Jonathan’s Top Movies of 2022
It was a great year for watching movies and it was a great year for making movies. 2022 ended as Charthouse’s busiest year yet (To be a little selfish, it was also one of the busiest years for me outside of the business). So with that said I did my best to watch everything that I could, but alas some movies ended up on the metaphorical editing room floor and were cut from my free time. I’m sure this list would be somewhat different had I gotten or had given the chance to watch several of these movies that I wanted to see.
I’m glad to say the movies that I did watch, I loved. So here is a list of my top ten favorite movies from 2022. Movies four through ten are pretty arbitrary on their numeral standing and change depending on how I’m feeling that day. Numbers one through three though, those are concrete and I’ll fight for their honor. (Just a legal note, I won’t actually fight. It goes against Charthouse’s policy.)
10. The Fabelmans by Steven Spielberg
I grew up in a Spielberg loving home. There is a photo of me on the first day of Kindergarten wearing a Jurassic Park backpack. The Fabelmans was a personal story by the man who made me want to make movies and experiencing that made me feel the way I did when I wore my Jurassic Park backpack, like a kid in love with the screen.
9. Barbarian by Zach Cregger
Barbarian is the most fun I’ve had in the theater in a very long time. Not only does it add originality to what is becoming an overused subgenre of horror, but the structure of the actual story was so refreshing.
8. The Whale by Darren Aronofsky
Go ahead and give Brendan Fraser the award. All of them.
7. The Northman by Robert Eggers
I went in wanting to watch a viking revenge movie and left having watched a viking revenge movie. Expectations met. Everything in a Robert Eggers movie is intentional. From the speed in which the actors deliver all the way to the authenticity of a background prop that will never be in focus. Because he’s so detail oriented and is such a great horror director he is the only person I trust to direct the Nosferatu remake.
6. Babylon by Damien Chazelle
In a way, I’m being a film critic. I’m listing out my top ten movies and saying why in my opinion they’re the best of the year. It is my critical opinion that all the critics are wrong about Babylon. What Chazelle did is nothing short of incredible. Babylon is big in every way possible and my only complaint is that there was not more of it
5. Nope by Jordan Peele
I saw Nope when it first came out and I liked it, I thought it was fun. Then on one of the hottest days of the year, my wife and I did a double feature of Jaws on IMAX and Nope. Watching the two back to back made me appreciate both of those films more than I already had (Jaws is one of my all time favorite movies.) Nope feels like Jaws' spiritual successor without being a blatant knockoff or riddled with homages. It’s a fun ride on the first watch, it’s even better the second time.
4. Prey by Dan Trachtenberg
Prey wasn’t even on my radar until I worked a gig at Comic-Con. It came totally out of left field and I love a good surprise. It not only revived the franchise, it enhanced the mythology. Also Sarri the dog is a star.
3. The Banshees of Inisherin by Martin McDonagh
McDonagh continues his hot streak of never making a bad movie. He’s four for four (or five for five if you count his short film Six Shooter. Which you should.) Banshee has all the traits of McDonagh’s movies, its funny, great blocking, great writing, but what Banshee does that’s never been seen in any of his previous work is the emotion. Yes, Three Billboards is an emotional journey for vengeance of a grieving mother and yes all who have seen In Bruges remembers the scene with the boy. But Banshee’s feels more stripped down and personal. The metaphors and the themes are there but they aren’t forced, it’s like watching two friends going through a hard time at your local watering hole.
2. Everything Everywhere All At Once by Daniels
I want to read the script. I want to see the storyboards. I want to see the schedule. I want to know how this movie was made because on paper it should not have worked, but it did and it was brilliant filmmaking. Outside of sharp editing and fancy camera movements, it’s the story that had everyone (everywhere all at once) talking about it all year. Daniels could have made an action movie and they could have taken the concept of generational mistakes and depression and made a very serious character study. Instead they made an absurdist comedy that strengthened both the action and the emotion.
1. Top Gun: Maverick by Joseph Kosinki
I’ll admit, if you asked me a year ago if I was excited to see Maverick I probably would have said “I’ll get to it.” I never expected it to be on my end of the year list, let alone the number one spot. Maybe it’s because growing up my dad called me Goose. Maybe it’s because I live in San Diego. Maybe it’s because there were moments when Rooster was calling out for his dad that reminded me of when I was a firefighter and very much wanted guidance from my dad. Or maybe, just maybe it’s because it’s great filmmaking. There are a lot of movies I love. There aren’t a lot of movies that make me cry, laugh, cheer, and reside with me on a deep emotional level. To quote Quentin Tarantino on Maverick “provided a true cinematic spectacle, the kind that I'd almost thought that I wasn't going to see anymore.”
I hope you enjoyed the list but I also hope you enjoyed ten movies from last year as much as I did these.
For the love of movies,
Jonathan Austin
