John’s top 10 TV shows of 2022
2022 television: The landscape of TV is being flattened – fewer episodes, but more shows. That makes narrowing this list to a mere 10 quite a challenge.
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‘Black Adam’ a goofily fun but hypocritical superhero romp
Movie review: The Rock is nicely understated as a rare Middle Eastern superhero, but the setting feels more like a computer than reality.
‘A Christmas Story Christmas’ won’t be a classic like the original
Movie reviews: Watching “A Christmas Story” and the new sequel back-to-back illustrates the greatness of the first and weaknesses of the latter.
‘Winning Time’ a winner, even if not entirely accurate
TV review: A historian wouldn’t approve of the dramatic license, but these 10 episodes bottle the spirit of the Lakers dynasty.
‘Flight Attendant’ Season 2 a stark study of alcoholism
TV review: When she’s not shilling for Smirnoff, Kaley Cuoco plays one-woman cautionary tale Cassie in the wild HBO Max thriller.
James Gunn cuts loose in DCEU’s ‘Peacemaker’
First episode impressions (TV review): The first DCEU TV series focuses on the B-list Peacemaker, but Gunn wins me over with his humor.
‘8-Bit Christmas’ joins pantheon of holiday classics
Movie review: “8-Bit Christmas” has nostalgia for 1988, but it remembers family and classmates as much as it remembers Trapper Keepers and Nintendos.
Matrix reboots for thrilling remix ‘Matrix Resurrections’
Movie review: Among the last decade’s spate of nostalgic reboots, a new “Matrix” film is perhaps the most appropriate. It’s also one of the best.
Slow-burn ‘Dune’ illustrates imperial machinations
Movie review: Villeneuve’s film is homework more than entertainment. But it’s interesting to see how “Star Wars” was influenced by “Dune.”
Wan’s ‘Malignant’ delivers weird – and creepy – science
Movie review: “A new vision of horror” is slightly overstating it, but “Malignant” uses its bizarre premise and wild action to stand out from the horror pack.