Greetings, reader!
It's the last Thursday of the year, and longtime readers of this blog (as well as people capable of reading the post's title) will know what that means; it's time for the big one. The best movies of the year. Without further ado, here they are.
But first, some honorable mentions: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Halloween Ends, Mr. Harrigan's Phone, Studio 666.
10. The Gray Man
"It's me"
"Where are you?"
"Emotionally? I've been better"
"The extraction team?"
"They've been better, too"
This spy thriller runs the risk of being a bit generic, but there are two elements that help it stick out as a definitely worthwhile viewing experience: the sharply directed action sequences courtesy of the Russo brothers, and the film's thoroughly engaging villain Lloyd Hansen, played by Chris Evans. The action set-pieces are massively entertaining and well-coordinated - many have criticized the film for over-using drone shots, to which my response is "the drone shots f**king rule, they look awesome".
And as for the villain - what really makes the character so interesting is his similarity to the main heroes in many crime films (especially slightly outdated ones). In the past few years, there has been a lot of conversation on Hollywood glorifying law enforcement types who don't play by the rules, go rogue et cetera, and this film's story sheds light on what the romanticized 'wild card' CIA agent might look like in real life. With certain realities in place, the constant use of rogue methods over 'the book' suddenly has some very dark implications, and Chris Evans does a great job portraying a sociopath who, in a different movie with a less mature script, might very well be the hero.
9. Avatar: The Way of Water
"Why so blue?"
Never has a film met my expectations as perfectly as this James Cameron infinity project. The sequel to 2009's Avatar wasn't one bit better than I expected, nor was it one bit worse. It had largely the same virtues as the first one, as well as the same flaws. Those flaws are why The Way of Water is only ninth and not higher despite its masterpiece-potential; at the end of the day, the plot itself is slightly generic and inescapably predictable. And the film's message, while a powerful and important one, often feels a bit too heavily hammered and self-important.
That being said, the virtues are why the film definitely earned its spot in this top 10; first of all, the visuals are beyond breathtaking, even more so than in the first Avatar. The film looks amazing in all sorts of ways, truly taking us into other worlds in what would be perfect escapist cinema if the themes didn't hit so close to home. Some have criticized the film for being too long, but while I see the point of the story not calling for an over-3-hour runtime, I still have no quarrel with the runtime because I was happy to just look at this piece of visual art for over three hours.
Also, the film's message does make it into the positives as well. Yes, it's a bit heavy-handed, but it's still so important that there are many parts when it gets to you in a gripping manner. You won't feel like a proud member of the human race while watching this film, which is undoubtedly a good thing, as we as a species aren't doing nearly enough reflecting on how this whole colonization-and-abuse-of-nature thing has gone for us and our planet so far.
8. The Batman
"Fear is a tool. When that light hits the sky, it's not just a call - it's a warning"
The newest version of the Batman legend isn't the greatest Batman picture of all time by any means, but far from the worst as well. This is clear from pretty much any comparable factors: Robert Pattinson's take on Bruce Wayne is better than the likes of Ben Affleck or even Adam West, but not quite on the level of Michael Keaton or Christian Bale. Jeffrey Wright's Commissioner Gordon is better than the J.K. Simmons and Neil Hamilton versions of the character, but not quite on par with Gary Oldman. On the villain/anti-hero front, we actually get some all-timers, as Colin Farrell, Paul Dano and Zoe Kravitz provide what I consider to be the all-time best versions of The Penguin, The Riddler and Catwoman on the big screen.
Director Matt Reeves' take on Gotham City is gloomy and atmospheric, and the re-branding of Bruce Wayne as an extremely introverted and secluded billionaire is an interesting contrast to the playboy facade seen in most adaptations. The re-branding also works on many of the film's villains - I don't know whose idea it was to write the Riddler as a reddit-incel conspiracy theorist, but that person is a genius, as this made the character so frighteningly relevant. All in all, The Batman is essential viewing for fans of the Caped Crusader, even if it doesn't quite reach the (admittedly sky-high) standards of the Dark Knight trilogy.
