Best Movies of 2022: Ri’s Definitive List

by Ri Wescott | January 2023

2022 was a revolutionary year for the film industry. I have been interested and passionate about movies for the past five years, and I haven’t seen such a strong lineup of movies in a year since 2019’s Parasite, Jojo Rabbit, 1917, Marriage Story, Joker, Little Women, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, etc. This year produced incredible movies in every genre; from the disturbingly weird Barbarian, to the surprisingly hilarious heart-warming Jackass Forever, this year had a lot to give and more. David Harbour surprised us as a heroically brutal Santa Claus in Violent Night while we were touched by the relatable coming of age story brought to us in Turning Red. From the amazing graphics of the highly awaited Avatar: The Way of Water to the amazing tribute of Chadwick Boseman in Wakanda Forever to the incredible return of Pete Mitchell after 36 years in Top Gun: Maverick. Tár and The Banshees of Iniserin, Aftersun and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. The Fablemens, Empire of Light, Cha Cha Real Smooth, and Apollo 10 ½. We got some of the best that the superhero world has to offer with The Batman. The silly fun of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and the crazy action sequences of RRR. We were really given the best of the best. With the past two years of lackluster movies, we were overdue for a year of great ones. Keeping this in mind, here is my personal list of the best movies released in 2022.

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

What can I even say about this movie that hasn’t been said already… First off, I think this might be in the running for the best movie I’ve ever seen. Secondly, it is the most insane piece of media I’ve ever consumed. Thirdly, the Youtube channel Cinefix perfectly described the movie when they categorized it in their “Top 10 Movies of 2022” video under the genre of “Sci-fi, Kung Fu, Action, Comedy, Existential Family Drama.” I saw this movie three times in theaters because I loved it so much. The movie features incredible performances from Michelle Yeoh (who I believe will win Best Actress in a Lead Role at the Oscars this year), Stephanie Hsu (she gave the performance of a lifetime as Jobu Tupaki, a role made for her) and the incredible return of Ke Huy Quan after an over 30 year hiatus from acting. Along with the main three, Jamie Lee Curtis is unbelievable as the auditor. The story presents us with a Chinese-American immigrant family who is struggling to pay the taxes on their laundromat business; from that simple plot line, we are taken on a wild journey through multiple universes filled with raccoon chefs, talking rocks, googly eyes, and hot dog fingers (I’m being serious). It sounds bizarre and therefore bad but trust me, it’s brilliant. It all comes together like an everything bagel. The costume design is some of the best I’ve ever seen, with Jobu Tupaki changing her wild outfits every other minute. I can’t even start to think how the Daniel’s came up with this movie concept, but it is sure to be a highlight of their careers. I don’t want to spoil more than I have to since it’s truly an experience going into it blind, but please give it a try. It is a heartwarming story of repairing a mother/daughter relationship, rebuilding a dull marriage, and believing in your abilities.

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On started as a series of Youtube videos written by Dean Fleischer-Camp and Jenny Slate, with the first being released 12 years ago and has gained 33 million views. Since then, the lovable little shell in pink sneakers has taken the world by storm. A children’s book was written about him, there were toys created for his fans, and 2022 produced the wonderfully lovable Marcel The Shell With Shoes On movie. Though the movie was too indie to be released at our local Regal Cinema, my family and I traveled down to Cinemark to behold the beauty of Marcel on the big screen. I could only describe this movie as something that will make you laugh, make you cry, and make your heart grow ten sizes. The story follows Marcel–a small shell with big dreams–who lives in an Airbnb when Dean–a filmmaker–comes to stay in the house. They create an unlikely friendship as Dean begins making a documentary on Marcel’s life in an attempt to help Marcel find his missing family. Through his newfound friendship with Dean, he discovers that the world is much bigger than he could ever imagine. Marcel’s big personality is so loveable that I doubt anyone could watch the movie without falling in love with him. From the caring relationship Marcel has with his Nonna Connie, to the dedication he has in finding his family, this movie is full of love. The movie is equally funny as it is sad, having us on a wild rollercoaster of emotions. After seeing Marcel for the first time, your life will be changed forever; he makes us believe in the beauty of the world and appreciate our families a little more each day.

