Welcome to 2021. An in-between year. Not quite COVID shut down. Not quite back to normal. Still enough interest out there to make Spider-Man: No Way Home a box office behemoth. Not enough to help almost any other movie released. When I did this list last year, it was pretty dire. I'd seen only 17 movies from that year in theaters. I only managed to see 85 new movies that year total. 2021 was a mix of added and removed constraints. I didn't see anything in a theater until March and "only" say 44 total: a lot for most but still way down for me. I doubled-down on my commitment to at-home viewing though and saw 146 movies released this year though. I don't know if that's my record, but it can't be far from it. Much of that was helped by getting to take advantage of the fully online Sundance when I watched 44 movies in about 5.5 days. All the streaming services helped too. It made for a good year in movies. Better in variety than 2020 for sure.
This is my 11th year doing this, but I still feel the need to review a little about what this list is and isn't. It is a list of all the movies released in 2021 that I have seen, from first to last. I like to include all movies because I don't think a normal top 10 list does much good if you don't know what I have and haven't seen. That way, you don't have to ask things like "Does he hate C'mon C'mon or has he just not seen it?" This list is my favorite movies of 2021. I gave up the idea of picking the "most perfect", "most important', or "most revolutionary" movies in a year a while ago. I can only answer the question "What movie added more to my year"? This list is a snapshot in time. My relationship with all movies evolves over time. I change and my understanding of movies changes. That's not to say I don't stand by the ordering of my list. Rather, I'm not naive enough to think I'll still have the same list in a few months or years. This list isn't an attempt to appease some sense of what I'm supposed to like. It isn't as definitive in the middle as the top and bottom. Feel free to read into the order of the 3rd and 4th movies. Please don't read in as much to the ordering of the 58th and 63rd movies. Almost by definition, those are movies I don't have a strong feeling about.
As always, I'd like to add a few clerical notes. I determine a film's release based on its public US release. Film Festivals don't count. So, only the Sundance movies I saw that have been released otherwise will count. If there was a theatrical release tracked on Box Office Mojo, I go with that. Otherwise, I use the US release per IMDB. Since I've posted Reactions to all these movies, I'll keep my comments here pretty brief. If you really want to know more, click on the link.
The list looks a little confusing this year. Thanks to an altered eligibility window, you'll see several of last year's Oscar contenders mixed in. It's been a while since I had a really strong year of movies. Or, at least it's been a while since the strength was apparent by Dec 31. This year remains the same. I'm not sure if many all-time favorites released this year. It sure was deep with quality though. The mix of late Oscar arrivals, delayed theatrical releases, Sundance selections, and streamers establishing themselves left a lot of quality options.
Finally, I set a new record for new-to-me movies. I saw 438 movies I hadn't seen before, smashing my previous record of 378. I'm definitely not hitting that number again, since it really burned me out. Anyway, to recognize the other 292 movies I saw not released in 2021, I'll include my top 10 of those.
Previous Lists:
Top 10
1. The Green Knight
I’m a David Lowery slut when it comes to this slow meditative A Ghost Story-style, mixed with Arthurian Legend no less.
I love a good Rashomon. With all the top tier names tied to it, I have no idea how this whiffed so completely at the box office (even with COVID considerations).
3. Dune
Denis Villeneuve makes movies I love to stare at.
4. Worth
Buried by a release to coincide with the 20th anniversary of 9/11, this Spotlight-lite movie deserved way more attention than it got.
5. CODA
This busy coming-of-age movie was a charming watch back at Sundance and remains just as delightful.
6. Belfast
Basically, a more crowd-pleasing, less showy Roma.
7. West Side Story (2021)
Only Spielberg would have the stones to take on a classic like West Side Story, and dammit, he pulled it off and even evolved the material.
8. Flee
No movie took me more by surprise than this foreign animated documentary. Truly, not like anything else I watched this year.
9. The Rescue
That’s right, two documentaries in my top 10. But good luck finding anything more harrowing in 2021 than this account of the Thai football team rescue.
10. The Night House
The most simply satisfying 2021 horror movie I saw this year, complete with 2 of the most effective scares.
Everything In Between
11. Nomadland
It’s weird to have the last Best Picture winner on this year’s list, but it’s been a weird 22 months. Anyway, I just want to hang out in this movie for a while.
I put up with really strained setup in the first half in order to have an absolute blast in the second half. And no movie in 2021 tapped into my nostalgia in a better way.
This feels like the movie most likely to rise in my estimation in the coming months. Probably my favorite ending of the year, thanks mostly to how understated it is.
