Best of 2022 So Far
Let's talk about my favorite movies from the first half of the year
I will be the first to admit that I have not written this newsletter on as a consistent basis as I would like. I will also be the first to admit that I am always surprised when I find out people read this thing. To me, it’s just one of several voids I yell into on the world wide web, albeit one with a more particular focus. It’s been very nice to hear from a few of you who have reached out to ask what’s going on with the newsletter and if would be making a return. Truly a humbling experience. WORKING TITLE is indeed still in production and I am working on returning to writing it on a more regular schedule.
Since it’s been a couple of months since my last post, I figured we’d keep it pretty simple today. Just a list of my favorite movies from the first half(ish) of 2022 and where you can watch them if you so choose. I’ve got some fun ideas for future editions, but more on that later. Today, let me just give you some new movies to check out if you’re so inclined. Let’s get started!
Movie: Morbius
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Where To Watch: Rent wherever you normally rent movies
What appears on its surface to be a shallow, fumbling mess is actually an astute commentary on the state of superhero films and cinema as a whole and I’m absolutely kidding, let’s get to the real list.
Movie: Everything Everywhere All At Once
Director: Daniels
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
I have to start with my favorite moviegoing experience not only of the year but of the last several years.
I don’t want to say that this movie is indescribable because that feels like an easy cop-out to not have to write as much in the blurb about it, but if there’s ever been a movie that I’ve written about here that qualifies as “you just gotta see it” this is the one.
Michelle Yeoh stars as Evelyn Quan Wang, a Chinese-American woman who discovers that she must connect with parallel universe versions of herself to prevent a powerful being from causing the destruction of the multiverse. That’s the setup. I cannot possibly do justice to the movie that follows but I will say that it features some of the best kung-fu sequences in recent memory, a send-up of RATATOUILLE called RACACOONY, a scene with no dialogue between two rocks that made me cry, and the most emotional use of laundry and taxes I’ve ever seen. Also, a world where people have hot dogs for fingers.
I feel quite confident that by now you have seen the chorus of people singing this movie’s praises. I am not alone in being enraptured by it and to me, that’s one of the coolest things about EEAAO. It is truly a word-of-mouth phenomenon. A movie that’s STILL in theaters in places because people want to see it and be a part of it. Outside of Marvel (whose films don’t qualify as word-of-mouth, every one of them gets the full marketing assault), that is something that is quite rare these days in the age of streaming and instant rentals. Join the chorus. See this beautiful film.
Movie: The Worst Person In The World
Director: Joachim Trier
Where To Watch: Hulu
This is one of a few movies on this list that technically came out in 2021, but didn’t hit American cinemas until this year. I was lucky enough to catch this at Sundance this year and I cannot recommend it enough. The third film in Trier’s OSLO TRILOGY, THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD follows the life of a woman named Julie, the choices she makes, and the ramifications those choices have on both her and the world around her. Renate Reinsve is a magician in this movie. She is funny, smart, sexy, disarming, and at times, a complete idiot. She is in almost every single second of this movie and she carries it with grace and humor and a delicate touch that stayed with me for quite some time.
Movie: Drive My Car
Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Where To Watch: HBO MAX
I will admit this one might be a bit of a stretch to qualify as a “2022 Favorite” as it premiered at the Canes Film Festival in 2021 and technically received a theatrical release in November of that year as well, but for the most part, this movie was pretty hard to find in a theater until earlier this year. This film won the Oscar for Best International Feature and for good reason.
Based on Haruki Murakami's short story of the same name, DRIVE MY CAR is a pretty straightforward movie about a man named Yūsuke Kafuku (played by Hidetoshi Nishijima) as he directs a multilingual production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima and grapples with the premature death of his wife, Oto. This movie is a long one (3 hours) but it is one of the most rewarding film experiences of my life, especially the final third. This movie is a beautiful study of the human condition and what it means. to love and lose. Trust me, I know how fucking pretentious that sounds, but sometimes it’s easier to just cut to the point.
Movie: Jackass Forever
Director: Jeff Tremaine
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime / Paramount +
The irony of following up a recommendation of a movie based on Uncle Vanya with a recommendation of a movie that opens with a guy getting his dick bitten by a snapping turtle is not lost on me. I contain multitudes.
I am also a very simple man. You give me 90 minutes of what amounts to almost exclusively genital torture amongst buddies, I’m gonna have a good time. This movie absolutely (and literally) rocks ass. I am being 100% sincere when I say Johnny Knoxville deserves an Oscar nomination for Actor In A Leading Role. He (and the rest of the Jackass crew) are FEARLESS. They are also OLD and you can tell during this one. There is a genuine sense of fear while watching some of these stunts and it makes it all the more enthralling. There is a scene very early on in the movie that is quite literally the stuff of my nightmares. I screamed in a very crowded theater. There’s a scene involving an athletic cup that caused me to feel phantom testicle pain. There’s a scene where I thought someone might have died (pretty standard in this franchise, tbh). I also laughed the entire time. There are not many movies I can say that about that have come out this year. If you’re up for it (there are so many dicks in this movie) put it on and laugh, cry, and maybe throw up a little.
