MJ's Best of 2022

Happy New Year! Or something.

The past few weeks have been filled with the usual, ubiquitous "best of" lists: Best Movies, Best of TV, Best Music, Best Restaurants, Best Recipes and on and on. As a New Year's Day treat, Rolling Stone Magazine released its latest (since 2008) list of the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time." Not the greatest voices, mind you. The article is quick to qualify its choices with this explanation: "What mattered most to us was originality, influence, the depth of an artist’s catalog, and the breadth of their musical legacy."

What, exactly, do all of those lofty qualifications mean? How does one justify, for instance, that Adele (#22) has had greater originality, influence and depth/breath of a legacy than, say, Barbra Streisand (#147) or Ronnie Spector (#70)? Or why Billie Eilish (#198) is even on the list while Cher, Judy Collins, Natalie Cole and Dionne Warwick didn't even make the Top 200? Go figure.

But it got me thinking about 2022, movies and "best of's." I've probably read or watched at least a dozen movie lists from the recently past twelve months, and I must say that they range from the obscure (NY Times co-critics-in-chief A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis relish finding movies few members of the general public could have possibly had access to see), to the ridiculous (NBC-TV on New Year's Day aired a "Best of 2022" at the movies that included - brace yourself - Scream and The Adam Project - neither of which received stellar reviews or a decent box office return).

So what's a film historian/movie blogger to do? I find trying to fill a list with a certain number (10 Best) forced, as I feel compelled to at least give a reason for my choices, including why some movies are good entertainment but not necessarily a "best" film. Setting a fixed number of "bests" doesn't always do the trick, or yield consistent choices. Are we looking for the best or just trying to fill the appropriate number of slots (10? 20? Who knows???)?

That said, here is my assessment of Movies 2022: films I saw and liked but would not include on a "best" list, those that are best left without viewing, and those (few?) I believe merit a nod in the "best" category (and why).

The late film critic Gene Siskel once said that a "good" movie contains three great scenes, a "great" movie contains three great scenes and no bad ones. Though Siskel's parameters may be a bit obtuse for some (re: what constitutes a "great scene"?), I would add that, for me, a "best" film needs to bring something new to film, a combination of story, production, acting, theme. Those qualities may still seem vague, so perhaps an explanation of how each plays into these categories will help. Here goes:

Movies I saw in 2022 that are worth seeing, but not on my "best" list:

NOTE: I did not review any of these, mostly because there wasn't much to say in detail about their respective attributes. One of the downsides of film history is that you see a lot of movies (good and bad) and, though there are often many fine qualities to "good" movies, it often becomes difficult to make the case for movies that follow traditional formulas without adding something new and interesting. I've often said that, though there are only a handful of "plots" in various genres, it's how the writers/directors take us on the journey that matters.

Till

An important film about a horrific historical event (the 1955 lynching of teen Emmitt Till), Till boasts an Oscar-worthy performance from Danielle Deadwyler as Emmitt's distraught, justice-determined mother. Besides a low box office and the fact that the subject matter is tough (not a bad thing), the main problem with Till is that it falls into the standard history biopic genre and offers nothing new about the history or the people involved. If you know the story of Emmitt Till, this movie will give you no new insights or interpretations.

Wakanda Forever

Black Panther (2018) was the ground-breaker: A Marvel Comics-produced film w/an all-black cast. Big box office. Critical acclaim. Great story and performances. The challenge w/Wakanda is continuing the ground-breaking tradition, especially in light of Chaswick Boseman's untimely death in 2020. Director Ryan Coogler returns with a compelling story, awesome special effects, and a genuinely heartfelt tribute to Boseman's King T'Challa. I admire Coogler's directorial acumen and innovation, but I wish he would make smaller, more character-driven films like Fruitvale Station (2013). What's missing here is the "magic," the unique and revolutionary impact of the original. This is a film that quite possibly will land on the Best Picture nominee short-list for the Oscars. If so, lesser films have taken a slot there, so no problem. This sequel just didn't quite fill the shoes of its predecessor in terms of the scope of production or in its audacity as the first Marvel Comics film featuring African themes and an all-black cast.

