Editor’s note: Another year has come and gone! And with that, here is another look at some of the favorites from the Ticker staff. These favorites aren’t necessarily released in 2022, but they have brought joy to these staff members this year.  

Melani Bonilla – Multimedia Editor

Favorite Movie: “Bullet Train”

“Bullet Train,” starring Brad Pitt, Joey King, Bad Bunny, and more, is an action-comedy movie directed by David Leitch that hit box offices on Aug. 5..

Leitch is known for directing and producing the movies Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Nobody, and the upcoming film Violent Night.

“Produced on a reported budget of $90 million, Bullet Train has grossed nearly $70 million domestically, and over the weekend passed the $150 million mark worldwide.” Rahul Malhotra reported in a Collider article.

“Bullet Train” is about an assassin named Ladybug,played by Pitt,whose mission is to retrieve a briefcase. Little does he know, is that there are other lethal people on the train trying to get the same briefcase.

What made this my favorite movie of the year are the visuals and story.

The story is complex, intertwining and compelling. As different characters board the train, another piece of the puzzle is provided.

The visuals contained neon colors, classic to the Tokyo cityscape the movie is set in. The shots have purples, pinks and blues throughout that compel the viewer’s eye to take in all of the scenery.

In addition, the story takes place on a bullet train. These are trains that operate on a high-speed railway. Due to this, the film is never at a standstill and there’s always action for the eye to follow.

Watching this movie reminded me of the critically acclaimed “Train to Busan.” This 2016 film takes the same concept of a bullet train but instead has a story focused on a zombie apocalypse.

“Bullet Train,” however, is able to find the perfect mix of gore, comedy and action amidst the chaos going on and will entertain fans of all genres.

Bullet Train is now available to watch on Netflix.

Suporna Das – Web Editor

Favorite book: The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

“The Anthropocene Reviewed” is a collection of essays by John Green analyzing aspects of the Anthropocene and rating them out of five stars. It is Green’s first non-fiction book, and it is what proved him to be a brilliant, insightful and amusing author.

Green provides a unique and entertaining perspective on seemingly mundane features of human life. Each essay introduces a little history or science lesson that you could probably take with you to Jeopardy. As cheesy as it sounds, it has also taught me a lot about life and what it means to be a participant of the human race.

Leave it to John Green to reimagine the opening scene of “Penguins of Madagascar” as a criticism of humans behaving like lemmings.

Depending on your perspective of the world, you either view humans as the midwives of death and destruction, or as curious creatures with incredible potential for good. I fell under the former category and was adamant to remain in this pessimistic perception of humanity.

To Green, humans aren’t so black and white. In “The Anthropocene Reviewed”, he is critical but optimistic of our impact on the world; he has convinced me to think the same.

I’m now convinced this is the only book I would need on my shelf. I would take it with me through the apocalypse. If my house was burning down, it would be one of the three things I’d grab as I ran out.

I give “The Anthropocene Reviewed” by John Green five stars.

“The Anthropocene Reviewed” is available in libraries or wherever books are sold.

Maya Demchak-Gottlieb – News Editor

Favorite artist: AJR

AJR’s witty lyrics and electronic pop vibes set them apart from other artists. A juxtaposition of serious lyrics and upbeat music make their albums perfect for a variety of listeners and those experiencing complicated emotions.

With two new singles in 2022, “I Won’t” and recent follow-up “The DJ Is Crying For Help,” AJR built off their success in 2021 where their songs “Bang!” and “Way Less Sad” landed them in Billboard’s Hot 100.

While the group’s song “World’s Smallest Violin” went viral on TikTok this year, their music is more than just another passing trend. The song struck a chord with many listeners due to emotional lines like “Somewhere in the universe/Somewhere someone’s got it worse/Wish that made it easier/Wish I didn’t feel the hurt.”

Older songs are still worthy of being played on repeat thanks to relatable lyrics like the chorus of 2016’s “Turning Out” about feeling like you have a lot of ways you’re still growing: “You say I turned out fine/I think I’m still turning out.”

Long-standing fans and those only just discovering AJR can both look forward to 2023 when the band is expected to release their fifth studio album, temporarily dubbed TMM.

Until then, AJR’s music is available for streaming on all music streaming platforms.

Caryl Anne Francia – Business Editor

Favorite Theatre Production: The Skin of Our Teeth (2022 Broadway Revival)

After 80 years since its first performance, Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Skin of Our Teeth” still holds up for modern audiences.

