{"id":25872,"date":"2023-01-14T22:52:22","date_gmt":"2023-01-14T18:52:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeyet.com\/?p=25872"},"modified":"2023-01-14T22:52:22","modified_gmt":"2023-01-14T18:52:22","slug":"best-films-of-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeyet.com\/best-films-of-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"best films of 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It\u2019s not been your standard, regular, common-or-garden year at the movies so far. The slate of big new movies remains a little (okay,&nbsp;<em>a lot<\/em>) skinnier than usual and release dates have continued to shift, with more than one big release decamping to the safer surrounds of 2023. But even the lingering impact of Covid hasn\u2019t stopped it being an often crowd-pleasing, occasionally electrifying six months so far. From awards picks like&nbsp;<strong>Parallel Mothers<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em><strong>Licorice Pizza<\/strong>,&nbsp;<\/em>to virtuoso indie gems like British chef thriller&nbsp;<em>Boiling Point<\/em>&nbsp;and<em>&nbsp;Aftersun&nbsp;<\/em>to popcorn perfection like&nbsp;<em><strong>RRR<\/strong><\/em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em><strong>Top Gun: Maverick<\/strong>,&nbsp;<\/em>there\u2019s been much to celebrate. Here\u2019s our best of the best of the year to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The best movies of 2022<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>33.&nbsp;Turning Red<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Animation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Awkwardly, no Pixar film had been solo directed by a female filmmaker until Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Domee Shi came along with this cute-as-buttons creature feature about a 13-year-old girl who turns into a red panda when big emotions come knocking. It\u2019s based on her own childhood \u2013 okay, not the panda part \u2013 and comes freighted with the authentic growing pains of adolescence. The only pity is that it went straight to Disney+, because its surprisingly Godzilla-esque climax would have looked epic on the big screen.<br><br><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018Its boldest move is tackling female puberty in such a candid, empathetic way.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/utama-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>32.&nbsp;Utama<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drama<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In few places are the effects of climate change more acutely felt than among Bolivian farmers, for whom devastating drought represents an existential threat. In photographer-turned-filmmaker Alejandro Loayza Grisi\u2019s captivating film, a married pair of llama farmers (assuredly played by non-professionals) face an uncertain future as their community, herd and way of life perish.&nbsp;The result&nbsp;is the most surprising widescreen experience of the year.<br><strong><br>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018It\u2019s best enjoyed on a screen so big you\u2019ll move your head reading the subtitles.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/bones-and-all-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>31.&nbsp;Bones and All<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Horror<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Like&nbsp;<em>Badlands<\/em>&nbsp;plonked into the midst of Reagan\u2019s America, this sensitive&nbsp;yet spiky adaptation of Camille DeAngelis\u2019s coming-of-age novel charted a couple of outsiders navigating the outskirts of a shut-off society. Oh, and they just happen to eat human flesh. No biggie. On the surface, it\u2019s a mile away from director Luca Guadagnino\u2019s sun-kissed&nbsp;<em>Call Me By Your Name<\/em>, beyond starring&nbsp;Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet, but there\u2019s connective tissue in its deeper exploration of young love and the tentative connections of sensitive souls. Look out, too, for an eyecatching turn from Taylor Russell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018It&nbsp;flows like a Joy Division song: moody and ethereal until it escalates into a burst of sonic violence.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/fire-of-love-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>30.&nbsp;Fire of Love<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Documentaries<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This elemental, awe-inspiring doc follows two volcanologists \u2013Maurice and Katia Krafft&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;to the ends of the earth and witness their passion: for this molten geological marvels and, even more movingly, for each other.&nbsp;It\u2019s narrated by indie doyenne&nbsp;Miranda July&nbsp;and was a Sundance breakout hit at the beginning of the year, but it feels like one of&nbsp;pieces of non-fiction filmmaking that will stand the test of time. It shows us the kind of spectacular fiery abyss&nbsp;that most blockbusters can only dream of \u2013 and not a drop of CGI in sight.