Adrian's Favorite Films of 2021

 Alright, let's do this again. Favorites of 2021 this time. 

20. Old 

This reminded me of my great grandma watching The Young and the Restless, but not in like the nostalgic way... more so of the "wow this is kind of so bad its good and i cant take my eyes away... what a mess" - kind of way. 

19. Spider-Man: No Way Home

I probably did not like this as much as you did. The CGI took me out of it quite a bit. Too much. Too obvious. My biggest issue with this movie is definitely what I think should be considered the lazy sets of the movie. The final fight at the the Statue of Liberty (which is under construction) is honestly probably one of the most boring and cliche ways this setting could have gone. Extremely safe. Equally boring. This is in critique of the people making these decisions not the VFX team, who, I am sure do other amazing work. Just overall too safe for it's own good. 

18. Bad Trip 

This movie makes you realize that Lil Rel Howery kind of looks like Hannibal Burress. 

17. The Power of the Dog

Jane Campion watched Slow West. Kodi Smit-McPhee is in it and the film creates a similar aura. As much as I loved Slow West, this just wasn't for me. Despite the great tension building, the stakes were kind of meaningless to me. I failed to care about these characters as much as the movie wanted me to. Maybe a rewatch would be worthwhile. Everything was done well, it just didn't click like I thought it was going to. 

16. Last Night in Soho 

This is fun and very little else other than that. I was thrilled by the form of this movie. The set pieces, editing, color and performances are all pretty darn good. The story just wasn't too strong in my opinion. I will remain everlastingly excited for every Edgar Wright film nonetheless. 

15. Flee

The decision to have this animated was vital for the effectiveness of this story. Immigrant stories are remarkable. From one to another a similar arc but horrifically different outcomes and experiences. I know the decision to animate rested on the fact that identities needed to be concealed, but regardless the animation made this one memorable in ways that I'm grateful for. 

Note: Archer animation. Kind of. 

14. No Time To Die 

A GOOD ending to Daniel Craig's GREAT role as James Bond, wrapped into this ABOVE  AVERAGE action flick. Like with the rest of the Daniel Craig era, the set pieces are incredible and I have very much enjoyed watching his version of Bond navigate this world that the biggest of productions and budgets have allowed for him <3

13. Passing 

As far as good looking films go, this was one of my favorites of last year. The black and white in 4:3 makes a sucker out of me. Excellent performances along with the technical achievements make this a gem I can recommend to anybody. 

12. Don't Look Up 

A satire, where, at moments, it feels like it forgets it's a satire. Not in the quirky-smart-witty way... but in the yes-we-know-stop-spoonfeeding-me way. I enjoyed it because I didn't take it too seriously. I find it weird that I've had conversations with people that found this to be sharp and cunning. It's not a smart film. It's old news told by McKay. It's fun. Fingerling potatoes. 

11. tick, tick... BOOM! 

This was great. Garfield is a joy to watch. I'm very hesitant going into musicals, but I seem to always be pleased! 

10. Nobody

Mr. Odenkirk meets Mr. Wick. It's as great as it sounds. Watched with my guy, Nick. He said "hell yeah" once the credits rolled. Bus scene crazy. 

9. Inside

Dude was in pain. Bad for him. Great content though! 

8. The Suicide Squad 

Looking back, 2021 was filled with movies that are simply fun. 2021 seemed to be the opposite of 2019 (Parasite, The Irishman, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood etc.), but we had multiple pulpy shoot em ups that are satisfying with stereo Dolby Atmos in a theater. A hard one not to like. Harley Quinn jail breakout is nuts. 

7. The Tragedy Of Macbeth 

The most technically sound movie I saw in 2021. The black and white is gorgeous and the performances are exquisite. Absolutely astonishing thing to see in a theater. Good for Joel. 

6. Pig 

Clinging to the past. Holding onto what clings back. Nick Cage. Restaurant scene. Yum. 

5. Red Rocket 

Wow this guy is a party!..... Unique slice of life indie film by Sean Baker. 

4. Dune 

How awesome would a Denis V. Star Wars movie be? Before seeing this movie I was in need of some spectacle. In the age of many good A24-type-slice-of-life films I hadn't seen anything that gave me this sense of spectacle since 2019's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and 2020's Tenet (both I love.) I got that here. This movie is huge. The score is big. The performances are big. The monsters are big. W in Denis' win column.

3. The French Dispatch

 

Wes Anderson makes the most Wes Anderson movie yet. 

2. Drive My Car

Letting go is a hard thing and this movie makes that argument in an extremely effective way. Beautiful movie. See this. 

1. Titane

Upon the credits rolling, I had a similar joy upon eating a meal that tasted new and was presented in a way where I did not expect. The most unique movie I saw in 2021 with a plot that you cannot really explain. This movie is a weird and sometimes kind of a grotesque experience, but above all... it's a damn cool movie.