TMS Year-End: Top 10 Films of 2021 [test]
(Hulu / Searchlight Pictures)
After the thoroughly sporadic and lackadaisical movie release schedule of 2020; things finally seemed to go back to ‘normal,’ or regularly scheduled, or whatever you want to describe it in 2021. My beloved movie theater experience was restored by summer, albeit with a couple of minor adjustments, and most of the good movies that were put on hold last year were finally released. This means I can now return to my usual year-end recap on the best recent films. And while I wasn’t in love with as many as I was hoping, we still got a big upgrade from ’20.
(Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures)
2021 was a good year for sequels and recurring film series, such as Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir, Part II and Jon Watts’ Spider-man: No Way Home. Both completely different types of movies, yet ended their stories on a high, satisfying note cinematically. They also reminded us that this generation of young actors, from Honor Swinton Byrne to Tom Holland and Zendaya, has its share of charm and talents. For documentaries, two of the best to come out this past year were the music documentaries of Edgar Wright’s The Sparks Brothers and Questlove’s Summer of Soul; which put some attention on two overlooked classic rock era entities: the alt-rock band Sparks and the 1969 Harlem Cultural Music Festival.
(20th Century Studios)
For indie crime thrillers, Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter and Michael Sarnoski’s Pig were two critical hits most didn’t see coming. The former is a gritty gambling themed flick with Oscar Isaac and Tye Sheridan, while the latter stars Nicolas Cage as a wild recluse ready to make peace with his past. On top of some great performances and character studies, we get a legend (Schrader) showing he’s still capable of good work; and a newcomer (Sarnoski) with plenty of potential for future films. Ridley Scott had two new features in 2021 which were met with mixed reception. The Last Duel seemed to do decently with critics, but failed to grab audiences’ attention. I personally thought it put a refreshing spin on the costume drama genre and had a great lead performance by Jodie Comer.
(A24 Films)
One of the most wholesome dramedies released this year was Mike Mills’ C’mon, C’mon. Joaquin Phoenix and Woody Norman lead this quaint and charming uncle-nephew story from LA to NYC with some gorgeous B&W cinematography and natural on-screen chemistry between the two actors. Though the controversy surrounding PT Anderson’s Licorice Pizza is understandable, the retro 1970s LA set piece did show us acting newbies Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman could carry a whole film and that Anderson knows how to craft a picture. At the top of the most surprisingly pleasant and well-made underdog of 2021 in my opinion is Steven Spielberg’s new adaptation of West Side Story. From a legendary filmmaker stepping into a new genre with a new spin; to the musical talents of Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose and Mike Faust, the latest interpretation of the classic musical turned out to be a real treat.
(Amblin Entertainment / 20th Century Studios)
Here’s to a continuingly quality in cinema for the incoming year.