80 | Vengeance
I would not expect a film one could accurately describe as “BJ Novak’s ‘men are trash’ podcast noir” to fall on my list of greatest films of the year, but by God, the man did it. Vengeance is funny, original, and, it must be said, deeply accurate in its representation of the Lone Star State. It’s a film that practically dares you to dislike it, but in its self-skewering depiction of Novak as an elitist, self-serving coastal elite fuckboy, it somehow arrives at a sort of ecstatic truth. – R.J.
79 | Fire Island
Hopefully, one day a child will recount the story of Fire Island for their book report on Pride and Prejudice. – J.S.
78 | Three Minutes: A Lengthening
A fascinating document about the importance of capturing images and how said images document the story of the lives the camera captures. A respectful and deeply moving look at the Jewish inhabitants of Nadielsk in 1938, the film takes three minutes of footage and explores the people in the images and the tragedy that would take place in the coming years. This is a deeply powerful cinematic experience that examines the power of moving images. – C.W.
77 | Scream
“It’s a good Scream. It’s a good Scream.” – John Travolta on Scream (2022)
Seasoned Scream veterans know that the greatest villain of the Scream sequels was not in fact Ghostface himself but Wes Craven. The maestro’s weaponization of horror tropes, with the premier installment (of course, refining a similar foray into genre consciousness from A New Nightmare) almost single-handedly refashioned the slasher genre into one of extreme self-reflexivity. But, in an almost parodic display of form following function, each successive Scream installment devolved into the inane plotting of the very films he lampooned. So when this latest Scream installment proved to be the most delightful chapter since the first, displaying a joie de vivre in its kills and metatext (coining “requel” might very well be its lasting legacy), it was clear where the stultifying air of the previous pictures had lied. RIP Wes. – J.S.
76 | Mr. Bachmann and His Class
A pretty remarkable four-hour documentary depicting the ways that authority figures and peer socialization shape every facet of how we view and react to the world around us; this film contains many remarkable passages of the titular elementary school teacher offering gentle insights that seem to dramatically shift his students’ cloistered and often-reactionary worldviews in real time. An undeniably valuable and often profound piece of work. – R.J.
75 | Disney Channel’s Theme: A History Mystery
Kevin Perjurer’s Defunctland YouTube channel has been pumping out A-tier content for the last several years, and this 90-minute documentary ranks among his very best work yet. Perjurer’s laughably intense deep dive into the origins of a 5-second TV channel bumper jingle leads to some bewildering and surprisingly emotional places, and the film’s cumulative focus on creatively gifted people forced to conform their talent into whatever artistic outlets they could manage to make a living at moved me deeply. – R.J.
74 | Playground
Laura Wandel’s short but deeply powerful debut depicts elementary school bullying with an unflinching, Dardennes-esque realism. Maya Vanderbeque and Günter Duret give perhaps the best child performances I’ve ever seen, and the film as a whole, while exceedingly dour, rings very true. A powerful depiction of the human capacity for cruelty, even from the youngest of ages. – R.J.
73 | Aftersun
A quick author’s note that only two of the four editors of this list managed to see this film before the year was out, so it is unfortunately stuck at this relatively low placement. It’s a shame, because this is an absurdly assured debut — the specificity of the remembrances on display here is practically unmatched in other coming-of-age films, and the almost-threadbare “plot” is assuredly carried by the naturalistic performances from Mescal and Corio. This is a film I almost feel uncomfortable writing about after just one viewing; I was deeply stirred by a number of scenes, but I very much want to see them all again with complete context to work out my exact feelings.
With that said, Wells’ eye for a striking image is undeniable, and I’d be hard-pressed to describe a single moment here as contrived or messy in any way. As a film operating on the level of pure emotion and formal daring, this is almost entirely successful for my money. The depictions of the peculiar intimacy of parent-child relationships and the wonderment of adolescent sexual discovery strike deep on a level of cinematic intimacy you really don’t see very often; I can see how “slow cinema by way of A24 coming-of-age” doesn’t work for everyone, but I think it’s pretty damn enrapturing. – R.J.
72 | The Wonder
I once met Sebastian Leilo in a men’s room in Austin TX. I noticed him as he stood at the urinal next to me. His hair was immaculate and he was nice when I said hi to him at the sink on the way out. Anyways, his new movie is great and features the superior Florence Pugh performance from 2022. – C.W.
71 | The Menu
For those who do not expect their genre films to be trenchant, political tracts, The Menu is an entertaining romp with many a thrill to be had. While it-girl Anya Taylor-Joy is left to a somewhat thankless role, Ralph Fiennes (and to a lesser extent Hong Chau) has an entire chef’s table of scenery-chewing theatrics to float this gastronomic slasher to its alternately moving and messy conclusion. – J.S.
70 | Benediction
Terence Davies is back and gayer than ever with Benediction, a frequently brilliant look at the life of Siegfried Sassoon and his relationships with men and women throughout his eventful life. This is amongst the most unabashedly frank films about early-to-mid 20th century sexuality without gratuitous depictions of sex to convey the character’s sexuality. Davies’ signature compositions and patient pace makes for one of the year’s most profound and moving portrayals of what it means to love someone. – C.W.
