My Best of 2022

In honor of continuing the yearly tradition, here’s my list for 2022:

Top 5 Albums:

1. Into the Blue – Broken Bells
2. WE – Arcade Fire
3. Asphalt Meadows – Death Cab for Cutie
4. Keep On Smiling – Two Door Cinema Club
5. Dance Fever – Florence + The Machine

Top 5 Movies:

1. Everything Everywhere All At Once
2. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
3. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
4. Prey
5. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Top 5 TV shows:

1. Severance S1 / 1899 S1
2. House of the Dragon S1
3. For All Mankind S3
4. Inventing Anna / The Dropout
5. Inside Man / Moon Knight

Top 5 Games:

1. God of War Ragnarok
2. Elden Ring
3. Horizon Forbidden West
4. A Plague Tale Requiem
5. Pokémon Legends Arceus / Rollerdrome

Well, that was a year. It truly feels like no year is going to be a “normal” one going forward, as things seemingly escalate towards unavoidable conflicts and a worsening economy. Despite all that, I found comfort in many excellent media this year. Broken Bells had a highly anticipated record after a really long time that really exceed my expectations. Everything Everywhere All At Once redefined what movies are capable of to me; it’s rare to be surprised and entertained so well by a film that’s crafted with so much heart. Severance and 1899 were pleasant surprises that came out of nowhere and had me hooked throughout, whereas House of the Dragon managed to have an excellent first season undoing the sour aftertaste that the final season of Game of Thrones left us with. God of War Ragnarok absolutely crushed it, delivering on high hopes with a killer sequel that is as perfect as a video game can get. I also enjoyed the 120+ hours I spent in Elden Ring’s incredibly vast and open world, getting lost in deep catacombs and soaring cliffs; it’s a true landmark open-world title that will be talked about for years to come. I’m excited for what’s coming next year to give me comfort and hope in the (presumably) darker times ahead.