Five Non-2022 Movies

Submitted by tuna1694 t3_zzxx05 in movies

As the end of the year winds down, reddit and many other outlets highlight "Top X of 2022 in Film". To run a bit counterculture, I wanted to bring attention to some of my favorite films I saw for the first time in 2022 which were released BEFORE this year, to ensure they get the attention they deserve at the year's end.

I've added a few spoiler-free thoughts for each film, and a couple more well-known films for which they are similar, to help entice people to go out and see them, if they haven't already:

The Talented Mr Ripley: An excellent thriller and character drama, with beautiful worldwide filming locations. I’d argue this features Matt Damon at his very best, working against a young Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett.

•Mix of: Catch me if you can, and Gone Girl

Seven Years in Tibet: A novel period piece which focuses on a few oft-forgot historical events occurring in Tibet during and immediately after WWII. Brad Pitt flexes his acting chops to show to exposure to new cultures and peoples can change a person and how they accept responsibility.

•Mix of: The Last Samurai, and Gran Torino

Eyes Wide Shut: A very intriguing psychological drama which forces Tom Cruise into a very unique acting space, especially when compared to his work over the last 10 years. It has some very strange and mind-bending moments that you expect from any Kubrick film, and makes you think about some very interesting forces which impact the way we view partnership, marriage, and attraction.

•Mix of: The Lobster, and Lost in Translation

Invasion of the Body Snatchers: An unsettling horror flick where a stacked cast of Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy, and Jeff Goldblum team up to uncover the secrets of why people in the city of SanFrancisco have started to act differently.

•Mix of: Get Out, and the Truman Show

Margin Call: A different take and perspective on the financial crisis of 2008, with focus on more individual impacts and motivations. The film heightens its tension and drama by having most of the time on-screen take place within less than a single day.

•Mix of: The Big Short, and Michael Clayton

4

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

nayapapaya t1_j2ees53 wrote

Love this! I made a Letterboxd list for my favourite movies of 2022 which were not recent releases for this reason.

Of your list, I've only seen Talented Mr. Ripley which is fantastic. You should check out The Two Faces of January as well. It's another Highsmith adaptation and it stars Oscar Isaac, Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst. It's good.

Eyes Wide Shut is a film I've been meaning to see for a long time.

My best of the year which aren't new releases are

  1. The Towering Inferno (one of the best films ever made, imo!)
  2. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (it's the acting for me. Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor were never more attractive.)
  3. The Piano (there's a direct through line between this film and The Power of the Dog in terms of how desire can destroy you and I love to see how Campion explores desire and fantasy in her films)
  4. Dance, Girl, Dance (Lucille Ball was a STAR, baby. Biting, funny, sharp and still topical)
  5. The Trouble with Angels (a really lovely meditation on what it's like to have a calling wrapped up in a boarding school yarn)
  6. The Rider (can't wait for Chloe Zhao to get back to making films like this.)
  7. Until They Sail (moralistic due to being made under the Hay's Code but this film is surprising in how it treats sex and casual relationships during war time. It can't be called progressive but there is an attempt at understanding loneliness and longing that I didn't expect)
  8. Bright Star (speaking of Campion and desire, this film is one of the most romantic films I've ever seen and it's such a beautiful tribute to the act of creation - of creating poems, of creating fashion, of crafting beauty with just your hands and your mind)
  9. The Thing
  10. The Sting
  11. Julieta (one of Almodovar's best melodramas. A tremendous look at motherhood)
  12. What a Way to go! (Hollywood has always made silly films and this is one. Silly, odd, bizarre, and it stars a ton of fantastic actors from Shirley Maclaine who the film is built around, Robert Mitchum, Dick Van Dyke, Gene Kelly and of course, Paul Newman in what might be his most attractive role. Paul Newman as a sexy bearded artist!)
3

tuberculosis_ward t1_j2ebzez wrote

Shaun of The Dead, Best In Show, Memento, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Usual Suspects.

2

Psychological-Rub-72 t1_j2edt6p wrote

Was I'll for a while so I watched lots of movies.

If you haven't seen it, the original Body Snatchers is just as good with a great ending.

Django Unchained

Kindergarten cop (surprisingly amusing)

Spanglish (surprising performance by Sandler)

Grown ups

The Intern (Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro -- Sweet little film)

2

NoDisintegrationz t1_j2egjh3 wrote

My top 10 favorites I saw this year (excluding new releases):

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)

Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

All That Heaven Allows (1955)

What’s Up Doc? (1972)

As Tears Go By (1988)

Ed Wood (1994)

Breaking the Waves (1996)

Crash (1996)

Man on the Moon (1999)

Mother (2009)

2

RunDNA t1_j2egjzd wrote

The big one for me was The Shop Around the Corner from 1940. For some weird reason I'd barely ever heard of it, even though I've since learned that it's quite famous. Every scene was so damn delightful.

I've always admired Jimmy Stewart, but I'd never seen Margaret Sullavan before and she was a revelation. The two had excellent chemistry.

It was one of those films that I will watch every year for the rest of my life.

2

tuna1694 OP t1_j2ei9x6 wrote

Also, an unintended prequel to You’ve Got Mail!

2

RunDNA t1_j2eirx8 wrote

Yes, I watched that afterwards and enjoyed it too. It was an excellently cast film. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are great, of course, but it was also one of those films where every member of the supporting cast was memorable. I didn't expect to see David Chappelle show up.

3

mindtropy t1_j2fb0as wrote

This year I watched:

  • Gone Girl - was a good film, had me invested in the plot and Rosamund Pike became my low key crush. The acting was solid and the plot was not overtly complicated so it was easy to keep track of things.
  • Banshees of Inisherin - beautiful film with a simple story told for the sake of telling a story. Great acting and beautiful scenery, I found it refreshing and great for just enjoying a good story with no ulterior sub plot.
  • **Grave of the fireflies ** - finally got to see this film, and it is a bittersweet experience. It is a sad film, even when I knew it beforehand, it was still heartbreaking and left me with a hole in my soul for a couple of days after watching it. One of those movies you just don’t want to rewatch it anytime soon because of the feeling of disparity you get after you’re done. Must watch anyway.
  • Doctor Sleep - this one was kind of fun. Totally unexpected, I didn’t know how a sequel to The Shining would work, as I have not read any of the original sources (books), so it was a nice surprise. Some tie ins felt forced, but overall it was ok, I enjoyed it and was pleased!
  • Deliverance - I watched this one because of the buzz about that one scene (you know which one), but it wasn’t even that shocking. The movie was good overall and enjoyable.
2