The year 2022 in film - Ranked.

The satire on the food industry and those who devour it worked for me. I thought the Menu was equal parts hilarious, thanks to a scene-stealing performance from Hong Chau, and perfectly held up a mirror to those who critique everything. Seeing Nicholas Holt spew hollow garbage about something he clearly has no talent for reminds me of so many people I know in my life.

A couple travels to a remote island for a fancy and expensive dinner catered only to the elite few. Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Fiennes, and John Leguizamo round out the cast.

The film boasts some fun performances too. Ralph Fiennes walks a fine line between evil and hilarious in this role, his best since Grand Budapest. My favourite scene has to be when he is requested to make a burger and the look of pure enjoyment on his face was special. I appreciated that we got bits and pieces from the other dinner guests and we were not glued to Joy and Holt.

I'd be lying if I said I expected a more sinister aspect of the film to be present, but I was pleasantly surprised.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Believe it or not, Pearl still hasn't officially come out here - it's due for release next week so I'll get around to it then, but having to hear six months of non-stop hype definitely has me skeptical.

The Menu is one of the more overrated films of the year imo. In a year that was lousy with class-conscious satires, this one may have been one of the less pretentious ones but it swung back the other way and ended up being its own kind of obnoxious with Taylor-Joy's no-nonsense attendee constantly calling out the emperor's new clothes of guests and staff alike. Seeing it was produced by Adam McKay reminded me of the fallout from Don't Look Up and how that film's various creatives claimed that disliking it meant you were ultimately in favour of climatic change, so it's hard not to think of this particular anti-snob diatribe as having a chip on its shoulder. I will agree that Chau was good, though - between that and The Whale, I'd definitely like to see her in a film that's genuinely good.

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

I'm one of the few that liked Adrian Brody's Predators movie, but I can safely say that this entry is the best since the original. I'm hoping they take this franchise in a direction where we get to see the Predator in different eras of humanity. Give me Viking Predators or Feudal Japan Predators.

A Predator drops down to earth in the 1700's and a fierce Comanche warrior sets out to defeat the hunter and protect her tribe.

Amber Midthunder, awesome name, is our lead here and I do wish I watched the version that showcases the Comanche language instead of English. That part did take me out a little bit. She is excellent and portrays a determined yet vulnerable warrior. Dan Trachtenberg is the director, I'm surprised it took this long for his second feature since 10 Cloverfield Lane is a banger.

Beautiful landscapes make me wish I also saw this one the big screen.

taken from original review

I never saw the original film, but I have heard it's not great. So when the wife wanted to take the kids to the movies I pulled up a list of what was playing and rolled my eyes when I saw only one children's film. I had little to no expectations with this one. Even the kids were "so-so" in wanting to see it. boy am I glad we did because, within the first ten minutes of this film, I was hooked. The opening to this movie is a literally Shadow of the Colussus adaptation with Puss in Boots battling a giant. The animation during this sequence was crisp, and detailed and showed a love and dedication to the art of animation that has been missing from Hollywood lately. Small details feel hand drawn and the unique in-action "camera-work" instantly makes you part of the chaos.

Puss in Boots dies at the beginning of the film, but don't worry he's a cat with 9 lives. Oops, he must have lost count because according to a quick flashback sequence, he has used 8. With the news of him being on his last life and a bounty hunter on his heels, Puss goes into hiding. While giving up on life he manages to catch wind of a map that leads to a wishing star, which gives him the idea to wish for his 8 lives back. Puss immediately swings back into action on an adventure with an old friend, an annoyingly adorable dog and a few other characters hot on his heels for their own wish. Puss in Boots is an adventure film filled with laughs and heart.

It has the usual "Shrek" fairy-tale comedy where you'll notice things here and there from nursery rhymes or old stories. These elements work wonderfully here with our villains and a big bad wolf wanting nothing else but to claim the last life of Puss. The voice work from all involved is top-tier. I probably enjoyed this more than my own kids.

At 3 hours long, The Batman had an uphill battle for my attention. I did not feel the length until the second third act climax came about. Despite this, it didn't really bother me. I enjoyed my time in Gotham and liked the direction they took Batman in. Give me more.

