Munich The Edge of War (2022)

While Munich The Edge of War is rather pedantic in its execution, there are elements of the story that are truly fascinating. A standard historical drama that has interesting elements including some wonderful performances. 

This is a story about the lead up to the Second World War and the political machinations that occurred before. Munich doesn't fall too hard into cliches. It gives Neville Chamberlain a generous portrayal while still not endorsing his positions. It also allows the German people of the era a more nuanced portrayal as it focuses on resistance to the Third Riche and its policies. It does highlight the way some Germans were awakening to the horrors of its government and the growing nightmare that was coming, while also focusing on how the West, specifically Britain, tried against all hope to wish it all away. 

Irons is especially good as Chamberlain in a role that is far more complicated than one would expect. He manages to portray just how far off Chamberlain was while also helping to understand his desperation to find peace. But its Jannis Niewöhner who truly shines as a young German disillusioned and guilt ridden over the direction of his country who tries to do what he can, but also feels like he stops too short. 

Its the strong performances and director Schwochow's ability to build tension even in quiet moments which makes Munich quite watchable. Sometimes films like this, where we know what is going to happen, are hard to get too invested in. But Munich gets us there, caring about what we are seeing. As the film builds to its inevitable conclusion we feel for the hopelessness of the characters and for Europe as they step towards war. 

Munich The Edge of War

Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewöhner, Jeremy Irons, Sandra Huller, Liv Luna Fries, August Diehl, Ulrich Matthes

Director: Christian Schwochow

Writer: Ben Power 

 

The Summit of the Gods (2021)

I struggle watching climbing movies. They both terrify me and anger me. Why people put themselves in that sort of danger is something I find hard to reconcile. So in a film, even fiction like this, my anger towards the characters sometimes outweighs the power of the story or the beauty of the film. But with The Summit of the Gods I found this story actually tackled some of my climbing issues head on and helped me to appreciate the characters and their journey more that I often do. 

The Summit of The Gods is about obsession. While the obsessive and self destructive desire to conquer a peak is part of this, it is here used quite effectively as a tools for examining other obsessions. Our main character is not the summiter but the one who is obsessed with finding out a truth about the past. This story is often about how the past cannot be truly understood. And there is something both beautiful and painful about that. 

In The Summit of the Gods we are presented with the humanness of people who make terrible choices and we are confronted with how to face that. It is a movie that asks us some unanswerable questions. We can sit them but the film doesn't make it easy. It doesn't answer them. 

The Summit of the Gods

Diretor: Patrick Imbert

Writers: Magali Pouzol, Jean-Charles Ostorero, Patrick Imbert

 

The House (2022)

Imagine a Wes Anderson stop motion animated film but take out the irreverence and cheekiness then add in serious nightmare tendencies and you get The House. Three different directors take us inside one single house in different eras to bring us on a surprisingly disturbing journey that finds quite humerous moments in the horror as well as a strikingly hopeful ending.

The House is quite beautiful. It uses real stop motion animation and beautifully designed puppets and sets that bely the story's underlying darkness with a beauty or perhaps a cuteness that makes the film both more shocking in how upsetting it can be but at the same time wields a softer blow, perhaps gently terrifying us. The film never explains why it sometimes uses human characters and sometimes uses anthropomorphic animal characters but as the stories progress the world of The House just becomes more and more organic and gets more and more under your skin. 

By the time the film was reaching its conclusion I had already been convinced of its bleakness. So the film's hopeful and liberating ending was even more powerful than it might have been otherwise. There is an idea implanted in all the frustration and fear of these tales that one can find a way out. But even with this, The House is haunting no doubt, compelling for sure, and a thing of macabre beauty. 

The House

Starring: Claudie Blakely, Matthew Goode, Mia Goth, Miranda Richardson, Jarvis Cocker, Yvonne Lombard, Sven Wollter, Susan Wokoma, Helena Bonham Carter, Paul Kaye, Will Sharpe

Directors:  Emma de Swaef & Marc James Roels, Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Paloma Baeza 

Writers: Enda Walsh

Hotel Transylvania Transformania

For me Hotel Transylvania was not the sort of film that could sustain a franchise, even the first film felt like it was forcing it's point, but even for those who maybe enjoy these films the series has overstayed its welcome. Now we've come to the point where the film has gone straight to streaming skipping cinemas all together, and the lead Adam Sandler has left the project to be replaced by a soundalike. At this point it feels like this series is just going through the motions. 

