It’s safe to say that movie theatres are back. My current one has been re-opened since May, and everything seemed prelude to this holiday season, where movies like “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” seemed to signal the return to normal for theatres.
Is moviewatching back to normal, though? We received four MCU films this year, and all of them made decent money. As did the new “Fast and the Furious” film, and even a gamble like “Dune: Part 1” did well. What about Oscar hopefuls and independent films? Those were, admittedly, harder sells. Some of that is because independents like Neon and A24 have started to pivot to quick turnaround to VOD releases after starting in theatres. Some of that is because, we’re still in a pandemic, and older audiences that would normally go to films like “West Side Story” or “House of Gucci” or “Respect” are still leery about COVID. But it also points to a fundamental shift in moviegoing over the past few years, and not just because of the pandemic and theatres closing. Martin Scorsese was right about the crowding out of smaller films in the theatrical landscape; the pandemic just kicked it into overdrive, as- in the hope to maximize profits- theatres booked as much as they could of what was selling, and got rid of what wasn’t, quickly. As we get back to normal, seeing where things progress will be fascinating.
I’ll admit, being furloughed, and being able to focus on Sonic Cinema, spoiled me. When I went back to work, it became trickier to prioritize everything I wanted to watch, or needed to for the podcast. And this on top of the return to theatrical press screenings, as well as starting to review Blu-Ray releases, especially from The Film Detective label. I love what I’ve been able to discover through them, but going through all of the extras, including audio commentaries, definitely adds more time to devote to those releases than I sometimes have.
That being said, 2021 was an amazing year for films. I covered my first Sundance Film Festival and third Atlanta Film Festival, and they will be well represented below. Long-delayed blockbusters finally came out, as well as projects we never imagined would happen. Major filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Paul Thomas Anderson, Guillermo del Toro and Kenneth Branagh gave us new films, and we also got surprising gems from actors and filmmakers we didn’t expect to receive them from. This year, even more than 2020, was a treasure trove, and some films completely blindsided me.
As you go through the below lists, there are still many films I have not seen yet that I hope to in January. “Drive My Car”, “Belfast”, “The Worst Person in the World”, “Petite Maman”, “Memoria”, “Nobody”, “No Time to Die”, the “Fear Street” trilogy, “The Tender Bar”, “Being the Ricardos”, “Vivo”, “The Lost Daughter”, “Val”, “Red Rocket”, “Respect”, and so many more. If any of these crack my favorites list, you’ll be able to see on my “Favorites of 2021” Letterboxd list, as well as keep up with my official 2021 master list, as well. Now, onto the show.
Favorite Films of 2021
This is now the third year in a row of me watching over 200 films. With me covering film festivals on a yearly basis, it is obvious that I’ll never really be able to go back to just 10 favorite films for a calendar year. That said, I will always narrow my Best of list to 10, and present that when I discuss the Oscars. With so many left unwatched, this could certainly change, but the movies that have made the strongest impression on me did so because they hit me somewhere deep, and thrilled me on multiple levels.
=“Pig” (Directed by Michael Sarnoski)- I give Neon all the credit in the world for their misdirection in this film’s ad campaign. They set up this story of a man (played by Nicolas Cage in my favorite performance of 2021) whose truffle pig is stolen from him as a “John Wick”-like thriller, but Sarnoski’s film is something more profound, and richer- a film about loss, grief, and finding solace however one can when the life we knew is stripped from us. This is a beautiful human drama.
=“Bastards’ Road” (Directed by Brian Morrison)- There’s going to be a lot of documentary representation on here this year. I think the one that hit deepest to me is Morrison’s, which follows an Iraq War veteran struggling with PTSD who walks across the country, visiting fellow soldiers and family members, asks them about their own journeys with PTSD and loss, as he tries to come to grips with his own. This film connected with me the second I saw it, and I challenge anyone who’s ever said, “Support our Troops,” but is against reforming mental health services in this country, to come out of it feeling the same way they did before.
=“Clean Slate” (Directed by Jared Callahan)- Making any film is a challenge, but what about making a film while struggling with addiction? That’s the driving narrative of Callahan’s fantastic documentary about two friends, whom are both trying to stay clean as part of their rehab for drug addiction, while also trying to create a short film about the emotions that go with addiction. This is the most riveting film-about-a-film we’ve seen since “Hearts of Darkness,” but the tension of filmmaking is secondary to the drama of Cassidy and Josh putting their lives back together, and using art to help do so.
=“Malignant” (Directed by James Wan)- Upon rewatch, it was fascinating just how much Wan shows you of the nature of Gabriel in his wild, surreal psychological horror movie in the opening credits. And yet, you still are not fully prepared for what happens when Madison’s traumatic secret is revealed. That speaks to not just how good Annabelle Wallis is in the lead role, but how effective the screenplay by Wan, Akela Cooper and Ingrid Bisu is in revealing itself. This might be my favorite of Wan’s horror films, and that’s high praise.