Matt Reeves plays up more of the detective angle that has been missing in a lot of other entries. This Batman is still learning the ropes, he's not perfect. I loved the look and feel of Gotham, the best since Burton's original.

The make-up effects for Penguin are sublime and the performance was a stand-out. Seeing this in iMAX...when the engine revved up, I could feel my chest vibrating. Pure cinematic enjoyment for that chase sequence. The sound design stands out. Even hearing him walking in his leather boots was joy to my ears.

Please no Joker in sequels, let's use some other villains. The franchise has enough to choose from.

The Batman- most overrated movie of 2022, IMO.

Probably the most accessible movie that Eggers has done so far and it still is weird and out there. The Northman tells the original story of Hamlet and Eggers dives between myth and legends with historical accuracies to make a blend that makes us question what the hell is going on.

Beautifully shot, wonderfully acted and a strong compelling narrative make The Northman a top choice for me. Seeing the hulking and lumbering Skarsgard tear his enemies apart in a "oner" shows that Eggers isn't afraid to move the camera. The film concludes with a beautifully choregraphed fight at a volcano.

A small gripe would be that Anya Taylor Joy's character feels like an after thought. With not much to do, they try to wrangle some emotional elements out of their relationship that I think could have been a lot stronger. The Northman is an excellent ride and Eggers is 3/3 so far.

A 3 hour Tollywood film might be daunting at first, but my God is RRR one of if not the most fun I've had at the movies in a long-ass time. Taking historical characters and tweaking them to fit a fictional narrative has RRR blending fantasy and myth.

The film is a hilarious, dramatic, toe-tapping, action heavy extravaganza. Just when I thought the film couldn't get any crazier, it ups itself with each additional scene. The 3-hour run time feels earned as the story is vast and gets the viewer emotionally invested in both these men. RRR is my pick for best Bromance of the 21st century.

It feels like an over the top Bollywood movie, so if you don't like gravity defying stunts, this film may not be for you. But anyone else who is a little bit interested, give this film a shot. There is an intermission so you can pace yourself for sure.

I really loved this movie and wish Netflix had the original language version and not a dubbed one.

11. After Yang - - Worked away at my emotions, and was a nice little look at memories and consciousness - what a strange world we'll live in once AI is here in a big way.
10. Deadstream - - Any ode to The Evil Dead that works as well as this has my approval. Just the right mix of comedy and horror to not have one infringe on the other.
8. The Menu - - Ralph Fiennes put in one of the best non-Oscar nominated performances in The Menu last year, and I enjoyed the movie as a whole. Hong Chau is great too.
7. Prey - - Instead of trying to upgrade, enhance or change the original Predator formula, Prey keeps to the elemental greatness of the original while also feeling fresh and new.
6. Puss in Boots - - When death is explored in an animated film which has plenty to laugh about and is exciting, then that's a neat trick to pull off.
5. The Batman - - I'm still not convinced about emo Bruce Wayne, but this had a thrilling climax, a great Riddler, and had an enthusiastic reception.
4. The Northman - - Truly great production design enhances a brutal and spiritually rich story of Viking revenge.
3. RRR - - Went for over three hours, and I was wishing it were longer! Thrilling, exciting and having me cheer every moment - it's exactly what I love about films, and a great one from India.

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Tom Cruise saved the movies, right?

Yeah yeah yeah, Top Gun is overrated, whatever. I loved it. I hadn't had as much adrenaline-rushed fun in the theatres since Mad Max.

Top Gun does nostalgia right, it doesn't rely on old things, only uses them to help enhance the story. The aerial sequences are spectacular and I can watch them on repeat all day every day. The cast works so well together and despite some cliched moments, everything felt genuine.

Loved the inclusion of Val Kilmer, one of my favourite actors.

Top Gun was the event movie of 2022.

Hilarious and heartfelt. Everything everywhere was my favourite film of the year. It got me to care about two rocks for crying out loud.

I was on the Everything train from the beginning. I didn't think the Academy would go for such a weird movie where two people fight with butt plugs in their bums, but here we are.

It might be a bit much for some people, the Daniels throw everything AND the kitchen sink into this production and they'll be the first ones to admit that. But what might feel overwhelming is actually meticulous. I guarantee every frame of this film was painstakingly thought about before being presented to us.

Best movie of the year.

