Favorite Movies of 2021

This year I ended up seeing 105 new releases and all but 3 were in a theater.  I really enjoyed most of what I saw so it was actually quite difficult to compile my annual list of top ten favorites but I finally narrowed it down!  As in year's past, my ranking is not based on the critical response or on box office receipts but, rather, on how much I enjoyed each movie and, as ever, it is an eclectic list.  (Click on the title to read my original review).

10.  CODA

Even though CODA is the type of formulaic coming of age story that we have all seen many times before, it is incredibly heartwarming and I absolutely loved it.  This feel-good movie features an exceptional lead performance by Emilia Jones as a young woman trying to find her place in the world as the only hearing member of a deaf family completely dependent on her for its livelihood.  It also features a delightful ensemble cast made up of deaf performers who add authenticity to the story.  I laughed out loud many times and was reduced to tears by the moving conclusion.

9.  Pig

I was not expecting to love Pig as much as I did but this powerful meditation on finding meaning in a meaningless world surprised me.  Nicolas Cage (who is hit or miss with me) plays Robin Feld, a man who goes in search of his prized foraging pig after it has been stolen, and he gives one of the best performances of his career.  This movie is a complex character study rather than a traditional revenge thriller, which might be disappointing to some, but I think it is absolutely brilliant.  While it is definitely a slow burn, everything that happens builds upon the central idea and the resolution is more hopeful than I was expecting.

8.  C'mon C'mon

Another movie that really surprised me this year was C'mon C'mon.  It took me awhile to become invested but, once I did, I found it to be an immensely moving story about what kids can teach adults and what adults can do to help the kids in their lives.  Joaquin Phoenix gives an incredibly warmhearted performance and his chemistry with Woody Norman, who is extraordinary, feels really honest and natural.  Not a lot happens but it is a beautiful film about human connection.

7.  The Power of the Dog

Many scenes in The Power of the Dog do not seem important on the surface, and could almost be called mundane, but they are fraught with tension leading to a resolution that took me completely by surprise.  Benedict Cumberbatch, in one of his best performances, is unnerving and captivating as someone who feels compelled to assert his masculinity at all times and Kirsten Dunst, in one of her best performances, is haunting as a woman who comes undone after unknowingly changing the status quo between two brothers.  I loved the beautiful cinematography and atmospheric score but, more than anything, this is one of the most thought-provoking movies I saw this year.

6.  The French Dispatch

I am a huge fan of Wes Anderson and The French Dispatch is the most Wes Anderson-like movie that he has ever made!  When the editor of the Sunday supplement to the Liberty Kansas Sun located in the French city of Ennui-sur-Blase dies, his staff picks four of the best articles to reprint for its final issue and each story has its own distinct visual style and mode of communication (my favorite is Revisions to a Manifesto).  The cast is made up of Anderson's usual roster of actors (with a few new faces) who all give humorous and quirky performances.  It is incredibly witty and I laughed out loud through the entire movie.

5.  The Last Duel

When I found out that my favorite actor Adam Driver was starring in The Last Duel, I immediately read the book upon which it is based by Eric Jager and I was captivated by the true account of the last legally sanctioned trial by combat in France during the Middle Ages.  I think the structure of this movie is brilliant because it shows each character's view the same events and the subtle differences are very powerful.  Jean de Carrouges believes he is the hero demanding justice for his wife, Jacques Le Gris believes his actions are justified, and Marguerite de Carrouges believes that she is the victim of both men.  The performances are excellent and the scenes involving medieval warfare are spectacular, especially the duel.  It is a shame that more people didn't see this because, in my opinion, it is outstanding.

4.  Eternals

The critical response to Eternals was very mixed but I loved it!  In fact, it is probably my favorite entry in the MCU.  I particularly loved how the character arcs and motivations for each of the Eternals are informed by the mythology surrounding their names.  I also loved the relationships between the characters and how they are developed in a nonlinear way throughout ancient history to build the narrative cumulatively.  Finally, I loved the philosophical debates between the characters about whether humanity deserves to be saved and I think the resolution of this question is beautiful and poignant.  Like most movies in the MCU the visuals are gorgeous, the action sequences are a lot of fun, and the score is amazing but it also the most thought-provoking entry in the franchise and I am looking forward to seeing more of these characters.

