The Best of 2021

I’ve been away from this for a bit. I’m hoping to get back into it this year. We’ll see. In the meantime, here’s my top 20 of 2021. It was a far better year than 2020, for many reasons…mainly because it wasn’t 2020. The movies were better too…because there were some.

Special Mentions

Inside

Not really a film, but more of a music special; however, it contains the kind of ingenious creativity that one wonders to behold. For anyone who loves Bo Burnham this is a career highlight. His traditional mix of humor and pathos through his music finds the perfect balance here. I’ve listened to the entire album on repeat, and his “filmmaking” showcases what we already knew from his great first feature film, Eighth Grade, that Bo is brilliant.

Midnight Mass

Mike Flanagan is not only one of the best horror filmmakers we have, he’s one of the best filmmakers we have, period. He makes horror-poetry, and Midnight Mass, a seven episode limited series, is that poetry written in beautiful crimson script. It’s a slow-burn, with a penchant for monologues that reflect not real-life conversation, but the kind you would get in a play. Incredible in its storytelling, performances, cinematography and presentation of faith, the good and the bad.

Honorable Mentions

There was a late surge this year to rearrange my list, of which the majority of the following were a part of for some time. A24 near-missed twice with Zola, the seedy Twitter thread adaption, and Saint Maude, a creepy character decent into religious madness. There were the two Netflix films with directorial debuts from known actresses – the first being Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter, with yet another great performance from Olivia Coleman; the other being Rebecca Hall’s Passing, a gorgeous looking display in black and white about Black & White. Blockbusters Shang-Chi was a very strong MCU origin film that felt different enough to stand out, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife brought the nostalgia to win many of us over. There was also Pixar’s Luca and the high concept thriller, Oxygen. On to the top 20.

20. Judas and The Black Messiah

Technically a 2020 release, but I didn’t catch it on HBOMax until after I made my top ten. The film uses the Judas concept to perfection, giving Lakeith Stanfield yet another chance to shine, despite it being Daniel Kayuula who walked away with Oscar gold for his equally great performance.

19. Titane

A film that dares you to not look away while it forces you to sympathize with a murderer as she maybe finds something wholesome. If you want something you haven’t seen before, allow the French to take you on a journey.

18. The Souvenir Part II

The first every A24 sequel is more of a continuation of the first film. In fact it enhances the first film to make it appear as though that was only half of the story. This is the better half, being more focused without sacrificing the artistry that made the first film worthwhile.

17. The Tragedy Of Macbeth

Joel Coen’s adaptations owes plenty to those that came before it, but left to its own devices we get something haunting. Choosing to focus more on the visions while trimming the narrative, The Tragedy Of Macbeth is my favorite English adaptation of the play ever, with only Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood remaining on top.

16. Encanto

A wonderful story of about the pressure put upon children to have gifts that will make their way in the world easier. Great music and visuals inspired by the Columbian culture makes Encanto my favorite animated film of 2021.

15. The French Dispatch

Wes Anderson at his most Wessy. A variety of short stories that marry to the lateral movie filmmaker easily. My favorite still being the one led by Jeffrey Wright, who delivers a line that would make Hemingway proud.

14. Spider-Man: No Way Home

A bit convoluted and overcrowded, and a complete joy to witness. Nothing was going to wipe the smile off of my face from seeing old friends once more.

13. A Quiet Place Part II

While not quite as good as the first, this sequel knows not to overstay its welcome, delivering its thrills up to the exact moment its ready to let us off the ride…for now.

12. Licorice Pizza

Paul Thomas Anderson’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, is a day in the life that charmed the hell out of me. I found the second half to be a little too episodic compared to the masterful first half, but Andersons still proves to be on the top of his game.

11. The Father

Another 2020 with one of the worst posters ever. This is a horror film that presents dementia from the point of view of the broken mind it has overtaken. One tough watch with possibly the best performance of Anthony Hopkins career. Think about that.

10. The Power Of The Dog

A film that doesn’t come into focus until its conclusion, and it’s a conclusion that blew me away.

9. Another Round

The last 2020 release on here, and my favorite. A life-affirming showcase for the great Mads Mikkelsen, who gives hi career best performance. I will forever drink to this one.

8. Red Rocket

Who would have thought that one of my favorite performances of the year would go to Simon Rex, but here we are. Sean Baker once again nails the authenticity of nowhere America, delivering this year’s Uncut Gems.

7. C’mon C’mon

The most tender movie of the year. A hug in black and white.

6. Pig

Proof that Nicolas Cage is still the best version of Nicolas Cage. The most surprising film of the year, that masks itself as John Wick, with only the intention to shoot inward. Beautiful debut from Michael Sarnoski.

5. Dune: Part 1

A film for the big screen more than any on this list. The only reason it isn’t higher is because it’s only half of a movie. But what a half.

4. The Green Knight

A film that made me adore writing about it. A masterpiece that shows the importance of being good in a world that strives for perfection.

3. Mass

It’s criminal that this film isn’t on everyone’s top ten list, or at every award show. I started crying about twenty minutes in, and didn’t stop until the credits rolled.

2. West Side Story

No one blocks a scene or moves the camera like Steven Spielberg, and here his talent gets the musical jolt its needed for quite some time. It’s better than the original, and now makes Spielberg a filmmaker who’s made a great film in six different decades.

1. The Last Duel

It bombed at the box office, but it will find its audience soon enough. A true old-fashioned movie that will hopefully never stop being made. It was my favorite of 2021.

Ghostbusters Afterlife/Tick, Tick… Boom/King Richard/ House of Gucci

I heard the cries of “Nostalgia Bait,” and I didn’t believe them. After watching the film, I couldn’t see the nostalgia through the tears in my eyes. Some may call it rose-tinted, but I’m gonna call it “Ghostbusters” enthusiastically. “Afterlife” finds the right mix of reboot and sequel that allows the movie to work for a new generation while being something that fans of the series will want to embrace like old friends.

