#MovieWrap: Our top picks of 2022 movies

It has been a long few years for the international movie industry and its fans, but 2022 represented a partial return to form.

There remained weeks on end with no major releases, but far fewer than the comparative drivel that was shovelled onto screens in the Covid-19 affected ’20 and ’21 periods.

Corporations think first about their bottom line after all, so thank goodness for the almost unbelievable success of Top Gun: Maverick which drew audiences back to cinemas.

This should prompt longer runs on more screens worldwide for big budget entertainment, even for movies that do not have ‘Marvel’, ‘DC’ or ‘Jurassic Park’ written in lights.

Avatar: The Way of Water is also tracking to do good business and should further bolster that sentiment for movie execs who spend their mornings scrolling through box office spreadsheets.

Let’s hope this bodes well for better and wider-ranging movies that seek financing in the future.

But negativity aside, 2022 is the first year in a while where each spot on most critics’ year-end lists will have some honourable mentions.

Number 10 (Animation)

Animation was the weakest of the more reliable genres this year, despite Minions: The Rise of Gru almost breaching the $1-billion mark.

I liked Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, The Bob’s Burgers Movie and The Bad Guys for kids, while Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio and Mad God delivered haunting images rendered via beautiful stop motion.

But for my number 10 movie of the year, I again turn to ‘ol reliable Disney for their wonderful Turning Red.

Turning Red blends themes of femininity, adolescence, mother-daughter relationships and cultural sensitivity while ratcheting up the tear factor to eleven as only Disney and Pixar can.

It is funny, heart-warming and continues the work that animation studios have done to broaden their representation of different cultures on screen.

Enjoyable for kids and parents alike.

Number 9 (Romance/Comedy)

Studios tried their best to bring back old-school romcoms and comedies in 2022 and let’s hope it continues.

How often are you looking for something to watch on date night or with a group of your girlfriends and get stuck choosing between Avengers 16 and Liam Neeson Punches People 23?

I Want You Back, Bros, Ticket to Paradise, The Lost City and I Love You, Leo Grande all delivered romance in new and easy-to-digest ways, while The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and Confess, Fletch made me laugh out loud.

For the number 9 spot however – and hear me out – Jackass Forever takes the cake.

The final movie in the smash hit (often literally) franchise, Jackass Forever continues the cinematic language that one can trace from Vaudeville, through Chaplin and Keaton all the way to grown men kicking each other in the nuts.

The schadenfreude is back in full force, with better stunts than ever before, but crucially this version also has an abundance of heart.

One can tell these are real friends reckoning with the end of their action careers, and that’s why it’s better than all the imitators you can find on YouTube and TikTok – it feels like authentic fun.

Number 8 (Horror)

As always, the most bulletproof genre is horror, where directors continue to imagine new and gory ways to tell low-budget B-movie stories.

Scares and thrills returned with venom in Barbarian, X, Pearl, Crimes of the Future, The Black Phone, Prey and the truly terrifying and hellish Speak no Evil which I would only recommend to hardcore horror-heads.

But for more regular viewers, my number 8 goes to Jordan Peele’s throwback alien paranoia thriller, NOPE.

Peele has ridden the wave of prestige horror to great success and deservedly so, this time calling in all of his career cachet to make a movie that is mostly thrilling and always beautiful.

This is a perfect case of when studio money meets auteur filmmaking to deliver an unusual but impossible-to-look-away from story.

Number 7 (Foreign Language)

With the access that the internet grants us, finding foreign language gems has never been easier, and this year gave us some excellent options.

Some of these were released in their home countries in 2021, but only received international releases in 2022, so they count for this list.

Another modern classic emerged from South Korea’s vibrant film scene with Decision to Leave, while The Worst Person in the World (Norway), All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) and Happening (France) are all worth seeking out.

I could not overlook the beautifully brief and tender Petite Maman (France) for the number 7 spot however.

Petite Maman is the latest film from Portrait of a Lady on Fire director, Celine Sciamma and sees her wrestling with her childhood and parents’ divorce.

