Welcome to my first post on my new blog! If you’ve known me for a while, you know I used to do all my blogs over on my other website, Cinema 'Stine. After creating this website in my marketing class, I have decided to start blogging over here! So again, welcome to my first new movie blog.
Before we get started I need to explain my rating system. I rated my first movie on my personal scale in October of 2019 and have been basing my other ratings on that first movie ever since. So, some of my ratings might seem close numerically but have different meanings to me. I have attached a chart below for reference.
In this article, I will be ranking all of this year's movies that I watched. My qualifications for this were pretty much anything that I saw (I can’t rank something I didn’t watch) that was not a direct-to-streaming movie (Ex; Senior Year starring my girl, Rebel Wilson). Without further ado, let’s get started on ranking all the movies I’ve seen this year!
17. Scream (2022)
As a huge horror movie fan, I was so excited to watch Scream (2022). This movie was one of the biggest cinematic letdowns for me of the year. I love the franchise, but this movie was god-awful. It was too “self-aware” and made for a terrible continuation of the iconic franchise. Arianna Sergio in a Ball State Daily News article said it best;
“Scream (2022) is too similar to its original, which ultimately works against the film’s favor. It’s one thing to be meta, like the original, but this film is so self-referential and self-aware that the viewer becomes detached from the world of the film. Movies are supposed to immerse you, not disengage.”
One of my favorite quotes from the original movie was “Movies don’t create psychos. Movies make psychos more creative.” While the original Scream movie had a level of self-awareness, this new addition to the franchise felt too much like a fanfiction movie. I could imagine my middle school self writing something like this on Wattpad in eighth grade and creating a character to immerse myself in the story. The only thing I remotely enjoyed about the movie was Jenna Ortega’s performance. Overall, the film was horrible and was just a huge letdown. I give this film a 6.4/10, earning a spot in my “Not Great” category and making it my least favorite movie of the year.
16. Morbius
It’s Morbin’ time! Shockingly, the biggest cinematic meme of the year did not earn the spot as my least favorite flick this year. While it was a trainwreck of a movie, it was not the worst thing I’ve seen this year. Compared to other recent superhero movies, it was just so boring to me. It felt so basic and I really thought they could have done more with the plot and the characters. To me, it was a terribly bland introductory movie for the character. I give this movie a 6.5/10, also earning a spot in my “Not Great” movie section.
PS: I was originally not even going to watch this movie, but my partner and I made a spur-of-the-moment trip to the cinema the day he got accepted into graduate school in order to get his mind off of the announcement that was coming that night (he got into his top school, just in case you were wondering.)
15. Minions: Rise of Gru
Despite the social media trend that this movie caused, I believe this movie did not live up to the hype. Thankfully, I was not one of those people that dressed up and went to the cinema to see this movie in theaters. My roommates and I rented it and streamed it from the comfort of our living room.
I realize this was a children’s movie, so I was not the target audience for it, however, I still didn’t really like it. Especially after going back and watching the original Minions movie after this, Rise of Gru pales in comparison. In my opinion, this movie needed more minions and fewer Gru. Everyone loves the minions, so I think another movie based on the minions would have been better than another story about Gru. I give this movie a 6.7/10, earning its place in my “Not Great” movie section.
14. Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness
I was told that as a horror fan, I would love this “scary” Marvel movie. I’m not sure if I’m just so desensitized because of the amount of horror movie content I consume, or if this movie just wasn’t what I thought it would be, but I really didn’t think this movie was scary at all. If anything, Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness just contained parts of the movie that were shocking (if you’ve seen the movie, you know what I’m talking about.)
This was another movie that just didn’t live up to the hype that it was given. I thought that this was the least entertaining of the Marvel movies I saw this year. This was disappointing, especially given how visually stunning and entertaining Doctor Strange was. I had a love-hate relationship with Wanda’s character. On one hand, it was cool to see the character and the extent of her powers in this new movie, but on the other hand, it made me feel like the only point of Wandavision was to set up the plot for this movie and that was Wanda’s only purpose. I feel like the Marvel Cinematic Universe could have done more with this character rather than take it in the direction that they did. The only part of the movie I really did like was American Chavez. She was an awesome new character who was portrayed really well on the big screen by Xochitl Gomez. Overall, I give this movie a 6.9/10, ranking it in my “Not Great” section.