First of all, the kids are not only NOT annoying, but a welcoming group to get behind. I like how Finn Wolfhard’s character isn’t a mean older brother to his sister, played by the phenomenal Mckenna Grace. I liked how the crush he has on Celeste O’Connor’s character didn’t force it’s way into the narrative. I liked how the strange and talkative Podcast (Logan Kim) was somehow endearing. It helps that Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd are perfect in the two main adult roles. More importantly this didn’t feel like a “young adult” film. It’s simply a movie with humor, heart and adventure.

I never liked the first sequel to Ghostbusters, and Paul Feig’s reboot was awful, which allows Afterlife to sit as the second best Ghostbusters film ever made. The lead up to the climax gets a little long-winded, but things recover during the finale in a big way. As far as the returning members, and the movie’s tribute to the late Harold Ramis…it’s perfect. Tear inducing perfect.

Grade: B+

This is getting some rave reviews, and while I enjoyed it, I can’t say that I’ll put it on any end of the year lists. Andrew Garfield is amazing as always, and as a fan of musical theater there’s one stand-out scene where director Lin-Manuel Miranda shows off his ability to make phone calls to everyone involved with Broadway for a quick get together. Otherwise I wasn’t a huge fan of the music. The again, I never really enjoyed Rent and I suppose that could have had something to do with it. Also Miranda’s direction is a little flat, which doesn’t work for the material. Still worth it for Garfield alone.

Grade: B-

King Richard is a by the numbers sports movie that’s elevated by the enigmatic and flawed protagonist. In one of his best performances, Will Smith makes Richard the kind of guy you root for and want to see proven wrong. It’s a rare turn for the actor who’s no stranger to emotional roles, but hardly ones that require risk. The film’s opening hour is especially stirring, as we see why Richard must get his girls out of Compton and into a better life. From there, the movie gets into the familiar sports tropes, but we also get another great performance out of Jon Bernthal, who threatens to steal the movie.

The best scene goes to Aunjanue Ellis, as Richard’s wife, who knocks him down the pegs he deserves to be knocked down, and all of it with the love of a long suffering spouse. The movie’s climax is lackluster and can’t match the film’s early energy, but King Richard does what it comes here to do.

Grade: B 

Apparently Ridley Scott has a director’s cut of this one in hand, and while I’m not expecting it to be a Kingdom of Heaven level of improvement, the movie could defiantly use the extra time. While it’s true that the overlong length is one of its biggest problems, the film also rushes through many of its key moments. This creates a perfect storm of dull and messy when fun and trashy should have been the goal.

Thankfully the cast knows the assignment. Jeremy Irons doesn’t bother with an accent and still comes away like he belongs. Al Pacino chews the scenery in the way only he can. Adam Driver gets to be more subdued than everyone, but he’s so good that all it takes is a smirk for him to command the screen. Lady Gaga disappears into a role that doesn’t do her character justice when it comes to her state of mind. And speaking of disappearing, Jared Leto goes from a guy in fat suit that sounds like Mario, to Paolo Gucci, the stupid black sheep of an Empire.

Ridley Scott deserves praise for his versatility with this film coming right off of the great Last Duel; however, he makes The Last Duel look even more like a masterpiece standing so close to House of Gucci.

Grade: C

The Harder They Fall/Spencer/Red Notice/Passing

I got lost in the weeds in the middle of this film, but the third act recovers and solidifies it as an entertaining as hell western. Jeymes Samuel brings visual pizzazz to many of its scenes, allowing the film to blur the lines of fantasy. The “White Town” was an especially nice touch. Samuel also gets great work out of his talented cast. Jonathan Majors and Lakeith Stanfield further solidify themselves as both stars and chameleons. Idris Elba isn’t in the movie enough, but he makes up for it when he does. And I will always love Regina King. It unnecessarily sets up a sequel, but I’ll ignore that in favor of saying that this was bloody good fun.

Grade: B

I loved Pablo Larraín’s Jackie, and was hoping he’d strike gold again with Spencer, which is very similar in a great deal of ways. It plays out more like The Shining than anything else, which makes it unique, and give it a proper identity to tell its story about Princess Diana. Unfortunately I don’t think the film succeeds on what it intends, as I ended up walking away with feelings of pity rather than sympathy for the gone-too-soon princess. There’s too many side characters who don’t do enough to carve their way into the heart of the story; they just feel as though they’re piling on an already distraught protagonist. Kristen Stewart is at times incredible; other times a little too over the top. I believe that’s the fault of the film though, not her. My favorite scene is when she plays a game with her two sons, and we get to see the playful mother behind the royalty. If Stewart lands an Oscar nomination, that scene will be why. The rest culminates in a movie that’s well made and worth watching, but one that misses the mark.

Grade: B-

This was stupid. For it’s first two-thirds, I was enjoying it despite that. By the end I felt grumpy. How the hell did this cost 200 million dollars and everything looked fake? I’ll give it that it had a decent twist. Otherwise I’m glad that these talented people got so well paid to be themselves for my amusement. I sound bitter, but it isn’t a bad movie to watch on an airplane I guess.

Grade: C+

This was an incredible debut film from Rebecca Hall…like, I can’t believe this is her first movie because it’s so well done. It takes the hook of its story and explores it in various hidden directions, where Hall trusts the audience to be willing to look past that initial hook. Gorgeously photographed, shot, scored, and with an especially amazing sound design. One of Tessa Thompson’s best performances; Ruth Negga is enigmatic with some of the most expressive eyes that Hall knows exactly what to do with. André Holland, finally getting something to sink his teeth into after Moonlight is a perfect supporting player, as is the always brilliant Bill Camp, and an especially detestable Alexander Skarsgård. Remarkable debut from Hall, truly.

Grade: B+

Eternals

I am one of the many who’ve been asking for something different from the MCU. After Endgame I felt that the franchise had to start going in alternate direction, as if they’ve become an exception to “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix” rule. Adding the multiverse to the proceedings isn’t what I’m talking about either; that’s just the series evolving into its next stage. I’m talking about having their films and Disney Plus shows actually feel different. Black Widow, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki didn’t give me that feeling. WandaVision did until it got to the climax, and Shang–Chi, which I thoroughly enjoyed, had its own identity throughout…until the CGI heavy (you guessed it) climax. I know there are plenty of fans who will disagree with this notion, and that’s fine. It also makes The Eternals a rare beast in that it gave me what I wanted for the most part, though that didn’t necessarily make it good. Except I think it is good, though it struggles with having to appease people like me, and everyone else the MCU has brought to the table.

Eternals has a ton of backstory and a ton of characters, all of whom have to be introduced in a movie about big ideas occasionally surrounded by crowd pleasing action. Not to mention that it actually has to develop a wide range of relationships and the tell a narrative which has to set up a further narrative. Maybe the further narrative of the series that will co-exist with the Multiverse. Plus it has to sell us on the idea that the Avengers were necessary becasue the Eternals just stood by at watched Thanos wipe out half of the universe. For a studio that has the advantage of Disney Plus to take some of the weight off of this one film, I’m not sure why they didn’t. It would have fixed the film’s main issue…which is simply too much going on while taking the unnecessary X-Men or DCCU approach to getting to know all of the characters. I felt as though The Eternals gets by on what it does well, which couldn’t be brought down by what it unnecessarily doesn’t.

The Eternals were sent by Arishem (and his race, the Celestials) to Earth 7000 years ago to protect it from the Deviants, monstrous creatures that roam the universe. They were instructed to not to do anything else except destroy the Deviants and, when that task was completed, they were forced to intergrate into the human population, although their immortality would set them apart. Now, in the modern-day, they are scattered across the globe but the return of the Deviants forces them to re-assemble the team and confront a dark secret known only by Ajak (Salma Hayek), the leader and mother-figure of the group, regarding the true nature of their mission. Of the ten Eternals sent to Earth, Ajak is the only one of the group with a direct “line” to their god, Arishem. Her closest ally in the “family” is Ikaris (Richard Madden), who can fly and shoot energy beams (like Superman) out of his eyes. For most of his time on Earth, he has been in love with Sersi (Gemma Chan), who can control inanimate matter, but their relationship has cooled and she is now involved with a human (Kit Harrington). Other Eternals include Thena (Angelina Jolie), a gifted fighter with mental problems; Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), who can throw energy projectiles; Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), a futuristic engineer whose blueprints become reality; Sprite (Lia McHugh), a trickster with mastery over illusion; Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), whose speed might allow her to beat Flash in race; Druig (Barry Keoghan), who can control minds; and Gilgamesh (Don Lee), who has the best pure strength of any Eternal.

The narrative structure of the film follows the group as they systematically reunite, while flashbacks showcase their early days on the planet and their eventual separation. This is where the Disney Plus aspect could have truly helped, as we could have learned more about each individual Enteral, the lore behind the celestials and their power, and we could have gotten an more satisfying answer to why they didn’t help the Avengers. The true answer to that questions is because they would have rendered the Avengers moot; the one this film offers is rather lame. It’s supposed to tie into the theme of the Eternals following the rules, which include at times to stand around and do nothing even if something terrible is about to happen. I get that I shouldn’t just concede to preliminary Disney Plus shows being what’s missing here, especially considering that director Chloe Zhao likely would not have gone for that approach, and she’s a big reason why I liked this film…I guess I’m just frustrated that I saw a chance at greatness with this movie, and a chance missed.

What the film does very well considering all of the characters is giving everyone their fair share – Sersi and Ikaris are closest thing to leads that we get, otherwise this is a strong spreading of the wealth. Some of them have more to work with than others – specifically Barry Keoghan, who gets a really strong moment early on with his dismay concerning leaving humanity to their doom; Lia McHugh gets to play with Sprite being cursed to live as teenager for eternity, and Angelina Jolie practically has her own subplot that still doesn’t manage to overpower the proceedings. Her relationship with Don Lee’s Gilgamesh was particularly touching. Elsewhere, Brian Tyree Henry gets to be the first openly gay superhero in the MCU, and he doesn’t take the responsibility lightly. Likewise for Lauren Ridloff, not allowing being death to hinder such a winning personality. I thought Kumail Nanjiani was too much obvious comic relief (another issue the movie has), though I enjoyed his character’s choices during the climax. Gemma Chan is fine in the lead, but Sersi doesn’t really have any flaws, and that’s dull. I got a big charge out of seeing Kit Harrington walk up to his Stark brother Richard Madden all over a woman named Sersi…in a movie scored by Ramin Djawadi. The two of them were solid overall. Salma Hayek was decent too, but with so little time to spend with so many characters, I didn’t quite buy her as the mother figure.

Make no mistake though, the film is absolutely gorgeous to look at, up there with the Guardians movies as the best visually of the MCU. That’s all thanks to Zhao and her MCU veteran cinematographer, Ben Davis. I’ll never get tired of sunsets and sunrises in a Chloe Zhao movie. She also brings a gravitas to everything, and while that clashes with some of the more typical MCU tendencies, she has overall made a very different MCU film, and I was glad to see that. I also really did enjoy it despite my issues. The Deviants are a little too much out of The Edge of Tomorrow, and the Alpha of their group felt kind of wasted, but the Celestials are an ominous and frightening sight. What this movie sets up for the future has me pretty excited…says the guy who didn’t want more of the same.

Grade: B

Antlers

Antlers has the makings of a horror film that can use its monsters to symbolism the monstrosities done to its characters. I say “the makings of” because I completely understood the message behind it’s slow-burn creature feature, however, it simply wasn’t able to do enough in either category for me to come away with something particular memorable. It has a wonderful moody setting, gorgeous visuals, strong performances and one hell of a creature design, but it just couldn’t make it all work for me. The marriage of Scott Cooper’s adeptness for human drama through past demons, and Guillermo Del Toro’s mastery over designing characters of myth could have resulted in a masterpiece here, but Antlers spends too much of its time building without the hindsight of payoff.

