Films Watched (and Ranked) in 2022

Documentaries, comedies, drugs, murder, and drivers...

As you'll see below, we tend to get into themes when we watch movies — it might be a number of films by a certain director or about a particular topic or from a specific country — and that was no exception in 2022.

I've provided a synopsis of our Top 10 Films watched in 2022, followed by some theme categories, followed by a longer list of the name of the film we watched along with the rating we gave it on a scale of 1-10 — 10 being the best. The list below starts with those we've rated 9.0, but they — and those rated 8.0 after that — are in no particular order.

Best Films Watched This Year

1. The Battle of Chile (1973)

David and I always start the new year with a long film or film series, and for 2022 we chose The Battle of Chile, a three-part film about the fall of Salvador Allende and the rise of August Pinochet. Watching this 3-part film just days before the 1st anniversary of the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol during the confirmation of votes in Congress was both fitting and harrowing.

Before January 6, 2021, I knew that our democracy was under attack, but on that day I saw — we all saw — how fragile it really is. To be sure, there are fundamental differences between the Chilean far right taking down a democratically elected government and the divisive state of our country today.

First of all, Chile had a major foreign power backing them (the United States) and a military that acted on its own — independent of the constitutional government. But there are chilling similarities that every American will recognize in this story and that every American needs to see.

As for the filmmaking itself, it’s incredible. The amount of footage and the breadth and depth of the storytelling are enough to justify the high esteem with which it is still regarded 50 years after its debut, and while it is clear which side the filmmakers support, it is hard not to sympathize with the conviction, compassion, and tenacity of the pro-government workers. Highly recommended. 9.0

2. Hot Fuzz (2007)

Directed by Edgar Wright; Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, and Bill Nighy; written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Being a huge fan of British comedy, I don't know why it took me so long to watch what the filmmakers themselves call the "Cornetto Trilogy": Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End.

I'd heard about Shaun of the Dead for years and years, but I think I was skeptical of the zombie apocalypse theme. Still, it was my loss for waiting this long.

We didn't watch the "trilogy" in the order in which the films were made; we started with Hot Fuzz, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that I started laughing within the first 5 minutes.

All three films are directed by Edgar Wright and written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (who also star in all of them). In Hot Fuzz, an adept London police officer irritates his superiors with his effective detective work, so much so that they transfer him to a tiny village where the inept officers object to his enthusiasm for regulations, as a string of murders terrify the town. The screenwriting, the comedic timing, the editing...the silliness all combine to create a viewing experience that is both brilliant and hilarious! 9.0

3. Baby Driver (2017)

Another film we rated 9.0 was a surprise I had never even heard of before. And like with Hot Fuzz, I was hooked from the moment it started. It's also directed by Edgar Wright (who made the aforementioned comedies), and it might be one of the most perfect films I've ever seen.

Part dark comedy, part character study, part heist film, part hero story, part .... well....getaway film. The editing is stellar, the cast is fantastic, and if you like dark comedies, this film is for you. Heart and humor isn't all it has; it's also got one of the most endearing main characters on film, and the music is a significant part of the story. Because of an accident he had when he was young, Baby has a perpetual ringing in his ears. Music is one of the things that brings him relief, and so he essentially creates a soundtrack to every experience in his life. Don't miss this film. 9.0

OTHER GETAWAY FILMS

Now, I'd like to take a moment to interrupt the Top 10 countdown to demonstrate an example of how we get into movie themes. We loved Baby Driver so much, we decided to seek out more films whose theme was driving getaway cars.

We have watched a slew of heist films in our day -- both old and contemporary, but the getaway heist idea is its own sub theme. For instance, some of our favorite heist films over the years, but this was fun to focus just on this sub-genre. The most famous and easy-to-guess is The Getaway starring Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw and directed by Peckinpaw. David and I both saw it decades ago, and it was fun to revisit it. It still holds up after all these years and gets an 8.0. But the others we hadn't seen before, including:

The Driver (1978) starring Ryan O'Neal and Isabelle Adjani. It was just okay (6.0), though it had a pretty good chase scene; and Drive (2011), starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, and Bryan Cranston. It was good (7.0) and definitely recommended if this genre appeals to you, but of the bunch, Baby Driver absolutely stands out.

4. The Pusher trilogy

The trilogy starts with Pusher, made in 1996 and starring Mads Mikkelsen (one of my favorite actors), followed by Pusher II (2004), then Pusher III (2005). We gave Pusher and Pusher II each an 8.0, but Pusher III didn't live up to the first two and got a 6.0 from us. Hear me and hear me now...these films are not for the faint of heart.

Pusher is about a drug pusher who grows increasingly desperate after a botched deal leaves him with a large debt to a ruthless drug lord. The films are gritty and violent, and the characters are no angels, but the stories are skillfully told. If you're a fan of The Bridge (one of the best TV series ever made in the history of TV, and also Danish), you will know the actor who plays the main character, Kim Bodnia, who is in a lot of Danish films, to be honest, and he's fantastic in this film.

5. Memories of Murder (2003)

Moving from Denmark to Korea, we have another 8.0 film, directed in 2003 by Bong Joon Ho, who also directed the Academy-award-winning Parasite. Both films are irreverent and funny, though I thought Memories of Murder is the superior of the two, by far. Based on a true story about an inept police detective trying to solve a string of serial murders and rapes in a small Korean village, it is adeptly made and well-deserving of its ranking of 8.0.