<br><br><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018There are only so many times you can shout \u2018\u2018woah!\u2019\u2019 at yourself during one film, but this doc pushes that number up.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>29.&nbsp;RRR<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a reason Telugu director SS Rajamouli sits so high on our list of&nbsp;the 50 coolest filmmakers in the world: his OTT epics are just absurdly fun. And this year\u2019s&nbsp;<em>RRR<\/em>, the third highest-grossing Indian film ever, could be the most fun of them all. The \u2018Rs\u2019 stand for \u2018rise, roar and revolt\u2019, themes that play out in a Raj-era storyline about British colonialism and an abducted child that occasionally pokes through all the insane fight scenes, razzed-up dance routines, exploding trains and tigers (there are a lot of tigers). It\u2019s the perfect gateway drug to the highs of Telugu action cinema.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018Rajamouli has a knack for finding stars who command the screen and setting them loose on bonkers-sounding adventures.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/cow-2021\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>28.&nbsp;Cow<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Documentaries<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Aside from being absolute gold for pun-lovers, this moo-tion picture is a bold doc from British indie director Andrea Arnold (<em><strong>American Honey<\/strong><\/em>)&nbsp;that\u2019s&nbsp;set entirely among a herd of dairy cows. On one level, it\u2019s just 90-minutes of voiceover and explanation-free bovine action \u2013 a whole world of moos and manure. On another, it\u2019s a moving cycle-of-life examination of a cow\u2019s life that\u2019s far too unsentimental to try to steal your heart but kinda manages it anyway.<br><br><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018Arnold gives us a straightforward slice of a cow\u2019s relentless life of muck, milk, breeding and feeding.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/boiling-point-2021\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>27.&nbsp;Boiling Point<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drama<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Proving that he can do just about anything, Stephen Graham fuels this terrific one-take drama with skittish, sweaty energy as a chef on the edge in a buzzy London restaurant \u2013 all while shucking oysters like a pro. As an advertisement for getting into the hospitality industry, it\u2019s pure nightmare fuel. As a viewing experience, it\u2019s a thrilling watch that left everyone who caught it feeling rinsed out like a kitchen sink at the end of a dinner service.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018Stephen Graham and Vinette Robinson help make this the best kind of worst ever restaurant trip.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/bergman-island-2021\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>26.&nbsp;Bergman Island<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drama<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s takes chutzpah to rock up to the home of one of the true titans of cinema and make a movie that riffs on his life and work, but Mia Hansen-L\u00f8ve\u2019s sunlit relationship story set on Ingmar Bergman\u2019s island of F\u00e5r\u00f6 pulls the feat off with aplomb. Vicky Krieps and Tim Roth play two writers whose relationship seems to be hitting the skids almost imperceptibly, as they joust gently in their supposed creative haven. There are sharp observations galore here \u2013 about relationships and women\u2019s creative emancipation \u2013 as well as a juicy, meta twist to keep you on your toes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018Hansen-L\u00f8ve has a real genius for amplifying small moments in relationships, and she finds deft collaborators in Krieps and Roth.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/jackass-forever-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>25.&nbsp;Jackass Forever<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When a film gets described as a touching treatise on nostalgia, friendship and growing older, it doesn\u2019t usually also feature a half-naked man hang-gliding into a cactus. But that\u2019s the unique joy of this unexpectedly glorious sixth outing from Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius and the gang \u2013 a movie that combines the hilariously puerile with the gently profound, while introducing a new generation of willing young pain-junkies to the joys of the Port-A-Potty and the human ramp. It still hurts just to watch it, mind you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018This franchise is far more than just a patchwork of batshit crazy hijinks and dick jokes.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/prey-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>24.