Written by Tyrone Bruinsma HONORABLE MENTIONS -Ammonite [Dir. Francis Lee] -Antlers [Dir. Scott Cooper] -Being the Ricardos [Dir. Aaron Sorkin] -Belfast [Dir. Kenneth Branagh] -Belle [Dir. Mamoru Hosoda] -Benedetta [Dir. Paul Verhoeven] -Candyman [Dir. Nia DaCosta] -The Card Counter [Dir. Paul Schrader] -Coda [Dir. Sian Heder] -Crabs! [Dir. Pierce M. Berolzheimer] -Cruella [Dir. Craig Gillespie] -Cyrano [Dir. Joe Wright] -Demonic [Dir. Neill Blomkamp] -Escape from Mogadishu [Dir. Ryoo Seung-wan] -Halloween Kills [Dir. David Gordon Green] -In the Earth [Dir. Ben Wheatley] -Judas and the Black Messiah [Dir. Shaka King] -Margarete: Queen of the North [Dir. Charlotte Sieling] -The Matrix Resurrections [Dir. Lana Wachowski] -The Mitchells V.S The Machines [Dir. Mike Rianda] -Mortal Kombat [Dir. Simon McQuoid] -Nobody [Dir. Ilya Naishuller] -Old [Dir. M. Night Shyamalan] -Old Henry [Dir. Potsy Ponciroli] -Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin [Dir. William Eubank] -Paris, 13th District [Dir. Jacques Audiard] -Penguin Bloom [Dir. Glendyn Ivin] -Pig [Dir. Michael Sarnoski] -The Power [Dir. Corinna Faith] -The Power of the Dog [Dir. Jane Campion] -Prisoners of the Ghostland [Dir. Sion Sono] -A Quiet Place: Part 2 [Dir. John Krazinski] -Raging Fire [Dir. Benny Chan] -Raya and the Last Dragon [Dir. Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada] -Reminiscence [Dir. Lisa Foy] -Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City [Dir. Johannes Roberts] -Spencer [Dir. Pablo Larraín] -Stillwater [Dir. Tom McCarthy] -Till Death [Dir. Sk Dale] -Venom: Let There Be Carnage [Dir. Andy Serkis] -West Side Story [Dir. Steven Spielberg] -Wrath of Man [Dir. Guy Ritchie] -Wrong Turn: The Foundation [Dir. Mike P. Nelson] 20. Spider-Man: No Way Home [Dir. Jon Watts]While Tom Holland’s MCU version of Spider-Man has been great, he hadn’t been in a great solo Spider-Man film…until now. Spider-Man: No Way Home is easily the best live action Spider-Man film since 2004 (even if Into the Spiderverse is still the best Spider-Man film) and is a genuinely fun blockbuster film. Pushing its MCU cast into new realms while bringing characters from the prior Spider-Man franchises back in new ways was genuinely emotional to see. Yes, the action and VFX are great, and yes THAT 3rd act absolutely makes the film. Marvel still has more than enough steam in the engine while plotting out new growth for its heroes. 19. Lamb [Dir. Valdimar Johannsson]This Icelandic folk horror tale is one of the more unique horror films to come out in recent times, and well worth a look. A small, but amazing cast lead by Noomi Rapace, the film acts as a kind of fairy tale or bedtime story for adults about a farm couple raising a mysterious half-lamb half-human child. It's not a film made of jump scares or overt political references, but one of eerie details, emotional reactions and a light fantasy story. It's incredibly potent and if you are a fan of offbeat horror, I recommend this. 18. Copshop [Dir. Joe Carnahan]Joe Carnahan's new best film since The Grey, Copshop updates grindhouse action films, westerns and John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 in one beautiful package. The film combines effective banter, conspiracy plotting, complex characters and well-choreographed action in a way others fail. While Gerard Butler is the big name (and he does well), Alexis Louder is a great lead and Frank Grillo plays against his usual type amongst a great cast. It avoids mindless action for tense character plays and thrilling suspense, absolute masterclass stuff. 17. Drive My Car [Dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi]A 3-hour Japanese drama about a stage play might not sound like the most riveting film, but Drive My Car is an exceptional piece of dramatic storytelling backed by an exceptional car. The film deals with a stage performer and director who is trying to put on a multi-language performance of Uncle Vanya, after several personal hardships. The directing is incredibly clean, while the entire cast gives genuinely wonderful performances. While the runtime might be daunting, it develops its characters extremely well thanks to incredible writing. 