Mike's Musings: The Best of 2022

This was a tough year for reviewing movies.  At one point, I nearly thought about quitting.  Watching "Last Tango in Paris," "You Won't Be Alone" and the loathsome "Bros" within a span of a month or two made me wonder if the joy I got from watching movies was somehow gone.  It was only when I told myself not to watch movies as "assignments" but to watch them because I "wanted" to.  Sure, they may not have been 2022 movies, or I may have already reviewed them.  But you know what?  Who cares?  If it helped me regain my love of film, then it was worth it.

There were actually quite a lot of good movies.  Eleven made the cut-off, with "The Banshees of Inisherin" just missing the top 10.  I can take some solace in the realization that it will be a heavy hitter at Oscar time.  How well it does depends on how much money Focus Features is willing to pony up for campaigning.  It isn't a mainstream film, but Oscar attention will undoubtedly help it find a wider audience.

10.  The Northman.  "The Northman" is a red-blooded action movie. Snarling and foaming at the mouth.  It doesn't compromise and in many ways it has the sensibilities of an art film.  It's certainly more daring and offbeat than most multiplex fare.  But there is plenty of adrenaline and machismo to be found here.  It drips with atmosphere and dark energy.  It's bleak, to be sure, but it's still a wild ride.  Describing it makes it sound like a more difficult sell than it should be.  Action lovers will rejoice at the brutal violence and plentiful gore.  Adventurous film fans will appreciate that it takes chances.  Most everyone will appreciate that it takes itself seriously and there are not stupid quips.  Best of all: no superheroes.

9.  Jackass Forever.  "Jackass Forever" is the epitome of human ingenuity and stupidity.  It's rude, crude, lowbrow and does not tickle a single brain cell.  But it's also riotously funny.  There's little to say about it because other than laughs and immaturity, there isn't a lot to offer.  But it's hands down the funniest movie I've seen all year.

8.  Top Gun: Maverick.  What separates "Top Gun: Maverick" from trash like typical MCU fare is its craftsmanship.  Filming action scenes are not enough.  It's the way they are choreographed and composed that makes them packed with adrenaline.  It also has a strong human interest because it gives the characters weight.  It commits to its story and the people in it.  The fact that Tom Cruise, always a reliable actor, is in top form only helps.  Cruise shines in the role he was born to play, and he's surrounded by a gifted cast, including the always interesting Miles Teller and a scene-stealing Glen Powell.  Cruise's insistence that CGI and green-screening be kept to a minimum paid off.  We can see that the cast members are in the planes, and that pushes the adrenaline to a level that the CGI-addicted superheroes simply can't match.  Careful staging and editing by director Joseph Kosinski only adds to the thrills.  For pure action, 2022 offered nothing better.

7.  The Batman.  "The Batman" is easily the most violent Batman movie ever made.  One could certainly argue that "The Dark Knight" crossed the line into R-rated territory, but this new reboot does so within the first five minutes.  Actually, the film from Matt Reeves is an atypical superhero movie, drawing inspiration more from film noir than anything else.  In tone and content, comparisons to "Se7en" are entirely appropriate.  It is also just as intense.  It's a superhero movie for those who don't like superheroes. It's dark, deranged, and incredibly violent.  Reeves must have some damning pictures of the ratings board, because twenty, thirty years ago?  An NC-17 would have been all but assured.  It's a little too long and some of the supporting performances aren't as good as one might expect, but it's a wild ride nonetheless.

