film

The Great Movie Race of 2022

Hello there! First and foremost, I’m not dead and neither is the blog! Huzzah! Since this has been the longest break in between articles since I started this blog, I figured it was time to address that. This last year I watched more movies in one year than any previous trip around the sun, and that comes with a hefty time commitment on occasion. In the end, it was an informative and fascinating experience, and one that I may continue into the future.

In January of 2022 I joined a group of fellow online screen junkies to see who could watch the most movies in one year. I watched a heck of a lot of movies, but not quite enough to net the top spot. I’m quite happy with the onslaught of film titles that I finally got around to watching because of this though. This is partially the reason I haven’t been writing about films here on the blog as much this year, but also because I often saw a lot of current releases in theaters this year and usually offered to write up reviews for FilmsFatale.com- a great film criticism website that I highly encourage you to check out. I also did a huge project for them in November where I wrote up thirty Noir film reviews, one for each day in Noir November covering the classics through the twentieth century and up to our more recent era of filmmaking to see how Noir has evolved in that time, and how it changed cinema as well. 

Below I will list the 170 times I watched a movie this last year. Most of them were singular viewings of a film that I hadn’t seen before- but there were several films that I saw multiple times over the course of the year. I’ll also post the date I saw the film and the score I gave it out of 10. I don’t usually rate films, but the group I was competing with did, so I decided to follow suit for this. I’ll also post links to all of the articles I’ve written for Films Fatale since my last post here. Here’s to next year’s movies!

1 Don’t Look Up (2021) Date Seen: 1/5/22 Score: 6.8

2 Vertigo (1958) Date Seen: 1/10/22 Score: 8.5

3 The Ghost of Peter Sellers (2018) Date Seen: 1/13/22 Score: 6.5

4 Rodan (1956) Date Seen: 1/15/22 Score: 7.5

5 Pickpocket (1959) Date Seen: 1/16/22 Score: 6

6 5 Card Stud (1968) Date Seen: 1/16/22 Score: 8

7 Copshop (2021) Date Seen: 1/17/22 Score: 8

8 Mysterious Object at Noon (2000) Date Seen: 1/17/22 Score: 6

9 No Way Out (1950) Date Seen: 1/19/22 Score: 8

10 King of New York (1990) Date Seen: 1/20/22 Score: 7.8

11 The Hateful Eight (2015) Date Seen: 1/21/22 Score: 9.5

12 Topaz (1969) Date Seen: 1/23/22 Score: 7.8

13 Branded to Kill (1967) Date Seen: 1/24/22 Score: 7

14 Mr. Arkadin (Comprehensive version) (1955) Date Seen: 1/26/22 Score: 7.5

15 Lady Snowblood (1973) Date Seen: 1/26/22 Score: 8.5

16 Justice League Dark (2017) Date Seen: 1/27/22 Score: 7

17 Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance (1974) Date Seen: 1/27/22 Score: 7.5

18 Killing Gunther (2017) Date Seen: 1/28/22 Score: 5

19 Darkman (1990) Date Seen: 1/28/22 Score: 8.3

20 Aquaman (2018) Date Seen: 1/29/22 Score: 7.8

21 The Grandmaster (2013) Date Seen: 1/31/22 Score: 8

22 The Gentlemen (2019) Date Seen: 2/1/22 Score: 7.5

23 1917 (2019) Date Seen: 2/2/22 Score: 8.5

24 Jackass Forever (2022) Date Seen: 2/4/22 Score: 7

25 In The Mood For Love (2000) Date Seen: 2/6/22 Score: 8.5

26 Cosmic Sin (2021) Date Seen: 2/7/22 Score: 1

27 Nightmare Alley (2021) Date Seen: 2/7/22 Score: 8.5

28 Tokyo-Ga (1985) Date Seen: 2/9/22 Score: 7.5

29 Zatoichi’s Flashing Sword (1964) Date Seen: 2/11/22 Score: 8.8

30 Pierrot le Fou (1965) Date Seen: 2/15/22 Score: 8

31 Persona (1966) Date Seen: 2/15/22 Score: 8.5

32 High and Low (1963) Date Seen: 2/17/22 Score: 10

33 Vagabond (1985) Date Seen: 2/17/22 Score: 8.5

34 Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972) Date Seen: 2/18/22 Score: 9.5

35 Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (1972) Date Seen: 2/18/22 Score: 9.5

