Top 100 Best Films Of 2021 (#74-#50)

Hello again and welcome to part 2 of the best films of 2021 list! We are going to continue working our way up the list with even more fantastic films. This part I did switch around quite a few movies where is with last part I didn’t switch that much! But I hope you enjoy let’s get started!

74. Prisoners Of The Ghostland directed by Sion Sono

Obviously Prisoners Of The Ghostland is the weaker of the two Nicolas Cage movies that made the list (Willy’s Wonderland didn’t make the cut although I really liked it). However this film was absolutely bizarre that I couldn’t help but love it. Nicolas Cage gives tons of “Nicolas Cage moments” while also being genuinely really great as well. Sofia Boutella is also really fantastic as well, the film is such a nice blend of sci-fi, western, fantasy and action. The cinematography tells the story which is quite interesting and the costumes really standout, Prisoners Of The Ghostland is not for everyone but I couldn’t help but love this one!

73. Halloween Kills directed by David Gordon Green

Originally I had Halloween Kills in the Top 50, I still do think Halloween Kills is by far one of the best films of the franchise, but when compared to a lot of other films that came out in 2021 you see a difference. However I still absolutely loved it, Halloween Kills goes for something completely different with the franchise and focuses on the people of Haddonfield and how they are reacting to Michael Myers’s killing spree. It’s a much darker film with very brutal kills that end up being some of the best of the series, a lot of the choices the characters make while not smart make sense it’s a community in panic because of a unstoppable killer. It’s an overall really fun slasher film that gets a lot right! 

72. Plan B directed by Natalie Morales

While Plan B does feel a bit similar to Unpregnant it does things differently. As I said In my review Plan B is more on the comedic side but also balances that with some drama as well, it also does use some elements from Booksmart but manages to make it own’s thing. Kuhoo Verma and Victoria Moroles are what make this film, between their surprisingly raw performances and their chemistry you can’t help but get invested in. There’s a lot of touching moments as well that really do make this film. Natalie Morales does have another movie that’s on the list (that we will get to soon) that I do think was the better film. But Plan B is a fantastic showcase of Morales’s directing talent.

71. Nobody directed by Ilya Naishuller

Nobody was one of the biggest surprises of 2021, Naishuller who previously directed Hardcore Henry once again takes the action genre and does something completely different with it. Nobody is a hybrid of dark comedy with some very heavy action combined with brutal kills. Bob Odenkirk does such a fantastic job here combine that with some very well shot action scenes that you get so much detail and you have yourself such a badass film. It’s a type of film that knows how to entertain it’s audience and knows how to balance dark comedy with action, Nobody is truly a unique action film that is truly so much fun!

70. The Matrix Resurrections directed by Lana Wachowski

Although I’m not the biggest Matrix fanatic out there I can’t help but appreciate Resurrections. Seeing Keanu Reeves as Neo again is a beautiful sight, the visuals are some of the best of 2021, the writing is energetic and very well paced. The film itself reads as a film where Lana Wachowski just doesn’t care what anyone thinks and makes a film, which I actually found to be very inspiring. It’s a very bold blockbuster that truly hits with a lot of meta humor, excellent action and just an overall fantastic film.

69. Spiral: From The Book Of Saw directed by Darren Lynn Bousman

Look I completely understand why some people wouldn’t like Spiral, however it completely worked at least for me. The film trades a lot of the gore that was in some of the previous films of the series for more of a structure. Which works in this case, it’s a interesting mystery that does keep you invested. Spiral manages to do it’s own thing without heavily relying on the other films, while it does use some of the classic Saw elements it never goes beyond on that. Spiral is a genuinely fun and investing film that does a great job of bringing more to the series!

68. The Strings directed by Ryan Glover

The Strings is a prime example of a film that uses music as a hauntingly beautiful element. Tegan Johnston gives a haunting but at the same time gorgeous performance. There isn’t a whole lot of dialogue however it’s replaced for cold cinematography and Johnston’s acting which does a fantastic job of telling the viewer how she feels and what they she is thinking. The music is beautifully done it captures the atmosphere that the film is going for, which is something I haven’t seen in too many movies as of late and that is the sense of loneliness. The film takes place in a remote cottage during the winter while it’s snowing, which is the perfect opportunity to use such a haunting atmosphere that really brings you into the film. Tegan Johnston also has a beautiful singing voice, her voice also captures the sense of loneliness type feel to it as well. The Strings is a film that combines many different type of elements to create a haunting but beautiful experience!

67. All Too Well: The Short Film directed by Taylor Swift

This is another exception I made for the list, it’s a short film that could be pretty much called a music video. However that doesn’t take away from the incredibly raw dialogue which although it doesn’t have a lot of it when it does it’s quite incredible, it captures a huge sense of realism and power that is captured within the song and what’s being shown. Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brian (who gives his best performance in a very long time) are both fantastic and do a really great job of showing tons of emotions. I’ve said this before but I truly hope Taylor Swift considers a directing career!

