I’ll do the
only thing I can. I’ll be honest. This wasn’t a strong year in film. 2020
lacked quantity for obvious reasons, but there were some standout films like The
Invisible Man before the pandemic and Tenet giving the industry the
middle finger ~in reverse~ by releasing in theaters because that’s the way it
was meant to be seen. Some of the films on this list were slated for a 2020
release—one of them literally about to release in a week before being delayed.
And by the same metric, there are films delayed to 2022 that should also be
exciting.
But we did still get some critical
darlings and blockbusters. I was looking back through and was shocked by how
many films I had watched over the course of this year. I came in with varying
degrees of hype for many films, and I would’ve loved to show off my cinematic
prowess by touting some of the films I watched. Only, many ended up being
rather mediocre if not slightly above average. Stillwater is most likely
here with a better ending, and I can’t do The Green Knight because I’ve
only watched half of it so far (started it on a plane, dang thing had to land
halfway through).
And that’s part of the criteria. In
order to be eligible, I had to watch the movie. Although the quality of this
blog may have you second guessing, I am in fact human and haven’t watched
everything. Entertainment value is a huge judging point, but it’s also not the
only aspect. I will also take into consideration the quality of the filmmaking.
And lastly, the overall lasting impression the film made on me is how I
developed this list. I’m happy to recommend plenty of films not on this list,
but I think we still cover a nice range. Oh, and I don’t count if it was
released in festivals months before—I’m talking about films that released in
theaters in 2021 or streaming.
5. The Little Things
First up was released in the typically
dead month of January. It only received a decent reception despite the
star-studded trio of Denzel, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto. I was happy to see
Leto get a Golden Globe nomination with his scene-stealing performance, but
both Denzel and Rami are just as amazing.
The story is dark and will have you
guessing up until the end. It isn’t executed to perfection, which is why it
lands at #5, but it does the gritty crime thriller well. Also, I feel bad for
the director. His name is literally just John Hancock.
4. Dune
Now this was probably the film I was
most excited for all year knowing it was from Arrival, Blade Runner
2049, and Sicario director Denis Villeneuve. And it lived up to the
hype for the most part. The combination of practical and visual effects is a
feast, and it’s the rare blockbuster that feels thoughtfully crafted and not
just a money-grabber.
I’ll keep it short since you can read
my full review, but there’s a slight hint of pretention from the film that
keeps this from being movie of the year or anything. But it should absolutely
win awards for sound and visuals. Part 2 can’t come soon enough.
3. Fatherhood
This Netflix film probably isn’t on
too many people’s lists. Earlier this year I listened to the Audible version of
Kevin Hart’s I Can’t Make This Up. It chronicles his story and hard work
he put in to become the star he is today, and he narrates the audio version
which I imagine makes it a better listen than the book.
Anyway, one point he stresses is how
despite his start as a stand-up comedian, he is trying to branch out. And this
is even more evident by his recent series True Story. But to his credit,
he can’t hide behind himself (literally, no one can hide behind shortie) and
doesn’t try to. So you do get this drama of a young man who loses his wife
after the birth of his daughter and has to attempt to grow up as a parent real
fast, but you also get comedic moments of Hart figuring life out.
There’s probably some bias in here as
fatherhood is something I aspire to someday. But you don’t have to be like me
to me appreciate the story of a single father that really isn’t highlighted in
society very often. This isn’t a masterpiece, but it has enough heart (no Hart
puns here) to warrant its place.
Runner Up: A Quiet Place Part 2
I had to wait an entire year of delays
to see this in theaters, but it was the right move given the time, and I am
truly appreciative of it releasing when it did. With his character out of the
picture, John Krasinski was able to focus on directing duties for this follow
up to one of the best horror films ever made, and it put Emily Blunt and the
daughter in more starring roles. It also cleverly inserts the wonderful Cillian
Murphy, and Djimon Hounsou yet again graces the screen in a part too small for
his talents.
This gets the runner up spot quite
simply for the brilliant opening 5 minutes. I don’t think it’s quite as good as
the original, but it literally checks all the boxes of what a sequel needs to
do—expanding in scope, more lore behind the creatures, and more of the great
action. It’s too short of a runtime, and Krasinski has stated that he will most
likely hand off the writing and directing duties to someone else for Part 3
which worries me, but I am absolutely still looking forward to more from this
franchise.