6. Sacco & Vanzetti (1971)

Moving back to Europe from Korea, we have an 1971 Italian film based on the true story of the 1921-1927 imprisonment, trial, conviction, and execution of two Italian-born immigrant anarchists, named Sacco and Vanzetti. Starring another favorite actor of mine — Gian Maria Volontè — it's just a complicated story told well. Quite a feat considering the bulk of the story takes place in a courtroom. 8.0

7. The Mattei Affair (1972)

Also starring Gian Maria Volontè and directed by the masterful Francesco Rosi, this film is based on the true story of an Italian industrialist who died in a plane crash. The film revolves around the question (that has never been answered): was it an accident or an assassination? 8.0

8. The Little World of Don Camillo (1952)

Staying in Italy but traveling back 20 years, we have a classic Italian comedy about a determined priest and a Communist mayor who develop a grudging friendship in spite of their official rivalry. The dynamic between the two main characters / actors is so engrossing that several other films have been made starring the same actors and featuring the same characters. 8.0

9. The Alpinist (2021)

We don't have any documentaries in our Top 10 films, so I thought I would choose one from our 8.0 list and honor this film about Marc-André Leclerc, a free-spirited 23-year-old who makes some of the boldest solo ascents in history. With no cameras and no margin for error, Leclerc's approach is the essence of solo adventure. 8.0

10. The Intouchables (2011) 8.0

I thought I would end the list with one that — for me — was the feel-good film of the year! As you can see from this year's list and from those in previous years, we watch a lot of movies with serious or dark subject matter, but in this French film from 2011, we struck feel-good gold. After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver, and a relationship is forged.

Before I invite you to view my full list of films watched and rated in 2022, I'll break them all done a little more:

1. Those about South Africa and its shameful history of apartheid

2. Those by director Costa-Gavras

3. Those about heist getaway films

Toward the end of 2022, we were getting ready to take folks on a Joyful Vegan Trip to Rwanda, followed by a Joyful Vegan Trip to Botswana. The latter trip began and ended in Cape Town, South Africa, and we used it as an opportunity to read some books and watch some films about this country in general and apartheid in particular.

Of course, I had a rudimentary understanding of apartheid and Nelson Mandela, but I wanted to know more. So, I read The State of Africa: A History of the Continent Since Independence by Martin Meredith and Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Road to Freedom, and we watched a number of films about South Africa and apartheid.

Films about South Africa / Apartheid

Cry Freedom (1987) One of the many South African films we watched just before leaving for our trip to South Africa. Like so many of the films we’ve seen about apartheid, it’s a good story but slightly flawed in the telling of it, despite being directed by Richard Attenborough. Still, I definitely recommend it, despite the awful accents. :) South African journalist Donald Woods is forced to flee the country after attempting to investigate the death in custody of his friend, the Black anti-Apartheid activist Steve Biko. 7.0

A Dry White Season (1989) Awful title, good story, mediocre dialogue. Still, our intention is to watch the most highly recommended films about apartheid, and this was one of them. It’s still a film I’d recommend, even if Sutherland’s Afrikaan’s accent is cringeworth. :) A white middle class South African suburbanite with no interest in politics agrees to help his black gardener find his jailed son. His investigation opens his eyes to the horrors committed by the secret police and turns him into a target. 6.0

The Bang Bang Club (2010) While David wanted to rate it a 6.0, I appreciated this drama based on the true-life experiences of four combat photographers capturing the final days of apartheid in South Africa. Some of the scenes were impressively shot and harrowing to watch, and I sympathized with the different approaches and personalities of people being in a very difficult situation. 7.0

Goodbye Bafana (2007) Goodbye Bafana is the true story of a white South African racist whose life was profoundly altered by the black prisoner he guarded for twenty years. The prisoner's name was Nelson Mandela. 7.0

AND NOW...OUR FULL LIST OF MOVIES WATCHED AND RANKED IN 2022

Films Rated 9.0

The Battle of Chile (1973) 9.0

Hot Fuzz (2007) 9.0

Baby Driver (2017) 9.0

Films Rated 8.0

Memories of Murder (2003) 8.0

Sacco & Vanzetti (1971) 8.0

The Mattei Affair (1972) 8.0

Beasts of No Nation (2015 ) 8.0

The Facts of Murder (1959) 8.0

The Getaway (1972) 8.0 As good as the first time I watched it 25 years ago.

Pusher II (2004) 8.0

Pusher (1996) 8.0

The World's End (2013) 8.0

The Intouchables (2011) 8.0

Champion (1949) 8.0

Hell Is for Heroes (1962) 8.0

The Alpinist (2021) 8.0

The Little World of Don Camillo (1952) 8.0

John Adams (2008) 8.0

The Bridge (1959) 8.0

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) 8.0

Films Rated 7.0

Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962) 7.0

Elena (2011) 7.0 Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev (same director as Loveless, The Banishment, Leviathan.) Not as good as those.

Cry Freedom (1987) 7.0

The Bang Bang Club (2010) 7.0

Goodbye Bafana (2007) 7.0

Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) 7.0

The Unforgivable (2021) 7.0

Blue Valentine (2010) 7.0

Shaun of the Dead (2004) 7.0

The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) 7.0

Drive (2011) 7.0

Nevada Smith (1966) 7.0

The Window (1949) 7.0

Shock Troops (1967) 7.0

Amen. (2002) 7.0

The Killing of America (1981) 7.0

Crossfire (1947) 7.0

Lulu the Tool (1971) 7.0

The Night Caller (1975) 7.0

The League of Gentlemen (1960) 7.0

Missing (1982) 7.0

Inherit the Wind (1960) 7.0

Films Rated 6.0

A Dry White Season (1989) 6.0

Pusher III (2005) 6.0

The Driver (1978) 6.0

Body and Soul (1947) 6.0

Baby Doll (1956) 6.0

Caught (1949) 6.0

The Reckless Moment (1949) 6.0

Films Rated 5.0

The Northman (2022) 5.0

America: The Motion Picture (2021) 5.0

Open Secret (1948) 5.0