Saturday, February 5, 2022

2021 CGI Fridays Rankings

After the nightmare that was 2020, people welcomed 2021 with very eager and very open arms. Among the many reasons to be excited for the re-opening of the world in the second quarter of the year was the the return to the cinema.

When my BFF and certified fresh movie partner Jake and I saw A Quiet Place Part II on May 31st, it was our first trip back to the theater since we saw Invisible Man almost 15 months earlier, way back on March 7th, 2020. 

Movies that saw their release date delayed due to the pandemic - No Time to Die being the first blockbuster to get pushed  - finally got their long-awaited theatrical release.

With movies arriving left and right, there was a lot to see in 2021, not to mention the expansive library still available at home on name-your-streaming service. 

With so much content, how much of it would prove to be worth the wait?

84. Awake (2021); F

More like Asleep. The 2007 film from the same name is the one to watch. Or even the short-lived Jason Isaacs TV show.

83. Infinitum: Subject Unknown; F

Science fiction potential with a dream concept that smelled like Inception. Ian McKellen's inclusion was a solid selling point, but this movie is more like "Point: Unknown."

82. The Sleepless Unrest; F

I thought this was going to be a documentary about the Warren household that inspired the Conjuring franchise. It's not. It does take place at the real Rhode Island home, but it's a wannabe paranormal activity with none of the appeal.

81. Coming 2 America; F

We live in the age of sequels, and no classic film is safe. Coming to America didn't need a sequel, much less 33 years later. The cleverness stops at the title, and not only is the film unfunny, it is frustrating to watch Eddie Murphy take part in this catastrophe.

80. Ghostbusters: Afterlife; D-

There were a lot -I repeat, a lot- of movies in 2021 that received favorable reviews from the public, but I didn't care for in the slightest. I found the Ghostbusters "reboot sequel" to be one of the most boring films of the year. It even finds a way to waste Paul Rudd, and the "fan service" moments are extremely cheesy and unearned.

79. Censor; D-

"Psychological horror" might be the most volatile film genre. Most of the time, it ends up resulting in a horror film that isn't scary, and a psychological film without any thought.

78. Gaia; D-

From a psychological horror to something called an ecological horror, Gaia ultimately has no purpose and its biggest strength is the inspiration it takes from The Last of Us's fungus-based zombies.

77. The Protégé; D-

In defense of this bad grade, The Proté didn't look great to begin with. But a star-studded cast and the Casino Royale director at the helm piqued my interest. Interest that quickly faded.

76. Mortal Kombat; D-

One of several films this year that seemed to be intentionally cheesy. But I'm not sure. And the fact that I can't be certain if Mortal Kombat was trying to be silly says enough.

75. The Power of the Dog; D

Benedict Cumberbatch slides into any role with remarkable ease, and a cast that includes real-life couple Jesse Plemoms and Kirsten Mary Jane Watson Dunst seemed promising. Seemed being the operative word.

74. The French Dispatch; D

Ever since seeing The Grand Budapest Hotel (A+ in 2014), I've been trying to chase that unique Wes Anderson high. It hasn't happened, although Moonrise Kingdom (B in 2012) is solid.

73. Malignant; D

Malignant is entirely saved from total failure by its big reveal, which is pretty sweet. The rest of the movie is an absolute joke, but it avoids an F or even D- for its awesome twist.

72. The Night House; D

Despite the dedicated performance from Rebecca Hall, The Night House never delivers on many areas of potential. There were angles to take about home invasion, mental illness, closet serial killers...and none of them are exploited.

71. John and the Hole; D

An independent film that is purposely bizarre and uncomfortable, it does succeed and making you feel those weird feelings. If that was John and the Hole's sole goal, give it credit. But it fails to be anything more than creepy.

70. Candyman; D+

I'm not that big a fan of the original Candyman, but once Jordan Peele's name was attached to the remake, I was intrigued. Like so many modern movies, 2021's Candyman just doesn't have a plot. No story. And it also tries to take a political angle out of left field in its final act that doesn't feel genuine at all.

69. Outside the Wire; D+

File this under the "could have been good or even decent and ends up stupid" category. Anthony Mackie is in it at least.

