Between Two Sharks

Before I gave up writing a 2021 year in film, I was musing about the first night I spent in my college apartment. My brothers and I stayed up until an ungodly hour watching nothing but Syfy Original shark movies back-to-back with nothing in our stomachs but Chinese takeout. It’s hard to describe, but there’s a moment between watching a tourist eaten on the beach in Sand Sharks and running to the kitchen before queueing up Avalanche Sharks at 1 A.M. where everything in the universe suddenly makes sense. An overwhelming feeling that this pocket of space, in your ratty apartment on your Value City clearance couch, is the only place that matters. It took me nearly a decade but I think I found that feeling again.

It first came back to me when I wrote my first real story for Film Cred, creating an extreme weather cinematic universe; and since then I’ve published my first reviews and have found a home there writing about the movies I enjoy. The second moment came when my partner and I moved into our new apartment, and I had the space to finally host movie nights again. So for the last year and a half I’ve gotten to share movies from Tammy and the T-Rex, to Cool as Ice and even the lost 90’s Fantastic Four.

I’ve honestly never felt more connected to film than I am now.

Thank you to all the friends who’ve stayed up until 1 A.M. with me on Friday nights watching absolute trash, to the truly wonderful people at Film Cred for publishing my ravings, and to the cast and crew of every movie I’ve seen in the last year; thank you for doing the hard work.

You can see the full list of every movie I watched in 2022 on Letterboxd, but but without further ado — my top 15 films of 2022.

36 (2012)

This was the first film I watched by Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, and the moment the credits rolled I knew that I’d be adding him to the list of my favorite contemporary directors. For me, 36 is as close to a perfect film as you can get. Koramit Vajrasthira as Sai puts on one of the most nuanced performances I’ve ever seen in a drama; pulling the viewer through the film’s 36 beats as if we’re sitting down with a close friend recounting a tale of lost love.

Thamrongrattanarit’s direction feels almost effortlessly dialed-in, and there are moments where the camera lingers for the briefest of seconds as if it feels as pained by the emotion on screen as I did watching. Those moments never overstay their welcome or feel intentionally placed to draw out emotion; they offer you a chance to feel, to breathe, before you’re once again entranced by the story laid out in front of you.

RRR (2022)

I have never been more upset to miss a film’s theatrical run than I (still) am about RRR. We already knew S. S. Rajamouli could bring action on a grand scale after both Bahubali films, but RRR is a spectacle to behold; and it deserves to be treated like one. The visuals, score and story come together for one of the most pulse-pounding experiences I’ve ever had watching an action film; especially compared to contemporary American releases.

The film is a reminder that there’s an entire world of Southeast Asian cinema that I need to explore, and I hope that its success leads to more theatrical wide releases of film’s from that area of the world.

1974: The Possession of Altair (2016)

I have not stopped thinking about Possession of Altair since I watched it back in October. Found footage is my favorite horror subgenre and this film nails it perfectly. The aesthetic and wardrobe feel like they were plucked from the 70’s, and without the soundtrack you’d almost believe it was someone’s home movie.

The movie masquerades as a case of demonic possession and plays those familiar story elements beat for beat; making you lower your guard until you start to notice that things aren’t actually adding up. Without saying more, I’ve never fallen so completely for a twist and I immediately had to rewatch it to pick out the moments I’d been played for a fool.

While the film is available in the original Spanish on YouTube, please seek out the physical release from Cauldron Films, it is well worth the purchase.

Shin Ultraman (2022)

From the moment this film was announced alongside Shin Kamen Rider, and I saw that Shinji Higuchi would be directing, I knew that this film would be special. Higuchi, alongside Hideaki Anno and Shunsuke Kaneko, have been distilling iconic Japanese franchises to their purest elements since the Heisei Gamera trilogy of the 2000s and Shin Ultraman continues the trend.