66. The French Dispatch directed by Wes Anderson

The French Dispatch is a clever film that tackles the anthology film genre very very well. There’s a great variety that isn’t present in a lot of anthology films. The acting from the cast is quite fantastic, the direction from Wes Anderson is once again phenomenal and the writing is filled clever humor that’s genuinely hilarious. Some segments are definitely better than others however that doesn’t stop each of the segments from being very interesting and having a lot to say, the final wrap up of all the segments is very touching and I’m sure a lot of journalists could relate to!

65. The Harder They Fall directed by Jeymes Samuel

I’ve said before that westerns do not much for me, but films like The Harder They Fall take the genre and do a lot more with it. The cast are absolutely incredible they all work together really well, have great chemistry and play as a lot of badass characters. The editing is energetic and beautifully done which gives some very strong action scenes that truly deliver on every single level. I could also go on how absolutely insane the opening scene is, from the music, to the acting it’s truly incredible. Guns Go Bang is also a fantastic song!

64. The Guilty directed by Antione Fuqua

The Guilty is a rare instance where I actually don’t mind that it’s a shot for shot remake. Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance is absolutely incredible, the guy is a seriously talented actor and he displays that here quite well. His performance feels incredibly raw and his reactions to the situation at hand feels incredibly powerful and quite human, he is basically what sells this film and rightfully so. Second reason is the lighting, while in some films I feel like I don’t need to point that out because it doesn’t really impact the story in most cases, but here it definitely impacts the story and really gives the movie this haunting and thrilling look to it. It adds to the anxiety this film gives the viewer as well as making you wonder what’s about to happen next. Then there’s the thrilling atmosphere…which is just flat out incredible, it adds a lot of anxiety to the viewer and perfectly captures what it would be like to be in the situation that Joe Baylor (Gyllenhaal) is in. The film also does a wonderful of build up throughout its running time, it slowly but surely builds up until it releases a huge amount of thunderous scenes that leave an impact on the viewer.

63. Finch directed by Miguel Sapochnik

Finch is honestly something I did not expect to make this far on the list let alone be on the list in general. It was by far one of the most surprising films of 2021, it’s a story of three life forms a human, a dog and a robot, their interaction with each other, how they feel and so on. It’s a very heartwarming film that looks and is quite beautiful. One thing I did not expect going into Finch was to cry but it happened, which is mainly due to how raw the storytelling really is. A fantastic sci-fi film full of heart and soul!

62. The Amusement Park directed by George A. Romero

Here’s another example of a lost film that was recovered and released, The Amusement Park was produced back in 1972 but was lost for years. I’ve decided that this film qualifies for the list because it never got a release and plus I’ve been wanting to find an excuse to talk about lost films so there’s that! Anyway the film itself is quite disturbing, it feels like as if it’s one of those disturbing PSAs from the 90s and early 2000s except turned into a 53 minute feature. It deals with very heavy subject matter (elder abuse), the film is very experimental and just leaves you wondering “what on earth did I just witness?” It’s also one of those disturbing films that gets more and more disturbing as it goes on.

61. Luca directed by Enrico Casarosa

Luca is another film I originally had much higher up on the list, but I will admit I do think I overhyped it a little too much. However I still absolutely love it and it’s this high up for a reason. It uses the theme of “being who you are” or “hiding your true self” in such a beautiful and clever way that really makes the film. The animation is stunning, the characters are lovable and the story is just beautifully told in every single way possible.

60. Language Lessons directed by Natalie Morales

Language Lessons is how you do a film about the pandemic, Natalie Morales does such a beautiful job both acting in and directing this film, Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales have beautiful chemistry between one another, everything about this film feels natural. There’s no “#relatable!” garbage humor like there was in a few other pandemic movies, there’s no forced plotlines. It’s a simple straight forward film about two people, their emotions, how they feel about the pandemic and so on. Truly a fantastic film and I’m absolutely looking forward to seeing what Natalie Morales does next!

59. Zack Snyder’s Justice League directed by Zack Snyder

I’m going to keep this rather short because at this point you already know the drill about this one. Talk about a difference, Snyder’s Justice League vastly superior to the movie that was released in 2017 in every single way possible. From far more character moments and development, far better writing (as well as acting) and just an overall far more enjoyable film that’s much more in depth. The film gives a ton of more context that make a lot more sense than what was released in 2017, I said in my review that the 2017 movie feels like a bunch of scenes out of context. While this film makes much more sense and actually tells a story, It’s great seeing Cyborg and The Flash get the character moments they deserved since the beginning. Snyder did a fantastic job with this one!

58. Oxygen directed by Alexandre Aja

Oxygen is another huge surprise from 2021, what could have ended up being another terrible Netflix sci-fi film that would be quickly thrown away ended up being a claustrophobic nightmare that despite being a sci-fi film it is very raw. There’s a ton of great character bits for Mélanie Laurent’s character to grow and we learn quite a bit about her. The writing is overall really strong and ends up giving a very thrilling atmosphere that wraps the film quite nicely!

