The Top 20 Things from 2021
Awards seasons of various types are upon us, so it’s time to look back at the strange year that was 2021. While normally I’d make a list of just the top 20 movies, I’ve decided to make things a little more chaotic and irritating to keep with the times by throwing in a few video games and TV shows for good measure. So without further ado, we start with:
Titane
This Palme d’Or winner arrived with a considerable amount of hype thanks to its talented writer-director Julia Ducourneau and it’s wild premise about a serial killer who becomes impregnated by a sports car and must go on the run from the law by impersonating the long lost son of a steroid-addicted firefighter. The first act definitely lives up to the film’s promise of sheer madness, however it soon begins to settle in to a sort of unconventional family drama. While a strange and at times quite poignant exploration of psychosis and families lost and found, Titane suffers greatly from its sudden loss of narrative momentum and tonal shift from thriller to drama. It’s a well made film and commendable for its daring, however it’s a few steps short of greatness.
The Tragedy of Macbeth
While we reviewed it in full here, Joel Coen’s first solo outing boasts plenty of technical prowess and interesting cinematic choices, however it is ultimately held back by its source material.
Dune
At first, Denis Villeneuve and Dune sounded like a match made in hell, with the Canadian director’s grim, austere style seeming an odd fit for the sprawling space epic. That said, Dune, Part 1 is a very engrossing movie, building on layers of solid technical direction, quality ensemble performances, and clever world building to deliver a mesmerizing experience. Held back by the fact that it is only half a movie, it is still a very good half-movie.
The Harder They Fall
A surprise hit for Netflix, The Harder They Fall proves that enough style and a fresh perspective can reinvigorate an old genre even when the final product still abides by most of that tired genre’s tropes. Bit overlong and predictable, the movie still provides plenty of fun character moments, quality action, and eye-popping technical flourishes.
Stan Lee Award for Best Cameo: Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone as…a cowboy.
The Suicide Squad
Annette
Spiderman: No Way Home
Tick Tick Boom
No Sudden Move
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
One of Playstation’s best and longest lived franchises made its triumphant return in 2021 with Rift Apart. The essential elements of the gameplay that made the originals such monumental hits in their day have changed little, but everything has been enhanced to feel more modern, with plenty of little twists and additions to increase the depth for returning players. The game also is a fantastic showcase of next-gen hardware, with smooth gameplay, beautiful Pixar-quality graphics, and bright, colorful, and chaotic combat. The game’s central story conceit, rifts between different dimensions opening up around the cosmos, gives the developers an excuse to pack their already visually sumptuous worlds with even more variety and excitement. The game is a blast to play, full of all-ages friendly chaos from beginning to end.
The French Dispatch
The Last Duel
Midnight Mass
Mike Flanagan’s passion project is hands down the best piece of TV programming in 2021. A sprawling tale of addiction, recovery, religion, sin, and redemption, Midnight Mass creates an engrossing world of well constructed characters and allows their intertwining personal dramas to build to an explosive boiling point with the help of a little supernatural horror. While worth watching just for Hamish Linklater’s star-making performance, the miniseries has plenty to say about what it means to live a good life and all that surrounds it, giving plenty of room to discuss its weighty themes without ever being preachy or coming down hard on any one side. It also does a masterful job of integrating all the prestige TV tropes we have grown weary of and recontextualizing them so they feel fresh and organic once again.
Raleigh Beckett Award for Worst American Accent – Rahul Kohli as Sheriff Hassan
The Green Knight
Deathloop
The Power of the Dog
A Hero
Psychonauts 2
Licorice Pizza