68. Godzilla vs. Kong; D+

File this under a similar category. What shocks me the most about many bad blockbuster films of 2021 is that people liked them. I don't get it. Was the general audience that starved for content after the cinematic drought of 2020? Are moviegoers really satisfied with this kind of product now? It seems like it, and that's a bad sign.

67. Occupation; Nightfall; D+

I didn't realize until it was over that I had just watched a sequel.

66. Joe Bell; D+

This would have been a better movie if it was more about the kid. But it's not. It's about and even named after the dad. I get that he has a big part to play, but the kid's story is the one that really matters here.

65. Venom: Let There Be Carnage; D+

A YouTuber I like named "Adam Does Movies" called this movie Venom: Let There Be Garbage. He's right. I'm right. Yet here we are.

64. tick, tick, Boom!; C-

After 30 minutes, I was bored. 30 minutes earlier, I was only interested for Andrew Garfield. 5 Minutes before that, I should have realized these things.

63. Those Who Wish Me Dead; C-

Taylor Sheridan's track record speaks for itself, and he tries to give Those Who Wish Me Dead the intensity of his previous work like Wind River and Hell or High Water, but the story here just isn't as compelling.

62. The Guilty; C-

A one-hander that rides squarely on the capable shoulders of Jake Gyllenhaal, he saves this film full of plot holes from the ash heap.

61. Don't Breathe 2; C-

A sleeper hit in 2016, Don't Breathe (A+) set itself up for a sequel, even if it seemed unnecessary. A sequel did arrive, and for some odd reason, it doesn't pick off where the first one's cliffhanger ended. I know antiheroes are in right now, and Stephen Lang is terrific, but this franchise's main character is no protagonist.

60. American Underdog; C-

For every 10 seconds of football in American Underdog, there is a 10 minute scene about faith, hope, and not giving up. It gets repetitive fast and the message quickly wears out its welcome. Zachary Levi is great, but at times he's a 41-year old playing a high schooler. 

59. The Little Things; C-

The first movie I saw of 2021 foreshadowed a year of mediocrity and falling short of expectations. A murder mystery starring Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto should deliver. It didn't.

58. Eternals; C-

The first movie in the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe that I gave a negative review. I suppose that day was coming, but Eternals doesn't even flirt with being good. Somehow this movie came from a studio that takes such pride and care in its storytelling and characters.

There are so many different people coming and going in Eternals that the characters constantly use each other's names just to remind the audience who they are. The action is impressive, but it all feels hollow for a story that is supposed to trace the MCU back to the dawn of the universe and threaten humanity's very existence.

It does neither, and I hope these characters never return.

57. The Matrix: Resurrections; C

Resurrections does exactly what its name says, reviving yet another franchise thought dead and buried. The result is a mangled film with a lot of different ideas, most notably a very meta take on sequels that works as well as it did for the X-Men franchise.

The fourth Matrix film tries to ride the nostalgia wave of its predecessors, particularly the great first two movies. Constant flashbacks reminds audiences that these films were darlings of the 2000s. Like many franchises undergoing reboots, that is no longer the case.

Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss do their best to step back into these roles with passion, but they are lost in this chaotic, directionless story that only gets messier as it goes.

56. Army of the Dead; C

Zack Snyder doesn't hold back and his over-the-top filmmaking style has always lended well to the zombie genre. I think his Dawn of the Dead remake is his best film, and Army of the Dead has its moments. However, like most Snyder films, it's ridiculous and full of unlikable characters with an inarticulate plot.

55. Reminiscence; C

I wanted this to work because of my undying fidelity to Hugh Jackman. There's also a very grounded post-apocalyptic angle, with a world overrun by the oceans but still habitable by what's left of humanity. Then there's this dream technology that lets you relive the past. There's a lot going on, yet not very much at all.

54. Last Night in Soho; C

Edgar Wright brings his love of 60s music and neo-noir to the spotlight in Last Night in Soho. The dual performances of Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit, A+ in 2019and Anna Taylor-Joy (Morgan, A- in 2016) are the highlights of the film, but the parts don't equal a very compelling sum.

53. The Suicide Squad; C

It's better than the previous Suicide Squad (D- in 2016), but that isn't saying much. A couple DC blockbusters this year get marks for being "better than its predecessor." In the case of The Suicide Squad, it's a literal reboot with the word "The" added to "The" title.

