The Best Films of 2022 (by Cameron Geiser)
Written by Cameron Geiser
2022 has come to a close, and critic Cameron Geiser has presented his picks for the ten best films of the year.
10. Halloween Ends
If Halloween (2018) was about Laurie's (Jamie Lee Curtis) trauma and how she responded to it, and Halloween Kills was about Karen's (Judy Greer) inability to deal with the trauma of her own childhood, then Halloween Ends is Allyson's turn to process the generational trauma inflicted on the Strode women. While still invested in the Strode women, the film also asks the question, how does one become a Boogeyman? We’re introduced to Corey (Rohan Campbell) early on and after a horrible turn of events for the once promising young man, the town rejects him and over time, it changes him. At one point Laurie pointedly tells Corey that “there’s two kinds of evil in the world. The first one is an external force that threatens the well-being of the tribe, but the other lives inside us.” Michael Myers being one half, while Corey slowly becomes the other.
The film explores how guilt, shame, and fear can curdle into resentment, hatred, and rage. It's an interesting evolution in this trilogy, and I'm glad they took such a big swing in creative choices. Obviously, these films are not immaculate, they are messy. They have structural issues. The writing isn't subtle, or even all that good. The cinematography has occasional flair, but is mostly pedestrian. What they do extremely well is similar to a thrilling roller coaster. These films effectively turn your stomach, startle you, make you grimace, and maybe even cackle at the sheer ridiculous nature of these horror films. Halloween Ends lives up to its name and effectively ends the series on a high note.
9. Triangle of Sadness
Winner of the Palme d'Or this year, Triangle of Sadness was one of the most effective take-downs of the wealthy class as it so brutally mocked the people that deserve it most. In fact, almost every single character in the film is a terrible person, or at the very least they are people whose fortunes are linked to death, shit, or being social media models that seem like they've never had an original thought in their heads. They're all petty, controlling, unrelatable, and despicable in some cases. Which makes the second half of the film that much more euphoric as you watch these people tumble from their societal pedestals without an ounce of grace. I won't ruin the proceedings for you, but Woody Harrelson's Marxist Captain of the middle act's yacht, who gets drunk with a Russian Oligarch as they debate economic philosophies, is the highlight of the film. It may be a little slow in spots, but trust me, it's worth the wait.
8. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Benoit Blanc returns! Rian Johnson has constructed another tantalizing whodunnit playground of potential suspects, in an exclusive new locale full of murderous intent! Set during the early summer months of 2020 Billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites a select group of friends and business partners to spend a weekend with him on his Greek Isle to solve a murder mystery– his murder. Much like its predecessor, Glass Onion has one of the most interesting ensemble casts of the year including the likes of Janelle Monáe, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson, and Leslie Odom Jr. The sequel also boasts a number of Celebrity cameos from across the spectrum from Hugh Grant to Serena Williams. Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is once again the highlight of the film, but the whole cast is truly phenomenal as well. This one benefits from as little exposure to the plot as possible, but trust me, if you enjoyed the first film, this one is slightly better.
7. The Menu
Quite the unexpected surprise this film turned out to be. While the ubiquitous notion of an “Eat The Rich” mentality has been utilized in films before, this year’s film offerings seem to have coalesced around that idea for several high quality films with The Menu leading the charge. While the film is centered around the deliberate actions of renowned Chef Slowik played with a wry wit by Ralph Fiennes, the whole cast is occupied by exquisite genre actors such as John Leguizamo playing a self-absorbed actor with smarmy tact. The focus lies more with Nicholas Hoult as Tyler and Anya Taylor-Joy as Margot, two of the guests that accompany the exclusive dinner party at Hawthorne, Slowik’s infamous restaurant on a small private island.
Both Chef Slowik and his kitchen staff immediately realize an unexpected participant in the night’s planned menu, Margot. Tyler, an overly fastidious foodie and fan of Chef Slowik’s artistry, brought Margot as his plus one but had not told her that she was replacing his first plus one. The film does eventually unravel its true intentions, but along the way the wealthy guests of Hawthorne are mocked, toyed with, and humiliated in ways specific to each guest or table accordingly. To reveal further would only lessen your experience in my opinion, this dark comedy thriller was an autumnal delight and it comes highly recommended.
6. Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time
This documentary from writer-director Robert B. Weide has been in progress, in some way shape or form, since 1982 after a twenty-three year old Weide wrote a fan letter to Kurt Vonnegut inquiring if he'd be interested in a documentary being made about his life. To Weide's surprise Vonnegut not only responded to the letter, but agreed to the prospect of such a documentary. After spending an inordinate amount of time together shooting footage, having long discussions on writing, life, and the complex abstraction that is human nature- the two developed a surprisingly deep and thoughtful friendship. The documentary is as much about Kurt Vonnegut's life and books as it is about their friendship that developed in that time. There's a wealth of insight into the celebrated author's life and mindset, his successes, failures, warts and all.
