Since 2011, I have been pulling together a list of the best movies of the year according to the Brisbane-based critics who I run into regularly at preview screenings.  Films to have topped prior year lists have been Drive in 2011, Argo in 2012, Gravity in 2013, Boyhood in 2014, Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015La La Land in 2016, Get Out in 2017, The Favourite in 2018, Parasite in 2019Nomadland in 2020, and Nine Days in 2021

To come up with an overall top 10, I’ve used a simple points system and applied it to the list of each critic. It is as follows:
 - 3 points for the top film on each list.
 - 2 points for the films ranked between 2nd and 5th on each list.
 - 1 point for the films ranked between 6th and 10th on each list.

If two films finished on the same score, the film that appeared on the greater number of top 10 lists is ranked higher (as an indication of wider approval). If that's the same, it goes to an average of the individual rankings of each film.

The 10 list includes movies released in Australian cinemas and also those made available on streaming platforms.

There were 3 standout films which appeared on more than 50% of lists.  Topping the table this year was Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin which was released in Australia in Boxing Day and has since picked up 9 Academy Award nominations.

Rounding out the placings were the surprise hit Everything Everywhere All at Once, and the action blockbuster Top Gun Maverick. They too have been showered with love this awards season.

Four non-English language films earned spots in the top 10 – Drive my Car from Japan, Decision to Leave from South Korea, Petite Maman from France, and RRR from India.

An interesting mix of genres rounded out this year’s list. We have a “neo-Western science fiction horror film” Nope, the dark comedy The Menu, the superhero movie The Batman, and the documentary Fire of Love.

As always, it’s a great list of movies. Hunt them down on streaming services if you missed them in cinemas.

 

On that note, here are the top 10 movies of 2022 according to Brisbane critics…

Brisbane Film Critics - Top 10 of 2022
1.  The Banshees of Inisherin
2.  Top Gun Maverick
3.  Everything Everywhere All at Once
4.  Nope
5.  Drive My Car
6.  The Menu
7.  The Batman
8.  Petite Maman
9 (tie).  Decision to Leave
9 (tie).  Fire of Love
9 (tie).  RRR

You can view a table of all the votes and final scores by clicking here.

A big thanks to all who submitted their lists. If you're a Brisbane critic would like to contribute in future years, please reach out to me on social media.

You can check out information on all the Brisbane critics (along with their choices for the best and worst of 2022) below.
 


 

Matthew ToomeyMatthew Toomey

Born in Brisbane, Matt Toomey was introduced to the world of cinema when he landed a job at a video store fresh out of high school in 1995. A few years later, he started his own website and reviewed movies regularly on a community radio station. In 2005, he joined the team at 612ABC and can be heard reviewing the latest releases every Thursday morning. He can also be heard weekly on regional ABC throughout Queensland.

Website: thefilmpie.com
Twitter: @ToomeyMatt

 
Top 10 Films:
1. Everything Everywhere All at Once
2. Lost Illusions
3. Top Gun Maverick
4. The Banshees of Inisherin
5. Flee
6. C'mon C'mon
7. Quo Vadis, Aida?
8. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
9. Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
10. Full Time
 
Best Australian Film:
Blaze
Best Animated Film:
Flee
Best Documentary:
Flee
Best Performance:
Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
Worst Film:
Moonfall
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Barbarian
Everything Everywhere All At Once

 

Sarah WardSarah Ward

Sarah Ward is a film critic, arts and culture writer, and film festival organiser. She is Concrete Playground’s film and TV editor and critic, Screen International’s Australia-based critic, a writer for the Goethe-Institut Australien’s Kino in Oz, and a contributor to Flicks Australia, SBS, SBS Movies and the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. Her work has been published by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, AACTA, Birth.Movies.Death, Junkee, FilmInk, Lumina, Senses of Cinema, Broadsheet, Televised Revolution, ArtsHub, ScreenHub, Metro Magazine, Screen Education and the World Film Locations book series. She is also a film critic for ABC radio, and has worked with the Brisbane International Film Festival, Queensland Film Festival, Sydney Underground Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival.

