The industry is struggling through a post-pandemic transitional period as it figures out how people want to consume movies. For now, there’s still an appetite for the theater, yet no one is passing up the streaming smorgasbord. Cinephiles have little to complain about, as 2022 connected on a couple hyped-up films but also gave us little gems to savor. It was a particularly strong year for horror, with one inventive new saga releasing two films this year. These were my 10 (OK, 11) favorite movies of 2022:
10 (tie). “X” and “Pearl”
Writer-director Ti West had made splashes in horror before (see 2009’s “House of the Devil”) but he returned in a big way this year with the first two films of the Pearl trilogy (which will conclude with “MaXXXine”). In “X,” the versatile Mia Goth stars as Maxine in 1979 rural Texas as West mashes up two misbegotten genres, horror and porn, and proves they are natural (or unnatural?) bedfellows. In the prequel, Goth returns as Pearl in 1918 in a more subtly unsettling study of how a few coming-of-age wrong turns can set a person down an insane – and bloody — path. (Full review of “X,” “Pearl.”)
9. “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”
There have been faux-music-biopic comedies before – “Walk Hard” comes to mind – but this one has that innocent and offbeat Weird Al flavor. Daniel Radcliffe embodies the title role, despite being shorter, as writer-director Eric Appel opens with jabs against cliches of the young artists’ struggle. Then he (with Yankovic as co-writer, mind you) mocks Al’s “inspirational” moments such as making a bologna sandwich when “My Sharona” comes on the radio. Evan Rachel Wood keeps things lively as Al’s girlfriend Madonna, then things spiral to a deservedly nutso finale. (Full review.)
8. “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”
Part of the 1974 film’s greatness is that it commented on problems in rural Texas ranching even as it played a part in inventing the slasher subgenre. Most of the sequels, whether good or bad, aren’t about anything, but the ninth installment gets back to the roots. Writer Chris Thomas Devlin plops Leatherface amid young liberals who think good vibes will set the world right. In a movie-defining sequence masterfully directed by David Blue Garcia, the masked villain carves up a party-bus safe space, along with revelers who are so out-of-touch that they don’t realize they’re being murdered till it’s too late. (Full review.)
7. “Fresh”
Daisy Edgar-Jones is my pick for the fresh face of 2022, but which of her works to highlight? She’s the heart of “Where the Crawdads Sing” and an important spice in TV’s “Under the Banner of Heaven.” But her standout turn comes in “Fresh,” wherein writer Lauryn Kahn and director Mimi Cave defy convention by putting the opening credits a half-hour into the film, signaling a complete shift of genre from romance to horror. (Actually, the transition is disturbingly smooth.) Within one role, Jones displays a lot of range in what’s ultimately a pitch-black skewering of modern dating annoyances. (Full review.)
6. “Clerks III”
This trilogy capper delivers an enjoyable spew of immature jabs from the mouths of middle-aged Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson), and we’d expect nothing less. But it can turn serious as a heart attack, all the while holding our attention. It’s been a while since we’ve visited the suburban New Jersey Quick Stop, and even longer since writer-director Kevin Smith consistently made great movies. Does he still have it in him? The answer is a definitive yes, and it’s a feature – not a bug – that he mines his breakthrough low-budget film to find his latest gem. (Full review.)
5. “Jurassic World: Dominion”
This isn’t talked about much, but it’s amazing that amid six “Jurassic Park” films over 29 years, few other movies have given us dinosaur-laden romps (respectful nods to a couple “King Kongs”). After all, no one owns the copyright on dinosaurs. But in this film’s story, they do, and that makes “Dominion” the most spectacular of romps. We go to new parts of the globe, see new creatures, and dig into corporate schemes that might inadvertently lead to dinosaurs ruling the Earth (yep, we got Dodgson here, played by Campbell Scott). Four-legged and two-legged characters alike get their moments, capped by a romantic clincher between Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie (Laura Dern) I hadn’t realized I wanted. (Full review.)
4. “The Batman”
“Batman” buzz meant more when the franchise wasn’t rebooted every few years. Still, I can’t deny that this latest entry in the “Here’s my take on ‘Batman!’ ” competition is a masterpiece from director/co-writer Matt Reeves, who also resurrected the “Planet of the Apes” saga. Drawing from “The Long Halloween” comic and guiding Robert Pattinson as a depressive Dark Knight, Reeves crafts an engrossingly downbeat work of detection (the Riddler is the perfect foil) and adds enough one-liners and action pieces to maintain a sharp edge. (Full review.)
3. “Barbarian”
Writer-director Zach Cregger channels Quentin Tarantino by way of the horror genre in this story that starts in one place, ends somewhere totally different, and encourages you to grip the safety bar the whole time. It’s peppered with stark reflections on modern-day Detroit as Cregger flashes back to the thriving Seventies then throws us back into the city’s horrific present state. Among a strong cast, Justin Long stands out as a mover-and-shaker who must move and shake away from the titular terror. (Full review.)
2. “I Want You Back”
Charlie Day and Jenny Slate step up from quirky sidekicks to lead roles, not only as actors but also as Peter and Emma in the year’s funniest and sweetest rom-com. A heartfelt and intelligent piece of analysis about relationships, this film written by “This Is Us” veterans Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger is a rare portrayal of “slow-burners.” We don’t get the cinematic whirlwind, up-and-down romance here, but Peter and Emma nonetheless have value and lovability. Forgettable title aside, this is a rom-com to remember. (Full review.)
1. “See How They Run”
Among comedy-mystery blends, “Glass Onion” is getting more buzz because it came out recently. But fans of old-school whodunits in their purest Agatha Christie-ized form will most appreciate the insider humor of writer Mark Chappell’s film. It lovingly presents a stylized Fifties London, and is backed by excellent research into Christie’s odd legal agreements about film rights and the equally bizarre long run of “The Mousetrap.” (It ran for 68 straight years until the pandemic.) The mystery is decent, but not the point. What makes “See How They Run” hilarious is the flawless comedic timing by Sam Rockwell, as a seen-it-all veteran police detective, and Saoirse Ronan as his adorable go-getter of a partner. (Full review.)