Marybel Sacramento ’26
Staff Writer
With the 2022 Fall semester closing and people traveling back home, I thought it would be the perfect time to share my top five movies to watch this year, keeping in mind that “The Whale” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” have not been released yet. When you go home for the holidays, take some time off and watch some movies that have come out this year. It was difficult to choose which movies I considered to be the best this year, but here are my recommendations in no particular order. Enjoy.
“Till” directed by Chinonye Chukwu
Based on the true story of the lynching of Emmet Till, director Chinonye Chukwu and Academy Award-winning actress, and daytime TV host Whoopi Goldberg wanted to retell the story in a movie and premiere it on the big screen. Both lead actors Danielle Deadwyler (Mamie Till-Mobley) and Jayln Hall (Emmet Till) gave brilliant, strong, gut-punching and heartfelt performances. The movie was all about how Emmet Till’s mother made sure that his story was known throughout the nation in 1955 and how racism exists deep within America. Emmet’s death would not be known nor would the movie have been made without Mamie’s powerful force and activism that made it possible for his story to be remembered for generations. This movie is one hundred percent worthwhile watching for people who are interested in Black history, the civil rights movement, or history alone. Be aware, this movie can be heavy for some audiences and does talk about serious topics like lynching, death, racism, segregation, and grieving.
“Maverick” directed by Joseph Kosinski
I thought this movie would be a fail considering how cheesy the last movie was with the plot, but something that I learned after talking to many friends and family members is that you don’t watch “Top Gun” for the plot, you watch it because of the cool and spectacular plane shots and lengths that were taken to get Tom Cruise and all of the “pilots” flying the planes. This movie was a huge success and deserves to be watched on the big screen. It has gotten so much praise from critics, everyone who is a fan of “Top Gun,” veterans, active Navy airmen, and those who saw the first “Top Gun” movie in 1986. Fans said it’s a “must-watch” and even better than the first movie. The sound of the planes makes you feel like you’re there flying the plane yourself, and the technical aspects of this movie make it a perfect blockbuster to sit down and watch with anyone.
“Elvis” directed by Baz Luhrman
I could go on and on and on about how this movie was perfect. “Elvis” had the strongest male actor performance of this year with Austin Butler’s portrayal of Elvis Presley himself. I loved this movie and I thought this was the best movie of 2022. Butler’s scary-similar looks, dance moves, accent, and vocals were what made everyone go to the theaters. You even believe that Elvis is on the screen with how closely Butler, Lurhman, the choreographer, and the production crew made it look as if Elvis were still alive and performing. By far, this was Lurhman’s best picture and tops “Moulin Rouge” and the 2012 version of “The Great Gatsby.”
“Everything, Everywhere, All At Once” directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Foreign, independent films, in general, are clapping back with new hit movies that are taking the theaters by storm and have critics raving. For example, “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once” stars a predominantly Asian cast with famous Asian actors such as Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians) James Hong (famous voice actor in the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise), and an amazing reappearance to the acting world, Ke Huy Quan, who played Short Round in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” Arguably, this movie had a better plot and CGI than “Doctor Strange and The Multiverse of Madness.” This movie almost has the same concept as “Doctor Strange,” but is underrated and has a terrific performance by Yeoh. Independent film lover or not, it has cool fight scenes and lots of blood and gore.
“All Quiet On The Western Front” directed by Edward Berger
Despite the movie being spoken entirely in German, it’s a cinematic masterpiece, much like Guillermo Del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth.” This movie was adapted from the book All Quiet On The Western Front, written in 1928 by Enrich Maria Remarque; the book had a few changes in details about Remarque portraying as the main character in the book, but still discussed his experience as a young teenager during WWI. Remarque thought he was doing something patriotic for his beloved nation, but it turned out to be not what he expected while fighting for Germany’s negative beliefs. In the movie, the main character named Paul Bäumer goes through the trauma and horror of fighting in the war. Needless to say, it’s a war film, but is as good as “1917” and “Saving Private Ryan” with stunning cinematography, brutal violence, and gut-wrenching scenes. I do recommend this movie, but it is not for the faint of heart.