=“Nine Days” (Directed by Edson Oda)- Oda’s philosophical drama about humanity and the human soul is about a character who views the opportunity to live with harsh skepticism after a tragedy. Do we have to be cynical and manipulative to survive life, or can we be empathetic? Winston Duke, Zazie Beetz and Benedict Wong give some of the best performances of 2021 in the exploration of the answering of that question. Oda’s vision of the world of souls-to-be is every bit as impactful as Pixar’s in “Soul”; the ways it explores it’s questions are more profound and unforgettable.
=“Moon Manor” (Directed by Erin Granat and Machete Bang Bang)- I feel like most of these first films have a common idea behind them when it comes to exploring the ways we look at life when faced with mortality, or are at a crossroads. This film, which I saw at the Atlanta Film Festival, is one that entertained me and pulled me in emotionally in ways I didn’t even expect going in. Jimmy (played by James “Jimmy” Carrozo) is an Alzheimer’s patient who does not want to let his disease dictate how he dies, so he plans a party. Who is involved, and why they are there, is as surreal as Jimmy’s life seemed. In the end, though, “Moon Manor” challenges us to consider how we want our lives to be remembered, all the way up to the end.
=“Akilla’s Escape” (Directed by Charles Officer)- I first saw poet and writer Saul Williams, as many of us did, in 1998’s “Slam.” In this crime thriller by Officer, he makes another lasting impression onscreen, this time as a drug runner who, after an armed robbery, decides it’s time to get out. When he finds a 15-year-old on the scene of the robbery, he hopes he can give them both an escape plan from the cycle of violence he has hoped to break free from since childhood. Williams’s Akilla has a lot in common with Cage’s character in “Pig”- both are trying to leave one life for a more solitary, peaceful one, but the world around them won’t let them. This is a gem worth discovering.
=“A Glitch in the Matrix” (Directed by Rodney Ascher)- I went into this film’s Sundance screening compelled by the subject, but skeptical about the filmmaker after his “Room 237” felt like a glorified YouTube video. Here, he explores the idea of simulation theory from an academic perspective, a pop culture perspective, and a personal perspective, which comes to a head in the film’s last third, when the extreme scenario of entertaining such notions are realized for one individual. The film hasn’t been easy to shake since.
=“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” (Directed by Questlove)- Few film experiences have been as joyous this year as Questlove’s fantastic, energetic documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Looking at the festival from the eyes of performers, attendees, promoters and people of a later generation, this film stakes out a place right alongside “Woodstock” in defining a moment, and delivering iconic musical performances.
=“Godzilla vs. Kong” (Directed by Adam Wingard)- Warner Bros. puts a bow around their Monsterverse films with this dazzling and thrilling adventure wherein Kong and Godzilla face off, and team-up, in a film that introduces new worlds, new characters, and Mechagodzilla. I mean, if this doesn’t have you at the last one, what are we even doing? Wingard knows what is required, and he delivers.
=“Cyrano” (Directed by Joe Wright)- In a year in which the movie musical came back with a vengeance, the one by Joe Wright, which brings Erica Schmidt’s stage musical about the timeless story of Cyrano de Bergerac to the screen, had the greatest emotional pull. As the main character, Peter Dinklage gives the performance of his career as he longs for the love of Roxanne, only to think his appearance makes him unworthy of her, especially when she falls for someone whom requires his gifts with words. My full review will come in January, but Wright stages musical sequences with poetry and pain, while getting strong performances by Dinklage, Haley Bennett and Kelvin Harrison Jr. It is a rapturous film to watch.
=“The Sparks Brothers” (Directed by Edgar Wright)- Because of the use of one of their songs in a film I’ve had affection for since childhood, Sparks has been in my life my whole life. With Wright’s highly entertaining documentary on the band, I finally get to know their larger body of work, and I am enthusiastic to be able to finally know the brothers at the heart of the silliness.
=“The Power of the Dog” (Directed by Jane Campion)- Campion’s western, which has Benedict Cumberbatch and Jessie Plemons as brothers whom have settled into different stages of fragile masculinity, has stuck with me since I watched it in early November. Beautifully shot and scored, the film features a quartet of performances that explore how the archetypes of the American West sometimes fail to see the complexities of life.
=“Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Directed by Jon Watts)- The MCU Peter Parker finally grows up in this conclusion of his “Home” arc. Tom Holland does his best work to date as Parker in a film that finally challenges him in the same way we saw earlier versions of the character challenged. The result was probably the richest MCU experience we got in theatres in 2021, and my favorite Peter Parker film in over a decade.