Based on the short story “The Quiet Boy”, by Nick Antosca, who co-wrote the screenplay, Antlers takes place in a small town in Oregon, where in the prologue, we see Frank Weaver (Scott Haze) running a meth lab out of an abandoned mine. His young son Aiden (Sawyer Jones) waits outside the mine in his truck, Frank and his accomplice are attacked by an unseen creature. Investigating strange noises, Aiden fades into the darkness of the mine before we can see what happens to him. Three weeks later, Frank’s older but still young son, Lucas (Jeremy T. Thomas) spends his time roaming the town, collecting roadkill and killing small animals before taking them home. Lucas’s teacher, Julia Meadows (Keri Russell), is alarmed by Lucas’s strange behavior and unsettling drawings, and attempts to bond with the troubled boy. She begins to suspect that Lucas is being abused and becomes determined to help him, spurred on by her own experience of childhood abuse at the hands of her father. Since her father’s recent suicide, she returned to the town to be with her brother Paul (Jessie Plemons), who is the local sheriff, and whom she feels guilty about abandoning when she was younger. 

Just from the description alone, you can see the theme of abuse, which as many know, is sometimes passed down from the abuser to the victim, who in turn becomes what was done to them as a child. The film’s opening titles tells us of an Wendigo, a creature who prays on the weak and fills their hearts with insatiable hunger which causes them to commit unspeakable acts of violence. I love this idea of using the Wendigo as a symbol of abuse that passes from person to person, possessing them with new and terrible traits of character. Of course the film makes it literal with the idea of the Wendigo changing the person’s body into that of the monstrous figure with antlers, but it was the symbolism that I found intriguing. The problem is that this idea of abuse ends up feeling more like a red herring, supplanted completely by the horrors of Wendigo’s violence. Don’t get me wrong, that violence is compelling, I just never felt as though the film’s themes which populate the majority of its run-time were payed-off. So while I appreciated the character stuff, it never earned its slow-pace, and the Wendigo stuff sometimes felt like a different film all together. This is me though, I’m sure some will find the film a lovely blend of its ideas.

The performances by Keri Russell, Jessie Plemons and especially newcomer, Jeremy T. Thomas, as Lucas, drive home different levels of fear due to trauma. One who had to flee to face it; one who stayed and perhaps never came to terms with it; and one right smack in the middle of the kind of abuse that will stay with you for the rest of your days. The problem in the case of Julia and Paul’s characters is that we only get pieces of their backstory, and that leaves them incomplete. The same goes for Lucas, who may have more to his family relationships, especially his dead mother. I felt the film missed a chance fleshing out (no pun intended) the dynamic with his father and younger brother other than what was on the surface.

Scott Cooper delivers in the atmosphere though. Overcast skies over wilderness gives way to police lights in foggy evenings, and it all looks gorgeous. The film’s tone is appropriately dour with the sense that no matter how much kidness is being shown to Lucas by Julia, happiness will be an uphill battle at best. As far as the creature design, you can tell Del Toro had a huge hand in it. It’s rare that a movie monster lives up to the hype anymore, but Antlers for all of its issues, succeeds there. The final confrontation is lackluster though, despite the fact that the movie explained earlier (in throw away lines) how it was possible for the Wendigo to be in a weakened state.

All in all Antlers misses what could have been a high water mark. Instead we get a film with pieces of potential that was still searching for greatness in the woods…greatness ultimately eluded like an unproven myth.

Grade: C+

Titane

Titane is a about a woman who’s a serial killer that gets impregnated by a car, and the greatest complement that I can pay it is that at some point I forgot all about what had transpired. The movie contains severe body horror that starts from the bottom of the barrel of human decency, and ends being somewhat wholesome. I came away respecting the film’s ambition, originality and fearlessness…and I even enjoyed it a great deal. To say it’s an acquired taste is understatement because even if you know the early details of the plot, you’ll find yourself watching something unique throughout. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and after watching the film, I can understand the reason to award such balls of steel (titanium).

The film opens with a little girl named Alexia annoying her father during a drive, causing a car crash. Alexia suffers a terrible skull injury and has a titanium plate fitted into her head. When she gets out of the hospital, she shuns her parents and embraces their car passionately. Years later, Alexia (Agathe Rousselle), now an adult and wearing a large scar proudly on the side of her head, works as a sexed-up showgirl at a motor show. One night, after a show, a male fan follows Alexia in the showroom’s parking lot, declares his love to her and forcibly kisses her; she then brutally murders him using her large hairpin. It is revealed that Alexia is a serial killer who has murdered several men and women in the past few months. She still lives with her parents, who seem unaware of her crimes and with whom she has a distant relationship. After she takes care of her latest victim, she finds the car she modeled with earlier and enters it naked. She eventually climaxes as she rubs herself inside the car, while it appears to turn on by itself. In short…she fucks the car and it appears to enjoy it. Eventually, Alexia realizes she has somehow become pregnant. Now wanted for murder, Alexia alters her appearance by cutting her hair, taping down her breasts and increasingly pregnant stomach, and breaking her own nose. She then goes to the police pretending to be Adrien, a young boy who had disappeared ten years before at age seven. Adrien’s father, Vincent (Vincent Lindon), recognizes Alexia as his missing son and refuses to do a DNA test. At first Alexia tries to figure yet another way out. At first…

It’s interesting that there may be some of you who will hate the change in direction the film takes, as the opening act is so bonkers that anything else could be viewed as subpar when it’s merely different. That opening act is something else though. There are roughly five or six scenes that had me squirming, the broken nose moment cited above being the greatest offender in this regard. The filmmaking during this first act is visually stunning and all around excellent. Normally a long-take scene where a woman dances around a car or murders multiple people would be considered gratuitous, but I ended up feeling nothing but impressed. When the movie switches gears, no pun intended, it continues the body horror, but it also takes the main character on a bit of a redemption arc. The film almost presents her as an abused animal that’s lashes out, and now she’s experiencing true affection for the first time. The majority of the movie’s second half is her struggle to accept that affection. And somehow…it works.