James Gunn takes the reins during his Disney/Guardians sabbatical, and he is allowed the fully embrace the R-rating a Suicide Squad movie should have had in the first place. It's bloody and violent, perhaps to a fault if that's not your thing, but that's kind of the point of this ragtag group's existence.

I mean, exploding heads are the point. So, yeah, it's an improvement, but the boss battle is still a giant starfish and most of the characters are just as uninteresting as the previous attempt at this IP. Though I guess the audience disagrees

52. Swan Song; C

I watched this movie with my sister and her new husband, who had already been enshrined into the family as one of my movie partners, and we watched it in two sittings. In-between sessions, we theorized what the eventual conflict or "all is lost" moment would be. It never came, and Swan Song never intended to have one. It's a character study, and it needed a kick in the pants.

51. Stowaway; C

Stowaway has a very intriguing concept. What happens when a crew of three astronauts discover a fourth crewmate and begin to run out of oxygen? The premise, though incredibly farfetched, is far more interesting than the eventual results.

50. Nightmare Alley; C+

The last hour of Nightmare Alley is good. The first hour and a half isn't. And really, the last 60 minutes don't need the first 90 minutes, which isn't a good thing. Performances from a stellar cast, and Guillermo Del Toro's swift direction elevate a movie that is uneven at best.

49. Cherry; C+

Tom Holland reunites with Avengers directors Joe and Anthony Russo for Cherry, and Holland shows once again just how great of an actor he is. He's a generational talent, but despite a gritty book to work with, Cherry isn't as good as it thinks it is.

48. National Champions; C+

Another football movie, Will Smith's Concussion, (C+ in 2015), squandered the chance to do something impactful by drowning out its message behind soapy, distracting subplots. National Champions unfortunately does the same, saying much less about the case for paying college athletes than it could have.

47. The Woman in the Window; C+

The mystery is strong and Amy Adams' performance is stronger, but the plot is too unfocused on what it wants

46. Chaos Walking; C+

Doug Liman's film adaptation of the popular novel was in development hell so long that the movie starring Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley was released amidst nine other Holland films and two years past Ridley's star-powered, Star Wars days.

45. No Sudden Move; C+

No Sudden Move is well cast and therefore well acted, it's just a drag. But it's held together by its strong performances and Steven Soderbergh's directing prowess.

44. Zack Snyder's Justice League; C+

While The Suicide Squad was a reboot, Zack Snyder's Justice League was a redo. For Snyder, more is definitely more. The DCEU rushed so fast to its Justice League team-up that the first try was an epic disaster and an insult to fans.

This time, Snyder uses four long, overly dramatic, disturbingly operatic hours to at least tell a complete story. Snyder's three DC movies are ultimately a case of too much, too soon and while four hours gives his bloated story room to be told, it doesn't make the product any less mediocre.

Mediocre is better than bad, and Snyder's version is at least better than the 2017 version. Still, it's not a good movie, and the potential is wasted on a studio that has no idea how to build a shared universe, and a director who knows action and nothing more.

43. Old; B-

M. Night Shyamalan has made a living off of cinematic "twists." His career has been built on the success of The Sixth Sense and nothing has compared since. Old has all the potential of M. Night's imagination, but the reveal is too little, too late, a familiar pitfall for this writer-director.

42. Till Death; B-

A one setting film with a Meagan Fox performance that deserves to be seen. And I mean that in a good way. The final act had a chance to make the film one to remember, but instead it veers off into too many mindless directions.

41. Antlers; B-

One of the first movies to be delayed due to the pandemic, Antlers finally came out and it absolutely delivers the scares. Watch for those, but watch no further.

40. Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog; B-

A real, heartwarming story about an orphaned dog in Nazi Germany that is taken in and loved by a Jewish family before being trained by the military to be a weapon. Most of it is good, but it gets too unforgivably sappy when it didn't need to to send its message.

39. The Courier; B-

Another insane performance from Benedict Cumberbatch. The Courier is good for 80 minutes, but the last half hour is slow, the tension and drama come to a halt, and it feels disconnected from the rest.

38. The Harder They Fall; B-

It's western meets hip hop and it largely works. The story moves around a little too much and the plot could have been streamlined, but Jonathan Majors and Idris Elba are irresistible whenever they are on screen.

