best film: Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave stands tall – a cut or two above the rest – as far as the best in cinema goes for 2022. There is not much separating the second best film of the year and the tenth best film of the year but there was no hesitation here for this top slot. Park Chan-wook is a meticulous artist – and so is his protagonist here – Jang Hae-joon (played ably by Park Hae-il). Jang Hae-joon is a detective caught in a cat and mouse romance mystery (Park Chan-wook actually provides two mysteries for the price of one here inside the film) with Song Seo-rae (Tang Wei) cloaked in sumptuous seas of greens and blues. Park Chan-wood utilizes a few camera zooms – this is story partially relying on surveillance. This is a complex, interwoven narrative that is not without humor. Ryu Seong-hie’s (production design – Memories of Murder, Old Boy, The Handmaiden) leaves no stone unturned with the décor. There is a green toothbrush, the teal bucket that Song Seo-rae uses to bury the bird (key scene), the teal empty pool. It is even mentioned in the text – “her green dress was pretty… wasn’t it blue?” Park Chan-wook paints both the color of the sky and the color of the sea in the finale. There are too many highlights to mention in one short paragraph – but Park Chan-wook’s frame is strikingly set as the two central characters arrive at her place in Buscan – stunning wallpaper – almost halfway through the film. And the Songgwangsa Temple scene blows any other individual scene from 2022 out of the water.
among the finest cinematic paintings of 2022
most underrated: There are a few candidates here. Out of the twelve (12) best films of 2022 – a whopping seven (7) did not land on the TSPDT top fifty (50) of 2022. This is, assuredly, more than a little disheartening to see. The Northman is the best of those seven (even if the margin is not much) so that is a fine choice to take this category. This miss is a bit baffling for the critics. But at least The Northman had solid reviews. Films like Bardo, Men, Babylon, Blonde, Copenhagen Cowboy, and White Noise were all below a seventy (70) score on metacritic and all among the best films of the year artistically.
Robert Eggers describes The Northman as Andrei Rublev meets Conan the Barbarian. Eggers, clearly an auteur of note and talent, cares about archeology and mythology both – he is a curator, a researcher.
a dazzler from Eggers’ third feature- without a doubt, he is one of the most promising voices in cinema in 2022
from Blonde – for any cinephile, the graphic match edit at the 42 minute mark of the bed sheets to the Niagara waterfall is one of the most memorable moments in cinema for 2022
Andrew Dominik’s Blonde could be described as a nightmare – Requiem for a Dream, Mulholland Drive, and the work of Lars von Trier come to mind. “I’d like to see Hell close up” is in the text (from Marilyn’s mother). The roses in soft focus here (semi-reminiscent of Michelangelo Antonioni’s use of flowers in Red Desert) creating a frame within the frame of Marilyn (Ana de Armas). There are astonishing sequences aplenty in Blonde, but often the shot choice or stylistic tool employed is a one-off never to be repeated to help give the film a greater cohesive form.
a breathtaking frame from Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Bardo. Guillermo del Toro (admittedly a friend of Iñárritu’) was one of the defenders of Bardo and his description of form vs. content should be read https://www.indiewire.com/2022/11/guillermo-del-toro-defends-bardo-1234784634/ . “…it’s extremely hard to explain how one of the aspects that has been the least [talked-about] of this movie is the cinema of it, and I find it absolutely flabbergasting. Seeing a Van Gogh and asking for an opinion, and the opinion is, ‘Well, it’s about some flowers in a pot.’ The flowers are OK, the pot is nice, but nobody talks about the brushstrokes, the colors, the thickness of the paint, the color palette. It’s astounding to me.”
from Nicolas Winding Refn’s 5 hour and 12 minute Copenhagen Cowboy. The ending sort of fizzles out (a trend this year – even among some of the best films of the year). But Refn’s film is paced, draped in neon, and about revenge (clearly auteur cinema). There are Barry Lyndon-like slow zooms and a strong Cliff Martinez new wave score. There is a magnificent blue indigo day for night shot to open the second chapter.
most overrated: There are a few nominees here as well. EO from Jerzy Skolimowski is a thought-provoking update on Robert Bresson’s Au Hasard Balthazar but it is not an original idea and there is not enough visually (aside from one stunning frame on the bridge) to support its ranking in the top ten of the year. David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future is just outside the top ten on TSPDT’s list and though it is undoubtedly auteur cinema – there are a number of films from 2022 that surpass it. Also, through three films in his career, Jordan Peele is unquestionably an auteur. But top five for Nope seems hard to support with evidence from the film – at least in comparison to someone like Alex Garland and something like Men.
trends and notables: This is the third full year of the 2020s and the third underwhelming year in a row in cinema. This all starts with 2020 and the global pandemic (the correlation is hard to track – but it seems necessary to mention). And, notably, this is all in the wake of 2019 – one of cinema’s finest single years. The depth of sheer archiveable films is there – probably due to the continued sheer volume of films that continue to get made and released (even if the options seem more limited in the theater). Undoubtedly, the ongoing discussion between theatrical release windows and streaming services seems to dominate much of the discourse in the 2020s (at least when not talking about COVID – which seems to be farther in the rearview as part of of the discussion here in 2022). Netflix gave some artists a plenty of freedom in 2022 and the results account for four (4) of the top twelve (12) films of the year. Netflix’s biggest competitor, as far as companies helping support the auteurs, is A24. A24 had an indie box office revelation with Everything Everywhere All at Once earlier in the year and then of course it won an impressive seven (7) Oscars early in 2023. A24 had a hand in White Noise (so did Netflix), Pearl, Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, Men, X, and many others. 2022 is also a good reminder of the strength of the South Korean New Wave. Park Chan-wook is certainly either 1 or 1A with Bong Joon-ho as this movement’s Godard and Truffaut. Top Gun: Maverick also should be mentioned as a great film that brought many people back to the theater for the first time in years. Lastly, one could dedicate almost this entire page to the list of ambitious films that polarized critics: this is your Blonde, Babylon, Bardo (and frankly Men and White Noise belong here, too). They all have their problems, but they all hit artistic heights that the other films of 2022 (aside from the almost flawless Decision to Leave ) clearly do not.
from The Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) and A24. Everything Everywhere All at Once is the best edited film of 2022. There is some Sergio Leone influence, some Wachiowski influence – and Charlie Kaufman, too. But this is wholly their own – and like all good auteur cinema – it actually makes Swiss Army Man (their previous film together – from 2016) a better film – it is now a piece in a larger, connected collection.
Alex Garland’s Men. The flashback sequences are all shot in this magic hour golden hue. The tunnel sequence here is a highlight – and Garland cares about color (green and red in particular). Sadly, the third act does not fully land – but it is at least a companion with Garland’s Annihilation (2018) and that bizarre ending as well.
the 1930 Best Picture winner All Quiet on the Western Front gets a worthy update in 2022 from Edward Berger
gem I want to spotlight: It may be worth pointing out the strong year horror had with Barbarian, Smile, and X. But this space here goes to Noah Baumbach’s White Noise. There are stories about the troubled, overbudget production, the idea of the Don DeLillo’s complex novel being “unadaptable” but time and time again in cinema, the follow-up to a director’s strongest work is far too easily brushed aside upon initial release. If 2019’s Marriage Story does go down as his career peak, then set your watches for 2032 or 2037 when a reappraisal is had for White Noise. The film is highly literate, witty – “she has important hair” and “you’re using the real event to rehearse the simulation?”, Altman-like overlapping dialogue, 360-shots (one of the family in the car, one in the garage with Adam Driver as he sifts through the garbage). Baumbach brings back his strong dissolve edit work here he used in Marriage Story, brilliantly uses color (heavy greens and reds) and there is even a jaw-dropper of a split diopter shot towards the end in the hotel room with Driver and Lars Eidinger.
