Five Great Films I Saw in 2022

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Normally, this would be a top ten of 2022 after going through a wide variety of movies from the year. But in 2022, I spent five months in the hospital due to awful health complications that left me incapable of doing anything but lying in bed and hoping that I’d recover to full health. While on recovery I did my best to check out some anticipated movies, sadly with little success.

I was able to squeeze in viewings of a lot of movies upon my return home, though. While I wasn’t able to see much of anything in 2022, I was thankfully able to compile a reasonable top five list of great films I managed to find time for during the holidays. The list is subject to change upon viewing more 2022 films, but for now, I’m happy with this top five.

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Nope (2022)

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“Nope” explores the idea of fame, and sensationalism among other things. Much of “Nope” involves Haywood and Emerald looking for that one big shot that can acquire dreams of wealth and notice. But when they contact an acclaimed wildlife filmmaker, he warns that sometimes fame is “a dream you can’t wait up from.” Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya are wonderful in their respective roles as a pair of ranchers anxiously trying to keep their family’s ranch afloat after the inexplicable death of their dad (Keith David has a welcome cameo). Fate inevitably comes knocking down their doors, as they begin witnessing strange phenomenon in the skies.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Porky’s Hare Hunt (1938)

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2023 marks the 85th Anniversary of Bug Bunny’s first animated appearance in 1938’s “Porky’s Hare Hunt.” Debuting originally as Happy Rabbit, Bugs eventually became one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. In honor of the landmark anniversary, we’re discussing every animated appearance by Bugs Bunny. We’re big fans of Bugsy and we hope that you are, too.

Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.

Porky’s Hare Hunt (1938)
Directed by: Ben Hardaway
Produced by: Leon Schlesinger
Music by: Carl W. Stalling
Animation by: Volney White

In 1938, Porky Pig was considered the mascot for Warner Animation, and Merrie Melodies. He’s one of the forefathers of cartoon mascots, the one who always gave us that famous outros from Merrie Melodies cartoons where he proclaims “That’s All Folks!” with his famous stutter. It would only make sense that the debut of Bugs Bunny would be in a short featuring Porky Pig. Originally known as Happy Rabbit, Bugs was created and cultivated by a slew of people including Ben Hardaway, Cal Dalton, and Charles Thorson initially.

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BAD MOVIE MONDAY: NEW YEAR’S EVIL (1980)

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Today’s BAD MOVIE MONDAY column is about a film called NEW YEAR’S EVIL. It was released in 1980 and was directed by Emmett Alston. It stars Roz Kelly, Kip Niven, Grant Cramer and Chris Wallace. The film is a pretty good horror movie, but… is it a slasher? I’ve always said that from 1979 to about 1983 every horror movie was trying to force itself into the slasher subgenre, often with poor results, and NEW YEAR’S EVIL is the perfect example of a movie that feels like it was hastily rewritten to fit the trend. So you know what? Instead of a review, I’m going to answer the question of whether or not NEW YEAR’S EVIL is a Slasher Movie, and my answer will be definitive.
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The House (2022)

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“The House” is one of the most unnerving and abstract anthologies ever made. Despite its stop motion format, and meticulous attention to detail, “The House” introduces a trio of short films that border on horror but explore more interesting themes. The directors choose to change animation forms through the trio of shorts, and they’re all interconnected with a house that’s basically a menacing character all on its own.

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Meet Me in the Bathroom (2023)

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For years I was very keen to what was considered the last wave of rock and roll in the early aughts. I only was aware of it because MTV decided to air a lot of the more listenable brand of near rock and roll. From The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Hive, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I loved all of it. But it being MTV they only scratched the surface of it all. “Meet Me In the Bathroom” is an okay documentary that has the ability to really capture a moment in time, a moment when rock and roll was really booming. It could have been a chronicle of a big final gasp for the music genre, and most times it feels like the directors left so much out, preventing it from feeling cohesive and even coherent.

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The Bootleg Files: The Hero

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BOOTLEG FILES 823: “The Hero” (1917 short starring Billy West and Oliver Hardy).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On public domain labels.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A blatant (if effective) rip-off of Charlie Chaplin’s act.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: There is no great call for a Billy West revival.

When Charlie Chaplin’s popularity exploded into superstardom status during the mid-1910s, the demand of his films became greater than his ability to create original new works. To fill the void, a number of comic actors began to dress up in Chaplin’s distinctive Little Tramp costume and make-up and churn out short films of a Chaplinesque nature. Most of these imitators were not that special and their work has been lost to oblivion. But one copycat created a near-perfect facsimile of Chaplin’s act, to the point that his films were occasionally marketed as being genuine Chaplin films.
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