Wattching Movies: 2021 Top Ten Films

Throughout 2021 studios dumped their Covid delayed backlog into reopened movie theaters and onto the ever expanding roster of nascent streaming services. This meant a whole lot of movies to sift through but my trusted film consigliere Tess and I were up to the task taking in 119 across screens large, small and even in the out of doors. We owed it to the recovering theater chains to consume as many jalapeno and cheddar stuffed pretzels and large fountain beverages as we could and with a new apartment we needed to really dial in the appropriate viewing angles and couch positioning. After all this hard work we decided to partake in some community service and share with all of you the 10 finest films of the calendar year complete with trailer links and current streaming locations.

10-1: Buy The Blu Ray and Never Face A World Without It

Run Don’t Walk To The Electronics Section

10. Spider-Man: No Way Home (RT: 94%)

In Theaters

Comic book fatigue has understandably begun to set in for many but it is still refreshing after 13 years dominating the box office, Marvel is willing to really lean into the absurdity of comic book storytelling. Hugh Jackman played Wolverine in 9 movies and not once in nearly two decades did he don his iconic costume because Fox thought it would be too cartoony. Now you can have a flying wizard cast a reality altering spell and everyone will just nod along. As an unintended consequence of that spell, characters from different realities across the multiverse show up and audiences will not only roll with that but buy into the moments of gravitas you craft onto that gonzo premise. No disrespect to Michael Keaton who can menacingly grumble with the best of them, but the two best spidey antagonists across numerous cinematic adaptations are Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin and Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock. Having both actors here to revisit and evolve roles they’ve clearly always enjoyed hamming it up for is a delight and elegant solution to the Marvel’s persistent lackluster villain problem. It may come as a shock but a 2.5 hr movie connecting 3 separate film series along with a prominent role for magical interloper Dr. Strange does feel a bit overstuffed at times but the crowd pleasing moments that abound more than make up for the creeks along the way.

Tess Thought (8): The trailers had me quite stressed that this movie would have far too much Dr. Strange for my liking but thankfully that was not the case! Boring old Benedict did not get in the way of the merriment!

9. The Green Knight (RT: 89%)

Available for Rental

This film is chalk full of visual splendor that helps carry its story through the occasional minor incoherence that seems inherent to an adaptation of an over 700 year old story. You don’t need to understand with total clarity what is happening at all times to appreciate how magnificent it all looks. It is truly astonishing what Director David Lowery was able to visually accomplish with a meager $15 million budget and good old fashion matte painting compared to other spectacle films with 10x the financing yet significantly less vision. There are giants, ghosts, a talking fox, and plenty of additional hallucinatory sights to be seen with some neat camera movements to boot (always a sucker for a good camera rotating upside down). The titular Green Knight is a marvel of prosthetics and practical effects brought to menacing life by Ralph Ineson’s bellowing English voice. Dev Patel has never been better as the young unproven knight Sir Gawain sent on his very first quest in search of honor. Barry Keoghan gets to just let loose playing a lunatic bandit which is quite the show from a man who can make eating spaghetti unnerving. It all wraps up with a stunning near wordless climax sequence that is one of the most mesmerizing sequences put to film this year.

Tess Thought (89): Very well made but I hated it. Speaking directly to Dev Patel here: I don’t want to sleep through your performances, please start being in other things.

8. The French Dispatch (RT: 75%)

Available for Rental

Obviously a lot goes into Hollywood math but it’s unfathomable that for $25 million you can assemble a murderers row of actors to play around in the most intricate sets imaginable, expertly framed as they spout rapid fire wit with a beautifully animated segment thrown in or you can pay $200 million to have the Rock and Gal Gadot scowl while limply reciting lines in front of a green screen and the latter is the safer financial bet. Haters of director Wes Anderson’s various idiosyncrasies and perceived tweeness are likely not going to be won over by this anthology tribute to The New Yorker as its 4 “articles” presented by frivolous writers may be Anderson at his most Anderson. If you don’t have this preconceived disdain, it is an excellent opportunity to once again peek inside the mind of one of our most singular filmmakers. Sometimes rather than branching out to try new things, a master of their craft can just do what they do best and still be enthralling. For further example, casting Benicio del Toro as a passionate artist/homicidal lunatic is a gimme putt from 6 inches out but it doesn’t make it any less entertaining to see the man growling up on screen.

Tess Thought (55): Wes Anderson is just cool. This is a weird movie and I don’t ever need to watch it again, but I appreciate his style so much.