Websites: concreteplayground.com
screendaily.com/sarah-ward/1100859.contributor
goethe.de/ins/au/en/kul/sup/kio.html
flicks.com.au/author/sarah-ward/
sbs.com.au/guide/person/sarah-ward
sbs.com.au/movies/person/sarah-ward
awfj.org/blog/author/wardsarah/
Twitter: @swardplay

 
Top 10 Films:
1. Decision to Leave
2. Moonage Daydream
3. The Banshees of Inisherin
4. Drive My Car
5. Petite Maman
6. Everything Everywhere All at Once
7. Nope
8. Bones and All
9. Red Rocket
10. After Yang
 
Best Australian Film:
The Stranger
Best Animated Film:
Belle
Best Documentary:
Moonage Daydream
Best Performance:
Tang Wei (Decision to Leave)
Worst Film:
Father Stu
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Ambulance
Decision to Leave

 

Garry WilliamsGarry Williams

Garry Williams is a reviewer for Film Club, a radio program broadcast on 4ZZZ-FM each Thursday from 7-8pm.

Website: 4zzz.org.au/program/film-club
Twitter: @thegeegenie

 
Top 10 Films:
1. Fire of Love
2. Moonage Daydream
3. The Northman
4. Parallel Mothers
5. The Stranger
6. Nightmare Alley
7. Amsterdam
8. The Eyes of Tammy Faye
9. Official Competition
10. The Batman
 
Best Australian Film:
The Stranger
Best Animated Film:
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Best Documentary:
Fire of Love
Best Performance:
Viola Davis (The Woman King)
Worst Film:
Moonfall
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
The Gray Man
Fire of Love

 

Peter GrayPeter Gray

Peter Gray is a Brisbane based, Rotten Tomatoes certified freelance entertainment writer specialising in film. Currently the entertainment reporter/film reviewer for QNews, Queensland’s largest LGBT publication, head film critic for The AU Review, and regular contributor to Brisbanista, CRPWrites and This Is Film.

Website: rottentomatoes.com/critic/peter-gray/movies
Twitter: @ratedPDG

 
Top 10 Films:
1. The Banshees of Inisherin
2. Everything Everywhere All at Once
3. Top Gun Maverick
4. Nope
5. Glass Onion
6. Cha Cha Real Smooth
7. The Batman
8. Red Rocket
9. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
10. Causeway
 
Best Australian Film:
Sissy
Best Animated Film:
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Best Documentary:
Omoiyari: A Song Film by Kishi Bashi
Best Performance:
Emma Thompson (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande)
Worst Film:
Morbius
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Orphan: First Kill
The Banshees of Inisherin

 

Ella DonaldElla Donald

Ella Donald is a writer, change and communications professional, and PhD candidate. She has written for publications like GQ magazine (Australia, Middle East), CNN, The Guardian, and ABC.

Website: elladonaldwriter.wordpress.com
Twitter: @ellafdonald

 
Top 10 Films:
1. Top Gun Maverick
2. Petite Maman
3. C'mon C'mon
4. RRR
5. Bergman Island
6. Elvis
7. Red Rocket
8. Matilda: The Musical
9. Everything Everywhere All at Once
10. After Yang
 
Best Australian Film:
n/a
Best Animated Film:
Turning Red
Best Documentary:
Flee
Best Performance:
Austin Butler (Elvis)
Worst Film:
n/a
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Matilda: The Musical
Top Gun Maverick

 

David EdwardsDavid Edwards

David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb Magazine and writes about film and television.

Website: www.theblurb.com.au
Twitter: @TheBlurbMag

 
Top 10 Films:
1. The Banshees of Inisherin
2. Everything Everywhere All at Once
3. Decision to Leave
4. The Menu
5. Drive My Car
6. Nope
7. Top Gun Maverick
8. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
9. Bones and All
10. Parallel Mothers
 
Best Australian Film:
The Drover's Wife
Best Animated Film:
Strange World
Best Documentary:
The Sound of 007
Best Performance:
Tang Wei (Decision to Leave)
Worst Film:
Ambulance
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Bones and All
The Banshees of Inisherin

 

Rob HudsonRob Hudson

Rob Hudson is the editor of popular culture website modmove.com and reviews film, theatre and music.