Baumbach’s White Noise is an ambitious film – continuing the visual splendor he put on display in 2019’s Marriage Story. The shot here from the 55 minute mark- silhouette of two with main actors.
Wall art magnificience here from White Noise
best performance male: Jeffrey Wright is a veteran actor with now double digit archiveable films dating back to 1990, but he is undeniably riding a career high in 2021 and 2022 with The French Dispatch and The Batman in back to back years. Wright may not make the mentions here for either of the two years alone, but when stepping back and combining the two – there is no choice at all to include Wright here in this category. In Matt Reeves’ The Batman, Wright plays the Lieutenant James Gordon character. Since Reeves is heavily influenced by David Fincher, particularly Se7en, Wright is the veteran Detective Somerset Morgan Freeman role. It is worth pausing on Alexander Skarsgård for his work in The Northman and Hae il Park in Decision to Leave applaud them for their work – but there is still a little doubt as to whether another actor, given those prime roles, makes for the easy choice as performance of the year.
best performance female: It is is a dead heat here with Cate Blanchett’s bigger than life work as titular Lydia Tár in Todd Fields’ esoteric, yet sensational character study. Blanchett dazzles in the long take lecture shot at Julliard. Her character is almost haunted by per skills as a musician (there is no doubt she wields it like a power weapon) – attuned to very sound – keeping her awake at night as she walks that fine line between madness and genius. Like Taxi Driver (1976)and The Piano Teacher (2001) there is an inevitable downward spiral (highlighted with Blanchett bellowing out her “apartment for sale” accordion song). Blanchett’s rival in this category Tang Wei as Song Seo-rae in the year’s strongest film. Wei is a sort of modified femme fatale and even if the viewer is aware of Park Chan-wook’s penchant for narrative twists – Wei is up the challenge – playing both sides of the coin.
Tang Wei gives the best performance in the best film of the year
top 10
- Decision to Leave
- The Northman
- The Batman
- Copenhagen Cowboy
- Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
- Everything Everywhere All at Once
- White Noise
- Babylon
- Men
- Tár
Matt Reeves is influenced by David Fincher for The Batman – and clearly by Edward Hopper’s famous Nighthawks painting here as well. There is also a genius James Gray We Own the Night-like (2007) car chase in rain and darkness.
it never reaches Fury Road – but George Miller’s follow-up Three Thousand Years of Longing has some exceptional moments : overhead shots, establishing shots, and that final crane shot as they walk off into the sunset. Terry Gilliam (particularly The Adventures of Baron Munchausen) seems is an important text of influence here.
from Kenneth Branagh’s Death on the Nile – the film (particularly the first half hour) is impeccably crafted. This symmetrical composition here at the 17-minute mark is just one of many. Branagh shoots in 65mm and it pays off here – an undeniably handsome film.
Jerzy Skolimowski doing Bresson here in EO. The shot of the bridge in front of the dam at the 79-minute mark is simply sublime.
Martin McDonagh’s ongoing body of work on feuds and vendettas – here in 2022’s The Banshees of Inisherin. This was a tough film to leave off the top ten of the year.
Archives, Directors, and Grades
| A Love Song – Walker – Silverman | R |
| All Quiet on the Western Front – Berger | R/HR |
| Amsterdam – O. Russell | R |
| Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood – Linklater | R |
| Argentina, 1985 – Mitre | R |
| Armageddon Time – Gray | R |
| Babylon – Chazelle | HR |
| Barbarian – Cregger | R |
| Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths – Iñárritu | HR/MS |
| Blonde – Dominik | HR |
| Bodies Bodies Bodies – Reijn | R |
| Cha Cha Real Smooth – Raiff | R |
| Copenhagen Cowboy – Refn | HR/MS |
| Crimes of the Future- Cronenberg | R |
| Death on the Nile – Branagh | R |
| Decision to Leave – Chan-wook Park | MS/MP |
| Elvis – Luhrmann | R/HR |
| Empire of Light – Mendes | R |
| EO – Skolimowski | R |
| Everything Everywhere All at Once – Scheinert, Kwan | HR/MS |
| Fresh – Cave | R |
| Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – Johnson | R |
| God’s Country – Higgins | R |
| Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – del Toro, Gustafson | R |
| Kimi – Soderbergh | R |
| Men – Garland | HR |
| Nope – Peele | R |
| Prey – Trachtenberg | R |
| RRR – Rajamouli | R |
| She Said – M. Schrader | R |
| Smile – Finn | R |
| Tár – Field | HR |
| The Banshees of Inisherin – M. McDonagh | HR |
| The Batman – Reeves | HR/MS |
| The Good Nurse – Lindholm | R |
| The Menu – Mylod | R |
| The Northman – Eggers | HR/MS |
| The Pale Blue Eye – S. Cooper | R |
| The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent – Gormican | R |
| The Woman King – Prince-Bythewood | R |
| The Wonder – Lelio | R |
| Thirteen Lives – Howard | R |
| Three Thousand Years of Longing – G. Miller | R |
| Top Gun : Maverick – Kosinski | R/HR |
| Triangle of Sadness – Östlund | R/HR |
| Vengeance – Novak | R |
| Watcher – Okuno | R |
| White Noise – Baumbach | HR |
| Windfall – McDowell | R |
| Women Talking – Polley | R |
| X – T. West | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-See- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
*** one final note here. Unfortunately, at the time of putting this page together, I was unable to get to as high a percentage of the best reviewed films of the year as I normally do. My apologies. So before you ask, I was not able (at least at the date of writing here) to get to films like Aftersun, The Fabelmans, Avatar: The Way of Water, Bones and All, The Whale, Saint Omer, and The Eternal Daughter.
Im very surprised by this ranking haha, but still awesome, a much better year than 2020 and 2021 id say… is decision to leave the first film from the 2020s to get an MP rating from you?
@Big chungus- Thank you for the comment. “Yes” to answer your question on Decision to Leave.
A great page as always.
I only think that you are underrating Babylon a bit and quite a lot of performances like Pattinson in The Batman, Yeoh and Hu Quan in Everything Everwhere All At Once, De Armas in Blonde, just to name a few. I believe it was quite a good year for acting and including only Wright (in the male category) seems a little bit bizarre, as he was to me the most forgettable of the three leads in The Batman and all around didn’t have much to do in the film- he was effective but nothing more. Even if you combine his (also) limited work in The French Dispatch it still feels like a very weak mention that would get a spot in the end of the paragraph and not at the very beginning- in my opinion.
Just a question: Are you planning on updating the page when you see the films that you couldn’t catch now?
