This year we opted to do something a little different. Instead of a standard top 5 list which we all vote on, we opted to do individual lists for the Top 5 of 2021. So, check it out and let us know what you think! It was definitely an interesting year for film where streaming became much more of the mainstream way for viewing new movies. Hopefully, 2022 will see a bigger return to normalcy and getting back into theaters. In the meantime, check out our picks for the best 5 and try to see as many of them as you can!
Kyle's Picks:
5. No Time To Die
4. The Power of the Dog
3. Dune
2. Benedetta
1. Titane Julia Ducournau's Titane is a living nightmare. The allegory is abrasively right there center field, but with malicious intent. It's violent, sexy, and extremely uncomfortable. Provocative at every turn, Ducournau deftly weaves threads from Beau Travail and Cronenberg to create a singular cinematic experience.
Michelle's Picks:
5. Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
4. Memoria
3. Titane
2. In the Earth
1. Drive My Car This slow moving three hour tour-de-force focuses on a the relationship woes of a one man, and how he deals with infidelity and eventually grief and loss. It’s always operating on several levels, and every conversation is a revelation. It explores the liminal space of your car as you travel from place to place and the time that it gives you to contemplate and reflect.
Stuart's Picks:
5. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
4. Psycho Goreman
3. The Suicide Squad
2. Spider-Man: No Way Home
1. The Green Knight
Exquisitely filmed, paced, and performed, I would recommend this to those who have not braced its themes and to those who have. Even if you know the classic tale, this brings a new emphasis on the mortality coursing throughout, and I love it for that. Dev Patel and the supporting cast bring their best and that alone is a treat to witness. The challenges along his journey, the decisions he makes, and the outcomes all feel as consequential as the last. The soundtrack wins me over and marries perfectly with the visuals. This was not the clear winner in my Top 5 but it edges out all the others in one category or another.
Andrew's Picks:
5. Annette
4. Belfast
3. Mad God
2. In the Earth
1. The Father
While the concept of dementia and the damage it inflicts on those suffering from it as well as those trying to help care for the person growing ever more lost in their own mindset is far from new to the silver screen, 2021 is proving to be the year of dementia movies with Viggo Mortensen’s searing directorial debut Falling and once more with Gaspar Noe’s upcoming Vortex. However, it was French playwright Florian Zeller’s own directorial debut The Father that really struck the emotional gavel hard and heavily on the mallet. Sporting a brilliant role-of-a-lifetime performance by Anthony Hopkins who all but completely conveys what it means to walk in a withering elder’s shoes as he starts losing track of time, place and person as the film itself begins to constantly transform scene by scene in look and shape, The Father isn’t so much a straightforward narrative as it is a sensory experience.
Beginning subtly as a loose and seemingly light dramedy with Anthony and his daughter Anne (Olive Colman) who has taken him into her home, The Father begins introducing increasingly unsettling vibes as Anthony walks into one room to find it has changed decoration completely and, my God, there’s another woman he’s never seen before claiming to be his daughter. Soon as a caregiver becomes involved and a beleaguered husband putting up with his wife’s predicament caring for her ailing father become enmeshed in the mix, the film starts taking on a more abstract and labyrinthine structure where we find ourselves sharing in Anthony’s terror, confusion and upset at the world dropping out from under him.
But The Father while heavy and heartbreaking isn’t all doom and gloom. There’s a lot of humor and personality being projected onscreen and Florian Zeller being French makes more than a few jokes about Anthony’s objections to the idea of his daughter Anne moving to France. What The Father does with production design is brilliant as his apartment ever so subtly and slightly seems to drastically change in between scenes, sometimes reverting back to how it looked before. And the film’s ensemble cast tasked with changing characters throughout to convey the points where Anthony begins mixing people up all give pitch perfect performances in what can be called a tragedy concerning a man reaching a point in his life where in his own words he feels he’s “losing all my leaves”. All in all, an extraordinary debut featuring a powerhouse of acting truly in his element.
Liam's Picks:
5. Licorice Pizza
4. The Night House
3. Dune
2. The Green Knight
1. Pig
I never thought my favorite film of 2021 would star Nicolas Cage but there is a lot of things about 2021 that I thought would have never happened.. You hear of the film’s concept, Nic Cage searching for his beloved stolen truffle pig, you can kind of imagine what kind of movie that would be in your head. Thankfully, this is not that straightforward. This is a pretty existential film, a film about people finding meaning in a mostly meaningless world and how quickly that meaning can be taken away or broken by the cruelty and ignorance of others. It's also a meditation about how artistic passion can be drained by commerce rather than just being about the art. It is one of 2021’s most intriguing and rewarding films.
Chris G's Picks:
5. Benedetta
4. Dune
3. Titane
2. The Night House
1. Tick Tick Boom
Andrew Garfield proves just how absolutely talented he is in the best musical production of 2021. Chronicling the life of writer and composer Jonathan Larson, creator of Rent, Garfield shines as the central character of the film. Streaming on Netflix, this film should have gotten a theatrical release due to its amazing songs and performances. The meta-esque autobiographical film should definitely garner some Oscar talk for Garfield as it's one of the best films of his career and easily one of the best releases of another year during a global pandemic.