2022 Top Five - Movies

Today I have my top five movies of 2022. There have been a ton of movies released this year. I have seen a good portion of them. There are some movies I haven't watched yet, but will soon and may have to put some addendums on this piece in the future. I also watch more movies now than ever. When the pandemic started my wife and I started to have quarantine date nights. These nights included ordering dinner from a local restaurant and picking a movie to watch. We turn off our phones and pay attention. It was one of the first things we implemented at the start of the pandemic and we still do it to this day. It kept me sane at the start of COVID. It is one of my favorite things. That being said, let's get to my countdown.

I do want to shout out two movies that just missed the cut for me. "Nope" was great. I loved the imagery. I loved the story. The alien was scary and unique. And the Gordy story line was terrifying. Jordan Peele is an amazing director. I also really enjoyed "Weird". It was a perfect parody movie of a parody singer. I expected a lot from it and it exceeded all of my expectations. Daniel Radcliffe and Evan Rachel Wood were magnetic. They gave award worthy performances. "Weird" is a movie everyone should seek out. Okay, now to the top five.

At number 5 I have "The Northman". This movie is tough to convince people to watch, but when they do, they always come back and tell me they liked it. It is brutal. They speak in Viking tongue from time to time. It is dark and bleak. But the performances are wonderful. Alexander Skaarsgard was electric. The two big fight scenes with him were incredible. Anya Taylor Joy is up to task and crushes her performance. They are a great duo. This movie is violent and gory and the pacing is weird. But it is a movie that is so great when you give in and enjoy the watch. Nicole Kidman plays a villain. The imagery is incredible. "The Northman" is a ride but a worthwhile and fun ride in the end. The final battle scene is one of the coolest things I have ever witnessed in a movie. It is amazing.

At number 4 I have "Prey". This is the best version of "Predator" for me. They tell the best story. The Predator looks cool as hell. The acting is dynamite. I love that they take us back to the 17 or 1800's. I love that it is through the eyes of a Native American tribe. I love that a female is the lead, and the movie's biggest badass. And the fight scenes in this movie are great. When the Predator and a bear fight, that is awesome. When the Predator hunts people down, it is terrifying and enthralling. The fight scene with the lead, her brother and the Predator is dynamite. The fur trapper massacre is fulfilling since they were so evil. "Prey" is a perfect action movie for the modern era.

At number 3 I have "RRR". This movie is nuts and amazing. It is over three hours long. It took me three sittings to finish it. The movie switches from English to Hindi the whole time. The two leads are portrayed as superheroes even though they are regular dudes. There are tons of Bollywood dance scenes that totally rule. Some scenes in this movie are some of the best action scenes I have seen. The opener with one of the leads and a tiger is amazing. When the two leads are fighting the bad guys and one is riding the others shoulders, just wow. The whole back plot of some vicious diseases ravaging a neighborhood, too real. Seeing the war that is depicted was incredible. "RRR" is a movie I never would have watched if not for the urging of friends and people on podcasts raving about it. I'm glad they did and I'm stoked I watched.

At number 2 I have "Hustle". This is as paint by numbers as a sports movie can get and it totally worked on me. Adam Sandler is wonderful in this movie. He can really act when given good material. Add on his love for basketball and this is a perfect movie for him. Queen Latifah is excellent as his wife. She could be put upon and moody, but she never is. She handles her life situation great. Juancho Hernangomez was the perfect choice for Bo Cruz. He is not too big a star, but he knows what it takes to make it to the NBA. The training scenes felt real with him. Ben Foster is a perfect foil. Anthony Edwards was awesome and looked to be having a blast. Robert Duvall is barely in the movie, but he owns his scenes. I love this movie. My son loves this movie. So do his teammates on his basketball team. "Hustle" is a near perfect sports movie.

