The American Film Institute today unveiled their annual list of the best films and television for the calendar year, and in what might – or might not – be a precursor for the major awards season, this year’s film list was dominated by mainstream studio movies which have connected, or are expected to connect, with audiences upon their release.
Major films to be included the box office smash that was Top Gun: Maverick, which made it onto the list just a day after winning Best Picture from the National Board of Review. The film gave Tom Cruise the biggest movie of his career, and his momentum keeps going upwards with the news he will be receiving the David O. Selznick Achievement Award from the Producers Guild of America. Other successful studio films to garner recognition included Warner Bros.’ Elvis, the epic biopic of Elvis Presley from Baz Luhrmann, and The Woman King from the same studio; Nope, the alien invasion horror from Jordan Peele; and She Said.
The latter, from Universal, has failed to connect with audiences in terms of pure box office, but it has been very well received by critics and by those audiences who have seen it. Not only that, it tells a very important cautionary tale, which also requires Hollywood to take a look at itself. Universal got another boost with Steven Spielberg‘s semi-autobiographical picture The Fabelmans being acknowledged. Independent film was also recognized, with A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once, Focus Features’ TÁR and Women Talking from United Artists making the top ten.
Martin McDonagh‘s outstanding black tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin – featuring a career-best turn from Colin Farrell, an Oscar frontrunner – was ineligible for selection having been filmed in the United Kingdom and Ireland. However, it was honored with an AFI Special Award as recognition of its quality, nonetheless.
The other most notable name of the list is Avatar: The Way of Water. James Cameron‘s long-gestating part two to the highest grossing film of all time is due to be released in seven days’ time. Initial reviews have called the film ‘visually thrilling’ and ‘a staggering achievement’, although some criticism has been dished out with the film said to perhaps be overly long and bogged down at times. Cameron has already finished work on Avatar 3, and is now moving on to Avatar 4 ahead of rounding it out with a fifth movie.
Streaming platforms were shut out altogether from the list of films, which meant no place for The Good Nurse, White Noise, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio – nor was there a place for Rian Johnson‘s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The latter’s highly successful limited theatrical release – which has called for a rethink to Netflix’s strategy for big-budget films – wasn’t enough to get it considered for inclusion.
The full list can be found below.
Avatar: The Way of Water
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Nope
She Said
TÁR
Top Gun: Maverick
The Woman King
Women Talking