37. Come True; B-

Julia Sarah Stone turns in one of the best acting jobs of 2021. Come True is all sorts of sketchy and it navigates the "dream genre" well until the air comes out of the balloon with a nonsensical ending.

36. The Marksman; B-

Liam Neeson keeps making the same movie with slight changes and I just keep watching. This movie shouldn't even be a B-, but through Neeson and one of the year's sleeper scores from Sean Callery, The Marksman somehow hits a desirable target.

35. Gunpowder Milshake; B-

Since the John Wick franchise launched in 2014 (with an A+), there have been countless imitators in the "gun fu" genre. Achieving action like Chad Stahelski and his team has been hard enough, but capturing the same heart and energy has proven "dog gone" harder. Through the tenacity of Karen Gillan and Angela Bassett among others, Gunpowder Milkshake comes closer than most.

34. Fear Street Part 3: 1966; B

I love the idea of the Fear Street movies. A trilogy released simultaneously on Netflix is a sweet idea. Part 3 involves time travel and the present day cast plays similar versions of themselves in Colonial America. The concept is better than the execution(s).

33. Fear Street Part 2: 1978; B

Part 2 and Part 3 don't hit as hard as Part 1. I suppose that was the risk with this all-at-once "trilogy." The initial spark is hard to recapture and the stories in 2 and 3 aren't as interesting. All three films are above average slashers, but they degenerate over time and never fully achieve the ceiling of a great series.

32. The Tomorrow War; B

The Tomorrow War does more things well than it does unwell, and it checks both columns. Letting Chris Pratt do Chris Pratt things saves the film from itself, with dubious character choices and unneeded social commentary threatening to ruin the fun and chaos born out of some cool sci-fi and impressive, intimidating beasts.

31. 'Til Kingdom Come; B

An intriguing look at the ties between former President Donald Trump, Christianity, and Israel. A lot of it goes above my head, but connecting these seemingly random dots makes you think.

30. Dune; B

I liked Dune. However, I think the hype far exceeded the product. The hype got so big, and audience's are starving so badly for cinematic events, that I think people went in with their minds up that Dune was going to blow them away.

Visually, it does. That much can be expected from Denis Villeneuve. Arrival (D+ in 2016) looked great, too. As someone who hasn't read the book, but nevertheless did his research, I know that the novel is overflowing with story. You can feel the movie try to cram as much of it in there, and this is only part one of two. Still, I felt lost in space trying to follow the plot and the characters.

29. Nine Days; B

A movie that moves at a snail's pace but never bores you because Winston Duke is that good. Benedict Wong, Zazie Beetz, and Bill Skarsgård round out a small but powerful quartet. But it's Duke who shines and would be among my finalists for "Best Actor" at whatever the 2022 Oscars looks like.

Are we human, or are we dancer?

28. The King's Man; B

The Kingsman franchise is firmly cemented on my all-time Infinity List, the first two outings currently ranked as my number 11 and 15 movies EVER. I love everything about these movies, and while we wait for the Eggsy trilogy to eventually conclude, director-writer-producer Matthew Vaughn whets our appetite for cartoony destruction with a World War I era prequel.

The excitement going backwards wasn't as high as it will be when we return to the present, but with the same creative team behind the movie, and an all-star cast including both Ralph Fiennes and Rhys Ifans (cause their names sound similar, you see), I fully expected to add another movie to my master list, even if it wasn't quite where the first two sit.

We end up with a solid feature that sports a lot of the franchise's signature action. On its own, some of the action scenes stand as remarkable achievements and memorable moments, but perhaps Vaughn has set his own bar so high in this universe.

The King's Man is fun, as expected, but the unintended result of Vaughn's script is what feels like a million ideas crammed into a single film. There is so much going on, and the story moves so quickly through time that it's hard to get invested in any of it.

New characters come and go, and reveals don't pack much of a punch. Big moments don't hit as hard as they could have if the story was more intimate like its predecessors. The trio of Eggsy, Harry, and Merlin, and a stellar supporting cast in the first two movies that included iconic villain performances from Samuel L. Jackson and Julianna Moore, is not to be replicated here.

It's a step down for the franchise, a common theme going around Hollywood. It wants to send a message, like the other two films, and I suppose this time it's something to do with wars being the unnecessary, catastrophic actions of unintelligent, childish men. Is that far off?