57. Loki directed by Kate Herron

The final MCU and Disney+ series on the list! To keep this short like the other MCU series on the list the performances here were phenomenal. Tom Hiddleston is at his best as Loki here, Owen Wilson gives a surprisingly charming and hilarious performance and then there’s Sophia Di Martino who steals the show whenever she’s on screen. The writing is overall very strong it balances the drama, action and humor very well. One doesn’t out match the others which is exactly what more MCU films need to do and I hope they do in the future.

56. Gaia directed by Jaco Bouwer

Gaia is a huge mix of The Last Of Us (the video game), The Blair Witch Project, In The Earth and parts of The Green Inferno all mixed into a very interesting movie! It’s use of body horror was really great and slowly gets under your skin as the film progresses. The acting from Monique Rockman was really great and the writing gives this creepy feel as well. Combine that with the atmosphere and you have yourself a genuinely haunting movie that is very effective, especially when the writing is cleverly written! The location and the filming is also another one of this film’s strong points, combing them both gives beautifully haunting results that end up being intimidating and creepy as well!

55. Coming Home In The Dark directed by James Ashcroft

Another pretty disturbing film that has some very brutal kills that definitely catch you by surprise, it doesn’t hold back at all really. The atmosphere is what makes this film, Ashcroft absolutely nails it with the haunting and suspenseful atmosphere that really gets under your skin!

54. The Sparks Brothers directed by Edgar Wright

The Sparks Brothers is truly something special, I went into this documentary back at Sundance 2021 knowing next to nothing about the rock band Sparks and I walk out knowing so much about them. That in my opinion is when a documentary is very successful, with that said that’s not all. Edgar Wright puts in his style in the documentary such as using a ton of beautifully creative animation, black and white interviews that really add a lot to the documentary and he brings so much energy and humor into it as well. Edgar Wright really makes this his own.

53. I Care A Lot directed by J Blakeson

I Care A Lot is a very wild film that’s seriously fantastic, Rosamund Pike gives such a fantastic performance and absolute nails everything the film is going for. The film isn’t afraid to show unfortunate situations that do happen to senior citizens, the film shows those moments and calls them out very well. A common discourse about this film was that the film “supports this because Pike is the protagonist” I said this in my review and I’ll say it again here. Being the protagonist does not mean the person is “good” or the audience has to like them. All protagonist means is said character is the main character nothing more and nothing less. The film itself makes it quite clear that these situations are gross and calls them out very well. I Care A Lot is a very wild experience that truly delivers!

52. Profile directed by Timur Bekmambetov

Profile is one of those screen life movies you know like Searching, the Unfriended movies, The Den and a few others. This one is definitely one of the more realistic movies of the genre, the performances here incredible especially Valene Kane and Shazad Latif both of which give raw performances that sound like actual people interacting over the internet, the film does a good job of showing how certain social media platforms such as Facebook can be used as a dangerous weapon when wanting to commit horrible horrible crimes. It actually gets quite disturbing as the film goes on which is the type of disturbing that is definitely effective! Timur Bekmambetov does an incredible job with Profile, he gives the film a haunting atmosphere that gives the viewer the feeling of anything could happen and makes them wonder what’s going to happen next. Profile is also based on a true story which is an incredible read that I do recommend reading!

51. Beans directed by Tracey Deer

Beans was most definitely a hard hitting film, it takes the coming of age genre and does something different with it…being set in the Oka crisis of 1990. Which builds the characters quite well and really establishes each of the characters thoughts. The film itself is semi-autobiographical meaning it’s showing historical events that the director Tracy Deer herself lived through as a child. Deer does a fantastic job of showing the viewer what she experienced, how her friends and family felt and acted through it and so much more. The film really hits you like a truck as it goes on, it starts out pretty normally but quickly evolves into a very sad but personal experience that I’m seriously glad Tracy Deer told, the writing feels incredibly raw and only adds to the film and how personal it really feels.

50. The Night House directed by David Bruckner

The Night House takes a simple concept and turns into a nightmare in the best way possible, Rebecca Hall is brilliant in the leading role, she gives one of the best performances from 2021 and truly shows how talented she is as an actress. The dialogue from Rebecca Hall is chilling there are scenes where dialogue actually makes the viewer quite uncomfortable, due to how strong her performance really is. The writing is quite fantastic, it’s effective of telling a interesting story and takes you into the film’s world with some very powerful and interesting dialogue! Combine that with what is one of the best things about this film…the atmosphere! The film relies on the atmosphere to scare the viewer which it works quite well, the atmosphere also leads to some jumpscares that are surprisingly effective! The Night House is one of those movies that gets jumpscares right, a lot of the time in other movies jumpscares are very predictable, lazy and aren’t effective at all. The Night House has the atmosphere, the build up and it’s strong camerawork to make the jumpscares work, all of those elements combined together create several genuinely terrifying scenes that scare the viewer. The Night House is also surprisingly sad and can be depressing at times, it’s mainly due to the plot and it really works here. The film balances the horror and the sadness it’s really interesting to see the two together

And that is for part 2 of my best list! Stay tuned for part 3!!

