Patreon: My No Holds Barred List of the Best Movies I Saw for the First Time in 2022

Stoney Keeley ranks 'em all, from #25 to #1, regardless of when they actually came out.

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I’ve seen 87 movies for the first time this year. Instead of breaking it down into separate “movie journals,” I’m just lumping them all in together. So, let’s get to it. We’re taking the gloves off for this one – from the 70s to this year’s Oscar period, it’s no holds barred. 

As for my biggest disappointments of 2022: Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul, Thor: Love and Thunder, Don’t Worry Darling, and Halloween Ends

Biggest surprises of 2022: Hustle, Ambulance, Spirit Halloween: The Movie

The worst of 2022: Hocus Pocus 2, Morbius, Death on the Nile

Honorable Mentions: X, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Prey, Bullet Train, Vice, Master of Light, Hannibal, Troll Hunter, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Zack & Miri Make a Porno

The Best Movies I Saw for the First Time in 2022

25. Breakwater – The Turkish film Mendirek, known in the States as ‘Breakwater’, screened at the 2022 Atlanta Film Festival. I found it to be an enthralling family drama centering around secrets and betrayal. It’s a slow one, but the cinematography and the film’s effective use of silence made it a film that stuck in my head for weeks after I saw it.

24. The Great Gatsby – Had to see this one after our conversation about Baz Luhrmann on The Vick’s Flicks Podcast, and I really dug it. It has its weird little quirks, but by and large, I thought it was an interesting, well-acted, and flashy retelling of the Gatsby legend.

23. Cruella – Not usually my cup of tea, but I’ll admit…I was caught off guard by how much I enjoyed it. Emma Stone was fantastic.

22. Acidman – Saw this one as apart of the Nashville Film Festival back in October, and found it to be peak Thomas Haden Church. A nice emotional reconnection between a father and daughter with a sci-fi twist and scenic cinematography. 

21. Elvis – A career-defining performance from Austin Butler with the pageantry of Baz Luhrmann, Elvis was destined to shine. 

20. Belfast – We stan a good big-heart, big-soul movie, and Belfast had one of the biggest hearts of ’em all. 

19. Cha Cha Real Smooth – A real gem from Cooper Raiff with a strong performance from Dakota Johnson, Cha Cha Real Smooth took me back to those carefree days of my 20s, just trying to sort this whole life thing out.

18. Pig – Nic Cage was robbed of an Oscar nom for this one. One of his best performances in a lonely, broken role. 

17. The Black Phone – One of the surprises of the year, The Black Phone brings an interesting, twisting tale to what was an overall strong year for the horror genre.

16. Arrival – Give me Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and some weird sci-fi bullshit any day of the week.

15. The Northman – A brutal revenge story that is pure in its hateful madness. I can’t get over this guttural barbaric tale. 

14. Michael Clayton – Had to get in the George Clooney bag after we discussed him in Ocean’s Eleven on ‘Drinking With…’, and this was one that everyone kept mentioning among his greatest roles. It absolutely delivered on the hype. Should’ve seen this one years ago.

13. The Good Boss – Javier Bardem continues to show why he’s one of the most underrated, talented actors in the game. The Good Boss was a slow burn dark comedy hallmarked by a signature Bardem performance.

12. Nightmare Alley – Visually stunning, well-acted…an intriguing story about the worst people you know.

11. The Disaster Artist – I can’t believe I had never seen this movie before. James Franco has a wild ass filmography, but this just may be the best.

10. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – The biggest surprise of the year?? Maybe. The cutest surprise of the year? Definitely. Jenny Slate crushed it.

9. The Rum Diary – One of my favorite books I’ve ever read, I was a tad apprehensive about the movie adaptation, but it surprised me how close it was to the story, and how expertly the cast knocked it out of the park.

8. Adaptation – Such a clever script, pointed commentary on society, and a career-defining performance from Nic Cage. I savored this one as one does a glass of fine wine or a profound poem. 

7. Drive My Car – Like Adaptation, I can absolutely get why folks might find this one boring, but I found it to be a deeply rich character study riddled with grief and raw emotion.

6. Top Gun: Maverick – To put it quite simply, Top Gun: Maverick is what going to the movies is all about. 

5. C’mon C’mon – Joaquin Phoenix at his absolute tear-jerking best. An impactful, heartfelt movie that should’ve gotten some Oscars love.

4. The Batman – All in on Battinson. Matt Reeves revived this character, and with a chilling performance from Paul Dano as The Riddler, made arguably the best Batman movie there is.

3. The Silence of the Lambs – We watched Hannibal for an episode of ‘Drinking With…’ this year, and I went into it without seeing this one. Now, I know why Brandon and Steven said, “if you liked this…just wait ’til you see The Silence of the Lambs.” Holy shit. 

2. RRR – The word ‘epic’ is thrown around so much these days that it’s lost its luster. RRR rejuvenates the true meaning of ‘epic’ with flair and pizazz. This one was so much fun. Wish I could’ve seen it on the big screen.

1. CODA – Yeah, it’s been a long, long time since a movie made me cry this much. I still get choked up just thinking about it. The rightful reigning ‘Best Picture’ in my opinion.  

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.

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