Ever since I started reviewing movies on this blog, I’m finding it to be more and more commonplace that the quality of movies tend to be pretty low until the last 3 months or so. Similar to 2016 and 2019, I don’t think I had enough films to constitute a top 5 during the month of October. It wasn’t until November rolled around that all of the good stuff started coming in. Thankfully, I actually have enough for a top 10 this year, unlike last year where I only had a top 7. I even had enough for an honorable mention this year! As is tradition on this blog, I like to release my favorite films of the past year right before the Oscars roll around. Here are my favorite films of 2021:
Honorable Mention: The Last Duel
Ridley Scott has been pretty hit or miss with me recently. I’m glad that he’s able to make movies at his age with this level of quality though, it’s amazing the kind of career he’s had. The Last Duel is easily his most enjoyable film for me since 2015’s The Martian. Sure, the film isn’t Rashomon in terms of it’s overall effect, but the similar structure of the he-said she-said plot makes for some pretty riveting cinema. Ben Affleck is surprisingly awesome in his role, which I am honestly still so surprised about. I’ve never been a fan of his acting, but he was wonderful in his role, and you can tell he was having a lot of fun. Jodie Comer somehow manages to outshine all of the men in this film, and that speaks to the overall growing star power she’s going to have on this industry in the future. O yea, the actual duel itself was one of my favorite theatrical experiences of 2021, hands down.
10) The Lost Daughter
I honestly did not expect to enjoy this film as much as I did. The Lost Daughter tells a story about a woman (Olivia Colman) taking a summer getaway to Italy, while encountering some curious characters that remind her of the ghosts of her past. It’s a film largely propelled by Colman’s excellent performance, who plays such a nuanced character to perfection. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut is beyond impressive, and I think she really captures the literary world of Elena Ferrante perfectly. The film, based on written works of Ferrante, provides a perspective that isn’t seen enough in films nowadays, which is the burden of motherhood. It’s not afraid to be as vulnerable and honest about the ups and downs of motherhood, and as a guy it’s refreshing to see perspectives like this.
9) Spider-Man: No Way Home
As it usually is with the Marvel movies that I actually like, I enjoy them quite a bit but am fearful of what’s to come due to the cultural impact of their films. Even though I have a number of issues with this film, it is undeniably fun and entertaining. There’s no doubt about that. Tom Holland has the best Spider-Man movies under his belt (even if he’s not my favorite Spider-Man), and you can see that his character and world fit really well into the brand of movies that Disney is so good at making today. Even though I’m sure everyone and their moms know what happens in this film because you’ve seen it, I still won’t spoil the big reveals in this film. I will say however, that I am extremely worried about how much people love what it does for the future of franchise films, because now EVERY MOVIE is going to copy what No Way Home did. Every movie that is in a franchise or is franchiseable is going to do exactly what this film has done, and it is going to be absolutely insufferable. But I can’t fault No Way Home for starting this trend, because that’s just how movies are going to be from now on. It doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a genuinely good time, and shows a lot of the best things about the “movies as an episodic television show” structure, as much as I hate to admit it. My love for Spider-Man will never leave me, so I’m happy that they’ve done a great job with the films over the years.
8) C’mon, C’mon
Director Mike Mills is really, really, really in touch with his emotions. And that’s a great thing, because you can clearly see it in this absolutely breathtaking black and white film. Joaquin Phoenix is such a fantastic actor, but child actor Woody Norman is right there with him in this movie. The story about their relationship and how it naturally grows into something more familial as time goes on is so sweet to see, and the tenderhearted nature of this film really spoke to me. It’s another film that’s very honest with itself, but unlike The Lost Daughter, this one is a bit more on the happier side. It’s also easily one of the best looking films of 2021. Black and white is such a fascinating medium to work in and I hope that we see a bit of a resurgence in these kinds of films going forward.
7) The French Dispatch
I’m generally a fan of pretty much anything Wes Anderson makes. However, when I first watched this I was actually not in love with it. This film has an insane amount of dialogue that is spoken really quickly, and is centered around a subject matter that I am absolutely not familiar with in the slightest. However, upon rewatch (and with the blessing of subtitles), I was able to understand way more and appreciate more of what the film was trying to accomplish. I’m also not really a fan of the anthology structure that this film employs, but it makes a ton of sense within the context of the film, since it’s supposed to be the cinematic equivalent of reading a newspaper (the film is an homage to newspapers and journalism). It’s refreshing, and of course, it wouldn’t be a Wes Anderson film without having an insanely stacked cast full of A-list actors. It’s a film I can see myself rewatching more than some of his other ones, and that might be because of its anthological nature.