&nbsp;Prey<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Action and adventure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Fittingly for a movie with a cloaking device at its heart, we did not see this period-set&nbsp;<em>Predator<\/em>&nbsp;flick coming, Sure, the trailer looked sufficiently promising to banish awkward memories of the last few outings from this creaking franchise, but just how much fresh life talented&nbsp;director Dan Trachtenberg&nbsp;has managed to inject into it amid all the gory, inventive offings still came as a very happy surprise. Yes, it belongs on the big screen rather than a straight-to-Hulu release but at least it&#8217;s easily rewatchable \u2013 and with part-Sioux actress Amber Midthunder providing its ridiculously engaging action hero and that mandibled space bastard actually scary again, it&#8217;ll be on our favourites list for years to come.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018Aided by a forceful performance from relative newcomer Midthunder, this Predator movie is full of surprises.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/wheel-of-fortune-and-fantasy-2021\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>23.&nbsp;Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drama<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Last year saw Ryusuke Hamaguchi break through to western audiences with the Oscar-nominated<em>&nbsp;Drive My Car<\/em>. His quickfire follow-up, a&nbsp;triptych&nbsp;of loosely connected relationship tales, made fewer waves but is just as worthy of the clamour. Its beguiling trio of 30-odd-minute vignettes takes the perspective of three different women, each with a deeper heartache and confusion that steers them in emotionally dangerous directions. Together they make for a magnetic slice of slow cinema.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018The writer-director\u2019s greatest gift is in wringing intense emotion from each moment.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/elvis-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>22.&nbsp;Elvis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drama<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The trailers made it look a little, well, hammy, but Baz Luhrmann\u2019s ode to the King turns out to be a hip-shaking and hypnotic experience. Is it occasionally over-the-top? Yup. Are the maximalist visuals a lot to absorb over two-and-a-half hours? Sure. Does Tom Hanks\u2019 waxy, fat-suited version of Colonel Parker seem to be in danger of melting from contact with the nearest bright light? That too. But for all its flaws,&nbsp;<em>Elvis<\/em>&nbsp;is an irresistible night at the pictures: a more-is-more collage of music, history and Presley pilgrimage that\u2019s lit up by the spectacular Austin Butler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018Just when Baz Luhrmann\u2019s hyper-stylised visions&nbsp;were starting to feel played out, he delivers his best film for 20 years.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/a-hero-2021\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>21.&nbsp;A Hero<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A kind of Iranian Ken Loach, Asghar Farhadi is a master at weaving thorny morality tales into a wider social framework. This Cannes hit is another probing look at life in a hierarchical, judgmental society. Its protagonist, Ramin, emerges from imprisonment for bankruptcy and finds a shot at redemption in the form of 17 gold coins found by his girlfriend. Does he do the right thing or milk the situation for financial or social capital? The genius of&nbsp;<em>A Hero<\/em>&nbsp;is in the ways Farhadi finds to turn this basic moral dilemma into a nightmarish Gordian knot that shows up a malfunctioning social order for what it is.<br><br><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018It\u2019s a superb morality play that keeps us guessing right to its powerful final shot.<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/belle-2021\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>20.&nbsp;Belle<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Animation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018It\u2019 girls, grieving high-schoolers and cyber dragons collide in Mamoru Hosoda\u2019s dazzling anime skew on \u2018Beauty and the Beast\u2019. The tunes are banging, the visuals eye-popping and the ideas, exploring life as a digital native and the oldies who forlornly try to help Gen Zers navigate it, richly conceived. The Japanese animation master has come a long way since being&nbsp;fired as director on&nbsp;<em>Howl\u2019s Moving Castle.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018It\u2019s high time to mention Studio Chizu in the same breath as Studio Ghibli, because this one is an absolute feast.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/benediction-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>19.&nbsp;Benediction<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drama<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Great War poet Siegfried Sassoon gets the touching, immaculately mounted Terence Davies treatment in a biopic that manages to be both heart-wrenchingly sad and PG Wodehouse-funny. Peter Capaldi plays the once-closeted gay writer in his older, embittered years, but it\u2019s Jack Lowton who really catches the eyes as the younger version, who struggles to find himself amid the buzzing gadflies of London\u2019s post-war social scene. The writing is bayonet sharp, as when Sassoon is haughtily informed that his poetry \u2018has gone from the sublime to the meticulous\u2019.