These are not the “Best Movies of 2022”, just My Favorite Movies of 2022. I saw 59 movies in theaters in 2022 and here are a few I liked so much that I watched them twice. Usually, the second time at home with my wife. And now in no particular order: The Fallout (2021) Technically this is a 2021 movie, but I saw it in 2022 and loved it, so it had to make my list. Two high school girls…
I’m not a movie critic. I don’t sit in the theatre with a little flashlight and pen taking notes to distill into a scathing review. I’m a videophile. I love movies. I have seen many movies, and I love talking about them, and I love recommending the ones I like to my friends. And even more, I love it when my friends end up liking a movie I recommend. But there is a trick to suggesting a movie and giving…
If you decide to watch one feel-good movie this year about dementia, it better be Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020). The titular Dick is Richard Johnson, a retired psychiatrist and the aging father of documentarian and cinematographer Kirsten Johnson. Soon after diagnosing dementia for her father, Kirsten decides to enlist Dick to create and record a series of fictional situations to help her and her father process his illness and eventual death. While this contains some seriously emotional moments and realizations…
I always see a few animated films each year, and they tend to be high quality since they are targeting both youngsters and their parents, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is no exception. The Spider-Man films have always been some of my favorite Marvel movies since they are action-based, light on world-saving, and heavy on comedy. Spider-Verse’s action seems like it is taken directly from the comic pages and released into a medium that can showcase the artist’s true intentions….
The two smartest girls in high school are on a mission: They want to make up for all the lost time spent studying the last four years by attending the school’s dopest party the night before graduation. What could go wrong? Ok, I’m not going to answer my own rhetorical question; you have to watch the movie to see what goes wrong. But I will say what goes right. First, this film is laugh-out-loud funny. Yes, it does have the…
When should parents tell their child about a genetic, mental illness that runs in the family? At puberty? Possibly. Maybe when they turn 18? Probably. But definitely, before they leave for college. Especially when they are pretty darn certain their child has the illness. Now don’t get me wrong, telling Thelma might not have changed the course of events, but certainly, they would be less culpable in what happened during her first semester of college. I watched Thelma on Hulu…
I watched 168 movies in 2018, according to my Letterboxd Diary. You can click on the link and see the movies I watched and their ratings. For the most part, I will ignore the blockbusters (except A Star is Born) and focus on movies that did not have big budget advertising and that you probably haven’t heard about. All but one of these have passed the wife test and have a thumbs up by both the misses and me. A…
Columbus (2017) If you find architecture boring and character-driven movies slow, then you should probably skip seeing Columbus. If on the other hand, you are interested in a well-constructed drama with top-notch acting and beautiful visuals, then you should hurry to the theatre before it is gone. Jin, played by John Cho, is called to Columbus Indiana where his famous architect father has fallen ill. While stuck in the limbo of waiting for his sick father to recover he meets…
Wind River (2017) Frikin Awesome! That’s the best description for this smart drama from writer/director Taylor Sheridan. A possible murder on the Wind River Indian reservation requires FBI Agent Jane Banner (Elisabeth Olson) to lend a hand to the local police department. Being short-handed, she enlists the assistance of the local game and hunting official Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) to help her investigate in the inhospitable Wyoming outback. This mystery unfolds in such a way as to keep you on…
Get Out (2017) Meeting your girlfriend’s parents for the first time is usually the stuff of romantic comedies. First, you meet her parents, then her siblings, and maybe a few close family friends, and then you add in a few comical misunderstandings, and by the third act, not only does everyone love the new boyfriend, but the girlfriend has a new appreciation of what a real jewel she has. But first-time writer/director Jordan Peele (of the comedy duo of Key…