Believe it or not, 2022 is almost over, and that means it’s time for some best-of-the-year lists.
But before I reveal my top 10 absolute favorite movies of the year,
I want to talk about 10 other great movies that have been overlooked,
and are definitely not getting the love and attention they deserve.
So here are my top 10 most underrated movies of 2022.
“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is easily one of the most entertaining movies I’ve seen all year!
It’s a satirical biopic that isn’t afraid
to make fun of genre clichés and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Written by Weird Al himself, this film is as hilarious, vibrant and over-the-top as you
would expect, and when I say over-the-top, in this context, I mean it as a compliment.
I would honestly be pretty disappointed if this was a typical biopic.
Instead, it’s a ridiculously fun, self-aware comedy that's very
loosely based on Weird Al’s life, and it fits his sense of humor perfectly.
Daniel Radcliffe is fantastic as the lead, he clearly had a great time filming this,
and it’s actually one of the best performances of his career, so far.
The cast in general is excellent, including Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna,
Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento, Weird Al himself is actually it,
and so many out of control cameos that I just don’t want to spoil.
It’s unfortunate this movie is only available on the Roku Channel, and that’s probably the
main reason why not that many people have seen it, because I really do think it’s one
of the best comedies of the year and one I would definitely recommend watching with your friends.
If you’re tired of those never-ending, formulaic biopics - “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” just
might be the light-hearted, biographical parody you need in your life right now.
If you’re looking for some truly hidden gems, check out “Next Exit” - a road trip dramedy set
in a world where ghosts are real and the existence of the afterlife is no longer in question.
One of the dark sides of all of this is a new, controversial,
medical procedure that allows people to die peacefully, on their own terms,
while also potentially being able to track them in the afterlife to gather more information.
Our two leads, Rose and Teddy, don’t see much of a life for themselves in this world.
They’ve given up on finding authentic connections
with other people and being accepted for who they are.
They are tired of dealing with their personal issues and other people’s bullshit,
so like many of them, they volunteer for the procedure,
but end up sharing a rental car on their way to their final destination.
The movie is a beautiful blend of dark comedy and introspective drama,
with a dash of romance, and it’s the type of story that will leave you contemplating life.
The two lead characters are essentially lost souls, and initially pretty much hate each other,
but as they’re stuck on this journey together, they slowly begin to open up.
If you’re a fan of movies that use a paranormal element in an otherwise small, grounded story
as a way to examine humanity and loneliness - I think you’ll really enjoy “Next Exit”.
And Hollywood, please, put Rahul Kohli in more movies!
Now, for something completely different, I want to draw your attention to “Apollo 10½:
A Space Age Childhood” directed by none other than Richard Linklater.
I had no idea this movie even existed until one of you recommended it to me a few days ago,
and it has been on Netflix since April, so thank you for that.
It’s an animated coming-of-age film, set in 1969,
and it’s a fictionalized take on the director’s own childhood.
It’s a story about a fourth-grader who becomes the first person to land on the Moon,
but of course, as this is a Linklater film, it’s not really about that.
It’s a movie filled with small details and observations, with hopes, dreams,
and nostalgia that really capture a time in history from a personal and playful perspective.
I just love the way the director finds these small moments, that may sound insignificant, but
actually end up making all the difference when it comes to the warmth and authenticity of the story.
It was such a joy to watch this, and I definitely appreciated the animation style as well,
which was a great fit for the lighthearted and slightly melancholic tone of this movie.
After watching it, I am now nostalgic for a time I’ve never experienced,
because it happened way before I was even born.
But “Apollo 10½” really pulled me in, making me feel like I knew exactly
what growing up in the suburbs of Huston was like back in the 60s,
making me feel like I completely understood who this boy was, as if he was my friend.
And that's the power of Richard Linklater's sincere and creative storytelling.
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Continuing with the theme of understated,
personal movie experiences, you should definitely watch “Aftersun”.
This may seem like just another simple, heartwarming, vacation film,
but “Aftersun” is actually deeply moving and there's a lot going on under the surface.
The story explores a father-daughter relationship through video footage of their vacation together:
an 11-year-old Sophie and her 30-year-old father are at a small resort in Turkey,
as she is facing adolescence and he is struggling with finding himself at this stage of his life.
