Saint Omer – TÁR – Top Gun: Maverick – RRR – Holy Spider – The Fabelmans – EO

2022: World Premieres
2022: U.S. Releases

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The Movies of 2022: U.S. Releases
 By Title // By Grade // By VOR Rating  (what's this?)

= Full Review   /   = Capsule   /   = Feature or Blog Post   /   = Grain of Salt

Updated: 12 Mar 2023, with Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, BARDO, and Return to Seoul

Full Listing of Films Screened

⑤  Indispensable to film fans, even if it's flawed

Aftersun Dir. Charlotte Wells. Frankie Corio, Paul Mescal, Celia Rowlston-Hall A
All that Breathes Dir. Shaunak Sen. Documentary about bird healers in Delhi A
Careless Crime Dir. Shahram Mokri. Babak Karimi, Razie Mansori A–
Decision to Leave Dir. Park Chan-wook. Park Hae-il, Tang Wei, Go Kyung-po B+
Donbass Dir. Sergei Loznitsa. Valeriu Andriutã, Natalya Buzko, Evgeny Chistyakov A
EO Dir. Jerzy Skolimowski. Sandra Drzymalska, Tomasz Organek A–
Everything Everywhere All at Once Dir. Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert B+
The Fabelmans Dir. Steven Spielberg. Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams B
Great Freedom Dir. Sebastian Meise. Franz Rogowski, Georg Friedrich A–
Happening Dir. Audrey Diwan. Anamaria Vartolomei, Luàna Bajrami A
Holy Spider Dir. Ali Abbasi. Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Mehdi Bajestani, Arash Ashtiani B+
A Man of Integrity Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof. Reza Akhlaghirad A–
Neptune Frost Dir. Saul Williams, Anisia Uzeyman. Cheryl Isheja B+
No Bears Dir. Jafar Panahi. Jafar Panahi, Reza Heydari, Vashid Mobasheri B+
RRR Dir. S.S. Ramajouli. Ram Charan Teja, N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Alia Bhatt A–
Saint Omer Dir. Alice Diop. Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanga, Aurélia Petit A–
TÁR Dir. Todd Field. Cate Blanchett, Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer A–

④  Good or bad, this is risky and original work

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Dir. Laura Poitras. Documentary B–
Armageddon Time Dir. James Gray. Banks Repeta, Jaylin Webb, Anthony Hopkins B+
Avatar: The Way of Water Dir. James Cameron. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña C
Babi Yar. Context Dir. Sergei Loznitsa. Documentary about Ukrainian genocide B+
Babylon Dir. Damien Chazelle. Diego Calva, Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt B–
Benediction Dir. Terence Davies. Jack Lowden, Peter Capaldi, Jeremy Irvine B
Blonde Dir. Andrew Dominik. Ana de Armas, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel B–
The Cathedral Dir. Ricky D'Ambrose. Brian d'Arcy James, Monica Barbaro B+
Compartment No. 6 Dir. Juho Kuosmanen. Seidi Haarla, Yuriy Borisov B+
Corsage Dir. Marie Kreutzer. Vicky Krieps, Florian Teichtmeister, Colin Morgan B+
Emily the Criminal Dir. John Patton Ford. Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi B
Hit the Road Dir. Panah Panahi. Rayan Sarlak, Hasan Majuni, Pantea Panahiha B
Lingui, the Sacred Bonds Dir. Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. Achouackh Abakar B–
Nitram Dir. Justin Kurzel. Caleb Landry Jones, Judy Davis, Anthony LaPaglia B+
Nope Dir. Jordan Peele. Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun C+
The Northman Dir. Robert Eggers. Alexander Skarsgärd, Claes Bang B
Paris, 13th District Dir. Jacques Audiard. Lucie Zhang, Makita Samba B
Pleasure Dir. Ninja Thyberg. Sofia Kappel, Revika Reustle, Evelyn Claire B+
Return to Seoul Dir. Davy Chou. Park Ji-min, Guka Han, Oh Kwang-rok B+
Shakedown Dir. Leilah Weinraub. Documentary about black lesbian strip club B
Triangle of Sadness Dir. Ruben Ôstlund. Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean B
The Woman King Dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood. Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu B
Women Talking Dir. Sarah Polley. Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy B
The Wonder Dir. Sebastián Lelio. Florence Pugh, Kíla Lord Cassidy B