16. Army of the Dead [Dir. Zack Snyder]If there's one thing Snyder's disconnect from Warner Brothers and DC is good for, it's seeing him being able to craft brand new visions. And Netflix decided not only to let Snyder make his version of Star Wars, they also let him make a spiritual successor to his directorial debut with a new zombie film. Army of the Dead might be a bit long in parts, but it's executed in a gory, visual action spectacle with a superb cast that elevates the stock standard material. It's seriously impressive how good Snyder makes a less than $100 Million movie look better than dull looking $200 Million movies Netflix puts out like Red Notice or The Gray Man, but that's why Zack Snyder is Zack Snyder. Big mythic allusions, visceral zombie action and visual fair all achieved to near perfection for this underappreciated director. 15. The Worst Person in the World [Dir. Joachim Trier]This film might serve as the best cinematic portrayal of a Narcissism ever produced. This expertly crafted character drama follows the adult life of a woman who seems to only be content when she is the center of the universe and achieving that attention via breaking social norms or upsetting people's expectations of her. It avoids genre cliches or abject condemnation, instead simply focusing on a view of her life and relationships and decisions that evoke the dramas in cinema. Wonderfully acted, creatively directed and with an intelligent script-this is absolutely a must watch. 14. Eternals [Dir. Chloe Zhao] After Nomadland brought filmmaker Chloe Zhao to the forefront of cinema-her MCU installment Eternals was going to be something unique to watch. The divisive reception among Marvel fans, critics and general theater goers really showed this was the most different feeling film Marvel had put out in a long time. The truly unique direction, engaging action, wonderful cast of characters and ambitious ideas had me genuinely impressed by all parties involved. I’m excited to see how Marvel proceeds further and will probably watch everything Chloe Zhao makes because she’s going to dominate Hollywood. 13. Titane [Dir. Julia Ducournau]This is easily one balance the weirdest, most disturbing and messed up film you can watch from 2021-and it's kind of awesome. From the director of the equally nasty and weird cannibal film Raw comes a film in the vein of David Cronenberg about a serial killer who is impregnated by a car and that's just the start of it. The film deals with a lot of themes from feminism, gender/sexual identity, body dysphoria and a lot more without spoiling. It's extremely well executed and acted-with the entire thing feeling completely genuine in its execution. It's worth seeking out if you can stomach it. 12. V/H/S/94 [Dir. Jennifer Reeder, Chloe Okuno, Simon Barrett, Timo Tjahjanto, Ryan Prows]After this massive disappointment of V/H/S Viral back in 2014, the found footage anthology series laid dormant until 2021 with an entry on-par with the excellent V/H/S 2. Featuring new and returning directors, this entry covers everything from urban legend horror, slow-burn supernatural, techno-punk sci-fi action and cultist satire all with expertly crafted found footage aesthetics, perspectives and gore. The framing plot is actually one of the best in the series, with this being a fun, scary and extremely creative horror flick. 11. Last Night in Soho [Dir. Edgar Wright]Personally I’ve always been somewhat mixed on Edgar Wright as a filmmaker, but it cannot be denied that his films are some of the most intricately made works you’ll see. Last Night in Soho is his first foray into serious horror, taking clear inspiration from Giallo films like 1977’s Suspiria. The result is a unique, vibrant, energetic and well crafted film about sexism, toxic nostalgia and self identification that not enough people saw. Its lead actresses Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy are absolutely phenomenal with Matt Smith being magnetic. Between this and Malignant, 2021 was the year of Giallo inspired horror films by auteur directors that not enough people appreciated. 10. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings [Dir. Destin Daniel Cretton]Marvel’s first martial arts focused action film yielded easily their best solo film since Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The cast does a brilliant job, the 90’s action vibe is a lot of fun, the climactic fantasy showdown is one of Marvel’s best and overall, this is the kind of film I want to see studios make more of. Seriously, I thought Marvel would’ve lost its touch after Avengers: Endgame and I’m so happy to be proven wrong. Oh and to all the racist outrage merchants claiming that “no one wants to see this” and saying the film would fail at the box office-please enjoy eating your bout of crow. Ha. Ha. Ha 9. Encanto [Dir. Jared Bush and Byron Howard]Animation saw a mass resurgence in 2021 with The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Smiling Friends, Arcane and Disney’s Encanto. Encanto is easily the best Disney film since Tangled, one of its best looking films and has a delightful cast. Every song is amazing (Especially Surface Pressure and We Don’t Talk About Bruno), the theme of intergenerational trauma is heart wrenching and despite a very focused Colombian identity-it’s completely universal. Everyone’s seen it, everyone loves it and I’m no exception. 