The Only Movies That Matter (For Now)

Jake and I break down our favorite movies of the last five years. It's pretty fun.

As we near the midway point of 2022—insane, I know—we’re also in a bit of a lull when it comes to the very important genre of movies that inspire me to write in Aerial Shot. So … I made a pivot and decided that instead of looking forward, we’re looking back.

I know that my taste is very specific and niche to an almost alienating degree, so I made the executive decision to add someone (Jake Richards) who can disagree with my shit and give this here newsletter a different perspective. 

No need to dilly-dally, let’s get into it. Jake and I break down our favorite movies of each year dating back to 2017. We also give a sneak peek at what’s really stood out to us so far from 2022. 

Movies are good.

2017

Greg’s Pick: Lady Bird

I went back and forth between this and Get Out, but ultimately the Greta Gerwig coming of age movie is one that I keep coming back to and reference on a near-weekly basis. It’s also one of the gateway drugs that got me so deeply invested in the movie industry. Saoirse Ronan should’ve won all of the awards for this, but at least she won my heart. This is a movie about family, growing up and then realizing that maybe you grew up a little too fast. It’s perfect.

Jake’s Pick: Blade Runner 2049

It is really a testament to Ryan Gosling’s acting ability that he can be that handsome and still play characters that are deeply lonely. The cinematography is absolutely stunning and really drives home the emptiness of the world. I really loved how easily they could have made K the typical badass sci-fi protagonist but instead, he’s just a sad guy looking for meaning. 

2018

Jake’s Pick: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

The way the art style mimics the feel of a comic book was such a cool choice that could have gone sideways so easily. The cast of this movie is insane, you have multiple Oscar winners in an animated Spider-Man movie and they aren’t even main characters. At one point someone gets hit in the head by a bagel and “BAGEL” pops up above their head in the classic comic book action font. It’s a perfect movie. 

Greg’s Pick: Thoroughbreds

Back in 2018, I initially picked The Favourite as my favorite movie of the year, but four years later, Thoroughbreds is the one that has stuck for me. It features two dynamite performances from Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke in a dark-comedy package, which centers on the boredom of the elite and how the rest of us pay. It’s a mish-mash of Mean Girls, Election and A24-esque horror. Can’t recommend it more, especially in an empty theater, like how I saw it the first time.

2019

Greg’s Pick: Midsommar

I mean … of course. This is one of my favorite movies in recent history and is fucked up beyond belief. It’s simultaneously a treatise on grief and also features a guy being smashed with a mallet. It’s the comedy that makes it all work. Ari Aster knows how ridiculous it all is and still plays it with the utmost sincerity. Shoutout to Florence Pugh who has continued her run as one of the best actors alive.

Jake’s Pick: Knives Out

A murder mystery with Daniel Craig playing a southern gentleman detective? This movie is just as good as the sweater Chris Evans wears in it. Ana de Armas is a fantastic lead and plays a great straight man to Craig’s donut-related antics. It also has some really interesting themes about classism, but that’s not as fun to talk about as Daniel Craig calling a kid a nazi in a southern accent.  

2020

Jake’s Pick: Palm Springs

Andy Samberg has never been bad in anything in his life. Cristin Milioti is amazing in this too. I always associated her with being the mom from How I Met Your Mother for some reason. This movie is much better than How I Met Your Mother. Ted Mosby is not in it. JK Simmons also plays a homicidal maniac, which is always a perfect casting choice.

Greg’s Pick: I’m Thinking of Ending Things

This is the choice that I feel the least sure about. This is one that builds in estimation after watching when dissecting the minutiae but it certainly wouldn’t rank as one of my favorite favorite movies. 2020 was an odd year (for everything but especially when it comes to movies) and quite a few were pushed back to 2021 that would’ve fought for this No. 1 spot. Palm Springs is probably the most fun watch and Minari and Sound of Metal really hit for me on rewatches, but I’m kind of in awe with what Charlie Kaufman was able to do with the form in I’m Thinking of Ending Things, and Jessie Buckley is at her best here.

2021

Greg’s Pick: Petite Maman

I wrote an entire post about this one already, so I’ll keep it short, but this movie is a perfect balm and a true classic. It’s a fairytale that deals with hard subject matter without getting lost in it and features a few of my favorite shots and cuts in recent memory. It’s a beautiful little story and I wish more films aimed for its specificity and charm.

Jake’s Pick: The Green Knight

2021 felt like kind of a dud year for movies to me, but I also only saw like 15 of them so that is probably on me. I literally watched this like two days ago just to make sure it wasn’t better than Dune. It turns out that it is! This movie is more of a slow burn than I anticipated but it pays off. I’m a sucker for a movie with a supernatural element to the plot and this is a great one.

2022

Jake’s Pick: Everything Everywhere All at Once

It was such a pain in the ass to find a showing of this movie living in Indiana, but it was so worth it. Ke Huy Quan is so amazing in this movie but everyone else is so good too that it almost feels disrespectful to call him out specifically. He has a line in the third act that is one of the most romantic things I have ever heard. I’ll do laundry with you, Ke Huy Quan.

Greg’s Pick: The Worst Person in the World

The year isn’t over, but this and Everything Everywhere All at Once are both locks for being at or near the top of my list by December’s end. This Norwegian rom-com is kind of exactly what I want in a movie as it is deeply relatable, rambling and magical. I’ve seen it three times on the big screen already (same with EEAAO) and I don’t think I’ll ever stop recommending it. I’ll watch this movie every 12-15 months for the rest of my life. It is what it is.