Everything Everywhere All At Once - one of the most overrated movies of all time, IMO.

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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

Movies I watched AFTER starting this list:

Aftersun - This is a top 5 film for me. I watched it, thought it was pretty good, and then sat there for a few minutes and just started to cry. I talked about it the next day with my wife...then I started to cry. Maybe it's because I'm a parent now, but my God is this film eye-opening and self-examining.

The Sea Beast - A colourful kids film about sea monsters. Nothing extraordinary, but a fun time for sure.

All Quiet on the Western Front - Yeah, it's beautifully shot and yes it is depressing. Just pretend to fall at the end dude....damn.

Three Thousand Years of Longing - A story about...stories. Great to look at an enthralling for 2/3's.

Bones and All - A love story about cannibals. Mark Rylance...chilling. Should have been nominated at the Mofo Film Awards.

Under Wraps 2 - a bad made-for-streaming Disney movie my kids watch...

Fall - Could have been cool to see in a theatre.

See How they Run - Obvious it's trying to capitalize on the Knives Out success, but charming enough for a watch.

Who Invited Them - Actually forgot I watched this earlier...should tell you as much.

Hocus Pocus 2 - Same as above.

DC LEague of Super Pets a forgettable animated comedy.

Finally did see Pearl, it's...really not good. Seeing people compare it to Joker is a comparison I'd agree with except for the part where they clearly intend it as a compliment.

Prey is fun, definitely a contender for the best Predator sequel (if not the best). If they kept doing different periods and settings then that would be neat.

Didn't see Puss in Boots: The Last Wish because I did see its predecessor and thought it was such ass that there was no way the hype I was hearing about it was that good. I may still see it at some point, but I'm not in a hurry.

The Batman is middling, I concede that the neo-noir detective angle is a neat one but it struggles to stay engaging over the course of three hours. Trying to imagine sitting through it a second time and I can't (though Farrell's "what are you showing me" and Dano's "nooooo" will deservedly live on).

The Northman is pretty good, if the weakest film Eggers has put out yet. The production was troubled enough that I imagine we're not going to see him work on this scale again for a long time (if ever), but it's neat to see what he could do with a sizeable budget.

RRR is pretty fun, you do feel those three hours at times and maybe its anticolonialism skews into sheer nationalist subtext at times but when it hits, it hits. One of the best recipients of the Best Original Song Oscar in a long time.

I saw Maverick a couple of times, obviously there's the matter of it being quote-unquote military propaganda that means I have to dock points but underneath that it's a sturdy tale that refines its predecessor into something much more efficient (albeit not as good at capturing style as Tony Scott's film).

I've seen EEAAO three times, which I think is the most of any 2022 release - at the same time, I still remain critical enough that it might not make my end-of-year top 10. When it hits, it hits, but too often its pastiche does lose momentum and it makes me think of better movies I could be watching. So be it.

Not going into detail about the last batch except to say that 3000 Years of Longing was my favourite and that Aftersun is overrated even after two viewings.

I was thinking exactly the same thing. "Just "trip over" and play dead. What are you doing? Why are you participating in this ridiculous battle so whole-heartedly? Just get down and wait out the minutes!"

2. Top Gun Maverick - - The nostalgia angle got to me, but also the fact that the fighter plane action was really well edited and easier to follow in this modern-day sequel. Glad I got to see this at a cinema, and I loved the Val Kilmer cameo as well.

1. Everything Everywhere All At Once - - I really owe this another viewing after being so excited about it the first time. On letterboxd : "A real contender for "Best of the 2020s" lists, and a wild, imaginative, rollercoaster with plenty of heart. Great humour, lots of excitement, fully fleshed-out characters and a whole heap of fun. Also, the acting from everyone is great, the film looks amazing, and sounds amazing too."

Over 2022 I also really enjoyed :

Speak No Evil -
The Quiet Girl -
Triangle of Sadness -
Moonage Daydream -

Fabulous isn't it. I had more or less the same reaction.

I have thought about the film on an ongoing basis since I watched it about 5 months ago. It's a remarkable achievement.

I found this movie very confusing and hard to follow.

LOVED Chris Evans in this movie

LOVED this movie...Pitt was fantastic

I was shocked how much I liked this movie...in fact, I think it was the best of the three Clerk movies.