Agathe Rousselle is amazing in every single scene, somehow creating a wounded stray out of her serial killer. Not to mention she’s got a fair few scenes involving some crazy stuff, and she sells every bit of it. Vincent Lindon is her equal in presenting a lost person looking for a family. He too has to ground some ridiculous moments in the narrative, and he does it with believable pain in his eyes. The car is no slouch either.

Titane repulsed me and made me say “Awww.” If you want to see something wholly original and can handle the body horror, give this one a shot. It’s certainly the best car movie about family that I’ve seen.

Grade: B+

Last Night in Soho

It’s been two days since I saw Edgar Wright’s new film, Last Night in Soho, and in those two days I’ve tried to convince myself that I enjoyed it. I wouldn’t call this mindset a biased opinion, but it acts in the same fashion. I’ve loved everything Edgar Wright has made, from Spaced to the Cornetto Trilogy, Scott Pilgrim to Baby Driver, and you can’t leave out the Don’t trailer from Grindhouse. His films are a harmony of energy created from his blending of humor and another particular genre – sometimes its been horror, other times science-fiction, or action. He’s especially adept in his editing, using it as tool to further his films’ overall tone. He’s a singular filmmaker and deserves more wide acclaim than he’s already received. With Last Night in Soho he takes a different path, dropping the humor and making an all out horror/mystery revolving around a connection between two young women living decades apart. While it’s his most subdued effort in many ways, it still manages to be all style. The problem is that the direction the story takes didn’t sustain enough momentum in order for me to stay invested. There’s other glaring issues as well among its secondary characters and the way the narrative wraps up. At first I tried to tell myself that I still enjoyed it, when the truth is that only enjoyed certain aspects, namely the visuals, overall style and the two lead performances. When it comes to Edgar Wright, I’m usually way more enthusiastic.

The movie opens in modern-day England, where lover of fashion Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie) learns that she has been accepted into a trendy London school for designers. Ellie is a quiet, kind and determined young woman with a loving grandmother who’s concerned about Ellie being stressed from living in the big city. The concern is due to Ellie having past issues with seeing her dead mother who committed suicide. Once in London, Ellie quickly determines she’s not a good match for the lifestyle concerning her bitchy roommate, Jocasta (Synnove Karlsen). She moves out of the dorm and rents a studio apartment from an elderly woman, Ms. Collins (Diana Rigg), who lays down a series of rules, such no men allowed. Ellie loves the apartment; however, as Ellie lies down at night, she is transported to the mid-1960s – an era she idolizes – and gets to look at the vibrant world through the eyes of aspiring singer Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy). At first, Sandie seems to be the type of person in complete control of every room she steps in, causing Ellie to becomes addicted to going to sleep at night so she can re-connect with the young woman she aspires to be. It all starts to crumble though, as Sandie’s lover/manager Jack (Matt Smith) shows his cruelty, slowly breaking the spirit of the young girl. During the day, Ellie becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Sandie 55 years earlier, but the trail has gone cold and no one believes her visions. The only clue is a mysterious old man (Terence Stamp) with a familiar look who may know the answers. There’s also the issue of of Ellie being followed by spirits that may or may not be real.

The initial set-up of the film is excellent, being a sort of inverse Hot Fuzz. The first few scenes where Ellie encounters Sandie are some of the movie’s best, allowing Wright to show off his usual talents. It isn’t long before the narrative loses its luster though. Once Ellie begins to become obsessed with trying to find out what happened to Sandie along with her having visions of ghouls, it’s an obsession that just wasn’t thrilling to watch. This is mostly due to Ellie’s interactions in modern day with the other characters, who for the most part are terrible. There’s Jocasta, who the film gives zero reason to be such a bitch. This isn’t inherently an issue, but the character is used for nothing other than an obvious obstacle. The flip side to her coin is a young man named John (Michael Ajao), who spends the film being nice to Ellie because he likes her. I don’t know if Wright was trying to make some sort of commentary with the character, but good lord at some point it felt like a joke that the film wasn’t in on. The only scenes that really worked during the entire last half of the movie are the ones involving Terrance Stamp and the late Diana Rigg. Then things wrap up in too neat of bow that’s shredded via plot holes. I suppose that if I could buy the time traveling dreams, I should be able to buy the ending. The real problem is that it feels cheap and the social commentary that Wright’s going for isn’t earned because of that cheapness. Having just seen The Last Duel, it was interesting how that film was able to take the past and make it relevant for today’s treatment of women in the sense that the more things have changed the more they’ve stayed the same. Wright is going for something similar and he has the right idea in his approach. It simply doesn’t land.

While the film is selling itself on Anya Taylor-Joy, this is Thomasin McKenzie’s movie. She’s in nearly every moment of this film, and flourishes in the whirlwind Wright puts her through. Her character is instantly easy to root for, and to be honest if she wasn’t so likable I may really hated this one. My concern for Ellie finding out what happened to Sandie rested on hoping Ellie would make it out of the film in one piece, and that’s all due to McKenzie. This isn’t to write off Taylor-Joy, who continues her streak of being one the most watchable young performers we have. She makes Sandie’s decent painful to watch. She also has one hell of a singing voice. Matt Smith is solid as the charming turned creep Jack. Terrance Stamp and Diana Rigg are also wonderful. I’m not sure if Rigg had shot anything else before she passed away, if not then her work here is a fine end.

The film is beautifully photographed by Chung-hoon Chung, bringing Wright’s Don’t Look Now/Suspiria influences to colorful life. Due to the film not being a comedy Wright’s toned his editing style down a bit, though its still used to strong effect when its there. I especially liked a sequence where Sandie is bought one drink after another by a different man. This type of editing is Wright at his best in the way it tells us everything that Sandie is going through. I did find the ghoul’s design to be uninspired though. The horror elements in the film were more annoying to me than threating. The soundtrack is killer as expected.