36 Jules and Jim (1962) Date Seen: 2/19/22 Score: 7

37 Light Sleeper (1992) Date Seen: 2/19/22 Score: 6.8

38 Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) Date Seen: 2/19/22 Score: 8

39 Uncharted (2022) Date Seen: 2/23/22 Score: 6.5

40 The Batman (2022) Date Seen: 3/4/22 Score: 9

41 The Batman (2022) Date Seen: 3/16/22 Score: 9

42 Drive My Car (2022) Date Seen: 3/19/22 Score: 9

43 Tango & Cash (1989) Date Seen: 3/25/22 Score: 7

44 RRR (Rise Roar Revolt) (2022) Date Seen: 3/30/22 Score: 9

45 Ambulance (2022) Date Seen: 4/8/22 Score: 8

46 Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) Date Seen: 4/9/22 Score: 9

47 Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022) Date Seen: 4/10/22 Score: 7.5

48 RRR (Rise Roar Revolt) (2022) Date Seen: 4/12/22 Score: 9 *2nd watch

49 Gamera vs Guiron (1969) Date Seen: 4/16/22 Score: 7

50 The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) Date Seen: 4/22/22 Score: 7.5

51 The Northman (2022) Date Seen: 4/22/22 Score: 8.5

52 Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) Date Seen: 4/25/22 Score: 7

53 Death on The Nile (2022) Date Seen: 4/28/22 Score: 6.5

54 Rebirth of Mothra (1996) Date Seen: 4/30/22 Score: 7

55 Spider-Man No Way Home (2021) Date Seen: 5/2/22 Score: 8.5

56 Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness (2022) Date Seen: 5/6/22 Score: 8

57 Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness (2022) Date Seen: 5/6/22 Score: 7.8

58 Jackass Forever (2022) Date Seen: 5/9/22 Score: 7 *2nd watch

59 The Last Duel (2021) Date Seen: 5/10/22 Score: 8.5

60 The Quick and The Dead (1995) Date Seen: 5/10/22 Score: 8.5

61 The Sea Wolf (1941) Date Seen: 5/12/22 Score: 7.5

62 Grand Illusion (1937) Date Seen: 5/12/22 Score: 8.1

63 The Parallax View (1974) Date Seen: 5/12/22 Score: 7.1

64 Rebirth of Mothra 2 (1997) Date Seen: 5/12/22 Score: 5.2

65 Safety Last! (1923) Date Seen: 5/14/22 Score: 9

66 The Hunt for Red October (1990) Date Seen: 5/15/22 Score: 8

67 Pirates of The Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) Date Seen: 5/15/22 Score: 6

68 Cruel Gun Story (1964) Date Seen: 5/15/22 Score: 7.5

69 Ape (2012) Date Seen: 5/16/22 Score: 2

70 The Wailing (2016) Date Seen: 5/16/22 Score: 8.5

71 The Paper Tigers (2020) Date Seen: 5/17/22 Score: 8

72 Rebirth of Mothra 3 (1998) Date Seen: 5/18/22 Score: 7.5

73 Paper Flowers (1959) Date Seen: 5/21/22 Score: 9.5

74 City Hunter (1993) Date Seen: 5/22/22 Score: 7.8

75 Jackass: The Movie (2002) Date Seen: 5/24/22 Score: 7.5

76 Top Gun: Maverick (2022) Date Seen: 5/27/22 Score: 9

77 The Bob’s Burgers Movie (2022) Date Seen: 5/27/22 Score: 8.5

78 Top Gun: Maverick (2022) Date Seen: 5/28/22 Score: 9

79 Baby Driver (2017) Date Seen: 6/5/22 Score: 8.5

80 Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991) Date Seen: 6/5/22 Score: 7.8

81 Double Indemnity (1944) Date Seen: 6/9/22 Score: 9

82 Jurassic World Dominion (2022) Date Seen: 6/10/22 Score: 3

83 Mad God (2022) Date Seen: 6/22/22 Score: 4

84 One Armed Boxer (1971) Date Seen: 6/22/22 Score: 7.8

85 Elvis (2022) Date Seen: 6/25/22 Score: 8

86 The Black Phone (2022) Date Seen: 6/25/22 Score: 8.5

87 Detour (1945) Date Seen: 7/2/22 Score: 7

88 RRR (Rise Roar Revolt) (2022) Date Seen: 7/3/22 Score: 9  *3rd watch

89 Jaws (1975) Date Seen: 7/4/22 Score: 10

90 Chan is Missing (1982) Date Seen: 7/6/22 Score: 8

91 Thor Love and Thunder (2022) Date Seen: 7/8/22 Score: 7.5

92 In search of Guru Dutt (1989) Date Seen: 7/11/22 Score: 7.8

93 Brick (2005) Date Seen: 7/14/22 Score: 8.3

94 The Poseidon Adventure (1972) Date Seen: 7/16/22 Score: 9

95 High Sierra (1941) Date Seen: 7/18/22 Score: 7.5

96 Nope (2022) Date Seen: 7/21/22 Score: 8.9

97 The King’s Man (2021) Date Seen: 7/22/22 Score: 7.5

98 Breaking Surface (2020) Date Seen: 7/27/22 Score: 7.8

99 Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time (2021) Date Seen: 7/28/22 Score: 9

100 The Professor and The Madman (2019) Date Seen: 7/28/22 Score: 7.5

101 Operation Curveball (2020) Date Seen: 7/28/22 Score: 8.5

102 The Hidden Life of Trees (2020) Date Seen: 7/29/22 Score: 8

103 Bo Burnham: Inside (2021) Date Seen: 7/29/22 Score: 8.3

104 Alien (1979) Date Seen: 7/29/22 Score: 9.3 

105 Stray (2020) Date Seen: 7/30/22 Score: 7.9

106 Bullet Train (2022) Date Seen: 8/4/22 Score: 7.8

107 Prey (2022) Date Seen: 8/9/22 Score: 7.9

108 The Roundup (2022) Date Seen: 8/10/22 Score: 8.3

109 Fall (2022) Date Seen: 8/12/22 Score: 6.8

110 RRR (Rise Roar Revolt) (2022) Date Seen: 8/12/22 Score: 9  *4th watch

111 Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) Date Seen: 8/14/22 Score: 8.3

112 Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022) Date Seen: 8/15/22 Score: 7

113 Five Graves to Cairo (1943) Date Seen: 8/16/22 Score: 6.8

114 Easter Sunday (2022) Date Seen: 8/19/22 Score: 6

115 The Gray Man (2022) Date Seen: 8/20/22 Score: 7.2

116 Police Story 2 (1988) Date Seen: 8/21/22 Score: 9

117 Viridiana (1961) Date Seen: 8/23/22 Score: 6.8

118 Midnight Run (1988) Date Seen: 8/23/22 Score: 8

119 Beast (2022) Date Seen: 8/24/22 Score: 6.5

120 Wood and Water (2021) Date Seen: 8/24/22 Score: 5

121 Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022) Date Seen: 8/25/22 Score: 7.5

122 Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Date Seen: 8/26/22 Score: 9

123 Django Unchained (2012) Date Seen: 8/28/22 Score: 9.5

124 Escape from L.A. (1996) Date Seen: 8/28/22 Score: 8.5

125 Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022) Date Seen: 8/31/22 Score: 8.5