3. Dune

As a huge fan of the book Dune by Frank Herbert, I think Denis Villeneuve's adaptation is absolutely brilliant.  The message about the evils of colonialism, the oppression of indigenous peoples, and the destruction of the environment in pursuit of a valuable resource is supported by a scope that is epic with some truly spectacular and visually stunning sequences (I loved the depiction of the ornithopters and the sandworms).  The entire cast is outstanding but I was especially impressed by Timothee Chalamet's portrayal of Paul's journey from resistance to then acceptance of his destiny and Jason Momoa's depiction of Duncan's loyalty to Paul and House Atreides.  Hans Zimmer's score is incredibly atmospheric, particularly the chanting of the choir, and adds to the grandeur.  I can't wait for the next installment!

2.  The Green Knight

I love literary adaptations and The Green Knight is a bold retelling of the classic legend.  I usually do not like it when liberties are taken with the source material but the final sequence is incredible and left me sitting in the theater pondering what it means to live with honor long after the final credits rolled.  The cinematography is beautiful and atmospheric and the literal and figurative journey taken by Gawain is shown through powerful imagery and symbolism.  Dev Patel is riveting in the role and and I was spellbound by his performance.  It is a masterpiece and I love it more with each viewing.

1.  Annette

My favorite movie this year is the musical Annette.  The romance between Henry McHenry, a provocative comedian, and Ann Defransnoux, an international opera star, is incredibly surreal and fantastical as the lines between reality and performance are continually blurred.  The use of a puppet to portray their daughter Annette is absolutely brilliant because she is used by both of her parents for their own ends and becomes a real little girl only after she refuses to perform for them ever again.  Adam Driver gives a tour-de-force performance that is arguably the best of his career.  I was so impressed by his physicality in an expletive-laden and rage-fueled rant during a comedy routine and by his singing ability, especially in the emotionally charged "Stepping Back in Time" and "Sympathy for the Abyss."  This is one of the most thought-provoking movies I have ever seen with music (written by Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks) that I can't get out of my head.  Every time I watch it, I find something new that blows my mind!

Honorable mentions:  Judas and the Black Messiah, In the Heights, West Side Story, The Sparks Brothers, and Raya and the Last Dragon.

Licorice Pizza

I have had the movie Licorice Pizza on my list for quite some time but, after all of the negative discourse about the age gap between the main characters and the use of racial stereotypes, I became ambivalent about it.  I eventually decided to see it last night and I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.  It is 1973 in the San Fernando Valley and fifteen year old Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman), a former child actor turned entrepreneur, is having his picture taken for the yearbook at school when he notices Alana Kane (Alana Haim), the photographer's assistant who is 25.  He is wise beyond his years, even employing his mother in one of his businesses, and she is still trying to figure life out while living at home with her parents and sisters (played by Haim's real-life family).  He asks her out to dinner and they begin a tumultuous friendship and have a series of misadventures as he starts a waterbed business and builds an arcade while she auditions for a movie role and works for a politician.  This is, essentially, a hang-out movie where not a lot happens but Haim and Cooper give incredibly charismatic and appealing (much more than I was expecting) performances so I was always invested in their fate. I also really enjoyed several hilarious cameos, particularly Sean Penn as Jack Holden, a middle aged actor who goes to great lengths to impress Alana, and Bradley Cooper as Jon Peters, Barbra Streisand's boyfriend who buys a waterbed from Gary.  The period costumes are fabulous (I was five years old in 1973 and I had a dress very similar to one Alana wears) and the soundtrack is very nostalgic (I especially loved "Let Me Roll It" by Paul McCartney and "Life on Mars" by David Bowie).  I didn't mind the age gap because the tone is so lighthearted and the romance mostly consists of an endless cycle of flirting and fighting.  I did, however, find the exaggerated Japanese accent to be quite cringe-worthy (and not really needed in the story).  I don't necessarily think this is worthy of a Best Picture nomination but I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Nightmare Alley

