Hot Girls Look Back on 2022
(and towards 2023.... and a possible rebrand?)
Putting into perspective that I started the year off having never attended an in-person film festival, stepped foot behind the scenes of the Haunted Mansion, or known the identity of the 14th Doctor, the beginning of 2022 really does feel like a lifetime ago. Writing year-in-review posts is always sort of bittersweet and melancholic for me, but I wanted to sit down and sort of formally reflect on my past year of work and life developments - because all in all, this has been a pretty exciting year, if I do say so myself. Inspired by Marya’s wonderful month-by-month list of 2022 notable works, I’d thought I’d take a page from her (not yet published but eagerly anticipated) book and follow a similar format.
January saw me virtually attending Sundance 2022 as I eagerly anticipated moving to Walt Disney World and beginning my six-month Disney College Program. In fact, I watched a number of films on the road - I vividly remember experiencing the wonder of Fresh’s title card while crashing at my brother’s place in Alabama for the evening, having driven halfway to Florida the same day. Though my very first watch/review of the year was technically Cobra Kai season four (the first of two seasons released this year) my most memorable watches from January include the aforementioned Fresh, Euphoria season 2 (of which I am already an avid defender), and Scream 5 - that two of those are horror is indicative of some overarching patterns in my viewing this year.
Settling into a six-month stint in Florida, February didn’t bring much of a heavy feature month for me, though I did gleefully begin Hulu’s The Great, one of my favorite shows I’ve enjoyed this year. It was also around this time that I was swept away by Our Flag Means Death, and utterly disappointed by the similarly pirate-y Doctor Who Easter special. Now, I’m not quite sure what was in the water in May, but after a mostly TV-heavy spell of shows like The Flight Attendant, Barry and Better Call Saul (which, how has there been so much good TV this year), I finally got back in the habit of feature writing.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned by passion for The Vampire Diaries (and associated franchises) on here before, but rest assured the series was in my heavy 2022 rotation, which lead to the penning of a defense/analysis of one of my favorite (or, ex-favorite) characters. I also caught Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which I LOVED and will readily defend - one of the more major review curveballs I ended up with this year. May also brought a (rather steamy) look at Starz’ maligned fantasy-drama American Gods, and the unrecognized brilliance of its sex scenes. Last but CERTAINLY not least, May saw me pick up an affinity for M*A*S*H which is still going strong, and sparked many a feature (or twitter rambling) down the line.
June brought a pair of Deep Space Nine feminism features (love you forever, Dax and Kira) and the news that the Tenth Doctor and Donna will be returning to Doctor Who down the line which… you probably already know my feelings on. I also hopped back into some guilty pleasure TV viewing - summer brought new seasons for Only Murders in the Building and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Also, RIP the Vampire Diaries Universe. Queue the heavy metal. Oh god. What’s that rumbling on the horizon? Do I hear bats? Metallica?
No, it’s just that long-haired metalhead from TikTok cringe compilations, here to take over the internet and a not insignificant amount of my attention for the remainder of 2022. In addition to Stranger Things season four (the stars of which I got to meet later that year in my first of two trips to Toronto), Harley Quinn delivered another solid season, and Hulu’s Not Okay was the first of two Gen-Z movies I ADORED in 2022.
Bodies Bodies Bodies hit theaters in August, shooting to the top of my favorite films list and also delivering my top Spotify Wrapped song of 2022 (love you Charli) and the namesake (for now) of this Substack. Also, a roundup of TV title sequences I’m very proud of for Paste.
For M*A*S*H’s 50th anniversary, I wrote a feature about Mulcahy & Klinger, as well as a best-of episode guide for each character, in case any curious readers are in the mood for a new favorite sitcom. Last but not least, August saw me start as a part-time coordinator for Lisa Trifone’s Bright Iris Film Co., an unexpected yet treasured job opportunity.
I headed back to Toronto in September for my first TIFF, where I got to see All Too Well on 45mm (prompting a feature about Taylor Swift’s budding career as a filmmaker), catch up with critic friends, and enjoy a number of stellar titles, including Pearl, Women Talking, and The Whale.
October saw trips to theaters around chicago for Clue and Amadeus Live, as well as the delightfully 90s Do Revenge, and a feature penned about Stranger Things’ Chrissy Cunningham. This was also about the time my obsession with Re-Animator and Jeffrey Combs began… though that particular fascination hasn’t yielded feature writing (yet). Rounding out the end of the year, I filled in a few blind spots (including the Fear Street trilogy, a personal favorite new discovery) while diving deeper into my Taylor Swift obsession, and falling in love with Wednesday’s goth dance moves.
Phew, I’m tired just writing all that, and you poor souls are the ones that had to read it. As for where I’m headed in 2023, Sundance is the immediate next step on the horizon - though I’ll be intending digitally again, it’s the only major festival I have lined up for this year as of right now. Most of my time in 2023 will be spent finishing my final year at DePaul, though I fully intend to continue as a film/tv critic publishing regularly. I also aim to really commit to feature writing again, as well as expanding my bylines to new publications - so editors, you know where to reach me if you’re interested.
My 2022 was long and busy, but a good, productive, steady kind of busy - and as I look toward 2023 (for which I am setting numerous resolutions, post on that coming soon) I’m excited to continue my Substack, and possibly under a new name: so don’t be shocked if there’s a different-looking Substack in your inbox next year. Until, this Hot Girl is thanking you all for helping make my 2022 amazing, and setting her sights on 2023: see you on the other side.
Note: A year-in-review wouldn’t be complete without giving a special thanks to the people who helped make my 2022 a great one. Editors: Dan, Annie, Erik, Brian, Allison (twice!), Tim, Ryan, Nick, Jacob - thank you, for giving me a platform. Robert Daniels and Marya E Gates - my critic Obi-Wans and wonderful friends. Lisa, for being a wonderful boss and ever-present cheerleader. Niki and the rest of the RakPack for making me feel like a member of the clan. Dan, Ben, Mom, and Dad- I hope you all know how much I love you.
This is so sweet, Lauren. It's been wonderful seeing all of your success this year!!
You've had a quite a year Lauren! I'm so proud to call you a friend.