7. Elvis
"The way you sing is God-given, so there can't be nothin' wrong with it"
As I mentioned in a previous post, this Elvis Presley biopic manages to stick out from an increasingly crowded field, largely thanks to its focus on the relationship between star and manager, as Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) has pretty much equal screentime with the King himself (played by Austin Butler). This dynamic is quite eye-opening, but while Hanks is as great as one can expect him to be in any given role, there's no denying that Elvis himself is the star of the show, with Butler's performance being my favorite individual element of the film.
What really gets me in his performance, in addition to meeting the pressure of playing such a next-level iconic figure, is how his nuances color the way in which Elvis is presented. The film's script isn't as introspective as many other music biopics, as the Elvis we see is largely "Elvis the product", molded my the manager and other forces to be the figure we all know - yet Austin Butler's nuances in the role make it clear in a subtle yet powerful way that beneath it all was just an idealistic and kindhearted young man, confused by the noise and the expectations around him.
6. All Quiet on the Western Front
"My son killed in the war. He doesn't feel any honor"
This remake of the classic 1930 anti-war film is an all-around impressive cinematic feat, with production values on point and the ever-relevant message clear and present. While I wouldn't go as far as to call the film overall better (or even as good) as the iconic original, I will say that in several categories, it does an even better job than its predecessor. Chief among these factors is the authenticity - though the story is about German soldiers in World War One, the original film does the classic Hollywood trope of hoping no one notices that this group of German characters are played by American actors with American accents.
This remake was made by a German director, spoken in German and starring Germans. Obviously I'm not blaming the original for not doing this, as there are some fairly sound reasons for Hollywood and Germany not co-operating in the 1930's. I'm merely stating that it's nice to see the world currently being in a place where such co-operation could be done, and objectively a film about Germans feels more authentic when it has, y'know, Germans.
5. Stutz
"You don't get to the world of meaning through big things. You get it through small things"
For a celebrity who wants to raise awareness about mental health, there are many ways to do so. You can open up in an interview, promote therapy etc. on social media, work with groups involved in mental health work, et cetera.
Or, if you're an unconventional motherf**ker like Jonah Hill, there's always the option of filming several sessions with your longtime therapist, directing and editing a feature film of them, and releasing it on Netflix for the whole world to see.
What really got me about Stutz was the somewhat surprising subject matter. Having heard of the film's general concept, I assumed that it would specifically be about Jonah Hill's struggles, with a sort of "talking about these things in therapy has helped so now I'm ready to share them with the whole world" premise. Instead, the film isn't about the client, but the therapist himself. Hill specifically wanted to make this film about Phil Stutz, because he had gotten so much help from his ideas and methods that he wanted to share these with as many people as possible. Once again, there are many conventional ways of thanking your therapist, but if you're Jonah Hill, this also works.
Stutz follows a series of fascinating conversations between two intriguing and admirable people, and the central idea of "I think you're so good at what you do that I want to use my platform to show the whole world how good you are" is very heartwarming. Stutz's ideas certainly are worth sharing, and just like a good self-help book, quite many people might benefit from watching this movie.
4. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
"The world has taken away too much for you to still be considered a child"
Plans for a second Black Panther film were in motion when Chadwick Boseman's untimely death changed everything. After thinking through several possible courses of action, the good folks at Marvel figured that their best move was to make the film anyway, but with a very different script, writing the character off instead of re-casting. Usually, such a stunt wouldn't work - can you imagine an Iron Man movie without Tony Stark, or a Hulk movie without Bruce Banner? But with Black Panther specifically, the first film had established many deeply interesting supporting characters, who were more than enough to carry a film like this when called upon.
Furthermore, the world of Wakanda on the big screen was such a vibrant and intriguing milieu, that it would've been a shame to leave it at just one movie. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever works on its own as an entertaining MCU flick, but it reaches even further heights due to the emotional power from how it pays tribute to the franchise's late great star. The film honors Boseman's legacy just as the characters within the story honor the legacy of their king, who is very much present in spirit throughout the film. In a year of otherwise quite uneven Marvel entries, this was a much-needed gem.
3. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
"You've taken seven people, each of whom has a real life reason to wish you harm, gathered them together on a remote island, and placed the idea of your murder in their heads. It's like putting a loaded gun on the table and turning off the lights"
The Knives Out sequel looks to be quite the opinion-splitter, and I'm most definitely pro, not anti. I mean, what's not to like? Rian Johnson's script is wickedly clever, the star-studded cast has an absolute blast playing their colorful and memorable roles, and best of all, the detective mystery genre's genuine intrigue feels strikingly high.