It’s the kind of introspective film that may not have all that much going on as far
as the plot goes, but more than makes up for it from the emotional and character perspective.
Something that immediately stood out to me in “Aftersun” is how genuine this father-daughter
relationship feels and how natural the two lead performances are - Frankie Corio and
Paul Mescal are both simply exceptional in their roles in a way that feels very honest.
It’s also a movie that comes off a lot more authentically 90s than most modern movies
that are set in the 90s, and it’s bound to make you revisit some of your own memories,
as it examines the perspective of childhood memories and how we don’t necessarily grasp
the complexity of what’s going on with people around us at that age.
“Aftersun” is a movie that stays with you long after you watch it, and as you begin
to process it, you uncover new layers that make you fall in love with it more and more.
Now, I’m sure you already knew there were going to be horror movies on this list,
and to properly open up this section we need to talk about “Fresh” - a
dark comedy horror film that is as just as funny as it is disturbing.
Noa is a young woman who is very frustrated with dating
apps and the disappointing dates she ends up on because of them.
So, when she meets a charming, though slightly awkward man at the grocery
store she decides to try doing things the old fashioned way and gives him her number.
Everything seems to be going great, the two of them really hit it off, but when
Steve surprises her with a weekend getaway trip, things take a much more sinister turn.
I don’t want to spoil this movie for anyone who doesn’t know what it’s about yet, so I’ll just
leave the plot at that, but trust me, you will be squirming in no time, it gets pretty gross.
The great thing about “Fresh” is that it works really well as a straightforward horror movie,
but for those of you interested in digging deeper it also works as an allegory for modern dating.
Sebastian Stan does his best Patrick Bateman impression, and the chemistry between him and
Daisy Edgar-Jones is undeniable, which makes for a fascinating character dynamic later on.
I am always happy to see a movie that knows how to walk the line between being darkly
funny and full-on creepy, and “Fresh” is definitely one of those - entertaining,
unsettling and deliciously weird.
And speaking of weird, “Resurrection” is one crazy, demented psychological horror film.
It’s easily the most divisive movie on this list, and when you see it, you’ll understand why.
“Resurrection” is all about control,
and it’s a movie that grabs hold of you in the beginning and doesn’t let go until the very end.
The story is about Margaret - a single mother and a successful,
independent woman, who is unexpectedly faced with someone from her past.
As that encounter brings up past trauma and memories she’s been trying to suppress,
her life begins to fall apart and now she is willing to do anything
to regain control and protect her daughter.
While all of this sounds like a pretty standard, psychological thriller - trust me,
leave any expectations you have for this movie behind because it goes to
some bizarre and highly unsettling places that are more twisted than even I could imagine.
So I guess I should warn you, in case you’re easily disturbed,
that “Resurrection” is not for the faint of heart.
But if you’re looking for a very messed up take on
the woman unraveling / stalker subgenre - this is definitely the movie for you.
Rebecca Hall delivers one of her most intense performances, with an Oscar-worthy monologue,
Tim Roth is at his absolute creepiest here, and some parts of this movie are truly chilling,
to the point of being a bit too much for some viewers.
When it comes to psychological horror - “Resurrection” tops the
list of the most disturbing movies of the year.
As for a more emotional and meditative take on horror - I have to once again bring up “You Won’t
Be Alone”, which I talked about in my “Best Movies of 2022 (so far)” video, halfway through the year.
If folk horror that feels like a dark fairytale sounds like
your kind of thing - you cannot miss this one.
Set in 19th century Macedonia, this movie is about a shapeshifting witch, who accidentally
kills a peasant and takes on the peasant’s form to see what life is like in her skin.
As she experiences humanity with all its ups and downs, happiness and pain,
beauty and cruelty, the movie becomes a stunning, melancholy meditation on life itself.
Compared to the other two horror movies on this list, this one is definitely nowhere
near as scary, but emotional horror films like this, ones I can really connect to, always hold
a special place in my heart, and I know a lot of you appreciate this approach to the genre as well.
The film’s gorgeous cinematography really creates a unique mood and tone that stay with you long
after you watch it, and it’s another one of those films that will make you contemplate life.