&nbsp;<em>Benediction<\/em>&nbsp;is yet&nbsp;more proof that Davies\u2019 filmmaking remains sublime.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018A glidingly elegant, emotionally ransacking story of queerness, repression and the past.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-woman-king-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>18.&nbsp;The Woman King<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A historic action epic about Black women,&nbsp;<em>The Woman King<\/em>&nbsp;is as entertaining as it is culturally significant. It&#8217;s immense fun watching Viola Davis and her Amazonian warriors train up and fight the bad guys in 1800s Africa, and it\u2019s moving when you realise how groundbreaking and empowering this is. Already a big hit in America, it\u2019s proving that Black female stories can smash it at the box office. Bring hankies for this emotional epic in the vein of&nbsp;<em>Braveheart<\/em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>Gladiator<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018It\u2019s a story of sisterhood and racial identity that deserves to pack in the crowds.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/decision-to-leave-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>17.&nbsp;Decision to Leave<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thrillers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Forget the hammer smashes and octopus guzzling of&nbsp;<em>Oldboy<\/em>, because this<em>&nbsp;<\/em>Park&nbsp;Chan-wook movie showcases the&nbsp;slowburn, cerebral side of the Korean auteur. It\u2019s a Busan-set&nbsp;puzzle box of a&nbsp;thriller&nbsp;that sees a detective and a young widow&nbsp;locked in a complex dance involving a murder, an investigation and a lot of barely suppressed desire. As you can tell, it takes a leaf out of the&nbsp;Hollywood erotic thriller&nbsp;handbook \u2013 albeit with a chillier atmosphere and&nbsp;even more satisfyingly mazy plotting.<br><br><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018Park Chan-wook slows things down with a woozily seductive and ridiculously elegant&nbsp;murder-mystery.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/nope-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>16.&nbsp;Nope<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Horror<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While the rest of us were&nbsp;mastering sourdough, Jordan Peele&nbsp;spent&nbsp;the pandemic fusing sci-fi, horror and westerns&nbsp;to create a whole new kind of monster movie. The result \u2013 with no disrespect to any our baking efforts \u2013 was even better: an unnervy, unsettling and frequently funny third Peele effort, lit up by Keke Palmer\u2019s livewire performance, a killer score and terrifying sound design. It\u2019s easy to over-lionise the filmmaker as the savour of horror \u2013&nbsp;as one poor tweeter discovered&nbsp;\u2013 and&nbsp;<em>Nope<\/em>&nbsp;isn\u2019t without flaws. But it\u2019s a blockbuster that\u2019d unafraid to be depart radically&nbsp;from the norm, securing a likely spot in the midnight movie pantheon in the process.<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/all-quiet-on-the-western-front-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>15.&nbsp;All Quiet on the Western Front<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Action and adventure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Seen&nbsp;<em>1917<\/em>? Brace yourself for 1918. Netflix\u2019s often awe-striking&nbsp;German-language reimagining of&nbsp;Erich Maria Remarque\u2019s classic antiwar novel takes place in the dying embers of the Great War. And \u2018dying\u2019 is the operative word, because this vision of conflict is as violent a film as you\u2019ll see this year \u2013 a cacophony of screaming shells, rumbling tanks and the rat-a-tat of flying bullets. In the middle of it all is a young German conscript (talented newcomer Felix Kammerer) just trying to stay alive. It\u2019ll leave you dazed.<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/hit-the-road-2021\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>14.&nbsp;Hit the Road<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drama<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s been a bittersweet 2022 for Iranian filmmaker Panah Panahi: his dad, legendary auteur Jafar (<em>The White Balloon<\/em>), was sentenced to six years in prison by the country\u2019s oppressive regime; but it\u2019s also been the year his debut film, a beguiling but quietly tumultuous family drama set on the dusty highways of Iran, met its public. And what a debut it is \u2013 filled with wry wit and barbed social comment about modern life in the country, and with an outstanding performance from six-year-old Rayan Sarlak as the rascally youngster in the back seat of his family\u2019s SUV. The&nbsp;<em>Little Miss Sunshine<\/em>&nbsp;comparisons are unavoidable, but&nbsp;<em>Hit the Road<\/em>\u2019s destination is altogether more impactful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What we said: \u2018It\u2019s a&nbsp;road trip movie with an aching heart&nbsp;that\u2019s filled with wry relatability.