Ultraman has always been about hope and humanity’s potential to be better no matter how impossible things may seem. That optimism shines through with every setback faced by the film’s characters. Takumi Saitoh, as Shinji Kaminaga, is enthralling to watch as he learns to become human after his body is taken over by Ultraman; and Masami Nagasawa and Hidetoshi Nishijima do a phenomenal job in supporting him. Like Shin Godzilla before it, it’s an incredible homage to the original works it pays tribute to and I highly recommend it.

Quatermass and the Pit (1967)

I tweeted this after watching the film but Quatermass and the Pit is a testament to why Hammer Films dominated the horror and science fiction landscape for nearly 40 years. It’s a fascinating film that takes the premise of railway workers happening upon a not-quite-humanoid looking skull, and instead of immediately turning into a by the numbers alien invasion story turns it into a study on the nature of humanity and our insistence on our importance to the universe.

The moment that our cosmic insignificance is laid bare, the first instinct of those in power is to bury our heads in the sand and pile on the layers of bureaucracy that keep the rest of the world moving; knowing full well that if, even for a moment, the world at large knew that maintaining the machine of society was pointless they would be right here with us, instead of towering above.

It’s the final shot of the film, where Quatermass (Andrew Keir) and Judd (Barbara Shelley) are standing in the wreckage of London that puts it all in perspective. There’s an air of both resignation and relief between them that tells the viewer that they knew this was always going to happen; the world just wasn’t ready to know how unimportant we are.

Microhabitat (2017)

Microhabitat is about small moments, those gestures that seem insignificant compared to everything else happening in your life, and the realization that they often go unnoticed. It’s also a film about those tiny constants in your life that you take for granted, and how much upheaval can happen when one of them changes.

The film follows housekeeper Miso (Esom) as she reacts to a change in her constants, the price of cigarettes and rent, by choosing to give up her apartment and couch surf between members of her former band. The difference in the lives of her friends, often complex and stressful, in comparison to hers, which is made up of those simple constants, make them push her away; all of them ignoring the small gestures she performed for them, a cooked meal or cleaning of a room, until it’s too late.

It forces you to remember those things that were always there in your life and examine why they aren’t any more; maybe it’s not too late to change that.

Se7en (1995)

Every year I end up watching an older movie that I knew I wouldn’t have appreciated if I had seen it earlier in life, this year’s pick was Se7en. I’ve only seen a handful of David Fincher films, but it’s always been clear that he’s a master of the psychological thriller; and I’ve come to relish in the brief moments he dabbles in horror.

Se7en is captivating. Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is the ideal neo-noir detective haunted by the city he sought to keep safe, juxtaposed by Detective David Mills ( Brad Pitt) who hasn’t seen how low humanity can stoop. Their strained partnership could have easily taken center-stage to a weaker mystery but Fincher crafts such a terrifying and engrossing tale through John Doe’s (Kevin Spacey) murders that if they were better partners it almost feels like the case wouldn’t have been solved.

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Everything Everywhere All At Once is…overwhelming. From the pacing to the dazzling visuals, it’s a sensory barrage that is usually reserved for big budget action movies. It was the only film I saw multiple times in theaters, and one of the few new releases I immediately purchased a physical copy of. That said, I can’t recommend it to everyone.

I will say this, during the time of my life where I was desperately seeking approval from my mom I too would have tried to destroy the universe to not have to deal with those feelings. For a lot of its fans, myself included, the movie feels deeply personal; but in all honesty, awards and acclaim withstanding, I’m just happy that it exists and I’m at a point in my life that I can appreciate it.

Nope (2022)

Nope is weird and wonderful, and I hope that Jordan Peele continues to take long standing ideas within science fiction and ground them in the Black experience. Watching anything in his filmography makes me so proud, because I never thought I’d see movies like his on the big screen; discussed and examined in a way that other Black science fiction and horror films weren’t until recently.

Peele gives Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya this incredibly layered sibling dynamic that is made even deeper by what’s not said on film, creates this beautifully imaginative creature that he forces us to accept and then tops it off by throwing in an insane amount of anime references; a true maestro at work.