13. Amsterdam
If I see that a certain actress is in a movie, you can bet I’ll be watching it. This film had two of my favorites in it; my all-time favorite actress, Margot Robbie, and one of my up-and-coming favorites, Anya Taylor-Joy. The trailer had a pretty promising plot, and pretty much delivered on it. Despite a slow start, Amsterdam proved itself to be a fun movie. It wasn’t one of my top favorites of the year, but I’m glad I decided to give this one a watch. If you like historic events, mysteries, and action, I definitely recommend checking this flick out. I give this movie a 7/10, earning it a slot in my “Medium” section of movies.
12. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Marvel Fans: Please don’t hate me. This movie was good, but like Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, it didn’t live up to its original movie. I realize that was hard to do now that Chadwick Boseman is gone, but I just feel that some of the Marvel magic that used to bring me into the theaters isn’t there like it used to be. I did really like the introduction of Namor though. His character’s introduction and Shuri’s character development were two of the things that really held this movie together. If you keep up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I recommend checking this one out. I give this movie a 7.1/10, giving it a place in my “Good” section of movies.
PS: Stick around for the after-credits scene (and bring the tissues.)
11. Where the Crawdads Sing
This was one of those movies that were on my watch radar, yet didn’t interest me enough to make a trip to the movies to see it. I didn’t see this summer movie until National Cinema Day on September 3rd when my mom and I wanted to take advantage of the $3 movie tickets. Even though this movie wasn’t my choice, I ended up enjoying it more than I thought. It was slow at times, but when the plot picked back up, it was pretty good and had me very emotionally invested in the movie. If you like romance and mystery, this is a good movie to check out. I also give this movie a 7.1/10, making it a “Good” movie.
10. Thor: Love & Thunder
This was one of the only Marvel movies of the year I was really looking forward to watching this year. While similar to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, it was not as good as its previous movies, it still proved to be a fun film (however, it’s got to be hard to beat Thor: Ragnarok. That is easily one of the best Marvel movies.) This movie had it all from laughs to losses, and seriousness to silliness, this was a really fun movie. If you keep up with Marvel movies, I highly recommend checking it out. I give this movie a 7.17/10, earning its rank with my “Good” movies.
PS: I included a picture of the screaming goats from this movie because they were easily my favorite part of the film.
9. The Batman
I have lots of thoughts on this movie. As a DC fan more so than a Marvel fan these days, I was really looking forward to this film. DC movies have had a record of being pretty bad in recent years, and from the trailer, this film was pretty promising. Taking a more modern, dark, detective route, this movie started off pretty strong. I thought the terrorist-Esque Riddler was really good. My only complaint with the movie was its ending. Not that I was rooting for him, but the Riddler seemed to have a good plan going, and the end of the movie didn’t seem to line up with the rest of his plans throughout the movie. Additionally, this movie was too damn long. There was absolutely no reason that The Batman needed to be six minutes shy of the length of Avengers: Endgame. Parts of this movie had me checking my watch in the theater to see what time it was. Despite the length of this movie and its somewhat lame ending, I would recommend checking it out. I give this movie a 7.18/10, making it a “Good” movie.
8. Smile
This is another movie that wasn’t high on my watchlist, yet proved itself to be a pretty good movie. This shockingly captivating psychological horror movie (with exceptional marketing techniques if I do say so myself,) was a great watch during the Halloween season. Keeping my engagement throughout the whole movie, the only time it lost me a little bit was towards the end thanks to their (in my opinion) overuse of CGI. If you like scary movies, check this one out! I give this movie a 7.19/10, meaning it was a “Good” movie to me.
7. Don’t Worry Darling
I want to preface this by saying that this movie made me annoyed Harry Styles fan a little more so than usual. I have noticed that movie theaters have gotten louder in this post-COVID-19 era, however, the amount of screaming anytime Harry Styles’ breathed on screen was incredibly annoying. If you are in the cinema, respectfully shut up.