@RujK- Thank you for the comment and compliment on the page. I’m 99% sure I’m wrong about at least one film or performance here – probably more – it happens and I miss things. As always, I’ll look to improve the page (and all pages) in the future with additional viewings. That said, I’ve seen Babylon twice. The highs are high- but it is messy. I considered the performances you list here and feel confident leaving them off. Wright is superb in The Batman and he is in the film for 51 minutes of screen time – more than anyone besides Pattinson. Wright is at the top of the paragraph because he is the only mention for the category. There is nowhere else to start. I thought long and hard on Pattinson especially. I had a chance to rewatch The Lighthouse recently and I’ll be adding Pattinson to the mentions for 2019 – not here.
Not sure on the last question here. TBD I guess.
Would you include Dafoe as well in your 2019 page? I think Dafoe is a step ahead of Pattinson in The Lighthouse.
@M*A*S*H – Yes I would- and I agree
Has this reassessment of Pattinson and Dafoe’s performances been because The Lighthouse has risen in your estimation, or has it stayed the same?
@DeclanG- Risen. When The Northman came out I was able to watch all three of Eggers films in consecutive days. The Lighthouse is the strongest.
Very exciting to hear! I haven’t seen it since it came out but have been meaning to rewatch it for some time.
Does that mean The Lighthouse will be getting upgraded? I know you said you don’t like stooping down into HR for a best of the year performance (let alone 2)?
Also was Pearl among the critically acclaimed movies you weren’t able to catch?
I literally didn’t read the message above you sent to Declan about the Lighthouse. Whoops. Ignore that
@Matthew- Yes on The Lighthouse. And I was not able to get to Pearl yet.
I need to see 5/6 movies before giving my opinion on 2022 but I think it’s the best year since 2019. The first post-COVID year imho.
I can’t help myself but I still need to see EO, Triangle of Sadness, Men, White Noise and the Refn mini-serie. But here’s my top 10 of the year :
1/ Babylon – Chazelle (MS)
2/ Blonde – Dominik (HR/MS)
3/ Decision to Leave – Park (HR/MS)
4/ The Northman – Eggers (HR)
5/ Tar – Field (HR)
6/ The Banshees of Inisherin – McDonagh (R/HR)
7/ Bardo – Inarritu (R/HR)
8/ The Fabelmans – Spielberg (R/HR)
9/ Aftersun – Wells (R/HR)
10/ Avatar : The Way of Water – Cameron (R/HR)
And the best performances of the year for me :
Male Actors :
1 – Farrell (Banshees + The Batman)
2 – Dano (Fabelmans + The Batman)
3 – Mescal (Aftersun, a revelation)
I’m not sure about Pitt & Calva in Babylon. They’re great but neither are the best performances of Babylon.
Female Actors (great year) :
1- Blanchett (Tar)
2 – Tang (Decision to Leave)
3 – Robbie (Babylon)
4 – De Armas (Blonde)
5 – Williams (Fabelmans)
This is a very interesting list, as always. I wasn’t a fan of Babylon’s screenplay and maybe I don’t love Decision to leave as much as you do, but I still liked it quite a lot. I wholeheartedly agree with you on Bardo though, I still don’t get why it’s been so savagely ravaged by the critics. That being said, I have to admit I’m a little disappointed with the fact that no films from my home country (Spain) made it into the archives, because this has been one an extraordinary year for Spanish cinema, maybe the strongest one in decades, but I’m guessing that you weren’t able to catch any of them. If you have the chance, I would strongly recommend that you check out films like Alcarràs, As bestas, Mantícora and La maternal, because I’m sure you will find a lot to appreciate in all of them. Also, Pacifiction is a French movie with a Spanish director (Albert Serra) and I’m 100% certain that it will be in your top 10 of the year once you’ve seen it because it is truly breathtaking cinema and maybe the best-looking film of 2022.
Overall I think 2022 has been an improvement over the past couple of years and I have very high hopes for 2023. I hope the upward trend will continue. Anyway, thanks for the update and keep up the good work!
I’m French and I heard a lot about Pacifiction & As Bestas. On my list.
They’re both excellent films, although Pacifiction is everything but an easy watch. It is long and ponderous, but the visual mastery is top-notch. As bestas is much more accessible, and Luis Zahera’s performance in that film is actually my top male performance of the year. He is a supporting character but he completely steals the film from everyone else. If you eventually watch it and enjoy it, I would recommend that you check out the rest of Sorogoyen’s filmography. He’s made five films so far and he hasn’t missed yet.
I think Park Hae-Il deserves a mention as one of the best performance of 2022. I know Song Kang-ho gave the best performance in Memories of Murder but Hae-Il’s work was just incredible. That climax with him and Kang-ho and that “look in my eyes” was just wow!
Apart from that he has been great in many films over the years, but Decision to Leave is clearly his best work so far.
Also he has won every award in South Korea for his performance.
Fantastic list as always- love how you highlighted underrated gems. I also feel Colin Farrell deserves a mention for a stellar year with Banshees & Batman. Curious to know Drake, who in you in your opinion are the best actors and actresses currently? Like the top 3.
@jo- Thank you for the comment. I haven’t done a top 3 actors and actresses currently in a few years. I’d have to dig in and give it some thought.
Awesome job on this page Drake, it makes very excited to revisit Decision to Leave. I love the recognition for some of the year’s more underrated films like Bardo, Blonde, and Babylon. There are ten recommended films here I haven’t seen yet which I am excited to get to as well. A few picks here and there we disagree on, but I’m sure those will be resolved over time one way or the other. I also put up my own page on 2022 a few days ago: https://scenebygreen.com/2023/03/22/the-best-films-of-2022/
@DeclanG- Thank you – and awesome job to you as well on your page
@Drake – great work as usual, definitely a bounce back after 2 very weak years, in fact you could argue 2020 and 2021 were the worse years of the 21st Century.
I am curious as to your (rough) ranking of Park Chan Wook’s films and where Decision to Leave ranks
When I did my Park Chan Wood study I had the following:
Final Ranking and Grades:
MPs
Old Boy (2003)
Handmaiden (2016)
MS
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
Decision to Leave (2022)
HR
Lady Vengeance (2005)
Joint Security Area (2000)
Thirst (2009)
R/HR
Stoker (2013)
Cont…
At the time of the Study I had only seen Decision to Leave once and it was in theatres where I obviously didn’t take notes and I had only seen Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) one time
MPs
Old Boy (2003)
Handmaiden (2016)
Decision to Leave (2022)
MS/MP
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
HR
Lady Vengeance (2005)
Joint Security Area (2000)
Thirst (2009)
R/HR
Stoker (2013)
@James Trapp- Thanks for the comment and the kind words again. I look forward to updating his page and rankings- but not quite ready to do it yet.
I’ve been reading your blog a bit lately since a friend turned me onto it and I think the reason there is a disconnect between your list and the metacritic list or the tspdt list is that you value visual aspects more than most people and put less value on plot and character than most people. At least that’s my interpretation of a lot of your scores and preferences.
I think Bardo is a good example. I actually like the film a lot, but I spend a lot of time in Mexico and the themes are very Mexican. My contention has been that only a Mexican can really love that film. The caveat is that it’s visually brilliant so someone who really values the visual aspects of film and doesn’t care as much if they don’t truly understand the cultural context of the film could still be impressed by it.
