's also set on an island with murder. This was great. The mystery in these movies unfold in such a satisfying way. I still think the first movie was maybe slightly better, but it was still really really good and I hope for more movies. I know there's at least going to be a third coming next year. I enjoy these Agatha Christie style mysteries. They seem to be making a comeback.
Honorable Mentions
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - I enjoyed both this one and the Thor sequel, but I consider them both to be mid-tier Marvel movies. At least Doctor Strange had that whole scene with Xavier, Reed Richards, Rambeau's Captain Marvel and Black Bolt. That was the best part of the movie.
Chip N' Dale: Rescue Rangers - This was surprisingly good with plenty of nostalgia and references. It was almost like Roger Rabbit. I could use another Roger Rabbit movie.
Jurassic World: Dominion - I could have done without the locust plot, sure, but it was still a fun time. And I enjoyed having the original trio back.
Minions: The Rise of Gru - Arguably the better of the two Minion movies. This was fun. A lot of people don't like the Minions, but I find them funny. It's like Looney Tunes humor.
Where the Crawdads Sing - I did read the book. It wasn't anywhere on my list of books I posted the other day. I liked the book, but also had mixed feelings about it. I actually think the movie was better than the book, and for once it was a good adaptation.
Bullet Train - This movie was wild and funny. I almost put it in my favorites, but at this point I can't remember much of what happened in the movie. I just remember enjoying it.
Emily the Criminal - I just watched it recently and it was very good. I had never seen Aubrey Plaza do anything dramatic before, so that was quite the change from her more quirky roles. It had some intense moments, but I felt like they could have gone further with it too.
See How They Run - Another Agatha Christie (She's even in the movie) style murder mystery. It was funny and quirky. The ending was kind of weird though. I enjoyed the dynamic between Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan.
Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio - No, not the Disney live-action remake, this one. This one was the better Pinocchio movie. It left a bigger emotional impact. Sure there's a little weirdness to it too, but it was well done. I loved Ewan McGregor as the cricket.
Avatar: The Way of Water - I actually just watched it yesterday. It's a good movie, but I kind of had the same problem with the storytelling in the second one as I did with the first one. It's flawed. I don't like that they're reusing the same villain over, especially since he's such a caricature. Come up with a new villain already. There were unanswered questions, which I'm sure will be addressed in sequels. On the upside, the visuals are still on point. And I enjoyed the intelligent whale creatures. I have a love for the ocean, so it speaks to me.
Least Favorite and/or Worst Movies
Pinocchio - Yes, the Disney live-action adaptation. Parts of it were OK, it was just weird. Weird choices were made. I did like the Chris Pine joke though. It was maybe the only thing I laughed at, which is stupid really.
Hocus Pocus 2 - Yeah, sadly it didn't quite work for me. Our favorite witches were fine. They looked like they were having a good time. It was just lackluster. Would I watch another sequel because they seemed to open the door to one? Maybe? Probably.
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again - It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. It was hard to get used to new voices. It felt like more like a pilot to a new animated TV series based on the films, which would be fine if they wanted to do that. I remember the days in the 90s when they used to do that a lot (Think Jumanji, The Real Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, Godzilla, ect), and that's exactly what this movie reminded me of.
And that's it for my list. Out of all the movies though, if I had to pick one top favorite, that would be Everything Everywhere All At Once. I'm glad it's getting the recognition it deserves too. I did watch more movies than this, but they either don't really fit into any category, just don't make the cut, or were just OK. My list of my notable movies for 2023 is going to be my final list tomorrow and then I can breathe a sigh of relief because then I will be done with these end of the year blog posts.
The Batman - The trailer didn't really do the movie justice because it wasn't the most appealing trailer, but this was fantastic. Great detective noir style Batman. I need more Batman movies like this. I'm not sure if it's going to happen though due to the DC shake-up.
The Adam Project - A fun little sci-fi flick from Netflix starring Ryan Reynolds. It's a movie that I could almost even see fitting in the MCU. The kid they picked to play Ryan Reynolds younger self was perfect.
The Lost City - So much fun. It was really funny, especially one scene in particular with Brad Pitt. I always say this, but I want him to do more comedies. And you can never go wrong with Sandra Bullock either.
Everything Everywhere All At Once - True story: I was going to see Morbius in theaters, but changed my mind when I saw the poor reviews it was getting, so I opted for this film instead. I still haven't seen Morbius. Best choice ever. This film is so brilliant and holds a very top spot in my favorite films of the year. Not only is it a fun and ridiculous ride, but it dives into some deep themes including generational trauma and learning to be who you are and becoming a better person. And it's a better film about the multiverse than Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore - Yes, I know how people feel about these films and I have my own strong feelings about Rowling, but I still enjoy these movies. I loved the interactions between Dumbledore and Jacob. I would have loved to see more of that. I have doubts that the series is going to continue though because of all the controversies and failure at the box office.
Top Gun: Maverick - One of the rare cases where the sequel is better than the first movie? I think so. Super solid, impressive visual effects, and a touching scene with Val Kilmer. Without a doubt another one in a top position for my favorite films of the year.