Vonnegut essentially saw Weide as his personal archivist and was constantly sending him old family film reels, photos, old manuscripts, a treasure trove for any fan. The documentary dives deep into Vonnegut's idiosyncrasies and past like nothing else before, it often tries to meld stylistic and non-linear notions on a macroscale like the best of Vonnegut's fiction, notably his magnum opus Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death. The documentary works just as well for fans familiar with Vonnegut's work as it is for newcomers, and I highly recommend giving it a shot.
5. The Batman
Pulling heavily from classic Noir films and aspects of the character’s film and comics history, The Batman may just be the finest film to focus on the character thus far. That may be a controversial opinion, but this film is the first to treat the Caped Crusader as the Detective that he really is. We meet Robert Pattinson’s Batman a couple of years into his crime fighting career where he’s fully embraced the moniker of vengeance itself. This iteration’s Bruce Wayne is looking to make real changes in his city, and he does- but he learns that not all of those changes are for the better as his presence fuels the rise of other costumed characters, like Paul Dano’s exquisite take on the Riddler. The whole film is filled with regulars from the Bat’s rogues gallery. Colin Farrell’s mobster take on The Penguin was memorably bombastic and Zoë Kravitz's Catwoman was a refreshing take on the jewel thief. The world building was excellent, and the whole cast felt true to the pages those characters originated in. Truly an inspired take on a familiar character.
4. Clerks III
Like a wake for video rental stores everywhere, Clerks III is a charming ode to Generation X and the pop culture of the 1990’s. The third film rounding out the trilogy of slacker shenanigans gathers all the familiar faces from the last two films while improving on the storytelling quality of the entire franchise. Maybe it’s because I’m partial to movies about filmmaking, especially if it’s a bunch of misfits partaking in the story at hand, but this isn’t just a good Clerks movie, it’s the best film Kevin Smith has made in years. After the film’s opening scene Randall (Jeff Anderson) has a heart attack in the Quick Stop convenience store, and he makes it out alive, but with the painful realization that his life hasn’t amounted to much.
Dante (Brian O'Halloran) casually suggests that he always thought Randal could have made a movie, since he’s basically seen every movie ever made. Cue the eureka moment where Randal realizes that, yes, he actually could make a movie! Thus after exiting the hospital Randal returns to the Quick Stop with a new mission in life- he’s gonna make that movie! The film does get pretty meta in the first and second acts with the filming of what is essentially the first Clerks film. Old jokes are new again within the context, but under the unique spin of the characters reflecting on the first two films and interpreting those events for their own film. It’s a surprisingly heartfelt flick, check it out!
3. Top Gun: Maverick
The surprise box office champion of the year, Maverick ended up being one of the best legacy sequels of all time. With an admittedly simple, yet powerful, story the Top Gun sequel picks up decades later with Maverick test flying new aircraft out in the desert. It’s not long before he’s brought back to San Diego to teach the new kids on the block how to fly like an ace. Borrowing the heart from the first film to fuel this one was a smart move by pairing Cruise’s Maverick with Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of his former partner, Goose, who died in a training accident during the first film. With much higher stakes and mind blowing technical filmmaking on the screen, Maverick transcends the first film’s legacy with aplomb.
2. Everything Everywhere All at Once
Who knew that a film about radical empathy and the Multiverse would be so charming- and filled to the gills with Kung Fu? This film utilizes the infinite ideas at play to allow the characters to explore the intimate in depth. It’s not only the film that brought Ke Huy Quan back to acting, but it’s also a movie that’s in love with cinema and its history. The In The Mood For Love scene alone is worth the price of admission in my opinion. This is the most unique film in years with a personality and heart all its own, it’s most definitely worth your time.
1. RRR (Rise Roar Revolt)
No other film this year has so enraptured me as RRR did. After seeing the Indian Historical Epic four times now, twice in theaters and twice on Netflix, I can confirm that every other film I saw this year paled in comparison to the charisma, the energy, the explosive and air-punching phenomenon that is RRR. Beset by allegiances and oaths, two rivals on opposing sides of the law become the best of friends without knowing each other’s true goals or identities. It may be a three hour epic, but every scene and second is used with tenacity and narrative efficiency. This film has everything, it’s a romance, a bromance, a war film, a musical, a revenge story, there’s just so much story, melodrama, and actual drama baked into every moment that I simply cannot recommend this film enough. If you’re looking for a cinematic experience, this is it!
Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.