Hello everyone. I would wish you a happy new year but according to Larry David, three days is the statute of limitations on saying such a thing. So, since I always follow all LD’s unwritten laws I will not be doing that. Anyway, in this week’s newsletter, I will share with you my 25 favorite films of 2021. However, I’m only sharing my thoughts on the top 15. Otherwise, this newsletter would be way too long. But I added trailers to all the films on the list. This way you can watch the trailer and decide for yourself if you want to see the film or not. Although the movie industry is still facing a lot of problems, 2021 gave us a lot of great films including captivating dramas, great thrillers, and masterpieces by global artists. So, without further ado, here are my favorite films of last year.
FAVORITE FILMS OF 2021
25 - THE RESCUE
24 - MASS
23 - THE SOUVENIR PART II
22 - THE HAND OF GOD
21 - THE FRENCH DISPATCH
20 - THE HARDER THEY FALL
19 - THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
18 - KING RICHARD
17 - TICK, TICK… BOOM!
16 - PASSING
15 - SUMMER OF SOUL
The Harlem Cultural Festival took place the same summer as the famed Woodstock festival and boasted an attendance on par with that concert 100 miles away. Over 300,000 people attended, yet it received virtually no coverage from the mainstream media. The 40 hours of never-seen-before footage has remained in storage for the past 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America's history lost - until now.
Questlove's documentary is both a concert film and a testament to the power of music. SUMMER OF SOUL puts the music in perspective by explaining the anti-war mood and racial tension of the time. As well as how this uniquely African-American effort was mostly overlooked in 1969 while Woodstock drew all the media attention. The concert was organized, over six summer weekends in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park by Caribbean singer Tony Lawrence and filmed, with plans for a broadcast special, with a multi-camera crew by television veteran Hal Tulchin. Which spent a good chunk of his life trying to get people to watch this footage.
SUMMER OF SOUL stands on its own as a celebration of Black history and culture. But hopefully, it will also help spread awareness of the concert's significance and present it in its appropriate historical context. It is incredible that such an important festival could almost be lost to history like this.
14 - CODA
Seventeen-year-old Ruby (Emilia Jones) is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). And as the only hearing person in her deaf family, Ruby is divided between her passion for music and her fear of abandoning her parents when the family's fishing business is endangered.
Written and directed by Sian Heder CODA is a touching coming-of-age film that will play with your emotions multiple times. At first, I thought it was a little cheesy, but as I went further into it, I fell in love with the characters. Throughout its run, CODA achieves a terrific combination of heartfelt and funny moments. The entire cast gives outstanding performances. I was pleasantly surprised by how wonderfully each of the characters was written. The film's focus on deaf characters is fantastic, ensuring that they aren't just there for the sake of diversity.
Yes, CODA is a fresh spin on something we all have seen before. However, it has so much genuine heart that it makes up for all of its flaws. The film's purpose is to make us feel good, and I’m glad to say that it succeeds.
13 - PIG
A truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregonian wilderness must return to his past in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped.
I wasn't expecting much from this movie, besides another incredible performance from Nikolas Cage. However, PIG is a very interesting critique/satire of the pretensions driving modern restaurant culture. Cage plays Rob, a man with lethargic walking, graying hair, and beard, and homeless clothes that suggest he has entirely surrendered to hopelessness and melancholy. But when Rob speaks, he does so with a delicacy that contrasts sharply with his rough persona. And that is because he was once a very well-known chef.
PIG seems to be a revenge film about the futility of vengeance. But it is more about healing the burdens of the soul. It is intense, and Cage delivers - he absolutely carries this film. And possibly no one could bring such a bizarre idea to life like Nicolas Cage.
Is the film’s premise slightly ridiculous? Certainly, but it is definitely worth watching.
12 - SPENCER
Acclaimed filmmaker Pablo Larrain's film SPENCER follows Lady Diana Spencer, the 'People's Princess,' as she navigates the difficulties that Christmas with the royals brings over the 1991 holiday season.