8. The Suicide Squad [Dir. James Gunn]DC really turned itself around after 2017’s disastrous Justice League, and James Gunn’s reintroduction of the Suicide Squad is no exception. Returning cast members and new characters are all hugely entertaining, the gory violence and dark humor shows Gunn’s directorial strengths and the film is paced perfectly. Balancing the execution between a fun violent comic book film, a junkie 80’s action movie and emotionally engaging character driven story, The Suicide Squad is easily one of the best films in the genre. 7. Malignant [Dir. James Wan]Part of the problem with the internet is allowing anyone’s opinion to seem like an authority on any subject-which is why looking up reviews of Malignant was infuriating. People who watch films, yet know nothing about them, incorrectly judged this film. Malignant is a cheesy, yet expertly made throwback to 70’s Giallo horror films and bad taste 80’s films like Basket Case. The filmmaking is far more perfectionist than it needed to be, the gore is brutally over the top and the plot is both nasty and satisfying. When your film is made by the director of Saw, Dead Silence, Insidious, The Conjuring, Furious 7 and Aquaman-you know it’s going to be good. 6. The Green Knight [Dir. David Lowery]Having directed admirable low-key efforts like Pete’s Dragon, A Ghost Story and The Old Man and the Gun-I’ve been waiting for something explosive from director David Lowery. The Green Knight is easily one of the most artistically electric films I’ve seen in a while, and I love it to death. Effectively a medieval arthouse film that hasn’t been made since Valhalla Rising-the film sees Dev Patel as Gawain on his journey to meet his fate at the hands of The Green Knight played brilliantly by Ralph Ineson. The design of the world, the visuals it creates, and the entire mood created here is nothing short of masterpiece quality. Why this film was overlooked by the Academy Awards, I’ll never truly understand. 5. The Last Duel [Dir. Ridley Scott]Ridley Scott released a new masterpiece with The Last Duel, joining the ranks of his feminist masterpieces Alien and Thelma and Louise. The Last Duel is a dark historical drama wherein Matt Damon must fight Adam Driver over the accused rape of Jodie Comer. It’s a brilliantly structured film in writing and editing, Scott’s direction brings back his skill from Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven, and all the cast are given the right parts to play. Ben Affleck gives especially a surprising performance as the main foil in the story, showing that he still has talent that shouldn’t be locked behind a costume. But in the end, the film’s theme of oppressive patriarchy is the main strength - with the final duel being one of the most brutal 1 on 1 fights in cinema history. 4. Zack Snyder’s Justice League [Dir. Zack Snyder]The same year Snyder brought us Army of the Dead, we got to finally see his take on Justice League brought to life. Seeing Snyder’s 4 hour vision for Justice League 4 years after it was taken from him is a beautiful thing. In 2017, Snyder suffered a personal loss and then had his film taken away from him by Warner Brothers and Joss Whedon. But in the years, fans wanted to see his unrealized epic come to life. This restored vision shows Snyder’s gift of visual storytelling, his stories for all its main cast and the plans for the series that sadly we won't see. While I’m happy with DC’s new approach to its line-up, Snyder’s film deserved to be made as he intended. Giving Cyborg and Steppenwolf proper characters, created genuine emotion within set pieces and fulfilled a genuinely wonderful film. Directors matter, artistic intent matters and audiences will always value passion over corporate cowardice. My only criticism is that thanks to this film, we won’t get to see Ava Dunvernay’s ambitious The New Gods-which would’ve likely been a masterpiece too. 3. Nightmare Alley [Dir. Guillermo Del Toro]What director Guillermo Del Toro does in all his films is elevate typical genre stories