Just because a film feels very stage-bound doesn’t mean it’s bad. I love listening to four people talk in a room as long as the discussion is interesting.
15. In the Heights
What a good year for musicals. This is one of those movies that’s going to get a lot of jobs for a lot of its stars.
16. Zola
This tweet thread-turned-movie wears its source like a badge of honor. A great integration of social media into film that is also a total blast to watch.
17. Censor
I love when a movie is both commenting on a film genre and is a film in that genre at the same time. Censor is a great ode to the video nasties of the 80s.
18. V/H/S/94
Few discoveries made me happier than finding out this film franchise was back. While lacking the top tier talent of the first two movies, it’s a nice return to form for this anthology horror franchise.
19. Mass
Remember when I said I loved listening to four people talk in a room? Here’s another movie like that. Less cinematic than One Night in Miami but even more gutting.
20. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
I like Marvel doing Marvel-y things. If Shang-Chi is any indication, the MCU is looking just fine in a post-Endgame world.
21. King Richard
The only downside to Will Smith possibly winning an Oscar for this is that it may dissuade him from making more movies like this to chase an Oscar.
22. Fear Street: Part 2 - 1978
I really love this inventive horror trilogy from Netflix, and the 70s-80s slasher homage in the second installment was peak form for Fear Street.
Putting Sorkin dialogue in the mouth of Oscar-winning actors in an old Hollywood setting is damn near a cheat code to access my pleasure center.
24. Eternals
I don’t know what people were expecting this movie to be. It’s sprawling and overambitious, but the MCU needed some of that. I really enjoyed what the newly minted Oscar winning director did with this huge and talented cast.
25. No Time To Die
Daniel Craig was a good Bond. His tenure saw the franchise break a lot of its decades-old rules and it was mostly for the better. Now I’m just trying to figure out how they can bring Ana de Armas back for the next one.
26. Luca
Of course Pixar is going to make a movie about friendship that I’ll like. While I hate to lose the theater experience, I do appreciate them sparing me from being that lone guy in his mid-30s setting in a theater full of families on a Saturday afternoon to see this.
27. Black Widow
Honestly, just bringing in Florence Pugh’s Yelena into the MCU was enough to justify this movie for me.
28. Jungle Cruise
Ever since The Curse of the Black Pearl crashed into my all-time favorite movies list in 2003, I’ve been excited any time Disney wants to attempt to make a classic ride into a movie. Jungle Cruise is by no means perfect but it sure is a lot of fun.
A South East Asian inspired animated movie structured like a Zelda game: yes, please.
30. Fear Street: Part 1 - 1994
The Feat Street trilogy started strong with this somewhat Wes Craven-y slasher. That said, I’m still uncomfortable with 1994 being considered a “period piece”.
31. Encanto
The Disney playbook is super familiar at this point, but until they stop winning with it, who am I to complain about it?
32. Nobody
The thrill of this movie is seeing how it reveals itself over time. What a fun role for Bob Odenkirk.
This starts as an annoying Ed Helms movie and turns into a really lovely film about friendship. I’m sad this one didn’t get more attention.
34. Summer of Soul
I’m super impressed with how Questlove mixes the concert footage with context of the bands and context of the time for this Harlem Cultural Festival film. He took on way too much and somehow pulled it off.
Andrew Garfield is really spectacular. I just wish the I was better grounded in Broadway to fully appreciate this film.
36. Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
It’s impressive how much this movie made me care about Sesame Street considering that I never really watched it when I was young.
37. First Date
This indie “one crazy night” movie is a lot of fun.
I didn’t realize how much I needed an All-Star Black Western until I watched this.
39. Candyman (2021)
I don’t mean it as a slight when I say my favorite part was the closing credits. That really stuck with me.
40. Jockey
Clifton Collins Jr. gets the kind of starring role that accomplished character actors dream of. He’s never been better.
[Side Note: This is about where in the list I stop being thoroughly tickled by all the movies. It’s nuts that I still like so many of the movies this far down on the list. 2021 was a deep year for quality movies.]
41. House of Gucci
I enjoy seeing this many big performances on screen at the same time.
42. Judas and the Black Messiah
I’ll be honest. I thought Daniel Kaluuya’s Oscar love for Get Out was a fluke. He’s quickly cemented himself as an elite Hollywood star.
The larger narrative lost my interest some, but the filmmaking and conceit remain engaging in these films.
44. Fear Street: Part 3 - 1666
The final installment does all the technical stuff as well as the first two parts. This is just a reminder that doing a period piece right is expensive, and the 1666 parts looked a little too much like they were filmed at Colonial Williamsburg.
This is one of the hardest movies to recommend. The thrill of the movie is watching it reveal itself, but knowing that there’s something to reveal takes some of the fun out of it. This really should be higher on my list, but I think I’m just embarrassed how much this movie sucked me in.
46. How It Ends
This is a nice, quirky bit of COVID cinema. Not in that it is about COVID. More in that it was made out of boredom and made around COVID protocols in the Summer of 2020. This is a movie that gets worse the more you remove it from that context.
47. Nightmare Alley
It’s always fun to look at a Guillermo del Toro movie. Giving him a circus to play with is brilliant. I wish I cared a little more about the non-circus parts.
48. Spencer
There’s no denying that Kristen Stewart is phenomenal is this Princess Diana fairy tale. She may have sealed up an Oscar with that first production still.
49. Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Sony’s weird deal for the Spider-Man rights has resulted in some really entertaining stuff. There’s no reason for there to be this silly Venom franchise, but I’m glad it exists.
If nothing else, this is a really touching goodbye to Harold Ramis.
51. The Map of Tiny Perfect Things
I’m a sucker for a Groundhog Day movie. And a coming-of-age movie. And a Kathryn Newton movie. I guess I’m the target audience for this.
While journalism has the habit of overinflating its significance, this documentary about a female-run newspaper in India is super impressive. Seeing how these women battle both gender norms and the caste system is pretty inspiring.
It’s pretty funny to me how they were like “OK. Suicide Squad was garbage. We like the idea though. Let’s bring back maybe 3 of the actors and shake the DC archives for even more embarrassing villains to use. Kill everyone else.” The movie isn’t a classic, but it’s fun and a nice improvement.
If nothing else, it was one of my favorite Reactions to write this year.
55. Passing
I’m still perhaps unfairly indifferent about the movie but Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson’s performances sure are good.
56. Cruella
Proof that a movie can’t have enough Emmas. Emma Watson, Mackey, and/or Roberts better be on the phone for the sequel. This movie takes on too much but it sure looks good doing it.
57. At the Ready
I like a documentary where the decision to film a thing is enough to make it interesting. Following high schoolers on a border town who are part of a police officer training program at school is almost impossible to mess up.
You know when a friend is really obsessed with something, and their enthusiasm makes you genuinely curious to know more, but when they see you are even a little interested, they take it too far to the point that you’re like “cool it”? That’s pretty much what Edgar Wright does with this movie.
I swear, I had no idea I put both Edgar Wright movies next to each other. In a way, I guess that proves his consistency in my mind. This sure is a stylish movie. It was maybe a better trailer though.
I mean, we’re 9/10 movies deep now. You know what you’re getting into. Things exploded. I had fun.
Do I need to come up with a list of actresses who I like seeing beat people up? Karen Gillan is definitely top 5.
62. Red Notice
Yeah, we’re fully into the portion of the list where I struggle to find anything to say. This movie is most notable for how much Netflix spent on it. While mildly enjoyable, I don’t think it was worth the cost.
63. Without Remorse
Michael B. Jordan should get the first call for any action franchise. While I think he could do better than this movie, he does elevate this one.
64. Stowaway
It’s another movie that feels like it was developed by a Netflix algorithm and feels like about a dozen other movies I’ve enjoyed. Who am I to turn down a Toni Collette/Anna Kendrick in space movie?
65. Free Guy
Video game cinema has always struggled to not seem 5 years behind any trend. Free Guy has the same problem but has a good time doing it, at least.
I know the movie would judge me for this, but the things I liked about the Matrix trilogy are not what they brought to Resurrections. I did enjoy some of the expansion of the world though, and having Neo and Trinity back will always work on some level.
67. Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin
It broke some cardinal rules of the franchise, but it’s a decent horror movie otherwise.
But seriously, how did they not use the famous music until the end credits? Nice setup for future movies though.
69. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
Still a fun premise although they took away a lot of the stakes with decisions made in this installment.
70. Luzzu
I never thought I’d care so much about a family fishing boat.
71. Land
A nice directorial debut for Robin Wright.
72. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
When did I get so indifferent to this franchise? The movie was fine, I suppose.
73. Coming 2 America
I’m still trying to understand the decision to make this a reboot as well as a sequel.
Wes Anderson is gonna Wes Anderson. At least this film gave him in bite-sized chunks.
75. The Tomorrow War
And now we know that Chris Pratt can’t carry a franchise on his name alone. Cool idea for a movie though.
76. The Guilty
I just wish this movie would’ve been more upfront with the audience.
It’s a shame Jessica Chastain’s great performance is lost in a rather muddled movie.
78. Moxie
Amy Poehler is building a charming filmography as a director.
That opening sequence set the bar impossibly high for the rest of the movie.
80. Malignant
Well, this sure went in a bonkers direction. That last act makes the mediocre movie before it worth it.
81. Kate
“Uncouth adult mentors an impressionable child” is a sweet spot genre for me.
82. Try Harder!
I sure am glad I’m not applying for college anymore.
83. The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard
Very smart to movie Salma Hayek to the forefront of this.
84. Love Hard
I need more movies that allow me to enjoy Nina Dobrev.
85. Prisoners of the Ghostland
This is a deeply strange movie that I wish was even stranger.
Vanessa Kirby and Katherine Waterston do everything they can to give this movie life.
87. I Care a Lot
Rosamund Pike can be so damn terrifying.
88. The Dig
A movie that tried to cast its way out of a hole, and it nearly worked.
89. No Sudden Move
Steven Soderbergh in the all-star crime caper is normally a sweet spot for me. Not sure why this one didn’t click.
90. The White Tiger
Still an odd screenplay Oscar nominee. I do enjoy films about the proximity of enormous wealth to deep poverty in India.
91. Reminiscence
Ironically, I have trouble remembering much about this movie.
92. Old
If you ended this about 10 minutes earlier, it would’ve been a much better movie.
93. Silent Night
That was pretty bleak. Not sure how it fell this low.
94. Beckett
I’m having a hard time forgiving them for how little Alicia Vikander this movie provided.
95. Army of the Dead
This is a really fun 2005 movie.
96. Snake Eyes
Shang-Chi really ate this movie’s lunch. It turns out, you don’t have to choose between your Asian lead being handsome or able to fight.
97. Beanie Mania
80 minutes of “Remember Beanie Babies? What was that?”
Killer premise and opening that slowly ran out of gas.
99. Mother/Android
I respect how matter-of-fact the android takeover is in this movie. It sort of takes the stance “Of course The Terminator would happen”.
100. Psych 3: This Is Gus
To some degree, it’s nice to hang out with Shawn, Gus, and the gang. I do wish it didn’t feel like they were writing the movie as they were making it.
101. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
I’m glad some people enjoyed this. The humor was just not a flavor I cared for.
102. Army of Thieves
I do appreciate how they were like “We have this zombie franchise, but we don’t really want to deal with that. Just put it on in the background.”
103. Vacation Friends
I’ll say this much. The plot kept going in directions I didn’t expect. Had the jokes been a little better, I would’ve been very impressed with this.
104. The Card Counter
Oscar Isaac is good, so does anything else really matter?
Kind of a fun 90s action movie made in 2020.
106. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
As long as they put Rose Byrne and Domhnall Gleason together in a movie, I don’t really have a choice now do I?
107. In the Earth
It’s looking more and more like Free Fire was the exception for how I feel about Ben Wheatley’s movies.
108. Thunder Force
At the very least, these Melissa McCarthy/Ben Falcone movies aren’t as toxic as they used to be.
109. The Unforgivable
Seriously though, how old is Sandra Bullock supposed to be in this movie?
110. Tom and Jerry
The move is a bit of a waste, but there is something I like about these kids movies where all the talented adult actors give “I know I’m in a kids movie” performances.
111. Finch
So much better than Chappie.
112. The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Andra Day is very good in this.
113. Knocking
As someone who chased a bug sound I was hearing for 10 minutes last night, I can relate to a movie about a woman obsessed with a knocking she keeps hearing.
114. The Many Saints of Newark
Perhaps I should’ve done a Sopranos rewatch first.
115. The Voyeurs
The erotic thrill genre is almost dead, so it’s nice to see someone still trying to make them.
116. Dear Evan Hansen
All Broadway show film adaptations need someone on staff whose entire job is to tell people “It’s ok do change that.”
117. Don't Breathe 2
Not the best franchise to turn the antagonist into the protagonist.
118. To All the Boys: Always and Forever
After the letter gimmick wore out, I had a hard time staying interested in this franchise.
119. Palmer
Justin Timberlake’s best performance, but that’s not a very high bar.
120. The Little Things
A movie with this many Oscar winners shouldn’t have only one good performance.
121. Bruised
Another movie where I got a little too distracted trying to figure out how old the main character is supposed to be.
122. He's All That
The best thing I can say is that I didn’t hate this genre swapped Influencer remake of the 90s hit.
123. False Positive
Pregnancy as horror is such a natural idea.
124. The Last Letter from Your Lover
I keep thinking this movie would’ve been better if you’d swapped the lead actress roles.
125. Wild Indian
Michael Greyeyes is good and intense in a movie I’ve otherwise forgotten.
126. Halloween Kills
How does the same filmmaker who made the 2018 movie make the mistake of sidelining Jamie Lee Curtis for the sequel?
127. Things Heard & Seen
I know I saw this. I remember watching a screen playing this movie and hearing the words and sounds…I can’t tell you a thing about it though.
128. Trust
The couple at the center of this were never on the equal footing that this movie needs for it to work.
129. Mayday
A great idea that often felt more like an extended music video.
By 2023, you won’t be able to convince me that this and The Girl on the Train are different movies.
131. Prime Time
It’s ironic that these movies about someone taking over a TV broadcast to say something rarely ever have anything to say.
132. Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir
To be honest, I watched this when I was too burned out on movies to enjoy anything. That said, the entire message of this movie was “I wrote The Joy Luck Club”. I think I would’ve gotten more out of just rewatching The Joy Luck Club.
133. Malcolm & Marie
Considering that this is a two-hander at a single location, it’s a bad sign that I would’ve rather watch this on mute.
134. Cherry
The Russo brothers spent their Avengers goodwill on this? That’s unfortunate.
135. John & the Hole
This movie is either way too smart for me or it’s meaningless.
136. Ma Belle, My Beauty
For whatever reason, this love triage movie just didn’t click with me.
Bottom 10
137. Cusp
Overtime, the feeling of gawking and judgment in this movie has grown for me.
138. Cryptozoo
I found the animation style too messy to overcome some clever ideas.
139. Don't Look Up
I really want to like an Adam McKay movie again. Such a waste of an amazing cast.
140. Aftermath
There are movies that 5 minutes in I realize I’ve made a horrible mistake and should turn them off. I need to get better about turning them off and considering the time spent a sunk cost.
141. Locked Down
All of my least favorite things about “COVID Cinema” plus a jewel heist for some reason.
142. Chaos Walking
The only movie of 2021 that actively gave me a headache.
Space Jam is already a movie that Millennial nostalgia has inflated, then A New Legacy strips it all of the things that did work about it. It’s hard to think of how they could’ve made this worse.
I…don’t…get it. This documentary makes some points about surveillance in the most scattered way possible.
What can I say? I just hated watching this simulation theory documentary. Since watching it, I’ve heard some compelling cases in its defense but I have no desire to give it a second try.
146. Cry Macho
Will Clint Eastwood let Clint Eastwood retire, please?
2021 "New to me" Top "10"
OK. I couldn't leave it to just 10. Think of this more as a list of the movies that stuck in my brain that I saw this year. They are somewhat ranked though.
A Western than has all the fun of the genre and none of the problematic stuff.
How do you improve on the already great Police Story series: Add Michelle Yeoh.
I swear. I'll limit myself to 2 Jackie Chan movies. This one had the most impressive stunts of the ones I saw.
I love a Sundance movie that refuses to go away all season.
Lost in the shock of Anthony Hopkins winning the Oscar over Chadwick Boseman is the fact that it was really deserved.
I'm so impressed with how they flipped this to a road trip buddy movie.
I have a couple Sundance 2021 movies that haven't been release yet. Be on the lookout for these. This one was so surprisingly pleasant.
Could Drew Barrymore please direct more movies?
Leave it to the Brits to find a way to make a terrorist comedy that somehow doesn't feel offensive.
Such a ridiculous amount of style in this movie.
A lot of the movies that connected with me this year were the gentle ones about people being good to each other.
I have no idea how I only saw this movie now and not on TBS in 2001.
Another Sundance movie without a US release. This imperfect Thai road trip movie has stuck with me a surprising amount.
I did not watch a movie called "A Christmas Horror Story" expecting it to actually be a tonally strong horror anthology. Bravo.
Such an impressively made documentary.
So simple and creepy.
What a great friend movie.
I love how definitively 80s this movie is.
We're All Going to the World's Fair
My last Sundance 2021 yet to be released movie. A really fun found-footage horror movie that I'm excited to see get a proper release.
Let's ignore the fact that a movie from a decade ago is talking about the same problems schools still face.
I was not ready to care so much about an octopus.
Way more fun and funny than it had any right to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment