MY TOP 10 FILMS OF 2022

As the winds of 2022 are nothing more than a distant breese, it’s time for me to sit down and share with you the most exciting, most touching, and most exhilarating films that I’ve seen on screen this past year.

2022 for me, became the Year of “Making Movies about Making Movies“ when it was all said and done! Many of my favorite Directors, Actors and Writers, decided to embark on some really fascinating films that shared the masterful craft behind my favorite visual art form. Another great thing about film in 2022, was besides my visual senses being stirred throughout the year, I was never so happy to be sitting in a movie theatre throughout most of those 365 days, as I sat there astronished at how so many films managed to really touch me, heart and soul, but with just as many making me wish I was back home with my family, enjoying their company, instead of being subjected to the painfullness that was unveiling itself on screen…

And for the first-time EVER in my Movie Critic career, I have had to regoup here to add a film that is up for awards for 2022, yet they didn’t show us here locally until January of 2023…so I’m having to shirt gears here, starting with my first honorable mention, so that I can include at #6 – an amazing film that EVERYONE SHOULD SEE, as Tom Hanks is back at the top of his game, and this film must be included in this year’s MUST SEE’s…

So, without further ado, please take in my TOP 10 FILMS of 2022, with an Honorable Mention early on and at the end of this list for good measure too, because even if were a few that didn’t make it to the top of the heap…you should still check out a few more films than 10 this year, as time allows in your own, fun-filled life!

Well, we can’t let my List not include a really fabulous Documentary… as it’s one of my favorite genres of film, so my #1 Honorable mention for 2022 happens to be Robert Downey Jr’s biography about his Father, Robert Downey Sr, with the NETFLIX Documentary – SR.

(and for all of you that know me REALLY WELL – my adoration for the maker of this film had nothing to do with this selection!)

#1 HONORABLE MENTION – SR. :

For the beginning of my TOP 10 FILMS of 2022, I ask you to view this film, as for the second time this year, a sequal stood out and caught my attention way more than the original did…+ Janelle Monae’s performance in this one is sheer perfection as well! I was also sooooo happy that I took the time to view this one during it’s week long run in Theaters, pre-Thanksgiving, with all my family in tow…

#10 : GLASS ONION : A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY

Now, as the year’s have rolled by, Adam Sandler has had me cracking up many times along the way, but with this year’s new film, he had me laughting, but he also made himself so endearing too along the way, that when it was all said and done, it had to make it on to my TOP 10 films for this year…

#9: HUSTLE

#8 on my TOP 10 FILMS of 2020 captured my imagination, and never let go! It was also one of those times when I was glad I hadn’t read the novel already, because when a film can throw me off like this one did, and I don’t see the end coming, it makes it a fabulous film in my book, so it has to be highlighted as one of the best films of 2022…

#8 – WHERE THE CRAWDAD’S SING

Our next film is filled with a heart-wrenching true-life storyline, and one of the most outstanding performances placed on screen by an Actor this year. I won’t be surprised if Danielle Deadwyler brings home some incredible hardware for her exceptional performance in this film as well…

#7: TILL

And we are finally at that place where I had to add the film that I would be remiss if I didn’t shift things around to include in my TOP 10…

And whether you are a fan of this Academy Award winning Actor – as he truly is one of the most outstanding performers of my generation, or not, you have to take the time to go see this incredible film, based on the Novel “A MAN CALLED OVE”, as I spent the last half of this film shedding many a tear, during this heart-wrenching performance…

#6 A MAN CALLED OTTO

Well, we are at the crossroads of the TOP 5 films of the year, and I have anquished again and again on what order to put these films in…so please take a look and know, that I think you MUST SEE ALL of the following films in a theater if you can, as it truly is the best way to TAKE THEM ALL IN…if you haven’t already!

Now, I know that most TOP 10 Lists are filled with cinematic masterpieces…and as you can see already, that isn’t always the prerequisite for me when I make my selections,,,it’s about how good were the visuals, and how does it make me feel when it’s all said and done. But, with that said, I believe that Steven Speilberg’s lastest creation is a masterpiece of film making, and it is going to continue to find an audience as the year’s roll by, making the story of his own life almost as fascinating as the way he stopped many of us from heading back into the water, made us believe Dinosaurs do exist, and even made sure that many of us bought our “real men” Fedoras and bomber jackets through the years…

#5 THE FABELMANS

Having viewed this one in Los Angeles in December, and being a part of the whirlwind of applause that took place when this film was through for the incredible performance that Ms. Olivia Colman puts upon the screen, this one had to come in at #4. This film also drew me in, and then some, as my first job was working in a theatre in my home town…which is where I garnered the ability to wipe out the world outside, with the magic that was happening on screen, even back then. So, needless to say, this one gave me all the feels, and then some, by the time it was through…

#4 – EMPIRE OF LIGHT

Next up on our way to the top is another Biopic that mesmerized me from start to finish…with a fabulous and award worthy performance by Ana de Armas, as one of my big screen idols since childhood. She literally personifies Marilyn Monroe throughout every inch this film…

#3 BLONDE

Many of you who follow me at matineechat.com on a regular basis know that I am a sucker for a good action-packed film, and when you throw in incredible performances by the likes of actors Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Jon Hamm, Val Kilmer and MAVERICK himself, Tom Cruise, into a film that not only over-powers, but outshines the original 1986 film in every way…you have to make sure this film hits close to the top of the heap…

#2 – TOP GUN: MAVERICK

And now, the time has come for me to share with you the film that not only tickled my senses, but had me walking out of the theater saying, WOW, now that was what a movie is suppose to do…blow your mind, and make you stop and think for a little while, once it’s through. Leave it to mastermind filmmaker Damien Chazelle (WHIPLASH, LA LA LAND) to bring this opulent and cinematically stunning, yet debaucherous and visually provative film to the big screen! And, even though a lot of the Critics out there have been going for this film’s jugular since it popped in LA and New York weeks ago, I am here to tell you that this film was the most stunning and moving creation I have had the opportunity to see in 2022, and I hope that you’ll give it a shot, and head to see it too, at a Theatre near you…