Favorite Movies of 2021

Preliminary Notes

-These are movies that were released in 2021 at least somewhere in the US. In other words they all qualify for the upcoming Oscars (*or before). This is in spite of the fact that I saw several of these in 2022, including one just today.

-These are ranked by favorites, as opposed to pure best. “Favorite” to me means a combination of quality+enjoyment. The most fun I had at a 2021 movie was probably Spider-Man No Way Home, which did not make my list. Number 3 on the list was probably the “best.”

-The streaming service avaialbility is as of 3/12/22.

-I wish I had seen: Power of the Dog, French Dispatch, Nightmare Alley, and Drive My Car.

Dishonorable Mention: The King’s Man

Not the worst movie I saw this year but it broke my heart how little I liked this movie. I love the first Kingsman movie—it is close to my favorite movie—and I enjoy the sequel. But this prequel was pure meh. Its a serviceable action movie with some fun set pieces, but it has none of the joy or energy of either Kingsman movie. This film is the origin of the Kingsman private spy agency, set before and during WWI. Ralph Fiennes is the lead and he was surprisingly blah. The film (or he) could not decide if he was a stodgy and safe english gentleman or a violent and crude operative. I liked the relative unknown who played his son more, much to my surprise. This movie was likely hurt by covid delays and anticipation; it was supposed to come out in spring 2020 and did not release until December 2021. The movie indeed felt that a committee ran its hands through it for 18 months. That said, I may be too hard on it due to my anticipation and love of the series; others have seemed to find it quite passable.

Available on: HBO Max; Hulu

Honorable Mentions

-Wrath of Man- Guy Ritchie bank robber movie set in LA. A departure from the brit gangster films I was hoping he was returning to with 2020’s The Gentlemen, but an entertaining, if somewhat dour, heist film. (NS)

-Shang-Chi- Marvel’s martial arts movie. This is one of the better movies introducing a new character to the MCU in a while. Certainly better than marvel’s other movie entry from last year, Black Widow. (Disney+)

10: Green Knight

Green Knight, directed by Dave Lowery, is a purposefully strange movie. I saw it twice and each time i wondered if I liked it at all (a tall task bc I am an easy mark for medieval depictions) before the last 20 minutes, after which I knew I did. The movie rather faithfully depicts the Arthurian legend of Gawain and the Green Knight, wherein a young knight accepts the challenge of a Christmas visitor to the round table: Gawain may strike the Green Knight any blow, but must accept the same blow in one year. Gawain relieves the Green Knight of his head, but the mysterious stranger rises and picking up his head, reminds Gawain of his pledge. The rest of the movie covers Gawain’s travel to the Green Chapel to pay his price. It is a beautifully set movie and Dev Patel is a phenomenal Gawain. It is best to expect a good deal of oddity, which is worth putting up with because the encounter with the Green Knight and how it brings home the story’s theme that a life without honor is no life at all, is excellently done.

Streaming: Video on Demand

9: No Time to Die

The original pandemic delay. Originally due to the world in April 2020, No Time to Die largely delivered on the wait. Daniel Craig returns and improves on a largely forgettable Spectre. If it’s his last Bond, he certainly raised the average of his five films. Ana De Armas steals the show in her all too short appearance. Rami Malek was underwhelming as the villain but his plot is suitably super-villainous and the action scenes largely deliver. I still prefer Skyfall and Casino Royale, but without spoiling anything, this Bond flick has real emotional heft without sacrificing why we like Bond films.

Streaming: Video on Demand (likely Amazon Prime at some point)

8. The Suicide Squad

In the same way that The Kings Man was brought down in comparison to a predecessor, The Suicidie Squad earned consideration here merely by not being the abysmal Suicide Squad (2016). The Suicide Squad is everything the first one was not, bright, fun, and entertainingly violent. Margot Robbie was born to play Harley Quinn. James Gunn, famous for the Guardian of the Galaxy movies, brings his unique bizarro touch to this film about villains made to be good guys for change. The fact that he makes a giant starfish with mind control abilities a viable, let alone really fun, villain is a minor miracle. The movie is gory and over the top and thus not for everyone but it is the best embodiment of movie-as-theme-park-ride from this year and probably more pure fun than anything else that came out.
Streaming: HBO Max

7. Dune

The best theater experience of the year hands down. The movie is a mix of Star Wars and the politics of Game of Thrones, as multiple powers vie for control of the means of interstellar travel (a psychoactive drug, if you can believe it). I read the book of the same name before seeing the film but remarkably I don’t think that is necessary here. The movie only adapted half of the book and fortunately the sequel got the thumbs up. All the acting is great, especially Timothy Chalamet as the lead. I do not usually go for his vibe but he was perfect as Paul. The rest of the cast is excellent, such as Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, and Jason Momoa, but the audio-visual component is what sets this movie apart. It is as excellent as you’d expect from the director of Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival. The book until now had been famously unfilmable (the 1980s version as proof), but that can be put to bed. Each world is so immersive, beautiful, and exhilarating. Find the biggest screen and the darkest room you can to see in.

Streaming: HBO Max

6. Minari

This one is somewhat of a cheat because it qualified (and won in best supporting actress) for the 2020 Oscars. But that was partly due to the pandemic stretching the qualifications and IMDB says it was released in the US in February 2021, so I think it’s fair to include. Minari is the story of Korean-American immigrants in Arkansas. It is somewhat the typical heartwarming immigrant story, but very well done and was a bright spot when we all felt like things were pretty shite. Stephen Yeoh’s attempts to literally dig his family’s roots in the US soil is the heart of the American story we hope and think is true. Yet its not a message movie and it is also the story of a young boy and his grandma learning communicate across culture and age as much as it is about the parents’ disagreements about the right way to integrate into the US. This small film is worth finding; it will both break your heart and lift you up.