The film spends its time constructing a psychological description of a person whose marital life has been virtually viewed as public property. Diana is abused by practically every member of the royal household during the over two-hour film. Bulimia, sadness, and self-harm are all mentioned frequently, and all three are depicted in the film. Despite the fact that the narrative isn't always linear, Larrain manages to maintain engagement and interest. The art direction is also flawless, with costumes, settings, hair, and make-up evoking the early 1990s while contrasting with the Sandringham estate's medieval rituals and decorations.
But is Kristen Stewart that really shines here. With SPENCER, she has genuinely blossomed as a performer. After seeing her in the film, both admirers and haters of the TWILIGHT star will agree. True fans, though, will be familiar with the idea. She has the looks and skills to play a wide range of roles. Whether it's in her captivating performance in PERSONAL SHOPPER (2016), as renowned actress-activist Jean Seberg in the biopic SEBERG (2019), or in her most recent feature, Clea DuVall's romcom HAPPIEST SEASON (2020), she's a force to be reckoned with.
11 - THE LOST DAUGHTER
Maggie Gyllenhaal makes her directorial debut with THE LOST DAUGHTER. The film is based on Elena Ferrante's novel of the same name and follows Leda Caruso a middle-aged college professor, divorced, and mother of two. Things get weird when she is on vacation in a modest Greek resort and her tranquility is disturbed by a huge, obnoxious family. Nina (Dakota Johnson), a young mother in the group, has a hyperactive daughter who reminds Leda of the difficulties she experienced as a young mother.
At first, I thought this film would be about a woman who is frustrated that she cannot relax on a sandy beach while reading her books. However, the storyline and the main character have so many layers that we as viewers need to be always attentive to pick up on all the clues and subtleties. Leda gets overwhelmed by memories of the complicated, unusual decisions she made as a young mother and the implications of those decisions for herself and her family.
THE LOST DAUGHTER is a clever, enigmatic, and very well-structured film. A somber, uncomfortable take on women's lives powered by Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley's outstanding performances. I loved how Gyllenhaal wasn’t afraid to make her characters unpleasant and unsympathetic. Which turned the film into a distressing study of something basic, even controversial: The idea that motherhood might irreversibly steal the self.
10 - DUNE
Denis Villeneuve has successfully brought Frank Herbert's 1965 science fiction classic "Dune" to the big screen. The film is set 8,000 years in the future and in an unrecognizable part of the universe, and it is basically about humanity's environmental destruction.
DUNE is absolutely gorgeous. With amazing cinematography and epic sets. It flawless mixes medieval images with science-fiction. It has massive spacecraft, sinister space nuns; Barbarian armies performing blood sacrifices, and interplanetary treaties. A perfect mix of GAME OF THRONES and STAR WARS.
At the end of the day, I really enjoyed DUNE. The pacing can be a little slow at times, and world-building can only go so far. But if you like BLADE RUNNER 2049 and enjoy lengthy films, DUNE will be just up your alley.
9 - FLEE
FLEE tells the true story of an Afghan refugee who uses the false identity of Amin Nawabi for fear of repercussions. Amin, now a scholar, escaped Afghanistan for Denmark at the age of 15. There he met Jonas Poher Rasmussen, who encouraged him to tell his story using hand-drawn animation and newsreel video.
You'll be fascinated for 90 minutes as Amin recounts his journey from war-torn Kabul in the 1980s, leaving the Mujahedeen and Taliban invasion to walk across Russia and other countries in fear for his life as a homosexual Muslim man.
FLEE is an incredibly human and profoundly moving slice of life that's made with passion, narrated with empathy, and has a good grasp of its subject matter. This autobiography is a fascinating combination of creative animation and factual reality, and it definitely rates among the most personal, touching, sensitive, and insightful films of 2021. I highly recommend it.