=“499” (Directed by Rodrigo Reyes)- Generational trauma, and reflections on the past, were major parts of the movie year. The most fascinating exploration of that for me was this historical documentary, in which Reyes imagines a Spanish conquistador looking at modern day Mexico, startled by what they see. What they see as failures, however, might be progress, which is one of the reasons why sometimes, what someone from the past might think of the present, is best left ignored.
=“Slapface” (Directed by Jeremiah Kipp)- Kipp’s short film, “Slapface,” was one of his very best. In expanding it to feature length, he fleshes out relationships and themes one can only explore so much in a short film, in this story of a boy whose grief over the death of his mother by bonding with a monster. Filled with strong performances and haunting imagery, “Slapface” will be coming to Shudder in 2022, and I cannot recommend it enough.
=“Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” (Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi)- Hamaguchi’s second film of 2021, “Drive My Car,” is one of my must-sees for January. His three-story anthology film, however, captivated me this fall. A love triangle, a failed trap, and a misunderstanding all capture something profound about their main characters, women who are figuring out a way through life. Even if it doesn’t capture the luster and acclaim of his other film this year, “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” has the quiet beauty of a film that, once discovered by people, will mean something to those who embrace it.
=“The Harder They Fall” (Directed by Jeymes Samuel)- I have every intention of doubling back to this Black western in 2022 for a review. Some films just put us in a vibe. We may not completely get the themes and ideas, but from a stylistic standpoint, they speak to us. That was Samuel’s western, which takes actual Black individuals from the American west, and puts them in a story of revenge, acceptance, and crime. The film’s cinematography, production design and score are among the year’s best.
=“The Mitchells vs. the Machines” (Directed by Michael Rianda)- There’s something special going on with Sony Pictures Animation right now. Their last two films- this and “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse”– not only have a visual language that sets it apart from every other American animation studio, but they take normal teenagers, and use their greatest assets in a fight of good vs. evil. Kate Mitchell is a superhero, as well as a love of cinema, and seeing as she has to survive not just a robot apocalypse, but a cross-country trip with her family, her obstacles feel even more urgent. This is a delight from frame one.
=“Summer of 85” (Directed by Francois Ozon)- Francois Ozon keeps throwing curveballs with me, and I kind of love it. The director of “Swimming Pool” and “By the Grace of God” has made a coming-of-age drama and a drama about the death of a young boy that plays genuinely with what both of those ideas demand. Imagine if Truffaut and Hitchcock collaborated on a thriller set in the world of “The 400 Blows” and “Stolen Kisses.” If that idea intices you, “Summer of 85” is right up your alley.
In addition to the 20 films listed above, two TV miniseries expanded my thinking on subjects that have captured my attention over the years, while one was the best example of long-form storytelling for a particular studio this year. First up, Cullen Hoback created a riveting documentary exploring the origins, and possibly the source, of the wildest modern conspiracy theory in “Q: Into the Storm”, while Netflix gave us a six-episode study in the various ways we can look at cinema with “Voir”. Finally, Marvel Studios unleashed some MCU shows on us- okay, five to be exact- but for my money, only “Loki” succeeded in marrying the long-form storytelling of TV with the adventure the MCU has strived for over the years.
More Noteworthy Films I Enjoyed from 2021: “15 Things You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot (#1 Will Blow Your Mind”, “The Acid King”, “Agnes”, “Angie”, “Annette”, “Benedetta”, “Black Widow”, “C’mon C’mon”, “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It”, “CODA”, “Cruella”, “Demigod”, “Doublespeak”, “Double Walker”, “Dune: Part One”, “Eight for Silver”, “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain”, “Ema”, “Eternals”, “Final Account”, “A Fire Within”, “Flee”, “Free Guy”, “Ghost Dogs”, “The Green Knight”, “Holler”, “In the Earth”, “In the Heights”, “Jakob’s Wife”, “Jungle Cruise”, “King Richard”, “Knocking”, “Know Fear”, “The Last Duel”, “The Last Thing Mary Saw”, “The Letter”, “Licorice Pizza”, “Mass”, “The Matrix Resurrections”, “The Mimic”, “Misha and the Wolves”, “My Zoe”, “New Mexico Deathwish Diatribe”, “Nightmare Alley”, “No Ordinary Man”, “Old”, “Only the Ocean Between Us”, “Parallel Mothers”, “Passing”, “The Pink Cloud”, “Profile”, “A Quiet Place Part II”, “Raspberry”, “Raya and the Last Dragon”, “Reboot Camp”, “Ron’s Gone Wrong”, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, “Sons of Monarchs”, “Spencer”, “The Suicide Squad”, “Summertime”, “Surge”, “tick…tick…BOOM!”, “Titane”, “The Touch of the Master’s Hand”, “The Tragedy of MacBeth”, “Underplayed”, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”, “West Side Story”, “What Lies West”, “When We Were Bullies”, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League”.
