December 29, 2022
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Adam Sandler's Happy Madison production company teamed up with LeBron James and Maverick Carter of The Springhill Company to produce 'Hustle.'
We covered our favorite shows of the year. Now what about films?
From the big-time blockbusters to the heartfelt independents, the can't-miss events and the hidden gems, there was tons to go and see (or stream) in 2022.
Here were our favorites:
5. "Turning Red"
4. "Jerry and Marge Go Large"
3. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"
2. "Hustle"
1. "Avatar: The Way of Water"
I could probably make a much better list of movies I still need to see from 2022 — including "Top Gun: Maverick" and "The Batman," both waiting for me to stream. For whatever reason I was way more into TV shows in 2022, but I did see a few good flicks this year and the above five I would definitely recommend.
• "Turning Red" was the latest animated Disney movie and those are always wholesome and fun to watch with my daughter (it was nice to mix things up from seeing "Frozen" and "Moana" once a week).
• "Jerry and Marge Go Large" was just an impulse watch on Paramount+ — which I didn't even know I had — and it was a really fascinating true story about a midwestern couple who finds a way to guarantee they win the lottery every month. (yay math!)
• I didn't think "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" was as spectacular as other people did, but it was the best Marvel movie of the year — and, yes, I did see all of those. Thor was meh, and I was pretty disappointed by the new Doctor Strange.
• I was not let down by "Hustle", Adam Sandler's latest Netflix entry that was based in Philadelphia and about an aspiring NBA scout and prospect.
• Yes, I did see "Avatar: the Way of Water" the day it came out, and it really didn't feel like it was three hours long. It was visually incredible and I found myself holding back tears by the end. It's better than the first one.
5. "Prey"
4. "The Northman"
3. "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery"
2. "The Batman"
1. "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Dishonorable mention: "Bones and All"
Favorite pre-2022 movies watched for the first this year: "Mid90s," "The Truman Show"
• Give me a new "Prey" movie every year. Drop a Predator in any time period in history. Take a page out Assassin Creed's book and flip through the centuries. Feudal Japan? Have them fight a Predator. The Western front of the Great War? Let's see what the beginning of modern warfare can wage against a Predator.
• If this year's "Thor: Love and Thunder" was a letdown for your Norse needs, "The Northman" is there to carry you to Valhalla and beyond. Even in a minor role, I can't get enough of whatever Ethan Hawke is involved with the last handful of years.
• "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" is the type of movie that reminds me of why movies are so special in the first place. Silly and funny with Hollywood's top stars just going all in on a murder mystery, director Rian Johnson's hit rate is higher than Bryce Harper's off a Padres relief pitcher.
• I wrote a review of "The Batman" for PhillyVoice earlier in 2022. It's one of the best superhero movies of all time.
• As a gigantic Marvel nerd, imagine my surprise that the Doctor Strange movie wasn't the best multiverse film of 2022. I went through every range of emotion watching "Everything Everywhere All At Once," reflecting on alls facet of my life even though I may be going through a singular timeline, unlike that of the cast in this absurdist instant classic.
4. "Hustle" (Netflix)
3. "The Batman" (HBO Max)
2. "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" (Netflix)
1. "The Banshees of Inisherin" (HBO Max)
There were only a handful of new movies I watched this year, though a ton on the to-do list ("Wakanda Forever," "Everything Everywhere All At Once," and "Dragon Ball: Super Hero" are at the top of my personal list right now), so I don't have a full top-five. Still, I do have some favorites.
"Hustle" is a relatively simple, but ultra-charming basketball movie featuring the Sixers, a long list of other basketball stars, and Adam Sandler doing work you can tell he genuinely enjoys. Will it win any Oscars? No. But its energy is infectious and highly recommended for any Sixers fan out there.
"The Batman" is my favorite movie interpretation of the character. Maybe that's blasphemous to say in the face of "The Dark Knight" trilogy, but Robert Pattinson's take on Bruce Wayne as an angry and confused kid still figuring out what Batman is supposed to represent really struck a chord with me. This version of Gotham also felt the most "lived in." Core villains are just already there without introduction and in some cases have already been dealt with by the time the story starts. In a lot of ways, Matt Reeves trusted the audience to be up to speed, and that was also something I really appreciated.
"Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" hit Netflix just in time to fit this in and I'm so glad it did. Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is great and I want more of him, and the mystery and supporting cast make for an incredibly timely plot given the current state of events.
My favorite film this year is a couple of Irish guys arguing for just shy of two hours. That's the crass way of summing up "The Banshees of Inisherin," but at the same time, crass clashing with complexity is kind of this film's whole deal. A dark comedy where its characters struggle with complacency and greater purpose, hope and despair on a rather isolated island, and at its core, friends growing apart – sometimes suddenly – and the resentment that develops from it.
Sometimes, it’s hard to keep showing up for people. We can be a nasty, selfish bunch, but we’re also the reason our friends and family keep going — and most of my favorite movies this year explored that paradox.
“Decision to Leave,” the latest from Park Chan-wook, is a thriller about a detective and a murder suspect. It’s got style and intrigue that would make Hitchcock jealous — right down to the haunting score — but at the end of the day, it’s about two lonely people struggling to connect. In a similar vein, “The Banshees of Inisherin” follows the friendship between two Irishmen on the outs, and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” tasks a middle-aged mom with repairing her fractured relationships with her husband and daughter. They’re each quietly beautiful, when the leads aren’t cracking dark jokes (“Banshees”) or beating up foes in another universe (“EEAAO”).
“The Janes,” a compelling documentary about an underground network of 1970s feminists who provided abortions in a pre-Roe world, couldn’t have arrived at a more relevant time. And “Glass Onion,” the latest mystery in the budding “Knives Out”/Benoit Blanc franchise, is just a blast.
5. "Do Revenge" (Netflix)
4. "Don't Worry Darling"
3. "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" (Netflix)
2. "Elvis"
1. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"
Honorable mentions: "My Policeman," "Uncharted," "The Swimmers," "Emily the Criminal," "Turning Red," "Falling for Christmas," "The Batman," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," "Thor: Love and Thunder," "Werewolf by Night," "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special"
To be honest, I definitely enjoyed more TV than movies in 2022, so check out my list of top five TV shows for a more accurate depiction of what I watched this year. In fact, I feel like I missed out on some of the best movies of 2022, considering I still need to watch "The Banshees of Inisherin," "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "Aftersun."
But, what I did consume in film was fun, campy and dramatic. "Do Revenge" was a Gen Z take on popular '90s teen flicks and I loved every second. I watched my favorite singer Harry Styles fully become a movie star, after his brief appearance in the 2017 "Dunkirk," with two major films. "My Policeman" was poignant and introspective, while "Don't Worry Darling" had enough juicy drama behind the scenes to make up for a few plot holes here and there. Austin Butler completely transformed himself for "Elvis," and I thought it was a really interesting take on the singer's rise and downfall which both were aided by his sketchy manager (played by an unrecognizable Tom Hanks.) There were some bold entries into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the beautiful "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" easily topping them all. Looking ahead and thinking about some of the movies I'm already anticipating for 2023, with Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" nearing the top of the list, I think 2023 will be an even better year for movies.
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