Wendell and Wild

In 2022, Netflix released this claymation bombshell written by Henry Selick and Jordan Peele. Because of its discreet Netflix release and lack of advertising, it is one of the best hidden gems of the year. Don’t let its lack of mainstream attention fool you because this movie is the definition of an excellent film. The story follows Kat, a punk 13 year old who has gone down the wrong path in life following the death of her parents. She is given a second chance and taken to an all girls Catholic school; during class one day, she receives a marking on her hand that resembles a skull, connecting her to the underworld where demons Wendell and Wild claim her as their hell maiden. Using their special rejuvenating hair cream that claims to bring people back from the dead, Wendell and Wild make a deal with Kat to bring her parents back to life if she summons them to the world of the living and follows their orders. It's a mix of Peele's US, Get Out, and Nope, with Selick's Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline. The story takes on difficult concepts such as death, grief, guilt, corruption, and prison mistreatment in a way that is understandable for a PG-13 audience. Despite the dark themes, the movie is still incredibly fun with legendary comic duo Key and Peele playing the flick's name-sake demon brothers. The punk aesthetic paired with an iconic soundtrack full of punk songs is incredibly enjoyable for anyone who enjoys the alternative sub-genre. The best part of the movie in my eyes, though, is the off the charts animation. Hands down this is some of the most impressive claymation I have ever seen; it is visually stimulating and stunning, with some scenes having me question if we are even watching animated footage or if we switched to live action shots. The cast of characters even provide the audience with some well needed representation, as Raúl (one of Kat’s friends) is a transgender boy, Ms. Hunter (Kat’s juvenile justice worker) has a face tattoo that is common with women of different indigenous tribes around the world, and Kat being a black teenage girl in a leading role. The movie kept me interested from beginning to end and definitely holds a spot on my list of the best claymation movies of all time.

The Black Phone

This film adaptation of Joe Hill’s short story of the same name takes my top spot for best horror of the year. I’ve yet to see the beloved X and Pearl that people have been raving about, but until then I will continue to praise The Black Phone for standing out in this terrifying genre. Though I am not particularly a fan of horror, I enjoyed this movie so much that I went to see it twice in theaters. Joe Hill definitely takes inspiration from his father Stephen King, a mastermind in the horror genre, and it is noticeable in the symbols, aesthetics, and plotlines used throughout the film. The story follows a boy named Finney and his younger sister Gwen navigating young-adulthood as their town has been tainted by a kidnapper nicknamed “the grabber.” Following the kidnappings of multiple young boys, Finney gets captured and is held captive in a basement with only a mattress, a toilet, and a black phone hanging on the wall. Despite the grabber insisting that the phone hasn’t worked in years, Finney hears it ring and gets calls from the ghosts of former boys who were once held captive there, giving him advice on how to escape. At the same time, Gwen sees visions in her dreams of where her brother is being held and uses these visions to try and find him herself. Ethan Hawke is exceptionally good at playing a terrifying child murderer and I would like to give recognition to the costume/prop department who made one of the best horror villain masks I’ve ever seen. The movie is less of a jump-scare horror and more scary for its realistic horror, which I really enjoyed. The child actors are surprisingly talented for their young ages and the 70s aesthetics throughout are so creepily nostalgic. Despite it being slightly tame for the horror genre, it is one of my personal favorites.

Bullet Train

Bullet Train is definitely in my top three of the year. Similar to 2021’s Nobody, 2022’s Violent Night, and even 2016’s Deadpool, Bullet Train is a fun ride full of violence, comedy, and high stakes from beginning to end. The movie follows Brad Pitt’s Ladybug–an unlucky assassin–on a mission to retrieve a briefcase owned by the white death–Japan’s scariest mob boss–all while fighting off other assassins with similar motives on the train in the process. So much is happening all at once in this movie that it is important to pay attention since there are call backs to even the smallest of details that become very important later on. Every single character is lovable despite their violent antics, with Lemon and Tangerine (shown above) being my two personal favorites. There are silly metaphors connecting human characteristics to Thomas the Tank Engine characters, the life cycle of a water bottle from vending machine to trash can, and even a kill montage accompanied by Engelbert Humperdinck. Ladybug is such a wonderful character as an ex-assassin trying to get away from the violent life and just trying his hardest to do his job in a clean, easy way; you're rooting for him from opening to credits because he is just so damn charming. Lemon and Tangerine will make you laugh while also pulling at your heart strings and making sure you fall in love with them by the end of the movie. The bright, fast, and stimulating visuals are so aesthetically pleasing and keep you in a chokehold the entire time. Don’t even get me started on the soundtrack or costume design either because I could go on for hours. If you are a fan of action, comedies, fight sequences, Brad Pitt, Japanese culture, iconic cameos, silly one liners, british accents, Thomas the Tank Engine, or tense situations, I definitely recommend giving Bullet Train a try; you will not regret it.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Fan of the biopic? Or maybe you enjoy comedy music? Parodies? This movie encapsulates all three. Leave it to Weird Al to make a parody of an entire film genre by making a biopic about a fake, dramatized version of his life. Though it definitely isn’t the best movie of the year, I am sure this will become a cult classic for decades to come. Because of its exclusive Roku release, it didn’t get the mainstream audiences that most biopics get; but knowing the dedication of Weird Al’s fans, that doesn’t matter. My family and I are big fans of Al (we’ve even seen him four times live), so once we heard news that he was making another movie–33 years after the release of his other cult classic film UHF–there was nothing stopping us from seeing it; we went out and bought a Roku stick only to watch it. The movie is based on a Funny or Die skit from 2013, starring Aaron Paul as Al, in which they made a fake trailer advertising a biopic about Al’s life in which he truly lived up to the sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll lifestyle that most famous musicians do. If you didn’t know, Al is famously known to be the nice guy of Hollywood. He’s never done drugs, is a family man, is a vegan, etc. so he thought it would be funny to copy the overly dramatic feel of musician biopics. From a sexual relationship with Madonna to getting involved in a drug cartel; from controversy involving Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” stealing his own “Eat It” to sneaking out to go to accordion parties, this movie goes above and beyond. The pool scene that contains tons of comedy cameos playing other famous legends is a fan favorite so look out for that. Daniel Radcliff plays an incredible Al while Evan Rachel Wood is wonderful as Madonna and Rainn Wilson is iconic as Doctor Demento. It’s pure, ridiculous fun and you wouldn’t expect anything different from a Weird Al movie.

