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2022 TOP 50
01. BULLET TRAIN
score - 72
Well-paced actioner, full of stars in major roles and cameos, and shot/cut in an exciting way. A lot of fun, even if the last set piece is unnecessary and over-the-top. S: Brad Pitt, Joey King D: David Leitch
02. THE BATMAN
score - 71
"Seven/Zodiac featuring Batman" worked as a tone, but also caused issues. This needed bigger action set pieces or to go further with the serial killer aspect. S: Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz D: Matt Reeves
03. NIGHTMARE ALLEY
score - 71
Like a new 'The Prestige', but a slight step down. Long, but not too slow. Telegraphs some plot moves; but it's done so well that it still works.
S: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett D: Guillermo Del Toro
04. BARBARIAN
score - 71
High-grade horror a little light-on for scares, but heavy on story and style. Some quibbles with minor plot points reduce enjoyment, but don't ruin it.
S: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgard D: Zach Cregger
05. NOPE
score - 70
Peele follows the M Night path, with his 'Signs'. Like Night's, it's a classy trilogy. Hope he maintains the quality though. Climax not great, but strong overall. S: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer D: Jordan Peele
06. THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
score - 70
McDonagh can't top 'In Bruges'. His movies since have elements of 'Bruges', but not all in one. Good try to match it here, but can't. A bit unsatisfying.
S: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson D: Martin McDonagh
07. BISPING
score - 70
Already a Bisping fan, and knew how he overcame injury to reach his ultimate goal. But this puts more emphasis on things, and provides great insight.
S: Michael Bisping, Jason Parillo D: Michael Hamilton
08. TOP GUN: MAVERICK
score - 70
Not being a huge fan of the original, this was as good as I could have hoped for from a sequel 35+ years after the original, the embraced the 80s-ness of it all. S: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller D: Joseph Kosinski
09. THE BLACK PHONE
score - 69
A couple of missed opportunities to push the evelope, but overall good to see an interesting horror that didn't hold back in certain areas. Good.
S: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw D: Scott Derrickson
10. X
score - 69
Old school style horror, with some gratuitous nudity and gore, and some plot points so gross, that you have to laugh. Hits the marks it wants to hit.
S: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega D: Ti West
11. GLASS ONION
score - 68
Very good 'Benoit Blanc/Knives Out' film. Covid-impacted, but it's embraced and used as a plot device. Some missd opportunities to elevate it though.
S: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton D: Rian Johnson
12. EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
score - 68
Great execution in the first half. Good blend of comedy, action, weirdness in a 'The Matrix'/'The One' hybrid. Then an artsy turd second half...
S: Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan D: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
13. GIRL IN THE PICTURE
score - 68
You'll be asking "WTF?" multiple times in this one. Structured in an entertaining way, with a consistent stream of major reveals throughout.
S: Merle Bean, Joe Fitzpatrick D: Skye Borgman
14. THE KING'S MAN
score - 68
Wasn't sure early 19th century-set 'Kingsman' would work. Doesn't land as well as the others, but it's still good. And has some real historical events.
S: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton D: Matthew Vaughn
15. FRESH
score - 67
Did the hard work - getting an idea this brutal made. But, considering it's long runtime, they don't go deep enough into the most interesting aspects.
S: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan D: Mimi Cave
16. PREY
score - 67
Strong reviews has this slightly over-rated. Still a worthy, yet tame, addition to the series. Better than the premise sounds, but still flawed.
S: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers D: Dan Thachtenberg
17. VIKRAM
score - 67
Complex story shares characters with another movie in the same universe, and is also a sequel to a 1986 film. If you can overcome all this, it's fun.
S: Kamal Hasaan, Fahadh Faasil D: Lokesh Kanagaraj
18. THE MENU
score - 67
Complex story shares characters with another movie in the same universe, and is also a sequel to a 1986 film. If you can overcome all this, it's fun.
S: Kamal Hasaan, Fahadh Faasil D: Lokesh Kanagaraj
19. VIOLENT NIGHT
score - 67
Almost there. Parts 'Die Hard', 'Fatman', and 'Home Alone'. Has action, violence, and swearing; but too much 'Christmag Magic'. Lacks legit laughs.
S: David Harbour, John Leguizamo D: Tommy Wirkola
20. CATCH THE FAIR ONE
score - 67
Good effort on the limited budget. Should've gone further. Elements were rushed and would've been more effective with more details into the world.
S: Kali Reis, Daniel Henshall D: Josef Kubota Wladyka
21. VENGEANCE
score - 67
Successfully covers multiple tones/genres with clever writing and good acting. Not quite the homerun it could've been, but there's enough here to recommend. S: BJ Novak, Boyd Holbrook D: BJ Novak
22. BLACK ADAM
score - 67
Enjoyable, under-rated; but not exceptional. Biggest issue is that every character and plot move has been done before in other Marvel or DC films.
S: Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge D: Jaume Collet-Serra
23. DAY SHIFT
score - 66
One of the better Netlix movies this year. Fun, with a fresh vampire-universe story, and strong action. Almost loses it in the final act, but just reigns it in enough. S: Jamie Foxx, Dave Franco D: JJ Perry
24. HUSTLE
score - 66
Enough 'behind-the-curtain' elements to lift it a few notches over the standard sport movie based on the "inspirational coach". No classic, but good.
S: Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah D: Jeremiah Zagar
25. DON'T WORRY DARLING
score - 66
Like other girl power films, plays it's "men are bad" card too clearly, making it's reveals less impactful. Wisely borrows from better films, to make it work.