③  Try to make time, but don't cry if you miss it

A Chiara Dir. Jonas Carpignano. Swamy Rotolo, Claudio Rotolo, Grecia Rotolo B
After Yang Dir. Kogonada. Colin Farrell, Justin H. Min, Jodie Turner-Smith C+
Ahed's Knee Dir. Nadav Lapid. Avshalom Pollak, Nur Fibak, Lidor Ederi B
All Quiet on the Western Front Dir. Edward Berger. Felix Kammerer B–
Apples Dir. Christos Nikou. Aris Servetalis, Sofia Georgovassili, Anna Kalaitzidou B
The Banshees of Inisherin Dir. Martin McDonagh. Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson C+
BARDO: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths Dir. Alejandro G. Iñárritu C+
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Dir. Ryan Coogler. Letitia Wright C
Blonde Dir. Andrew Dominik. Ana de Armas, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel B–
Both Sides of the Blade Dir. Claire Denis. Vincent Lindon, Juliette Binoche B
Il Buco Dir. Michelangelo Frammartino. Documentary of cave exploration B–
Cha Cha Real Smooth Dir. Cooper Raiff. Cooper Raiff, Dakota Johnson B+
Close Dir. Lukas Dhont. Eden Dambrine, Gustav De Waele, Émilie Dequenne C+
Crimes of the Future Dir. David Cronenberg. Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux C–
Descendant Dir. Margaret Brown. Documentary about slave ship excavation B+
Elvis Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge B–
Fire of Love Dir. Sara Dosa. Documentary about married volcanologists B
Framing Agnes Dir. Chase Joynt. Chase Joynt, Zackary Drucker, Jules Gill-Peterson B
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande Dir. Sophie Hyde. Emma Thompson B
The Good Nurse Dir. Tobias Lindholm. Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne B
The Inspection Dir. Elegance Bratton. Jeremy Pope, Raûl Castillo B–
Jackass Forever Dir. Jeff Tremaine. Johnny Knoxville, Chris Pontius, Steve-O B–
The Janes Dir. Tia Lessin, Emma Pildes. Documentary about abortion activists B+
Living Dir. Oliver Hermanus. Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp B–
The Menu Dir. Mark Mylod. Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, Nicholas Hoult B
Moonage Daydream Dir. Brett Morgen. Documentary about David Bowie B
Murina Dir. Antoneta Alamat Kusianović. Gracia Filipović, Leon Lučev B
Nanny Dir. Nikyatu Jusu. Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Spector C+
Navalny Dir. Daniel Roher. Documentary about Kremlin-targeted Putin opponent B
Pearl Dir. Ti West. Mia Goth, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland C+
Playground Dir. Laura Wandel. Maya Vanderbeque, Günter Duret, Karim Leklou B–
Stars at Noon Dir. Claire Denis. Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, Nick Romano C+
The Swimmers Dir. Sally El Hosaini. Nathalie Issa, Manal Issa, Ali Suliman B
Till Dir. Chinonye Chukwu. Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Sean Patrick Thomas B
To Leslie Dir. Michael Morris. Andrea Riseborough, Marc Maron, Owen Teague B
Top Gun: Maverick Dir. Joseph Kosinski. Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Glen Powell C
The Tsugua Diaries Dir. Maureen Fazendeiro, Miguel Gomes. Crista Alfaiate B–
We Dir. Alice Diop. Documentary in and about Parisian outskirts and underclasses B

②  Even if it's good, it's hardly groundbreaking

Argentina, 1985 Dir. Santiago Mitre. Ricardo Darín, Peter Lanzani C
Bones and All Dir. Luca Guadagnino. Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet B–
Bros Dir. Nicholas Stoller. Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane, Guy Branum D+
Call Jane Dir. Phyllis Nagy. Elizabeth Banks, Chris Messina, Sigourney Weaver B–
Causeway Dir. Lila Neugebauer. Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry C+
The Eternal Daughter Dir. Joanna Hogg. Tilda Swinton, Carly-Sophia Davies C+
Fire Island Dir. Andrew Ahn. Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora C+
Firebird Dir. Peeter Rebane. Tom Prior, Oleg Zagorodnii, Diana Pozharskaya C–
Friends and Strangers Dir. James Vaughan. Fergus Wilson, Emma Diaz B
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Dir. Rian Johnson. Daniel Craig C
Kimi Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Zoë Kravitz, Byron Bowers, Derek DelGaudio C–
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom Dir. Pawo Choyning Dorji. Sherab Dorji D+
Potato Dreams of America Dir. Wes Hurley. Hersh Powers, Sophia Mitri Schloss C
Prey Dir. Dan Trachtenberg. Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane Diliegro B–
The Quiet Girl Dir. Colm Báiread. Catherine Clinch, Carrie Crowley C+
She Said Dir. Maria Schrader. Zoë Kazan, Carey Mullligan, Patricia Clarkson B–
Three Thousand Years of Longing Dir. George Miller. Tilda Swinton, Idris Elba D+
The Whale Dir. Darren Aronofsky. Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau D
X Dir. Ti West. Mia Goth, Martin Henderson, Scott Mescudi, Brittany Snow C

①  Low ambition, little originality, easy to forget

Empire of Light Dir. Sam Mendes. Olivia Colman, Michael Ward, Tom Brooke D+
God's Creatures Dir. Saela Davis, Anna Rose Holmer. Emily Watson, Paul Mescal C+
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Dir. Anthony Fabian. Lesley Manville C–
Ticket to Paradise Dir. Ol Parker. Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Kaitlyn Dever C