When I assembled my first Top 10 list back in 1997, a movie was a movie and no one was judging art based on its ability to conform to what a small yet painfully vocal group of self-righteous individuals considered acceptable. “Titanic” won 11 Academy Awards and hauled in $600 Million domestically based on the idea that people with contrasting ideologies could still gather together in the name of entertainment. Say what you will about James Cameron’s dialogue and blunt force storytelling at times, but he appreciates the spectacle of cinema and knows how to captivate an audience with visuals that no one else can offer.
As people and politics became even uglier in 2022, I remained resolute in my belief that art doesn’t need to be policed in the name of the “Mother Knows Best” ideology Hollywood has been peddling since the Obama Administration. The only thing that matters is how effective the finished product is in doing what it set out to do. If a movie is shit, there’s no amount of Twitter outrage that is going save it from winding up exactly where it deserves to be.
What follows is a list of 10 films that I considered to be the best of the best this year as well as some that just missed the mark, so, if you find yourself with some free time soon, perhaps one of them will strike your fancy.
As a bonus, I’ve opened the vault to include every list I’ve ever made for your viewing pleasure.
“Tár” – Directed by Todd Field
We’ve seen so many powerful men whose careers have been derailed by their own ego and lack of conscience, so it’s fascinating to see Field and Blanchett flip that narrative around.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” – Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
We’ve always known what Michelle Yeoh could do if given the opportunity and this is her finest showcase yet.
“The Woman King” – Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
Viola Davis has been killing it since 2008’s “Doubt” and she turns in another masterclass here.
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” – Directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson
Set among the backdrop of Mussolini’s fascist Italy, del Toro gives us a dark, heartfelt version of a story that we didn’t think anything new could be drawn from.
“Turning Red” – Directed by Domee Shi
Just when I thought I was out, Pixar pulled me back in.
“Emily the Criminal” – Directed by John Patton Ford
It’s survival in the city for Aubrey Plaza as a young woman struggling with the day-to-day realities of student loan debt.
“The Banshees of Inisherin” – Directed by Martin McDonagh
14 years after they made magic with “In Bruges,” McDonagh, Colin Farrell, and Brendan Gleeson did it again.
“The Fabelmans” – Directed by Steven Spielberg
Spielberg’s love letter to cinema and his childhood is a beautiful sight to behold.
“All Quiet on the Western Front” – Directed by Edward Berger
As powerful a remake as you’ll ever see.
“Nothing Compares” – Directed by Kathryn Ferguson
A fascinating portrait of an artist whose talent became a cross too arduous to bear.
Honorable Mentions – “Nope,” “Sheryl,” “Dio: Dreamers Never Die,” “Fall,”and “Grimcutty”
The Worst – “The Munsters,” “Pinocchio,” and “Halloween Ends”
2021 – “Mass,” “The Power of the Dog,” “The Beatles: Get Back,” “Passing,” “The Harder They Fall,” “King Richard,” “Summer of Soul,” “Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” “The Lost Daughter,” and “Cruella”
2020 – “Sound of Metal,” “Da 5 Bloods,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Small Axe,” “Palm Springs,” “The Forty-Year-Old Version,” “On the Rocks,” “His House,” “Mank,” and “Sylvie’s Love”
2019 – “Parasite,” “Marriage Story,” “Pain and Glory,” “The Irishman,” “Amazing Grace,” Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “Us,” “Dolemite is My Name,” “Knives Out,” and “Blinded By the Light”
2018 – “If Beale Street Could Talk, “Sorry to Bother You,” “Widows,” “Blackkklansman,” “Private Life,” “The Hate U Give,” “Roma,” “A Star is Born,” “Game Night,” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”
2017 – “Get Out,” “mother!,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” “Long Time Running,” “Okja,” “The Big Sick,” “Raw,” “Girls Trip,” “Mudbound,” and “The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)”