Tartakovsky's absurdist take on monster movie tropes that ends up being just another sappy family story has always erred on the side of silliness over substance, inspirational quote over originality. But this plot, about Drac's anxiety over retiring and leaving his titular hotel to his son-in-law is even more cliche ridden than usual, and lacks even the smallest smidge of an original idea in a series that suffers greatly from this already. 

It is clear they are trying to save money. Not only did they replace Sandler but many of the bigger stars barely have any lines. Their animated characters spend more time doing wordless actions so they can pay the actors less. Everything about Transformania feels like clipping coupons. Especially just recycling its saccharin family message. It thankfully falls under the 90 minute threshold, again showing its cost-cutting measures. 

Hotel Transylvania has always been the sort of franchise you just go to because you've seen the previous films. It is never about having a great new story idea of this set of "characters."

Hotel Transylvania Transformania

Starring: Brian Hull, Adam Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn, Jim Gaffigan, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Fran Drescher, Genndy Tartakovsky

Directors: Derek Dryman, Jennifer Kluska

Writers: Amos Vernon, Nunzio Randazzo, Genndy Tarakofsky 

 

Red Rocket (2021)

Director Sean Baker continues to amaze with each film he makes. He makes these incredibly moving and impactful films about desperate people far over the margins on limited budgets that transcend films with huge budgets. And he's done it again with the tender film about a hot mess, Red Rocket. His story of a washed up porn star returning to his poverty life on the Gulf Coast and his exploitative attempt to rebuild is LA life is another gorgeous film. 

Simon Rex earns the raves he is getting for this film with his intense performance as the former adult film star. He is so many things all at once from untrustworthy and selfish to pitiful and innovative. He grooms all those around him so he can take advantage of them all. And the whole time he sets himself up for failure. His rapid fire, kinetic delivery is perfect for his unsuccessful con man character, the kind of person who is never able to get away with his plans. But there is a deep sadness and emptiness behind his beautiful eyes, a deep pain in his wearing out physique. He is fascinating to watch throughout as he sucks what he can out of all around him. 

The rest of the cast of generally non-professional actors are as real and authentic as any. Baker has created a real aching Gulf Coast community. His story takes place in the lead up to Trump's election and the desperation is palpable as is the sincerity of people just trying to make what they can from their lives in a place that gives them no opportunity. Red Rocket is joyful and painful and ends with the most bittersweet moments I've seen in a film in a long time. 

Red Rocket

Starring: Simon Rex. Bree Elrod, Suzanna Son, Brenda Deiss, Judy Hill, Brittney Rodriguez, Ethan Darbone

Director: Sean Baker

Writers: Chris Bergoch, Sean Baker 

 

Scream Franchise (1996 - 2022) REVISIT

Each generation reinvents the horror genre, a genre which, like it's classic villains, never truly dies... In the 90s, just as the Freddies and Jasons started to get stale, Kevin Williamson came along with his self aware, referential take on slasher films. It revitalized horror movies and set them on a new path (for better or worse in light of what would follow (I Know What You Did Last Summer??, Scary Movie?? maybe even Saw??). But for what it was for a moment, it was revolutionary. 

Legendary director Wes Craven was recruited to tell a whole new story, one that played with our expectations, inverting the conventions of the genre he helped popularize, and still importantly, scare us. Craven and Williamson pulled it off, creating a new sensation. The ideas in Scream attracted big stars (of the day) and then killed them off quickly to undermine our sense of security. It laced the script with references to horror movies, discussions of how they typically play out (the "rules"), and the broke them both paying tribute and reinventing the genre. It asked us to consider what it is we are watching and why, perhaps reflect more than we typical did during these sorts of films. All this while still delivering the thrills that attracts us to slasher films in the first place. 

Looking back the first films are very much a product of their time. While they play with certain ideas, they leave other things on the table. Everyone in the first film is straight and white for example. Plus the film might love its premise a little too much. Sometimes the constant referrals to film tropes takes us out of the movie too much, perhaps functioning as the safety value that these films need. We can laugh at it because we know it's not real. And perhaps the impact is muted for that reason. 

