So maybe 2022 wasn’t the greatest year for the history books. A third consecutive year of pandemic and economic woes meant a lot of us were struggling to find silver linings among all the storm clouds.
But when you pause and take a look back, there were some truly great shows, movies and pop culture moments that brightened our days, so here’s my Top 10 list for 2022, in chronological order, starting with:
1. “The Batman”
This March release gave us a pseudo-origin film — Bats is in his second year of crime-fighting — that avoided re-treading the exact same ground as previous films (thank GOD we didn’t have to watch Thomas and Martha Wayne get shot for the 17th time).
Robert Pattinson’s Bats definitely loves My Chemical Romance, keeps detailed diaries of his exploits packed with dark poetry and rocks the black eyeshadow — and I loved every minute of it. Also great was the supporting cast, and how this neo-noir focused more on the “World’s Greatest Detective” aspect of the character than previous live action adapts.
2. “Our Flag Means Death”
Showrunner David Jenkins, along with producer/actor Taika Waititi and star Rhys Darby, delivered 2022′s best show, hands down, with this queer rom-com about the fictional exploits of real life pirates Stede Bonnet (Darby) and Edward “Blackbeard” Teach (Waititi).
The writing? Hysterical. The performances? Slapsticky in the best of ways. You fall in love fast with this band of seafaring weirdoes, and just want boyfriends Stede and Edward to overcome toxic masculinity (and their own stupidity) to be happy together. Especial tip of the hat to the fantastic final scene of episode eight, which uses Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” to phenomenal effect.
3. Oscar Isaac in “Moon Knight”
So “Moon Knight” was, overall, a bit of a mixed bag and didn’t live up to my expectations. However, star Isaac still delivered a heckuva performance, impressively embodying a superpowered man with dissociative identity disorder, who often swapped personas from scene to scene. One moment, he could have you cackling; the next, tearing up. Isaac really sold us on the inherent pain and confusion of the titular character.
4. “Kinnporsche”
Based on an extremely popular web novel, this Thai mafia drama is super queer, super violent and super sexy. The story follows Kinn (Phakphum “Mile” Romsaithong), son of the most powerful mobster in Thailand, as he takes control of the family business and romances his bodyguard, Porsche (Nattawin “Apo” Wattanagitiphat).
There’s betrayal and sadistic henchmen and murder and epic declarations of love, packed around every action cliché and romance trope you can imagine (the lovers fight baddies while handcuffed together!). Everyone is gay or bisexual.
The behind-the-scenes stuff is highly entertaining, too: Mile is a Thai idol and the primary inspiration behind the original novel, who then decided to help bankroll and star in the adaptation. Talk about a writer’s wildest dream come true.
5. “Dracula” Daily
The concept was simple: an email service that delivers every section of Bram Stoker’s vampire classic “Dracula” chronologically from May to November, a section (nearly) every day.
But this year, Tumblr latched onto “Dracula” Daily and turned it into a rousing Internet-wide book club, churning out new fanart and meta commentary and memes for seven full months. It was a real delight to be a part of it, and I’m hoping other literary classics get a similar resurgence of love in the coming year — there’s already talk of doing a “Frankenstein” or “Moby Dick” Daily!
6. “Stranger Things” Season 4
Everyone can agree Max (Sadie Sink) truly stole the show this season, yeah? This penultimate chapter of “Stranger Things” really leaned hard into the Dungeons and Dragons and body horror.
Not only did it give us the lovely weirdo Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) and some wonderfully descriptive subtitles like [TENTACLES SQUELCHING WETLY] and [ANXIOUS SYNTH MUSIC], it also sent Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” skyrocketing up the music charts. (A sweet, sweet vindication for me, as that track has been my favorite song for the last twenty years.)
7. “Legends & Lattes” by Travis Baldree
While we’re talking about Dungeons and Dragons: this “high fantasy, low stakes” D&D-inspired novel is easily the most charming thing I’ve read in ages. Barbarian orc Viv decides she’s had enough of adventuring, so she retires to the town of Thune and opens the land’s first coffee shop, accruing a small found family in the process.
There’s just so much joy to be had in a story where a beefy, green lady orc introduces the world to the magic of coffee, challenges societal stereotypes, falls for her succubus coworker and hires an anthropomorphized mouse named Thimble to bake cinnamon rolls. Very much looking forward to Baldree’s next tale in this universe.
8. “Prey”
In 1719 North America, the young Comanche woman Naru (Amber Midthunder) strives to prove to her tribe she’s a capable hunter. When a vicious alien Predator arrives, she gets her chance.
I’m gonna say it: best “Predator” movie. Ever. No contest. I hope every Predator movie that follows is set in another historical period — let’s see samurai vs. Predator, and Aztecs vs. Predator, and Maasai vs. Predator …
Naru is a badass you love to root for and she has a great dog companion. The cinematography in “Prey” is just gorgeous. And this is the first film to be fully dubbed in Comanche! Simply wonderful.
9. Heidi Klum’s worm costume
“The early bird gets the worm,” said the German supermodel as she writhed across the red carpet. “And I’m the worm!”
Klum always goes all out with her Halloween costumes, using movie-grade prosthetics and makeup to transform herself; usually into something horrific or weird. But this year’s truly repulsive costume of a giant ringed worm truly took the cake. I was completely disgusted, yet I still loved it beyond words.
It’s so great when people buck expectations — like a gorgeous supermodel transforming herself into a monstrosity — and also when people with money actually use it in fun ways (Elon Musk, I’m staring pointedly at you).
10. Goncharov
Tumblr is a site well known for its weirdness. But this November, the Tumblrinas really outdid themselves by collectively hallucinating an entire blockbuster film into existence. Goncharov is “the greatest mafia film ever made,” a 1973 Martin Scorsese-produced Italian/Russian crime drama full of queer subtext, clock motifs and killer girl bosses.
Goncharov’s cast is stacked with greats: Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Cybil Shepherd, Rita Moreno and Al Pacino. It has a gay love square! A henchman called Ice Pick Joe! An exploding yacht! Sapphic subtext centered around plums!
It was baffling, hilarious and impressive how an entire site collaborated on Goncharov, creating something whole-cloth from a weird image found on a knock-off sneaker. In a mere three days there was art, posters, T-shirts, convoluted meta commentary and even full soundtracks (and the music is good, y’all; it’s mind-boggling).
It felt as if everyone on Tumblr was in on the joke, passionately discussing this non-existent film with a straight face in broad daylight until Scorsese himself had to comment on it — and it’s certainly the most fun I had in 2022.
- ANGIE BARRY is a contributing columnist for Shaw Media. To suggest future topics for The B-List, which covers topics in pop culture, history and literature, contact her at newsroom@mywebtimes.com.