At number 1 have "Everything Everywhere All at Once". This was an easy pick for me. This movie is an absolute homerun. This movie has it all. This is one of the most emotional movies I have ever watched. This movie made me laugh and cry in equal measures. The performances are second to none. Michelle Yeoh is electric. Ke Huay Quan is a revelation. Stephaine Hsu is truly a dynamo. Jamie Lee Curtis is awesome. This movie is simply the best. The way they do the multiverse stuff is the best use ever on screen. The movie is more about family dynamics as opposed to superhero stuff. It is about immigration, divided family, coming to terms with loved ones and living the best possible life you can, in any universe. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" has moved me in no way any other movie has. It is not only the best movie of this year, I believe it is one of the best movies ever made.

That is it for movies. Come back tomorrow for my top TV shows of 2022. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Hustle"

I finished "Hustle" last night. I have been wanting to watch this movie since I first heard about it. I am a sucker for movies like these. It is a genre I am quite fond of.

“Hustle” is about a down on his luck basketball scout that finds a diamond in the rough. It tugs at my heartstrings. Growing up I used to watch movies like "Blue Chips", "The Air Up There" and "Cool Runnings" constantly. I couldn't get enough of the whole underdog scenario. As I get older I still watch a very high number of sports movies. I used to devour "The Program". That is a terrible movie, but it is about college football and Michigan wins their game in it. "He Got Game" is still one of my all time favorites. I adore the original "Space Jam". I love a movie like "Major League". I will even get down with some of the sports movies people consider not so great. So "Hustle" is my type of movie. Add on the fact that Adam Sandler is the star and LeBron James is producing. That is icing on the cake. I was in before I even watched one second.

Fortunately, for me, the movie is very well made. Sandler is excellent. This is further proof that Sandler can do more than comedy. He has a few funny lines here and there, but this is way more of a drama, and he nails it. It is akin to "Uncut Gems", except he isn't so slimy, or "Punch Drunk Love", except he isn't a pushover in this. Sandler is in his pocket and doing great, great things here. I was so happy to see him acting so well. I could say the same for a number of the other actors. Robert Duvall brings an air of gravitas to his very small role. Queen Latifah is simply wonderful as Sandler's wife. Kenny Smith, in what I believe is his first fiction role, is magnetic and believable as a super agent. There are tons of NBA players playing themselves, and that is perfect for a movie like this. Ben Foster is a total scumbag and he pulls it off. Heidi Gardner is stretching her "SNL" legs and she does a formidable job. Jaleel White is in this and I did not see Urkel once in him. But, outside of Sandler there were two other standout roles. First off Anthony Edwards plays a young brash soon to be first round pick named Kermit in this movie. He is awesome. He was, quite possibly, my favorite part of the whole thing. He is cocky and can back it up. He talks shit. He has a line where he asks a player where he is from and the player says Spain. Edwards says to him, and I quote, "that shit sounds wack". It was the funniest and best line in the whole movie. Edwards was phenomenal. But this was Juancho Hernangomez's movie. He is the player that Sandler's character is trying to get to the NBA. I think it was a brilliant move by the people involved to get a non superstar in this role. He isn't a big name so not everyone knows who he is, but he is in the league so the training and game play stuff looked and felt real. It was wonderful. Seeing him go through drills and get better felt very, very real. When he plays with NBA stars in this movie you believe he has the skill. He can play with these guys because he actually does. When he goes up against Edwards' character part of me felt like the director just let the camera roll and this was real gameplay. It totally worked. I applaud the decision to cast a guy like Juancho Hernangomez. This movie is a true crowd pleaser. You will find yourself rooting for this young man. This is a movie that people who don't like basketball will enjoy. It helps to know who everyone is while watching, but even if you don't, this is a story about redemption and overcoming obstacles. I don't know too many people who dislike stuff like that. There is cliche stuff and the movie is paint by numbers, but dammit it works. They got it right.

I highly, highly recommend this movie. I have already watched it again with my son, who is obsessed with the NBA, and he loves it too. Check out "Hustle". It is well worth your time.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.