While it won’t be a film for everyone, those who enjoy it will really love it,
even though it might break your heart along the way.
I feel like documentaries are an underrated and under-watched genre by definition,
so I wanted to highlight my favorite documentary that I’ve seen this year, “Fire of Love”.
It follows the lives and careers of two volcanologists, Katia and
Maurice Krafft who loved two things in life - each other, and volcanoes.
This documentary has two great things going for it: it features insane,
terrifying footage of volcanoes and the wholesome, adorable,
romantic relationship between the two people exploring them.
I could not take my eyes of these two fearless people traveling the world
and getting way too close for comfort to the volcanoes they were studying!
Honestly, I regret not seeing it on the big
screen because so much of this footage looks cinematic and even otherworldly.
Add to that the calm, soothing narration of Miranda July and some well placed humor,
and what you have here is a beautiful, unforgettable,
somewhat poetic experience that really leaves you in awe of this side of nature.
I don’t really have much more to say about this, other than if there is one documentary
from 2022 that I would easily recommend to literally everyone - it’s “Fire of Love”.
It’s simply stunning and the only thing that could have made it better is if it was longer,
because it definitely left me wishing for more.
Now, these next two movies are both at the top of my list, for slightly different reasons.
First of all, by far, the most underrated movie of 2022 is still “The Outfit”.
I am so surprised that this one is still flying
way under the radar and I still maintain that most people would enjoy it a lot.
This one-location crime thriller really knows how
to make use of dialogue and setting to maintain tension and mystery.
The movie is set in 1950s Chicago, in a small tailor shop where Leonard, an English tailor,
makes expensive suits for the only people around who can afford them: gangsters.
What could even go wrong with that, right?
The twists and turns keep coming, the suspense is growing, and every
character has their own agenda, as they’re trying to end up on top of this situation.
In short, what we have here is an incredibly gripping, fascinating,
stylish and smartly written gangster thriller.
And I don't even like gangster movies!
If you still haven’t seen “The Outfit” - you are definitely missing out.
The mind games and the tight pacing make it fly by, the entire cast is great,
including Mark Rylance delivering one of my favorite performances of his to date,
and the filmmakers really know how to use the contained setting and the time period effectively.
Plus, after keeping you guessing the entire time, the payoff in this film really delivers.
All of that makes “The Outfit” one of the easiest movies on this list to recommend to everyone.
The last film I want to talk about is Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave”.
There are 2 reasons why I’m putting it at the top of my list.
The first one is that despite getting a lot of praise at film festivals,
the film never really reached a wider audience, and it definitely deserves more attention.
And second is that it’s undeniably one of the best movies of the year,
sitting right outside of my top 10, at number 11, and I just can’t not talk about it.
“Decision to Leave” is somewhat of a puzzle box film - it’s a romantic mystery,
and could easily be described as the director’s take on the neo-noir genre.
It’s a story about a detective who starts falling for the widow of a man whose death
he’s investigating, even though this widow is quickly becoming the prime murder suspect.
Watching it kind of feels like you’re wandering inside a maze, and I mean that in a good way.
The entire time you’re looking for clues, you’re looking for
connections because it’s very obvious how deliberate every visual choice here is.
Park Chan-wook’s precise direction and the visuals in general are the
strongest things about this film, closely followed by the performances.
But aside from it looking gorgeous every step of the way, there are so many details to pay
attention to in every shot, that it makes me want to rewatch this movie just to absorb more of them.
There are plenty of visual motifs, including the way color and texture
are used, so many visual parallels and match cuts.
Because this story has to do with the complexities of communication
and understanding the other person, as well as perception - there is a lot of
playing with reflections and focus, or even placing characters in shots in an unusual way.
This is undeniably beautiful, memorable filmmaking filled with
interesting choices that communicate so much just with the visuals alone.
And it is simply a must-watch for any cinephile out there.
But I’m sure there were plenty more underrated, hidden gems this year, so I would love for you
guys to let me know what you think are the most under-appreciated and overlooked movies of 2022.
And of course, let me know your thoughts on my picks,
and how many of those would make your list as well.
Thank you so much for watching, I really appreciate every single one of you,
and I will see you very soon in my next video. Bye!