Because the films do deal with some horrifying things. The initial murder, which has become infamous as classic cinema, is damn scary and truly damn horrible. Parents discover their teen daughter brutally murdered. It is so impactful that when people think Scream they think of this scene which ends up being a very small part of the story. The murder of Pinkett-Smith's character in the second film is quite disturbing when you think about it, being mauled in front of a cheering crowd. But the films try to get around this with all the irreverence. 

The first sequel played not only with the idea of horror genre tropes but with sequels specifically. The film absorbed some criticism directed at the first film and addresses it directly. Early in the film the characters discuss the problems with sequels, their inherent inferiority, and challenge the notions. The film has characters discuss the tendency to blame violent media for real crimes. Like the first film it's all a little too wink-wink but it the meta nature of it remains clever and purposeful. Perhaps more importantly it addresses the very real problem of representation of people of colour in horror films and addresses that in a more constructive way. 

As almost always happen the third film suffers from diminishing returns. Scream 3 embraces this idea and once again ensures it explores issues relating to trilogies and the challenges in stretching out stories or trying to create satisfying conclusions. However the film loses some of its awareness in playing with horror conventions in the first place. 3 just never quite keeps up with its predecessors' cleverness. The film leans more into the camp that many of the newer horror films inspired by Scream were deploying. But it did at least, in its very self-aware way, wrap up the story and series, by employing the tropes of the typical third film in any series. Then perhaps inevitably it would all be reopened again eleven years later in a previously unplanned fourth film. 

So does a series of movies which explore the nature of the slasher genre end? Or, like the genre itself, must it keep going like the killers of these films that just cant seem to die? 11 years later a fourth Scream was released... but how do you keep the formula fresh? Well the approach here is to ratchet up the meta qualities of the series. Instead of the franchise's signature opening, the film keeps faking us out with cold opening after cold opening. The in-world story has evolved to include the movies being made about these movies' stories. 4 leans into what should feel like cliche by now to deconstruct itself. 

Scre4m does find something new to add into the mix. The first Scream was very much a product of its time, self-aware, referential, and cynical. It is the quintessential Gen X slasher. But now time as passed and as with everything the world has moved on. 4 embraces the generational shift, the Millennial critique if you will and their penchant for more sincere horror. But for me it's the weakest of the bunch. It devolves from its attempts at deconstruction to become the most traditional horror movie horror movie of the bunch. It's far more straight up stalker/slasher than the previous films. It still works but is just less interesting. 

If anything the meta-ness of the fourth film is about how attempting to make an older series relevant again by sticking to the formula can not work well, and in its weaknesses it shows this. So could a fifth film be able to overcome this hurdle and give us a reason to scream again?

2022's Scream is as self conscious as the rest of the series. In it the characters advise us that this is a "requel" a sequel that focuses on new characters but keeps the original story going by including some legacy characters... and someone from the past has to die to show the real stakes.  This latest Scream is in and out a Scream movie, following the formula and pushing all the buttons. It even gets meta in how it talks about toxic fandom and the way we deconstruct these legacy movies evaluating them on impossible scales of nostalgic perfection. It does being another Scream well. 

But what it doesn't do is reinvent. I guess if it aint broke don't fix it. But for all the talk about taking chances with a franchise, this film takes none. It does exactly what it should, following all the rules. There are thinly veiled references to the polarizing reaction to The Last Jedi (so thin... so thin...) but Scream 2022 is no Last Jedi. It sticks to what it does well and doesn't veer off the path. 

But does it establish a new generational passing of the torch? The film (again very self-consciously) establishes itself as a Gen Z movie in the way Scre4m was a Gen Y movie. Shouting out the "elevated horror" of Jordon Peele, The Babadook, or The Witch (all made by Xennials or Gen Xers I may add) this Scream establishes it is not that. This is about trying to set Scream's sardonic approach for a new generation. But maybe this generation is not about those films. Maybe they're more about the Conjuring universe. Something more ethereal. Can a Scream work for them? I'm not sure the new heroes at the centre of this restart can capture an audience's passion in the long term. 

So maybe this is just a chapter that will be reinvented in a new Scream (I mean there are 3 movies called Shaft so why not three named Scream?) when the post-Gen Z generation is ready for their take on it. Or when Hollywood thinks they are...

Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, Scre4m, Scream (2022)

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Roger L. Jackson, Jamie Kennedy, Liev Schreiber, Drew Barrymore, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laurie Metcalf, Patrick Dempsey, Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin, Marley Shelton, Scott Foley, Jenny McCarthy, Rose McGowan, Lance Henrickson, Jerry O'Connell, Timothy Olyphant, Omar Epps, Adam Brody, Anthony Anderson, Mary McDonnell, Tori Spelling, Luke Wilson, Heather Graham, Emily Mortimer, Parker Posey, Anna Paquin, Kristin Bell, Henry Winkler, Patrick Warburton, Duane Martin, Elise Neil, Hayden Panettiere, Portia de Rossi, Lawrence Hecht, Carrie Fisher, Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jenna Marie Ortega, Jack Quaid, Dylan Minnette

Directors: Wes Craven, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Writers: Kevin Williamson, Ehren Kruger, James Vanderbilt, Guy Busick

Scream (2022)

2022's Scream is as self conscious as the rest of the series. In it the characters advise us that this is a "requel" a sequel that focuses on new characters but keeps the original story going by including some legacy characters... and someone from the past has to die to show the real stakes.  This latest Scream is in and out a Scream movie, following the formula and pushing all the buttons. It even gets meta in how it talks about toxic fandom and the way we deconstruct these legacy movies evaluating them on impossible scales of nostalgic perfection. It does being another Scream well. 

But what it doesn't do is reinvent. I guess if it aint broke don't fix it. But for all the talk about taking chances with a franchise, this film takes none. It does exactly what it should, following all the rules. There are thinly veiled references to the polarizing reaction to The Last Jedi (so thin... so thin...) but Scream 2022 is no Last Jedi. It sticks to what it does well and doesn't veer off the path. 

But does it establish a new generational passing of the torch? The film (again very self-consciously) establishes itself as a Gen Z movie in the way Scre4m was a Gen Y movie. Shouting out to the "elevated horror" of Jordon Peele, The Babadook, or The Witch (all made by Xennials or Gen Xers I may add) this Scream establishes it is not that. This is about trying to set Scream's sardonic approach for a new generation. But maybe this generation is not about those films. Maybe they're more about the Conjuring universe. Something more ethereal. Can a Scream work for them? I'm not sure the new heroes at the centre of this restart can capture an audience's passion in the long term. 

So maybe this is just a chapter that will be reinvented in a new Scream (I mean there are 3 movies called Shaft so why not three named Scream?) when the post-Gen Z generation is ready for their take on it. Or when Hollywood thinks they are...

Scream 

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jenna Marie Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Dylan Minnette, Skeet Ulrich, Roger L. Jackson

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Writers: James Vanderbilt, Guy Busick

 

The Tender Bar (2021)

The Tender Bar is a sweet remembrance of a man's life, a telling of the events which brought him into adulthood, anchored by a strong supporting performance by Ben Affleck. Based on the memoir by writer J.R. Moehringer, The Tender Bar is one of those overly romantic reflections on the the life of a man whose life remains fairly average. But it is in the telling, both the narrative crafted around a rather unremarkable path and in the translation to the screen which makes The Tender Bar quite watchable. 

Moehringer's father was barely in his life and he frames this around his filling that gap with his uncle and the bar his uncle ran in his youth. Everyone else around him, his loving but struggling to make ends meet mother, his adorably curmudgeonly grandfather, and his  abrupt but reliable uncle, are the kinds of people we all want in our lives. They aren't perfect but are perfect for him and supporting his life. And in having that undying support he is able to build the life that he wants for himself, finding most of it, with a few small losses along the way (never lands the relationship with the elusive rich girl that he idealizes).

The whole story is filtered through the rosiest of glasses. I am sure his family was loving but likely not as adorable as they are presented in this film. But if there is anything beautiful about The Tender Bar it is in the simple truth of how it is those that love us and support us who give us the power to be who we are and pursue what we want to become. So while it may all be fantasy, it is also quite sweetly true. 

The Tender Bar is a lovely film. Director Clooney, who has made far more "cinematic" movies, takes care here to not be showy or overly dramatic. He keeps The Tender Bar calm and accessible. The Tender Bar is very watchable and satisfying without being overly remarkable. And that's alright. The Tender Bar really shouldn't amount to much but good film making and strong performances raise it up. While it may not the the most memorable or profound film you'll see this year, The Tender Bar is a good film and it's worth your time. 