Anyways, I really liked this movie! I was really interested in seeing this movie because of Florence Pugh’s performance, and she certainly delivered it. This movie had me captivated from beginning to end. Many people thought that the ending was predictable, but I really didn’t think so. In addition to an awesome plot, this movie also had a great soundtrack (that I put it on when I’m cleaning my apartment so I feel like a 50’s-esque housewife and not a stressed college student.) If you like drama thrillers or, I guess Harry Styles, check this movie out! I give this movie a 7.27, earning a spot in my “Really Good” movie section.
6. Everything, Everywhere, All At Once
Have you ever had a really weird dream at night? Like, a really weird dream? One of those that you wake up in the middle of the night and then doze off again and you’re back in it? This is what this crazy movie was like. I had no idea what this movie was about coming into it, and I think that having no expectations helped me enjoy this movie more. Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and Jamie Lee Curtis had such great, insane performances in this film. If you like crazy weird, or if you just really like a24 films like me, check this movie out! I give this movie a 7.3/10 earning it a “Really Good” place in my movies.
5. Elvis
Like everyone else this year, I was obsessed with Elvis. This movie was so fun and memorable. A lot of people held the opinion that the Colonel’s character and narration took away from the movie, however, after my second watch of the movie, I think that having the Colonel narrate Elvis’ story helped show Elvis as a victim of his situation and really helped to portray the Colonel as a villain. With (obviously) good music, an intriguing story, and unique cinematography and effects, this was one of my favorite films of the year. I gave this movie a 7.3/10, making it a “Really Good” movie.
4. Sonic The Hedgehog: 2
You may be asking yourself, “Christine? You’re a 21-year-old adult, why is Sonic the Hedgehog: 2 so high up on your list?” The answer to that question is that Sonic the Hedgehog is awesome and this movie was hilarious. I’m biased because I love Sonic, but this movie was genuinely so good. Just like its first movie, it was so fun to watch. It had a great story and hilarious moments that made the whole theater laugh out loud. It doesn’t matter if you’re 2 or 21, this movie is a good watch. I give this movie a 7.5/10, earning it a “Really Good” rating.
3. Nope
In most cases, Jordan Peele puts out excellent horror movies (with the exception of last year's trainwreck of a Candyman remake.) Thankfully, Nope was one of those excellent movies. From start to end, this movie had me on the edge of my seat. Keke Palmer was amazing and, as usual, Daniel Kaluuya delivered an amazing performance. I love seeing him in horror films and I hope to see more from him in the coming years. If you liked Get Out and Us, check this one out. I give this amazing horror flick a 7.8/10, making it a “Really Good” movie.
PS: Don’t plan any trips to the zoo after seeing this movie. If you know, you know.
2. X
All I had to know is that this was an a24 horror film about a group of people making pornography set in the late 70s and I was there. This movie was so good. I’m sure that being literally the only person in the theater during my showing added to the fear factor of this film, but despite that, this movie delivered some really good scares with its exceptional plot. Mia Goth has quickly become one of my it-girls this year because of this movie and Pearl. If you love horror, you’ve got to check this one out. I give this movie an 8.35/10, earning it’s rank in my highest category, “Movies That Influenced My Personality.’
1. Pearl
This movie, described as the “American Psycho for women,” was my top film of the year. Pearl was indescribably amazing. A prequel to X, this movie really gave more context to the first movie and delivered an amazing film. This movie had the feel of Wizard of Oz in its cinematography, but, obviously with horror and gore instead of magic creatures and happy songs. I loved Pearl’s character. I felt that despite how literally insane she was, I could relate to the character. All she wanted to do was be successful and follow her dreams, yet there were so many obstacles in her way of doing what she wanted. Mia Goth delivered an insane performance. Especially at the end of the film, I just couldn’t look away from what was happening on screen. If you liked X, you’ve got to watch Pearl. If you haven’t watched either, I still recommend watching X before Pearl, even though others have recommended the opposite.I give this amazing movie an 8.45/10, earning a spot in my “Movies That Influences My Personality” category.
If you liked this blog, stay tuned for more!
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