27. The Father; B+

To try and depict dementia or Alzheimer's is a very difficult thing to do. But if you're going to try it, who better than Sir Anthony Hopkins to put front and center? The Father is purposely confusing and intentionally hard to follow, eventually resulting in a hard-hitting and poignant conclusion that netted Hopkins a well-deserved Oscar.

26. Coda; B+

I had no idea what Coda was until I actually saw the Google commercial - and then I was interested. This is a movie that lives or dies on its emotional hook, and it delivers. There are two scenes toward the end of the film that are particularly touching. In one, the sound is completely cut out, and you get a feeling of what it would be like to be deaf, and it's heartbreaking.

25. Finch; B+

Finch is, if nothing else, heartwarming. It doesn't explore its post-apocalyptic world in the slightest, but that is clearly not what the film wants to do. It wants you to enjoy Tom Hanks, a dog, and a robot voiced with exquisite glee by Caleb Landry Jones.

24. The Final Account; B+

A documentary that looks at surviving members of Hitler's Third Reich, the most fascinating moments come from the brutally honest stories these men and women tell from one of the darkest, most pivotal points in history. It could have gone deeper, but this isn't a big budget endeavor, rather an independent filmmaker's passion project to honor his ancestors who perished in the Holocaust.

23. Stillwater; B+

Stillwater is a good movie, it's just too long. I don't necesarily mind long movies, but if you approach the two and a half hour mark, you're going to be judged for length.

The story seemed like it would have been about the father and his imprisoned, estranged daughter. It ends up being about love and love lost, and through Matt Damon's abilities, it hits you in the chest as desired.

22. Fear Street Part 1: 1994; B+

The strongest link of the Fear Street trio, Part 1 could have worked without Part 2 or Part 3. It walks the line of tried and true teen slasher tropes, but it quite literally executes what it wants to do with bravado and whimsy, and ultimately can be viewed on its own for a good time. Or watch all three - they're still pretty good.

21. Red Blood Sky; B+

It's Snakes on a Plane with vampires. Like Malignant, it has a cancer angle. But unlike that movie ranked near the bottom of this list, Red Blood Sky is more than its scares. The mother-son relationship is the movie's heart and it works. Its biggest sin is having idiot bad guys, but it is very tense and very good nevertheless.

20. Four Good Days; B+

The prequel to Nine Days...just kidding. I found out this movie existed when longtime Conan guest Mila Kunis promoted it on one of the famous talk show host's final episodes. (Still not over his retirement but anyway...)

It's a simple story about a recovering drug addict. Its authenticity and candidness reminds me of 2018's Beautiful Boy (A). Keep making movies, Mila!

19. Silent Night; B+

Produced by Matthew Vaughn, I was waiting patiently for the shoe to finally drop. Silent Night quietly moves along, building up tension at a Christmas gathering full of mostly unlikable people who don't like each other.

Slowly but surely, something seems off. Turns out - it's the end of the world! To stave off a poison that is killing everyone, people have been told to take a pill that will bring about a more peaceful exit.

The movie has a lot of characters, most very forgettable, but Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, and Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit, A+ in 2019) carry this simple yet meaningful concept to an emotional finish line.

18. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It; B+

The Conjuring films are the unusual circumstance of a horror franchise. The spinoff films - the Annabelle movies, The Nun (D+ in 2018), and these two messes (#87 and #84 in 2019) - started with good intentions but have gotten increasingly uninspiring. The main films, The Conjuring 1 (A+ in 2013, Infinity #125) and 2 (A+ in 2016, Infinity #265), both occupy premier spots on my all-time list.

Returning to the core characters, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga's Ed and Loraine Warren inject the energy and heart back into this world that was often missing from the offshoots. Specifically, the scares and the familial ties that form the heart of the series are back, and done well, if not as well or with as much creativity as its esteemed predecessors.

17. No Time to Die; A-

Finally, we enter the Infinity List portion of this list with our first A- grade. Trying to predict the quality of Daniel Craig's final James Bond movie was tricky. Casino Royale, (A+, Infinity #132) and Skyfall, A+ in 2012, Infinity #143) are cinematic royalty, Quantum of Solace missed the mark, and Spectre was good, not great.