126 The Big Sleep (1946) Date Seen: 9/5/22 Score: 8.8

127 The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001) Date Seen: 9/6/22 Score: 8.5

128 The Good The Bad & The Ugly (1966) Date Seen: 9/7/22 Score: 10

129 Body Double (1984) Date Seen: 9/8/22 Score: 6.5

130 Weekend (1967) Date Seen: 9/13/22 Score: 6

131 007 Spectre (2015) Date Seen: 9/15/22 Score: 8

132 007 No Time to Die (2021) Date Seen: 9/15/22 Score: 9

133 Clerks 3 (2022) Date Seen: 9/16/22 Score: 8.8

134 Out of The Past (1947) Date Seen: 9/19/22 Score: 7.8

135 Strangers on a Train (1951) Date Seen: 9/20/22 Score: 8

136 Ghostbusters (1984) Date Seen: 9/22/22 Score: 10

137 Miller’s Crossing (1990) Date Seen: 9/25/22 Score: 7.7

138 Notorious (1946) Date Seen: 9/26/22 Score: 8.8

139 Sunset Blvd (1950) Date Seen: 9/27/22 Score: 8.5

140 The Munsters (2022) Date Seen: 9/28/22 Score: 5

141 Pineapple Express (2008) Date Seen: 9/30/22 Score: 9

142 Young Frankenstein (1974) Date Seen: 10/3/22 Score: 7.8

143 Blade Runner (1982) Date Seen: 10/5/22 Score: 9.5

144 Halloween (2018) Date Seen: 10/12/22 Score: 7.9

145 Halloween Kills (2021) Date Seen: 10/13/22 Score: 7.7

146 Halloween Ends (2022) Date Seen: 10/15/22 Score: 7.8

147 Yojimbo (1961) Date Seen: 10/17/22 Score: 9.8

148 Black Adam (2022) Date Seen: 10/22/22 Score: 7

149 Werewolf by Night (2022) Date Seen: 10/31/22 Score: 8.3

150 Black Panther 2 Wakanda Forever (2022) Date Seen: 11/11/22 Score: 8.4

151 Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) Date Seen: 11/13/22 Score: 8

152 Infernal Affairs (2002) Date Seen: 11/15/22 Score: 9

153 Infernal Affairs 2 (2003) Date Seen: 11/16/22 Score: 8.8

154 Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970) Date Seen: 11/18/22 Score: 9

155 Infernal Affairs 3 (2003) Date Seen: 11/19/22 Score: 8.7

156 The Menu (2022) Date Seen: 11/23/22 Score: 9

157 Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) Date Seen: 11/28/22 Score: 9

158 The Bob’s Burgers Movie (2022) Date Seen: 12/2/22 Score: 8.5 *2nd watch 

159 Violent Night (2022) Date Seen: 12/3/22 Score: 8

160 Gamera: Guardian of The Universe (1995) Date Seen: 12/4/22 Score: 7.8

161 Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996) Date Seen: 12/4/22 Score: 8.5

162 Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999) Date Seen: 12/4/22 Score: 7.5

163 The Guardians of The Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) Date Seen: 12/6/22 Score: 8.8

164 History of The Word: Part I (1981) Date Seen: 12/12/22 Score: 6.8

165 Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) Date Seen: 12/16/22 Score: 8

166 The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) Date Seen: 12/21/22 Score: 9

167 The Fabelmans (2022) Date Seen: 12/21/22 Score: 8.8

168 Triangle of Sadness (2022) Date Seen: 12/22/22 Score: 9

169 Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022) Date Seen: 12/27/22 Score: 6.8

170 Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2019) Date Seen: 12/29/22 Score: 7.7

Here’s the links to all of the articles I wrote over at Films Fatale in 2022 since last updating the blog:

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/6/30/the-black-phone

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/7/1/elvis

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/7/14/thor-love-and-thunder

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/7/25/nope

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/8/11/traverse-city-film-festival-2022-the-return

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/8/8/bullet-train

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/9/21/clerks-iii

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/10/20/halloween-ends

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/9/22/what-if-david-lynch-directed-a-batman-movie

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/1/noir-november-the-maltese-falcon

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/2/noir-november-high-sierra

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/3/noir-november-casablanca

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/4/noir-november-double-indemnity

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/5/noir-november-detour

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/6/noir-november-notorious

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/7/noir-november-the-big-sleep

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/8/noir-november-out-of-the-past

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/9/noir-november-the-naked-city

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/10/noir-november-the-third-man

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/11/noir-november-the-asphalt-jungle

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/12/noir-november-sunset-boulevard

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/13/noir-november-in-a-lonely-place

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/14/noir-november-strangers-on-a-train

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/15/noir-november-the-killing

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/16/noir-november-touch-of-evil

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/17/noir-november-shoot-the-piano-player

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/18/noir-november-le-doulos

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/19/noir-november-le-deuxime-souffle

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/20/noir-november-tokyo-drifter

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/21/noir-november-le-cercle-rouge

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/22/noir-november-chinatown

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/23/noir-november-chan-is-missing

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/24/noir-november-blade-runner

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/25/noir-november-millers-crossing

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/26/noir-november-devil-in-a-blue-dress

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/27/noir-november-the-man-who-wasnt-there

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/28/noir-november-kiss-kiss-bang-bang

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/29/noir-november-brick

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/11/30/noir-november-blade-runner-2049

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2022/12/9/violent-night

film

My 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2020

Now that we’re in the new year and the new decade, it’s time to look forward to the movies expected to release this year and hope for the best. 2020 will have a long way to go to outdo 2019, the latter half was filled with excellent additions to Cinema and honestly, I had a great time with those films! Good luck 2020, you’re gonna need it!