All in all, I’m pretty disappointed, especially considering Wright’s track record. That isn’t to suggest that I wouldn’t line up for his next ten films right this instant. It just suggests that this really was my last night in Soho.

Grade: C+

Dune: Part One

When I got into Star Wars as a kid, I naturally looked for similar stories to quench the Tatooine like thirst it had left behind. My aunt, who was in-love with Kyle MacLachlan, had a VHS (I’m old) copy of David Lynch’s adaptation of Dune. So I watched it and found it slightly weirder than Star Wars, but overall enjoyable. Years later I watched it again, and read-up on Frank Herbert’s novels, finding it fascinating how much science-fiction and fantasy storytelling owed to him and his desert. I also understood how the books were seemingly unfilmable – Lynch’s film, though charming, is a mess; Alejandro Jodorowsky famously failed to get his big screen adaptation off the ground; and then there was a miniseries on the Sci-fi channel that’s well regarded among fans of the novels, but that isn’t the big screen. Dune was considered near impossible to put on the big screen. And yet if it was ever given the opportunity, and put in the right hands, it had the chance to be the next Lord of The Rings, meaning a chance to take a story so dense with culture, character, ideas and spectacle, and to make it remind people of why we go to the movies.

Movie theaters these days are rich with superhero films lacking in awe and maturity (calm down, not all of them). Other types of releases simply do not make money anymore, not counting horror movies (good and bad). The recently released The Last Duel, a historical epic directed by the guy who made Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator, starring Jason Bourne, Batman and Kylo Ren, would have once been a sure-fire hit. Instead it bombed and took some hope with it. The hope that we won’t get a chance to see something like it for a very long time. There’s plenty of factors to blame of course – the pandemic and the marketing, but the bottom line is that it bombed. And it’s the bottom line where the checks are signed. One week later Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Dune entered American theaters. While everyone who’s watched it insisted it be viewed on the largest screen possible, it was also simultaneously released on HBO Max, meaning despite everything, the chance to bomb like The Last Duel before it was very much there. If it did bomb, it would leave the adaptation incomplete, and that would be a tragedy for its makers, for its fans, for the studio and for the film industry as a whole. Dune: Part One does not have the luxury of a ton of action among its grandness, it’s mostly without humor, it can be weighed down by its exposition, confusing in its world building, overwhelming in its numerous characters, icy in its tone, and dragged by its slow pace. I don’t mean for fans of the books, I mean for the people that need to go see it in order to prove to the studio that these types of movies aren’t dead in the sand. Those issues are less of a factor now that Part Two has officially been announced. So it’s with an exhale that I say Dune: Part One suffers from being, well…a “Part One,” but it’s also a hell of a Part One, and a reminder of why I go to the movies.

The first task that director Denis Villeneuve faces in bringing his vision onto the screen is translating a foundation for Herbert’s dense Sci-fi epic that will be accessible without appearing simplified and lacking in the novel’s richness. Dune establishes this foundational beautifully, instantly informing viewers of the planet Arrakis along with the most valuable thing in the universe, spice – a substance critical to interstellar travel because it allows navigators to fold space; it also extends lifespan and spirit while having drug-like effects. We then move on to Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), the head of House Atreides, who’s been tasked by the Emperor with the rulership of Arrakis, the only known planet where spice can be mined. The decree deepens the enmity between House Atreides and its historical enemy, House Harkonnen, lead by the grotesque Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), Arrakis’ former Steward. We soon learn that the true goal of the Emperor is to destroy House Atreides, not bring it further rise to promise. Leto is hopeful that he can prepare a defense before the trap is sprung, although he underestimates the vastness of the forces against him. His goal is to make contact with the Fremen, men and women who inhabit Arrakis’ deserts, and form an alliance with them. To this end, he travels to Arrakis in the company of his concubine, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), a “Bene Gesserit Witch” whose psychic powers give her great insight and mind-control; his son, Paul (Timothee Chalamet), who may or may not be the “messiah” figure predicted by Fremen and Bene Gesserit prophesies; and valued fighting men Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) and Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin). Once on Arrakis, Paul discovers the physical difficulties of life there. The days become so hot that survival is impossible outside unless one wears a life suit that captures and recycles sweat. Giant sandworms lurk beneath the surface, always looming as a threat. And spice affects him in peculiar ways, enhancing dreams. In particular, he has visions of a young Fremen woman, Chani (Zendaya), whose actions promise both love and betrayal if taken at face value. He has other such visions of equal duality, creating multiple possibilities for his future.

This is part FUCKING one!

Though this film essentially follows a three-act structure, it’s atypical in that it goes – Act 1: Establishing as much as it can; Act 2: Executing the narrative shift that will shape the remainder of the story; Act 3: The beginning of that remaining story. Act 1 does an incredible job of introducing Dune’s characters, lore, politics, ecology, religion, and narrative possibilities in a remarkable display of “show don’t tell.” Dune was always going to be in danger of becoming a boring info-dump because so much information is necessary, but I never felt that Villeneuve fell into that trap. I mean look at the long plot description above, now imagine presenting it via immersion. That immersion is on display through the sheer scale of nearly every frame of this movie. I saw on one of the largest IMAX screens on the planet, and for the first time in a long while, a movie theater was a window into an entire world. Act 2 further established that spectacle and the various characters. Characters that I can’t fault you if you didn’t care for as much as you’d hope to at this point…just remember, we’re not as far along into this narrative as we normally would be. Does that mean it isn’t an issue? No, because there are deaths that don’t land as forcibly as they normally would ninety minutes into a picture. It’s a problem that needs Part Two in order to create perspective, and we simply don’t have that yet. I will say that there’s one character that betrays the rest, and while it heavily impacts the narrative, it fails to land on a character level.

