As 2022 comes to a close, we here at For The Win are taking a look back at some of our absolute favorite content from the course of the year. Our staff has chosen the movies, television and video games that they loved the most this year.
Each of the movies discussed here released in 2022. Please note that these are not in any particular order, nor is it an exhaustive list of what movies came out this year. This is just a smattering of some of our most loved.
Everything from aviation to Avatar to the multiverse made the list, so let’s get to it.
Top Gun: Maverick
Streaming: Paramount+
The long-awaited sequel to 1986’s cult Naval Aviation classic was the biggest hit of the year, raking in over a billion dollars. What makes Maverick great isn’t just the nostalgia. It’s got a killer score, an outstanding cast and the most mind-blowing aviation sequences of any movie. Tom Cruise is at his absolute best as a more mature (but still kinda dangerous) Maverick, and the supporting cast has no weak spots. Glen Powell got his breakout role as the cocky Hangman, Miles Teller as Rooster is the perfect casting of Goose’s son and Jon Hamm absolutely nails the cranky admiral role.
Don’t think. Just go watch this movie again. — Caroline Darney
Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off
I’m a big dude with no balance, which means, in short, I can’t skateboard worth a damn. However, I was seven years old when Tony Hawk did the 900 at the X-Games, and the memory I have of watching it is vivid. I have even more memories of playing Tony Hawk video games, from the first Pro Skater in 1999 through Project 8 when I was in high school. I spent countless hours playing these video games – and listening to their soundtracks – mostly with my older brother. He was at my apartment a few days before my wedding in April and we had some time to kill, so we watched this documentary on HBO Max. It was a pure jolt of nostalgia. It was also much more than that too. It dove deep into Hawk’s childhood, his relationship with his father, his early career struggles with money – before the 900 and the video games – and then put a microscope on his battle with mortality. A question the filmmakers have seems to be: “Why is this dude, at the age of 54, still skating and still wrecking his body?” There’s a sequence near the end of the film where all the skateboarders are talking about the suffering they’ve endured, and the damage done to their bodies. It was jarring, and a serious and sudden turn for the film. One of them says, “It’s foolish, what we’ve done to ourselves.” But if Tony Hawk ever feared the consequences, skateboarding – and skate culture – would never have reached the popularity it did. — Mitchell Northam
Nope
The core of Jordan Peele’s latest masterclass, Nope, asks one hard-hitting question of its viewers: To what end are we willing to sell out and sensationalize the marginalized for profit, for pure spectacle? As one learns through seeing Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer and friends trying to tame a UFO that was turned into a Southern California sideshow — the “show” never stops. It unthinkably must go on. And in the process, we are forced to reflect upon how society not only subtly and explicitly expresses racism towards minority communities but also rather easily sells them out and steals their culture for shallow material gain. Inevitably, the impression one gets is that no one is immune to this churn. Not a soul. Not even those who might be direct victims of hate but still try to get a piece of the pie at the harsh expense of another precious living thing. Gotta get that dollar any way you can, right? Peele has never been one to hide the themes of cruel exploitation and interracial dynamics behind his films. With Nope, I’m especially appreciative of his never-beat-around-the-bush approach because it shines a light on yet another underlying nefarious construct embedded into our grinder of a societal machine. And, yes: I still can’t get it out of my head. How ironic! — Robert Zeglinski
Tár
I went into this movie without knowing anything at all about what I was about to watch for the next two hours and 38 minutes, and I recommend that same viewing experience. It’s not for everyone, so if you don’t dig it, we have different taste in movies. But know that Cate Blanchett delivers an absolutely phenomenal performance as an EGOT-winning conductor, and everything starts to unravel from there. — Bryan Kalbrosky
Devotion
