Another year brought more movies that I enjoyed watching for the first time.
Another year brought more movies that I enjoyed watching for the first time. My goal in 2022 was to hit 150 movies, and I was able to watch 152 in total. All of the films mentioned in this article can be viewed on my First Time Favourites: 2022 list.
My list this year is a good mix of older films with a dash of some newer releases. Near the end of 2022, I started making my way through all the Academy Award Best Picture films I have yet to see. This means there are several films that I’ll be watching in 2023 to finish up the list.
Below are some of my favourite first watches of 2022. I hope you enjoy and potentially have some new films to add to your watchlist in the new year!
Mildred Pierce (1962)
This was a wild ride from start to finish. Our lead character, Mildred Pierce played by the incredible Joan Crawford, must find her way through divorce and single motherhood raising an absolute nightmare in Veda Pierce Forrester (Ann Blyth).
The ending is shocking and incredible and sees Mildred helping out her insufferable daughter once more until the real truth gets revealed.
Favourite Line: “I’m sorry I did that… I’d of rather cut off my hand.”
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
As I mentioned earlier, I’m currently making my way through all the Academy Award Best Picture films I’ve yet to see and this was one on the list. Boy was I completely blown away.
The film follows a group of young German soldiers as they’re faced with the horrors of World War I. The harsh realities of war are extremely present throughout the film and are shown in many different ways. There’s a brutal scene on the battlefield that transforms into a full-on assault in the trenches, while other scenes show off the sad and lonely sides of going off to fight for your country.
The ending still makes my heart ache and I’m interested to see how the newest remake of the film lives up to such a classic. Definitely on my watchlist for 2023!
Favourite Line: “You still think it’s beautiful to die for your country. The first bombardment taught us better. When it comes to dying for country, it’s better not to die at all.”
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
I absolutely adore James Stewart so I had to make sure this classic was on my watchlist in 2022 and it did not disappoint. Stewart plays Ransom Stoddard, a senator who became famous for killing a notorious outlaw. He has to return to the place he once called home and still, even after all these years, he can’t escape the thing that made him into a legend.
James Stewart and John Wayne starring in a western directed by John Ford, what more could someone ask for?
Favourite Line: “Nothing’s too good for the man who shot Liberty Valance.”
The Worst Person in the World (2021)
The Worst Person In The World is a film everyone in their twenties or thirties should watch. It absolutely broke me inside in every way.
The movie chronicles four years in the life of Julie (Renate Reinsve), a young woman who is trying to navigate the troubled waters of her love life as she also struggles in pursuit of the perfect career. It’s all about finding yourself and taking a realistic look at who we really are as people.
Favourite Line: “And I want you to know. You were the love of my life. You’re a damn good person.”
Paper Moon (1973)
I truly loved this unlikely partnership between con man Moses Pray (Ryan O’Neal) and his maybe-daughter Addie Loggins (Tatum O’Neal). The pairing shouldn’t work well but it really does as the two become reliant on one another throughout the film.
The duo gets into some funny situations with both teaching each other a thing or two about the artistry of the con, life and love.
Favourite Line: “I don’t have your two-hundred dollars and you know it.” “Then get it!”
All Through the Night (1942)
All Through the Night is just a classic Humphrey Bogart gangster film noir flick. And the fact that this came out the same year as Casablanca really proves how much range the man really had.
Bogart as bookie Gloves Donahue finds himself trapped in a big conspiracy when the owner of his favourite bakery gets murdered. When he’s forced to solve the case, he and his group of gamblers stumble upon a greater conspiracy. A definite must-watch if you’re interested in checking out more of Bogie’s films.
Favourite Line: “You’re not afraid to die, are you?” “I don’t mind dying, but I hate to be divided up into small pieces.”
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
I did watch the 2017 remake of this classic, but I couldn’t remember the ending so I’m glad I was treated to a much better viewing on this watch. The star-studded cast shows off their acting chops in one of Agatha Christie’s best whodunnits.
I also love how campy Albert Finney is as Hercule Poirot. He really brings the whole film together. Sidney Lumet’s direction is otherworldly and so fun. It was great to see another side of one of my favourite directors.
Favourite Line: “Only by interrogating the other passengers could I hope to see the light, but when I began to question them, the light, as Macbeth would have said, thickened.”
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) is eccentricity at its finest. Sunset Boulevard is about a hack screenwriter that stumbles upon a washed-up former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity. Joe Gillis (William Holden) decides to write a screenplay about the aging actress and somehow manages to become the woman’s acquaintance.
The ending is what really boosted this rating for me. Swanson puts on an absolutely remarkable performance. We love delusion!
Favourite Line: “Madame is the greatest star of them all.”
The Fabelmans (2022)
I love movies about movies and this was just a pleasure to watch. Steven Spielberg’s heart and soul are completely raw and exposed on screen as he tells the semi-autobiographical story of his adolescence and first years as a filmmaker.
Sure, this is a coming-of-age story, but it’s also an exploration of how powerful movies really are. Also, shout out to David Lynch as John Ford, one of my favourite scenes of 2022.
Favourite Line: “Movies are dreams that you never forget.”
The Pianist (2002)
The Pianist was one of the last films I watched in 2022 and boy was it a memorable one. The film follows a Jewish pianist as he tries to survive the Nazi occupation of Warsaw, Poland. Adrien Brody did a remarkable job portraying Władysław Szpilman’s story on screen.
The moment in the film when Szpilman is taken out of the crowd and separated from his family is one that I will never forget. A crowded square of Jewish families awaiting their fate is transformed into nothing but abandoned luggage and Szpilman realizing that he just lost everything important in his life.
Favourite Line: “You’re an artist, Wladek. You do enough.”
Other Notable First Time Favourites: Shanghai Express, Coda, Steel Magnolias, Cool Hand Luke, On the Waterfront, Cactus Flower