I think this is probably one of the 3 worst years in film ever, but this was my top 10 list. I might move Decision to Leave higher if I watched it again. I had a hard time settling into the film and enjoyed it more after about 45 minutes or so. Two two movies I felt were grossly overrated this year were Aftersun and Tar.
1. Banshees of Inisherin (B+)
2. The Fabelmans (B+)
3. Everything Everywhere All at Once (B+)
4. Decision to Leave (B+)
5. Hit the Road (B+)
6. Bardo (B+)
7. RRR (B)
8. The Menu (B)
9. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (B)
X. Emily the Criminal (B)
@extramsg- Thank you for visiting the site and the comment. You are right about the disconnect. I don’t love the word “preferences” as I think those that are not putting enough emphasis on the cinematic aspects in cinema are …. well… wrong. But very insightful of you to notice the disconnect.
I’m right there with you on this being one of the very worst years. I don’t know about the three worst years – but it wasn’t a great one
“I think those that are not putting enough emphasis on the cinematic aspects in cinema are …. well… wrong.”
I’m sure I’m not the first to disagree with you. Personally, I think all aspects of cinema are cinematic aspects. But I do ascribe to the theory of film as presented in Idiocracy that we should care whose ass is farting and why.
Thanks for the welcome.
@extramsg- Yes- people are entitled to think what they want of course but I think we’re pushing against distorting what a word means. Can’t say I’ve heard someone describe acting or writing as “cinematic”. Might even be against the definition of the word.
But there is acting that is appropriate for cinema — or that works best in cinema. Otherwise we wouldn’t have derisive terms for acting in movies like “stagey”. When critics delve deeper into acting — while I’m not sure there is a term like “cinematic acting” — there are certainly theories that apply to effective or good acting for cinema. Same goes for writing. Same goes for photography. Same goes for sound and music. And ultimately, very few people are interested in “pure cinema” — whatever that really means.
For most people, they experience a film holistically, I think. The critic or technician merely explains how the elements of the film combine to make a movie effective or ineffective in the more immersive event of watching a film that, I am inclined to say, is the actual pure experience.
I haven’t thought a lot about it, tbh. But that’s my initial reaction, though. I definitely feel uncomfortable with what I think you’re saying implies.
@extramsg – the first definition (at least according to oxford)- without sidetracking too much here is “the visual qualities of a film”.
We can sort of agree to disagree here- I think you said it a few days ago with how you “tend to focus on the characters” as your preference and said yourself: “I do tend to be more of an AFI guy than a Sight and Sound guy”. I like that distinction- makes perfect sense to me.
@extramsg – I don’t know how long you have been following the site but I followed about a year before making my first post and now I post frequently so welcome. I thought 2020 and 2021 that I called it a “bounceback year” above and perhaps that is an exaggeration although I did think more highly of this year. Just curious as to some of your favorite films in general if your comforable sharing
@James Trapp- Sorry James- didn’t mean to use the “bounceback” year in response to your message. I feel bad- I didn’t mean the comment as a response to your comment. Bad word choice by me here. Changing it now.
@Drake – ha no worries, I take no offense. I agree by most standards this is another weak year but after the last 2 this one actually seems better by comparison. Plus as you note there were some highly ambitious films which gives me some hope despite the extremely weak start to this decade
@James Trapp- We’re probably pretty close to being on the same page here. I guess I just wish one or two more of those ambitious films landed a little. But still- a reason for optimism.
As always James, I agree with you. I said it in my post. I think it’s the first post-Covid year.
Thanks for the welcome from you as well.
“Just curious as to some of your favorite films in general if your comforable sharing”
Man, that’s always a tough question. I love a lot of movies. I do tend to be more of an AFI guy than a Sight and Sound guy. I have fairly classic Hollywood tastes with a penchant for social realism as well. The most important thing for me is to care about what’s going on. I appreciate a lot of the formal aspects of cinema and love a director with a good eye, but I do tend to focus on the characters. Occasionally one of my favorite films from a director will be outside the norm, but it’s not common. I don’t watch as many non-English language films as I should so it can be a blind spot. Some I need to get back to because, eg, several directors that are considered among the greatest filmmakers aren’t among mine, including Fellini, Bergman, and Kurosawa. I’ve watched several films by each, but not in decades, mostly when I was in college, and didn’t like them as much as most people then. I have all three on my list of those I hope to watch the entire filmographies of this year or next.
A top 10 for me might look something like this, noting that these are FAVORITES and shouldn’t be confused with a BEST films list, where I would try to take into account things like cultural impact, artistic and technological innovation, influence on future filmmakers, and other aspects that are less about how the films personally impact me. This would be just choosing one per director and trying to spread around style and era of films a little:
The Third Man (Reed)
Some Like It Hot (Wilder)
Jaws (Spielberg)
Bicycle Thief (de Sica)
Once Upon a Time in the West (Leone)
The Matrix (Wachowskis)
Lawrence of Arabia (Lean)
Roman Holiday (Wyler)
It’s a Wonderful Life (Capra)
The Hustler (Rossen)
I did work on trying to make a 100 favorite films list for friends a while back and kind of gave up because it was so daunting. I’d probably be better off trying to make a list of 500. Here’s where I left off. I’m sure there are more films I would add to it:
12 Angry Men (Lumet)
400 Blows (Truffaut)
Ace in the Hole (Wilder)
A Fish Called Wanda (C. Crichton)
Airplane! (Zucker Abrahams Zucker)
Alien (Cameron)
All Quiet on the Western Front (Milestone)
Amadeus (Forman)
Anatomy of a Murder (Preminger)
Anchorman (McKay)
The Andromeda Strain (Wise)
Animal House (Landis)
The Apartment (Wilder)
Apocalypse Now (Coppola)
Badlands (Malick)
Bad Santa (Zwigoff)
Ball of Fire (Hawks)
Ben Hur (Wyler)
The Big Lebowski (Coens)
Big Night (Tucci)
The Birds (Hitchcock)
The Bicycle Thief (de Sica)
The Blues Brothers (Landis)
Blade Runner (R. Scott)
Bonnie and Clyde (Penn)
Boogie Nights (P. Anderson)
Bowfinger (Oz)
Breaking the Waves (von Trier)
Bridge on the River Kwai (Lean)
Brief Encounter (Lean)
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (Peckinpah)
Broadway Danny Rose (Allen)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (R. Hill)
Caddyshack (Ramis)
Casablanca (Curtiz)
Chimes at Midnight (Welles)
Chinatown (Polanski)
A Christmas Story (Clark)
Citizen Kane (Welles)
City Lights (Chaplin)
Clockwork Orange (Kubrick)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Spielberg)
Cluny Brown (Lubitsch)
The Color Purple (Spielberg)
Compulsion (Fleischer)
The Conversation (Coppola)
Cool Hand Luke (Rosenberg)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (Allen)
