Pete Hammond’s 10, OK 11, Best Movies of 2022

It seems like every critic will weigh in this time of year for one or the other with their top 10 list. We will do this at the end of the year and 2022 will be no different. And as always me deceive. So sue me.

I think in what has been a very good year for movies, given the dismal box office success for the more ambitious and adult-oriented films out there, it was heartening to see Hollywood studios in this still pandemic-ridden era so willing quality that produces quality crowd pleasers that are also good enough and deserving enough to make it onto one of those lists – unless you’re one of those grumpy critics who prefers only the most obscure anti-entertainment out there. I’m not like that. I like to praise what I call Movie Movies, and I don’t blame any of them for making money and bringing back audiences along the way. Whether they’re good, big or small, they’re worth standing up for, so this annual ritual is just another cog in the wheel to do so. Now for the “cheating” part.

My actual list is 11, not 10, because I declared a tie just because I could. I also start this list with a few other films that I think clearly stand out in their own genres or specific categories. It’s a celebration of the best, and it doesn’t have to be finite.

In compiling this list, I saw all sorts of really good movies, some thrillingly performance-oriented and notable, including Danielle Deadwyler in To; Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain in the scary good true story The Good Nurse; Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Jean Smart, Diego Calva, PJ Byrne and a great cast Babylon; Michelle Yeoh in Everything, everywhere, all at once; to the beautiful Lesley Manville Mrs. Harris goes to Paris; Viola Davis and the entire ensemble of The queen of women; George Clooney and Julia Roberts do it the old-fashioned way, channeling Tracy and Hepburn in the welcome rom-com Entry ticket to paradise; Olivia Colman and Michael Ward present rich in light; Enter Emma Thompson Good luck to you Leo Grande; Brendan Fraser and a trio of remarkable women (Hong Chau, Sadie Sink, Samantha Morton). The whale; Bill Nighty in Life; and the ensembles of She said Armageddon time, thirteen lifetimes and Cha Cha really smooth. It was a very good year and I haven’t even made the “list” yet.

I’m also pleased to recognize three films as part of our look at the best international films of the year (also known as foreign films). Like last year, all of Deadline’s critics submitted a detailed rationale for their top 3 in the category, which will be published this week. Mine is from Germany Nothing new in the West, from Belgium near and the French romantic charmer My donkey, my lover & me.

It’s actually been a good year for donkeys in films, including two films on my list below, as well as the official Polish entry for the Oscars, the beauties E.O. But if you’re looking for a movie recommendation that will make you happy, not sad, look for the ones above My donkey, my lover & me.

There have been some entertaining entries in the horror genre this year the black phone, the latest iteration of Shout and the holidays violent night, But undoubtedly the winner in this category checks out barbariana delicious mix of clever creepiness, comedy, chills and a humor twist from Justin Long that just stood out from the crowd.

For the documentary category there were many beautiful and depressing films, but for me the best of the program is the unqualified Good night OppieAmazon and Amblin Entertainment’s uplifting, moving and amazing story of the 14-year Mars Rover mission that combines The Martian and WALL-E, unless it actually happened.

Finally, here are the movies that for some reason made it into my Top 10 – OK 11 – Movies of 2022. Coincidence, yes, but why not?

In alphabetical order:

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
James Cameron proved he hasn’t lost a beat in the 13 years we’ve been waiting for a sequel to the biggest blockbuster of all time. This one exceeded all expectations.

THE BANSHEES BY INISHERIN
Martin McDonagh’s wry and humane Irish tale is undeniably the work of a master storyteller with an outstanding cast.

ELVIS
His story has been told many times, but Baz Luhrmann made the definitive Elvis Presley biography with a breathtaking performance from Austin Butler.

THE FABULOUS MAN
Steven Spielberg has nothing left to prove, but that hasn’t stopped him from proving it again with a cutting-edge autobiographical look at the life we ​​thought we knew, but not quite. A movie dream.

GLASS ONION: A KNIFE FROM THE MYSTERY
Rian Johnson shows us again that there is life in a time-honored film genre, the crime thriller, which tops the first film. Agatha Christie would be proud.

GUILLERMO del TOROS PINOCCHIO
The great del Toro put his heart and soul into a classic story and made it new and unforgettable in this or any other stop-motion animation triumph.

TOP WEAPON: MAVERICK
Thirty-six years later, Tom Cruise shows that the sky is not the limit with a film that is as suspenseful and emotional as movies can get.

TRIANGLE OF PAIN
Ruben Ostlund’s masterful, Palme d’Or-winning comedy was not only highly entertaining, it also had a lot to say about humanity, warts and the like Billy Wilder would have loved.

(TIE) TAR: Just like its stablemate Focus Features RevengeTodd Field’s first film in 16 years has more than one plot in mind as it follows Cate Blanchett’s tour de force as Lydia Tár, a legendary composer/conductor caught in a career crisis at the intersection of social media and cultural disruption .

(TIE) REVENGE: The generic title means nothing as BJ Novak stars in his astonishingly original and very fine feature and directorial debut that works not only as a dark comedy mystery but also as a journey down the rabbit hole of the red and blue states of America in the Trump era.

WOMEN TALK: Sarah Polley’s best writing and direction is anything but frivolous as a group of Mennonite women gathered in a barn are given 48 hours to decide the fate of the rest of their lives. An extraordinary film that combines social urgency and Hitchcockian tension in a way rarely seen in mainstream cinema.

Look for the next installment in Deadline’s video series Second try Friday, as Todd McCarthy and I dive deep into our own picks of the top five movies of 2022.