Favorite Soundtracks of 2021
All told, 2021 was a good, but not great, year for original film music. That being said, a lot of the original music we got that was good was very good, and even great. But first, though, I wanted to mention some of the highlights from the movie musicals we received this year. Partially because of the chaos that was the 2020 movie year and the pandemic, this year we received more movie musicals than we have in probably decades. Before I get to the original music, I wanted to shout-out my favorite moments from musicals in 2021. First up was “In the Heights”, which captured some of the most heartbreaking saddness in “Alabanza,” as well as pride in “Carnaval del Barrio.” Next was “tick…tick…BOOM!”, which gave us Jonathan’s Larson’s anxiety about turning 30 in “30/90,” as well as heartache for a life about to be cut short in “Why.” In “Cyrano”, we get heartbreaking longing for love, and a fascinating score by Bryce and Aaron Dresner that makes songs like “Someone to Say,” “Overcome,” and “Saying Goodbye” sound wholly unique, while “Wherever I Fall” will destroy you emotionally. Finally, we come to “West Side Story”, and the way this iconic score was arranged is just part of why “Somewhere,” “Cool” and “Tonight” have new emotion to them. If you’re a fan of musical theatre, you were well served.
That brings us to the scores. Two of the boldest period tales of 2021 lead the way, with Carter Burwell doing some of his most intense and brilliant work to date for “The Tragedy of MacBeth”, and Daniel Hart crafting a haunting and profound score for Gawain’s journey to “The Green Knight”. There’s honestly not a lot more that, but Jonny Greenwood’s score for “The Power of the Dog” and Jeymes Samuel’s hip-hop-infused soundtrack for “The Harder They Fall” are fantastic takes on western tropes; Joseph Bishara brings his horror A-game to “Malignant”; Ramin Djawadi returns to the MCU in fine form for “Eternals”; Antonio Pinto writes a beautiful soul poem of a score for “Nine Days”; Alexis Grapsas and Philip Klein’s score for “Pig” reminds me of the emotions felt in that tail of finding a lost loved one; and Tom Holkenborg’s bombastic work for “Godzilla vs. Kong” captured the energy onscreen, while finally hearing his score for “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” shows how he’s turning into one of our best composers. In the world of genre, though, Clint Mansell’s experimental sound designs for “In the Earth” and Hans Zimmer’s epic passion for “Dune” stand out as adventurous, and personal works in experimentation and pushing oneself to the limits. The year in film music would be decidedly worse without them, even if I ultimately don’t put either as among the composer’s best work.
Favorite Performances of 2021
When you watch over 250 movies in a year, a massive amount of great performances can be expected. Let’s start with the ones that flat-out floored me, and which I will be pushing hardest for awards recognition: Nicolas Cage (“Pig”), Winston Duke (“Nine Days”), Anne Dowd (“Mass”), Agathe Rouselle (“Titane”), Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”), Kodi-Smit McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”), James ‘Jimmy’ Carrozo (“Moon Manor”), Tessa Thompson (“Passing”), Jason Issacs (“Mass”), Troy Kotsur (“CODA”), Sally Hawkins (“Spencer”), and Ruth Negga (“Passing”). From there, it just stays fantastic, whether you’re discussing Denzel Washington or Frances McDormand in “The Tragedy of MacBeth”, Martha Plimpton in “Mass” or Vincent Lindon in “Titane”. Adam Driver did terrific work in “Annette” and “The Last Duel”, as did his co-stars Jodie Comer (“The Last Duel”) and Lady Gaga (“House of Gucci”). Andrew Garfield was fantastic as Jonathan Larson in “tick…tick….BOOM”, and Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman were stars in the making in “Licorice Pizza”. Benedict Cumberbatch, Jessie Plemons and Kirsten Dunst deliver strong shades in “The Power of the Dog”, and Tom Holland does his best work yet as Peter Parker in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”. I loved Annabelle Wallis in “Malignant” and Emilia Jones and Marlee Matlin in “CODA”. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Saul Williams in “Akilla’s Escape”, Jonathan Majors in “The Harder They Fall”, Virginie Efira in “Benedetta”, Dev Patel in “The Green Knight”, Peter Dinklage in “Cyrano”, Penelope Cruz and Milena Smit in “Parallel Mothers”, and Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist and Rita Moreno in “West Side Story”. I could have listed so many more, but of the ones that left the strongest impression on me, I must stop. You check these out, and you have a great idea of what a wonderful acting year it was in 2021.
Coming in January will be reviews of some of the films I have not yet reviewed from this year, the Sundance Film Festival, and “Scream.” We have more “Scream” on the way. And for Patreon subscribers, Oscar coverage. I hope you have a safe New Year!
Thanks for listening,
Brian Skutle
www.sonic-cinema.com