into the masterpieces they deserve to be. Having done so with ghost stories, monster movies, fantasy and gothic romance-in Nightmare Alley he’s made the best old-fashioned style noir film since Shutter Island or even L.A Confidential. The deviously twisted narrative proceeds at a pace more films should take, with modern film techniques making it no drag. The film looks absolutely gorgeous and you can see why it was nominated at the Oscars for cinematography, production design, costume design and Best Picture itself. The cast is excellent with Bradley Cooper being perfect in this role while the key supporting female leads Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett and Toni Collette absolutely killed it. It’s beautiful, nasty, a rarity in modern filmmaking and since most of you skipped it in theaters-you should go watch it now. 2. Dune [Dir. Denis Villeneuve] A major studio re-adaptation of Dune after David Lynch’s version was always going to be a thoroughly examined film. Luckily, Warner Brother and Legendary had the director of Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 to create a masterpiece of epic sci-fi proportions. Though a Part One for now, Dune has the cast, direction, production muscle, score and atmosphere to guarantee its sequel as an eagerly awaited journey. The film is beyond beautiful, smartly adapted and made in a way that feels like a blend between an arthouse blockbuster and documentary of a new world. Between Dune, Eternals, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and The Suicide Squad-it’s clear studios and audiences are recognizing the value of visionary directors handling major projects and want more. This is a must watch, a modern classic and in the future may be recognized as an equivalent to Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring. 1. Godzilla V.S Kong [Dir. Adam Wingard]Out of every film of 2021, none has entertained me or given me hope for blockbuster cinema more than Godzilla V.S Kong. After most audiences slept on the modern masterpiece Godzilla: King of the Monsters, it was nice to see them turn out for this amazing film. 7 years after Legendary started their MonsterVerse: we finally get to see the big budget rendition of the two greatest monsters: Godzilla and King Kong face off in all its glory. By this point, the production team has grasped how to make these movies beyond perfection. Adam Wingard brings his own unique voice as a director, the multiple action scenes are endlessly rewatchable and the ever evolving universe is more fascinating than Marvel’s Cinematic Universe at this point. I’m a big sucker for pulpy, action filled sci-fi monster romps and this couldn’t have made me happier. While I know people groan at the human elements, they’re well acted and help frame the epic journey for our monster leads. I’m glad this series will continue because I’m hoping for more, hopefully Destroyah or Space Godzilla can join the fray. Needless to say, Godzilla V.S Kong is my favorite film of 2021.
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Written by Tyrone Bruinsma DISHONORABLE MENTIONS -Boss Level [Dir. Joe Carnahan] -Cinderella [Dir. Kay Cannon] -Cosmic Sin [Dir. Edward John Drake] -Don’t Breathe 2 [Dir. Rodo Sayagues] -Don't Look Up [Dir. Adam McKay] -Earwig and the Witch [Dir. Gorō Miyazaki] -Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard [Dir. Patrick Hughes] -The Little Things [Dir. John Lee Hancock] -Music [Dir. Sia] -No Time to Die [Dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga] -Seaspiracy [Dir. Ali Tabrizi] -Separation [Dir. William Brent Bell] -Snakes Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins [Dir. Robert Schwentke] -Tom and Jerry [Dir. Tim Story] -The Tomorrow War [Dir. Chris McKay] -The Unholy [Dir. Evan Spiliotopoulos] -The Woman in the Window [Dir. Joe Wright] 10. Red Notice [Dir. Rawson Marshall Thurber]Red Notice is a bad attempt to make an Indiana Jones movie. Despite having 3 amazing cast members in Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot-only Wonder Woman herself shines here. Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson are completely miscast with sloppy comedic chemistry, along with Johnson being made a physically weak combatant feeling unrealistic. This globetrotting adventure feels so small in scale due to mostly interior environments and lackluster CGI for a $200 Million film. Nothing really matters in the film, the story is pretty terrible and it just makes Kingdom of the Crystal Skull look like a masterpiece. 