Days of Heaven (Malick)
The Deer Hunter (Cimino)
Die Hard (McTiernan)
The Dark Knight (Nolan)
The Dirty Dozen (Aldrich)
Dirty Harry (Siegel)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Oz)
Dog Day Afternoon (Lumet)
Do The Right Thing (Lee)
Django Unchained (Tarantino)
Dr. Strangelove (Kubrick)
Duck Soup (McCary)
Duck, You Sucker (Leone)
Ed Wood (Burton)
Elf (Favreau)
Escape from Alcatraz (Siegel)
Empire Strikes Back (Kershner)
The Exorcist (Friedkin)
A Face in the Crowd (Kazan)
Fargo (Coens)
Fellowship of the Ring (Jackson)
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (Hughes)
Fight Club (Fincher)
The Florida Project (Baker)
The French Connection (Friedkin)
Galaxy Quest (Parisot)
The Godfather 1 & 2 (Coppola)
Goldfinger (Hamilton)
Gone to Earth (Powell & Pressburger)
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (Leone)
Grand Illusion (Renoir)
The Graduate (Nichols)
Grapes of Wrath (Ford)
Grease (Kleiser)
The Great Escape (J. Sturges)
Groundhog Day (Ramis)
The Hangover (Phillips)
Harold & Maude (Ashby)
High Noon (Zinneman)
His Girl Friday (Hawks)
The Hustler (Rossen)
It’s a Wonderful Life (Capra)
Jackie Brown (Tarantino)
Jaws (Spielberg)
The Jerk (C. Reiner)
Kes (Loach)
The King of Comedy (Scorsese)
The Lady Eve (Sturges)
Lady for a Day (Capra)
The Last Detail (Ashby)
Lawrence of Arabia (Lean)
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Powell & Pressburger)
Little Big Man (Penn)
M (Lang)
Maltese Falcon (Huston)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Ford)
Marathon Man (Schlesinger)
El Mariachi (Rodriguez)
MASH (Altman)
The Matrix (Wachowskis)
Mean Streets (Scorsese)
Memento (Nolan)
Metropolis (Lang)
Midnight Cowboy (Schlesinger)
Midnight in Paris (Allen)
Midnight Run (Brest)
Miracle on 34th Street (Seaton)
The Miracle Worker (Penn)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Gilliam / Jones)
The More the Merrier (Stevens)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Capra)
Night and the City (Dassin)
Night of the Hunter (Laughton)
Nobody Knows (Kore-eda)
No Country for Old Men (Coens)
Notorious (Hitchcock)
Office Space (Judge)
On the Waterfront (Kazan)
Once Upon a Time in the West (Leone)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Forman)
The Outlaw Josey Wales (Eastwood)
Paper Moon (Bogdanovich)
Passage to India (Lean)
The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer)
Pather Panchali (Ray)
Patton (Schaffner)
Peeping Tom (M. Powell)
Philadelphia Story (Cukor)
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (Hughes)
Planet of the Apes (Schaffner)
Popeye (Altman)
The Prestige (Nolan)
The Producers (Brooks)
The Professional (Besson)
Psycho (Hitchcock)
Pulp Fiction (Tarantino)
The Princess Bride (Reiner)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (Spielberg)
Rear Window (Hitchcock)
Red River (Hawks)
Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino)
Revenge of the Nerds (Kanew)
Raising Arizona (Coens)
The Road Warrior (Miller)
Rocky (Avildsen)
Roman Holiday (Wyler)
The Royal Tenenbaums (W. Anderson)
Rushmore (W. Anderson)
The Seventh Seal (Bergman)
Shallow Grave (Boyle)
The Shining (Kubrick)
The Shop Around the Corner (Lubitsch)
Sin City (Rodriguez)
The Sixth Sense (Shyamalan)
Some Like It Hot (Wilder)
Spartacus (Kubrick)
Star Wars (Lucas)
Strangers on a Train (Hitchcock)
Straw Dogs (Peckinpah)
Sullivan’s Travels (Sturges)
Superbad (Mottola)
Tampopo (Itami)
A Taste of Honey (T. Richardson)
Taxi Driver (Scorsese)
The Terminator (Cameron)
There’s Something About Mary (Farrelly)
There Will Be Blood (P. Anderson)
The Third Man (Reed)
This Is Spinal Tap (Reiner)
This Sporting Life (L. Anderson)
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (Cimino)
To Be or Not To Be (Lubitsch)
To Have and To Have Not (Hawks)
Touch of Evil (Welles)
Trainspotting (Boyle)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Huston)
Tree of Life (Malick)
The Trial (Welles)
Tropic Thunder (Stiller)
Umberto D (de Sica)
Unbreakable (Shyamalan)
The Usual Suspects (Singer)
The Watchmen (Snyder)
West Side Story (Wise)
West Side Story (Spielberg)
When Harry Met Sally (Reiner)
White Heat (Walsh)
The Wild Bunch (Peckinpah)
Wild Child (Truffaut)
The Witch (Eggers)
Witness for the Prosecution (Wilder)
Young Frankenstein (Brooks)
@extramsg- Thank you for sharing this – a great list of films. Love seeing “The Andromeda Strain”
@extramsg – quite a list, thank you
Compulsion (Fleischer) – this one is an overlooked gem, one of the first “true crime” films
Paper Moon (Bogdanovich) – funny, poignant, entertaining, nostalgic
Psycho (Hitchcock) – one of my 5 favorite films of all time
Notorious (Hitchcock) and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Huston) – classic 40s Hollywood
Days of Heaven (Malick) – most beautiful film of all time in my opinion, you should watch The New World if you haven’t already
Thanks. I actually just finished a month or so ago watching all of Malick’s films in succession. I agree, Days of Heaven is way up there among the most beautiful films ever, along with movies like Lawrence of Arabia.
tbh, I thought New World was one of his lesser films. I gave it a B-. Here are my extended notes immediately after watching it:
“At times, it feels like Malick would rather be making a music video than a movie — or maybe an IMAX movie set to a classical score that has occasional images of people we don’t really know who look happy set amongst natural wonders. Or a really long car commercial. I don’t mind that we only get the vestiges of a plot or the skeleton of a story. I mind that we don’t really get to know our characters. The cynosure of the story is Pocahontas / Rebecca. But we never really know her, even in the end. She is more like a prop or, at best, a metaphor for a new world tamed then killed by the old world. The closest we get to a fleshed out character is John Smith and we can see why he is drawn to Pocahontas and falls in love with her. It’s a little hard to believe the portrayal of John Smith, but at least we can understand him as portrayed. If we’re not going to get depth in our characters, then perhaps filling out the story would be the better avenue because the structure of the love story as presented is quite good, somewhere between Dr. Zhivago and Dances with Wolves. It’s not a bad movie, but even in Malick’s early movies, there is an arm’s length distance from the characters, even with first person narration. As he has stripped away more and more of the narrative from his movies, that’s left us with mostly something like faded memories or dreams remembered in the light of day, yet with surprisingly vivid recollection of the images.”
@extramsg – interesting thoughts, here are my notes from when I watched
“After just one viewing I do not think it’s hyperbole to say this may be Malick’s finest film, or at least on the level of his other big masterpieces. Of course, I will need more viewings and really planning on just re-watching in the next couple of days. There are some big names, certainly Farrell and Christian Bale (both great), yet it was an actress I had never heard of, Q’orianka Kilcher, who was a revelation. The scenes between her and Farrell are incredible in how natural they feel. There is nothing really new from Malick, it’s really just more of the same, but done in such a perfect way. The swimming scenes and idyllic life style is similar to the middle of Days of Heaven and the opening scene of The Thin Red Line. The low angle shots, shots of the sun, and nature montages are there as well.
