Now that it’s November, it’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times, at least as far as movies go. November means that it’s officially movie! season! All of the big festival hits from the summer finally make their way to theaters, and the studios release the big hitters for the awards season. For me, this means that there is a WEALTH of things to see, and that simultaneously I’m stressed trying to figure out how to get to everything while it’s still in theaters— especially hard as many of the smaller art films show here for a mere week.
Heading into the Thanksgiving releases, I’m taking stock of the movies I’ve seen so far this year, and evaluating my priorities for the weeks to come.
Top Movies of the Year (So Far)
Memoria
I believe that Memoria is technically a 2021 release, but I didn’t get to see it until 2022. The film has had a very unique distribution plan, showing in one theater at a time as it tours across the country.
The film, directed by Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul and starring Tilda Swinton, follows a woman in her travels through Columbia after she hears a sound that appears to be coming to her from across space and time. It’s quiet, meditative, and transformative, unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and remains my #1 of the year so far because it has had incredible staying power in my brain.
TÁR
This film from writer/director Todd Field is one of intense specificity and impeccable craft. Cate Blanchett stars as Lydia Tár, a star in the classical musical world and the first female conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, as she falls from grace. Field’s direction is so intentional and precise, utilizing the whole frame and depth of field to draw us into the world of an incredibly talented but incredibly flawed woman. The headlines claim the film is about cancel culture, but to me it’s more about how we reckon with great artists who are bad people— and how an inflated ego and solitary genius leads to failure.
Petite Maman
This is another film that is, technically, from 2021, but whatever. French filmmaker Celine Sciama’s followup to the absolutely sublime Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a delicate and intimate piece exploring the thoughts and feelings of an eight-year-old girl. Following the death of her grandmother, she goes with her parents to clean out her mother’s childhood home, and while playing in the woods meets a little girl… who just might be her mother as a child.
Everything Everywhere All At Once
I don’t think there’s much I can say about this dizzying thrill from The Daniels that hasn’t already been said much more eloquently, but goodness, there’s nothing better than seeing a film and having genuinely no idea where it will go next. Michelle Yeoh is fantastic, but my mushy little heart belongs to Ke Huy Quan’s performance as Waymond. Its absurdism and “nothing makes sense, let’s just love each other” message are perfectly tuned to by sensibilities. And it has some of the best choreographed action sequences I’ve seen in a while.
Elvis
Honestly, I’m not sure how this movie ended up in my #5 slot. Upon leaving the theatre, I felt like this was a C- film, but goodness, no other movie this year aside from Memoria has had such a grip on my brain. This movie is a mess, and yet it’s also ecstatic and heartbreaking and desperate in a wonderful way. Austin Butler is an absolute revelation and I’ve almost come around on Tom Hanks’ performance… a camp masterpiece, perhaps??? The music sequences are when it this film absolutely shines, aided by director Baz Luhrmann’s frantic, maximalist style (which, frankly, I’m a sucker for), and they do a fantastic job at communicating how much blues and Black gospel music informed Elvis’s work. Was this movie a masterpiece? Maybe??? I have no idea?! I need to watch it again!
Honorable Mention Lightning Round
The Banshees of Inisherin - At our theatre, as soon as the credits rolled, the woman next to us said “Colin Farrell… is he related to Will Ferrell?” and then proclaimed that the movie was “dumb,” “boring,” “didn’t say anything,” and that she “didn’t laugh at all.” Anyway, good movie.
Top Gun: Maverick - thrilling! fantastic! saw it in IMAX! Cruise is absolutely unmatched in creating action blockbusters that have an inimitable propulsive energy.
RRR - Just watch it.
Decision to Leave - Park Chan-wook’s visual flair is reason enough to see this erotic thriller. An entry into a favorite genre of mine— “people expressing love in incredibly effed up ways.”
The Northman - Remember how the trailer for this was like “I will avenge you, father. I will save you, mother. I will kill you, Fjolnir.”? DELIVERED.
Barbarian - This film is not *great* but it is a RIDE, and the return on investment has been high— by which I mean that this is a movie I will be joking with my friends about for years to come.
The Batman - Prior to this, I had never seen a Batman nor consumed any Batman media aside from a few stray Saturday morning cartoons. I adored how stylized and gritty this was, full of awkward people and dark humor, never framing the noir vigilante as a real hero.
The Woman King - This film seemed to fly a bit under the radar overall with its early autumn release, but I found it compelling. The performances are fantastic, Viola Davis as every delivering interiority and depth in a league all her own, and the action choreography was fantastic.
Moving Forward
Like I said, it’s that time of year when I have a hard time seeing everything during its theatrical run. And I go to the movies 2x a week on the average, so that’s saying something. Prioritization is key. Here’s my ranking:
I have high hopes for all of these, but I will report back with a final list in January. I’m excited to see what changes in my rankings, and what other films use Mahler 5 as a major plot device!
What have your favorite films of the year been? What are you excited to see? Anything I’ve missed? Let me know!