The 10 best movies of 2022 - Pittsburgh Union Progress

Movies: They’re good!

Well, some of them are. Not every film released in a given year can make a top 10 list, unless Hollywood was only able to churn out 10 movies in 365 days. If that’s ever the case, we’ll have way more pressing problems to sort out.

This year saw hundreds of movies released in theaters and across a wide array of streaming services. Spoiler alert: My top film of 2022 was a streaming exclusive. What does that say about the future of cinema? Probably not much and also probably quite a bit.

All right, enough waxing philosophical. Here are my top 10 films of 2022:

Honorable mentions: “Nope,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” “White Noise,” “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” “Anything’s Possible,” “Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers”

Tom Cruise is back in the air as Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in “Top Gun: Maverick.” (Courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

10. “Top Gun: Maverick”

Tom Cruise did it. Not only did he star in one of the most purely entertaining movies of 2022 in “Top Gun: Maverick,” but also he stuck to his guns by insisting that the film’s death-defying aerial stunts had to be seen on a big screen. It was a risky move to keep delaying its release date during an ongoing pandemic, but it paid off when “Maverick” soared at the box office by earning almost $1.5 billion in worldwide grosses.

This is not a sophisticated movie. Planes go fast, nostalgia is expertly mined, and Jennifer Connelly almost steals Cruise’s thunder as probably his best on-screen love interest since “Jerry Maguire.” The reunion between Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and Val Kilmer’s ailing Tom “Iceman” Kazansky has a strong case for best scene of the year.

Good stuff, Mr. Cruise. Keep flying toward that danger zone, you crazy son of a (top) gun.

A new superhero must take up the mantle of T’Challa in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” (Courtesy of Marvel Studios)

9. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

I already wrote about what a minor miracle it was that Marvel was able to stick the landing on “Wakanda Forever.” It somehow managed to properly honor the legacy of late “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman while also moving the franchise forward and serving as a fun Marvel Cinematic Universe adventure.

Marvel’s trademark quippy banter was mostly dropped in favor of a rather solemn affair, and that decision led to some of the MCU’s most poignant scenes to date. Leading the pack in that regard was recent Golden Globes nominee Angela Bassett, whose towering performance as Queen Ramonda also will hopefully earn her a best supporting actress nod at the Academy Awards. Long live the queen!

The Predator (Dane DiLiegro), left, hunts down Naru (Amber Midthunder) in “Prey.” (David Bukach/Hulu)

8. “Prey”

Full disclosure: I had never seen a “Predator” movie before “Prey.” I only checked it out because it was getting rave reviews, and I’m so happy I did because “Prey” turned out to be by far the best action movie of 2022.

The whole thing is just 100 tight minutes of cat-and-mouse survival tactics between a Predator and Naru, a Comanche warrior played with incredible wit and physicality by Amber Midthunder. It’s the rare action flick without an ounce of fat that needs to be trimmed. Plus, “Prey” has the distinction of featuring the year’s best dog performance thanks to the work of her trusty canine companion, Sarii.

If you haven’t seen “Prey,” check it out on Hulu immediately. You’re welcome in advance.

Viola Davis, left, and Thuso Mbedu portray female warriors in “The Woman King.” (Ilze Kitshoff/Sony Pictures)

7. “The Woman King”

All historical epics should aspire to be like “The Woman King.” Gina Prince-Bythewood’s depiction of the all-female warrior unit fending off the African kingdom of Dahomey’s many enemies is a near-perfect blend of political intrigue, high-octane action-set pieces and true emotional heft.

The cast is astounding, especially Lashana Lynch’s jovial but deadly Izogie and Viola Davis giving the physical performance of her career as Gen. Nanisca. “The Woman King” is a noteworthy achievement for representation in this very specific genre and just for being one of the year’s most heartfelt and kick-ass movies.

Stephanie Hsu, left, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh and James Hong portray multiple characters in a multiverse in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” (Courtesy of A24)

6. “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

It’s amazing that some of the most lasting images of 2022 will involve people with hotdogs for fingers and two rocks with googly eyes hashing out their differences. That’s the power of “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a mind-bending indie that took the moviegoing public by storm this spring.

Michelle Yeoh is almost guaranteed an Oscar nomination for the many, MANY feats she pulled off throughout this insane sci-fi romp. So is Ke Huy Quan, who proved he can play hapless, badass and suave with the best of them. In a year featuring two multiverse movies, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” emerged victorious without a shadow of a doubt.

