My Favorite Films of 2021
While 2021 welcomed audiences back to theaters, many were very picky about what they ventured out to see. Luckily, I was able to see quite a few great films in theaters. Overall, I thought it was a strong year for film.
1
Belfast
Belfast is directed by Kenneth Branagh and depicts the violence in 1960s Northern Ireland between Catholics and Protestants through the eyes of a young boy named Buddy, played by Jude Hill. The film does a great job of showing what it's like for a young child to grow up in such strife. On one hand, he's keenly aware of the violence around him and the impact it's having on his parents, all while being more concerned with things children are supposed to worry about like getting good grades in school or figuring out a way to sit next to the girl he has a crush on in class. The film is filled with strong performances including Caitriona Balfe, who gives one of the best performances of the year, and Jamie Dornan, whose work here does wonders to distance himself from his work in Fifty Shades of Grey.
2
Nightmare Alley
Nightmare Alley is a remake of a 1947 film by the same name and is directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film marks del Toro's first feature since 2017's The Shape of Water, a film that earned him an Oscar for Best Director and also won Best Picture. Nightmare Alley tells the story of Stanton Carlisle, played brilliantly by Bradley Cooper, a grifting carnival worker who learns the craft of mentalism. Stanton soon realizes he can use this skill to con those who are grieving. This newfound talent has dangerous consequences as Carlisle's desire for power and money grows. Del Toro crafts a beautiful-looking film jam-packed with atmosphere. I'm not sure there's a better director working today who can create such a vibrant look and feel through set and costume design. Sorry, Wes Anderson. Nightmare Alley features one of the best final scenes of the year. A scene that truly ties the entire film together. Well done.
3
CODA
CODA, which stands for Children of Deaf Adults, won Best Film at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and then sold to Apple TV for a record $25 million. It's a shame the film got scooped up by a streaming service because CODA had all the ingredients to be a crowd-pleasing film that would have the ability to bring audiences to the box office. Instead, it was lost in the vast ocean of streaming. Emilia Jones is stellar as Ruby, the lone person in her family who can hear. Ruby has aspirations to be a singer, but she's torn between her dream to be a singer and handling the family business. On top of that, her passion for singing is something she can't even share with her family. Ruby struggles to balance the pressures of being a teenager, but also the burden of often times being a translator for her family and their business. CODA is one of the more heartwarming films of the year and a nice companion piece to one of my favorite films of 2020, Sound of Metal.
4
Last Night in Soho
If you asked me to describe what kind of film Last Night in Soho is, I'd have trouble and just give up and say it's an Edgar Wright film. It's not surprising the film came and went in theaters. Sometimes it's a horror film, sometimes it's a coming of age film, sometimes it's a psychological thriller. For me, it's one of the most unique film-going experiences I've had in a long time. Like Edgar Wright's previous film Baby Driver, the soundtrack is almost another character as we bounce back and forth between 60s London and the present day. Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy are fantastic here and solidify themselves as two powerhouse actresses to keep an eye on. While the end might be a bit too formulaic for some, my hope is that Last Night in Soho becomes a cult classic.
5
A Quiet Place Part II
I consider A Quiet Place a near-perfect film and one of the very best films from last decade. A Quiet Place Part II is almost just as good. Both films are enhanced by watching them back to back in a fantastic double feature. Outside of a thrilling opening prologue to the second film where we get to see the moment the creatures touched down on Earth, the film picks up right where the first one ended. Where the first film was about what a parent would do to protect their children, the second film is about the children growing up and protecting their family.
6
Dune
Dune is directed by my favorite director Denis Villeneuve. Villeneuve succeeds in building a rich, foreign world that feels like it's not only real but has been around for thousands of years. I've heard of the book Dune, but I've never read it, yet I thought the film was surprisingly easy to follow despite all the lore and political intrigue. I watched Dune twice in the theater, which is something I rarely do. The film is left wide open for subsequent installments and because of the somewhat abrupt ending, I can't put it any higher than this. Hopefully, Villeneuve gets to see the franchise to its completion. If he does, it might take its place among the very greats like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.
7
The Last Duel
There's no better example of how much mainstream audiences have changed than The Last Duel crashing and burning at the box office. You have a dependable director in Ridley Scott, two big-name actors in Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, and one of the hottest actors working today in Adam Driver and still, nobody went to see the film. It's a shame because The Last Duel is really good and features one of the finest performances of the year by Jodie Comer, a woman who accuses a squire of raping her. For a woman of that time to even come forward with such allegations was rare and highly dangerous. The Last Duel is based on a true story and while it's a story that is hundreds of years old, the scenario of a woman having to plead for people to believe her about a vicious assault at the hands of a man is very timely.
