First off, here’s my heartfelt gratitude to all the people who helped me make it through another year. The appreciation for people reading anything I write on this beautiful medium means a lot. Sharing my passion with other passionate people makes life worth living.
As for summarizing the year of film: I recently compared my favorite films of 2022 to last year’s crop and unfortunately, the films don’t quite match up. I don’t mean to diminish a full-year of cinema, but in my eyes, it was a down-year for the industry. There were still plenty of strong films with fascinating central theses, but the quality of depth was missing. Outside of my absolute favorites, I didn’t come away with as many indelible impressions that I have in previous years.
Furthermore, the adult specialty drama continued an alarming trend. Audiences don’t care for a new Spielberg film or Damien Chazelle’s bananas Hollywood epic. The movies that sold were franchise sequels and horror. Thankfully, horror releases kicked ass in 2022, but adult dramas are falling off a cliff. I don’t see a reality where these films rebound anytime soon, and studios will be less likely to make them in the future. I can’t help but feel discouraged. As always, the audience’s that cherish the medium the most are being boxed out as niche.
Nonetheless, there’s still plenty to celebrate. Martin McDonagh gave us his magnum opus, The Banshees of Inisherin. Telugu-cinema attracted a worldwide audience with RRR and expanded our horizons on what action films can accomplish. We even got a film from the legendary VFX artist, Phil Tippet. For the past 30 years, Tippet worked on Mad God and finally released it to the public in 2022. Plus, international cinema continues to thrive – push the medium forward and provide us all much needed perspectives. Now, it’s time for the 2022 Weird Cinema awards…
But first, take a peek at last years winner: Memoria
Quick stipulation: Some of the film’s listed will have 2021 release dates, but they qualified for me if they were only made available in my area or on streaming in 2022.
Worst Film
Honorable Mention: Armageddon Time
5. Doctor Strange and The Multiverse of Madness
4. Spiderhead
3. There’s Someone Inside Your House
2. The Invitation
1. Deep Water
Best Visual Effects (VFX)
Honorable Mention: RRR
5. Top Gun: Maverick
4. Thirteen Lives
3. Crimes of the Future
2. Avatar: The Way of Water
1. Mad God
Best Production Design
Honorable Mention: Babylon
5. White Noise
4. Elvis
3. Crimes of the Future
2. Mad God
1. Decision to Leave
Best Comedy
Honorable Mention: Everything Everywhere All at Once
5. White Noise
4. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
3. Triangle of Sadness
2. Nope
1. The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Horror
Honorable Mention: Deadstream
5. X/Pearl
4. Crimes of the Future
3. Bones and All
2. Nope
1. Mad God
Weirdest Film
Honorable Mention: EO
5. Bones and All
4. White Noise
3. Flux Gourmet
2. Crimes of the Future
1. Mad God
Best Ending
Honorable Mention: Bones and All
5. The Banshees of Inisherin
4. The Fabelmans
3. Triangle of Sadness
2. Decision to Leave
1. Holy Spider
Best Scene
Honorable Mention: the ghostly Alchemist receives the child, Mad God
5. Closing statements, Argentina, 1985
4. Baiting the serial killer to pick up, Holy Spider
3. Ram’s introduction; fighting an angry mob AND WINNING, RRR
2. Siobhan and Dominic last meeting at the lake, The Banshees of Inisherin
1. The Gordy Attack, Nope
Most Original Film
Honorable Mention: Nope
5. Everything Everywhere All at Once
4. White Noise
3. Bones and All
2. Crimes of the Future
1. Mad God
Best Score/Soundtrack
Honorable Mention: MM Keeravani, RRR
4. Bryce Dressner, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
3. Carter Burwell, The Banshees of Inisherin
1. Howard Shore, Crimes of the Future
Best Animated Feature
Honorable Mention: New Gods: Yiang
5. Inu-ou
4. Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood
3. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
2. One Piece: Film Red
1. Mad God
Best Costumes
Honorable Mention: Crimes of the Future
5. Everything Everywhere at Once
4. White Noise
3. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
2. Elvis
1. Bones and All
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Honorable Mention: The Whale
5. The Batman
4. All Quiet on the Western Front
3. Bones and All
