Well, it’s the end of another year. With that, it only makes sense that we here at Geek Girl Authority take some time to talk about our top 10 films from the year that was 2022. Is this a comprehensive list? Heck no! However, there are plenty of gems to gush about, with plenty more coming.
It’s been a year of superheroes, Glass Onions, more period pieces than we can count … and, above all, Styles. Harry Styles.
Now, on with the show.
Aftersun
Aftersun came out of nowhere. This debut film from Scottish director Charlotte Wells gained steam throughout the year, and the love is oh-so-deserved. Paul Mescal gives an awards-worthy performance, and Frankie Corio delights in this story following a teenager spending a summer holiday with her Dad. It’s beautiful, poignant, and emotionally devastating. Few films have made me blubber quite as hard as this one did. Get the tissues ready, but be sure to make time for this work of art.
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Aftersun will be available to watch on VOD beginning December 20, 2022.
My Policeman
My Policeman came at the right time for yours truly. Autumn 2022 was the season of Linus Roache. I spent my free time diving into everything I could find from the British actors’ filmography. As an acknowledged sucker for period pieces, I already had this movie marked due to sheer curiosity.
Few films bring quite the emotional gut punch as My Policeman brings in its ensemble. David Dawson presents a beautiful and award-worthy performance in this story of three young people coming to terms with love and loss in 1950s Brighton.
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This film has been marketed heavily as a Harry Styles vehicle. While the singer’s fans won’t be disappointed, My Policeman is more than that. This ensemble packs a lot of power. This is a beautiful period story with some truly poignant acting. Don’t miss this one.
My Policeman is now streaming on Prime Video.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.
Rian Johnson keeps managing to top himself. He’s one of the smartest filmmakers currently working in Hollywood, and with the release of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, he did the impossible. He crafted a sequel that was as good or even better than the original film.
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This colorful, comedic mystery ended up being my favorite theatrical experience of 2022. This movie finds an impossibly delightful tone thanks to not only Johnson but this crazily talented cast. Edward Norton and Daniel Craig look to be having more fun than they’ve had on screen in a long, long time and they match perfectly with this fierce and wonderful ensemble. Check out this comedic gem when you’re able to.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery streams on Netflix beginning December 23, 2022.
Moonage Daydream
As a film critic, my shameful blindspot tends to surround documentaries. I don’t watch nearly as many as I should, and it often takes me a long time to get to the ones that deserve the attention. I did it again this year.
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Coming from filmmaker Brett Morgen, this David Bowie documentary is a thing of beauty. Moonage Daydream traces the general course of Bowie’s career in his own words through a barrage of color, music, and interview footage. It’s a beautiful, hands-off look at the artist’s life. This is a must-see for not only David Bowie fans but anyone with a creative bone in their body. It’s inspiring.
Moonage Daydream is now available to rent through VOD.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinnocchio
I was ready to be skeptical as I walked into Guillermo del Toro’s Pinnochio this fall. As I said in my review, this wasn’t the first telling of the story we saw in 2022, and … the first one didn’t set the bar all that high. It turns out you shouldn’t judge a movie by its poster. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The fantasy auteur crafts a beautiful and memorable take on this age-old story which manages to feel completely and utterly original.
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Does the animation feel strange if you aren’t ready for it? Sure. However, Guillermo del Toro packs more humanity into a single frame of film than others manage to pack into an entire movie.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinnochio is available to stream on Netflix beginning December 9, 2022.
She Said
I am a shameless sucker for two things: period pieces and movies where people “crusade.” I’m not picky. Journalists, district attorneys, conspiracy theorists. I’m constantly pulled in. On the surface, She Said looks like a standard Oscar season fair. The film follows Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan as journalists working on an expose of Harvey Weinstein’s crimes.
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She Said is an important film. Director Maria Schrader puts forward a clear examination of a painful subject women deal with daily. When factoring in powerful performances from Kazan and Mulligan, She Said hits incredibly hard.
She Said is currently in theaters and available to rent on VOD.
Babylon
As a film fan, I’ve been waiting for Babylon since it was announced. Truthfully, Damien Chazelle and I speak the same language. However, this is also my territory as an avowed Old Hollywood stan. It’s personal to me. Babylon follows the chaos surrounding the emergence of “talking” pictures in Hollywood. This movie is exactly that. Chaotic. Babylon is a frenetic ball of energy showing a side of the silent era we don’t often see in period pieces.
That said, Babylon isn’t a historical textbook. It’s closer to Old Hollywood fan fiction. This movie shamelessly loves classic Hollywood, and the influence leaps off the screen. However, Chazelle has a blast finding an original entry point into the story.
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Rather than focusing on the nitty-gritty historical details, Chazelle’s focus is paying homage to a fascinating historical era. It is a beautiful and delicious beast of a movie. Add this one to your lists.
Babylon opens in theaters on December 22, 2022.
Living
I’m taking a hard left turn from the almost zany Babylon to look at another stoic late-season release of the “Oscar” variety.
Living is a quiet, contemplative movie from director Oliver Hermanus and starring Bill Nighy. The film is a remake of the 1952 feature Ikiru by the legendary director Akira Kurosawa. It tells the story of a government bureaucrat who reevaluates his life after a terminal health diagnosis. I’ll say it now, get your tissues ready.
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The already incredible Bill Nighy reaches new levels with his work in Living. His performance is all at once beautiful, painful and enlightening. This is admittedly not the easiest viewing, but it deserves a watch.
Living opens in theaters on December 23, 2022.
Bodies Bodies Bodies
Get ready for some whiplash again! I’m jumping to some summertime fun for my next favorite entry. Bodies Bodies Bodies came out of complete obscurity earlier this year to absolutely blow my little mind. Horror movies don’t always make my list, but this witty, self-aware gem is a rarity. Bodies Bodies Bodies follows a group of kids who get together at one of their family mansions for a hurricane party. However, as the bodies hit the floor, they realize “Bodies Bodies Bodies” is more than a game.
Be sure to watch until the end. You won’t be sorry.
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Bodies Bodies Bodies is now available for rent and purchase through VOD.
The Northman
Alexander Skarsgård in The Northman
Robert Eggers came onto the Hollywood scene hard with his 2015 debut, The Witch. After seven years and three films, he keeps wowing audiences with his aesthetic which can best be described as equal parts horrific and fantastic. The Northman features Alexander Skarsgård as a Viking Prince trapped in an ever-so-slightly Shakespearean revenge plot. Who are we kidding? He’s Viking Hamlet.
While The Witch and The Lighthouse both thrive on finding the horror in stillness, The Northman ratchets everything to full blast. The violence, horror and gore are all in your face. It’s weird, it’s wonderful, and it is an amazing theatrical experience.
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The Northman is now available to rent on VOD.
It’s been a busy year of cinema, and we’re not done yet! What have been your favorite movies this year? Let us know in the comments.
Check out our movie reviews here.
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