With 2023 having already started for 99% of the world, I wanted to write down a couple thoughts on the seven movies I watched in 2022 that had the biggest impact on me. These films made me go “Wow”, “Holy sh$%”, “Damn”, “What?”, and “Ooof”, sometimes for the right and - at least for one entry - sometimes for the wrong reasons. One small caveat is the fact that pretty much all of the movies I watched in 2022 - and consequentially almost all of the movies on this list - were mainstream ones; I still need to get better at getting outside of my comfort zone. But with that out of the way, and in no particular order, here are my biggest movies of 2022.

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once

What more is there to say about this film that hasn’t been said already? Trippy-as-fu@$ visuals and sequences. Awesome fight choreography. A beautiful heartfelt story at its core. This wasn’t a movie to be watched, but rather experienced ­– damn I’m deep. There was so much happening on screen and so much to be felt at the same time, it was like the movie equivalent of going on a drug-fueled trip that had a surprisingly wholesome ending. So what if I still only sorta get what the movie was really about. All I know is I left the theater feeling good.

2. Top Gun: Maverick

I was honestly floored by how much I liked this movie. Like, a lot. Who could’ve thunk that the combination of jets racing through the air and pulling off death-defying stunts, and a decent character-driven story, would be the recipe for success (the type of success that puts you at the #1 spot at the domestic and worldwide box offices). Is this film military propaganda to incentivize young men to join the Navy? Potentially (yes). But you know what? I just love seeing jets go zoom.

3. The Northman

Talk about a movie that was slept on HEAVILY! This Nordic revenge story that puts its own spin on the concept of destiny is realized fantastically through stellar acting, beautiful cinematography and set design, and BRUTAL action sequences. This movie hit its stride within every act, sequence, and scene, engrossing you in the world and getting you very emotionally invested in its main characters. Some sources have said the reason for this movie’s failure was that it was improperly marketed as a Viking epic, while “in actuality” it was a slow-burner. I put “in actuality” in quotes because, how do violent village raids, mysterious supernatural elements, and [SPOILER ALERT] a climactic sword fight in an active volcano not make for an epic?!

4. Don’t Worry Darling

“What the hell is going on?” This question kept running through my head as I watched Olivia Wilde’s latest film. Logic goes completely out the window in this well-intentioned but poorly-executed Get Out-esque takedown of toxic masculinity. Characters’ actions make no sense, revelations make no sense, and the “twist” makes ABSOLUTELY no sense. But I will say this: Wilde goes for it. Completely. There’s not even the slightest hint of compromise or uncertainty in her execution, and you have to respect her for that. Also, the visuals and costume and set designs are immaculate. IMMACULATE.

5. The Batman

All – or at least most – of us would like to think that we’re pretty complex individuals. Complex individuals with interesting ideas and beliefs. Individuals who would never brag about indulging in “cheap” entertainment, and lament being dragged to watch the latest entry in yet another blockbuster franchise. But then, a trailer for a new Batman movie drops. First we tell ourselves, “Another one? No, I am DONE with Batman AND superhero movies in general.” Yet somehow, we wind up watching Edward from Twilight beat goons to a pulp and zoom around in the Batmobile, in a story that delivers VERY timely commentary on how the important role institutions play in society requires them to be held to the highest of standards. And eventually, we are forced to admit to ourselves that we are SO into this.

6. Drive My Car

Out of all the movies I watched this year, this one left me the most emotionally wrecked. While the prospect of a 3-hour film spoken almost entirely in Japanese was originally daunting for me, I became enthralled in a story that centered around people healing from trauma and learning to accept the seemingly irreconcilable truths about the ones they cared for most. This was the first time I had ever seen the concept of “irreconcilable inner truths” depicted on the big screen, and the PHENOMENAL cinematography made film feel like the best medium for this story to be told. And the ending is simply a gut punch to the feels. No notes.

7. Nope

There are some films that leave such a mark on you, that watching them a second time just doesn’t feel right. I felt that way after watching Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Us, and the same held true for his latest project, Nope. It was the pure spectacle of the film and its twist that most stuck with me. Not only is the twist a horrifying one, but it also manages to be both logical and surprisingly novel. The movie has amazing visuals too, but Nope’s extremely visceral and grotesque sound design drew me in the most. The film has sounds that feel ripped straight out of nightmares, the kind that you don’t even want to IMAGINE hearing. Disturbing sounds from the film unfortunately pop into my head every now and then, especially that of the chimpanzee. Eating.

So there you have it, the seven films that made the biggest impression on me in 2022. Feel free to react to /reply with your thoughts on the movies I included below, as well as the film(s) that left the biggest mark on YOU in 2022. Or not.