Favorites of 2022

I’ve been an arts and culture writer/editor/curator for all of my adult life, but I admit: Even when it’s your job, it’s so hard to keep up with the glut of movies, TV series, books, and music out there. That’s why this year, I decided to not even try to keep up on TV. I watched and wrote about a few shows (Rings of Power, Severance), but honestly my time is limited and TV shows require such a commitment of hours (I haven’t even had time to watch the new season of The Crown yet). I’d rather spend my limited time watching quality one-off movies, reading books, and discovering excellent new music. I know I’m missing out on lots of great TV (at least five people have told me I must watch Andor… maybe one day!), but when you’re a busy husband and father of three, missing out on a lot of good media is A-OK.

I also increasingly desire to slow down to savor things, rather than moving so quickly through my lists that nothing fully digests. I want to follow the advice of Alan Jacobs, who recently wrote: “If you’re trying to get through your leisure-time reading and watching and listening as quickly as you can, then you definitely do not understand the meaning of leisure and should do a thorough rethink.”

In any case, below are my favorites from what I did watch/read/listen to in 2022.* What were yours?

15 FAVORITE FILMS

1. TÁR

2. Devotion

3. Top Gun: Maverick

4. Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood

5. Nope

6. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

7. The Worst Person in the World

8. After Yang

9. Avatar: The Way of Water

10. The Montana Story

11. Aftersun

12. The Batman

13. The Fabelmans

14. 13 Lives

15. Hustle

Read my full “best movies” article at The Gospel Coalition.

10 FAVORITE BOOKS RELEASED IN 2022

1. The Genesis of Gender: A Christian Theory by Abigail Favale

2. Sea of Tranquility: A novel by Emily St John Mandel

3. How and How Not to Be Happy by J. Budziszewski

4. The Air We Breathe: How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality by Glen Scrivener

5. In Good Time by Jen Pollock Michel

6. Rembrandt in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith by Russ Ramsey

7. The Case Against the Sexual Revolution by Louise Perry

8. Analog Christian: Cultivating Contentment, Resilience, and Wisdom in the Digital Age by Jay Y. Kim

9. The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith by Trevin Wax

10. Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It by Richard Reeves

10 FAVORITE BOOKS I READ (BUT WERE NOT RELEASED) IN 2022

1. Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

2. Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

3. The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather

4. Laurus by Eugene Vodolazkin

5. Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World by Tom Holland

6. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

7. The Uncontrollability of the World by Hartmut Rosa

8. Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

9. How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind by Thomas Oden

10. On the Meaning of Sex by J. Budziszewski

15 FAVORITE ALBUMS

1. John Van Deusen, (I Am) Origami Pt. 4 – Marathon Daze

2. Colorvault, Faint

3. Poor Bishop Hooper, Psalm 119 and EveryPsalm

4. Madison Cunningham, Revealer

5. CityAlight, There Is One Gospel

6. Jonathan Ogden, Future Forever

7. Gang of Youths, angel in realtime.

8. Ben Rector, The Joy of Music

9. Mr. and Mrs. Garrett Soucy, From the River to the Ends of the Earth

10. Max Richter, The New Four Seasons: Vivaldi Recomposed

11. Will Carlisle, Hummingbird

12. Lecrae, Church Clothes 4

13. Tyson Motsenbocker, Milk Teeth

14. Drew and Ellie Holcomb, Coming Home: A Collection of Songs

15. Luke Sital-Singh, Dressing Like a Stranger

Listen to my Spotify playlist of the best songs of 2022.

*As always, use discernment in what you choose to watch and listen to. Some movies and albums listed above contain objectionable content.