With the Academy Awards just around the corner, I have compiled a top ten list of my favourite films of 2022 with American greats such as Spielberg and Linklater, a great year for British cinema and another dazzling gem from South Korea.
10. The Batman (Matt Reeves)
This broodier foray into the DC universe draws on some of the most memorable cat-and-mouse thrillers around such as David Fincher’s Seven or Fritz Lang’s M. Like these inspirations, the film paints its environment as a shadowy hell that our heroes must navigate, digging through conspiracies and secrets to reach the truth. The casting deserves praise throughout, with the star of the show undoubtedly Zoë Kravitz who brings charisma and magnetism to every scene she is in.
9. Armageddon Time (James Gray)
Another autobiographical film that this time looks at Gray’s time growing up in Queens, New York, although unlike Spielberg’s focus on filmmaking, Gray looks at the multitude of social issues that surrounded him with the ever-evolving backdrop of Ronald Reagan coming to power. A damning inditement of the American dream, facing the reality of the unfair nature of life, this is a film that grapples with complex emotions of guilt without easy answers.
8. The Fabelmans (Steven Spielberg)
Spielberg's quasi-autobiographical look at his childhood growing up to become a filmmaker has all the ingredients you would expect from such a film and is full of warmth and charm. Michelle Williams is superb and her chemistry between Paul Dano and Seth Rogen is shown in a delicate way. Some of the most memorable scenes are the “films within a film” moments where the magic of moviemaking is shown in all its glory.
The Fabelmans is showing at The Torch Theatre (Milford Haven) on Wednesday 22nd February, 7:45pm.
7. Top Gun: Maverick (Joseph Kosinski)
The long-awaited sequel to the Eighties classic is brought to us full throttle from Tom Cruise, who shows us why he is the number one film star of today. Almost a meta-statement on the state of filmmaking and craftsmanship behind it, Maverick balances fan service with a refreshing new story, balancing emotional threads, characters old and new, and delivering on plenty of action. It was the summer blockbuster that we needed.
6. Nope (Jordan Peele)
Since his groundbreaking directorial debut Get Out, Peele has got increasingly and unapologetically more ambitious with each film. Merging horror and sci-fi, Peele once again poses uncomfortable questions about the treatment of black Americans and the uneasy history of exploitation US cinema. As unnerving as it is entertaining, Peele makes it three for three and begins to cement his place as one of the greatest horror auteurs.
5. Pinocchio (Guillermo Del Toro, Mark Gustafson)
Often adapting a classic story can be a pointless exercise in moneymaking (ahem, Disney) but I had no doubts that Guillermo Del Toro’s magical style of filmmaking would be the perfect match for this classic animated tale. The changes to the story, to place the action in the middle of Mussolini’s fascist Italy, enhance the story and make perfect sense in cohesion with the existing themes. A beautifully crafted piece of work.
4. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
Wells’ directorial decisions and how the action is captured and framed within the film, creates a visual language in which the story builds and builds toward its emotional conclusion. Paul Mescal is particularly brilliant and gives one of the most realistic and devastating portrayals of depression that I have ever seen. The film sweeps you in with its contrast between idyllic radiant images juxtaposed with uneasy feelings of melancholy through the subtle acting on show.
3. Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood (Richard Linklater)
Linklater has made a career capturing the nuances of the human condition and like Waking Life which explored human consciousness and dreaming, Apollo uses animation joyfully to illustrate the power of memory. The film works as a moving examination of how and why we remember experiences in our life as well as a playful history lesson in Western culture that us grown-ups can’t help but yearn for. Oh, to be a kid again!
2. The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)
Having already crafted some of this century’s most memorable comedies, McDonagh’s latest film strips back on everything lavish instead focusing on the tragic elements of human nature and relationships. Its central questions, such as the pride and stupidity of people, really hit home in a way that is devastatingly relatable. As the film moves forward, it delicately balances raw human performances with ridiculous yet appropriate moments that fire home its feeling of melancholy and regret.
1. Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)
Following the success of his dazzling thriller The Handmaiden - adapted from Pembrokeshire’s very own Sarah Waters, Park Chan-wook’s latest film opts for a more restrained, enchanting approach. Almost a ghost story, in the vein of Hitchcock’s Vertigo, with the intimacy of Wong Kar-wai’s In The Mood For Love, Decision to Leave is captured from a multitude of perspectives, moving along at a thrilling pace. The performances combine to create an incredibly palpable emotional feeling.
Decision to Leave is showing at Theatre Gwaun (Fishguard Film Society) on Thursday 16th March, 7:30pm.