Bros

When I first saw the trailer for Bros, I was convinced it was going to be another one of those silly stereotypical gay movies that doesn’t even have a good plot but are just released purely for poking fun at the community and resulting in bad representation. Boy, was I mistaken. Obviously, there were some stereotypes that were poked fun at but the movie as a whole had a really good message for the LGBTQIA+ community. Good gay rom-coms are very hard to come by even in today’s world, so for it to have a blockbuster release and get 89% on rotten tomatoes was a big deal. The story follows Billy Eichner’s Bobby–a gay podcaster who gives relationship advice to other queer people–who has never been in a serious relationship before meeting the buff Aaron (Luke Macfarlane) who he takes an interest in. Bobby is also on the board of directors of the newest museum in New York City called “The National Museum of LGBTQ+ History and Culture” that is set to have its grand opening soon. In typical rom-com fashion, the two hit it off, date for a while, have some rocky moments, break off, and surely get back together before the end. Because our leading actor is a comedian and there are cameos from other comedians such as Bowen Yang, Seth Meyers, Kenan Thompson, etc., it is funnier than the average romantic comedy. I love the realness of Bobby’s character and how he is constantly told to “tone down the gay” because that is a sad reality of lots of queer people; the movie reminds the audience to never change for anyone and if you are queer, say it loud and proud!

She Said

I may be a little biased as the president of the newspaper club, but a movie about the two women who worked at the New York Times that sparked the #MeToo movement? Count me in! She Said retells the real story of journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey as they work to be the first reporters to break the Harvey Weinstein scandal. They go to many different women who were in close contact with Weinstein during his time at the Miramax company, but struggle to find any women who are willing to put their experiences on the record. I saw this movie, funnily enough, on Thanksgiving day since my family and I have a tradition of going to the movies before dinner on Thanksgiving each year. Though it isn’t the brightest of topics to kick off a holiday, boy did it keep me thinking about it until days later. As a possible future journalist, this movie outlines the importance of good journalism and writers who care about their work; good journalists can change the world with their work, as they did with the spark with the MeToo movement bubbling up as a result of their article. Their story and the women behind it even got Weinstein put on trial and put in jail. It is not only a movie about girl power and women's rights, but it also shows the dedication and hours of work it took for Kantor and Twohey to get this article published. It is inspiring and interesting all in one, and definitely worth a watch if you are a feminist or a believer in the importance of honest journalism.

The Menu

2023 felt like the year of the horror-comedy which I was not mad at at all since I am quite a big fan of this niche genre. The disturbingly funny The Menu really shined bright as a thriller/horror with elements of laugh-out-loud comedy. The story follows Margot and Tyler, a new couple with the opportunity to eat at the famous Hawthorne restaurant located on a remote island. Hawthorne does its meals very specifically, with every meal having an over encompassing theme of the night that brings all the dishes together. You soon realize that something isn’t right as the Hawthorne staff don’t think Margot is supposed to be there, with their meals having a very exclusive guest list. It is revealed not long after that the theme of the meal is that everyone involved will die. The dishes are ridiculous, the different death scenarios are insane, and the Great British Baking Show-esque cutscenes that show off each dish is definitely the highlight of the movie. It is oddly satisfying to watch as everyone starts dropping like flies since the writers purposefully made all of the characters (other than Margot) unlikeable. Margot is a strong female lead for a thriller of this sort and I wouldn’t expect anything less from the brilliant Anya-Taylor Joy. Ralph Fiennes also perfectly encompasses a wonderfully creepy chef with an obsession with his occupation. It’s a simple concept for a movie though it's nothing like I’ve ever seen and was just genuine fun for all 107 minutes of it.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

