The Top Ten Movies of 2021
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I did not see every movie that came out in 2021. Not even close. Even if you’re being generous and don’t count the shitty Netflix movies that seemingly come out three times a week I probably only saw like 10% of the major releases. I’m not a professional movie critic, nor made of money/time. Despite all that, I did see a bunch of movies that came out in 2021. Thirty to be precise. So, out of the 155-ish movies I watched total, a decent amount premiered in 2022. So, I decided to list my ten favorite ones. If you want to watch some of them and let me know what you think that’d be cool.
A small programming note before I being. There plenty of movies coming out soon, or recently released, that might deserve a place on this list, including the new Matrix, Licorice Pizza, The Tragedy of MacBeth, C’mon, C’mon, Last Night in Soho, Red Rocket, Benedetta and a few others. I just haven’t had the chance to see them yet. I also didn’t get into to see Zola, The Last Duel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage or whatever your favorite movie was. I want to see them, but I’m busy. Sorry. Anyway, here are my top ten 2021 movies.
10. No Sudden Move
If you like twists and turns than this is the movie for you. An all-star cast, including the re-ascendant Brandon Fraser, this thriller follows a group of career criminals as they try to avoid the pitfalls that pop up during a mysterious job. Directed with aplomb by Steven Soderbergh, and written by Ed Solomon (look him up, dude’s a legend) this scratches the itch of anyone who wants to be on the edge of their seat. Pretty good stuff.
9. F9
The Fast and the Furious franchise has never really reached the heights that it did with Fast Five but neither has it reached the lows that it did with the fourth entry into the series, Fast and Furious. The team behind the series knows what they’re doing, and they do it well. Also, in this one, they go to space. Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris continue to deliver comedic lines that hit most of the time. And, as long-time fans of the series are aware, Han is back, as well as the rest of the Tokyo Drift crew. It continues to amaze me that Lucas Black is allowed to act. That man cannot emote.
8. Old
M. Night Shyamalan gets a ton of criticism, a lot of it undeserved. That man knows how to make a movie. It may have a slightly wonky plot, and the “twist,” isn’t earth-shaking or anything, but Old looks good, is suspenseful, and is well acted. In the hands of a lesser director this would be a piece of shit. Fortunately, Shyamalan is not a lesser director! I had a blast watching this, and I can’t say that about every movie.
7. No Time To Die
This is a good send-off to Craig’s Bond. While it’s probably about thirty minutes too long, it’s got enough action, chase scenes and explosions to keep the vibes in a likeable place. Craig has always been a good Bond, despite allegedly hating making the movies. Maybe that’s the secret to being good in them. Rami Malek is criminally underused as the bad guy, but this one was always going to be about Craig and his last run as the famous spy. Ana de Armas also absolutely kills it in the few scenes she’s given. Give her her own series!
6. Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar
One of only like five comedies released in the last four years. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo clearly had a bunch of fun making it, which shows in the final product. There is maybe a bit too much improv stuff that could have been cut, but it’s a very fun, very colorful comedy that doesn’t think too much of itself, or try too hard to do anything other than jokes. Jamie Dornan also does a great straight man to Wiig and Mumolo’s high energy best friends.
5. Lamb
The advertising campaign for this movie made it seem like a straight horror movie which is a bit of a disservice to the actual film. While there are certainly horror elements in Lamb, they are very muted and underplayed. Like many A24 movies this is mostly a family drama. All the dialogue is in Icelandic and it subsequently became the highest grossing movie filmed in Iceland. Gorgeous and remote settings combined with a slow-burn story of parenting and love, this is a banger of a flick.
4. The Green Knight
Another A24 movie, this stars Dev Patel in a re-imagining of the old medieval tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Don’t expect a straightforward story or modern plot structure, as this movie changes little from the original version of this very old story. Sumptuously shot, contemplatively quiet, and heavily featuring beautiful colors, especially green, this movie transports the viewer into what seems like an entirely new world. While best seen on the big screen, viewing this at home is also recommended.
3. The French Dispatch
At this point it seems like Wes Anderson is trying to create some sort of Wes Anderson singularity by creating a movie that is so Wes Anderson as to create a new Wes Anderson paradigm. And I’m fine with that! His movies are pretty good! They’re usually funny, in the way that like the New Yorker cartoons are funny. That is, the funniest thing in the world, but only to a very specific type of person. While you personally might not like the affect, for me, Anderson’s artistic vision is a welcome oasis in a world of drab Marvel blockbusters. Seeing someone who really cares about how their movies look is always a blast. And Anderson can get a whole bunch of stars to play roles in his movies, so that’s nice.
2. Malignant
James Wan, best known as the direct of Saw and The Conjuring really goes for broke with Malignant. I’ve already written about this one at length here, so I won’t say anything else, other than that you should see this.
1. Dune Part One
Will this win “Best Picture” at the Oscars? No! Is it the movie I’ve thought about the most after watching it? Yes! Dennis Villeneuve did what most people thought was impossible and made a good movie based on Frank Herbert’s series. While this one just covers the first half of the book, and it’s yet to be seen if the second part will stick the landing, Dune Part One certainly is a hell of a first act. Dune manages to stay weird and big enough without forgetting the human stories that provide the backbone to the series. While the movie largely excises most of the political/environmental messages of the book, it keeps the plot and character basics in. hopefully pushing more people to read the novel(s). The sound design also freaking rules. A banger!
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