10 Wonder Woman 1984

I’m glad DC took the time to really invest in Wonder Woman because she’s probably their best character as far as the films go. It’s gonna get weird being a prequel to the “Justice league”, a sequel to her origin movie, and a trip back in time. I’m not sure how they’ll resolve the notion of Steve Trevor being alive after that crucial third act sacrifice in the first film, but hey, I guess if Captain America can do it… so can a random pilot from World War One? Oh well, I trust the filmmakers on this one- they wouldn’t deliberately fuck up their best character’s second outing (I hope).

9 Tenet

That first trailer for “Tenet” puts Christopher Nolan’s next film in the same category of sci-fi as “Inception”, and that rules. I’ve really enjoyed most of Nolan’s films, even though “Interstellar” left me a little cold, I still think he’s one of our best working filmmakers. This one looks to take the concept of time and play with it until we can no longer tell how or why we perceive things happening in any category of order. Should get real weird, and I like that.

8 The Dune Remake

While the original “Dune” made by David Lynch in the 1980’s wasn’t exactly a success critically or financially, I still get a kick out of it. More importantly though, Denis Villeneuve is directing this film, and if he could make an outstanding sequel to “Blade Runner” then I’m sure he can tackle a remake of “Dune”, especially with the cast he’s assembled. Really looking forward to this one!

7 Top Gun: Maverick

I’m not a particularly gigantic fan of the original “Top Gun” but I did enjoy it for the most part. The reason I’m excited to see this one is because of the version of Tom Cruise that we have for it. He’s evolved and matured and gotten so phenomenally good at being an Action Film Star since the first one that I legitimately don’t know how he’s going to pull this one off. The man himself is a Maverick all his own so I can only imagine how insane his stunt work and dedication to delivering white knuckle sequences is gonna be this time around, and I appreciate him all the more for it.

6 007 No Time to Die

This is it. The last chance for Daniel Craig’s Bond to cap off his film series on a high note. I’ve particularly loved Craig’s Bond. Granted, “Quantum of Solace” was abysmal and “Spectre” was somewhat lacking, but “Casino Royale” and “Skyfall” were two of the best Bond films out of the whole series. It’ll be fascinating to see how this Bond ends his era of films.

5 Bill and Ted Face The Music

The two “Bill and Ted” movies we got in the early 1990’s are some of my favorite films to throw on in the background. They’re inherently silly and full of 1990’s slacker-isms and the obsession with Rock and Roll and the power that comes with it is just, so good. This little corner of film is a favorite of mine, “Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny” is another similar one, and these epic/corny odes to the power of music is close to my celluloid loving heart. That and who doesn’t want more Keanu Reeves? Over the next two years we’re getting this, another “Matrix” movie, and the next “John Wick”, man, life’s good for Keanu these days. Whoa indeed.

4 Last Night in SoHo

This is the film on the list I know least about. All I needed to hear was “This is the next film Edgar Wright’s making” for it to get on the list, however, I’ve heard it gets a little slippery with a time travel concept thrown in the mix. Yeah, I’m in.

3 Halloween Kills

Personally, I loved the “Halloween” reboot from 2018. That movie ruled and I loved the idea of rewriting the horror icon’s history to lean into the supernatural aspect of Michael Myers. Plus, the opening credits of that film get me so pumped for that mass-murdering psycho to run all over Haddonfield IL brutally killing anyone he can get his hands on. Can’t wait!

2 Marvel’s Eternals

All I know about this one is that it’s a Space Opera-like setting and style, playing with the larger than life characters that inhabit Marvel’s deep space. Last time I heard anything like that we got “The Guardians of The Galaxy”, yep, I’m here for that. I mean, I’m a sucker for a good sci-fi movie, so this one’s for you to win Marvel!

1 Godzilla VS Kong

I have absolutely no shame in being INCREDIBLY hyped for this movie. Now that Godzilla’s had an excellent sequel and Kong with a superb origin film- I am firmly devout in my obsession with this one. I adore Kaiju movies, and Godzilla and King Kong are my two favorites (sorry Gamera). This movie will, probably, be pure spectacle, action, and terror! I go to the movies to feel things, see compelling stories unfold, be surprised, engaged, and made to connect with characters both moral and horrific. I truly hope this film has an intelligent script, smart characters, all the usual ingredients for a solid film- That being said, I just wanna see these two Legendary characters fight in an epic battle and I don’t care if it’s seen as trivial garbage by some, this one’s completely for fun and I don’t care I’m just so excited for it!