Told in an almost fairytale-realist fashion, the movie follows a young girl as she meets the younger version of her mother in the forest.

It is amazing what Sciamma can pack into the 70-minute runtime and is a truly magical little film that you will have a hard time disliking.

Number 6 (Action)

Aside from one clear favourite for action movie of the year, which you might see later on this list, there were some exciting and varied action sequences back on big screens in 2022.

The authentically African Woman King and maximalist Bollywood thrill-ride RRR are both fantastic high-energy entries in the genre.

But for its genre-bending weirdness, execution and flat-out brazenness to push the envelope, it was impossible not to put Everything Everywhere All at Once at number 6.

The multi-dimensional, Hong Kong inspired action movie sees bad-ass Michelle Yeoh fighting in some truly crazy places, with often hilarious payoffs.

It feels like the directors threw everything they had at this one and somehow, to its enduring credit, it holds together.

Number 5

The Banshees of Inisherin brings the trio of Martin McDonagh, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson back together for more jet-black hilarity.

Beautifully shot off the coast of Ireland, the film’s distinctive writing is brought to life by the stand-out ensemble cast of the year, with all four leads absolutely pitch-perfect in execution.

It parades as cynical but actually contains real heart and will make you question a few parts of your own life along the way.

Farrell is particularly excellent as the dim-witted but earnest Padraic and should be the firm favourite for the best actor Oscar.

Number 4

Paul Thomas Anderson is one of many directors who clearly thought about childhood during lockdown (I’m looking at you Spielberg and Inarritu), bringing his youth to life in Licorice Pizza.

Largely plotless, the story follows Anderson stand-in Cooper Hoffman as he navigates the seedy but exciting landscape of the San Fernando Valley in 1970s Los Angeles.

Although the two leads had never acted before, their chemistry is what elevates the simple story into something beautiful, pushed along by masterful direction and a note-perfect music selection.

This is a warm-hug of a film that captures youthful exuberance and first love like no other.

Number 3

First time director Charlotte Wells crept onto the scene with an amazingly restrained and niche story in Aftersun.

It follows a pre-teen on the cusp of puberty who takes a two-week beach holiday with her divorced dad (who is clearly too young to have a child that age).

Told through a combination of home-movie footage and pastel-lensed nostalgia, the two deal with their own demons, but never fall out of love with each other in an exceedingly tender portrayal of father-daughter affection.

Aftersun captures the feeling of childhood memory better than any film in recent memory and is crushing in its honesty and sincerity.

Number 2

Despite its huge year-winning box office performance, strong critical reception and almost un-hated position in popular culture, it is possible that Top Gun: Maverick is still underrated.

It is difficult to understate quite how impressive it was to pull of the balancing act that this movie did, putting cinema on its shoulders and tackling beloved intellectual property from the 80s.

But boy, did it. This is a miracle of a movie that holds up on multiple rewatches and gets you to settle into the world of Maverick and Rooster every single time you press play.

White-knuckle tense, funny and full of real heart from an aging Tom Cruise, this fighter jet film fires on all cylinders.

Number 1

Unashamedly highbrow and perfectly willing to exist within the niche world of classical music, TÁR is my movie of the year.

Tackling themes of cancel culture, sexism and ageism, TÁR is incredibly well made by director Todd Field who waited 16 years for his comeback after Little Children (2006).

It follows fictional orchestra conductor Lydia Tar who is played by probably our best living actress, Cate Blanchett, in the performance of her career.

The movie tracks Tar’s downfall after allegations are levelled against her and has no problem painting every character grey.

There are no good guys here, but nor are there true villains. It is unafraid to ask questions about woke culture on social media and what place dated art and artists should hold in 2022.

Should Mozart and Mahler’s personal lives limit our enjoyment of their music?

But TÁR wants you to make your own decisions and will likely stay with you for weeks after watching it.

Masterfully made and even better acted, this is an unmissable future classic.

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