I think one reason it works so well is that Malick films are such sensory experiences with limited plot, this clash of 2 different cultures and the language barriers creates an environment where both sides are bound in their understanding of one another and must rely more on instinctive learning.
It’s Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores are baffling to me, especially given how well all of Malick’s prior films had scored. It seems like it’s status is increasing over time though given its placement in many best of the decade lists.”
I think one of the main areas I disagree with you is in regards to knowing the characters better, I think this film intentionally limits our understanding in a way that reflects the communication limitations that would have occured. I like Roger Eberts explanation in the first paragraph of his review:
“Terrence Malick’s “The New World” strips away all the fancy and lore from the story of Pocahontas and her tribe and the English settlers at Jamestown, and imagines how new and strange these people must have seemed to one another. If the Indians stared in disbelief at the English ships, the English were no less awed by the somber beauty of the new land and its people. They called the Indians “the naturals,” little understanding how well the term applied.”
Maybe that was as intended with New World, but it didn’t work for me. I wonder if Malick recognized this and that’s why Tree of Life is so much more intimate.
@James Trapp – While I don’t believe 2022 is an incredible year, I think it’s superior to 2020 and 2021, which I believe are two of the weakest in cinema history. I have eight films from 2022 graded HR/MS or higher:
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Decision to Leave
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Tár
The Batman
The Northman
I don’t think there is a clear MP among those eight like every year from the previous decade, and I’d like a second viewing of them to see if I increase, lower, or keep the same grade. I think the difference between Drake calling it one of the weakest and me calling it a decent year is me being slightly higher on Babylon and Tár and having the opportunity to see Avatar: The Way of Water. As I said, I’d like a second viewing of those to see if I was being too generous.
I have high hopes for 2023 and think it could be the strongest year since 2019 with some of the directors we’re getting films from. It would be nice if we get The Way of the Wind from Malick, but I’m not counting on that until 2024 or even 2025.
@Ian- In the past when I talk about the best years (whether its 1960, 1975, 1999, 2007, or 2019) it is all about the films at the top- Must See or better films. Now, again I’m 99% sure I’m missing on at least one of these 2022 films and I still have films yet to see. But if you look at the last 5-6 years, here’s the total count of MS and MP films by year:
2018- 7
2019- 17
2020- 2
2021- 5
2022- 1
Can’t help noticing you’ve got 2 now for 2020, while there was only 1 on the last update. Besides I’m Thinking of Ending Things what was the other MS (or higher) film?
@DeclanG- I might do an update on the 2020 and 2021 page here- we’ll see. I’m trying to run through some of the films I need to see a second time from those two years as we speak.
@Drake – That’s understandable. Hopefully, I can get another viewing of these 2022 films to see if I’m overrating any. Either I’m overrating some, or you’re underrating some – haha.
I’m curious to see which film from 2020 you upgraded to MS. I only have I’m Thinking of Ending Things as an MS from that year, but I’m considering upgrading a second film to MS after a recent third viewing.
I like your mentioning some of the best years. I haven’t run any numbers, but I’d like to eventually. Just some off the top of my head:
1939
1946
1948
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1975
1982
1999
2000
2007
2019
@Ian- A great list here- this feels like the starting list.
A 2022 page without a single mention of Avatar:The Way of Water or even Black Panther:Wakanda Forever. Unbelievable. Were they big letdowns given the strength of their predecessor? I thought there was quite a few similarities between them. Especially introducing a new society/tribe.
@Malith- There is a disclaimer on Avatar: The Way of Water near the bottom of the page. Sorry. And I did see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – but it did not land in the archives – so it does not get a mention here on the page.
@Drake-Did you get to M3gan(2022)? Plus unbelievable you still haven’t seen Avatar:The Way of Water. 4 months into its release. Have you lost faith in James Cameron?
@Malith – Avatar has limited showings imo.
It would definitely make my top 10 of the year though, same with you?
@Harry-I’m going to see Everything Everywhere All at Once in around 2 hours time. As for now I would have;
1.Babylon
2.The Batman
3.Avatar:The Way of Water
4.Elvis
5.Three Thousand Years of Longing
6.The Woman King
7.Top Gun : Maverick
8.Death on the Nile
9.RRR
10.The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
As my top 10
@Malith- Yes on M3gan – and I know on Avatar. I’ll strive to do better. I am trying to see a higher percentage of older films. In the 4 months Avatar has been out I’ve seen about 40 Mizoguchi and Naruse films.
Happy to see you having Decision to leave as the best film of the year and a MP/MS, it was without any hesitation my favorite film of the year.
Also happy to see Northman ranking that high, I loved it but felt like most sites kind of forgot about it.
Those two and Bardo are my top 3 this year, and I enjoyed EEAAO, Batman, Top Gun and Banshees like everyone else.
Surprised that Avatar 2 was omitted however.
@Oliver- There’s a little disclaimer at the bottom- but there were a few films that I was not able to get to in time. Avatar 2 among them.
Just saw that you did not see Avatar 2 yet, my bad.
with another strong Batman film out, it would be interesting to see how you rank the archivable batman movies in relation to each other Drake.
Awesome work on the page again Drake. I am pleased that we share our number 1’s and also that the Northman ranks so high (4 on my list). Also love the praise for Babylon and Blonde regardless of the current critical consensus as I’m sure in 10 years this will change. Both also feature in my top 10. I may have to revisit the Batman now as I had it closer to 15.
I am puzzled though to the best male performance of the year category as I see some other people are too. Wright was good but I’d say wasn’t even the best performance in his own film let alone the year. Colin Farrell’s work in Banshees would take the cake for me in this category. Also a shoutout to Chalemet in Bones and All as that doesn’t work without his unique charm.
Speaking of, have you yet to see Bones and All or did it just miss the archives completely? I have it quite high up at 6 for the year – gorgeous cinematography, 2 strong lead performances and the sound design was some of the best of the year. Also the scene between chalemet and Russell on the hill at magic hour might just be my scene of the year.
Great work again 👍
@Joel- Thanks Joel- appreciate your comment as always. So for Wright- I mean I explain some of the reasoning in the paragraph there. He is more than stellar in the #3 film of 2021 and #2022. That’s what this category is all about. Farrell is excellent in Banshees and you would not get a long argument from me to include him in the mentions – but I do not like dipping down to the HR or below for an actor mention. I rarely do it, and when I do it is for a performance more like Blanchett in Tar.
I have not had the chance to catch Bones and All. I am very excited to get to it. There is a short little disclaimer at the bottom of the page.
Oh too right there is. I should probably look through everything more thorough next time. I’m keen for you to get to Bones and All. Again not everything works but the highs are relatively high and I think it’s Guadagnino’s most formally accomplished work.
Great list. Wondering if you got to see Return to Seoul? Haven’t seen it but it looks interesting. Also After Yang is not here, not archivable? I thought it was a great low stakes ditty of a film that had excellent understated acting (the hardest to get right IMO) and an interesting colour palate. The scene when he pours the tea and talks about it is good enough to make you sense the taste and smell of it a bit like Guadagnino’s italian summer in Call me By your Name.
@Jagman – Very nice of you to say that about the list. Thanks. I have not had the opportunity to see Return to Seoul as of yet. After Yang I have – it is in the archives but it is a 2021 film so not on the page here.