Devotion tells the heartbreaking and incredible true story of naval aviators Jesse Brown and Tom Hudner during the Korean War. Jonathan Majors shines as Brown — the first Black naval aviator — and should be considered for an Academy Award for his breathtaking performance. Like Top Gun: Maverick, the aviation scenes are breathtaking, even if they involve some, um, older and slower planes. Powell, who plays Brown’s wingman Hudner, was the driving force behind bringing the story to the big screen. Add in director J.D. Dillard — whose father was the second Black man to fly with the prestigious Blue Angels — and you have the pieces for a stunning story of friendship, love, and loss. — Caroline Darney
The Fabelmans
Steven Spielberg finally turned the camera on himself with The Fabelmans. After years of scattering about themes of his parents’ divorce and how it affected him as a child, he finally sets the record straight and tries to process their story years wiser. In one of the towering filmographies, it stands tall as one of Spielberg’s best and most emotionally mature films. — Cory Woodruff
The Banshees of Insherin
This was such an interesting, dark and delightful film. The elevator pitch for this — two friends on an island off Ireland in 1923 have an ugly breakup — seems so simple, but Martin McDonagh stretches it out and executes it at such a high level. It strikes a perfect balance between sadness, emptiness and meanness, and then wit, humor and softness. It’s gentle, but it also cuts deep. McDonagh’s script is wildly impressive, as are the actors that bring it to life, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Kerry Condon also shines, as does Barry Keoghan. The cinematography in this film is quite remarkable. It’s much more beautiful than it really needs to be. There’s these awesome sweeping shots of the Irish countryside and coast, but the camera also takes us inside these tight spaces and between walls — the latter of which is ultimately what the film is about; the barriers we as people put up, between ourselves, others and the rest of the world, and whether or not we allow them to be broken down. — Mitchell Northam
Babylon
Damien Chazelle’s twisted spin on Boogie Nights and Singin’ in the Rain features some of the most audacious filmmaking of the director’s career. It’s the world’s best shindig coupled with the world’s worst hangover, a film about the dangers of excess and the empty party pit of Hollywood’s yesteryears. Margot Robbie continues to prove herself as one of the best actors working with her fearless performance. — Cory Woodruff
Everything Everywhere All At Once
It’s amazing how a movie that features a fight with a fanny pack and Jamie Lee Curtis with hot dog fingers can also be one of the most emotionally beautiful films of the year. Everything Everywhere All At Once is a story of familial relationships, love and… the multiverse? Michelle Yeoh shines once again, this time as Evelyn Wang, a woman with almost as many issues with the IRS as she has with her overly-doting husband, estranged daughter and judgmental father. EEAAO is an absolutely wild and weird movie, but it can bring you to tears with just two rocks on screen. It’s a must-see. — Caroline Darney
Avatar: The Way of Water
James Cameron remains one of cinema’s glorious mad men. His return to Pandora packed in some of the most impressive visuals in modern moviemaking, but he also managed to improve the story over the first film and give it undeniable depth. Diving into Cameron’s big blue world continues to be one of the best moviegoing experiences of our generation. — Cory Woodruff
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
When Chadwick Boseman shockingly passed in 2020 after a quiet battle with cancer, questions came up around what would happen with T’Challa in Marvel’s Black Panther movies. The sequel to Ryan Coogler’s critically acclaimed Black Panther now had to figure out how to move forward. Storylines were changed as T’Challa the character also passed from an illness and the mantle of Black Panther switched hands. Tenoch Huerta commands the screen as Namor, and Letitia Wright proves she has leading lady chops as Shuri. More than anything else, Wakanda Forever is a chance for fans to say farewell to not just T’Challa, but Chadwick as well. — Caroline Darney
On the Count of Three
Jerrod Carmichael’s directorial debut was a powder keg of comfortability and razor-sharp truth. Pitting himself and a magnetizing Christopher Abbott against one of the bleakest premises for a comedy in years, Carmichael helped excavate the tricky nuances of mental illness and the unbreakable bonds of friendship. This film flew under the radar, but its bracing love and shock value alone make it one of the best debuts in years. — Cory Woodruff