Last night I went back to my favorite art house theater to see Nightmare Alley, a neo-noir thriller by director Guillermo del Toro that I really enjoyed.  After disposing of a body and setting fire to his house, Stan Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) takes a bus going anywhere and joins the traveling carnival at the end of the line owned by Clem (Willem Dafoe).  At first he does odd jobs but soon he is drawn to a clairvoyant named Madame Zeema (Toni Collette) and her mentalist husband Pete (David Strathairn).  He assists with their act and asks that they teach him their techniques for conning the audience.  When he becomes involved with Molly (Rooney Mara), a fellow performer, he suggests that they leave the carnival and use these techniques in a more lucrative setting and she eventually agrees.  After a psychologist named Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett) attempts to expose him during a performance in a swanky nightclub, Stan conspires with her to con Ezra Grindle (Richard Jenkins), a wealthy but dangerous businessman with a secret only she knows.  But who is conning who?   Del Toro once again effectively emphasizes that monsters are often not who or what we think they are and I loved the juxtaposition between the grotesque at the carnival and the glittering Art Deco interiors in the city.  I also really enjoyed the stylized cinematography, the atmospheric lighting design, and the menacing sound design.  The entire cast is outstanding but Cooper is particularly good as a man who cannot outrun his past (his performance in the final scene is absolutely devastating) and Blanchett is the perfect femme fatale.  It is absolutely fascinating to watch them manipulate each other.  If you are a fan of del Toro, you are sure to enjoy this mesmerizing tale about the dark side of human nature. 

The Lost Daughter

During the week between Christmas and New Year's I love going to see as many movies as I can and, now that I have seen most of the big Christmas releases, I have quite a few independent films on my list.  Last night I returned to my favorite art house theater for the first time since the pandemic began to see The Lost Daughter, Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut.  Leda Caruso (Olivia Colman) is a professor of comparative literature on holiday alone at a resort on a Greek island.  While she is sunbathing peacefully, the beach is invaded by a large and boisterous family and she immediately becomes fixated on a young woman named Nina (Dakota Johnson) and her three-year-old daughter Elena (Athena Martin).  She sees that Nina is unhappy in her role as a mother and this brings up memories of her own claustrophobia as a young mother (played by Jessie Buckley) juggling her responsibilities to her daughters with a promising academic career.  When Leda sees Nina becoming involved with Will (Paul Mescal), an employee of the resort, she fears that Nina will repeat the mistakes of her past when she chose an affair with a scholar (Peter Sarsgaard) who admired her work over her daughters.  Colman gives a brilliant performance as a complex and somewhat unsympathetic character because, even though there is not a lot of dialogue, she conveys everything that Leda is thinking and feeling with just an expression.  Johnson and Buckley are also superb at portraying the feeling of being trapped by the responsibility of motherhood and the societal expectations that come with this role.  Gyllenhaal infuses every shot with a tension that is palpable, especially with regards to a certain prop.  There were many times when I felt that Leda was in danger and this uncertainty kept me completely riveted.  To be sure, this is a psychological character study with a narrative that is often very ambiguous rather than straightforward but I liked it and would recommend it.

Sing 2

Last night Marilyn and I took Sean and Tashena to see Sing 2 and we had so much fun.  I really enjoyed the first movie but I think I liked this one even more!  Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) and his troupe have a hit show at his newly renovated theater but he aspires to greater things.  When a talent scout named Suki (Chelsea Peretti) dismisses him as a small-time player, he is encouraged by his patron Nana Noodleman (Jennifer Saunders) to take the show to Redshore City and audition for an entertainment mogul named Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale).  When Crystal rejects their act, Gunter (Nick Kroll) pitches his idea for an elaborate production starring Clay Calloway (Bono), a legendary rock star who has not performed for fifteen years.  Crystal enthusiastically backs this show because of Calloway's supposed participation but each member of the troupe faces a crisis of confidence during rehearsals.  Rosita (Reese Witherspoon) is scared of heights and is unable to perform the stunts required for the show so her role is given to Crystal's spoiled daughter Porsha (Halsey), Johnny (Taron Egerton) clashes with choreographer Klaus Kickenklober (Adam Buxton), Meena (Tori Kelly) is nervous about performing a romantic duet with the self-absorbed Darius (Eric Andre), Ash (Scarlett Johansson) is disillusioned when her idol refuses to perform, Calloway must overcome the devastating loss of his muse, Porsha has something to prove to her father who believes her to be an embarrassment, and Buster feels intimidated by Crystal and wants to cancel the show.  Does this ragtag group have what it takes to make it big?  As a huge fan of Bono, I really loved Clay Calloway and, while every character has a similar arc, I especially enjoyed watching him find the confidence to perform again after a long absence.  I had a tear in my eye as he listens to the crowd sing one of his songs after fearing that he had been forgotten.  I loved all of the songs used in this movie but my niece had to tell me to stop singing when "Where The Streets Have No Name," "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of," and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" were performed and I immediately downloaded the new U2 song "Your Song Saved My Life" which was written especially for the movie.  Sean and Tashena liked this movie as much as I did (they were singing "There's Nothing Holding Me Back") so I highly recommend it as a fun movie for families to see over the Christmas break.