Top 100 Best Films Of 2021 introduction and #100-#75

Well here we are it’s time for the best list and I really have to say 2021 was a fantastic year for film. There was ton of variety between genres, tons of absolute standouts and a ton of newcomers actors and actresses wise. I would go far as to say that 2021 is up there with 2017, 2018 and 2019 it terms of fantastic years for film. I also like to think 2021 was the year of music, not only just for the large amount of musicals that were released but music was always a huge part of a lot of films in 2021. Tons of powerful moments that used a song, advanced the plot, told the story itself and so on. We will get to that as we work our to the top of the list. With all that said let’s begin!

100. Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain directed by Morgan Neville

Starting off we have a very powerful and emotional documentary that tells the story of Anthony Bourdain, his impact and how much he meant to his friend’s and family. It’s a documentary that isn’t afraid to go into dark territory plus you could feel the impact Bourdain left on his friends and family. The interviews from his friends and family are absolutely crushing to the point where you can feel the pain and loss from them. Morgan Neville previously did Won’t You Be My Neighbor and while I do think that was the better documentary (that’s probably due to me not knowing Anthony Bourdain that much prior to the film.) it’s still such a fantastic documentary that nails everything it’s supposed to.

99. Werewolves Within directed by Josh Ruben

A video game adaption movie that’s actually really good? That’s the rare case here, I haven’t played the video game the film is based on so I don’t know how accurate it is. However I do know that this was a genuinely fun film that has some clever humor, a very fun cast of characters and it ends up being a modern horror comedy that stands out among the crowd.

98. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie directed by Jonathan Butterell

As I said in the introduction 2021 had a ton of musicals, a lot of which made the list. The first being Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, a more underrated musical that released. While it does feel a bit familiar at times it does far more right. The cast being one of them Max Harwood and Lauren Patel are both fantastic as well as their singing voices, the songs are quite great all around. Not every single song is a winner but there are some fantastic songs such as “Wall In My Head” and “It Means Beautiful” there’s a lot of quiet moments for the characters to develop and there are plenty of moments that hit the viewer quite hard. It’s a musical that balances many type of emotions at once!

97. Shang-Chi directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

Shang-Chi was a surprise for me, the trailers made this film out to be another generic MCU origin story. Luckily that wasn’t the case here, instead it’s a genuinely fun film that has some very interesting stylistic choices with the action scenes. The cast all around gives great performances and the movie is actually pretty funny something rare with the MCU. I do wish the third act was a lot better as it does resort to CGI monsters that don’t look great at all, however that isn’t enough to bring this movie down.

96. The Card Counter directed by Paul Schrader

One of the most underrated films of 2021, between the character building, the performances from Oscar Isaac and Tiffany Haddish as well as Paul Schrader’s direction. It turns into a very meditative and hypnotic film that drags the viewer in. We get to see a very detailed look of the characters in a dreamlike film that feels very real. A very strong and solid film from Schrader.

95. King Richard directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green

King Richard is one of the biopics in 2021 I didn’t mind, mostly because it has a lot of positives backing it up. While the movie does have some beat by beat elements that we have seen in biopics. Will Smith’s performance as Richard Williams is fantastic, he captures everything about him from his actions, speech, mannerisms and so on. The rest of the cast does a fantastic job as well, there’s tons of powerful moments such as the kitchen scene that bring you inside the mind of Richard Williams. Oh yes and Be Alive is a very solid song as well!

94. Bergman Island directed by Mia Hansen-Love

Bergman Island is an incredibly beautiful film in almost every way possible, the story combined with the setting complement each other really well. The film itself is very meta due to the story which brings some pretty clever little moments that will make any film fan nerd out, the chemistry between Vicky Krieps and Tim Roth was incredible. It feels very raw and brings so many touching moments throughout the film that really work, the direction from Mia Hansen-Løve is raw, unique and brings so much care and love into the film, it puts you into the setting of the film and captures the atmosphere of it as well!

93. Candyman directed by Nia DaCosta

Nia DaCosta’s Candyman shows a lot of her directing talent on full display, taking certain shots such as a building and turn it into something haunting is not something every director can accomplish. The acting from Teyonah Parris, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Colman Domingo are fantastic especially when combined with DaCosta’s visual style that tells a story. The storytelling does fall a little during the third act, however the positives really outweigh the negatives!

92. The Blazing World directed by Carlson Young

The Blazing World is a very strange film that I can understand why people wouldn’t like it, however Carlson Young brings so many ideas that just work perfectly. It’s a very different type of horror film that has a lot of fantasy elements in it, plus being a weird hybrid of Pan’s Labyrinth, Alice in Wonderland, Labyrinth and parts of The Shining. The story is told mostly from the visuals which make up for the writing which isn’t one of the film’s strongest points. However the visual storytelling is enough to make you forget about the writing and take you into a unique world.

91. Army Of The Dead directed by Zack Snyder

Army Of The Dead works because it’s a blast of fun, sure the CGI might not be exactly incredible (example being the Tiger) however it works in this fun campy type of way that you just can’t help but have so much with. The songs were creatively used throughout the film, the atmosphere is actually thrilling in some areas and Snyder’s direction was genuinely great as well. Army Of The Dead shows that Snyder knows how to entertain his audience and I have to give my upmost respect to that. Army Of The Dead might be flawed but it’s such a fun and genuinely strong entree in the “Of The Dead” series.