7. No Sudden Move (RT: 92%)

Streaming on HBO Max

While it centers on a heist, director Steven Soderbergh isn’t back in his slick Ocean’s bag of tricks but instead pairs up with Ed Solomon (the screenwriter of both the Bill and Ted and his own twisty heist series Now You See Me), to take a laudable stab at a Coen Brothers dark comedy critiquing late stage capitalism. Unlike the smooth professionals of Danny Ocean’s crew, nearly every character in this 50’s set caper is bumbling in over their head at all times while trying to suss out shady alliances and execute complex double crosses. This is the kind of twisty movie I really wish I was better at remembering character’s names during so I could answer Tess’s inquiries into who is being mentioned in the dialogue. Best not to get too hung up on that or trying to get any steps ahead of the characters and just enjoy the ride chauffeured by Ocean’s veteran Don Cheadle and the highest performing ensemble of the calendar year. David Harbour is comedic gold dishing out a deliriously deadpan pummeling. Along with stealing America’s heart playing his Nintendo Switch while waiting for a Zoom call, Brendan Fraser showed he’s still got the goods in a supporting role. Speaking of American treasures, 78 year old iconic sunken eyed character actor Bill Duke (Predator) gets to flex a bit playing a menacing yet stylish crime boss. Throw in Benecio del Toro doing Benecio del Toro things, Jon Hamm, a checked in Ray Liotta and the most satisfying surprise villain of the year played by an uncredited A-list ringer and you are in for the crime film of the year.

Tess Thought (80): A real snoozer.

6. Nomadland (RT: 93%)

Streaming on Hulu

Through a Covid induced eligibility quirk, this won Best Picture at the last Academy Awards despite being released stateside in February of this year. Chloe Zhao took home the Oscar for Best Director for her deft blending of documentary and narrative film elements. During production, she and her 24 person crew lived out of vans themselves for 4 months while traveling across the country to shoot with practitioners of the nomad lifestyle. Frances McDormand scored a well deserved Best Actress nod for seamlessly blending in with actual transients and working shifts of seasonal pay labor while still conveying her character’s powerful emotional journey. Cinematographer Joshua James Richard was robbed of his own Oscar as he captures some truly stunning vistas of the American West as McDormand moves her van from place to place making plenty of stops to meander through nature and reflect. Free spirits on journeys of self discovery, those displaced by economic downturn, and others filling voids created by grief and loss all intermingle in life on the road and Zhoa gives them an opportunity to tell a bit of their story. There is a tangible sense of belonging and community these folks find when they meet up to swap stories and tips of the trade for life on the road. As McDormand’s Fern states “I’m not homeless, I’m just houseless.”

Tess Thought (4): I was in a bad mood when I sat down to watch this and completely forgot why. Truly got lost in this one in the best way. I love movies.

5. Licorice Pizza (RT: 92%)

In Theaters

Set in a painstakingly recreated San Fernando Valley circa 1973, Licorice Pizza’s shaggy dog plot tells twin coming of age tales in the interminable liminal spaces between youth and adulthood. Gary, played by unconscionably talented newcomer and son of the late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Cooper, is a 15 year old child actor working various hustles as he tries to crack into the illusive world of grown ups. Alana, the object of Gary’s largely unrequited crush, captivatingly portrayed by the youngest HAIM sister, is the true star of the film. Alana is a twenty-five year old photographer’s assistant floundering in the supposedly more mature adult world. She is intrigued enough by the self confident little huckster to enter into Gary’s orbits in various roles from chaperoning a talk show appearance in New York to serving as a partner in some dubious business ventures. All the while Alana pursues “real” relationships with supposedly more mature men only to discover they’re all pedaling their own brand of less endearing bullshit. The setting and Gary’s occupation afford writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson the opportunity to fruitfully riff on the old Hollywood scene and gift the world an unhinged scene stealing Bradley Cooper as infamous producer/hairdresser/boyfriend of Barbara Streisand Jon Peters. Anderson, much like his 90’s wunderkind peer Quentin Tarantino did with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, truly luxuriates in the memories of an era he himself, born in 1970, never truly experienced. Despite Anderson’s era specific fixations, the film’s themes of yearning to find your place in the world and meaningfully connect with those that understand and support you are timelessly universal.

Tess Thought (11): MUCH more palatable than Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Goes great with bottomless popcorn and a boozy banana split milkshake.

4. Judas and the Black Messiah (RT: 96%)

Streaming on HBO Max

Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, and Shaka King did not have to go this hard. Save some of the mighty power of cinema for the rest of us, god damn. Kaluuya ran away with the Best Supporting Actor Oscar held 2 months after the film’s February release for his embodiment of firebrand leader of the Illinois Black Panther Party Fred Hampton. The “welcome home” speech scene glimpsed in the trailer is rightfully going to be playing on awards reels for years. This one speech succinctly encapsulates how Hampton’s powerful oration and preaching of solidarity could bring on a wellspring of community support while striking a deep fear and hatred within the hearts of his oppressors. While Kaluuya deservedly snagged the hardware, Stanfield gives just as good a performance playing arguably the more complex character of FBI informant Bill O’Neal. In order to escape some federal charges, O’Neal infiltrates the Panthers but becomes genuinely captivated by Hampton and the man’s cause. Despite these feelings, O’Neal still continues to play both sides and feeds his FBI handler (Jesse Plemons) information. Stanfield pulls off a tightrope act between a duplicitous scab just looking out for himself and a man genuinely torn apart by his conflicting allegiances. Stanfield’s expressive eyes that seem ever on the precipice of welling up, give away a man racked with fear and guilt in equal measure unable to remove his crucially positioned cog from the crushing machine of white supremacy.