8 - TITANE
Alexia experiences a serious skull injury and is fixed with a titanium plate in her head. When she is released from the hospital, she rejects her parents and clings to the vehicle that nearly killed her. In the years that follow, she struggles with her sexuality and meets Vincent. Vincent is a tormented guy who injects steroids into his aging body in order to maintain his power.
Julia Ducournau, a French filmmaker who created an impact at Cannes in 2016 with her feature debut, RAW, is back with a film that pays homage to David Cronenberg's body horror in general, and CRASH in specific. Backed by RAW cinematographer Ruben Impens's TITANE has amazing shots and a sound design that throbs and moans like a pounding cinematic heart. And it is only the second film directed by a woman to win The Palme d'Or in the 70-year history of the Cannes Film Festival.
The storyline of a killer dancer with a sexual fascination with vehicles is not for everyone. There are stories of people fainting and puking in the festivals the film was shown. Some might feel repulsed, while others will be perplexed. But if you're looking for a gut-wrenching film, TITANE delivers.
7 - RED ROCKET
Ex porn star Mikey Saber, who ran out of luck in Los Angeles, chooses to return to his hometown of Texas City, Texas, where his estranged wife and mother-in-law live. Mikey meets a young girl called Strawberry who works the cash register at a nearby doughnut shop, just as this chaotic family appears to be making things work. He immediately goes back to his old, creepy ways.
The writer/director Sean Baker is back to tell another story of overlooked Americans on the margins of society. But nothing in his previous films like TANGERINE or THE FLORIDA PROJECT could have predicted the boldness on show in RED ROCKET.
The film is a simple yet compelling story about everyday humans and situations. I'm pretty sure RED ROCKET will irritate a lot of people and may lead to a negative view of the film. Mikey Saber is a completely awful character. An American hustle with a brain full of sleazy fantasies, and a determination to go to any length. And Simon Rex does an excellent job portraying the role and gives one of the best performances of the year.
My favorite thing about RED ROCKT is that it shameless committed to being exactly what it is - a bold, sleazy, completely cringe-inducing film that is clearly not for everyone, but it worked for me.
6- C’MON C’MON
Writer-director Mike Mills' latest film is a soft and contemplative one. It follows Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) and his young nephew (Woody Norman) while they forge a tenuous but transformative relationship when they are unexpectedly thrown together.
C'MON, C'MON really is the most family movie of the year. It is a lovely and deeply moving story about the connections between adults and children, the past and the future. The film is shot in black-and-white, and Robbie Ryan's cinematography makes you feel like you're a fly on the wall. Phoenix and Norman have a natural, amazing chemistry that shines through in their scenes together. The whole cast was fantastic, but Joaquin Phoenix and Gaby Hoffmann delivered two of the year's greatest performances.
Mike Mills presents a wonderful story about growing up, fatherhood, and how it's acceptable to admit you're not okay sometimes. C'MON C'MON is likely the most underrated film of the year and is genuinely a pleasure to watch. Always engaging, captivating, and amusing. A Dramedy that moves quickly and skilfully between the comical and the heartbreaking. The world needs more films like this one.
5 - DRIVE MY CAR
DRIVE MY CAR is a delicate, slow-burn film about a man who travels to Hiroshima following the loss of his wife to join a small theater troupe putting on a play “Uncle Vanya”. He then hesitantly accepts Misaki's offer to drive him to rehearsals. Throughout it all, the pair learns that life is messy, but that all you have to do is keep going.
This is a film about love and grief. It is full of twisting roads and unexpected relationships. It's also a story about creative expression. This is an unusual film that masterfully blends acting, plot structure, and well-written dialogues to the point that you forget you're watching a film.
DRIVE MY CAR manages to engage us in its story rather than trap us in boredom. Despite having a run duration of over three hours and sequences that are largely verbal dialogue. The film is making all the best-of-the-year lists for a simple reason: It's excellent.