Website: modmove.com
Twitter: @modmove

 
Top 10 Films:
1. Prey
2. The Woman King
3. The Menu
4. Nope
5. The Duke
6. Mrs Harris Goes to Paris
7. Nitram
8. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
9. Kimi
10. Glass Onion
 
Best Australian Film:
Nitram
Best Animated Film:
Turning Red
Best Documentary:
Vinyl Nation
Best Performance:
Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans)
Worst Film:
Blonde
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
The Good Guys
Prey

 

Baz McAlisterBaz McAlister

Walkley Award winning journalist Baz McAlister is a writer and deputy night editor at The Courier-Mail and The Sunday Mail, and co-hosts 'Force Material', a podcast about the secrets, history and influences of Star Wars.

Website: bazmcalister.wordpress.com
www.forcematerial.com
Twitter: @bazmcalister

 
Top 10 Films:
1. RRR
2. The Banshees of Inisherin
3. Top Gun Maverick
4. All Quiet on the Western Front
5. Belfast
6. Fresh
7. Barbarian
8. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
9. X / Pearl
10. Clerks 3
 
Best Australian Film:
The Stranger
Best Animated Film:
Lightyear
Best Documentary:
Nalvany
Best Performance:
Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin)
Worst Film:
Unchartered
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Fall
RRR

 

Nick L'BarrowNick L'Barrow

Nick specialises in 60 second movie reviews on his Instagram profile - covering all the major releases and indie films that hit Australia. Nick is also a featured reviewer for Novastream Network and Film Notions.

Website: instagram.com/nicksflicksfix
Twitter: @NicksFlicksFix

 
Top 10 Films:
1. Top Gun Maverick
2. Cha Cha Real Smooth
3. Everything Everywhere All at Once
4. Jackass Forever
5. The Batman
6. The Stranger
7. Nope
8. The Banshees of Inisherin
9. Armageddon Time
10. The Black Phone
 
Best Australian Film:
The Stranger
Best Animated Film:
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
Best Documentary:
My Old School
Best Performance:
Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
Worst Film:
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Smile
Top Gun Maverick

 

Hannah GrzesiakHannah Grzesiak

Hannah is a regular critic and reviewer on the weekly 4zzz radio show, Film Club which airs at 7pm on Thursday evenings.

Website: 4zzz.org.au/program/film-club
Letterboxd: @honiglieber

 
Top 10 Films:
1. Drive My Car
2. The Banshees of Inisherin
3. Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone
4. Fire of Love
5. The Souvenir: Part II
6. De Humani Corpis Fabrica
7. Because We Have Each Other
8. Petite Maman
9. Both Sides of the Blade
10. Crimes of the Future
 
Best Australian Film:
Because We Have Each Other
Best Animated Film:
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Best Documentary:
Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone
Best Performance:
Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin)
Worst Film:
Avatar: The Way of Water
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
De Humani Corpis Fabrica
Drive My Car

 

Jacob RichardsonJacob Richardson

Jacob Richardson runs Film Focus Magazine. His reviews can be found there, as well as in local Brisbane publications My Village News, and a series of NSW newspapers.

Website: filmfocusmagazine.com
instagram.com/filmfocusau
Twitter: n/a

 
Top 10 Films:
1. The Banshees of Inisherin
2. Avatar: The Way of Water
3. Spencer
4. The Menu
5. The Northman
6. Everything Everywhere All at Once
7. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
8. The Phantom of the Open
9. Full Time
10. The Batman
 
Best Australian Film:
Sweet As
Best Animated Film:
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Best Documentary:
Running with the Devil
Best Performance:
Ralph Fiennes (The Menu)
Worst Film:
Moonfall
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Puss in Boots; The Last Wish
The Banshees of Inisherin