Tess Thought (5): Shoutout to Jesse Plemons who also did not have to go this hard.

3. Dune (RT: 83%)

Available for Rental. Spring for the 4K on the largest television you can legally own.

The finest pure spectacle released to screen this year. This does not just mean non-stop action lasers and explosions though director Denis Villenvue does deliver one helluva invasion/battle scene. The praise more refers to the majesty Villenvue instills into nearly every frame through immaculately orchestrated production design that captures the immense scale of this epic Frank Herbet space opera. There is some positively looney hooey in this story about a desert planet full of invaluable magic dust that gives you visions but the craftsmanship makes it all land. The impossibly gigantic and imposing sandworms are a feat of digital artistry. The sound design on the mind controlling “Voice” will rattle your soul every time it is deployed by the spooky spaces witches. Hans Zimmer did the score so you know the seats are rattling as well. It’s not just those knockout technical aspects that make this epic sing. The cast is STACKED. The standout is Jason Mamoa who somehow plays Duncan Idaho as not only the coolest roughest toughest man alive but is also totally believable as a chuckling buddy and mentor to little spindly emo reluctant psychic messiah Timothee Chalamet. Oscar Isaac’s immense suaveness allows him to play Duke Leto with just enough calm and calculated resolve to obscure his doom assuring hubris. Rebecca Ferguson nails both the steely defiance and power within Lady Jessica and her tender nurturing love of her son Paul. Greased up massive fat suited Stellan Skarsgaard is a visual distillation of greed that will haunt you. The only thing keeping it this low on the list is that studio executives are cowards and wouldn’t let Villeneuve shoot and release a 5 hr cut of the full novel so it’s truly only half a story.

Tess Thought (9): Visually stunning. Oscar Isaac I mean.

2. Pig (RT: 97%)

Streaming on Hulu

By the end of writer/director Michael Sarnoski's preternaturally confident debut feature, you may find yourself misty eyed and going full Farmer Hoggett. Every few years Nicolas Cage pops up with one of these performances to remind you he isn’t slumming it in a direct to Video On Demand trash because he’s lost his gift, he just has some castles and dinosaur bones to pay off. Cage plays a mysterious scraggly loner living in solitude in a dilapidated cabin in the wilderness outside Portland. His only interactions with the outside world are to trade truffles with a young high end restaurant supplier. One night his prize truffle pig is stolen and he must venture back into society to reclaim her. It sounds like the set up for a low rent John Wick knock off but believe it or not, it’s actually a poignant rumination on both loss and the levels of artificiality omnipresent in modern day living. The film functions as a beautiful reminder of the things you need to hold on to and what is truly important in life.

Tess Thought (2): Watch this movie. Do not dismiss it because Nic Cage is weird and you don’t know what a truffle pig is. Just do yourself a favor and watch it.

1. The Mitchells vs the Machines (RT: 98%)

Streaming on Netflix

A flawless family film with the alarmingly timely story of facing down an apocalypse with those you love. There are laughs galore in the rapid fire joke-a-minute style synonymous with producers Lord and Miller mixed with near Pixarian emotional resonance about connecting with your family. The voice cast is perfect with Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson and HBO comedy’s favorite son Danny McBride nailing the dynamic of a spunky teen striving to branch out and her out of touch once beloved father desperately flailing at any way to relate. Mitchell family dog Monchi gives Up’s Dug a run for his movie as animated dog of the century. Carefully crafted set ups for well paid off story beats and gags abound in its fantastic script. While not quite as groundbreaking as Sony’s prior Into the Spiderverse, the uniquely kinetic animation, appropriately hectic for its internet age focus, is a joy to watch. The Talking Heads and Los Campesinos! featuring soundtrack is impeccable, reminding us all of the power of peak T.I. Eric Andre got a fat check he can use for at least a dozen episodes of his show. A high watermark for 2021 that would have been a blast to see on a big screen but hopefully the dreaded Netflix algorithm will for once rightfully force feed this to every home in America.

Tess Thought (1): MvM hit me square in the feels. I laughed and I cried, both more than once, sometimes at the same time.

Click For Films 119-11

Previous Year Rankings:

2020

2019

2018

Top 10 of 2010's