8
West Side Story
Did we need a remake of West Side Story? Probably not, but when it's in the hands of Steven Spielberg, one of the greatest directors of all time, you're willing to give him a shot. It's no surprise that Spielberg knocks it out of the park. He has created a film that not only feels like an old Hollywood musical but it has a fresh and new feel to it. The choreography is superb, the set designs are beautiful and the costumes are full of color. There's not a genre of film that Spielberg can't direct. While the entire cast is strong, it's newcomer Rachel Zegler that steals the show in her big-screen debut.
9
The Mitchells vs the Machines
2021 featured some pretty big animated films from Disney and Pixar, the two giants of animation. Raya and the Last Dragon, Luca and Encanto all received a lot of attention, but it's The Mitchells vs The Machines that tops them all for me. The film is just a ton of fun as we watch this normal family save the world from robots. Mitchells deals with a few themes, the main one being letting your children find who they are and eventually letting them blossom into their own person. You can find this one on Netflix and I promise you won't be disappointed.
10
Stillwater
Stillwater is the kind of film we used to get a lot of in the 90s and early 2000s. An adult drama that takes its time with the plot. Stillwater tells the story of Bill, played by Matt Damon, a father who will stop at nothing to prove his daughter's innocence of a crime she didn't commit. Bill essentially halts his entire life and moves from Oklahoma all the way to France. Matt Damon gives one of his best performances in recent years. It's very subtle and reserved. The best part of the film for me is when Bill befriends the young daughter of his French neighbor. It's clear that Bill is making up for some shortcomings as a father from when his daughter was younger. Stillwater weaves an interesting mystery with a solid payoff. Its detractors will point to the clear similarities to a real-life crime.
11
Spencer
For those going into Spencer expecting a standard biopic, you might come away a bit disappointed. Spencer at times almost comes off as a psychological thriller as we get inside Princess Diana's head while her life starts to spiral out of control. Kristen Stewart truly channels the late Princess in a performance that is sure to garner her multiple acting nominations. The film does a great job of showing what a free spirit Diana was and how much she struggled with the public scrutiny and the watchful gaze of the queen and other nobles.
12
Licorice Pizza
Licorice Pizza is directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and is a film that has been getting Oscar buzz for over 3 years when it was originally titled "Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Film". A normal director would be forced to populate his two leads with name-brand actors, but when you're as well respected as Anderson, you can do what you want. The male lead is played by Cooper Hoffman, son of the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman, making his screen debut. The female lead is Alana Haim, a singer also making her screen debut. Both young actors are fantastic. Hoffman plays Gary, a charismatic 15-year-old entrepreneur. Haim plays Alana, a 25-year-old slacker just floating along. It's clear there's a mutual attraction there and how much you enjoy the film will probably depend on how much you can look the other way on the age difference. Licorice Pizza also features a fantastic soundtrack.
13
The World to Come
My favorite of Sundance. The World to Come is an achingly beautiful film. Vanessa Kirby and Katherine Waterston have a chemistry that threatens to leap off the screen. These forbidden love films have almost become a sub-genre of their own (SNL even spoofed it). The World to Come is destined to be compared to a recent masterpiece that dealt with similar subject matter, Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Where the films differ is in their settings. The World to Come depicts the harsh lifestyle of living in the 1800s, but what it also shows is the utter isolation of frontier life. The film also does an excellent job of portraying the role of a woman during that time period. A wife was essentially an indentured servant as opposed to an equal partner. Casey Affleck and Christopher Abbott round out the cast.
14
The Green Knight
The Green Knight is directed by David Lowery, who directed the hauntingly beautiful A Ghost Story. I'm not familiar with the story of Sir Gawain, but I'm told that The Green Knight makes a unique attempt at retelling the story. For me, it really worked. It's the kind of film that stuck with me for weeks after viewing. I almost went back to the theater to see it a second time. The imagery alone is worth a watch, but I would also like to mention Dev Patel's performance. The film came out too long ago, but it's a performance that deserves recognition come Oscar season. The story is somewhat tricky to follow, but the final scene is one of the best of the year.
15
Finch
Finch is another Apple TV film that nobody saw. It's going to be interesting to see how this whole streaming thing works out. It's a discussion for another time, but so many films just go completely unnoticed, and this one stars Tom Hanks for crying out loud! Finch is easily one of the more heartwarming films of the year and sure to have you reaching for your tissues. Tom Hanks plays Finch, a man living on a post-apocalyptic Earth. Finch has little contact with the outside world and any other humans who may have survived. Unfortunately, Finch is dying. He isn't exactly alone though, he's accompanied by his beloved dog. Finch decides to create a robot to care for his furry friend after he passes away. I know a few people who are probably in tears after just reading that synopsis.