4 - THE POWER OF THE DOG
I had a chance to watch this film at TIFF earlier this year and I really enjoyed it. THE POWER OF THE DOG revolves around Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch), a charismatic rancher, who provokes respect and terror in everyone around him. When Phil's brother (Jesse Plemons) returns home with a new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and her son (Kodi Smit-McPhee), he taunts them until he is introduced to the possibilities of love.
Jane Campion's adaptation of Thomas Savage's novel of the same name is a slow-burn but never dull film. With breathtaking cinematography and outstanding performances from all of its stars, the film keeps us guessing about the actual source of the conflict. It's one of those few films that you can't tell what's going to happen next. But at its core, the film deals With toxic masculinity and the Concept of manhood in a society where men aren't allowed to express their true colors.
THE POWER OF THE DOG screenplay and directing are excellent and the film confirms Jane Campion's status as one of the best directors of her time.
3 - BELFAST
Kenneth Branagh's semi-autobiographical coming-of-age film is told through the perspective of child Buddy (Jude Hill) Recreating the lives of two generations of a young working-class family who is caught up in a violent rebellion between Protestants and Catholics in his hometown of his native Ireland.
BELFAST makes the best of Branagh's decision to shoot in black and white, which contextualizes the film as a period piece. All era-appropriate decision, involving set design and costume, contributes to the goal of capturing a moment in time. BELFAST's secret weapon is Jude Hill who was impeccable casting. He gives one of the more nuanced kid performances I've seen in a film this year. Buddy is simply allowed to be a kid. He isn't acting-wise above his years; instead, he reacts to some situations as a child would, and we, as the audience, get to see those story factors and make our own conclusions.
The film certainly benefits from the presence of a Belfast native at the forefront, who has an influence on both the directing and writing. In terms of the actions that go place on film, it's both simple to watch and difficult to see. in conclusion, the film is about how a loving, passionate, honest family goes on with life, raising children, making a living, and loving each other, while. Dealing with a religion-political upheaval of the moment.
2 - THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD
Joachim Trier's latest film THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD is a dramedy set in contemporary Oslo about the search for love and purpose. It follows Julie (Renate Reinsve) as she navigates the turbulent seas of her love life and strives to discover her career path over the course of four years, forcing her to take a critical look at who she really is.
I believe that almost all Millennials will be reminded of their own problems and anxieties when they watch this film. Trier is trying to better understand a generation that is both highly connected online and uniquely affected by climate change, with the oldest of them having just reached 40. The film is a character study of Julie. She is juggling her career, dating, and family life. Julie's tangled existence is depicted with sincerity and compassion in this delightful story. Renate Reinsve delivered a career-defining performance as a youthful, impulsive, and clever young woman. She deals with her indecisiveness throughout her love life and professional decisions over the course of twelve chapters, plus a prologue and epilogue.
The film benefits from Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt's creative screenplay. And although sometimes It's hard not to be annoyed by Julie and some of her mistakes, I couldn’t help but identify with her numerous missteps. And in my opinion, that is what ends up making her such a lovable central character in the film.
1 - LICORICE PIZZA
LICORICE PIZZA is a coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, who also serves as one of the film's producers and cinematographers. The film stars Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, and Benny Safdie. It follows the journey of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around, and falling in love in the San Fernando Valley in 1973.
What a wonderful, fun, and emotional reminder of what it's like to be young, as well as a great representation of what it's like to grow up. I loved the dynamic of the two leads. Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) already fully understood who he was, while Alana Kane (Alana Haim) was still trying to figure things out. which is funny because he is 15 years old she is 25. Alana refuses to accept Gary as a lover, but they share an inherent link — they become friends, business partners, even soul mates — that keeps them coming back to each other despite their awkward age difference.
LICORICE PIZZA is a lot of fun, it has excellent writing and some of PTA's most outstanding directing. Despite the age gap problem between the two leads and the rude Asian jokes that popped out a couple of times for no reason whatsoever, this is without a doubt the best film I've seen this year. And it further establishes Paul Thomas Anderson as one of the finest directors of this century. LICORICE PIZZA is a masterpiece and reminded me why I enjoy movies so much!