The Tender Bar

Starring: Tye Sheridan, Ben Affleck, Christopher Lloyd, Lily Rabe, Daniel Ranieri, Rob Livingston, Max Martini, Rhenzy Feliz, Brianna Middleton

Director: George Clooney

Writer: William Monahan    

King Richard (2021)

Like most biopics of people involved in the project itself King Richard is an inspiring film that never quite lets it characters be that real. Richard Williams, the father of tennis champions Venus and Serena, gets the most room for characterization (I mean it is a vehicle for Will Smith after all) but the rest of the cast, including the roles of the famous tennis stars, don't amount to much but 2-dimensional characters. Having said that, King Richard is an emotionally rewarding ride in an undeniably amazing story about incredible talents

What works is how well the film makes the case for how Black people have to be 100x better than the white people around them to have any measure of success. King Richard shows us how much unconditional love helps us become the best we can be. And it does give Smith the chance to remind us what an incredible actor he is. His Richard Williams is not only completely compelling on screen (not far off from the real man as I understand) but he gets to be more complicated than the film otherwise might call for with Smith's interpretation. 

Still, while everyone else is rather thinly drawn, despite Smith's award winning performance, the film never quite paints a cohesive picture of Richard. Sometimes he's too pushy. Sometimes he's too protective. Sometimes he's the perfect dad and husband, yet for a brief moment out of the blue there are marital problems which just go away without the film addressing it again. He bounces back and forth without the film ever really being able to make it all make sense. Smith's performance ties some of it together but never quite centres on a fully rounded centre to its film. That paired with ensuring that Venus and Serena are portrayed as nothing short of perfect children, the film loses a chance to feel completely honest. 

The one exception to this is Aunjanue Ellis as Oracene Price, the girls' mother and coach, who gets to be the most dynamic of the characters on screen. 

Still a docudrama is not what this film is about. Just like Bohemian Rhapsody wasn't about a truthful accounting of the rise of Queen. King Richard is about what these people represent in our lives. This is an undeniable story of Black excellence, the strength of family in overcoming adversity, and as I said the way being loved and supported lets us reach our goals. And in that King Richard delivers. As the film builds to Williams' first tournament at 14 when she almost beat Arantxa Sánchez Vicario the film is in full inspiration mode and it earns it. We already know both Williams will become the best in the world. We don't need to see that. Instead the film knows to give us the moment of triumph of this family and it is a glorious moment. 

King Richard

Starring: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Jon Bernthal, Tony Goldwyn, Dylan McDermott, Rick Sommer, Kevin Dunn

Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green

Writer: Zach Baylin

 

The 355 (2022)

In interviews promoting The 355, star and producer Jessica Chastain talked about she never saw women in these sorts of kick butt, spy action thrillers that are so common and lead by men, so she set out to make one herself. She accomplished that. If making a spy action flick starring women that has all the fun and flaws of the ones they make with men then she was successful. The 355 was fun but also fairly predictable, filled with the sorts of plot holes and clunky script problems that we are used to in these movies. I guess that's progress?

She put together a killer cast. These women not only hold their own as action stars but they are all very good actors meaning they can sell this film despite the its weaknesses. I enjoyed seeing them on screen, together they make a great team. They all delivered on the action as well.

But as I mentioned the story is kinda clunky and there were too many times I rolled my eyes at what the characters were doing or could see exactly what was coming. The end "twists" were completely predictable. So often choices being made by the characters felt more like they were being made to advance the story and less because a character would actually do it. 

Now when it comes to the action sequences the film delivers. I was able to forgive some of the film's shortcomings when it got into high gear. It was entertaining. Maybe forgettable. The ending feels rushed and tacked on. I might have just preferred the credits came when the main story ended instead of the final shenanigans which didn't feel like the added anything. 

Still would I watch another film with this team in place? I would. I'd hope it would be better executed though. 

The 355

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong'o, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger, Fan Bingbing, Sebastian Stan, Edgar Ramirez, Jason Flemyng, John Douglas Thompson

Director: Simon Kinberg

Writers: Theresa Rebeck, Simon Kinberg    

 

Favourite Films of 2021

2021 was a year I saw 172 new films and within that there were many I adored so picking just 10 that stood out as my favourite was really challenging. And then, when picking my absolute favourite for the year, it came down to two films which I loved completely, films that meant something special for me in different ways, but both exemplified why I love movies and have made cinema my main pastime and passion. I ended up settling on one but it could have just as easily been the other. There is no objective right or wrong when it comes to loving movies. We love what we love. So for better or worse here are the 10 films I loved the most in 2021. 