Then we get to Act Three, and I was reminded of the first time I watched The Fellowship of the Ring. After the death of a main character in that film, the remaining heroes don’t simply head directly to the movie’s climax; they make a pit stop to get some items and have a bit of a recharge. Peter Jackson said it was a tremendous issue for him because you simply don’t slow down at that point in the story, but he had to. In retrospect, I can’t fathom The Lord of The Rings without it, but when you’re over two hours into something, slowing the pace is a large ask for your audience. Dune does this as well, except it goes one step further and never really ramps up again. There’s a bit of a physical culmination, but on a much smaller scale than the rest of the film, and I can see how it might leave audiences unfulfilled beyond the concept that this is not the real ending. I enjoyed the impending conclusion more on my rewatch, but Part Two will ultimately decide its fate.

The cast is huge, and they’re perfect. Paul Atredis is a very difficult character to get right – he’s kind, petulant, brave, stuck-up, curious, distraught, a leader and dangerous. Timothee Chalamet brings all of that to life. The best way I can describe his performance is that it’s the best version of Anakin Skywalker we’ve ever gotten. Equally brilliant is the underrated Rebecca Ferguson, who I hope will now finally establish herself among audiences. Oscar Isaac makes for a wonderful introduction to this world as a father figure holding our hand while we’re overwhelmed. Stellan Skarsgård also takes our hand, though into the darkness giving us our villain, disgustingly brought to life. Jason Momoa gives the film a little light in the instantly likeable Duncan Idaho, the movie’s action star. Other performers, such as Josn Brolin, Dave Bautista, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, David Dastmalchian and Zendaya, among others, don’t have as much to do, but they make the best of it. Then there’s Charlotte Rampling and Javier Bardem, who steal every scene they’re in. Some of these actors who had less to do should get more chances to shine in the second part.

On a technical level, the movie is a beast. Greig Fraser’s cinematography takes the film’s muted color pallet and creates a world that I believed was a distant future. That’s not to say that the film isn’t full of numerous images that I’d gladly hang on my wall to look at every day; I actually may want the arrival of the Bene Gesserit framed. The production design is at times minimalistic, though it fits the coldness of the story, even in the desert. The visual effects will be walking away with the Academy Award next year for the sandworms alone. The sound design will also be sweeping awards season, from the ships to “the voice” used by the Bene Gesserit that made the audience I was in jump. Speaking of sound, Hans Zimmer’s score is a constant character in the film, and while he sometimes goes a little too big, he delivers one of his best in years.

Dune is nowhere close to your typical blockbuster, and while the cries of “boring” think they’re loud, this film has found a wide audience nonetheless. It’s rare to see something so grand that doesn’t talk down to its viewers from even the biggest screen. Instead Dune trusts those who see it to understand the story and lore, even if it takes some time to fill in the gaps. With Dune: Part One, director Denis Villeneuve further establishes himself as one of the best we have. This is only a third of his potential magnum opus, with him possibly adapting Dune: Messiah after Part Two, and I’m so here for it. More than that though, he’s made a movie that will create new audiences for the Dune books, new audiences for his earlier brilliant films, and more trust from studios that people will go to see films like this. Films once thought impossible to get right. You know…the best kind.

Grade: A-

The French Dispatch

I said in my review of Isle of Dogs that it took me a while to get into Wes Anderson. Though I really enjoyed The Royal Tenebaums, I had to wait until The Fantastic Mr. Fox before he really started to click for me. Then came the hilarious and endearing one-two punch of Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel, followed by the equally sweet and funny Isle of Dogs. Anderson had perfected his style of filmmaking, and married it to a great big heart. The French Dispatch by the nature of its narrative structure, in which it consists of three separate short stories, doesn’t have as much room for that heart, and perhaps a little too much room for everything else he does so well. I would have to consider it a step down from his last three efforts. However, a step down isn’t a step-off; Anderson is still in complete control of every aspect of his movie, which is constantly engaging and amusing (at times hilarious), along with being a delight for the eyes.

The plot revolves around the final issue of “The French Dispatch,” a fictional Kansas newspaper run by it’s eccentric, but fair editor, Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray). The narrative follows the paper through its final issue, first with a quick travel article written by Herbsaint Sazerac (Owen Wilson), before beginning the first of three articles, and finally ending with an obituary. The first of these articles The Concrete Masterpiece – by J.K.L. Berensen sees Berensen (Tilda Swinton) recall the story of Moses Rosenthaler (Benicio Del Toro), a mentally disturbed artist serving a prison sentence for murder, who paints an abstract nude portrait of Simone (Léa Seydoux), a prison officer with whom he’s developed a relationship. His work catches the eye of fellow inmate Julien Cadazio (Adrian Brody), an art dealer in for tax evasion. Julien wants to sell the portrait and eventually create an exhibit out of Moses’ art. This chapter is a really fun opener, with great work from Del Toro and Seydoux, though it’s unsurprisingly Adrian Brody who steals it, once again making vulgarity in an Wes Anderson movie an art form.

Next up is Revisions to a Manifesto – by Lucinda Krementz, in which Krementz (Frances McDormand) reports on a student protest that soon boils over into the “Chessboard Revolution”. Despite her insistence on maintaining “journalistic integrity”, she has a brief romance with Zeffirelli (Timothée Chalamet), a self-styled leader of the revolt, and secretly helps him write his manifesto. This one was the weakest entry of the three, though McDormand and Chalamet (who’s had a great weekend with this and his other released film) are watchable as hell. I also loved Lyna Khoudri, as Zeffirelli’s rival and potential lover. This one is the most emotionally distant of the three stories, and while the humor works, it didn’t make me laugh out loud like the other two.