The Whale

I will likely post a blog soon about the films of Darren Aronofsky, who directed this as well as other controversial films, including Requium for a Dream (2000), Black Swan (2010), and mother! (2017). Aronofsky has a penchant for making audiences feel uncomfortable, but I left the theater questioning the value of watching a 600-pound man binge-eat himself to death. There is a certain grostesque human quality Aronofsky seems to relish in showing audiences, a grotesqueness that has nothing to do with being overweight, but may have something to do with Aronofsky's own demons and dislikes. Back in 2010, I wrote in my annual Oscar predictions that I was convinced Aronofsky was blatantly misogynist (I would see that again in 2017's mother!), and The Whale has been beseiged by comments about the director's bias against obesity. Like Till, The Whale boasts an Oscar-caliber performance by lead actor Brendan Frazier, but his performance alone cannot lift the film to a "best" level. It is worth-seeing, but be prepared to be uncomfortable, very, creepy uncomfortable.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

This gentle throwback film, the story of a British WWII widow who longs for something more than her cleaning job and dreams of owning a Christian Dior dress, is a delightful, historically accurate (the detail is meticulous!) fable that boasts a strong performance from Lesley Manville as Mrs. Harris. I enjoyed each frame from start to finish, but I doubt this well-intended, charming rom-com will make it to the Best Picture finish.

Top Gun: Maverick

I'm on the fence about this one. Like Wakanda, I suspect Top Gun: Maverick has a good chance of being on the short list for Best Picture, and it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. Maybe the truth is there just weren't that many phenomenal films in 2022 to take its place. I must admit that I was looking forward to this long-awaited sequel to the1986 blockbuster of the same name. After 35 years, the follow-up does not disappoint, as advanced technology and a great cast of young recruits - plus a memorable reunion scene featuring Top Gun alumns/adversaries Maverick (Tom Cruis) and IceMan (Val Kilmer) make the trip to the theater worth while. The drawback? It's still part of the formulaic commercial franchise approach found in the original. Not awful, but just not pushing the film into the realm of innovative or audacious.

Glass Onion

If you liked the first Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) murder mystery, you'll enjoy the second installment. Filled with another not-quite all-star cast - this time, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, and Leslie Odom, Jr. - Glass Onion offers a witty, clever, complicated crime-solving script, again directed by Rian Johnson. This is the kind of smart, intelligent film-making that was characterized in Peter Sellers' Pink Panther comedies, early Agatha Christie film adapations (1974's Murder on the Orient Express), or even some of Woody Allen's fast-paced farces like Bananas. It is an entertaining amusement with some substance, if lacking in depth of characters or theme.

Movies I saw in 2022 that were a waste of time. Period.

I've reviewed Babylon, so please feel welcome to wallow in its excesses. The other two don't really merit much discussion. Babylon came with such high expectations and is, therefore, a huge disappointment.

Babylon

I'll leave it to my December 29 post to provide detail. Suffice to say that Damien Chazelle's epic homage to the silent film era falls short of expectations, despite strong performances from Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva. And don't be fooled by sycophant critics like Leonard Maltin who admitted Babylon was not compelling cinema, but then said he couldn't "not" recommend it because it celebrates movie-making and he loves movies. Huh? It's three hours and nine minutes of your life you'll never get back. Keep that in mind when purchasing a ticket.

I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Another standard biopic with nothing new to offer about its subject, the late, great singer Whitney Houston. Despite an earnest effort from lead Naomi Ackie, who looks nothing like Houston, and a fine turn from Stanley Tucci as Arista mogul Clive Davis, there's nothing here to leave home (or even your daily workout) for. Unlike last year's Respect which allowed its lead Jennifer Hudson to do her own singing as the legendary Aretha Franklin, I Wanna Dance offers a lip-syncing, dubbed Ackie to provide the dramatic background for Houston's own vocals. It doesn't work. There are plenty of videos, interviews, and recordings of Houston's own voice to spend time watching an actress lip-synch through the dramatizations. I would say something similar about Elvis, Baz Luhrmann's epic biopic also released this year. The difference may be Austin Butler's compelling performance (and vocals), but - at the end of the day - it's still a standard biopic, even w/Luhrmans's classic edginess. Back to Houston: Maybe another viewing of The Bodyguard, Houston's 1992 blockbuster w/Kevin Costner, is in order.