Revived by Lincoln Center Theater in April, the 1942 comedic play follows the Antrobus family and their maid, Sabina in their suburban home. Taking place in New Jersey, during the same time it was written, as they experience three apocalyptic events — an ice age, a flood and a war. Adding on to the absurdity of the play are the Biblical allegories, the larger-than-life sets and the family’s pet dinosaur and mammoth. Not to mention, the performers break the fourth wall as fictionalized versions of themselves, unpacking Wilder’s work and confronting personal issues.

Clinching six Tony Award nominations for best director, best play actress and best scenic design, the revival won one award for its vibrant costumes designed by Montana Levi Blanco.

Lileana Blain-Cruz directs the play’s first Broadway production with an all-Black cast in the leading roles. She reintroduces the story for an audience in need of its message of persistence as we continue to endure a COVID-19 pandemic.

Deserving of her Tony Award nomination, Gabby Beans’ lively portrayal of Sabina honors actresses Eartha Kitt and Tallulah Bankhead. Of the three sets designed by Adam Rigg, the “20s-style boardwalk” delights audiences with its flashing lights, playful colors and functioning slide.

I found the play so fascinating that I wrote a research paper on it for a class this semester.

Although the production closed on May 29, people may book an appointment with the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts to view a recording of a show. Interested readers may also borrow or purchase a book of the play.

Dani Heba – Sports Editor

Favorite album: Georgia

In a year of repeatedly disappointing music releases from well-known artists and fan favorites, one didn’t disappoint: Jason Aldean. The veteran country singer released his album “Georgia” on April 22, and there were no skips on the album.

“Georgia” is the second half to his album “Macon” released on Nov. 12, 2021. Combined, the two albums spell out Macon, Georgia, Aldean’s hometown.

Aldean poured his heart into “Georgia” and it was telling from the first track, “Whiskey Me Away.” The song starts off slow, but once the second repetition of the chorus hits, the beat drops and listeners are drawn into the signature magic of Aldean’s music.

Songs like “Trouble With A Heartbreak,” “My Weakness,” “God Made Airplanes” and “Midnight and Missin’ You” are sad love songs that any country fan is going through, or has gone through a heartbreak can relate to.

“Rock And Roll Cowboy” was one of the signature songs off the album, which he named his 2022 tour after. A song with good vibes all around, Aldean brought the intensity to give listeners a song to roll their windows down to.

Finally, Aldean ends with “Your Mama” which is a dedication to his wife, his son’s mother. The song is a letter to his son, telling him to appreciate all his mother has done for both of them.

With “Georgia,” the “Dirt Road Anthem” singer stuck to his country roots to give fans a highquality album.

Arianne Gonzalez – Arts and Culture Editor

Favorite TV Show: Ted Lasso

My favorite TV show of the yearis Ted Lasso. Streaming on Apple TV+, it focuses on an American college football coach who gets hired to manage a professional football— dare I say soccer— team in England.

The Emmy-award winning TV show is full of laughter and transatlantic mistranslations as Ted, played by Jason Sudeikis, and his coaching partner Coach Beard, played by Brendan Hunt, get acclimated across the pond. Ted’s optimism and can-do attitude slowly worms its way into the players and staff of the Richmond football club, especially to the club’s owner, Rebecca Welton.

As light as the show can be, it does not shy away from more emotionally charged scenes. From dealing with the aftermath of divorce and forging new romantic relationships to dealing with intergenerational trauma and team bonding.

Other stand-out characters throughout the series include the loveable and grumpy player-turnedcoach Roy Kent, played by Brett Goldstein, and Rebecca, played by Hannah Waddingham. Both won Emmy awards for outstanding supporting actor and actress in a comedy series in 2021, respectively.

Witty with a dash of cheesiness and a cup of heart, Ted Lasso is the perfect show to look for some joy in the world. It is the perfect comfort show, and seeing how each cast member develops their characters’ relationships and personas throughout the seasons has been a treat.

Razia Islam – Science Editor

Favorite show:  The Sex Lives of College Girls

The HBO Max comedy series “The Sex Lives of College Girls” follows four college roommates, Whitney, Bela, Leighton and Kimberly, and their unconventional approaches to dealing with their freshman year of college.

Since the roommates are so different from one another, the show is able to capture several very real issues, despite the majority of the show’s story being lighthearted and an over exaggerated representation of the college experience. The characters deal with the everyday joys of college:

from casual racism at 8 a.m. to fights with their school’s financial aid department at lunch.