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>13.&nbsp;Three Minutes: A Lengthening<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At a sliver over an hour long and built around a restored 180-second-long piece of home video footage from a American couple\u2019s 1938 journey through Europe, the raw materials for this Holocaust doc might feel slight, but their impact is monumental. Part act of memorial, part moving exploration of our relationship with the past, and part detective story, filmmaker Bianca Stigter (partner of Steve McQueen IRL) plunges us into, and beyond, the celluloid to reveal the real people whose lives would soon be snuffed out by the Nazis. Helena Bonham Carter\u2019s probing voiceover only adds to a sense of immediacy that makes its small crowds of Polish Jews feel like new friends by the end. The effect is haunting and deeply emotional.<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/brian-and-charles-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>12.&nbsp;Brian and Charles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Ridiculously charming, playful and touching,&nbsp;this bittersweet British comedy&nbsp;is the year\u2019s surprise package. An oddly-shaped package, sure, what with its&nbsp;titular robot, Charles Petrescu, being built from an expressionless mannequin\u2019s head plonked on top of an old washing machine. But through a much-harder-than-it-looks feat of physical comedy, off-beat dialogue and pure heart, his \u2013 \u2018its\u2019 doesn\u2019t feel right \u2013 bond with lonely inventor Brian Gittins (David Earl) sparks into a magical bromance that delves deeply into what is it to be human \u2013 and half-washing machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018Funny and touching, this bittersweet robot buddy movie is the oddly-shaped surprise package of the year.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/triangle-of-sadness-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>11.&nbsp;Triangle of Sadness<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure, it\u2019s not always subtle \u2013 no film with a six-minute barf-athon right in the middle ever is \u2013 but that\u2019s not to say that Ruben \u00d6stlund\u2019s Palme d\u2019Or winning comedy, a film that channels the spirit of Swift and Golding, isn\u2019t sophisticated. The Swede slowly saws at the chair legs of entrenched power structures \u2013 fashion, money, class and race \u2013 until they crash to the floor in the sublimely executed chaos of the third act. Harris Dickinson and the late Charlbi Dean are great as the model\/influencer couple at the heart of the storm, but&nbsp;Filipina actor&nbsp;Dolly De Leon steals the show as the \u2018overseas worker\u2019&nbsp;who executes&nbsp;<em>Triangle of Sadness\u2019<\/em>s memorable coup.<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/everything-everywhere-all-at-once-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>10.&nbsp;Everything Everywhere All at Once<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Science fiction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Somewhere out there is a small but fanatical posse that holds&nbsp;<em>Swiss Army Man<\/em>&nbsp;on their shoulders as an unheralded classic. For the rest of us, this high-concept multiversal sci-fi is the first proper showcase of what directing duo the Daniels could do. With Michelle Yeoh launching from laundromat owner going through marital strife \u2013 basically a Mike Leigh character \u2013 to action star and back again, and then into a multitude of other adventures,&nbsp;<em>Everything Everywhere All At Once<\/em>&nbsp;does exactly what the titles implies and sends you spinning through time and space in exhilarating style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018The Daniels juggle silly gags and weird visuals like cackling Dadaists.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/living-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>9.&nbsp;Living<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drama<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Some movie do-overs feel entirely superfluous (see: just about any Hollywood remake of a Scandi thriller), but others just make perfect sense. So it is with this sublime reimagining&nbsp;of Akira Kurosawa\u2019s 1952 masterpiece&nbsp;<em>Ikiru<\/em>,&nbsp;in which Bill Nighy\u2019s terminally ill civil servant rages, very politely, against the dying of the light, with some help from&nbsp;<em>Sex Education\u2019<\/em>s Aimee Lou Wood as his&nbsp;life-positive underling. Nighy has never been better, delivering a remarkable turn that should, in a fair world, be rewarded with Oscars. Props, too, to&nbsp;South African director&nbsp;Oliver Hermanus, who has an instinctive grasp of stuffy English internality, and screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro,&nbsp;who&nbsp;rivals his work&nbsp;on \u2018Remains of the Day\u2019 with&nbsp;a&nbsp;moving, deeply humane script.