Each year, there are many movies that fans highly anticipate coming out. For 2022, some of those movies have been the recent release Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Lightyear which is coming out soon.
Among the long list of movies that get released each year, there are many that end up going unnoticed even though there are really good. It is really easy for big-name films to take away the spotlight, but these are just a few of the movies that have come out so far this year that are worth going back to watch.
X
From films like the popular Everything Everywhere All At Once, to the lesser-known X, A24 is really stepping more into the spotlight. They are known for making movies that can cause a sense of uneasiness, and X does exactly that.
The slasher film, set in the late 70s, tells the story of a film crew that is shooting an adult film in a farmhouse a nice old gentleman let them use. As they begin filming, weird things start to happen, and the old man’s wife shows up frequently in less than ideal spots and conditions. This take on a horror film got left in the shadows in March due to bigger films like The Batman, and Turning Red. Regardless, any fans of slasher movies should give it a watch, and it’s worth noting it was rated Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Gold
Zac Efron has come a long way since playing the teen heartthrob Troy Bolton from High School Musical. In his most recent acting role in Gold, Efron fans see a side of him that makes his role in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile look tame.
Efron, who plays a drifter, and another drifter stumble across a large piece of gold in the desert. When they can’t get it out, the other drifter says he’ll go get supplies to get it. As Efron struggles to protect the gold and survive the heat of the desert, he has to battle many things, although they may not all be real. Gold is more deserving of some better spotlight, both for its story as well as Efron’s astounding performance.
Death On The Nile
The 2017 mystery film Murder on the Orient Express got a sequel this year called Death on the Nile. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also directed Thor, the film tells the story of a murder case that took place on a cruise ship in Egypt.
Murder mystery movies have been done many times, and the style isn’t necessarily new. What makes this film worth the watch it the all-star cast and the fact that it is one of the few novels by Agatha Christie that got a film. With stars like Annette Bening, Russell Brand, and Gal Gadot the movie is bound to have plenty of good acting sequences. The fresh take on the classic story is worth a watch for fans who enjoy a good mystery film.
Ambulance
Director Michael Bay has been behind some of the best films in the last few decades from the live-action Transformers series, to the A Quiet Place movies. He always provides plenty of action, and there is no shortage of that in his newest film Ambulance.
The movie is essentially a bank robbery that turns into a car chase, with the car that is being chased being an ambulance with a hurt cop inside. Ambulance is one of Bay’s best films. It has a good cast, a heist, and classic Bay action sequences throughout. Ambulance is the perfect action-packed film to watch for those that want to see an epic car chase last upwards of two hours.
Ray Donovan: The Movie
Some series have to wrap up their show quickly, and they usually make a movie instead of a whole new season to make this happen. There are other times that a movie gives fans one last chance to say goodbye to the characters they have been following for years, which seems to be the case for Ray Donovan.
After the seventh season finale, the movie Ray Donovan: The Movie came out. The movie seemed to continue on the storyline from the finale. The Donovan family legacy was revived and brought full circle as Ray worked to fight his last few demons and make sure that there were no loose ends. As a final hurrah to the characters, the crime drama show ends with this movie.
Thar
Thar, a western thriller that takes place in India is a movie that joined Netflix this year. The movie received decent ratings all around and helped add some more variety to Netflix’s original movies.
The movie is an action thriller that tells the story of an experienced cop seizing the opportunity to prove himself when a murder happens in his town. He gets dragged into things he doesn’t expect, and it tests his skills and morals. The dark, and gritty storyline has been praised in all aspects from the score to the dialogue.
The Mulligan
Sports can be seen as something that can help people learn valuable life lessons. It has been seen in movies countless times, and The Mulligan uses golf to help teach lessons. The drama was rated highly but got lost in the midst of other movies being released in April.
Golf isn’t the most popular sport to use in films to tell a story, but in The Mulligan, famous actor Paul McAllister ends up getting advice from an old golf pro that helps him when his life crumbles. Paul has to learn how to play well on and off both the screen and the course. As it covers hardships that many families go through, it hits home with many.
Father Stu
One movie that flew under the radar this year is Father Stu. It may not have gotten much recognition due to its mixed reviews. The movie tells the story of an ex-boxer, played by Mark Wahlberg, who is trying to find a new purpose in life after moving to L.A..
Father Stu is one of Walhberg’ best movies as he tries to get into acting but ends up finding love. This relationship leads him to a career he never would have expected – becoming a Catholic priest. As a previous atheist, this journey has ups and downs and proves to give him a second chance but not without testing him first. The Columbia Pictures movie may have received mixed reviews, but the performance from Walhberg, Mel Gibson, and Jacki Weaver is a hidden gem worth watching.
The Outfit
Chicago in the late 50s got a bit of a revival in movies this year thanks to The Outfit. The movie took place in a cutter’s shop in a neighborhood run by an Irish Mob boss. His workshop in the back doubles as a mailroom for the mob, and while he always made sure to stay out of it, he get heavily involved in the battle one night unexpectedly.
It sits perfectly as a crime drama, although there are many great movies like The Outfit. The cinematography is unparalleled. It is unique in the fact that it only takes place in the shop between three small rooms. This makes the dialogue and the storyline incredibly important, as well as the acting, all of which are phenomenal.
They/Them/Us
One movie that came out originally as an independent feature film in 2021, but was released to select theaters in early 2022 and eventually became available to rent, is They/Them/Us. The film was filmed in Columbus, Ohio, and was selected to be the first production of the Columbus Pictures Film Fund. It tells the story of divorced parents in their 40s trying to raise four kids, and handling what life throws at them.
They/Them/Us was made to allow people to connect with what each of the characters was feeling in the movie. From each of the kids being extremely different from one another to two forty-year-olds falling in love and trying to figure out how to keep this new spark alive while raising four kids. The movie has all the best parts of a movie, comedy, drama, and romance, which allow it to really feel relatable.
