2 Film Critics recently were asked to rank their top 10 films of 2022 (so far…a few to go!) and now we share that list with you.
Like many film lovers, we bemoan the lack of people in the seats in theaters, the relative dearth of good films, and the prospect of even fewer. But let’s celebrate what we DO have.
Getting down to business, the list below is our top 10 of the “2022” films we reviewed, in order (with difficulty, being TWO film critics). Following the list are thumbnail sketches of our reviews, and after those are photos “Nope,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” and “The Fabelmans” did not make our list, though they each received a respectable 3 Stars (out of 4), as did the last 3 here.
“Decision to Leave” ★★★1/2
“The Banshees of Inisherin” ★★★1/2
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” ★★★1/2
“Funny Pages” ★★★1/2
“Happening” ★★★1/2
“Tár” ★★★1/2
“Living” ★★★1/2
“A Hero” ★★★
“In Our Prime” ★★★
“Kimi” ★★★
1. “Decision to Leave” tops our list, surprisingly even to us. Maybe we are attracted to good old-fashioned sleuthing and film-making. We said about this South Korean gem: “There’s a lot to like in this head-spinning, challenging, sometimes inexplicable, evocatively filmed and edited, tale of a love that struggles to ‘conquer all’—especially if you can follow the cell phones.”
2. “The Banshees of Inisherin” feeds our Irish dark comedy itch (though one of us asked, “where’s the comedy?”). “Beneath the charming, comfortable, and cinematically stunning surface—the majestic beauty of the Aran Islands dwarfs human existence—Inisherin is a dysfunctional and confining place, Irish playwright/director Martin McDonagh’s vehicle for exploring what it means to want more out of life than it seems able to provide.”
In “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Colm’s (Brendan Gleeson) steely rejection of Pádraic (Colin Farrell) will have consequences.
From “Everything Everywhere All At Once”: Facing their business’s IRS audit are the Wang family, left to right, Joy (Stephanie Hsu), Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh), and Grandpa Gong Gong (James Hong). What you barely see in this photo is the auditor – a great performance by Jamie Lee Curtis.
Daniel Zolghadri, above, is fascinating as the young comic artist Robert in “Funny Pages.”
A backroom abortions in “Happening” – 1960s France.
Cate Blanchett, above, as Lydia Tár in her element; Tár is the first woman to be principal conductor of a German orchestra. From the film, “Tár.”
Mr. Williams (Bill Nighy) in his uniform of pin-striped suit and bowler hat, in “Living.”
Above, the publicity photo for “A Hero” with its enigmatic protagonist portrayed by Amir Jadidi.
Above, Kim Dong-hwi as Ji-Woo, the embattled math student in “In Our Prime.” One aspect of the film’s fine editing is cinematographer Park Hong-yeol’s use of see-through blackboards to express the math problems.
Above, Zoë Kravitz as the Lisbeth Salander-like, tech-savvy Angela at her computer in her spacious Seattle loft in Steven Soderbergh’s “Kimi.”
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