Additionally, this show does a great job at including lesbian representation, something that’s often overlooked in other media. It also includes amazing South Asian representation with the character Bela, unsurprising considering the Indian American creator, Mindy Kaling.

Despite their differences, the roommates eventually become close friends and navigate together through the fictional and prestigious Essex College.  The “found family” trope is one of my favorites, so it’s no surprise that I became attached to this show.

The short 30 minute episodes were my favorite way to spend breaks in between schoolwork. Personally, as my attention span has shortened to adapt to the world of TikTok, these episodes were super easy to watch.

I’ll admit, with a title like that, I never expected myself to enjoy this show as I picked it up on a whim but I’m glad that I did. Season 2 is currently airing, and I can’t wait to see where it takes this group of friends!

“The Sex Lives of College Girls” is available to watch on HBO Max.

Farah Javed – Managing Editor

Favorite YouTube Channel:  Cinema Therapy

Each time someone makes a bag of popcorn and sits down to watch a film, they are also consuming kernels of life lessons and stories that impact their development as human beings.

Licensed marriage and family therapist Jonathan Decker and Emmy-winning filmmaker Alan Seawright take movie-watching one step further with their YouTube channel, Cinema Therapy. They provide a psychoanalysis of characters’ personalities, decisions and relationships, while examining the production and writing of the film itself.

Since launching their channel in November 2019, they have amassed 1.18 million subscribers.

Some of their past videos highlighted signs of post-traumatic stress disorder in the character Tony Stark, discussed how to navigate life’s obstacles like George does in “It’s a Wonderful

Life” and explored relationship conflicts and dealing with memories of lost love like in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”

Their content spans genres and time periods, but Seawright connects Decker’s psychoanalysis with a narrative or production element in each video.

For instance, the pair reacted to Director Naoko Yamada’s “A Silent Voice.” The film’s first half shows grade schooler Ishida bullying his deaf classmate, Nishimiya. When she switches schools Ishida’s classmates treat him as an outcast, though they are also complacent in bullying. The rest of the film follows him as a high schooler attempting to make amends with her.

Decker comments that Ishida cannot look people in the eye because “He’s been taught that he’s awful and he doesn’t look people in the face.” Seawright points out that when Ishida first makes a friend in the movie, Nagatsuka, the audience sees a literal red X peel off Nagatsuka’s face, a motif that returns in the film, and leaves Seawright in tears as he compliments the animation and musical composition.

After watching a movie with themes of abuse, guilt and suicide, Decker leaves the viewer with an uplifting note that echoes the movie’s end.

“Depression doesn’t go away, doesn’t lift for most people, but there’s a capacity to feel again, there’s a capacity to experience joy. The cure for so many things is connection, and we may think no one wants to connect with me. But we just need to find the right people,” he said.

While watching movies, people may categorize characters as solely heroes, villains or examples of perfect relationships, but Decker and Seawright break down this dichotomous view and analyze the complexities within them.

Whether it be through their “Therapist Reacts,” “Psychology of a Hero,” “Villain Therapy” or animation playlists, Decker and Seawright provide advice and perspectives that the viewer can choose to apply to their own life or digest as words of comfort.

Mariana Oliva – Copy Editor

Favorite TV Show: Nathan For You

This year I binge-watched a lot of shows and movies. My television screen was consumed by streaming services; Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Showtime and Amazon. One that kept me hooked and rewatching itover and over again was “Nathan For You.”

The series which originally aired from 2013-2017 on Comedy Central was created by Canadian comedian Nathan Fielder. To this day, I rarely meet people who have ever seen the show, nevertheless even heard of it.

Fielder, who holds a business degree from one of “Canada’s top business schools,” seeks struggling businesses in hopes of helping them. The twist is the tactics Fielder uses to go through with his ideas.

Taking unorthodox approaches to help the businesses, “Nathan For You” has a certain type of humor that not all viewers will be able to appreciate. Fielder’s socially awkward persona and deadpan delivery give the show a uniqueness.

To get an idea, in one of the episodes, Fielder seeks to help a realtor sell houses. He proposes the idea of hiring a medium and priest to cleanse the house to ensure a “ghost-free” space that the realtor can market.

Unfortunately, there are only four seasons of “Nathan For You,” consisting of eight 21-minute episodes, with the exception of the last season having seven episodes, two of which are much longer.

If you’re looking for a new comedy show, check out “Nathan For You.” It may very well be just ‘For You.’

“Nathan For You” is currently available to stream on Hulu and HBO Max.