2022 Movies Ranked

<< 2021    2023 >>

 

11. Everything Everywhere All At Once

D: Daniels

**********

Despite some interesting ideas, the movie chases the multiverse trend and fails miserably.  In a massive disappointment from A24 it manages to be everything that sucks about MCU movies (crap for story structure and lots of forced humor), only without the CGI glut.  The movie didn't know how to end and dragged on far too long.  Particularly frustrating are the jokes which are rubbed in long after they were made, as if the movie is saying, "SEE?  SEE? REMEMBER THIS JOKE WE MADE? WASN'T THAT FUNNY?!!!"  I get it movie, there's a dimension in which everyone has wieners for fingers and it looks off-puttingly phallic, YOU DON'T NEED TO REMIND ME FOR THE NINTH-MILLIONTH TIME.  The best part of the movie was Short Round, who served as the sensitive husband type.

10. Jurassic World: Dominion

D: Colin Trevorrow

**********

Not horrible, but not that great, either.  Particularly disappointed by the character derailment of Dodgson.  

9. The Batman

D: Matt Reeves

**********

Derivative, bland strawman version of a gritty comic book movie.  Elevated only by Greig Fraser’s awesome cinematography and some good action.  At least it wasn’t boring.

8. The Bad Guys

D: Pierre Perifel

**********

Despite some stylish animation, and well-timed kinetic slapstick, it's a formulaic Dreamworks movie.  It's a shame because I love the theme of bad people trying to be good, and I've always found it annoying that all the cool animals I identified with were always the villains in cartoons.  At least the fox character is hot.

7. Smile

D: Parker Finn

**********

A decent horror movie with a great creature effect at the end.  Still too much like a lesser version of It Follows.

6. The Northman

D: Robert Eggers

**********

A good movie, but a bit slow.

5. The Banshees of Inisherin

D: Marin McDonagh

**********

Good movie, but a bit overlong.  

4. Top Gun: Maverick

D: Joseph Kosinski

**********

A legacy sequel done right by people who take the project seriously.  Could have used "Mighty Wings," though. 

3. Father Stu

D: Rosalind Ross

**********

Very good movie about a Christian's struggles and redemption.  Has a good message about God's plans' not always aligning with our logic, in that a man called to priesthood is afflicted with a fatal disease.

2. Elvis

D: Baz Luhrmann

**********

I usually never liked Luhrmann's movies, but it seems he finally found an editor who can work with his vision (Matt Villa).  A colorful engaging movie, with great performances.  And I usually don't like biopics. 

1. Nope

D: Jordan Peele

**********

A good, creative movie, but the twist that the UFO was just an animal trying to feed itself robbed the story of much of its conceptual horror.  

 

<< 2021    2023 >>