69 | Stars at Noon
Claire Denis’ first entry on this list is also the most erotic film of 2022. A steamy, alcohol filled journey starring two of our hottest newcomers making love and taking names in Covid-ridden Nicaragua. The film almost functions as a hangout film, with our characters drunkenly bouncing from bar to bar and fornicating from bedroom to bedroom. As the plot begins to unravel in the back half and outside factors begin to strain the central relationship, Denis allows the characters to self-destruct and presents a pessimistic look at the selfishness of humanity. The film contains the best original song of the year by Tindersticks and boy, if that needledrop isn’t the scene of the year, I don’t know what is. – C.W.
68 | Orphan: First Kill
In the trend of legacy sequels (or re-quels as Scream put it) appearing well past when they should’ve, Orphan: First Kill returns triumphantly, in a prequel that manages to bring the thrills of the original and build on it perfectly. The first big question that springs to mind is what could possibly be left for our plucky, not-so-young orphan to do in a continuation now that her big secret was revealed in 2009’s Orphan, but rest assured that developments in the back half manage to show that there’s still new twists and turns for Esther to take us down. Isabelle Fuhrman reprises her most famous role, admittedly a bit older than she was last time we saw her as a 9-year old, and somehow doesn’t miss a step. Without a doubt though, the return that filled me with the most joyous nostalgia throughout the whole film was the Dark Castle Entertainment logo that opens the film. -N.A.
67 | Dead for a Dollar
Walter Hill’s bloodsoaked, digital-as-hell Western is as good a time I had at the movies as anything else in 2022. Featuring an exceptional cast that includes Willem Dafoe, Rachel Brosnahan, Brandon Scott, Benjamin Bratt, and Christoph Waltz, Dead For a Dollar is the type of intimate, low-budget western Hollywood doesn’t make anymore. With a beautiful dedication to Western master Budd Boeticher in the film’s closing credits, Walter Hill has given us one of the great Westerns of the 21st century. Welcome back, king. – C.W.
66 | Watcher
Shudder-distributed films run the gamut of quality, so when one manages to not only earn critical acclaim, but also garner a wide release, it must be something special, which is certainly the case here. Watcher functions in the tradition of the great paranoid thrillers, as Maika Monroe plays a young woman trying to adjust to a strange new city with the added disadvantage of a gigantic window in her new apartment, allowing a mysterious figure to watch from across the way. Clearly indebted to Rear Window, the film keeps the truth close to its chest, leaving us questioning the difference between true danger and fabricating it from random, unconnected events. When it comes down to the end, a stellar performance from Burn Gorman will leave you chilled to the bone, without ever truly knowing if you’re right for it. – N.A.
65 | Minions: The Rise of Gru
The market saturation of le Minion belies one simple fact: the little yella fellas are a creation of extraordinary originality. In the same way that Pee Wee Herman is a miracle of comic imagination, so also is the humble Minion. With their distinctive outfits, pidgin language, and penchant for mischief, the Minions have brought an incalculable amount of joy and laughter to children and adults worldwide. It is especially satisfying then, to see the Minions finally occupy a film that is worthy of their presence. Masterful comic setpieces abound in the film particularly in the expertly realized plane sequence which echoes a similar sequence in Jerry Lewis’ The Family Jewels. There’s no denying it. Minions: The Rise of Gru is a triumph of mass culture. – J.S.
64 | Both Sides of the Blade
Claire Denis’ filmmaking is as sharp as this title. God bless Claire Denis, one of the best to ever do it. – C.W.
63 | Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
After a less than memorable 2012 solo outing, the prospect of another adventure starring our favorite fearless feline hero seemed a bit dreary, so when Puss in Boots: The Last Wish snuck into a packed December multiplex, long-suffering fans were greeted with a heartfelt romp that managed to hold its own against titans of the box office, much like the titular Puss. Brought to life again by Antonio Banderas, Puss has a fresh coat of paint, taking advantage of the recent trend of stepped animation for punchier action, and a general style taking cues from the indelible coolness of the spaghetti western. The film also chooses to tackle some deeper thematic issues than its predecessor, facing down Puss’s mortality & greed, and the realities of family, this time consisting of Salma Hayek and Harvey Guillé in a hilarious dog sidekick role. It’s a standout on this list in that The Last Wish truly has something for the whole family to enjoy, even the classic Hollywood fans out there. – N.A.
62 | Phantom of the Open
It is not an easy thing to make virtue enviable. Yet, in the tradition of Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey and Tom Hanks’ Viktor Navorski, Mark Rylance, with his portrayal of the remarkably unremarkable turned unremarkably remarkable golf ne’er-do-well Maurice Flitcroft, succeeds in this shaky feat. All the more impressive from an actor whose other monumental pursuit in 2022 was embodying the cannibal charmer in Bones and All. It’s an acting coup that rivals Daniel Day-Lewis’ 1985 one-two punch of My Beautiful Laundrette’s punk homosexual opposite his turn as an aristocratic twit in A Room with a View. – J.S.
61 | Official Competition
Very few films make it, let alone succeed on the film festival circuit, but if there were ever one to make it on its title alone, I would hope Official Competition could be entered into official competition. Jokes aside, there’s a great satire of the world of films and the clash of the arthouse and multiplex with Oscar Martínez and Antonio Banderas playing actors of each respective field, led by their eccentric and demanding director, portrayed pitch-perfectly by Penélope Cruz. Outlining films with collage, rehearsing under boulders, and the sonics of smooching are just some of the laughable lessons we can all learn about filmmaking and acting from Official Competition, all set in a beautifully modernist rehearsal space. If the film’s ending is any indication, we’ll be seeing this one on the red carpet. – N.A.
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