With Knives Out being as successful as it was during its release in 2019, it was only a matter of time before this was turned into a series with Daniel Craig’s charmingly genius Benoit Blanc connecting each movie together. Controversial opinion but I enjoyed Glass Onion a lot more than the original for many reasons and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since watching it on Christmas Day. Usually large ensemble casts with many big names make me apprehensive since the filmmakers are using them to make up for a lazy story or bad direction, but I think Rian Johnson made it work very well as he did with the first one since each person is so perfect in their respective roles. The story follows the great detective Benoit Blanc as he is invited to a retreat weekend on a remote island with multiple billionaire friends; no one is sure why he is there because he isn’t in their friend group, but he joins them anyways. The weekend retreat is an annual reunion for the group of friends to come together and participate in some wild game, with this year's game being a simulated murder mystery. Obviously things don’t go as planned and someone is murdered for real, with Benoit having to figure out what is going on and who’s the killer. Obviously there are tons of twists and turns that are unexpected and make the movie so much more enthralling. Janelle Monáe gives one of the best performances of female rage I’ve ever seen, their range is impeccable. Though it’s a small soundtrack, it really stands out for the couple of songs that really make the movie what it is. Benoit is a fashion icon in this movie and I love that they cast Hugh Grant as his husband. It is a modern whodunnit that utilizes comedy and drama to its advantage and will go down in history as one of the best series of movies of all time.

Clerks III

Though this is definitely not the best movie of the year, it sure as hell is a great ending to one of my favorite trilogies of all time. Kevin Smith comes back with a bang with the third installment of the lovable Clerks franchise. If you don’t know, Clerks (1994) was a charming film made by Smith while he was still in film school; with a small student budget, the film was basically made all in one location (the quick stop convenience store), is in black and white, and all of the actors were random people Kevin knew in real life. Because Smith didn’t have the big budget to do anything extravagant, the film became a cult classic for its relatability, subtle comedy, and true chemistry between the actors. With Clerks II and Clerks III, Smith obviously raised the production value of the films as he continues to expand the Clerks universe. The film continues the stories of Dante and Randal as they navigate their friendship, death, grief, and having a dream. The story follows the main two as Randal suffers a sudden heart attack. He realizes that he just nearly slid by death and that he should start living life in a more fulfilling way. As a result, he decides he’s going to make a movie about their life working at the quickstop and all of the weird people who come in. Obviously the movie still has the lovable Elias though his uber religious views changed to a more goth lifestyle, Jay & Silent Bob as they continue to dance outside, and random callbacks to other films in his catalog like the iconic Buddy Christ. The movie was made in homage of the widowmaker heart attack that Smith suffered in 2018, saying that the near death experience is one of the best things that ever happened to him. The movie is incredibly funny as Smith’s stoner-esque comedies usually are while still being an emotional conclusion for the beloved series. It’s immature humor never fails to make for a good “turn your brain off” comedy. I recommend everyone to watch the original Clerks at some point in their lives and continue until the third because it will not disappoint.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

This movie was the biggest surprise of the year for me. I had no plans to see it until two of my friends mentioned how they saw it and thought it was absolutely amazing; it definitely did not disappoint. Having not seen the first Puss in Boots movie since it came out 2011, I do not remember much of it and I wasn’t anticipating a sequel especially since it was coming 12 years later. Despite it being a sequel, I think this was a wonderful movie as a stand-alone and honestly just as good going in blind as it would be for someone who had seen all of the Shrek movies and the first Puss in Boots. The story follows the fearless hero Puss in Boots as he comes to the realization that he is on his ninth life; he has to begin to settle down and enjoy his time on earth since death is upon him. He goes on an adventure to find the last wish in order to grant himself more lives, but gains some unlikely friends along the way. Puss–being a spin-off character from the Shrek franchise-has some callbacks to the original series with cameos from some of the most loveable characters such as Gingy and Pinocchio. The animation style is so unique, resembling more of a comic book or a video game than the average animated movie. The movie takes on mature themes such as death and even includes a scene portraying a panic attack. It feels so mature for a kids movie while still being fun for the entire family. The character of the Big Bad Wolf is a genuinely terrifying villain, giving me (an 18 year old) chills. The characters are incredibly written, hilarious at points and emotional at others, and it truly deserves the accolades it has been receiving recently.

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