As a kid who grew up watching the Twilight Zone religiously, I’m often reminded of this quote by Rod Serling when I watch his films:

“The writer’s role is to menace the public’s conscience. He must have a position, a point of view. He must see the arts as a vehicle of social criticism and he must focus on the issues of his time.”

Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)

Seance on a Wet Afternoon is without a doubt one of the best thrillers that I’ve ever seen. Myra (Kim Stanley) and Billy (Richard Attenborough) cling so desperately to the relationship that they once had, that it’s almost as tender as it is diabolical. There are moments where you can tell that at one point, before the incident which broke Myra mentally, they’re love was immensely deep; otherwise Billy would have left long before she began her grand machinations.

Like many films directed by Bryan Forbes, it’s an exploration into the question of how far you’re willing to go to seize control of your own life. Seance has this undercurrent of desperation that kept me glued to my seat.

Also, praise to the casting team that brought together Stanley and Attenborough.

X (2022)

When I went into X I wasn’t sure what to expect other than knowing that I was going to have my face melted off. Ti West delivered that in spades.

You can tell by the incredible amount of care in every shot that he is fascinated by this particular period of American history and he details it meticulously. Mia Goth of course carries the movie, but the supporting ensemble of Brittany Snow, Kid Cudi and Jenna Ortega aren’t phoning it in either; everybody here is on their A-game and it shows.

Pearl didn’t make it to my top 15, but what West is attempting with his trilogy of films continues to breathe life into what feels like the start of a historic decade in horror.

Barbarian (2022)

The only way I can describe Barbarian is that it is extremely my shit.

I love when a horror film truly commits to the premise and gives you an unrelenting experience, regardless of how realistic it is, and Barbarian is the wildest ride I’ve had since Malignant. The first half of the movie builds right up until you think you’ve figured it out only to drop you right back down to the bottom of the cliff; but the climb back? Exceptional.

Also, I’d like to applaud the marketing team who decided to drop the remixed trailer touting it as “Justin Long’s latest film,” all the while Georgina Campbell and Bill Skarsgård are out here fighting for their lives.

Honestly, go into it blind and you will have a blast.

The Haunting (1963)

When Nel (Julie Harris) takes her first step into The Haunting’s Hill House, something about it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up; I’m not sure if it’s the superb change in tone or the use of shadows that make the house feel immediately imposing, but from that point on I sat forward on the couch.

With near perfect pacing, director Robert Wise sets a sinister mood that pulls you down into the mystery through a hypnotizing score and lulls you into a false sense of security through its beauty. Each and every room of Hill House feels just as likely to devour the characters as it is to let them marvel at its architecture.

April Story (1998)

Late 90s indie films from Japan have this nascent dreamlike quality to them where you can tell that the filmmaker, and by extension their characters, are exploring the prospect of a new millennium and what their place will be in it. What director Shunji Iwai manages to do with April Story is take that fear of the unknown and wrap it in an innocent slice-of-life story about fledgling adulthood.

In the film Uzuki Nireno (Takako Matsu) follows her high school crush to college in the hope that he’ll remember her. On her search for him, she slowly comes to realize her own interests and that she has the choice to follow her own dreams rather than chase after someone else.

It is an incredibly sweet film, and with a runtime of barely over an hour Iwai masterfully takes us through what I can only describe as a spring of youth; mistakes happen, hearts are broken, but you blossom into something stronger than you’ve ever been.

History of the Occult (2020)

After watching History of the Occult I understand why it was so highly rated. Both the visuals and storytelling are strikingly subtle, and the dual plots of political intrigue and the supernatural intertwined so naturally that I was torn between which fate for our characters is worse; failing to launch a political revolution, or being forever haunted by an otherworldly darkness. That tension propels us through a frantic final act, where you know that no matter which truth is revealed first there won’t be any reprieve for our characters or the country they so desperately want to change.

History of the Occult is another reminder that there are so many countries producing amazing films that I’m woefully unaware of; I hope that as more spotlight is shown on the smaller film industries around the world their back catalogs are made widely available. That or I’m going to have to learn so many languages Duolingo will get tired of seeing me.