2016 – “OJ: Made in America,” “Nocturnal Animals,” “Loving,” “Fences,” “Arrival,” “Sing Street,” “Zootopia,” “Don’t Breathe,” “Deadpool,” and “Eye in the Sky”
2015 – “Room,” “Love and Mercy,” “Creed,” “Amy,” “Beasts of No Nation,” “Inside Out,” “The End of the Tour,” “The Martian,” “Straight Outta Compton,” and “The Clouds of Sils Maria”
2014 – “Boyhood,” “Birdman,” “Foxcatcher,” “Nightcrawler,” “Life Itself,” “The Babadook,” “Ida,” “Interstellar,” “Under the Skin,” and “Bad Words”
2013 – “Gravity,” “12 Years a Slave,” “American Hustle,” “The Place Beyond the Pines,” “Blackfish,” “Spring Breakers,” “Prisoners,” “Captain Phillips,” “Side Effects,” and “This is the End”
2012 – “Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Master,” “Lincoln,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Flight,” “Life of Pi,” “Argo,” “Django Unchained,” “Take This Waltz,” and “The Grey”
2011 – “The Tree of Life,” “Drive,” “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” “A Separation,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Trip,” “13 Assassins,” “Bridesmaids,” “Moneyball,” and “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
2010 – “Black Swan,” “Dogtooth,” “A Prophet,” “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” “Fish Tank,” “The Social Network,” “Toy Story 3,” “The Fighter,” “Catfish,” and “Somewhere”
2009 – “A Serious Man,” “Up in the Air,” “The Hurt Locker,” “Summer Hours,” “Anvil: The Story of Anvil,” “District 9,” “An Education,” “The Messenger,” “Inglourious Basterds,” and “Antichrist”
2008 – “The Dark Knight,” “The Wrestler,” “Revolutionary Road,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Frost/Nixon,” “In Bruges,” “Rachel Getting Married,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Man on Wire,” and “Slumdog Millionaire”
2007 – “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” “I’m Not There,” “There Will Be Blood,” “No Country For Old Men,” “Into the Wild,” “Zodiac,” “Eastern Promises,” “Knocked Up,” “Grindhouse,” and “The Bourne Ultimatum”
2006 – “The Departed,” “United 93,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Borat,” “Casino Royale,” “Blood Diamond,” “Half Nelson,” “The Descent,” “Hard Candy,” and “Flags of Our Fathers”
2005 – “Munich,” “A History of Violence,” “Capote,” “War of the Worlds,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Syriana,” “The Aristocrats,” “Grizzly Man,” “Cinderella Man,” and “Good Night and Good Luck”
2004 – “Sideways,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “The Aviator,” “Kinsey,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “The Passion of the Christ,” “Kill Bill Vol. 2,” “Ray,” “Collateral,” and “The Machinist”
2003 – “American Splendor,” “Mystic River,” “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” “Kill Bill Vol. 1,” “Lost in Translation,” “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King,” “The Last Samurai,” “Monster,” “Oldboy,” and “Dogville”
2002 – “Minority Report,” “25th Hour,” “Gangs of New York,” “Road to Perdition,” “City of God,” “Adaptation,” “Signs,” “Unfaithful,” “About Schmidt,” and “One Hour Photo”
2001 – “Mulholland Drive,” “In the Bedroom,” “The Pledge,” “Shrek,” “Shallow Hal,” “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Ali,” “The Others,” “Training Day,” and “Ghost World”
2000 – “Almost Famous,” “High Fidelity,” “Traffic,” “Memento,” “Requiem For a Dream,” “American Psycho,” “Cast Away,” “You Can Count On Me,” “The Cell,” and “Amores Perros”
1999 – “Fight Club,” “The Blair Witch Project,” “Magnolia,” “Being John Malkovich,” “Boys Don’t Cry,” “The Insider,” “Bringing Out the Dead,” “Summer of Sam,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” and “The Sixth Sense”
1998 – “Saving Private Ryan,” “American History X,” “The Thin Red Line,” “The Truman Show,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Out of Sight,” “Pleasantville,” “Pi,” “He Got Game,” and “There’s Something About Mary”
1997 – “Boogie Nights,” ”Jackie Brown,” “The Game,” “Titanic,” “The Ice Storm,” “L.A. Confidential,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Lost Highway,” “Cop Land,” and “Eve’s Bayou”
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