The top 10 movies of the year had a lot on their mind

The movies in 2022 didn’t treat the well-to-do very well.

What became obvious early into this cinematic year was the utter disdain, sometimes loathing, that some filmmakers had for the privileged and wealthy. It was evident in the rich getting royally skewered in Ruben Ostlund’s yacht-of-the-damned “Triangle of Sadness”; Rian Johnson’s ever-so-sly “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”; Nikyatu Jusu’s supernatural-tinged “Nanny”; and Mark Mylod’s

“The Menu,” which deliciously hurled sharpened cutlery at the culinary elite.

What were big hits were crowd-pleasers such as “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Much to the chagrin of the film festival crowd, indie filmmaking confronted dwindling audiences, with but a handful that ignited box-office sparks, such as the quirky multiverse crossover “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “The Whale,” which generated take-notice numbers in limited release before expanding this month. But most often, many critical darlings — including Todd Field’s tour de force “Tár” — didn’t draw folks into movie theaters.

One trend was the emergence of introspective, semiautobiographical musings from veteran directors. We got that in Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” which dug up tangled roots of uncomfortable family dynamics, and James Gray’s “Armageddon Time,” which was stripped of any sugarcoating in its remembrance of a youthful past. Audiences didn’t show up in bulk for either.

Regardless, the quality of filmmaking was on a high this year, particularly with new faces staking out a claim in Hollywood and beyond.

Here then are my picks of the Top 10 films of 2022, ranked from top to bottom, as well as five honorable mentions.

1. ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’

Rocks and laundry bags sporting googly eyes. Two lead characters flashing hot dog fingers. An obscenelooking IRS trophy ensconced on a desk. These wacky and indelible images are now seared into our own cinematic multiverse for years to come. Add in ambidextrous performances from Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu, and spirited direction and imaginative writing from the dynamic duo of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, and this innovative journey hit a savory spot for everyone, and even made us bawl in the end. “Everything” does cover everything, and is a meditation on life, second chances, family and rebirth. It never failed to surprise while saying something deep and meaningful about appreciating what you have. Yeoh played her role to the hilt. WHERE TO SEE IT >> Available on multiple streaming platforms

Clockwise from lower left: Tom Cruise returned as Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in “Top Gun: Maverick”; James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel “Avatar: The Way of Water”; Cate Blanchett in “Tár”; and Michelle Yeoh was the perfect actor to send us tumbling into the multiverse in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

COURTESY OF A24FILMS Jamie Lee Curtis, left, and Michelle Yeoh star in Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s wildly imaginative film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a meditation on life, second chances, family and rebirth.

COURTESY OF UNITED ARTISTS/ORION PICTURES “Women Talking,” which revolves around a series of sexual assaults in a close-knit Mennonite community, is told with power, insight and sensitivity.