Here are my top three first-time watches of 2022. It was tough to choose just three, but I kind of didn’t want to write about 10 movies, guys.
Paper Moon (’73)
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Writers: Joe David Brown (novel) and Alvin Sargent
Cast: Ryan O’Neal, Tatum O’Neal, Madeline Kahn, John Hillerman, P.J. Johnson, and Jessie Lee Fulton
I watched this one back in early January, and it became an immediate favorite. Bogdanovich’s beautifully shot black and white dramatic comedy was not only my top film of 2022, but instantly catapulted itself into my top 25 all-time—a list I will never actually make. I mean c’mon, I’d probably go insane deciding which films didn’t make the list.
Anyways, Paper Moon is a masterpiece. Chef’s kiss. Whatever you want to call it—it’s that. Set during the Great Depression, the film follows Moses Pray (Ryan O’Neal), a con man who sells bibles at a ridiculous price to gullible buyers. After making some quick money early in the film, Moses runs into Addie Loggins, played by his daughter, Tatum O’Neal. The two forge a friendship predicated on the fact that Addie may actually be Moses’s daughter. From there, they go on to con the world. Well, not the whole world, but a lot of people.
This is one of those films where after you watch it, you go, “Whoa, that’s filmmaking,” or maybe, “That was swell.” I don’t know. Something like that. After your ending remark, you then proceed to watch it about three or four more times that week because you need to confirm that it is indeed an excellent picture. And then, like a year later, you finally write about it and decide to stop writing because you need to go watch it again pronto. So . . . umm, bye?
Oh wait, I got two more movies to write about.
Saving Private Ryan (’98)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: Robert Rodat
Cast: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, Jeremy Davies, Ted Danson, Paul Giamatti, and Dennis Farina
I’m sure many of you have seen this movie, and honestly, I’m not sure why it took me 24 years after its release to finally get around to it. Could be because I was seven when it came out; I’m not sure if that’s the reason, but we’ll pretend it is.
Set after the landings at Normandy, this film follows a group of soldiers led by Hanks, who set out to find a paratrooper lost behind enemy lines. And this isn’t any normal paratrooper: it’s Matt Damon—the man who plays roles where someone has to retrieve him all the time. Seriously, if you Google how much money has been spent rescuing Damon on screen, you won’t be shocked. Well, maybe a little because the number is astronomical, but still. He’s good at being stranded . . . and we’ll keep saving him until he’s old and tired.
Enough about Damon, this film is also a masterpiece. The harrowing battle scenes, the cast, the cinematography, the score (John Williams), the costumes, everything. I love war movies, and I’ve seen my fair share, but this one stands out because it truly shows the horrors of war in a way not easily captured on film, except in documentaries. It feels real and that’s what’s so great . . . and terrifying about it. War sucks. We all know that. So, for Spielberg to show it in the way in which it genuinely occurred is peak cinema. Yes, peak cinema. Never said that, but I’m saying it now.
Opening Night (’77)
Director: John Cassavetes
Writer: John Cassavetes
Cast: Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Joan Blondell, Ben Gazzara, Paul Stewart, Zohra Lampert, Laura Johnson, and John Tuell
Cassavetes. Cassavetes. Cassavetes. This man could do it all. Write, direct, produce, star, whatever; Cassavetes could do it. Add in casting his wife, Gena Rowlands, in the lead and you have a film you can’t look away from. Seriously. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Gena Rowlands is one of, if not THE best actress of all-time. She can portray any emotion better than anyone (go watch A Woman Under the Influence after or before you watch Opening Night). She gets completely involved in her characters to the point where she becomes them, and there’s no better example of that than this film.
In Opening Night, Rowlands plays renowned Broadway actress, Myrtle Gordon, who’s preparing for her next role. However, she’s slowly spiraling toward a breakdown at the same time. But here’s the kicker, her breakdown coalesces with that of the character she’s playing on stage. So, all of her friends see her heading toward a state of psychosis, and while she very well may be going that way, each second she gets worse in reality, her performance improves.
It’s a heck of a film; one that will make you understand why I say Rowlands is arguably the best actress to ever grace the silver screen. Nothing against my favorites (Gene Tierney, Judy Holliday, Kay Francis, Carole Landis, Shelley Winters, etc.), but Rowlands is the shit.
Honorable Mention:
Easy Living (’37)
Theodora Goes Wild (’36)
The Best of Everything (’59)
The Majestic (2001)