S: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles D: Olivia Wilde
26. SMILE
score - 66
Strong early. Combines shocks with some genuine creepiness. Becomes 'The Ring' in the second act, which is ok, but unoriginal. Draw-out and weak climax. S: Sosie Bacon, Jessie T Usher D: Parker Finn
27. STEALING RADEN SALEH
score - 66
Indonesian 'Oceans', with teens. Long, unrealistic, predictable, characters unconvincing, acting poor. But well-shot, fun, and somehow works.
S: Iqbaal Ramadhan, Angga Yunanda D: Angga Sasongko
28. BANDIT
score - 66
Total b-grader that borrows it's style from superior movies in the same genre. But without a similar movie for a few years, it was welcome. Entertaining.
S: Josh Duhamel, Elisha Cuthbert D: Allan Ungar
29. HUNT
score - 66
Quite a lot going on in this espionage action flick, but it's core is still pretty simple. The action is well spaced out throughout; but the climax is a letdown. S: Lee Jung-Jae , Jung Woo-Sung D: Lee Jung-Jae
30. Hell Dogs
score - 66
Maybe too much story. So many influential characters not fleshed out enough gets a bit confusing too. Probably better as an 8 episode series.
S: Jun'ichi Okada, Kentarô Sakaguchi D: Masato Harada
31. SALOUM
score - 66
Senegalese 'From Dusk Til Dawn' with criminals on-the-run holing up in a seemingly safe location, only to find some supernatural forces there. Decent effort. S: Yann Gael, Roger Sallah D: Jean Luc Herbulot
32. BOILING POINT
score - 66
Well planned, well shot, well paced, and well acted. Many positives, although ultimately unsatisfying, with multiple storylines left unresolved.
S: Stephen Graham, Vinette Robinson D: Philip Barantini
33. THOR:LOVE AND THUNDER
score - 65
Most-maligned Marvel movie ever. Not that bad. If you embrace it as a pure comedy, not to be treated with the gravitas of The Infinity Saga, it's fun.
S: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman D:Taika Waititi
34. SCREAM
score - 65
More self-aware and slightly more violent; it unexpectedly works. But it needs a reason to exist. The unoriginal 3rd act is not it.
S: Neve Campbell, Melissa Barrera D: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
35. PROJECT WOLF HUNTING
score - 65
'Con Air', 'Predator', 'Universal Soldier' blended in a bloodbath. Has all the ingredients of a crazy cult classic; but didn't quite land. A rung below 'Overlord'. S: Seo In-Guk, Dong-Yoon Jang D: Hongsun Kim
36. ALL THE OLD KNIVES
score - 65
Good, if unspectacular spy drama. Action-less, but not boring; it relies on an interesting story and solid acting. As spy movies go, I prefer this to the last Bond. S: Chris Pine, Thandiwe Newton D: Janus Metz
37. WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY
score - 65
Biopic parody about the Parody King is cameo-packed weirdness from the start, like 'Walk Hard'. Goes on a bit too long, even if you're in on the joke.
S: Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood D: Eric Appel
38. THE OUTFIT
score - 65
Follows the "one-setting" formula of a play. Has wins along the way with some tense scenes. But a weak cast and over-ambitious ending, is costly.
S: Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch D: Graham Moore
39. THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT
score - 65
Almost. The action is lame, but is secondary to the self-depricating humour; so that's ok. The laughs hit often enough to entertain, but not enough to excite. S: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal D: Tom Gormican
40. MEN
score - 65
Elevated horror that has some great moments, but too many pretentious arthouse ones too. More head scratches than scares, but it keeps you watching. S: Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear D: Alex Garland
41. ELVIS
score - 65
A distracting Hanks performance doesn't stop this from being an entertaining piece. Glosses over his indiscretions a bit too quickly, making it feel incomplete. S: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks D: Baz Luhrmann
42. THE LAST CLIENT
score - 65
For the most part, a decent thriller. Final act starts to alarmingly slip; but a 5 min stretch redeems it. Nothing special, but good.
S: Signe Egholm Olsen, Anton Hjejle D: Anders Ronnow Klarlund
43. EMERGENCY DECLARATION
score - 65
Far too long. Final act is too slow and repetitive, undoing the excellent work done in the first half. The moral questions were important, but it was too much. S: Song Kang-Ho, Lee Byung-Hun D: Han Jae-Rim
44. FALL
score - 65
Low budget, but well-paced survival film. Disappointingly, most plot moves/survival attempts are telegraphed, but the odd surprise assists.
S: Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner D: Scott Mann
45. THE STRANGER
score - 65
Constant sense of doom, but not much actually happens. Not being 100% faithful, use creative licence. Eg. Make the villain a physical threat to the hero. S: Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris D: Thomas M Wright
46. AMBULANCE
score - 64
Had potential, but needs gutsy moves when the protagonists are also the antagonists. Bay can't make it work here, like he did in 'Pain & Gain'.
S: Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II D: Michael Bay
47. RESURRECTION
score - 64
Was very interesting for the first hour, while the character's backstories and motivations were still not clear. As the reveals came the payoff wasn't really there. S: Rebecca Hall, Tim Roth D: Andrew Semans
48. THE BIG 4
score - 64
Top-notch action, but the comedy doesn't realy land. And unfortunately, the comedy is such a big part of this. I'd watch a sequel, but hope for better.
S: Abimana Aryasatya, Putri Marino D: Timo Tjahjanto
49. BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD DO THE UNIVERSE
score - 64
Entertaining enough. Without knowing the full story, this seems a rose-coloured telling of it. I imagine he was harder. Will's slap was harder-hitting.
S: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis D: Reinaldo Marcus Green
50. KING RICHARD
score - 64
Entertaining enough. Without knowing the full story, this seems a rose-coloured telling of it. I imagine he was harder. Will's slap was harder-hitting.
S: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis D: Reinaldo Marcus Green
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