I didn’t have much problems with Babylon. And don’t understand why it has a rotten score on RT. But I thought showing footage of new films like Avatar, Terminator or even Anna Karina at the end there was a miss. And not really relevant to the time period covered in the film. Felt a bit like a commercial for a streaming platform. Plus given how fast and energetic most of the film is the ending seemed to go on and on inside the movie theatre when Diego Calva was watching “Singin’ in the Rain” I believe.
@Malith- I think I understand the rough reviews- not saying they are warranted- but I understand them. The ending is a disaster. But also I’d be lying to myself if I said I didn’t see Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls in Chazelle’s film – and Margot’s performance specifically.
I find the Showgirls companion interesting and I had not even thought of it. I for one don’t even think Showgirls is a bad movie aside from its bonkers writing. I like the frenzied sexuality of Margot’s performance. It’s like a more controlled, less nakedly earnest and vulnerable version of Berkley’s truly campy performance.
@Ce Yeah- I don’t mean the Showgirls comparison as a total insult (like Razzie winning or nominated in every category) – Babylon is one of the best 10 films of the year after all. But I have seen Showgirls again semi-recently and do not think it belongs in the archives. I know you are comparing her with Berkley’s performance here (and they do resemble each other) – but I cannot see “controlled” as a word that should be attached to Margot’s performance. She is playing Harley Quinn again here in Babylon. I would have been more surprised to see win an Oscar nom than a Razzie nom this year.
well, emphasis on “more” controlled of course. Margot is certainly chewing the scenery but what I think her characterization is more winking and in on the joke than Berkley’s was. I mean Berkley plays it with complete seriousness that makes it almost painful because she seems to think she’s in a different kind of movie lol.
@Ce haha. I am loving the back and forth here- thank you for indulging me. I had no idea I would be arguing for the superiority of Elizabeth Berkley’s Showgirls performance today when I woke up this morning but here we are.
@Drake-Maybe I’m asking too much. But can you post the number of archiveable films every year from 1914 to 2022 so far?
@Anderson- I should do this. The last time I did this was January 14 2014 and the count was 2841 films in the archives.
Count now as of today is 4140 total
@Drake-Wow. Over 4000 films. Do you have the archiveable films per year? I think this would be very helpful to see the dips and rises in archiveable films over time. Sure you sometimes mention in individual years that it is a great film year/bad film year etc. but not a thorough list that sticks in the mind fully focusing on that.
@Anderson- I do, but not a lot of overriding trends that I can see. If I think it tells part of the story, I’ll include the number in the yearly archives
Hmm. What are the top 5 years in terms of number of archiveable films? Are they all recent or do we have something from the 1990’s, 1970’s or even 1960’s?
@Anderson- 2019 has a ton, but 1955, 1988, 2002 also have a ton for some reason. They do tend to be higher as we get closer to contemporary cinema
Haha fair enough with after yang. Just been seeing it on other people’s top films of 2022. My bad.
@Jagman- Yep, I saw it a bunch, too. It happens. Nothing wrong with that- critics will often do this and submit the 10 best films they saw that year. Licorice Pizza was on many 2022 lists – especially for critics in certain parts of the world. For the archives here I use the premiere date for the most part- the IMDB date.
Drake do you use any other platform to talk about movies with people? Like other websites or discord servers etc?
I am finding most places absolutely suck like on Facebook groups dedicated to certain directors and just general movie fan discord servers. E.g if you say how you don’t like a certain film you get the usual nonsensical replies about how you must love Marvel/DC/Fast and Furious, etc.
Any intelligent/fun places to discuss films outside of this site that you like to use?
@Dylan- Not really. It is really hard to have a good conversation online for the most part. I frequent plenty of good resources websites/ (metacritic, rotten tomatoes, They Shoot Pictures Don’t They, WorldofReel are just about daily visits for me) but the comment section are not always monitored and sort of policed (and these are all much busier sites than mine is from a comments standpoint). I am in a movie club of sorts in person where I live and enjoy that.
I’ve done my best here to keep the trolls out
but you do have a twitter account right? Ive been checking in every now and then.
@Oliver- I do have a twitter account- but it just sort of automatically sends my posts from the site there. I am not active really on twitter or any other social media.
Who do you think is gonna have the best 2023 film: Fincher, FF Coppola, Villeneuve, Nolan, Mann, or Scorsese?
@Dylan – I’m hoping (and expecting) that Aster, Wes Anderson, Fincher, Nolan, Scorsese, and Villeneuve can all deliver HR/MS or higher films this year. I’m also excited about Mann’s film. I’m not sure if Megalopolis is supposed to be released this year since filming wrapped this month. But given Coppola’s five films since 1996, I think it will be a flop or an MS/MP, and I’d be surprised if it’s anything between.
Right, I forgot about Aster’s as well, looking forward to see it. I like Midsommar, but thought Hereditary was pretty lame (although it does have great shots, I just don’t enjoy it), I am hoping it is more like Midsommar.
And ya I’m really curious about Megalopolis, it has Adam Driver in the lead and has Voight, Hoffman etc…. while his other newer films have mediocre casts so maybe it’ll be good
I have the most confidence in Fincher/Villeneuve to deliver, Fincher always makes a MS/MP every other film he makes, and Dune part 1 was fantastic
@Dylan- Very exciting! On paper 2023 looks like it could be a great year. I’m not sure we get films from all of these filmmakers in 2023. Fincher, Villeneuve, Nolan and now Scorsese seem for sure. Does Mann’s film have a release date? And I think FF Coppola’s was announced for 2024- but I could be wrong.
My guess on who makes the best would be Fincher- but that’s just a gut feeling
Mann’s is Ferrari with Adam Driver, and wikipedia is saying Megalopolis is now TBA, so I guess it’ll be either 2023 or 2024 for that
I hope Mann’s Ferrari will be better than Ford v Ferrari and Rush and becomes the best racing movie, but his last good film IMO was Miami Vice…. so hoping for a comeback, he’s one of my favorite directors
Polanski too. But my gut feeling is you won’t be able see it Drake. Given you haven’t even seen his last film yet. Maybe after a long long time someone will actually release it where you live.
I hope I’m not being too nosy here but where abouts is everyone from? From the Polanski comment I’m assuming you’re from the US Drake and most people would be too? I’m from Australia and still live here. Can be very frustrating when we have to wait many weeks more than the US sometimes for movies to hit our theatres.
@Joel- Yep, I’m in the US.
I’m in Australia too Joel, so I totally get the distribution issue of waiting to get films here after they have already been out in the US for ages. I remember spending about three months trying to avoid online spoilers for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood when that was released. I’m pretty lucky that I live near Dendy and Palace cinemas now which screen a lot of independent movies, and even have a lot of previews some weeks in advance. My more regional friends back where I grew up are often just stuck with the big blockbusters.
I’m also from Australia. Most of the Oscar nominated films here have only been out a few weeks beforehand. Should share tips on where to find films.