<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/happening-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>8.&nbsp;Happening<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drama<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In a year in which the US Supreme Court put Roe v Wade in its crosshairs, Audrey Diwan\u2019s tumultous, hard-hitting drama arrives to show the realities of illegal abortions. It\u2019s not for the faint hearted \u2013 it goes further than Mike Leigh\u2019s&nbsp;<em>Vera Drake<\/em>&nbsp;in depicting this bleak world \u2013 but it\u2019s a gripping story of a pregnant student who risks prison in \u201960s France, and Anamaria Vartolomei makes a luminous heroine full of gritty determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018An atmospheric, gripping drama full of poignant contemporary relevance.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-worst-person-in-the-world-2021\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>7.&nbsp;The Worst Person in the World<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drama<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve is the heart and soul of this touching and inventive account of one millennial life that unfolds over several years in Oslo. Very much&nbsp;<em>not<\/em>&nbsp;the worst person in the world, her medical student-turned-writer is a perfect avatar for the uncertainties and confusions of young adulthood: a whole mess of conflicting desires, moments of directionless and emotional rawness that feels endlessly relatable. And her showstopping run through a freeze-framed city is possibly the movie moment of the year so far.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018Any film that can combine questions of mortality with funny, fully alive scenes of sex, social awkwardness, professional screw-ups and throwaway fun is a rich one.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-banshees-of-inisherin-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>6.&nbsp;The Banshees of Inisherin<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>In Bruges<\/em>&nbsp;is an all-time comedy great, so the reunion of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson under the watchful eye of director Martin McDonagh is an enticing prospect for any movie lover. And boy, does this fizzingly funny and flawlessly acted anti-buddy movie live up to expectations. Instead of a gobby hitman and his long-suffering colleague, the pair play a couple of old pals on an Irish island whose friendship hits the skids in a big way. Peppered with its writer-director\u2019s trademark dark wit, it carries at its heart an poignant political allegory&nbsp;for the sorrows of The Troubles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018With apologies to&nbsp;<em>Three Billboards<\/em>&nbsp;fans, this is Martin McDonagh\u2019s best film since&nbsp;<em>In Bruges<\/em>.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/parallel-mothers-2021\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5.&nbsp;Parallel Mothers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drama<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Pedro Almod\u00f3var&nbsp;gets serious with this poignant investigation of Spain\u2019s buried Civil War trauma, although without ever sacrificing his light touch and delight in giddying melodrama. Pen\u00e9lope Cruz lights it all up like a starburst, with her performance as a new mum caught up in a case of mistaken identity in the maternity ward a career high, even by her own lofty standards. In a just world, she would have picked up her second Oscar for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018Entering Almod\u00f3var\u2019s world is a pleasure, even when we\u2019re faced with pain and tough lessons.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/aftersun-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4.&nbsp;Aftersun<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drama<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Scottish filmmaker Charlotte Wells announced herself as a major talent with&nbsp;this sun-washed and achingly poignant drama about a divorced dad (Paul Mescal) and his young daughter (the effortlessly cool Francesca Corio) navigating the highs and lows of an eventful Turkish seaside holiday. All framed in flashback, Wells mixes up the visual aesthetic to communicate the way gauzy, long-ago memories can sink into your bones. The past is a foreign country, as another coming-of-age classic,&nbsp;<em>The Go-Between<\/em>, once noted.&nbsp;<em>Aftersun<\/em>&nbsp;was a gorgeous passport that took us there and left us richer,&nbsp;if more tear-stained, for the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018A father-and-daughter drama that will stop you in your tracks.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-northman-2022\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3.