Belfast

I saw Belfast in cinemas more times than any other and each time I rewatched it touched me more. This is a film that loves films, literally in scenes showing the main characters transformed by going to the movies, but also in how it is structured to take full advantage of the medium of cinema. Belfast is a beautiful story about hope and loss and celebrating love. It is just downright glorious to see. If it wasn’t for one other movie this easily would have been my favourite film of the year…

Dance of the 41/ El Baile de los 41

I was surprised by this film. I wasn’t familiar with the events that inspired it and worried it would play out like a typical historical drama. But it was none of what I feared. Erotic and lush, personal and intimate. Dance of the 41 managed to reach a painful place in my heart. Sometimes we need to sit with pain and this film helped me with that. 

Dune Part One

I have struggled to appreciate Dune in all its adaptations and iterations due to some serious issues I have with the plot, characters, and messages inherent in this story. And then along comes director Villeneuve, for whom the oft misused word “visionary” actually applies, who takes this story and makes it as glorious as it could be, fixing so much of what has gone wrong in the telling of this tale before. Another often misused word, “epic” is certainly in order. Joining the ranks of the Lord of the Rings movies, Dune will undoubtedly be amongst the classics of
genre cinema for decades. 

The Harder They Fall

These. People. Existed. With these words starts one of the most spectacular western legends ever committed to screen. The Harder They Fall features a dream cast, a complex revenge tale, and some of the most damn enjoyable film making of this or any year. But it is about more than that. It’s about redefining a genre, and in doing so redefining the way America (and the world) sees America. Stories are myth building, identity creation. Westerns hold a specific role in that. The Harder They Fall reminds us that so much of what we’ve been told is fiction and that there are so many more stories to tell. 

Malcom & Marie

Yes, there are more black and white films on my list this year than I believe there ever have been. Malcom & Marie is the second of four and is an explosive little film about two damaged people barely holding on to a relationship they probably shouldn’t hold on to. This is one of those films that is certainly not for everyone but for me it was riveting. From the first moments and I was hooked. The energy Zendaya and Washington bring to this is intense and tragic. I love that this isn’t a train wreck for us to watch like they are the Real Housewives of anything. It is full of pain and rage and passion and sorrow and we can see ourselves reflected when we are in our lower moments. 

No Sudden Move

I’m no fan of director Soderbergh but this year he blew me away. Part period crime drama part social critique, No Sudden Move has a stellar cast and the best script Soderbergh has written. I said what I said. It could have been all gritty cool but Soderbergh infuses a grand sense of tragedy to it, both personal and societal. And, like all the other films on my list, this film is a thing of beauty to watch.

Swan Song

By my count there are at least 7 films named Swan Song and 2 of them were released in 2021. Both of them were good films but underground queer director Todd Stephens’ film was just one of the best cinematic experiences I had in 2021. His exploration of the changing nature of queerness, the legacy of gay tragedy across generations, and the gloriousness of everyday non-conformity is a beautiful story. And Udo Kier is hands down one of the best performers to watch in any movie in 2021. 

tick, tick… BOOM!

Musicals were on point in 2021 from Spielberg’s remarkable adaptation of West Side Story, to Joe Wright’s more classic Cyrano, to Jon M. Chu’s energetic film of In the Heights, to The Sparks’ weird but bold Annette. But for me the one that surprised me most, and for which I fell head over heels, was Lin-Manuel Miranda’s film of Johnathan Larson’s pre-Rent musical. At first blush it feels like proto-Rent but as you rewatch it (as I did many times) you see something unique and special in its own right. So much of what makes it work is Andrew Garfield giving what I believe may be my favourite performance of the year. It is very much about a moment in time, a lost moment, but now we’ll have it forever. 

The Tragedy of Macbeth

Even though this is one of the most filmed of Shakespeare’s Scottish Play, I am always up for a new interpretation and with this cast, Joel Coen leans into a bold, theatrical, operatic staging that shows us just how amazing film can be. My third B&W pick for this year is anything but part of a trend. Often we look to digital special effects creating life like impossibilities as the height of spectacle, but this film reminds us that there are other sorts of visual glory that can happen on screen. The cast is amazing, the staging is exciting, and the stripped down rapid paced script is electric. This is a reminder of why I love going to the movies.  

Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Rarely has a movie felt more like it was made Just. For. Me. This is the film I’ve been dreaming about, not just since the WB decided to rework it into something more palatable for theatrical release in 2017 but since I was a child and read my JLA comics imaging how it could look as a live action movie. I remember watching Superman and Batman on film wondering how seeing these characters together and taken seriously, not just in a silly popcorn movie style action blockbuster, but a film that explored them as powerfully as the comic books did. This year I got to find out. And it was all I had hoped for. I get that most people want their superhero movies light and frothy. I get that there needs to be a tongue firmly planted in cheek for many to be able to watch characters with extraordinary powers. But I need these stories to carry the weight of the world and heroic attempts to overcome adversity. For me, for the 15 year old nerd in me walking to the comic store after school me, no film did for me what ZSJL did. 

For extra glory watch the Justice is Grey edition. For me 2021 ended up being all about the B&W films and this version added something to the film that made it feel even more powerful. 

I saw ZSJL early in 2021 and near the end of the year Belfast, which I adore entirely, almost knocked it out of the spot at the top of my list where it had sat all year. But no matter how much I enjoyed it or any of the other films on this list, this truly epic love letter to all the Justice League loving fans who waited so long for this epic to finally arrive holds fast by being everything I wanted it to be and more. 

11 – 20

In alphabetical but otherwise no particular order:

Army of the Dead

CODA

Cowboys

Here & After

Last Night in Soho

Nine Days

Passing

Pig

The Sparks Brothers 

West Side Story

(two of the above are also in B&W making it 6 out of 20)

Each of these came close to making my top ten.. but itw as just too good a year…

My favourite ensemble cast was the amazing cast of Mass, Ann Dowd, Martha Plimpton, Jason Isaacs, and Reed Birney. 

Andrew Garfield in tick, tick… BOOM! was my favourite lead performer and my favourite supporting was Chloris Leachman in one of her last roles Jump, Darling. 

Dune Part One had my favourite score while No Time to Die by Billie Eilish was my favourite song from a film. 

The Sparks by Edgar Wright was my favourite documentary and Two Distant Strangers was my favourite short film. 

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

There have been a lot of filmed versions of the Scottish Play from the infamous (he shall not be named) to the classic (I mean Orson Wells, come on) to a plethora of efforts (everyone from Fassbender to Connery to Worthington has taken a turn). But perhaps we have found a true champion. I'm going to bat for Joel Coen's theatrical and self-consciously "cinema" take. Not only it is a stunning piece of work that is breathtaking, but Washington and McDormand show everyone just how it is done. 

For me I'm either all in or all out for the the Coens' films. This is the first I'm aware of that is just Joel by himself and I am truly all in. He makes no bones about what he is doing This isn't naturalistic. It feels like a Bergman film more than anything we've seen from Joel and his brother in the past. Yes it is in black & white but it's also filmed on sound stages for a heightened sense of reality. We are watching a production. 

Coen has stripped down the text and he does so in a way that grabs the story and rides it like a rodeo cowboy. We get everything we could want from this story. It is rich, dripping with emotions and passions. It is bold. While I often prefer subtly (probably a reason the Coens don't always work for me) here I was swept up in the play, and the performances. 

Washington is stunning here. He is naturalistic yet also has overwhelming stage presence, balancing both truths perfectly. I've always admired him as one of his generations best actors but it is nice to be reminded of just how good he can be. He has proven he's deft with Shakespeare's text in his more subtle roll in Much Ado About Nothing (1993) but here he shows not only can he master the language but wring from it all the juice and marrow. McDormand proves why she has more Oscars than you can shake a stick at by taking on one of the most played rolls of the stage and making it her own as well. The elder statesman energy they both bring to these parts is a fascinating take on the characters. And yes Kathryn Hunter is a scene stealer terrifying me with her performance and wowing us with her presence. I found few weak links in this cast. Each adapting to the film's aesthetic well and making a wonderful ensemble. 

There are intricacies in other versions I've seen that I appreciate but that isn't what this film is about. This film is bombastic and alive. It is vivid and gripping. It is just a force of nature. And I couldn't get enough of it. 

The Tragedy of Macbeth

Starring: Denzel Washington, Francis McDormand, Corey Hawkins, Alex Hassell, Bertie Carvel, Kathryn Hunter, Brendan Gleeson, Harry Melling, Moses Ingram

Director: Joel Coen

Writer: William Shakespeare, Joel Coen