@Malith- Agreed on Polanski. Not holding my breath
Not able to see a film from 2019? Wut? https://rarbgenter.org/torrents.php?search=An+Officer+and+a+Spy&order=seeders&by=DESC
Nolan for me. Fincher and Wes are probably safer picks because you *know* what you are getting (their style is so systematic/formulaic). I’m just getting that vibe with Oppenheimer, I think he has a huge bounce back after the Tenet disappointment
Drake, love the site. What do you think Blonde being very good does for Andrew Dominik’s legacy? For a minute there, it looked as if Jesse James was a total outlier in terms of quality within his filmography. Do you think Blonde proves his auteur credentials?
@Haider- Tough one. What do you think? I’d say it proves he has talent. There are miraculous moments in Blonde. But saying someone has talent at 55 years old (and I’d have to imagine it is going to be awhile before we get another Dominiki film) is sort of an implied slight in that he hasn’t capitalized on that talent more, right?
Drake, have you seen Bullet Train? What did you make of it?
@George- I have, very solid. It was no Atomic Blonde but better than the reviews. I’ll be seeing it again for a closer look. What did you think?
@Drake pretty much the same as you. I saw it once and have it as a R, but it was definitely no Atomic Blonde.
Was expecting this for so long. Here is my more objective top 10 and my personal top 10 (of what I’ve seen). There’s films I wasn’t able to see in my country yet at the end of 2022 so surely they will be in 2023 top.
top 10
1. Decision To Leave
2. Tár
3. After Yang
4. The Banshees Of Inisherin
5. Gagarine
6. The Tale Of King Crab
7. Everything Everywhere All At Once
8. Hit The Road
9. The Northman
10. Elvis
personal favorites
1. Top Gun: Maverick
2. Everything Everywhere All At Once
3. The Menu
4. Decision To Leave
5. The Northman
6. The Batman
7. Elvis
8. Tár
9. The Banshees Of Inisherin
10. X
Edit: astonishing how 2022 gave us the debuts of Liatard/Trouilh (Gagarine), De Righi/Zoppis (The Tale Of King Crab) and Panahi (Hit The Road)… New voices with quality traits.
This is my whole 2022 archives.
A Chiara— Carpignano R
After Yang— Kogonada HR/MS
All Quiet On The Westerfront— Berger R
Apples— Nikou HR
Armageddon Time— Gray R
Bullet Train— Leitch R
Decision To Leave— PCW MS
Dinner In America— Rehmeier R
Elvis— Luhrmann HR
Everything Everywhere All At Once— Daniels HR/MS
Gagarine— Liatard, Trouilh HR/MS
Glass Onion— Johnson R Hit The Road— Panahi HR
Lost Illusions— Giannoli R
Tár— Field MS
The Banshees Of Inisherin— Mcdonagh HR/MS
The Batman— Reeves R/HR
The Innocents— Vogt R
The Menu— Mylod R/HR
The Northman— Eggers HR
The Tale Of King Crab— De Righi, Zoppis HR/MS
Top Gun: Maverick— Kosinski HR
X— West R/HR
@Jey Neo- Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for your sublime blog, still learning and with this piece better yet.
Colin Farrel had a really strong 2022, banshees of inisherin, after yang (if it counts as 2022), The batman and 13 lives.
@Oliver- He really did- After Yang is in 2021 but still
Hi Drake, just wondering how do you have the time to watch/rewatch so many films?
@Dave Thank you for visiting the site and the comment. It is often difficult to find the hours in the day – but I try to make the most of available time. I think I’ve been averaging around 700 movies per year for most of the last 20 years. So I’m not exactly as well rounded or well traveled or the most social of people. I steal time when I can here and there, I sleep my 6-7 hours, haha. It is obviously my passion and hobby.
Finally caught Babylon, quite a wild ride. I was a little skeptical of the narrative early on, not entirely sure where it was going and I couldn’t help but think that it could have been trimmed obviously although I think for the most part it succeeds.
I have a question for whoever wants to chime in:
Can or should a film ever be faulted for being too ambitious?
I really admired what Damien Chazelle does here.
Definitely similarities to Wolf of Wall Street with the partying and excess
The energy and sprawling reminded me of PT Anderson, particularly Boogie Nights. Plus you have the rise and fall aspect of it.
On the other hand, by the time the Diego Calva character is fleeing to Mexico on the run from gangsters I was starting to lose interest
The montage starting around 2:58:00 is a little unnecessary, I get that he wanted a sort of grand finale scene like the end of Whiplash but here he is basically just recaping the events of the movie to a certain degree
@Drake – I know you have said you typically do not watch or at least do not do track and grade documentaries or TV series. With Copenhagen Cowboy being a Netflix Series, just out of curiousity what made you interested in grading a TV series? Are there any other Series in the archives?
Several other directors like Bergman, Tom Hooper, Derek Cianfrance, Guadagnino, Kieslowski, and Barry Jenkins have TV series in the archives too. It’s no coincidence that all of these are auteur-driven. My (fairly confident) guess is that Nicolas Winding Refn’s name was attached, since that is all it took to draw me to it as well.
@James Trapp- I don’t know about the word “series” here. This was a 5 hour and 12 minute film-like undertaking entirely directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. So yeah, I was going to check it out (and am glad I did). I go where the artist is- and plenty of others in the archives over the years in a similar vein.
@Drake@DeclanG – okay, in that case I’m assuming you’ll be watching this
https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/tv/blossoms-shanghai-wong-kar-wai-trailer-in-the-mood-for-love-2046-3342909
I think they are not finished shooting yet. It started filming in September of 2020, its been three years now. Not sure when this will be released but looks interesting.
binged the tv-series Beef by A24 and Netflix yesterday, that’s definitley something I could see being archives, best series I have seen in years.
@Oliver Wätthammar Santesson- Thank you for Sharing Oliver
@AltMash – hopefully this doesn’t join the lore of legendary artists unfinished works a la Orson Welles
Hello Drake, will you update the page after you get to see Aftersun, The Fabelmans, Avatar: The Way of Water, Bones and All, The Whale, Saint Omer, and The Eternal Daughter?
@Oliver- I do not think so, I mean all of the yearly archive pages, director pages, and actor pages get updated in sort of a rotation.
Hello Drake, just wondering if you had any time to watch The Fabelmans – and, if so, whether you liked it or not.
@Gabriel Paes- I have, and I liked it- I’d like to get to it another time before writing more on it. How about you? What did you think?
Hello everyone, just wanted to say how this is a great community and probably the best forum for discussing film. I’m still an absolute beginner compared to all you guys, but I’d thought I pop in and say hi and share my current top 25 movies. https://letterboxd.com/primus43/list/top-25-films/
@Christopher- Thank you for visiting the site and the share here. That is a rock solid top 25.
@Christopher – hope you see you around the site more
Hey Drake,
Have you had a chance to catch Bones and All yet? I really enjoyed it and I am wondering what you thought of the film and the performances. Love the website.
@Gohan- Appreciate the kind word on the site. I have- I saw it the same night as Spielberg’s The Fabelmans as I catch up on some of the 2022 films I missed in the calendar year. Guadagnino’s film is the better of the two. Chalamet and Russell were great. What did you think?
Hmm. I see you have archived RRR here. You should definitely see the two Baahubali films from Rajamouli in chronological order which he made before RRR. I think RRR runs out of steam in the final part. While this doesn’t really happen in the Baahubali films. The second one has an epic conclusion.
@Anderson- Thank you for the recommendation