Gabriel Labelle, left, Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Keeley Karsten, Julia Butters and Sophia Kopera portray the titular family in Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical “The Fabelmans.” (Courtesy of Storyteller Distribution Co.)

5. “The Fabelmans”

Sure, it’s a tad self-indulgent for a director to make a movie that’s essentially a 180-minute therapy session about his parents’ messy relationship and how it affected their children. But if anyone’s earned the right to do that, it’s Steven Spielberg. Unsurprisingly, he knocked this look back into his formative years out of the park.

Michelle Williams is both luminous and deeply disturbing as Spielb… sorry, protagonist Sammy Fabelman’s (Gabrielle Labelle) troubled mother. It’s got all the wonder and “ain’t movies cool” innocence that launched Spielberg’s career while adding a heavy dose of relatable adult drama. Spielberg rarely misses, and “The Fabelmans” is definitely no exception.

Cate Blanchett stars as Lydia Tár in director Todd Field’s “Tár.” (Courtesy of Focus Features)

4. “Tár”

You know this film has gained some genuine cultural cachet when so many folks are unclear whether Lydia Tár was a real person. That’s just a testament to Cate Blanchett’s bravura performance as the titular character in Todd Field’s unflinching look at power balances and sexual impropriety in the world of international classical music.

Field does the smartest thing possible in “Tár” by letting Blanchett cook in long scenes that are technically conversations but really perfectly calibrated monologues. The film itself is a bit opaque, but the journey is never boring.

Carey Mulligan, left, as Megan Twohey and Zoe Kazan as Jodi Kantor investigate Hollywood power broker Harvey Weinstein in “She Said.” (Courtesy of Universal Pictures)

3. “She Said”

“She Said” has a chance when all is said and done to be my favorite movie of 2022. Call me corny, but I was in desperate need of a film that reaffirms the power and efficacy of good journalism. That’s exactly what “She Said” provided as it explored The New York Times’ investigation into Harvey Weinstein’s long history of sexual abuse.

Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan bring just the right mix of gravitas and humanistic instincts to their roles as ace reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor. It’s not going to happen, but Kantor experiences a moment of catharsis so palpable that I hope it catapults Kazan into an Oscar nomination. Either way, “She Said” has already earned its place as an all-time great journalism movie.

From left: Michelle McLeod as Mejal, Sheila McCarthy as Greta, Liv McNeil as Neitje, Jessie Buckley as Mariche, Claire Foy as Salome, Kate Hallett as Autje, Rooney Mara as Ona and Judith Ivey as Agata must decide what to do about the men in their religious community in “Women Talking.” (Michael Gibson/Orion Pictures)

2. “Women Talking”

“Women Talking” is one of the strongest examples to date of why the Academy Awards need to start giving out a best ensemble Oscar. The superb cast — led by acclaimed performers like Claire Foy, Rooney Mara and Jessie Buckley — are captivating as a group of Mennonite women who have had enough after being drugged and raped for years by the men in their colony.

Writer-director Sarah Polley put together a fantastic script that resonates far beyond the confines of this specific community and directs the hell out of every shot. Most of this film takes place in a barn, and yet Polley still finds unique ways to visually communicate the magnitude of the task at hand.

“Women Talking” isn’t playing in Pittsburgh theaters yet, but I hope yinzers will check it out in droves once it does get here. The best movie of 2022, though, has been easily accessible for almost a year now.

Maddie Ziegler, left, and Jenna Ortega are brought together by trauma in “The Fallout.” (Courtesy of HBO Max)

1. “The Fallout”

No movie this year has left me in a glass case of emotions quite like “The Fallout” did. This tiny drama dropped on HBO Max in January, and I still can’t stop thinking about it 11 months later. Writer-director Megan Park absolutely crushed this story of two high school girls bonding over their shared trauma following a school shooting.

If there were any justice in awards season, Jenna Ortega and Pittsburgh native Maddie Ziegler both would be in every Oscars conversation. They’re remarkable as teens coping with unthinkable tragedy in both shared and totally separate ways. The ending of the film is a gut punch that I still think about every time there’s yet another school shooting making national headlines.

“The Fallout” is both the best movie of 2022 and possibly its most timely, for better or worse.