Lightyear - I also know how people feel about this movie and I think it's unfair. I think this movie is underrated. Is it the best Pixar movie? No. But I enjoyed it. Sure the end twist was kind of eh, but I live for Sox. He's my favorite new Pixar character.
Till - I'm glad a movie was finally made about this story because it deserves to be told. It's a gut punch, but handled in a respectful way. I don't know that I could watch it again though. It's one of those movies you can only watch once, I think.
Black Adam - This was a pretty fun movie. It doesn't hold a candle to other Marvel movies, but it actually felt more Marvel than DC. It's not perfect, but it was a good time. I'm glad it did well at the box office because despite everything, I really do want DC to succeed.
Ticket To Paradise - I saw this on Halloween and it was funny. Julie Roberts and George Clooney are great together.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story - This faux biopic Weird Al made about himself is hysterical. It's so off the rails. I would laugh just thinking about it. I dug the Michael Jackson joke where Weird Al claims he parodied him. It's just quintessential Weird Al.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - A moving tribute to both the character and Chadwick Boseman done in a respectful way. It squeezed my heart both in the beginning and the end, and I really liked the story of Namor too and the introduction of Riri Williams. The best MCU movie released last year.
The Menu - Another of my top films of the year. This was so well done. It's quite intense with shades of dark humor. It's one of those movies that will sit with you long after it's over.
Glass Onion - The Knives Out sequel. This one also reminded me of The Menu for some reason. Maybe because it's also set on an island with murder. This was great. The mystery in these movies unfold in such a satisfying way. I still think the first movie was maybe slightly better, but it was still really really good and I hope for more movies. I know there's at least going to be a third coming next year. I enjoy these Agatha Christie style mysteries. They seem to be making a comeback.
Honorable Mentions
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - I enjoyed both this one and the Thor sequel, but I consider them both to be mid-tier Marvel movies. At least Doctor Strange had that whole scene with Xavier, Reed Richards, Rambeau's Captain Marvel and Black Bolt. That was the best part of the movie.
Chip N' Dale: Rescue Rangers - This was surprisingly good with plenty of nostalgia and references. It was almost like Roger Rabbit. I could use another Roger Rabbit movie.
Jurassic World: Dominion - I could have done without the locust plot, sure, but it was still a fun time. And I enjoyed having the original trio back.
Minions: The Rise of Gru - Arguably the better of the two Minion movies. This was fun. A lot of people don't like the Minions, but I find them funny. It's like Looney Tunes humor.
Where the Crawdads Sing - I did read the book. It wasn't anywhere on my list of books I posted the other day. I liked the book, but also had mixed feelings about it. I actually think the movie was better than the book, and for once it was a good adaptation.
Bullet Train - This movie was wild and funny. I almost put it in my favorites, but at this point I can't remember much of what happened in the movie. I just remember enjoying it.
Emily the Criminal - I just watched it recently and it was very good. I had never seen Aubrey Plaza do anything dramatic before, so that was quite the change from her more quirky roles. It had some intense moments, but I felt like they could have gone further with it too.
See How They Run - Another Agatha Christie (She's even in the movie) style murder mystery. It was funny and quirky. The ending was kind of weird though. I enjoyed the dynamic between Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan.
Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio - No, not the Disney live-action remake, this one. This one was the better Pinocchio movie. It left a bigger emotional impact. Sure there's a little weirdness to it too, but it was well done. I loved Ewan McGregor as the cricket.
Avatar: The Way of Water - I actually just watched it yesterday. It's a good movie, but I kind of had the same problem with the storytelling in the second one as I did with the first one. It's flawed. I don't like that they're reusing the same villain over, especially since he's such a caricature. Come up with a new villain already. There were unanswered questions, which I'm sure will be addressed in sequels. On the upside, the visuals are still on point. And I enjoyed the intelligent whale creatures. I have a love for the ocean, so it speaks to me.
Least Favorite and/or Worst Movies
Pinocchio - Yes, the Disney live-action adaptation. Parts of it were OK, it was just weird. Weird choices were made. I did like the Chris Pine joke though. It was maybe the only thing I laughed at, which is stupid really.
Hocus Pocus 2 - Yeah, sadly it didn't quite work for me. Our favorite witches were fine. They looked like they were having a good time. It was just lackluster. Would I watch another sequel because they seemed to open the door to one? Maybe? Probably.
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again - It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. It was hard to get used to new voices. It felt like more like a pilot to a new animated TV series based on the films, which would be fine if they wanted to do that. I remember the days in the 90s when they used to do that a lot (Think Jumanji, The Real Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, Godzilla, ect), and that's exactly what this movie reminded me of.
And that's it for my list. Out of all the movies though, if I had to pick one top favorite, that would be Everything Everywhere All At Once. I'm glad it's getting the recognition it deserves too. I did watch more movies than this, but they either don't really fit into any category, just don't make the cut, or were just OK. My list of my notable movies for 2023 is going to be my final list tomorrow and then I can breathe a sigh of relief because then I will be done with these end of the year blog posts.