Richard Whittaker’s Top 10 Films of 2022
Fri., Dec. 16, 2022
1) Everything Everywhere All at Once Now that's how you do multiversal storytelling: by spanning all the emotions.
2) Babylon Hooray for Hollywood in all its debauched glory.
3) Avatar: The Way of Water Don't be ashamed of embracing cinema as spectacle.
4) The Banshees of Inisherin A wonderfully understated spiral into chaos.
5) The Northman Hamlet has never been more epic or historically accurate.
6) The Whale Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
7) Inu-oh Anime master Masaaki Yuasa's rock & roll fable.
8) Marcel the Shell With Shoes On The inner light of the adorable Marcel shines on us all.
9) The Fabelmans Spielberg contends with why he ended up with cinema.
10) Navalny A daring trip inside Russia's police state.
Near Misses: Pearl, X, The Menu, Elvis, The Black Phone, The Batman
Most Overrated: Bones and All, Piggy
Most Underrated: Navalny, Cha Cha Real Smooth
Wild Card: Elvis, EEAAO, Babylon, Avatar: The Way of Water, RRR. The year of maximum cinema.
Acting Kudos (Male): Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin, The Batman, After Yang, 13 Lives), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Ke Huy Quan (EEAAO), Paul Dano (The Batman, The Fabelmans)
Acting Kudos (Female): Sheila McCarthy (Women Talking), Dale Dickey (A Love Song), Michelle Yeoh (EEAAO)
Best Director: Daniels (EEAAO), Phil Tippett (Mad God), Damien Chazelle (Babylon)
Best Original Screenplay: Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin); Seth Reiss, Will Tracy (The Menu)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Robert Eggers, Sjón (The Northman); Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale)
TV Series/Event: Andor showed the grime away from the protective glow of lightsabers.
Worst Film: Can we just banish Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to a dungeon dimension? #TeamWanda.
The Little Film That Could: Art the Clown becomes Art the Megastar. I called it on Terrifier 2 before it outgrossed TÁR.