by Sam Juliano
Happy New Year all, and here’s to a much better twelve months than the dozen we just completed!
This past week, our writer extraordinaire Jim Clark published abother superlative essay in his Claire Denis series on Nenette et Boni.
This is the MMD when I present my Best Films of the Year choices.
The 15 Best Movies of 2022 (listed alphabetically!)
I needed some prodding over the past year. I was busy working on my second novel and now my third, and for the better part of eight months I saw very few films in theaters and online. It was mostly blu rays and DVDs for me for those first eight months. I resolved that November and December would be committed to catching up and with the daily urgings and reports and/or FACEBOOK commentary on films they saw over the course of the year, by close friends like (again alphabetically!) Christianne Benedict, Jerry Jay Bryant, Martin Bradley, Robert Butler (the tireless soldier of the cinema!), Daryl Chin, Ricky Chinigo, Jim Clark, Tony D’Ambra, Addison DeWitt, Steve Elworth, Celeste Fenster, Marilyn Ferdinand, Adam Ferenz, Richard Finch, Steve Finkelstein, Jay Giampietro, John Greco, Don Haumant, Roderick Heath, Robert Hornak, Andrew Hunt, Sachin Gandhi, Lucille Juliano, PaulSkye Kalawaty, Bill Kamberger, Bruce Kimmel, Julie Kirgo, Dan Kocher, Shubhajit Lahiri, Tony Lucibello, Peter Marose, Lin Morris, Farran Smith Nehme, Fred Osuna, Pat Perry, Duane Porter, Lee Price, Maurizio Roca, Todd Sherman, Tim Sika, Mark Smith, Marvin Summer (the festival king!); Dean Treadway, Gianmarco Tremble, Jamie Uhler, Derek Vincent, Jeffrey Wang, Stephanie Troise Walter, Jon Warner, Aaron West, Aaron White, Brian Wilson and others. This is was the first year in decades where I needed a push, as in the past it was common practice to watch as many films as humanly possible in theaters and on line, all year long. I do believe I have managed now to see the vast majority of the films essential to the 2022 experience, whether those pictures were negotiated in the theater or online. I was torn between doing a Top 10 or a Top 20, so I compromised and did a Top 15. I was also divided as to whether I should go with a numbered list or an alphabetical, one. I kept going back and forth and decided that alphabetical was the best option. as these 15 films are roughly equal in their comprehensive excellence. NOTE: After I list my Top 15 I follow it up with a modest “honorable mention” list and then I “answer” a few questions that I self-devised.
Aftersun (Charlotte Wells) UK
All Quiet on the Western Front (Edward Berger) Germany
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras) USA
The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh) Ireland
Un beau matin (Mia Hansen-Love) France
Benediction (Terence Davies) UK
EO (Jerzy Skolimowski) Poland
The Fabelmans (Steven Spielberg) USA
Illusions perdues (Xavier Giannoli) France
No Bears (Jafar Panahi) Iran
The Quiet Girl (Colm Bairead) Ireland
RRR (S.S. Tajamouli) India
Till (Chinonye Chukwu) USA
Vortex (Gasper Noe) France
The Whale (Darren Aronofsky) USA
HONORABLE MENTION: (also in alphabetical order, and also, 15) Armegeddon Time (USA); The Black Phone (USA); Blonde (USA); Bros (USA); Decision to Leave (South Korea); Devotion (USA); The Falls (Taiwan); God’s Country (USA); The Inspection (USA); The Menu (USA); She Said (USA); Sundown (USA); Tarr (USA); Triangle of Sadness (Sweden); 13: The Musical (USA).
Question: If someone held a gun to your head, and forced you to pick a single best film of 2022, what would it be?
Answer: Probably Aftersun, but the other photos on my post (and The Fabelmans) are definitely in the “hunt” for that designation.
Question: Who is your Best Director for 2022:
Answer: Charlotte Wells (Aftersun)
What is your favorite Lead Actor Performance for 2022?
Answer: Brendan Fraser (The Whale)
What is your favorite Lead Actress Performance for 2023?
Answer: Danielle Deadwyler (Till)
What is your favorite Supporting Actress Performance:
Answer: Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin)
What is your favorite Supporting Actor Performance:
Answer: Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin)
Did you count any late 2022 releases for the upcoming year due to uncertain openings?
Answer: Yes, Close, Saint Omer and All That Breathes for starters. I did not see then, nor were they available, so I will count them for 2023.
Are there are films that you intensely disliked aside from the obvious multiplex trash?
Answer: Yes. Bones and All, Babylon and Pearl.
Click on names for archives
Writers/Founders
Wonders in the Dark 
Thanks for the mention, Sam! You ain’t kidding what you said that you “rallied.” That is some terrific Top 15 and honorable mentions! I’ve only seen three of the films of your 30, but great to have this reference on how to proceed. Happy New Year to all, and best luck with your upcoming novel!
Ricky, many thanks my great friend! I look forward to hearing your own reports on some of these films and am wishing you and your wonderful family the happiest of New Year’s!
Happy New Year Sam. You have a stellar list as always and given all the work you put in the novel, your effort in seeing all these films is remarkable. I am well behind in 2022 films and I have seen less than 5 films on your list. That is why I admire your effort.
Sachin, it is always a delight to hear from you, and you are regular at every holiday to comment on the year-end movie round-ups. Thank you so much for the kind words my longtime friend! Well, I went into high-gear at mid-November, and realized I needed to move at an obsessive pace. Luckily, I got to some online, making my outdoor theater trips less than normal for this time of the year. I greatly look forward to your finalized list (which I know will be stupendous!) and i wish you and your lovely family a Happy New Year!
Sam, love seeing your list for 2022. I’ve barely scratched the surface having seen only Benediction and Decision to Leave, both excellent of course. I’m still deeply involved in finalizing my list for 2021 one year after. It seems the older I get the longer it takes.
Duane, many many thanks for those kind words and even greater thank yous for gracing this site with your own stupendous BEST FILMS OF 2021 list!!! We both have the propensity to take more time now my friend! Wishing you a special 2023!
Thank you for prodding me into seeing Aftersun. It was lovely. Also liked Armageddon Time. It will take some time to catch up to the others.
John David, I am so thrilled that you love AFTERSUN, as it may well be my #1 films of this past year!!!!!!!!!! Yes we agree too on ARMEGEDDON TIME as well! Yes it takes time to get to all of these. Thank you my friend.