2022 Pre-Oscar Ranking -- 111 Films

111 minutes before this year’s Oscars, here’s a ranking of the 111 films seen since last year’s Oscars. I’m excited that the first time in a long time, my number-one film may win Best Picture!

[Note: Titles I've seen since the end-of-2021 ranking are 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝. Documentary Shorts [DS], Animated Shorts [AS], and Live Action Shorts [LAS] are identified by those initials.]

F+: The Last Airbender [2010]

D-: Don't Look Up, The Windshield Wiper [AS], Bestia [AS]

D+: Memoria, Titane

C-: The Long Goodbye [LAS], Dekalog 2 [1989], Dekalog 3 [1989]

C: Suicide Squad [2016], Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby [2010], Nightmare Alley

C+: Dekalog 9 [1989], Grease [1978], Passing, Affairs of the Heart [AS],

B-: Dekalog 7 [1989], Death to 2020 [2020], Spartacus [1960], The Dress [LAS], The Power of the Dog, Licorice Pizza, A Clockwork Orange [1972]

B: Dekalog 8 [1989], The Snail and The Whale [2020], All In: The Fight for Democracy [2020], Black Widow, Lead Me Home [DS], Hand of God, Parallel Mothers, Ascension, Lunanu: A Yak in the Classroom, A Quiet Place: Part 2, Dirty Dancing [1987], Spencer, The Velvet Underground, Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb [1964], The Tragedy of Macbeth

B+: Dekalog 10 [1989], Dekalog 4 [1989], Raya and the Last Dragon [2021], The Queen of Basketball [DS], Audible [DS], Please Hold [LAS], The Lost Daughter, Three Sons for Benazir [DS], Procession, On My Mind [LAS], Tick...Tick...BOOM!, Annie Hall [1977], Salyut-7 [2017], Hoop Dreams [1994], Saturday Night Fever [1977], Truman and Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation, Paths of Glory [1957], Colin in Black and White, Official Competition, Last Night in Soho, Dune, The Summer of Soul, Together Together, Luca, Lolita [1962], Platoon [1986], The Humans, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Shang-Chi, 2001: A Space Odyssey [1968], King Richard

A-: Philadelphia [1993], The Conversation [1974], To Gerard [2020], Dekalog 5 [1989], Full Metal Jacket [1987], Becoming Cousteau, Being the Ricardos, Boxballet [AS], Writing With Fire, Take And Run [LAS], Frequency [2000], The Worst Person in the World, The Mitchells vs the Machines, Suicide Squad

A: Encanto, Spider-Man: No Way Home, A Hero, Robin Robin [AS], When We Were Bullies [DS], Kapaemahu [2020], Dekalog 1 [1989], Supernova [2020], One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest [1975], Street Gang, In The Heights, Apocalypse Now [1979], Belfast, Jagged, Durak (The Fool) [2014], C’Mon C’Mon, Attica. West Side Story

A+: The Guilty, Dekalog 6 [1989], Boys State [2020], Die Hard [1988], Flee, Once [2007], The Sparks Brothers, Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided to Go for It, The Rescue, Drive My Car, Mass, CODA

2021 End-of-Year Ranking -- 78 Films

The two big changes for me and Hark in 2021 were Riley and Danny. It took years to get them here, and we’re thrilled they made it.

Riley eats and sleeps like a champ, and is now starting to look, smile, and be curious. It’s wild to think where she’ll be this time next year. Danny has been incredible, juggling two kids, parents, and languages with ease — not to mention living in a new country! Danny's also been a great friend — sharing food with Hark and art with me whenever we need it.

One thing that didn’t change this year is watching movies — and I’m glad it didn’t. My dad and grandpa didn't give up the Yankees when they had young kids, and I didn’t give up movies. Kids come first obviously, but maintaining a connection to some passion is important. Parents need to say sane!

Many people and things that helped me preserve films. I’m thankful for summer break, winter break, one week at the Toronto Film Festival, two weeks waiting for Riley in Texas, Hark, daycare, Danny, Katie, Kevin, Grandpa, Grandma, Lola, Lola Lenie, Lolo Rick, the Lennons, and a lot of color coding in Google Calendar. Technically, the 2am feedings also helped, but I would have gladly taken fewer films to sleep through the night!

On that note, here's a ranking of the 78 films I saw this year...

[Note: A film without a year listed after it came out in 2021.]

F+: The Last Airbender [2010]

D+: Memoria, Titane

C-: Dekalog 2 [1989], Dekalog 3 [1989]

C: Suicide Squad [2016], Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby [2010]

C+: Dekalog 9 [1989], Grease [1978]

B-: Dekalog 7 [1989], Death to 2020 [2020], Spartacus [1960], The Power of the Dog, A Clockwork Orange [1972]

B: Dekalog 8 [1989], The Snail and The Whale [2020], All In: The Fight for Democracy [2020], Black Widow, A Quiet Place: Part 2, Dirty Dancing [1987], Spencer, The Velvet Underground, Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb [1964]

B+: Dekalog 10 [1989], Dekalog 4 [1989], Annie Hall [1977], Salyut-7 [2017], Hoop Dreams [1994], Saturday Night Fever [1977], Truman and Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation, Paths of Glory [1957], Colin in Black and White, Official Competition, Last Night in Soho, Dune, The Summer of Soul, Together Together, Luca, Lolita [1962], Platoon [1986], The Humans, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Shang-Chi, 2001: A Space Odyssey [1968], King Richard

A-: Philadelphia [1993], The Conversation [1974], To Gerard [2020], Dekalog 5 [1989], Full Metal Jacket [1987], Becoming Cousteau, Being the Ricardos, Suicide Squad, Encanto, Spider-Man: No Way Home

A: Kapaemahu [2020], Dekalog 1 [1989], Supernova [2020], One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest [1975], Street Gang, In The Heights, Apocalypse Now [1979], Belfast, Jagged, Durak (The Fool) [2014], C’Mon C’Mon, West Side Story

A+: The Guilty, Dekalog 6 [1989], Boys State [2020], Die Hard [1988], Flee, Once [2007], The Sparks Brothers, Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided to Go for It, The Rescue, Mass, Coda