Streaming: VOD

5. West Side Story

Steven Spielberg had a tall task to adapt a 10-time oscar winning musical that itself was an adaption of Shakespeare’s most famous play, but as might be expected of a director of his caliber, he was up to the task. He manages to refresh the story without changing its themes, romance, or taking it out of the same time setting. It is a shame that various political controversies blunted expectations for the film because it is very apolitical unless you do not believe immigrants have experienced resistance in the US at various points. Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler are better in the leads then their 1961 counterparts, but as with the 1961 original, the actress playing Anita is the highlight performance. If you’re not inclined to watch the whole movie, I encourage you to at least watch the “America” scene starting at roughly 1:03:30.

Streaming: Disney+ and HBO Max

4. Card Counter

Who knew that Iraq War torture programs and gambling could mix so well? I digress, though; this movie is worth selling, but it is as dark and intimate as that pitch sounds. I liked West Side Story a lot, but the upper echelon begins here. Oscar Isaac’s William Tell is a very good but very low stakes poker player who decides to break out of his backwater poker circuit to the World Series of Poker to help a teen who drifts into his life financially, believing the kid can get a fresh start where he, Tell, cannot. Isaac gives the best performance of the year; his locked down personality with the occasional demons from a previous life seeping through, is pitch-perfect. Lots of poker- and casino-porn as well. I don’t find myself in a lot of casinos but this is what I have heard is the reality, not Oceans 11 or Rounders.

Streaming: VOD

3. Pig

What a beautiful, unexpected film. Nicholas Cage’s recent acting credits and a trailer that portrayed the film as “Taken, With A Pig” would have had me skip this movie if others hadn’t put me onto it. Rather than a schlocky action movie, it is a quiet movie about passion, loss, and the power of shared food. I have tried to stay away from plot in this list, but I want to hammer home that this is not the movie you think. Cage is a truffle farmer in the forest outside of Portland, OR when his prized truffle pig is stolen. The rest of the film happens in Portland, where his reluctant driver finds out that his truffle source is a well-known figure in Portland fine dining. I will leave the rest of the story to the film, but please find this on Hulu or VOD. Even more than nos. 1 and 2, this appeals to all adult audiences willing to give it a chance.

Streaming: Hulu

2. The Last Duel

This movie is so in my wheelhouse i may be blind to its faults but I don’t care. This movie, though somewhat “medieval Me-Too,” is so much more than than that. From Ridley Scott, director of Gladiator, Blade Runner, and most importantly Kingdom of Heaven, this movie’s framing device is a 14th century duel to decide the veracity of rape accusations. The movie introduces the gritty melee duel before jumping back and telling the story from the involved parties’ perspectives, before seeing the duel in all its gory glory through to the finish. Jodie Comer as Marguerite is the acting highlight, outshining good performances by Matt Damon, Adam Driver, and Ben Affleck in a a particularly funny—albeit brief—appearance. The framing and story progression is excellent and bears repeat viewing to see the nuances between the three narratives. The fighting is also excellent and the settings were immersive. The movie has an opinion on modern issues but not in a distracting or alienating way. I would have liked this movie regardless for its setting and sword combat, but it well-exceeded my expectations.

Streaming: HBO Max

1. Belfast

This may be recency bias because I just saw this movie today, but it was fairly easy to put Belfast, directed by Kenneth Branagh, at #1. It is more artfully done and sophisticated than Last Duel and more entertaining and enjoyable than Pig. Like any good Irishman, I am not one to show outward emotion, but this movie made me both laugh and cry in the theater, the latter of which I am not sure has happened before. Belfast is Branagh’s apparently somewhat autobiographical story of a young boy growing up in the titular city amidst the early Troubles. Jude Hill as Buddy brings us onto his block in 1969 Belfast and the viewer intensely feels both the community and disjunction there. In one scene, Buddy is explaining his wish to be Catholic because they can miss church and make up for it by going to confession, while he walks through an alley of barricades protecting his street from car bombs and gangs. Beyond the plot influence of the Troubles, you get immersed in the tough choices Buddy’s parents, played beautifully by Caitriona Belfe and Jamie Dornan, have to make for the family. Buddy’s father is intermittently absent from his life working in England, and is drawn to moving his family there to escape the violence financial struggles they have in Northern Ireland. This is counterposed by Buddy’s mother’s love for the community they have, with family and friends protecting each other, against the cold welcome they would expect in England. Even with the threat of violence, the warmth you see around the family home makes it a real choice. This was just one of the many ways the movie resonated with me; as someone who has either due to my or my family’s choices chosen opportunity over community, this made the opposite choice very powerful in a way I didn’t anticipate feeling. I was also struck by the relationship Buddy had with his grandfather, movingly played by Ciaran Hinds. I lost my own grandfather last year and I see a lot of my Papa in Buddy’s Pa. There is a lot I could say about the practical portions of the movie—the black and white color was effective, the music choices appropriate, and the camera shots unique and effective—but it was the emotional power of the movie that would have me recommend it as of today. I do not even thinking I am doing that that well; maybe I will have to write about it apart from this list. It even had to overcome very high expectations and terrible conditions in the theater (the screen was projected poorly, putting large portions on the surrounding curtains) and I still was enthralled. There is a lot present in a simple movie and I am sure I will be thinking about it for sometime.

Streaming: VOD, Theaters