Our members were polled about their favorite films from 2022 thus far (released theatrically in the US between January 1st and June 30th). Each was asked to submit an unranked list of no more than ten films. Check out those individual submissions below to see what we think you should keep on your radar individually. Here are the results:

Cooper Raiff’s Cha Cha Real Smooth (June 17th) and The Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All At Once (March 25th) narrowly take the number one spot with five votes each from the nine critics who submitted a list. Second place, with four votes, is Audrey Diwan’s timely abortion drama Happening (May 6th). And three films tie with three votes each to round out the top six.

GWNYFCA Top Films from the First Half of 2022:

• Cha Cha Real Smooth, directed by Cooper Raiff (5) (reviews)
• Everything Everywhere All at Once, directed by Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (5) (reviews)
• Happening, directed by Audrey Diwan (4) (reviews)
• After Yang, directed by Kogonada (3) (reviews)
• Top Gun: Maverick, directed by Joseph Kosinski (3) (reviews)
• Turning Red, directed by Domee Shi (3) (reviews)

---

Our member submissions (Alphabetical):

2 Film Critics (Dianne Bennett & William Graebner) –

• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Happening
• Hero, A
• Outfit, The
• Petite Maman
• Top Gun: Maverick

Will Bjarnar –

• After Yang
• Both Sides of the Blade
• Cha Cha Real Smooth
• Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Happening
• Hit the Road
• Jackass Forever
• Northman, The
• On the Count of Three
• Top Gun: Maverick

Danielle Del Plato –

• Cha Cha Real Smooth
• Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Fire Island
• Fresh
• Turning Red

Adam Lubitow –

• After Yang
• Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Fallout, The
• Fire of Love
• Great Freedom
• Jackass Forever
• Marcel the Shell With Shoes On
• Petite Maman
• RRR
• Strawberry Mansion

Jared Mobarak –

• Cha Cha Real Smooth
• Dinner in America
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Fire of Love
• Girl and the Spider, The
• Happening
• Hold Your Fire
• Montana Story
• Playground
• Turning Red

Matthew Passantino –

• Cha Cha Real Smooth
• Emergency
• On the Count of Three
• Outfit, The
• Watcher

David Palmer –

• Batman, The
• Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers
• Scream
• Top Gun: Maverick
• Turning Red

Christopher Schobert –

• After Yang
• Benediction
• Crimes of the Future
• Emergency
• Girl and the Spider, The
• Happening
• Hit the Road
• Innocents, The
• Kimi
• Northman, The

Tessa Smith –

• Adam Project, The
• Lightyear
• Fresh
• Good Luck To You, Leo Grande
• Batman, The
• Cha Cha Real Smooth
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
• Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers