What I've Watched This Year

Adult life is hard, man. I used to be able to watch each new show right when they came out and I could easily sit through a 2 1/2 hour-long movie...but lately I've been lucky to knock out a single episode a night before I fall asleep or get hungry. To make up for lost time, here's all my shows and films I've seen this year that I recommend.

The Bear (Hulu)

Having only eight 30-minute episodes, this was my easiest watch on this list. I blew through it in 2 days, which is my highest praise since I've barely had time to wipe my own ass since 2022 started. The show is loosely based on a true story and follows a young chef protégé who is forced to come home to Chicago and take over his family's sandwich shop after his older brother commits suicide. It's fast-paced, has sharp dialogue, and even pulls off one of the greatest continuous shots I've ever seen where I'm pretty sure they did one take for a whole 25-minute episode.

Arcane (Netflix)

It's a crime that this show flew under so many people's radar. Out of all Netflix shows, Arcane currently holds the highest Netflix Rotten Tomatoes score of 100%, a rating that it STILL holds almost a year it released. Only 9 episodes long, the show follows two sisters who are discover dangerous technology that causes turmoil between the Utopian city of Piltover and the crime-ridden undercity of Zaun. It has incredibly-written and complex characters, a tight plot, and a beautifully unique style of animation that blends 2D and 3D animation together. If you're a sucker for fantastical plot concepts like Avatar: The Last Airbender, you'll fall for this show immediately.

Stranger Things: Season 4 (Netflix)

Forewarning, I haven't seen part 2 of season 4 yet, but I wanted to include this because how impressed I was with part 1. I'm not sure how they do it, but Stranger Things continues to perfectly balance 80's cheese with extremely dark and modern concepts. Usually, tone shifts like this throw me off and the cheesy moments usually make me roll my eyes and audibly groan like the pretentious movie-snob I am. However, this show continues to be top tier television and is probably single-handedly keeping Netflix's stock from free-falling. Bravo Duffer Brothers, Bravo. Now I've got to schedule out 5 hours for part 2 and I'll be good to go.

Vinland Saga (Netflix)

Not going to lie, in the past year or so, I've had my eyes opened to how incredible animated shows and movies can be. Vinland Saga is one of the most beautifully-told stories I've ever watched. It may sound like I say that a lot, but I'm not kidding when I say this Viking revenge story was bringing tears to my eyes and making me question the meaning of life and love. It also has one of the best-written and most likeable antagonists I've ever seen. If animated shows aren't your thing, start with this one and tell me again why you think animation is just for kids.

Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

This show is an enigma to me. It doesn't exactly do anything new. It's a basic fish-out-of-water story with comedic and heartfelt moments sprinkled here and there, but it doesn't try to pretend to be anything it's not. That's what was so refreshing to me, because the show just makes you happy from start to finish. Ted Lasso is television's first Manic-Pixie-Dream-Dad and makes for the easiest person to root for. I had always wondered how the show that was based off a series of NBC commercials that aired 8 years ago had managed to sweep at the Emmys, and I got my answer. It's the kind of show that literally any kind of person can enjoy.

Loki (Disney+)

Loki is the best Marvel show released on Disney+ and it's not even close. I'm so tired of The Falcon and Winter Soldier and WandaVision apologists trying to tell me that their shows are better. While WandaVision at least tried something new, it still tried give Wanda a moral pass even though she enslaved and tortured a town of people. Not to mention the horrible final CGI bruhaha. TFATWS did literally nothing for me and I was looking forward to it the most out of the 3, yet the writing was Phase 1 Thor levels of bad. Loki was clever and unique, but unique in a way that builds onto Marvel's existing story in a believable way. I loved the wacky time concepts and Owen Wilson was magnificent as per usual.

However, I still have to plug the best TV show Marvel ever made, Netflix's Daredevil (which has been moved to Disney+). The show that I'm sure Kevin Feige thought was too grounded and philosophically-complex to exist in the same universe as a Viking God saying, "he's right behind me isn't he," to a quippy magic wizard.

Succession (HBO Max)

I'm not exaggerating when I say that Succession might be the kind of show that society will collectively look back on as one of the all-time greats. I genuinely think it will one day be mentioned alongside The Sopranos and Breaking Bad. I am late to the Succession party compared to many other people, but I have to sing its praise for those who haven't been convinced. It has some of the greatest dialogue I've seen on television. It almost flows like music. All the members in this incredibly-dysfunctional billionaire family are all so uniquely-awful people, yet also somehow endearing in their own way. Forewarning, if you're someone who prefers shows that have happy endings like Ted Lasso, then don't bother with this show because shit literally doesn't stop hitting the fan...and it's on it's 4th season.

The Batman (HBO Max)

Let me first state that The Batman was arguably the best Batman film ever made. It definitely had the best Gotham, and I really enjoy the idea of this Bruce Wayne's inability to balance being Batman and a billionaire playboy and is just a depressed shut-in instead. I literally cannot wait to see him come into his own in future movies. HOWEVER, this is NOT a better overall movie then The Dark Knight and I frankly don’t think it will ever be topped.

Top Gun: Maverick

Look, I don’t condone scientology at all, but I'm starting to turn a blind eye to Tom Cruise in favor of my boy continuing to pump out the best action movies of the 21st century. The Mission Impossible franchise has literally gotten better and better the more Tom Cruise has gotten involved, so I was hopeful he could do Top Gun justice. Damn, did he pull it off with flying colors. When it comes to sequels of beloved 80's movies, this is one of the few to get it right. I want to be a fighter jet pilot so badly now but I still hit curbs with my truck in parking lots so it'll stay a pipe dream.

Everything Everywhere All At Once

I already gave this film its own review on this website, but I'll double down and say it’s my favorite film of 2022 so far. It's a wild and wacky concept of a film that did the idea of the multiverse WAY better than the new Doctor Strange movie did. The performances were top notch, the writing was both hilarious and beautiful, and it was just the most engaging theater experience I've had in a while.

The Last Dual (HBO Max)

This movie tanked in theaters but Ridley Scott wasn't wrong when he said this movie would've killed if it was released 5 years ago. This movie has so much to offer. Fantastic writing, great set design, unique storytelling structure, and great performances from Matt Damon and Adam Driver. It's based on the true story of the last trial-by-combat ever performed in France. Basically, two noblemen are fighting over a woman who one nobleman was accused of raping. The movie is broken into 3 parts, events from the POV of the accusing nobleman, events from the POV of the accused nobleman, and events from the POV of the woman who was raped. It's a fascinating and brutal film but I'm a sucker for historical dramas and I wish there more made.