Honorable Mentions:
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
I distinctly remember how forgettable
the original Justice League was. It wasn’t like awful like many DCEU
critics like to paint all the films as, but the 2-hour runtime was such a
flawed concept to begin with. It’s still not the strongest of stories, but I
was surprised by how much more layered the main villain as well as our heroes
became with the addition of Snyder’s super 4 hour cut. Yes, this film is a
massive undertaking. But it’s split nicely into 6 parts, and I found splitting
it up into 2 sittings to be quite pleasant. I did not have high hopes going
into the whole idea of returning to this film, but it’s here because I was
happy to see Zack Snyder prove his vision to the world.
King Richard
This isn’t film of the year, but it
absolutely is well done. Will Smith shines, and it adds a level of appreciation
to the Williams sisters that I didn’t know I needed. As far as dramas go that
are suitable for most of the family to watch, I absolutely can recommend this
film.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Maybe I’m becoming cynical, but the ideas presented in
this film don’t get me as excited as they would have maybe 6 years ago. And
it’s difficult to see how Dune was shot, and then notice the green
screen usage in this film.
But let’s be real: this film is so
much fun. They genuinely pulled off this Marvel-Sony merge of multiple
franchises. This is a top-tier MCU film.
Un-honarable Mentions:
Quick aside: I’m sure there are way
worse films than these. But I don’t always go out of my way to go watch bad
films. And in particular, these films are here more for the fact that they
underdelivered on the quality I was expecting.
Nomadland
This film is the reason I haven’t seen
Eternals yet. I hated this movie. Even more so for how much praise and
awards it received. There’s some amazing landscape shots, sure, but the
underlying story (there’s hardly any) falls flat. I understand some of the
intentions, but it feels like entertainment value was sacrificed in its name.
But hey, if you want to see Frances McDormand have diarrhea, blow her nose,
take a piss, and a bunch more, by all means have at it with this one.
Cry Macho
Clint Eastwood has treated me right so
many times in the past. Even The Mule felt like a solid swan song for
the guy. His old age actually fit the character he played there. Here, it makes
no sense. And he feels reallllly old in Cry Macho. The film is kind of
like Cars except with Mexican cockfighters and a hunched Eastwood. You
can skip it.
The Matrix Resurrections
Hot off the John Wick trilogy, someone
decided Keanu needed to return to The Matrix. For those that watched the
sequels (been years since I’ve watched them), both him and Carrie-Anne Moss’s
Trinity die at the end of Revolutions. And they acknowledge that here in
this film. Without really providing an explanation, more like, they question
how it happened and then move on. There’s some fun meta talk of unnecessary
sequels and reboots and the same stories being told with new faces, but that
quickly turns into exactly what this film is. Like I can say oh don’t worry, it
would be cheap of me to leave this blog post on a cliffhanger by not actually
revealing my film of the year; but if I go ahead and not put my film of the
year in here, it’s still extremely unsatisfying despite me addressing it first.
This isn’t court where you bring out the incriminating evidence on your end so
the other side can’t control the narrative.
Everything feels dated. And since they
have to spend a huge chunk of the beginning setting up the purpose of this
reboot, that takes away from the action that everyone is coming to watch. And
to be honest, there’s some real stunts that I did appreciate, but the action
wasn’t even that great. And some of the physics still felt janky. It also ends
with leaving a door open for more, and I really hope that’s not the case. This
film was unnecessary, and by the box office numbers, it looks like they will
probably stop at this one thankfully.
Film of the Year: Minari
When I look through everything I
watched in 2021, Minari is the best film. It tells an important story of
Steven Yeun’s family trying to make life work in 1980s Arkansas despite them
being a Korean family. There is some English here, but expect to be primarily
reading subtitles; hopefully, if Squid Game is any indication, subtitles
won’t drive people away. Also, if you watched the dubbed version of Squid
Game, shame on you.
Again, this film won’t be on my list
of favorite films of all time, but it’s incredibly acted, really showcases the
narrative in a grounded way, and you end up walking away feeling accomplished
for watching a poignant film. I will happily recommend this film to anyone.
Bonus: The Best Stuff I Saw Not
Released In 2021
The Farewell
This little bonus section is films I
saw for the first time in the year 2021 but were released in a previous year.
And as it happens, both of these are foreign language films. Although The
Farewell does mix English in as well as Awkwafina’s family goes to China to
say goodbye to grandma without telling her that she’s dying so as to not upset
her.
It’s a somewhat quirky, real-life
based story with emotional undertones and plays out really well. There aren’t
many films like this, and it comes with a whole lot of heart and humor along
the way. It’s a unique film, and you can watch it on Prime.
The Intouchables
This was one of the best films I’ve
seen in recent memory. Omar Sy kills it. This French film is downright
hilarious, and the impactful story between a rich quadriplegic and his poor,
ex-con caretaker is some of the best writing. I loved this film and highly
recommend checking it out. It might also be on Prime.