Movie: The Batman
Director: Matt Reeves
Where To Watch: HBO MAX
I wrote pretty extensively about this movie when I power ranked (roughly) every Batman movie that’s been made. I’m just going to write what I wrote in that newsletter here because I feel pretty much the same today as I did when I saw it.
One thing that the comics make clear about Batman/Bruce Wayne in his early stages is that he is absolutely brimming with rage. He’s full of it. He doesn’t know what to do with it or where to put it, so he starts dressing up like a bat and beating the shit out of low-level street criminals. I like that I can feel that rage radiating off Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of the character. I can feel him trying to figure it out. He is, quite honestly, my favorite Batman. I’ve seen the arguments that there is barely any Bruce Wayne in this movie to which I reply: who cares? This is Batman in Year 2. He hasn’t figured out how to balance those two lives yet. He only cares about being Batman. He is consumed by it. As Pattinson says while gesturing to his cowl, “This is my family’s legacy.”
I also fuck HEAVILY with Matt Reeves’ version of Gotham. Collin Farrell whips nuts as The Penguin and Zoe Kravitz is so goddam good as Catwoman (she was getting lightly canceled when this movie came out lol). It’s got one of the best car chase scenes in any Batman movie. The score is insanely good.
The more I think about it, the more I feel that this is the Batman movie I’ve personally always wanted. It feels the most like a comic book.
I read recently that there was a bit of a gulf between those who saw the movie in theaters and those who saw it for the first time via streaming and that makes sense to me. This movie really hummed on the big screen and I could see why it would fall short on just your Samsung in the living room on a Sunday afternoon. I still think you should give it a go.
Movie: Turning Red
Director: Domee Shi
Where To Watch: Disney +
Not only my favorite Pixar film of the year (the less said about LIGHTYEAR, the better IMO) but one of my favorite Pixar films in years. You might remember Shi from her brilliant Pixar short BAO from a few years back and her spot in the director’s of a feature-length film is clearly well earned. The film follows Meilin "Mei" Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian student who, due to a hereditary curse, transforms into a giant red panda when she experiences any strong emotion. Not exactly ideal when you’re in 7th grade.
TURNING RED ticks every box I want from a Pixar movie. It’s charming, beautifully animated, very funny, and of course, tugs at the heartstrings. It also does that great Pixar thing where one of the side characters absolutely steals the scenes they’re in (shoutout to Abby Park). Also, one of the centerpieces of this movie (set in Toronto in 2002) is a boy band called 4*Town. They made real songs for this band in the movie (written by Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas) and they are ANNOYINGLY catchy. I sometimes find myself humming a few bars and thinking “what song is this” and it’s a goddam 4*Town song.
My only knock on this movie is that there is a scene where the girls buy four FLOOR LEVEL SEATS TO THE HOTTEST BOY BAND ON EARTH THE DAY OF THE SHOW FOR TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY ($250) TOTAL. Even in 2002, that’s pushing it for me.
Movie: Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off
Director: Sam Jones
Where To Watch: HBO MAX
I grew up with Tony Hawk. I was (and still am) a huge watcher of the X GAMES. I remember exactly where I was when I saw him do the first-ever 900. I played every version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (hence my love of ska) and I still think Tony Hawk’s Underground is one of the best video games ever made. I went into this movie expecting to like it.
Not only did I like it, but this movie completely blew my wig back. When I became aware of Tony Hawk, he was almost roughly 20 years into his skateboarding career. I knew that he had been around a while (I had heard of the Dogtown and Z Boys crew) but I was pretty ill-informed. This movie remedied that quickly and efficiently. It’s a portrait of a man who became a legend, but one that’s more interested in what drove him then and what drives him now — a man who it seems can only find true peace when he’s on a skateboard and pushing his body, mind, and spirit to their literal breaking points. It features interviews not only with Hawk but with his contemporaries like Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, and an absolutely breathtaking and insightful Rodney Mullen. You don’t need to like skateboarding to enjoy this one.
Movie: The Northman
Director: Robert Eggers
Where To Watch: Peacock
I’m on record for being in the bag for Robert Eggers. THE LIGHTHOUSE is a personal favorite of mine and excitement had been building around this movie for me for months.
It did not disappoint. In a sea of superheroes and ever-present IP, THE NORTHMAN is an original story and a breath of fresh air. I am also on record as being a fan of movies that make me feel things and THE NORTHMAN certainly made me feel things. It is visually one of the coolest movies I’ve seen and Alexander Skarsgård goes absolutely berserk. There is a shot of his trap muscles that caused me legitimate concern. I’m sure you became familiar with the “avenge father, save mother, kill uncle” storyline as the previews were EVERYWHERE, but this film is much, much more than that.
I would say that this movie is not for the faint of heart. It is VERY bloody. People and animals alike are beheaded with abandon and there is a scene where two guys are killed and then their bodies are used to make a tableau of a horse. It is one of the craziest things I have ever seen put to film. That gets a hell yeah from me brother.
Movie: Top Gun: Maverick
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Where To Watch: In a GOT DANG MOVIE THEATER BABY
You can run from it, hide from it, try to avoid it all you want, but the fact of the matter is that the truth comes for us all. And the truth is this: you cannot stop Thomas Cruise Mapother IV.
This movie has been promised to me for YEARS. I was ready for it in 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively. I finally got it this year and for that I am thankful.
I’ve seen some takes about this movie being military propaganda and to that I say: what the fuck are you talking about and also, shut up nerd. If this is military propaganda, then our military has bigger things to worry about. The enemy in this movie is literally never named, they talk about how outgunned we are as a country, and they mention NATO, like, once. If this was real military propaganda, they’d drone strike villages into the ground while cans of Bud Light ( in the Freedom Cans) get popped.
This movie does do one thing that is, quite frankly, unforgivable. It made me like a OneRepublic song.
I could tell you about the plot but who cares? It’s Tom Cruise flying planes with other cool guys and gals also flying planes. There’s an impossible mission and authority who tries to stand in the way and the requisite homoerotic beach scene (this one involves a game of football that, not joking, goes both ways.) Get your ass to a theater and get your damn tower buzzed.
Movie: Crimes of the Future
Director: David Cronenberg
Where To Watch: In a theater/rent where you rent movies/probably coming soon to HULU due to their deal with NEON.
This is another one of those movies that made me FEEL things. I am a pretty big fan of David Cronenberg. THE THING is an all-timer for me and movies like A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, EASTERN PROMISES, and DEAD RINGERS are movies that I’ve returned to several times over.
This movie has a plot, but to me is almost strictly about the vibes. A quick synopsis is this: In the near future, physical pain has been eradicated and surgery is the new sex. There are public performances of surgical procedures, including Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) a man who grows extra internal organs, and his assistant Caprise (Lea Seydoux) who removes them for the public’s entertainment. This, in turn, makes them quite the celebrities. (Side note: there have been quite a few pieces of media recently that feature the name Saul. Besides the obvious BETTER CALL SAUL, this movie’s main character is the aforementioned Saul Tenser, and on Amazon Prime’s show THE TERMINAL LIST, there is a prominent character for a few episodes named Saul Agnon. Not bad for a guy who can still never find his name on a keychain at a gift shop.)
If you are unfamiliar with David Cronenberg, I don’t if this is necessarily the movie to start with because, to me, this movie is David Cronenberg riffing on David Cronenberg. He takes a look at his film-making history and his penchant for body horror and then sort of has a conversation with himself about it. It adds a very meta layer to the whole thing.
That said, there is a lot to like about this movie. The setting and production design are classic Cronenberg and the world feels very lived in and tangible and almost imminent. All of the performances are incredible, but my personal favorite has to be Kristen Stewart who is basically playing an exaggerated version of the neurotic character she seems to have developed a reputation for. Again, it’s all very meta, but the more I think about it the more it might be one of my favorite films I’ve seen this year.
Movie: Section 1: A Short Film From Dorktown
Director: Jon Bois
Where To Watch: YouTube and I’ll also link it below
I know it seems insane to end this list with a 40-minute YouTube video, but this movie is a genuine thriller. If you’re unfamiliar with Jon Bois or his channel Secret Base and its off-shoot Dorktown, I encourage you to take a stroll through the videos in the channel I linked above. Jon and his crew have this innate ability to find what appears to be the smallest of stories and then blow it up with deep dives into the weirdest details that enrapture you until the end. I highly recommend HISTORY OF THE ATLANTA FALCONS and his series CAPTAIN AHAB: THE STORY OF DAVE STIEB as well.
Like all of his videos, you know the stakes of the video immediately. In this one, a plane is going to crash into part of a football stadium and unless there’s a reason for the people in that section to leave the game they’re attending early, they’re going to die. The pacing and editing of this movie (and trust me, it IS a movie) are masterful and even though you know the outcome, you’re sweating. On top of that, this movie is a beautiful examination of the type of grifter that has become all too familiar in today’s world.
Like all of Bois’ videos, the production on this is charmingly lo-fi. Lots of old newspaper headlines, charts, and ample use of Google Earth, all rendered on what looks like a Commodore 64 computer. It doesn’t matter. You’ll want to stay through the end.
You can watch it here.
There you have it, my favorites from the first half of this year. If you’re curious about upcoming films we’re looking forward to here at WORKING TITLE, check out our 2022 Movie Preview Newsletter! Another big thank you to anyone who gives a shit about this newsletter and to those of you who asked about its status. And as always, a big thank you to anyone who took the time to read this all the way to the end. I plan on having WORKING TITLE in your inbox regularly again and I hope you’ll stick around. If you enjoy my writing, please consider subscribing and sharing it on your socials or with friends, family, and enemies alike. I’ll see you soon.