2. Elvis
1. Crimes of the Future
Best Documentary
3. Navalny
2. Retrograde
1. Fire of Love
Best Sound Mixing
Honorable Mention: Return to Seoul
5. Everything Everywhere All at Once
4. Neptune Frost
3. All Quiet on the Western Front
2. Nope
1. RRR
Best Sound Editing
Honorable Mention: Marcel The Shell with Shoes On
5. Decision to Leave
4. Top Gun: Maverick
3. All Quiet on the Western Front
2. Mad God
1. Nope
Best Editing
Honorable Mention: Paul Rodgers, Everything Everywhere All at Once
5. Blair McClendon, Aftersun
4. Nicholas Monsour, Nope
3. Kim Sang-bum, Decision to Leave
2. Dounia Sichov, Return to Seoul
1. Michael Kahn, Sarah Broshar, The Fabelmans
Best Cinematography
Honorable Mention: James Friend, All Quiet on the Western Front
5. Darius Khonji, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
4. Ben Davis, The Banshees of Inisherin
3. Hoyte van Hoytema, Nope
2. Katia Krafft, Maurice Krafft, Fire of Love
1. Michaek Dymek, EO
Best Adapted Screenplay
Honorable Mention: She Said
5. Happening
4. All Quiet on the Western Front
3. White Noise
2. Women Talking
1. Bones and All
Best Original Screenplay
Honorable Mention: Triangle of Sadness
5. Decision to Leave
4. Broker
3. Saint Omer
2. Holy Spider
1. The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Ensemble
Honorable Mention: Triangle of Sadness
5. Women Talking
4. Bones and All
3. The Fabelmans
2. Broker
1. The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Supporting Actress
Honorable Mention: Charlbi Dean Kriek, Triangle of Sadness
5. Claire Foy, Women Talking
4. Lee Ji-eun, Broker
3. Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin
2. Tang Wei, Decision to Leave
1. Guslagie Malanda, Saint Omer
Best Supporting Actor
Honorable Mention: Georg Friedrich, Great Freedom
5. Mark Rylance, Bones and All
4. Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
3. Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin
2. Mehdi Bajestani, Holy Spider
1. Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Actress
Honorable Mention: Maya Vanderbeque, Un Monde
5. Cate Blanchett, TÁR
4. Frankie Corio, Aftersun
3. Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
2. Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Holy Spider
1. Ji-Min Park, Return to Seoul
Best Actor
Honorable Mention: Daryl McCormack, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
5. Paul Mescal, Aftersun
4. Austin Butler, Elvis
3. Ram Charan, RRR
2. Colin Farell, The Banshees of Inisherin
1. Ricardo Darin, Argentina, 1985
Best Overall Performance
Honorable Mention: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
5. Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin
4. Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Holy Spider
3. Tang Wei, Decision to Leave
2. Guslagie Malanda, Saint Omer
1. Ji-Min Park, Return to Seoul
Best International Film
Honorable Mention: Triangle of Sadness (Sweeden)
5. EO (Poland)
4. Return to Seoul (Cambodia)
3. Broker (South Korea)
2. Holy Spider (Iran)
1. RRR (India)
Best Director
Honorable Mention: Charlotte Wells, Aftersun
5. Jordan Peele, Nope
4. Ali Abbasi, Holy Spider
3. S.S. Rajamouli, RRR
2. Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
1. Phil Tippet, Mad God
Best Picture
15. Argentina, 1985
14. Bones and All
13. Aftersun
12. Saint Omer
11. EO
10. Decision to Leave
9. Triangle of Sadness
8. Return to Seoul
7. Broker
6. The Fabelmans
5. Nope
4. Holy Spider
3. RRR
2. Mad God
1. The Banshees of Inisherin
The rest of the list:
The Banshees of Inisherin win concludes the 2022 Weird Cinema awards. It marks Martin McDonagh’s first win for Best Picture and the first win for Ireland. Below includes links to all the previous winners if you want to check out more.
Memoria (2021), Babyteeth (2020), Parasite (2019), Shoplifters (2018), Call Me By Your Name (2017)
The last thing I’ll say is continue to support small theaters, filmmakers, and studios. Also, explore outside your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to watch foreign language films as the overall range of international films far surpasses anything going on in Hollywood right now.
Please let me know your favorite films and performances on Twitter. And with that, let’s look forward to another exciting year of cinema coming up in 2023…
Weird Cinema 
Glad to see Holy Spider on these lists. A terrific movie.
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