10 favorites of 2021 amid pandemic
The pandemic kept me out of theaters for the majority of 2020, but when I’d been fully vaccinated in April, you bet your bottom dollar I was back in the land of reclining seats, popcorn, and overpriced sodas. And yet, even with most Americans returning to theaters in some fashion this year, the pandemic still held a powerful sway over the lives of most releases.
It was a shame to watch the rise and fall of infection rates have an equal impact on the lives of movies that deserved to succeed financially. Philip Martin regularly debates the importance of discussing box office numbers in this space, and with good reason. But it is a fact that without money, movies don’t get made. What we’d wish was purely art is, in reality, mostly a business.
This year proved challenging for most movies that weren’t already part of established franchises. But I still did my best to put together my annual list of 10 wonderful movies I’d pick over everything else this year. I didn’t get to watch everything (what critic does?), but I probably watched more than the average cinephile.
Below, in reverse order, are my 10 favorite films from 2021 that helped me get through a challenging year.
10. “The Harder They Fall”
I am a sucker for a good Western, and the amount of style and flair this Netflix original brought to the screen, combined with the raw talent of stars like Idris Elba and Zazie Beetz left me rattled. It’s a shame Hollywood doesn’t crank out more Westerns these days because this movie showed why they’re still necessary. Director Jeymes Samuel brought a lively historical revisionist Western before my eyes, and I was dazzled. Everyone else is talking about “The Power of the Dog,” and they’re right to, but “The Harder They Fall” deserves its share in the spotlight this year as well.
9. “Josee, the Tiger and the Fish”
At least one anime film is always going to grace my annual top 10 each year, and while “Josee, the Tiger and the Fish” technically released in 2020 in Japan, it came west in July 2021. The hard-earned young love in this film took me on a roller coaster, and it offered such a powerful ride. “Josee, the Tiger and the Fish” presents a strong drama, and it shouldn’t be discounted just because it used the medium of animation to deliver its narrative. While the animation is beautiful, the characters and story adapted from Seiko Tanabe’s literary work ring true. It’s compelling cinema. 8. “In the Heights”
Like a good many folks, I came to know Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work after watching “Hamilton” in 2020. And since then, I’ve come to love his music and writing. “In the Heights” certainly delivers a lively beat and emotional tale. Watching the film and choreography, swaying with the music, “In the Heights” delivers a unique experience that even those most opposed to musicals will find themselves tapping their legs in rhythm. The cast is outrageously talented, and the film’s quality is a testament to the combined skills of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Director Jon M. Chu.
7. “Dune”
“Dune” was probably the movie I anticipated most throughout 2021, and it exceeded every expectation. Epic blockbuster science fiction movies aren’t as common as they should be, and director Denis Villeneuve has a keen eye for the genre. After making a stupendous sequel to “Blade Runner,” he brought forward an ambitious adaptation of the titular 1965 novel. The unique setting and characters, the beautiful cinematography, and the total package of an inventive film left me dreaming of Villenueve’s work and thinking about it days and weeks afterward.
6. “Dream Horse”
Every year it seems I find a handful of hidden gems, movies I knew nothing about and stumbled upon by complete accident. And “Dream Horse” is among the best said gems from 2021. Toni Collette rallying a small village to invest in a racehorse and bring life into their dying town hit me out of nowhere. Collette’s performance, dedication, and love to the equine character, Dream, stirred so many emotions in my heart. And the hype of each race felt so very real they left me on my feet in the living room shouting at the television and rooting for this fictional horse, based on a real animal, of course.
5. “Spider-Man: No Way Home”
Some critics debate whether comic book movies belong on lists like this, but I’m of the mind that if they really impress me, they earn their spot. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is among the best films the Marvel Cinematic Universe has to offer, but perhaps most impressive about the film is what it offered fans of the titular hero. I won’t spoil anything since we’re still in December, but “No Way Home” was absolutely a love letter to fans of the beloved web slinger. Marvel and Sony really put their heads together to give fans exactly what they’ve been asking for, and it’s just wicked cool how they pulled it off. Tears, consequences, and heartfelt heroics landed this movie right in the middle of my web of top films from 2021.
4. “Nine Days”
In 2020, Pixar released a film on the meaning of life, called “Soul.” It wasn’t phenomenal, but “Nine Days” hits a lot of the same territory and does a better job of slowly guiding audiences through the philosophy behind the value of life. I cried harder during “Nine Days” than I did any other movie this year, and it asks so many questions about the price of a soul and the different paths taken in life, all without an ounce of pretentiousness. But the performances from Winston Duke and Zazie Beetz really define this movie as a must-see treasure. This is a movie that should be shown in film and philosophy classes on every college campus in America.
3. “The Tender Bar”
Rotten Tomatoes won’t agree with my placement of this film, but that’s OK. I was deeply moved by this tale of a boy with an absentee dad growing into a man. And it’s mostly thanks to Ben Affleck giving one of the best performances of his career as an uncle stepping in to be this boy’s father figure. When I think back on the most memorable performances of this year, Affleck in “The Tender Bar” is right at the top. This is a movie that, as the credits rolled, I stood up from my living room couch and paced around in circles muttering, “Wow.” “The Tender Bar” assembles all the puzzle pieces of a quiet, yet
meaningful story and offers up a tender tale that should leave audiences, especially writers, nodding their heads in appreciation. 2. “CODA”
I struggled with placing this movie at #1 or #2, and the truth is it’s an absolute winner in either slot. When I think of the perfect coming-of-age story, “CODA” will be right at the top of the list. Its pure authenticity in casting deaf actors to play a deaf family together is commitment to bringing the realism of a disability to audiences that Hollywood lacks in so many other films. It’s precious and worthy and a truly flawless film. The challenges this family faces and the pressures Emilia Jones carried as the only hearing member of the family, having to be a seemingly-eternal translator, left me speechless by the time the credits rolled.
1. “The Mitchells vs the Machines”
I said when I first watched this movie in April it would probably end up being the #1 movie on my list at the end of the year. Lo and behold, here we are, and it came out on top. Putting an animated tale at the top of my list two years in a row should surprise none of the other critics who write in this space. But I don’t think I’m over-exaggerating when I write this was the funniest movie I saw all year. It’s absolutely bonkers, and the story is as silly as they come, but I was wheezing for air from the first few minutes to the end of the film.
And I think this movie came at a special time for me, right after I’d hit max immunity from my covid vaccinations and was finally starting to see friends again after a year of solitude. The pandemic really did a number on my mental health — bringing more isolation than I’ve ever endured in my life, and “The Mitchells vs the Machines” came out right as the doors of my life were starting to open again.
I adored Katie, appreciated the struggles with her family, and admired the bright markers she used to color her life.
As a queer girl who wasn’t able to make things work with her own family, living vicariously through another queer girl who did make things work with her family was a balm for my own wounded heart. That’s the kind of heartfelt connection I think most movie fans seek out with the titles they choose to watch. The best films are those that make the connection and leave a deep imprint on the hearts of their audiences, which is admittedly a difficult task.
You can find me on Twitter @ CourtLanning for more movie thoughts, and I’ll be back soon to start reviewing next year’s films.