No Time to Die ends up as my third favorite in this era of 007. Craig cements his place as my preferred Bond and one of the definitive characters from the last two decades of movies.

The film does well to focus on character, and it's a worthy sendoff for Craig with he and Hans Zimmer pulling the emotional weight. The action is there and overcompensates for a completely wasted Rami Malek, resulting in a conclusion that represents what was and what could have been with this era of James Bond.

16. Riders of Justice; A-

Riders of Justice is a lot of things, and one of them is rock solid proof that Mads Mikkelsen can play any role. He can be the caring father (Rogue One, A+ in 2016), the sinister villain (Casino Royale, A+) Doctor Strange, A+ in 2016)), the enigmatic loner (The Hunt, B+ in 2020) or a ruthless ex-military man out for vengeance. So basically Liam Neeson.

Riders of Justice successfully tackles powerful themes and navigates tricky, complex waters with admirable precision. This is a dark story with moments that would be rough for mainstream audiences to stomach. The Danish film goes for it, and its dark moments work better than its jokey ones, but the intent of the jokes might be lost on myself in the literal translation.

15. Batman: The Long Halloween Part 2; A-

The DC animated universe prudently continues to adapt classic Batman graphic novels, this time Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's The Long Halloween. I was encouraged to see it was split into two parts. The source material is deep and many DC animated movies' shortcomings come from an abbreviated runtime.

Part 1 of this two-parter leaves you hanging for Part 2, which is certainly the goal. The end of Part 1 as well as its end-credits scene set the stage for an entertaining second half. Personally, I felt that the two halves of the famous graphic novel's adaptation did less to compliment each other than they could have.

The focus of this story is the whodunnit murder mystery. When this is what the movie is about, it more than holds your interest. Unfortunately, it seems like the central mystery is often forgot about for character moments that needed more development like in the book, or could have been completely trimmed out.

14. Black Widow; A-

Marvel could have gone many directions with a Black Widow solo film. An origin story posed strong possibilities with her Red Room ties and the connections to the Winter Soldier character and film of the same name.

Natasha had been an MCU fixture for seven films across a decade, leaving multiple narrative gaps to explore. Eventually, the decision was made to take place after Captain America: Civil War, but also touch on her roots and makeshift family of spies.

For this Avenger, the time for a proper series of films, or a traditional trilogy, had passed, and this movie feels like a result of many years of potential ideas trying to be brought to life. It doesn't help that the character just died in Avengers: Endgame (A+ in 2019).

A lot of different ideas and characters are brought to the table: Natasha's sister, Taskmaster, whatever the other bad guy's name was (he's that forgettable), Nat's friend who gets her stuff to advance the plot, Red Guardian... there's a lot of moving pieces with very little payoff. Unless you count the ridiculous end credits scene as payoff. 

It's a standard spy flick below the MCU's creative standards that could and should have been more, but also could have been less.

13. Don't Look Up; A-

As far as satire goes, it's hard to imagine being less subtle than Don't Look Up. At first, the deliberate riffing is off-putting, but Adam McKay (Step BrothersVice (A+ in 2018) is one of the few directors who could make this work.

The movie is an obvious reflection of our world. It holds a mirror up to society and says, "Society, you're ugly." People don't like to be told the truth, especially one like this, but what makes Don't Look Up a good film and not a silly lecture is how sad but true the message is.

If the end of the world were to happen, what are the odds we wouldn't make it political? Would we take it seriously or write nonsense on social media? Maybe one day we'll find out...

12. Injustice; A-

DC's "Injustice" storyline is so great, born surprisingly out of an original video game, that I included that game on my CGI Fridays video game list solely because of the narrative. I'm not into the Mortal Kombat style gameplay (or the Mortal Kombat movie listed way above), but of the many, many comic book stories that exist, Injustice: Gods Among Us is one of my favorites.

The movie falls victim to DC's short animated run times, but unlike last year's Superman: Red Son (B-), I don't think it sullies the product as much. The story is largely given the same spirit, albeit at a hectically rushed pace. It's the character development that gets left out. There's just not enough time to properly develop this story and its many, many moving parts.

"Superman goes bad" stories are a dime a dozen, but this one is done brilliantly in the video game and even better on the page. In this animated movie, the heart of it is all there. Unfortunately, it's too short to do the Justice League justice.