We've seen so many whodunit-stories that ones with a typical premise have started to feel predictable and mundane, but here we have a concept so fresh that the first act thoroughly hooks you in, in a way similar to what it was like to read your first Agatha Christie mysteries as a kid. The very setting, alongside the unique characteristics of the case at hand, make for a funny and entertaining detective story that truly stands out from a crowded genre.
2. Nope
"This dream you're chasing, where you end up at the top of the mountain, all eyes on you...it's the dream you'll never wake up from"
Critics often draw a large and broad distinction of cinema and TV into two categories: the ones designed to entertain us, and the ones designes to make us think. While this in itself is horribly over-simplified, as most cinema and TV are both to some degree in various ways and combinations, I do see the basic idea. And there's a place for my heart for both extremes: sometimes a totally mind-numbing escapist comedy film is all one needs for their Friday night, and at other times, there's nothing better than to watch a deep and cryptic 'thinking man's movie' and spend the rest of the night analyzing what the hell it was that you just witnessed. And very few films are as far in the latter extreme as Jordan Peele's newest gem Nope.
The film is so cryptic in its artistic storytelling, that you'll walk out the theater not being able to immediately form a preliminary opinion as you first must process what you saw. There are all sorts of symbols and metaphors to decipher, and I hear loud and clear why a lot of people don't like that sort of film. It would suck if every movie in the world were like this. But, when there's always the option to choose an entertaining superhero flick or feel-good rom com, it feels like a nice change to challenge one's brain and watch a film like Nope every now and then. Especially as it's so satisfying when things start to make sense - with many artistic and cryptic films, you feel totally lost when trying to wrap your head around it, but with Nope, there are enough clues and threads that one can easily blow their mind when interpreting what it all might have meant.
How does the narrative of the monkey fit in with the rest of the plot? What is the thematic point of telling these two barely connected stories in such a fashion? What about the role of the black jockey anecdote, how does that tie in? What points is Jordan Peele trying to make concerning the themes of exploitation in entertainment, and why did he choose such an odd storyline as his vessel for said points? These questions will linger with you after seeing the film, and the process of analyzing what it all might mean feels like an equal part to the viewing experience than the actual viewing of the movie.
1. Top Gun: Maverick
"Your kind is headed for extinction"
"Maybe so, Sir. But not today"
As hyped up as I was for the legacy sequel to one of my favorite action films of all time, I certainly didn't expect it to be the best movie of the year. Let's be real, Top Gun: Maverick was never going to be the best movie of the year. That is, until something funny happened...
It just f**king was.
Like, there's no way around it. Top Gun: Maverick feels like a triumphant shout of glory from the era of classic summer blockbuster cinema. It feels like Back to the Future, The Terminator, Independence Day and Ferris Bueller's Day Off saying "Hey! We see your fancy streaming services and thought-provoking concept films and interconnected cinematic universes, but HOLD UP! There's still room for us". And for a fan of classic summer blockbusters, that cry from the past was a welcome one, and one that will hopefully echo into the future.
Top Gun: Maverick plays nostalgia like a harp, beautifully plucking out everything that Top Gun fans wanted so see more of and weaving those elements to be authentic parts of the story without feeling like it's forced or mere fan service. Whether it was Top Gun Anthem composer Harold Faltermeyer working together with Lady Gaga to compose the soundtrack, Miles Teller capturing the essence of Anthony Edwards' 'Goose' character while also making the roole of Goose's son his own, or the overall story being slightly more serious and real-worldly than the original but still very much being an entertaining action flick at heart (thus avoiding the 'gritty reboot that takes itself too seriously' cliché), this film does a magnificent job in combining old and new.
That's pretty much it. I could've written a longer and more analytical review, but really, such a tribute isn't the most fitting for a film like this. For a film like this, I'll simply end by saying that there were a bunch of awesome scenes that had me pumping my fist in the movie theater. And sometimes, that's the very best thing one can get from cinema.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for the Other Big One: The Top 10 TV Shows of 2022.
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