6.  Mass.  Normally I detest saying a certain film "isn't for everyone," although I freely admit to doing so on occasion.  It creates the impression that films that are dark or difficult are somehow "less than," which is unfair.  Not this time.  If, based on the premise of two couples connected by a mass shooting talking about their dead children in the hopes of moving on, you don't think this movie is for you, do not bother.  Not because it isn't good, because it is.  It's that the film is so painful, so true, and so heavy that those who do not wish to subject themselves to such material should not do so.  Those who do venture in will find that it offers immense rewards.  Fran Kranz has written a story that he wanted to tell.  As hard to watch as it is, it succeeds on the terms that he has set for it.  Not to be forgotten are the performances by Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Reed Birney and Ann Dowd.  They all deserved the Oscar nominations they didn't get.  They display full commitment to such complicated and difficult roles.  I applaud them for their abilities and their courage.  Playing these characters could not have been easy.  There is no place for them to hide.  All four of them open themselves up for the camera in ways that most actors would fear.

5.  Spider-Man: No Way Home.  One of the things that hampers the MCU is the need to connect to other movies.  At first, this was cool and interesting, but as the cast and universe became so large, it collapsed under its own weight.  "Spider-Man: No Way Home" works because it keeps things simple.  It's self-contained to Spider-Man and his previous incarnations.  Director Jon Watts tells his story clearly, explaining how events proceed logically from one to the next.  There are cameos, sure, but they're just that.  Cameos.  Watts isn't too concerned with shoutouts, references or setting up sequels.  It also shows that Tom Holland is the best Spider-Man.  His optimism and energy set the tone for the film and, by matching it, the film works.

4.  Avatar: The Way of Water.  Although it doesn't match up quite as well to the original, it shows that James Cameron is a filmmaker at the top of his craft.  One can find faults in this sequel, to be sure, but it's also more ambitious, and while setting up future installments, it doesn't fall prey to the repetition and crap that hampers the MCU.  He takes chances, and few people not named Christopher Nolan are willing to do that with a record breaking price tag.  This is one of the few movies where a sequel is not only warranted but eagerly anticipated.

3.  Turning Red.  What makes Pixar stand out is that, like Studio Ghibli, they take chances.  They're always pushing the form and doing what couldn't be done yesterday.  They tell different stories and never become complacent.  The real killer of Disney's hand drawn animation is that they started going through the motions.  "Hercules" was fun, but it didn't try as hard as "Beauty and the Beast" or "The Lion King."  With "Turning Red," Pixar has turned puberty into a story about independence and self-discovery.  Not many can do that, and even less are willing to try.  Yet, as weird and complicated as this movie sounds, it has a big heart and a sense of humor.  It reminds me of why I fell in love with animation in general.

2.  Spirited.  "Spirited," the holiday musical with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, is the antithesis of "The Batman" and "Mass."  It's pure joy.  It has a tremendous amount of energy, a fantastic soundtrack and two of today's top comedy stars working hard and, more importantly, having fun.  This movie was a blast from start to finish with songs worthy of a Broadway musical.  In fact, watching the film is like being in the theater watching a musical.  Somehow this film has captured that unique joy and energy, and it's simply awesome.  This is going right on the list of Christmas classics.

1.  The Good Nurse.  Easily the most disturbing film of the year, "The Good Nurse" generates terror and dread by dealing with the implications of crimes too terrible to imagine.  How cold-blooded can a person be to kill random people recovering in the ICU?  How terrifying is it to thing that you can be preyed upon while you're at your most vulnerable.  The lack of any sort of acknowledgment or awareness from Charlie Cullen makes him more monstrous.  He shows no remorse or any feeling whatsoever about his crimes.  For him, killing people is as natural as putting on his shoes.  What kind of a person could do that?  We don't know, and that's why it's so unsettling.  More than a few critics have criticized the film for its lack of character development, but actually that's why it works so well.  By seeing them so specifically as normal people, we see ourselves in them.  Director Tobias Lindholm captures the little bits of behavior from Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne (both of whom have rarely been better) to make them individuals.  It's a daring choice, but it pays off.  Lindholm doesn't highlight anything or call attention to the crimes committed by Charlie or the lack of action by the hospital.  He knows that they're horrifying enough by themselves.  "The Good Nurse" is impossible to sit through free from feelings of intense discomfort and fear, and it's the best film of 2022.