White Noise

Noah Baumbach is an acquired taste. After two moderate indie successes in the 1990s, Kicking and Screaming (1995) and Mr. Jealousy (1997), his breakthrough film appeared in 2005 inThe Squid and the Whale, an autobiographical dark comedy about family. He has continued to make films sporadically, and the results have been typically quirky and sometimes noteworthy films, including Greenberg (2010), Frances Ha (2013) and, most recently, Marriage Story (2019). Like many directors, he has frequent collaborators: writer/director Wes Anderson, actress/partner Greta Gerwig, and actor Adam Driver. White Noise, a chaotic dark comedy starring Gerwig and Driver (in another strong performance), based on the novel by Don Delillo, probably requires intense and repeated viewing to fully enjoy. At first blush, it is a meandering jumble of thoughts, images and ideas that never reall gel as either a cohesive narrative or an apocalytic warning/amusement.

MJ's Best of 2022

I've done reviews of all these films but one (Everything Everywhere All At Once), so you can check out the details via my blog posts. For purposes in this year-end summary, here's the skinny:

Amsterdam

A slightly disjointed, but thoroughly satisfying story of love, life and redemption, told through the historically skewed but always accurate lens of writer/director David O. Russell. Using real-life events to dramatic effect, Russell provides a thought-provoking and satisfying entertainment, even if all the loose ends aren't tied up at the end. Christian Bale gives an astronishing, overlooked performance, and Margot Robbie and John David Washington are fine companions to Bale's glass-eyed/cockeyed optimistic physician. I'm always impressed by Russell's audacious, courageous kind of filmmaking. He's not afraid to take risks with the story, the cast, the outcome, often yielding memorable results.

Armageddon Time

A gentle coming-of-age tale of 1980s New Jersey where life lessons and family relations define and drive the plot. Understated performances by Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong, and a breakout performance by newcomer Banks Repeta, buoy a standout cameo by Anthony Hopkins (Is he is new grandfather-du-jour)? Strong writing and a close attention to detail help this film address issues of religion, social class, and racism in ways that are enlightening and entertaining.

The Fabelmans

Stephen Spielberg's autobiographical tale of growing up amidst a highly intelligent/creative, if dysfunctional family are the stuff that movies are made of - at least, it gives us a glimpse of Spielberg's early fascination with and love of all things cinema. Another memorable breakout performance from newcomer Gabriel LaBelle (Sam) as a teen Spielberg, plus an almost-certain Oscar nom for the radiant Michelle Williams as Sam/Steven's mother, provide the appropriate drama and - unusual for Spielberg - restraint in retelling the story of his youth. Satisfying for Spielberg fans, movie lovers, and those who enjoy a tale well told.

Everthing Everywhere All At Once

Like 2019's Parasite, Everything Everywhere All At Once is a genre-crossing dramedy that utilizes an offbeat storyline with special effects to underscore a darkly funny script and stellar cast performances led by Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan. Look for this film at the SAG and Oscars this year in acting, writing and production categories. It's not for everyone, but film fans will appreciate its creativity and pecularity.

Pinocchio

You won't find any "Disney" in Guillermo Del Toro's reimagination of the childhood classic. Though it is animated and includes music, the images, songs and story arc reveal a deeper exploration of life, love, death and the relationships that make it all worth living. This story of the wooden boy w/the big heart is a variation on Del Toro's fascination with "misfits," and offers more than childhood fairy tales. This Pinocchio is a treatise on life and what matters on our mortal journey and is not just a "best animated" film - it is deserving of a "best" film nomination, animated or otherwise.

Banshees of Intersherin

I knew it the moment the film started: that this was the film that reminded me why I love going to the movies, the film I look for every year to renew my spirit and re-ignite my passion for all things cinemaic. Banshees is not an easy film. It is fraught w/conflicts and contradictions, with characters that are complex and challenging. In the end, though, the fractured friendship between Padraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson) delivers a thought-provoking story that begs for introspection from its audience. Writer/director Martin McDonagh has crafted a beautiful, offbeat, yet poignant tale of two middle-aged men who long for something we all desire: unconditional acceptance and love for who we are. It's violent at times and unsettling, but worth the time for its unique storytelling, unexpected plot twists, fine performances (Farrell and Gleeson are likely Oscar contenders), score and cinematography. All combine to bring a masterfully artistic piece of cinema that, for me, defined the best of 2022.

NOTE: As of this writing, Women Talking and A Man Called Otto have not yet been released on theaters. Both are on my short list to see this month.

Now, on to the awards season festivities! The Golden Globes air January 10.

More to come for sure.