11. Batman: The Long Halloween Part 1; A

Part 1 sets up the pieces for Part 2, but I feel some of the screen time was wasted with extended action or unneeded conversation. The graphic novel is a very complex whodunnit murder mystery, and a lot of that revolves around Harvey Dent and his wife, Gilda.

The film handles this pair in some not-so-subtle ways, also diminishing the role of the novel's primary suspect. However, the dynamic between Dent, Jim Gordon, and an inexperienced Batman is played out very strongly.

The graphic novel is great, but for better or worse, it is stuffed with villains. From print to screen, that becomes a bit of cluster in regards to developing the story or giving these villains their moments.


10. The Last Duel; A

Cinematic releases have been threatened for years, with streaming and then the pandemic being the biggest reasons. The 2021 box office was saved from total disaster by blockbusters, which studios are happy to finance. 

But movies like The Last Duel are the ones that really lose with the decline of the theater.

Studios aren't putting money up for many projects anymore, because even if the film is good, people aren't going to the movies. Unless it's a superhero slugfest event, it doesn't need to be seen on the big screen.

The Last Duel was one of the biggest box office bombs of the year, which is a shame because it's an excellent film. The story is good, but the way the same story is told through multiple perspectives is even better. 

The cast is stellar. The production design is Oscar worthy. 10 years ago, this film would have excelled. Now, people barely even know it exists.

9. Framing Britney Spears; A

While this is a documentary, which I always find hard to rate, what gives Framing Britney Spears such cinematic value is the unbelievability of the story. Anyone can see what the "right" thing to do is in the case of Spears and her father's conservatorship, but that's not the way the world works. Or more specifically, the law.

It's sad to see one of the biggest icons of the 90s fall so hard. It's sadder to see how many knew about it, did nothing, and still do nothing. This case is ongoing, and in a perfect (or "right") world, maybe the movie could have helped justice get served.

8. Worth; A

The events of September 11, 2011 can never be talked about enough. The stories that come out of this fateful day, or almost any tragedy, are certainly worth telling. Worth asks the unanswerable question: "What is your life worth?" Or anyone's, for that matter.

After 9/11, the government and airline industry came together with corporate reluctance to compensate the families of the victims in the tragic events that took place. The problem was figuring out how much (or how little) money each family was entitled to.

It's a shame films this good don't get recognition these days, a sign of the times and not the film's quality. Michael Keaton delivers another mesmerizing performance in a very long line of them.

7. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings; A

When I first saw Shang-Chi, I was initially disappointed at its one-dimensional, cookie-cutter story. When I gave it more thought and saw it again, I reflected on how much fun it was.

Sometimes, especially in these barren movie times, that's more than enough. Shang-Chi has the action it advertised, a stellar soundtrack from Joel P West, and some really beautiful settings.

It lacks a compelling story, and it totally foregoes any potential MCU connections to Iron Man, the Mandarin, and the Ten Rings organization. It's perfectly content to go for the jokes and the cheese over the serious and the emotional, but to its credit, it does almost all of it very well.

The father-son performances from Simi Liu and Tony Leung Chiu-wai are the heart and soul of the movie. While the father's character motivations are suspect and how we get to the conclusion is rather messy, the resulting final duel between the two is a spectacle.

6. A Quiet Place Part II; A

The sequel to John Krasinki's surprise hit from 2018, Part II turns back the clock to give us the much anticipated look at how the world ended and became such a, well, quiet place.

Watching the world end is strangely one of my favorite things to do. Whether that's I Am Legend or Planet of the Apes, I am oddly intrigued by the end of times.

AQP PII expands the world and the aliens that populate it, building more lore in anticipation of Part III, which is certainly coming after Part II pulled some punches to set up a sequel.

5. Munich - The Edge of War; A

Cracking the 2021 list with a New Year's Eve release, Munich is based on a popular historical fiction novel. Great acting, including the veteran Jeremy Irons as former British PM Neville Chamberlain, ratchet up the tension in this affair to a boiling point that almost changes the course of history. George McKay and Jannis Niewöhner also turn in strong performances in this character-driven piece.

Having not read the novel, I wasn't sure how far they would go in changing the events at the Munich Conference leading up to World War II. I was hoping they would alter the past, but it's still a riveting and insightful look at how political powers tried so hard to avoid another world war, even if it meant appeasing a madman.

