The best movies and TV shows of 2022 (in our opinion)
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The best movies and TV shows of 2022 (in our opinion)
A completely subjective appreciation
Hello!
On this week’s ~year-end special~ episode of Criticism Is Dead, we each present our top 5 picks for film and TV, respectively, from 2022 (as a refresher, here are our lists for 2021 and 2020). Plus, some honorable mentions!
(Obligatory disclaimers: We haven’t watched everything, these are not really in any particular order, we have some overlapping picks, etc.)
Click here to listen to the full episode on the web
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01:45 Movies!
Tár (theaters, VOD) (previously discussed on CID here)
Pelin: “The fact that there are so many layers to pull from it speaks to how thoughtful this film is.”
Jenny: “This is almost a litmus test of how self-serious you are … the ones who know kind of know.”
The Banshees of Inisherin (HBO Max) (previously discussed on CID here)
Jenny: “I like how a very everyday, commonplace occurrence — a friendship breakup — is elevated and dramatized … it speaks to fundamental truths about what it is to be human and what makes for a worthy life.”
Pelin: “It’s something that shook me at a very core level; it emotionally hit me in a way that I didn’t expect.”
Nope (Peacock) (previously discussed on CID here)
Pelin: “This is probably my favorite moviegoing experience I’ve had all year.”
Jenny: “There’s something quite eerie and uncanny and ultimately unknowable at the heart of this … all wrapped in this package that’s an honest-to-god romp.”
The Eternal Daughter (theaters, VOD)
Pelin: “It’s like a haunting Hitchcock mystery, but it’s also deeply about a daughter’s relationship to her mother … I felt emotionally naked after watching it.”
Decision to Leave (Mubi) (previously discussed on CID here)
Jenny: “It is one of the more interesting variations on the idea of romance and love itself that I’ve seen in recent memory. It boils down to pure longing … a mixture of obsession, desire, regret, a tinge of bittersweet, and something dark.”
Pelin: “It is a deeply romantic, deeply entertaining film. The technical craft of this … we have to applaud it.”
The Fabelmans (theaters, VOD)
Jenny: “This is definitely a film that has its flaws … but there’s something magical about it … when I think of The Fabelmans, I think of pure golden light.”
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Pelin’s full ranked list:
Tár
Nope
The Banshees of Inisherin
The Eternal Daughter
Decision to Leave
Athena
Turning Red (previously discussed on CID here)
The Northman (previously discussed on CID here)
Crimes of the Future
Barbarian
Jenny’s honorable mentions, unranked:
Emily the Criminal (previously discussed on CID here)
The Northman
Turning Red
15:26 TV!
Andor (Disney+) (previously discussed on CID here)
Jenny: “It is truly expertly crafted television … there’s a real art to the tension and electricity and structure of this, as well as the emotion it evokes.”
Pelin: “This is, hands down, the most entertaining and thoughtful TV show I’ve seen in a while.”
Severance (Apple TV+) (previously discussed on CID here and here)
Pelin: “It just really hit perfectly at the right time.”
Jenny: “The most gripping puzzle box-style show that I’ve ever seen … each episode just made me more and more obsessed.”
The White Lotus season 2 (HBO Max) (previously discussed on CID here)
Jenny: “Some of the most fun TV this year … this perfect balance of soapy and prestige.”
Pelin: “It speaks to the ‘Sunday night on HBO’ culture.”
Better Call Saul season 6 (VOD)
Pelin: “It’s really hard to end a series … it’s an excellent last season of TV.”
House of the Dragon (HBO Max) (previously discussed on CID here)
Jenny: “An expensive, well-produced, engaging fantasy drama, which is all I need sometimes.”
The Rehearsal (HBO Max) (previously discussed on CID here)
Pelin: “Every week I was just stunned … it goes against the tide of what everyone else is doing.”
Jenny: “It’s a provocative work … wholly unusual and wholly extraordinary.”
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Pelin’s full ranked list:
Andor
Severance
The Rehearsal
The White Lotus s2
Better Call Saul s6
Barry s3 (previously discussed on CID here)
Atlanta s4 (s3 previously discussed on CID here)
Irma Vep (previously discussed on CID here)
Industry s2 (previously discussed on CID here)
Slow Horses (previously discussed on CID here)
Jenny’s honorable mentions, unranked:
Industry s2
Slow Horses
Barry s3
Abbott Elementary s2 (s1 previously discussed on CID here)
Bad Sisters (love/hate!!!) (previously discussed on CID here)
That’s it for now. We are OFF for the next two weeks, but we’ll be back in 2023! Thank you so much, happy holidays, and see you next year!
— Jenny
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Some credits:
Music: REEKAH
Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu