2019 was an absolutely fantastic year for movies. But the past three years have been decidedly…not fantastic. Some of that may be pandemic-related, but some of it also hinges on highly talented directors like David O. Russell, Sam Mendes, and Darren Aronofsky making films that were either mixed bags or outright whiffs.
But, there are still some films worth checking out from 2022. Tops for me is The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg's love letter to moviemaking and moviegoing, as well as a moving meditation on familial relationships. It's an empathetic, humanistic film that holds its own even when compared to Spielberg's best.
Director Roger Michell (Notting Hill) died before The Duke was released in a very limited fashion. Many films in 2022 have been somber, humorless slogs, so it's a shame the studio put so little effort into the release and marketing of The Duke because it's a delightful comic caper film with strong lead performances by Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren. It's also a rare case where a late-film twist is genuinely surprising, but makes perfect sense in retrospect and enhances enjoyment of the film instead of taking away from it.
Speaking of fun, it's hard to think of a more rousing time at the movies than Top Gun: Maverick. I was not a fan of 1986's Top Gun, but loved the sequel. There's a stronger story, stronger character moments, and a stronger performance from Cruise in the lead. The moviegoing public responded in a huge way to its rah-rah exuberance, and they were 100% right to embrace it.
Fans of crime films had a couple of gems to savor in 2022. Emily the Criminal is a tough, economical thriller starring Aubrey Plaza as a heavily-in-debt service industry worker who gets pulled into the world of credit card scams. It's an interesting look at a type of crime rarely examined in film. Vengeance tells the fish-out-of-water story of a New York journalist traveling to Texas to turn the death of a casual fling into a true crime podcast. The villain gives a speech at the climax summarizing the current mass media climate that stuck with me long after the movie ended.
Other standout 2022 films included The Menu, a clever dark comedy about an upscale restaurant's staff getting revenge on their one-percenter customers; Tar, an examination of cancel culture and a great artist behaving badly that admirably avoids ever telling the audience what to think and showcases yet another brilliant Cate Blanchett performance; and Babylon, writer-director Damien Chazelle's flawed but fascinating trip through the history of the movie industry in its infancy.