4. Free Guy; A

Free Guy is a very fun movie. I'm not sure it strived for anything more, and that's perfectly okay. Ryan Reynolds makes sure that, if anything, this movie would be a heck of a good time. And it is.

It's constantly silly, but it knows that. It has heart, which compliments its video game world insanity. It's hard not to have a good time with Free Guy -Taika Waititi certainly did as the movie's caricature baddie- but video game lovers will get an extra kick out of it for the world building around an NPC (non-playable character).

Sit back and enjoy the ride. It's the Ryan Reynolds way. Also...cameo of the year?

3. King Richard; A+

Forgive me for thinking 2021 would be a bounce back year for movies with a bonafide smorgasbord of content hitting theaters and streaming. However, the year ends with only three A+ scores, the same as last year.

I guess three really is the magic number.

When I heard about the biopic for legendary tennis sisters Venus and Serena Williams, I was surprised to see that their father, Richard Williams, got the titular honors.

Then Will Smith was cast. Obviously their father had a story to tell. And the film shows us that incredible journey, with Smith's Oscar-worthy performance at center stage to portray a very dedicated (and frustrating) man. 

Good life story doesn't always mean good movie, but thankfully it does here. The acting all around is absolutely top notch. As a sports movie, the tennis action is fun to watch. As a non-sports movie, the family drama and message about overcoming incredible odds can apply to anyone with a dream.

2. Judas and the Black Messiah; A+

Speaking of stories, particularly true stories, there are films all over this extensive list that fill this category. Judas and the Black Messiah is one of those films. But unlike countless others on this list, this story is done justice by the film's quality.

The story of the Black Panther party is anything but black and white. It's very grey. Some saw it as a beacon of hope. Some saw the members as terrorists. Both have a semblance of truth.

Black Panther director Ryan Coogler produced and brought with him actor Daniel Kaluuya, who plays Fred Hampton with a ferocity that captures the desperation and terror of the time. LaKeith Stanfield is the audience's eyes and ears as an FBI informant, learning things about the party itself along with the audience. 

Like most history, the results are tragic.

1. Spider-Man: No Way Home; A+

The rumors -and the poorly-kept secrets- around Spider-Man: No Way Home generated hype, hysteria, and hope for a blockbuster film that hadn't been felt since Avengers: Endgame two years earlier, before the pandemic even existed. It had been two years since movie theaters even had something like this to boast, since Christmas 2019 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

As evidenced by No Way Home's spot on my 2021 CGI Fridays list, you could say it met the hype. The film achieves its most lofty and important goal - bringing together all three generations of Spider-Man from the last 20 years and eight solo films. It's a remarkable achievement, and enough to warrant an A+ rating on its own.

The film doesn't end up in my upper echelon of MCU movies, but that isn't because it falls short in entertainment value. It's the most exciting movie of the year...and it isn't close. Seeing all the Spider-Man's, and so many of their iconic villains on the big screen, is an incredible accomplishment.

It does come at the expense of the story, which includes fellow Avenger Doctor Strange in some highly questionable ways. Strange appears to be just along for the ride to move this ambitious plot forward, making choices along the way that go against obvious reason, but more importantly, against his established character.

Peter Parker's decision making is just as suspect. Despite Tom Holland's palpable charm, there's a severe and disappointing lack of growth from Holland's Peter over the course of what has now been five years and six movies.

The MCU is so big and interconnected (and has been going on so long) that it's easy to forget how long Holland has played this character. Over time, the character has achieved frustratingly little growth. This Peter has already experienced Uncle Ben's death, become an Avenger, been to space, and saved the world.

Yet he doesn't know that it's a bad idea to invite five supervillains you just met back to your apartment for a sleepover? Things go terribly wrong because of course they do. And the film's biggest moment, a moment that wants to define this version of Peter Parker, falls flat because the circumstances of Aunt May's death are ridiculous and 100 percent Peter's fault.

The problems with No Way Home are in the writing, not the final product, very much the same issues I had with Far From Home (A+ in 2019). I do love this film. You can love something but still find flaws in it. Or adversely, dislike something but also praise it. Somewhere along the way, that line of reasoning has been lost on us as people.

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