Mr. Movie: The best of 2022

I have no 10s to report this year but a fair number of 9s and 8s. My picks diverge wildly from the Oscars and the critics, but I can live with that. Herewith my lucky 13 from last year.

1. The Outfit — 9 out of 10.

2. Till — 9 out of 10.

3. She Said — 9 out of 10.

4. Downton Abbey: A New Era — 9 out of 10.

5. Phantom of the Open — 9 out of 10.

6. Top Gun: Maverick — 8 out of 10.

7. Argentina 1985 — 8 out of 10.

8. Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris — 8 out of 10.

9. The Fabelmans — 8 out of 10.

10. Good Night Oppy — 8 out of 10.

11. Women Talking — 8 out of 10.

12. The Good Nurse — 8 out of 10.

13. Pinocchio — 8 out of 10.

            Last year, there were 29 films on my best list. In 2020, there were only 11 mainly because that was the worst year of the pandemic and not many were made. Before that, in 2019, I listed 25, in 2018 I had 30 and in 2017, there were 36. By the way, the last 10-rated film from Mr. Movie was The Post in 2017. 

            Oscar-nominated Best Movies I have seen and my rating: 

— All Quiet on the Western Front, 7.

— Avatar: The Way of Water, 7.

— The Banshees of Insherin, 7.

— Elvis, 7.

— Tar, 6.

I have not seen Triangle of Sadness (It’s ordered). I have not seen all of the acting-nominated films, but this column deals only with Best Picture nominees. 

And now for the confession. Are you old enough to remember when Ricky Ricardo said to Lucy: “Lucy, you got some splainin’ to do” ? Well, I guess Mr. Movie has some splainin’ to do. 

I saw Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All At Once in the real theater with my wife and daughter. To say I didn’t like it is way too nice. I hated it. It was too long, too chaotic, too mixed-up, too everything but good. My wife hated it even more. She left to go to the restroom and never came back to her seat. When Michelle Yeoh won the Oscar for Best Actress, I had to ask, “Which one was she?” 

And it’s not just that we’re old (we are). Going out of the theater, we asked some college kids what they thought. “Oh, man, what the *&^%# was that about?” one answered. So, will I give EEAAO another chance? Don’t count on it.

All of the movies in this column are available somewhere on DVD. Numbers 5, 8 and 10 are OK for all ages. The rest are for grown-ups. 

At least three columns about 2022 sleepers are planned. Some were on the list; most weren’t.