&nbsp;The Northman<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Action and adventure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018A widescreen rallying cry for cinema in the age of streaming\u2019. So read&nbsp;<em>Time Out<\/em>\u2019s admittedly fairly breathless appraisal of Robert Eggers\u2019 brilliant, blood-soaked Viking epic when it landed in (smashed into? Ransacked?) cinemas in April. But the sentiment stands, because in an age increasingly dominated by streaming sites,&nbsp;<em>The Northman<\/em>&nbsp;is a useful reminder that the place to witness the grandest, boldest cinematic visions is on the biggest screen possible \u2013 and unless you live in an IMAX, that won\u2019t be in your front room.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018Thank Odin for Robert Eggers and his mad, brilliant, violent, hypnotic, trippy Viking opus.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/top-gun-maverick-2021\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2.&nbsp;Top Gun: Maverick<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Action and adventure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Okay, hands up who saw this practically flawless blockbuster coming? A few people probably did \u2013 this long-in-the-making&nbsp;<em>Top Gun&nbsp;<\/em>sequel was originally due out two years ago \u2013 but that enforced delay detracts not one iota from the purest widescreen thrill ride of the year so far. Tom Cruise\u2019s ace pilot provides heart, soul and some fighter jet manoeuvres that we\u2019re pretty sure defy every law of physics in the book. Mind you, the book gets binned early (and literally) in this one, to reinvent the so-called \u2018legacy sequel\u2019 into something that soars way above hollow Hollywood cash-ins.<br><br><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018Tom Cruise owns a crowd-thrilling sequel that easily surpasses the original.\u2019<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/licorice-pizza-2021\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1.&nbsp;Licorice Pizza<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Paul Thomas Anderson delivered his sunniest film with this \u201870s nostalgia trip to the San Fernando Valley about a cocksure teenager trying to win the heart of a drifting twentysomething. Somehow that teenage-gaze premise never comes over remotely<em>&nbsp;Porky\u2019s<\/em>, helped by two breakout lead performances from Cooper \u2018son of Philip Seymour\u2019 Hoffman and Alana Haim, some A-list turns (Bradley Cooper as Hollywood producer-stroke-total-maniac Jon Peters), and PTA\u2019s usual godlike touch behind the camera.<br><br><strong>What we said<\/strong>: \u2018Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s sweet coming-of-age yarn is free-spirited and fun as hell.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are a writer then you can\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeyet.com\/write-for-us\/\">write for us<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s not been your standard, regular, common-or-garden year at the movies so far. The slate of big new movies remains a little (okay,&nbsp;a lot) skinnier than usual and release dates have continued to shift, with more than one big release decamping to the safer surrounds of 2023. But even the lingering impact of Covid hasn\u2019t [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[746],"tags":[3973,3974,3942,3975,3976,3977,3978,3979,3980,3981,3982,3983,10,3984,3985,3986,3987,3988,3989,441,473,3990,3991,3992,3961,3993,3780,3994,3995,17,3941,3996,3933,3997,3998],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-25872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movies","tag-a-hero","tag-aftersun","tag-all-quiet-on-the-western-front","tag-belle","tag-benediction","tag-bergman-island","tag-boiling-point","tag-bones-and-all","tag-brian-and-charles","tag-cow","tag-decision-to-leave","tag-elvis","tag-featured","tag-films","tag-fire-of-love","tag-happening","tag-hit-the-road","tag-jackass-forever","tag-licorice-pizza","tag-living","tag-news","tag-nope","tag-parallel-mothers","tag-prey","tag-rrr","tag-the-banshees-of-inisherin","tag-the-northman","tag-the-woman-king","tag-three-minutes-a-lengthening","tag-top","tag-top-gun-maverick","tag-triangle-of-sadness","tag-turning-red","tag-utama","tag-wheel-of-fortune-and-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeyet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeyet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeyet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeyet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeyet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lifeyet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25872\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeyet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeyet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeyet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeyet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25872"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeyet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=25872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}