Mid-Year Report - Movies of 2022

In this post, I am going to discuss the movies I have watched and were released in 2022.  If you are interested in the list of the movies I have watched, you can find it right here, along with my ratings. I have also tagged the movies as to where I watched them, if you decide on checking them out.  

The Great - Movies that I like!

If you have interacted with me, there is a high chance you heard me mooning over The Batman. It captures the comic book feel while not being too hammy. It was near perfect movie if not for the out of place 20 mins or so at the end. The Northman was great in its own way. By that, I mean, it was raw, bizarre, and mystical. Macbeth in a viking setting was probably the elevator pitch and if you are a fan of bloody action, revenge tales or just vikings, this is a must-watch.

Add Everything Everywhere all at once to the list, and you have my top three (non-Indian) movies of the year so far. EEAaO reminded me why I love movies. It is one of those rare movies which cannot be boxed in two or even three genres. It touches sci-fi, drama, comedy of all kinds, action, adventure, romance and much more. And rightly so, this movie evoked almost every emotion in the spectrum. I haven't made a movie or have seen one being made, but even I know the effort needed to pull off some shots is just insane. This movie existing feels surreal, like the movie itself. I don't think Michelle-Yeoh will be nominated for an Oscar, but she should be.

The Good - Movies I enjoyed!

Two animated movies that stand out - Turning Red and The Bad Guys. I liked the latter for the style, which is influenced by Into the Spider-Verse. The former for the screenplay. Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers is another animated one which had no right to be as good as it is. I thought it was a poor attempt to feed off of nostalgia. I was happy to pleasantly surprised.

Death on the Nile is another one I enjoyed which came out this year. Kenneth Branagh was the glue that held the movie together. The Valet, Father of the Bride and The Adam Project were some of the other ones which I enjoyed. They are by no means great, but they were good enough for me to have an enjoyable time.

Regional Report

To say I have a soft spot for Tamil movies is underselling it. I love Tamil movies because I grew up with it. Also, because it takes significantly less effort for me to appreciate them.Vikram carried Mahaan with a stellar performance. His performance certainly elevated the movie to the next level. Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal was breezy enough to be an enjoyable watch. Don was a movie that should have been released in the 2000s. My movie watching license should be revoked for liking it. I don't know what I was thinking when I rated it as high as I did.

Vikram is the best Tamil movie of this year of far. It was so good that I went back and watched Vikram (1986). It is easy to lose sight when you have an actor like Kamal in a multi starer. Usually Kamal eclipses everyone else because Kamal is Kamal. And I like Lokesh for using him very frugally but at the same time still managing to keep up with the hype. A special shout out to Fahadh Faasil on a stellar performance. Excited to see the next installment in this franchise. Also, I want to take a moment and appreciate that we have a franchise in Tamil Cinema with well-developed characters and well-crafted lore.

That brings us to the one Telugu movie I enjoyed immensely - Ante… Sundaraniki! It is a quirky rom-com which touches on some uncomfortable social subjects. Which is not something new, but taking a straightforward story and backtracking to gradually reveal more about what was already presented had me hooked. The jokes landed, and what made it funnier was the uncomfortable situation the protagonists seemed to be digging themselves into throughout the movie.

The Marvel Problem

The biggest disappointment of the year was Doctor Strange : MoM. Not to say it was a bad movie per se, but I was promised madness and multiverse and the movie under delivered on both. More and more so, Marvel shows and movies seem to be this sanitized, crowd pleasing, risk averse products with multiple stars that serve as setup to more future products. At least before Endgame, I knew everything was building up to the infinity saga. But after endgame, I have no idea what's all of this is leading to. Maybe I am burned out and a need a break from Marvel. Or maybe Marvel needs to finally grow up and change its style.

Final Word and Looking Forward ...

Like every year, there have been some great movies and some good ones. I also missed a lot of them. I haven't watched RRR, Top Gun: Maverick or many more. There are also many movies I am looking forward to this year, including Ponniyin Selvan: Part One, Don’t Worry Darling, etc.

Finally, the movie of the year so far is Everything Everywhere All at Once. If you have any suggestions or think I have missed anything, feel free to share it.