2021 movies

Another weird year for movies. Plenty I liked, naturally, but of the 94 new releases I’ve seen, I really only care about 2 of them. Dune is easily my favorite film of the last 2 years and The Green Knight is like nothing I’ve ever seen before (I know 2 other people who’ve seen it and be forewarned: they did not care for it). This year did have several films with complex characters I became sorta obsessed with. Unfortunately, they’re either difficult artsy films (like Spencer) or in controversial films I hesitate to actually recommend (notably Licorice Pizza and Red Rocket).

My main issue (and poor me, I know) is that, at least compared to when I was a kid, I feel like no one else I know actually watches these movies or TV shows. I assume most people reading this haven’t even heard of most of these. My friends/family that used to be avid watchers are busy keeping their kids alive or being ambitious or whatever. And I have no idea what everyone else is doing with their time. It’s certainly not watching The Last Duel or Shiva Baby. Maybe I should be talking to people in real life more?

2021 Rankings* so far

  1. Dune
  2. The Green Knight
  3. The Power of the Dog
  4. Spencer
  5. Licorice Pizza
  6. Judas and the Black Messiah
  7. The Last Duel
  8. Red Rocket
  9. A Hero
  10. Shiva Baby
  11. Stillwater
  12. Annette
  13. Parallel Mothers
  14. The Lost Daughter
  15. The Eyes of Tammy Faye
  16. Tick, Tick…Boom!
  17. The Killing of Two Lovers
  18. Zola
  19. Drive My Car
  20. The Rescue [documentary]
  21. Passing
  22. The Worst Person in the World
  23. Cruella
  24. Don’t Look Up
  25. The Hand of God
  26. King Richard
  27. Pig
  28. Free Guy
  29. Nine Days
  30. C’mon C’mon
  31. The French Dispatch
  32. CODA
  33. Shang Chi
  34. The Sparks Brothers [documentary]
  35. Worth
  36. Swan Song
  37. Army of the Dead
  38. The Courier
  39. Summer of Soul [documentary]
  40. Lamb
  41. The Dig
  42. The Beta Test
  43. Val [documentary]
  44. Titane
  45. Spider-Man: No Way Home
  46. Malignant
  47. No Sudden Move
  48. Being the Ricardos
  49. The Night House
  50. The Mitchells vs. the Machines
  51. I Care a Lot
  52. West Side Story
  53. Spiral
  54. Belle
  55. Eternals
  56. The Tragedy of Macbeth
  57. The Matrix Resurrections
  58. The Humans
  59. Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
  60. The Tomorrow War
  61. The Last Letter From Your Lover
  62. Flee
  63. Four Good Days
  64. In the Heights
  65. Black Widow
  66. Nightmare Alley
  67. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
  68. Last Night in Soho
  69. Candyman
  70. A Quiet Place: Part II
  71. Mortal Kombat
  72. Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry [documentary]
  73. House of Gucci
  74. Bergman Island
  75. Fear Street Part 1: 1994
  76. Fear Street Part 2: 1978
  77. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
  78. Woodstock 99 [documentary]
  79. Malcolm & Marie
  80. The Little Things
  81. To All the Boys: Always and Forever
  82. Attica [documentary]
  83. The Suicide Squad
  84. Voyagers
  85. No Time to Die
  86. Zack Snyder’s Justice League
  87. Fear Street Part 3: 1666
  88. Jagged
  89. Belfast
  90. Finch
  91. The Protege
  92. Godzilla vs. Kong
  93. The United States vs. Billie Holiday
  94. The White Tiger
  95. The Card Counter
  96. The Guilty
  97. The Harder They Fall
  98. Those Who Wish Me Dead
  99. Persona [documentary]
  100. Love Hard
  101. Stowaway
  102. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
  103. The Voyeurs
  104. Old
  105. Cry Macho
  106. F9
  107. The Woman in the Window
  108. Space Jam:A New Legacy
  109. Moxie!

Not movies but sort of:

  1. Bo Burnham: Inside
  2. Derek Delgaudio’s In & Of Itself

*subject to change