Finally there’s The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner – by Roebuck Wright. While conducting a television interview, Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright) recounts the story of his attending a private dinner with The Commissaire of the Ennui police force (Mathieu Amalric), prepared by legendary police officer-slash-chef Lt. Nescaffier (Stephen Park). The dinner is disrupted when the Commissaire’s son Gigi (Winston Ait Hella) is kidnapped and held for ransom by criminals. After a series of interrogations, the police discover the kidnapper’s hideout and begin a stakeout, in which Chef Nescaffier is a critical piece. This one was my favorite of the three, anchored by the awesome Jeffrey Wright who far and away gives the best performance in the film. There’s a moment during the television interview where he’s asked why he became a food critic, and his answer reminded me of something Hemingway would’ve said. It’s the kind of moment that proves once again that Anderson is more than his oddities. Otherwise this chapter was the best visually, especially with a hysterical animated section that depicts a car chase. I do wish Nescaffier’s character got to make more of an impact though. The movie pretends he does, but I never felt it.

It goes without saying that the movie is gorgeous, maybe Anderson’s best looking film yet. Alexandre Desplat’s score is a perfect complement to the French imagery. The rest of the ensemble cast has little more than cameos (with the exception of Tilda Swinton and Bill Murray, both unsurprisingly wonderful), but they make the best out of them. Detractors of The French Dispatch will rightly criticize that Anderson doesn’t have a whole lot to say with this film, and perhaps cares too much with how he says it. That it’s all style with no substance. While I do think that it’s certainly more style than substance, there were enough moments for me to latch onto. Certainly more than some of his earlier films that I admired without enjoying.

The bottom line is that if you’re not a fan of Anderson, then The French Dispatch won’t be for you, as it likely contains all of the reasons you dislike his films, and it contains them to the maximum. For those who love Anderson’s films, I’d say that even if you think this is the worst one he’s made, you’ll still enjoy it very much. For me…I had a grin on my face through the entire thing – sometimes that grin turned into a laugh, one time that grin was nearly accompanied by a tear. Again, a step-back isn’t a step-off…besides, Anderson likes to move laterally.

Grade: B+

Mass

Fran Kranz’s Mass has a run-time of 110 minutes, including the end credits. I struggled not to cry through about 85 of those minutes, failing for the most part. This is a film about brutal and inescapable loss, about blame and consequences, and about finding the way to heal, if not remotely close to all the way. It’s tone is that quiet aftershock you experience when someone close to you dies, the kind that follows the initial nightmare of it all. It puts you smack in the middle of something you will absolutley want to look away from, and I did. I looked away because I didn’t want to be in the room this film takes place in; the confines of the room are against the laws of nature and time, where what lingers in pain should be elsewhere watching their children grow. Instead, the four people in the room talk about that pain, who’s responsible for it, how it could have been prevented, and the way forward. Mass will be high on my best movies of 2021, if not the very top.

Mass opens outside of a church in the middle of America where volunteers of its parish have prepared a room for four visitors. Those visitors are two couples – Richard (Reed Birney) & Linda (Ann Dowd), and Jay Perry (Jason Isaacs) & Gail Perry (Martha Plimpton). Upon arrival, the Perry’s are on edge, but they enter the church and the room set up for their meeting all the same. Richard and Linda then arrive, they are now separated, but seem cordial. The four are left alone to talk about what brought them to the meet up, and after a few awkward moments and false pleasantries they begin to discuss why they’re in this room. The reason is because Jay and Gail’s son was killed in a mass school shooting by another student, who then turned the gun on himself. The parents of this other student are Richard and Linda.

Right away I must say that, as great as it is, I’m not sure I ever want to watch this movie again. I know parents who’ve lost children, more than I’d like to know, and the feeling from being at those funerals and gatherings after is how I felt watching Mass. If you know the feeling then you have an idea of what you’re getting into, and you’ll understand how difficult of a place this film resides. It isn’t just the pain of that day or of the days after that this film presents, but of the pain that will linger, of all the questions and wishes to turn back time. The film briefly brings up the Guns vs. Mental Health argument that populates the news every time there’s an awful shooting such as this, but it brushes the political aspect of that topic away in favor of one set of parents trying to understand the reason their son was shot through the throat. They want Richard and Linda to disclose all of the factors to blame for it, and while Richard and Linda are open and honest about their mistakes that resulted in the their son’s actions, they too are still looking for answers among their own grief.

Because the film is only this single conversation, among various starts, stops and minor changes of topic, I won’t go into how it plays out. Let’s just say that it’s at times awkward, melancholic, frustrating, cathartic and depressing beyond what you can imagine, all wonderfully laid out in the best screenplay of 2021 by Fran Kranz, who makes his directorial debut as well. The writing has a moment here and there that perhaps could’ve been artificial, but it’s so beautifully realized and remarkably performed by four actors who deliver career best work. Creating two completely different dynamics in relation to who their son was in the shooting.

Of the four, Reed Birney gets the least showy work to do, appearing almost apathetic at times, though not truly, and never cold. He’s grieving just as much as the rest, only shows it differently. In comparison, Jason Isaacs, so good in the villainous role, is unrecognizable in this film. He has a moment where he goes the detail regarding the death of his son, and it encompasses why no parent should ever have to do such a thing. Martha Plimpton gets what I thought was the climactic moment of the movie and she knocks it out of the park. Through her, we see the former light in her and Jay’s life, and the people they were before it was taken from them. And finally the great Ann Dowd, who deserved Emmys for her work in The Leftovers, delivers the greatest performance in the film, as she does her best to make sense of what her son did, and acknowledge that she ultimately can’t. She got to me the most, especially her final moment on screen, as she exits the frame, back out into the world where her son destroyed her life, into the world where she’ll never see him again. Simply gutting.

There’s a few minor ill advised creative choices in the film, such as briefly changing the aspect ratio, and going too handheld when unnecessary. Mass doesn’t need any tricks, it’s near perfect the way it is. I can say that it feels odd for a film about this subject matter to be receiving awards acclaim when there’s nothing being done about it in the real world. Perhaps if parents saw this film, they’ll see consequences that will put them into action, just so they’ll never be in that room. No one should.

Grade: A