90. Godzilla Vs Kong directed by Adam Wingard

Speaking of fun films! Godzilla Vs Kong is a crossover done right, it’s a far better film than it’s predecessor Godzilla King Of The Monsters both in the action department and the writing department (although the writing isn’t perfect here but that’s not the point.) there’s a huge amount of action scenes that are genuinely incredible and very well done, the human characters were far far better this time around. And of course the build up to Godzilla’s and Kong’s was quite great, the end result is a huge climatic battle that rewards the viewer for watching the buildup! Wingard absolutely improved here in terms of directing from his last few films.

89. Best Summer Ever directed by Lauren Smitelli and Michael Parks Randa

Best Summer Ever is the film Sia’s film “Music” wanted to be. Unlike Music, Best Summer Ever has actual representation of actors and actresses with and without disabilities who play their respective roles. The film itself is a lot of fun, between strong singing voices, nostalgic type feel cinematography and tons of strong performances. It’s a musical that puts a smile on your face the whole way through the film, I absolutely respect the amount of effort that was put into it as well, you can feel the effort as the viewer and that to me is very important.

88. Wandavision directed by Matt Shakman

Yes I know this isn’t a film, however I have made a few exceptions for the list. With that said Wandavision was a very strong start to the MCU Disney+ shows, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Benttany, Kathryn Hahn and Teyonah Parris all give great performances some even better than a huge amount of performances you see in the MCU films. The one thing that does unfortunately make the series the weakest of the three that made the list is the finale, I watched it again before making this list and I can definitely see why people found it weak as I did this time around. However that doesn’t take away from the rest of the series. It has some genuinely great jokes, some very strong character development and is very investing!

87. The Beta Test directed by Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe

Jim Cummings once again shows how much fun he has while directing and acting with his films. The Beta Test is a very interesting little movie that criticizes Hollywood agents and it definitely delivers quite well, first off Jim Cummings absolutely steals the show in the leading role. His performance is energetic and quite hilarious as well, the movie itself is a very interesting blend of humor, suspense and drama each of which compliment each other quite well and build every scene. What makes this movie stronger is Jim Cummings’s style, he takes his traditional style that’s in a lot of his films also with the help of PJ McCabe who’s also in the movie, they both create something different from what Cummings’s usually does and it 100% works.

86. Lamb directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson

Oh man what to say about Lamb? Well for one thing Lamb is a very different type of horror film. It doesn’t use as many horror elements as a lot of elevated horror films do, it mainly comes down to the subject matter and just how downright bizarre the film itself is. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful yet haunting at the same time, Ada the lamb is used for some very dark symbolism that’s played off as innocent which I do think adds to the eeriness of the film, Noomi Rapace also gives one of her best performances of her career arguably the best. Some parts of Lamb did not completely work with me, such as the ending as it did feel a little rushed. However most of it worked tremendously!

85. Passing directed by Rebecca Hall

Passing is a film I wish I liked a little bit more but I’m still satisfied with it’s outcome, the film tackles colorism and explores it as well. Which the film does a tremendously great job of doing that. Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga both give fantastic performances some of the best in a film from 2021, then there’s Rebecca Hall’s direction which is hypnotic and filled with powerful storytelling. Combine all of that with the black and white photography and you have yourself a very beautiful film!

84. Mark, Mary and Some Other People directed by Hannah Marks

What makes this film so great is Ben Rosenfield and Hayley Law’s performances plus Hannah Mark’s direction. I said in my review that a major problem with a lot of romantic comedy films is that the characters never feel like actual people. With this film you get something different you get a set of characters who actually feel like people and the writing comes off as pretty authentic. The ending is a very nice touch and feels a lot more realistic than the traditional romantic comedy movie.

83. Fear Street: 1994 directed by Leigh Janiak

This is one of the rare instances where a film that has a Scream type feel to it actually works very well. The performances are surprisingly really solid which is something you don’t see every day with Netflix Teen slasher films, the kills are actually very brutal as well and you have the music that’s a time capsule of the 90s and at times 80s as well both with music and slasher elements. Leigh Janiak did such a great job here and truly knows what the audience of Fear Street wanted!

82. Fear Street: 1978 directed by Leigh Janiak

The last Fear Street film to make the list (sorry Fear Street: 1666 didn’t make the cut) what I said about 1994 can be applied to 1978. Only this time 1978 does a fantastic job of being a tribute to the 70s and sometimes 80s slasher films. Sadie Sink gives a fantastic performance, the soundtrack is once again spot on and captures the time period, the characters are given more development and the kills are just as good as before. It’s a beautiful love letter to the slasher genre!

81. Little Fish directed by Chad Hartigan

Little Fish is how you do a pandemic film! Olivia Cooke and Jack O’Connell both do a fantastic job in their roles and give very authentic performances as well. The chemistry between the two are really strong and feel like an actual relationship, the writing is also quite great something with a bunch of character moments included. Luckily Little Fish remembers that and puts in character development and a ton of character building moments. We take a look at what the characters are feeling and what their thoughts are about the pandemic. They are both trying to find each other which gets more and more powerful as the film goes on, especially at the end which did hit me pretty hard. Little Fish is also beautifully made and has a beautiful atmosphere as well, it gives the type of atmosphere and care that other pandemic movies should really follow going forward.

80. Hawkeye directed by Rhys Thomas and Bertie & Bert

Hawkeye is the second MCU Disney+ series to make the list, to keep things short the performances are what make the series. Everyone involved gives really strong performances particularly Hailee Steinfeld, Florence Pugh, Alaqua Cox and Jeremy Renner. The series also does a fantastic job when it comes to character development which I feel is by far it’s strongest part, unlike some of the MCU films, the series spends just enough time giving the characters moments to develop and give the audience a reason to care about these characters. It’s a series that gets you very excited to see what it’s in store next for these characters!

79. Raya And The Last Dragon directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada

A genuinely sweet film that tackles a culture pretty respectfully, Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina both have great chemistry between one another. The score is flawless it combines so many different types of incredible sounds and instruments together such as exotic strings, and hand drums with synths and a booming bass. Truly some beautiful music that completely fits this movie, the story is emotional, powerful and just overall a joy to listen to. There is a certain Disney animated film from 2021 that many people myself included found better than Raya And The Last Dragon. However that doesn’t take away from the film!

78. Summer Of Soul directed by Questlove

2021 was a very interesting year for Lost Media, some pretty huge searches happened and some types of media were found. The footage of Harlem Culture Festival from 1969 being one of those being found! Summer Of Soul is a fantastic and very wonderful experience, seeing a lot of footage that was thought to be lost be rediscovered and shown to the public. Especially when it’s about the topic of summer of 1969 where thousands of people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival. The documentary is exactly what the description says it’s about, it’s a huge celebration of Black history, culture, music and fashion and every minute of it is glorious. I have said before how I like lost media being found and then being released to the public, this is a prime example of that. The footage shown is absolutely beautiful, it feels like you are there at the festival with everyone just having a great time. It’s time capsule that’s truly beautiful and captures so much about a community coming together and just having fun while talking about important history and issues.

77. About Endlessness directed by Roy Andersson

About Endlessness is cinematic magic, the film gives off that feeling throughout the running time. From the incredibly beautiful acting and writing that feels as raw as possible, to the direction that is incredibly well done. The film holds several shots without movement in many different scenes that make the audience absorb what they are watching, in each of these shots you can find something incredibly meaningful. The scene of the two main characters flying through the air is one of the most beautiful scenes in a film from 2021!

76. Supernova directed by Harry Macqueen

Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci are absolutely incredible in their roles, they both give raw, emotional and flawless performances that really bring you to tears, they went all out in their roles and did quite a fantastic job. The chemistry between the two is fantastic, every single time they are on screen together (which is pretty much all the time) they truly shine. The writing here feels incredibly natural, the writers did quite a great job when it comes to wanting emotions such as sadness from the audience. It’s a beautiful film that really connects with it’s audience!

75. MLK/FBI directed by Sam Pollard

To finish off the first part we have MLK/FBI a documentary that I feel like not enough people talk about. MLK/FBI is very eye opening documentary about how the FBI wanted to humiliate Martin Luther King Jr and ruin his life. Learning more about King and how the FBI desperately wanted to take him down because they feared him was truly some very disturbing stuff. The film itself really shows how the FBI can attempt/actually destroy your life and all it takes for them is to not like you or fear you. Martin Luther King Jr was a brilliant speaker and this documentary shows you more of that, there’s tons of moments that truly blow you away. The bravery and absolute genius of King is and always will be remarkable, the documentary itself is extremely well crafted, between a lot of interesting interviews and footage used! It’s one hell of a eye opening documentary!

And that does it for part one! Stay tuned for part 2!!

The Tragedy Of MacBeth is a hauntingly beautiful take of the source material.

A Scottish lord becomes convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland. His ambitious wife will do anything to support him in his plans of seizing power.

The Tragedy Of MacBeth is the final 2021 I’m reviewing before I start finalizing my Top 100 Best Films Of 2021 list, so was the best saved for last? Well definitely one of the best, The Tragedy Of MacBeth is the first film that’s directed by one of the Coen Brothers (in this case Joel Coen) without the other’s involvement. Seeing this immediately got me interested plus I’m a huge fan of the source material itself. This new take is quite special in a lot of ways, for starters let’s get the obvious out of the way. The cinematography is absolutely stunning, there are times when using black and white in some movies comes off as very tacky or just doesn’t add anything to the film. But not here, not only does it add so much to the film itself it creates a new type of atmosphere that has yet to be seen in a MacBeth film adaption. It creates this horror type feel, it’s like the characters are in a white void with a ton of fog, it’s truly captivating and immediately draws your attention. Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand give such incredible performances, both give the most Shakespearean performances you can ask for while at the same time doing their own thing. It’s a fantastic combination two incredibly talented actors with fantastic source material. Kathryn Hunter as the witches is terrifyingly incredible, she does not hold back at all when trying to scare the viewer and adds to the cinematography. Her voice perfectly blends into the film in every single way possible, the writing is straight to the point and stays true to the source material. It highlights what makes the story so great and even adds to it as well, overall The Tragedy Of MacBeth is a very different adaption that is genuinely terrifying but completely stays true to the source material. Check this one out!

The Tragedy Of MacBeth is available on Apple TV+

10/10 A+

Cyrano is a flawed yet much different musical!

Too self-conscious to woo Roxanne himself, wordsmith Cyrano de Bergerac helps young Christian nab her heart through love letters.

Cyrano is definitely an interesting case, there’s a lot to this movie than I originally thought before going into it. I still am very undecided if it succeeded in every category perhaps another watch is needed but for now I feel confident in saying that I liked it for what it was. The strongest parts about it are by far the acting from Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett and Kelvin Harrison Jr. all of which give fantastic performances and have a ton of charm to them as well. Something very refreshing to see is how romantic the film is, modern romance movies always have the need to go for the romantic comedy genre even when it’s not necessary. So it’s very refreshing to see a romance film that doesn’t try to become a romantic comedy halfway through the film, then there’s music which for the most part is pretty great. But by far the showstopper is “Wherever I Fall” it’s one of my favorite moments from a film 2021, between the lyrics, singing voices and the camera focusing on the tragedy and tension of the characters singing it truly captures something beautiful. Cyrano does have it’s draw backs one of the major ones being that Peter Dinklage is not a very good singer, he’s definitely not bad at all, but when compared to Bennett, Harrison Jr or anyone else in the film you start to see a massive difference. At times it’s very rough and doesn’t go for the emotion he intends to go for, with that said what does help is the charm. Peter Dinklage is a very charming actor in almost any given role he’s in so it at least helps with his singing. The pacing is unfortunately a issue, especially during the middle of the film where it feels like so much yet so little has actually happened. The last 40 or so minutes are by far the strongest parts of the film which includes some very powerful songs (one of which being Wherever I Fall the song I talked about earlier), some really strong acting and a nice wrap up to the film. Overall Cyrano is a very solid musical that’s quite different but I do think there were far better musicals that were released in 2021. Still I do recommend giving this one a shot when you get the chance.

Cyrano will be released in theaters worldwide February 25th

7/10 B

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania offers very little new to a series that’s overstayed it’s welcome.

Van Helsing’s mysterious new invention transforms Drac and his pals into humans, and Johnny into a monster. With their new mismatched bodies, Drac and the pack must find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent.

What do you want me to say here exactly? This is the fourth Hotel Transylvania movie which is actually very hard to believe. There are some differences this time around although they don’t benefit the movie. For starters Adam Sandler is no longer voicing Dracula it’s Brian Hull who is a Youtuber and I will give him credit. He did the absolute best he could with the script and with his role voicing Dracula. There are definitely times where I thought he completely nailed it and then others where he missed the mark but that’s mainly due to the script. The other difference is the animation that does feel and look significantly cheaper and not as good as the previous three movies. With that said the animation certainly isn’t terrible it’s a bit surprising to see it slip after being so consistent for three movies, outside of those differences it really isn’t that much different from the other movies. This movie is definitely more joke heavy which ultimately does effect this movie and the creativity is just not in this one, it’s a perfectly okay movie for kids as it doesn’t do anything harmful. There’s some nice messages in the movie that does put a smile on your face, it’s just a shame this one feels nothing more than a cash grab.

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is available on Amazon Prime Video!

5/10 C

Sex Appeal has it’s moments but is ultimately forgettable.

A teen tests her sex appeal on her oldest friend when her long-distance boyfriend wants to take their relationship to the next level.

I have to give Sex Appeal credit where credit is due, I do like that it tried to do a few things differently for the sex comedy genre that does start to repeat itself when you look at the library of movies. One of the two things being the sex scenes themselves, the movie cuts away and brings the viewer into Avery’s (played by Mika Abdalla) imagination, each of these scenes are colorful, well detailed and bizarre to where it gives the movie it’s own identity. Plus it puts her in different scenarios that are admittedly very clever. There’s also the ending which I have to say surprised me, from where the movie was going it seemed like it was going down a traditional route but luckily that’s not the case here. With that said what’s holding Sex Appeal back is mostly the writing, the jokes just don’t land at all it’s also another one of those cases where it tries to aim for this “#relatable!” type of feel but completely misses. The acting is fine enough Mika Abdalla is definitely the standout and gives some genuinely decent moments. With that said Sex Appeal is a very standard sex comedy, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing it’s just a bit frustrating that a lot of the movie didn’t come together in the end.

Sex Appeal is available on Hulu!

5/10 C

Brazen is a complete mess of genres that don’t come together.

Mystery writer Grace Miller has killer instincts when it comes to motive — and she’ll need every bit of expertise to help solve her sister’s murder.

Brazen is the very definition of a movie that tries way too hard, it tries to build this mystery but completely forgets how to not make it so predictable that you will guess correctly within a few minutes into the movie. Alyssa Milano already gives the worst performance so far this year, it doesn’t help that the writing is embarrassingly bad. It only makes sense to get a director who’s specialty is Hallmark movies yet this somehow ended up on Netflix. The movie tries to have this weird blend of comedy, romance, mystery and thriller but completely fails at each and every single one of those genres. Brazen is basically what you get when a Hallmark movie wants to be mystery thriller for some reason, there are some very unintentional hilarious bits here and there. But that is definitely not enough to warrant a watch. Outside of that there really isn’t much else to say about this one, it’s forgettable, terrible, poorly written and a waste of time.

Brazen is available on Netflix!

1/10 F

Red Rocket is a raw and human film from Sean Baker!

A washed-up porn star clashes with his estranged wife after returning to his hometown in Texas.

Red Rocket is one of the most interesting directors working today, Tangerine was quite great and I especially loved The Florida Project. Red Rocket might just be his best film to date, first things first I absolutely love how authentic the casting in this film really is. Simon Rex who plays an ex porn star was actually a porn star before his acting career, the cast is absolutely fantastic here. Simon Rex truly gives one of the best performances of 2021, he truly invests in his role plus he adds so many layers and depth to his character it’s truly fascinating. Suzanna Son is a huge highlight of the film, she brings so much energy, love, passion and overall massive talent into the role. Her performance feels incredibly raw and fully connects with the story, her singing *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” is truly one of the biggest moments during this film and truly shines. Speaking of which the film’s use of “Bye Bye Bye” is truly masterful it’s to the point where you will be thinking about the song in a completely different way after watching the movie in the best way possible. The filming like in Sean Baker’s other films is masterful it’s shot in 16mm with several different types of lenses, it combines many different colors plus themes such as bright pinks and high skies during the daytime. Plus dreamlike blues and greens at nigh, the film is truly like an incredible painting that immediately captures the attention of the viewer. The film also feels very human we learn so much about the characters, the community of the small town and how their relationships with one another. Overall Red Rocket is brilliant, it’s a wonderful film that captures so many different themes and styles that I love in film, be sure to check this one out!

Red Rocket is available on all VOD Platforms!

10/10 A+

The Lost Daughter is a masterfully crafted film from Maggie Gyllenhaal!

A college professor confronts her unsettling past after meeting a woman and her young daughter while on vacation in Italy. Her obsession with the woman and her daughter prompts memories of her early motherhood.

The Lost Daughter took me a bit to analyze all my thoughts (saw this on New Year’s Eve) but ever since then I can’t stop thinking about this film. The Lost Daughter is such a mysterious and wide film that has the viewer looking all around it. For starters Olivia Colman as usual gives such an incredible performance, something about her performance here is truly special. She gives this raw performance that completely brings you into the film, Dakota Johnson and Jessie Buckley both give fantastic performances as well! The writing tackles so many genre elements in such a beautiful way, it combines drama, humor and at times disturbing moments that are genuinely haunting. It really gives you this picture of how motherhood is not easy at all, heck the movie sometimes goes into some horror aspects that I thought were very creative. There’s tons of emotional moments that really grab you into it and make you feel for the characters, as I said earlier the film is very wide. What I mean by that is the cinematography helps the viewer explore the film in a lot of ways, the setting combined with the filming truly gives you a fantastic picture it’s quite honestly breathtaking. Overall The Lost Daughter is a brilliant film, Maggie Gyllenhaal has a very promising directing career ahead, I truly can’t wait to see what she does next (please do a horror film.)

The Lost Daughter is available on Netflix!

10/10 A+

The Tender Bar is another misfire from George Clooney.

In 1972, 9-year-old J.R. Maguire moves into his grandfather’s dilapidated house in Long Island, N.Y. Searching for a father figure, he falls under the unconventional tutelage of his uncle Charlie, a charismatic, self-educated bartender who introduces him to a handful of the bar’s colorful regulars. As the years pass and J.R. grows into a young man, he tries to fulfill his dream of becoming a writer.

The Tender Bar is a movie where I have a hard time thinking of a lot to say about it, mostly due to how bare bones it feels. I will say that the first half of this movie was quite great, that’s mainly due to Ben Affleck bringing in a ton of charm and passion into the role. There were some genuinely nice moments with his character, Christopher Lloyd is always nice to see as well. After the first half the movie completely sinks from there, it starts to lose it’s identity and ends up having the exact same problems George Clooney’s last several movies had. Very generic writing that is surface level and doesn’t tell the viewer anything about the characters, very by the numbers biopic that really doesn’t not tell you a whole lot of information about J.R. Moehringer. Lastly there’s the writing that’s just not strong enough to bring in the viewer, plus the coming of age story aspect feels incredibly bare minimum. Overall The Tender Bar is very forgettable and doesn’t offer much outside of a very strong performance from Ben Affleck and a few moments.

The Tender Bar is available on Amazon Prime Video!

4/10 D+