Previous Rankings
#191-209
#171-190
#151-170
#131-150
#111-130
#91-110
#71-90
A HERO is getting rave reviews, and it is pretty good. It gets a lot out of a simple set-up, but it hinges on you getting behind the main character, who, while charismatic, was unlikable to me. He’s a nice enough guy who refuses to take responsibility for anything he does. MINARI is another release that I could have put in 2020, but again, the weird release schedules, so here we are. This is an easy movie to root for. A likable family just trying to live the American Dream. THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH is what it is, a bare-bones adaptation of the famous Shakespeare play. If the black and white and simple set designs work for you, then it’s really going to work. And for me, it missed the mark a little bit.
DC’s animated movies continue their strong run with BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN PARTS 1 & 2. It’s a great Batman story with some classic characters in the supporting cast. The biggest drawback is that neither part really works on its own. You need to watch them both.
My main issue with WEST SIDE STORY is the same that I have with Romeo & Juliet and any other adaptation: the instant, intense love connection that leads people to act like idiots. Love at first sight and all that, sure. But it’s always going to be hard for me to get fully invested in any relationship like that. Beyond that though, there’s tons to love here. It looks and sounds amazing, Rachel Zegler is an absolute revelation as Maria. ETERNALS (full review here) got ragged on quite a bit by critics, but I quite enjoyed the fresh look it brought to the MCU. It focuses on humanity as a whole more than maybe any other Marvel project. I liked that new perspective.
Matt Damon’s performance, and the relationships between the characters are what drive the success of STILLWATER. Pretty disappointed though, in how they co-opted Amanda Knox’s story into the press run leading up to its release. Knox has a an interview with Vox and posted her own Twitter thread about it. Both are very much worth reading. BLACK WIDOW (full review here) could have been a great movie had it been made when it should have been, 5 or 6 years ago. The result is a fun spy action thriller with little to no stakes. GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE is just a damn good time. Slick, stylish, and witty, it also offers some really cool world-building to go deeper on should there be a desire to make a sequel.
Like most movies that succeed in spite of their unoriginality, PALMER thrives off the performances, particularly that of Justin Timberlake, who is legitimately great here. It’s heartfelt and touching, and he plays great off of newcomer Ryder Allen. THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES has eye-popping animation and a more creative approach to the “we’re too dependent on electronics” theme it’s focused on. RED ROCKET is a tough one. The lead character, Mikey Saber, is an absolute scumbag. Simon Rex’s energetic performance helps mask some of that, but it can wear on you watching this idiot sleaze ball be an idiot sleaze ball for two hours.
I don’t have much to say about THE CARD COUNTER. Oscar Isaac is great. But at the end of the day, it’s Paul Schrader. He seems like a guy where you’re either in or you’re out. With The Sound of Metal, Encounter, and now MOGUL MOWGLI, it seems like Riz Ahmed is set on only taking the most emotionally challenging roles he can find. But who am I to judge, as he continues to absolutely crush any and every role he takes.
Aside from a lackluster ending, VIOLET is at times a terrific movie, anchored by a career-best performance form Olivia Munn. WRATH OF MAN is written and directed by Guy Ritchie, Jason Statham doing standard Jason Statham stuff. That should be all you need to know whether or not you’ll like it. COPSHOP is one of my favorite 2021 movies. I had an absolute BLAST with it. Frank Grillo as a con man hunted by Gerard Butler’s hit man, with a rookie cop (played by the real star of the movie, Alexis Louder) caught in the middle of their showdown at her small-town police station.
People keep talking about the ending scene in NIGHTMARE ALLEY, but I don’t see the hype. It seemed pretty obvious. But that doesn’t ruin what had been a good movie up until then. Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett are incredible, against a nearly flawlessly crafted film. In case you didn’t know, Mahershala Ali is a great actor. And if for some reason you need further convincing, let me point you to SWAN SONG. At times it feels melodramatic for melodramatic sake, but Ali’s dual performance is usually enough to make up for it.
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