9. Great White [Dir. Martin Wilson]Another year, another boring and formulaic killer shark film. Despite the decent production values, this film is just a boring slog of 90 minutes. From producer Michael Robertson who had made the bad killer crocodile movie Black Water: Abyss a year before, Great White structurally feels like the same thing with a shark. It has the opening stinger, pointless drama, not enough happening once our characters are in danger and our monster has no personality. If you've seen Open Water, The Reef or Shark Bait (2022)...then you've seen the better versions. Skip this. 8. Infinite [Dir. Antoine Fuqua] This feels like a generic mashup of The Matrix and every spy/action film from the past 10 years. Mark Wahlberg and most of the cast are giving run of the mill performances while Chiwetel Ejiofor is over acting like he’s got to prove he can. Aside from two good car chases in the opening act, the rest of the film is extremely dull in terms of pacing and action. This feels like the kind of film a young director would make to prove they can make modern blockbusters (eg. Mission Impossible, Transformers, Marvel) but this is made by veteran action filmmaker Antoine Fuqua who has made fun and subversive action films like Training Day, Tears of the Sun, Olympus Has Fallen, The Equalizer and The Magnificent Seven. Why he made this film…I don’t know. 7. Apex [Dir. Edward John Drake]Much respect to Bruce Willis, I hope he's taking retirement well. Apex should be a fun time, a sci-fi twist on The Most Dangerous Game with a solid cast could work. Unfortunately, the film lacks the filmmaker proficiency, visceral thrills or thematic brilliance to be anything more. Sure, there are some ideas prodded, 1 cool kill, and actors like Neal McDonough and Megan Peta Hill add depth. But overall, it's the typical bad direct to DVD sci-fi thriller experience you can expect from Edward Drake and company. They also released Cosmic Sin the same year, which I only feel is better because it didn't have a chance at being good. Sadly, Apex could've been something good...and wasn't. 6. Space Jam: A New Legacy [Dir. Malcolm D. Lee]Whoever thought trying to make an emotionally sincere sequel to Space Jam while also vandalizing much of Warner Brothers' IP in the process is not a smart person. Space Jam: A New Legacy represents some of the worst ideas and attitudes of modern-day Hollywood filmmaking that manages to beat out the worst of 90s Hollywood filmmaking. While this film is arguably the best-looking film of director Malcolm D Lee's filmography, it firmly stands amongst his worst alongside Night School and Scary Movie 5. The comedy is lacking, the excessive plot mechanics are contrived and take up too much time, the emotional/thematic core is flimsy and it's little more than a reference to better works. Don Cheadle is at least having fun as the main baddie, but this is just a near total abomination. 5. The Devil Below [Dir. Bradley Parker]Despite having the potential to be a good scary monster movie, The Devil Below suffers from a lack of budget, lack of creativity or combination of the two. While director Bradley Parker has a solid resume of VFX and Second Unit work under his belt, this is a step down as a director for him after the solid Chernobyl Diaries a decade prior. The cinematography has the same problem as AVP: Requiem in that it's too dark and looks ugly. Despite the solid cast, they're forced to give cliche dialogue that just explains everything (including potential implications). And while the monsters are conceptually interesting, so much of the horror is executed off screen or in blurry, fast edited shots that lack tension. You've seen better versions of this film a thousand times. 4. The Resort [Dir. Taylor Chien]The Resort is an embarrassing excuse of a horror film. It wastes your time for the first half, before giving into terrible filmmaking and stupid characters with horror cliches. The acting and writing are terrible, the set pieces aren't well done and the eventual "climax" just rips off The Blair Witch Project from 1999. The only real enjoyment was knowing the framing device was going to lead to one of two bad twists...and it picks the worst one to the point it's almost hilarious. 3. Claw [Dir. Gerald Rascionato]This “horror-comedy” about a killer dinosaur is one of the most cringeworthy watches I experienced in 2021. The film has two annoying leads, continuity and logic errors abound, terrible CGI and a story where pretty much nothing happens. If I went into detail about all the bad jokes, errors like seeing crew for a second or the scenes it stole from the Jurassic Park series-I’d be writing for an hour. I can say that it had ONE somewhat funny joke and that's about it. There’s such little story, characterization or ideas that it feels like a non-entity of a film. I’ve seen positive reviews of this film that say it and its bad effects are superior to the Jurassic World sequels…and I do not believe someone can say that honestly. I’m annoyed because the film was directed by Gerald Rascionato, who made the solid Open Water 3/Cage Dive in 2017-but went on to make Triassic Hunt for The Asylum and this in 2021. What happened? Despite how much this movie rips off the Jurassic World films, it fails to replicate a fraction of their quality. 2. Dear Evan Hansen [Dir. Stephen Chbosky]This film makes me question if either the producers forced original writer of the stage musical to make it worse or if musical fans need better standards. Because Dear Evan Hansen feels like it was written by a sociopath who has no ideas how humans work. I HATED this story, with an unlikeable main character entering a drama through what is a farcical coincidence that turns into an unforced lie. Ben Platt makes the already unlikeable Evan Hansen more so with his terrible performance and annoying singing. While the supporting cast does better-their presence makes the lead's performance all the worse and they themselves are let down by the terrible story. Also, why are Amy Adams and Julianne Moore here? Plus, the filmmaking itself is just bad with often jarring edits, lazy framing, and an overall sense that Stephen Chbosky (director of Perks of Being a Wallflower) did not care. It wants to be a heartfelt life affirming drama, but is instead melodramatic treacle that means absolutely nothing. 1. Behemoth [Dir. Peter Szewczyk]Behemoth is a truly awful film. It’s a film that’s nearly impossible to understand, poorly written, painfully acted and has terrible production values. But the worst part is that its director and writer Peter Szewczyk (Who has done VFX work on Avatar, 2012 and Thor: The Dark World) has either by design or accident-made a film that feels like it appeals to QAnon conspiracy mongers.
For those who don’t know, QAnon is an ongoing doomsday cult conspiracy that believes a secret agent in the government named “Q” has been leaking information to “patriots” on hate speech websites 8Chan and 8Kun. This fake agent states that Donald Trump’s presidency was not a mess due to his ineptitude or status as a grifter, but because Trump was secretly fighting a one man war against a Jewish Devil worshiping pedophile Lizard people cult that wants to destroy America. Yes; this is a real thing people believe, they stormed the US Capitol in 2021 in an act of domestic terrorism with the intent of killing Trump’s political opponents and continue this narrative despite Trump no longer being in power. Behemoth is a film about an ex-chemical worker who listens to Alex Jones style podcasts, constantly browses conspiracy websites while ignoring his wife and dying child, and protests against his prior employers for their supposed crimes. This character is framed as the hero, fighting against cliché villains in the stupidest manner possible. And because I do not wish for anyone else to see this movie, I will spoil the movie for you. It’s revealed (very poorly) that the chemical company is not only evil, not only causing harm to people intentionally, but is part of a global elite cult and conspiracy that works for the Devil (who is a woman). So, yeah-this movie by design or accident feels like it’s a QAnon fanfic where the QAnon conspiracy monger is the hero. The film is technically a horror film as random, terrible looking CGI monsters appear with very little narrative logic. There is one kind of cool gory death, but overall it’s nonsensical drivel. The acting is pretty terrible aside from Paul Statman who appears to be having fun, like he’s Ben Kingsley from Ironman 3. The story is really badly paced, characters make the dumbest decisions for plot convenience and despite the film mostly taking place in a single room-there’s very little imagination. Even without the dumb conspiracy storyline, Behemoth would be bad. But with that conspiracy angle, it feels like the director is either appealing to these mindsets or just not caring. Intent only matters if the execution is a one to one translation. Behemoth is just bad and easily the worst film of 2021. |
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