6) Licorice Pizza
Paul Thomas Anderson is a director that is endlessly intriguing to me. He makes films based on such interesting subject matters, and I’d generally find them boring if it wasn’t for his masterful directing. This was a breakthrough performance for both Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim, both of whom are wonderful and clearly very talented. You can clearly see their chemistry from the opening sequence, and after that, it’s just a whimsical joyride through 1970s California for the next two hours. Bradley Cooper’s performance is one of the best he’s ever done, and overall there are just so many funny and memorable characters in this film. I’ll always have a soft spot for hang-out movies, and this one is no exception.
5) Dune
This film could have potentially gone so wrong. Previously known as one of the most notoriously difficult IPs to adapt to the big screen, Director Denis Villeneuve continues to do the unthinkable and enthrall us with riveting, arthouse sci-fi that favors popcorn entertainment for spellbinding worldbuilding. I know I’m in the minority for thinking this, but I would have favored this film being a 4-hour epic as opposed to being split into two parts, but it makes sense based on the financial risk being taken upon with this movie. This film is a great sign of things to come, as we’ve seen that the unadaptable can indeed become adapted to the big screen. I’m very excited for Part 2, and very thankful that Villeneuve is able to fulfill his vision for this beloved series.
4) Drive My Car
I love the emotional depth of this film. There’s so much subtext in the already dialogue-heavy film, that it had me thinking about it for weeks after. Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s work is about as sublime as it gets in movie form. The human soul is a difficult thing to repair when it’s been fragmented by loss, and our regrets can oftentimes be carried with us to the grave. However, in this three-hour long film, we see the ups and downs of just getting on with life, and how we as a people can come together regardless of where we come from. This film literally breaks barriers with its multi-lingual premise, and I think that all of the intricacies of human relationships, along with how fragile it can be, is so beautifully detailed in this film. Also, that red Saab is absolutely iconic.
3) Pig
There are very few films that come along that I feel like carry a powerful spiritual message. I’ve talked about this on the blog before, where films with a religious message are often too on-the-nose, and can really lose its audience by being overly preachy. While this film may not be spiritually explicit in the slightest, I couldn’t help but feel enlightened by its characters, and message. Nicolas Cage has always been a talented actor, but has since been type casted to play his zany self, which is probably his own decision more or less. I love seeing him play the more vulnerable character, and I think this is my favorite of his work, ever. It’s a beautiful film about forgiveness and loving your enemies, and the way that he enacts “revenge” upon his enemies in one of the world’s most universal love languages is so unheard of in most films. It’s a film that a lot of people in the world need to see right now, because we’re so comfortable with accusing people of their flaws without realizing that we can use our own shortcomings to build each other up.
2) Mass
There isn’t much to say about this film other than to go see it. Yes, it may have a boring premise–two couples sit in a room and talk for two hours. However, it’s one of the most powerful pieces of cinema I’ve seen in all of 2021. Every actor in this film is firing on all cylinders, and it is just an overall tour de force in terms of ensemble performances. It may be a difficult film to watch, but it’s an important one. Fran Kranz has written a beautiful screenplay that many screenwriters would seriously be jealous of. I’m a bit bummed that the Oscars did not give this film any love, but it’s possible that it was just too obscure for the academy to have seen it. This film really affected me, and I hope that more people get a chance to see it.
It’s very rare that a film comes along and feels so relatable to me. I may not have anything directly in common with a beautiful Norwegian woman who sleeps around and finds her life goals through living with the men she has relationships she with, but The Worst Person in the World is a film that beautifully encapsulates all of the uncertainty and anxiety of a person living in their 30s. It’s funny, it’s heartfelt, it’ll tug at your soul, it’s simply a beautiful film of someone who doesn’t have it all together. We’re all just trying to find our way in this life, with the little years that we have on Earth. Joachim Trier’s final film from his Oslo trilogy beautifully captures the fleeting nature of life and how we ought to make the most of it while we can. Oftentimes we’ll feel like we’re our own worst enemy, as Renate Reinsve’s Julia does, but in the end all we can do is learn from all the great and bad experiences life has given us. The Worst Person in the World does that through a beautifully shot Norwegian filter and it takes all of the tragedies of life and presents it in a thoughtful and surprisingly funny way. I wish nothing but the best for Renate Reinsve’s future as a mega movie star. Give this woman all of the roles.
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