2021, In Conclusion...
Spoilers
The end of a year, much like the arrival of the Oscars, gives me the excuse to ramble about films some more. Not that I need the excuse, my 'arts blog' having become slightly side-tracked by the biggest, loudest, and brightest of the arts (with apologies to Musical Theatre - you're the biggest, loudest, and brightest at heart). But, then again, you have rather foolishly clicked on the link and paid me a digital visit, so an apology for my ramblings is clearly not needed.
Due to the pandemic, this cinematic year has been the second weird one in a row. In a typical year, I would see at least 52 movies at the cinema, my record being over 70. This year, I managed 35, which isn't too bad considering that we only returned to the flicks in June. In many ways, the ratio of times to film is on the higher side; just a shame about the whole January to May part.
So, to conclude this year, I thought I would discuss the highlights and lowlights of the previous year at the cinema. I'll begin with some 'Oscar-Style' awards (the concept being nonchalantly stolen from Peter Bradshaw's column in The Guardian), follow that with my 'Bottom 10' (everyone's favourite part), include a small list of 'The Middle Films', and conclude with my 'Top 10' (which I'll pretend is the bit you're all here for really). The films listed come exclusively from the 35 visits I took to the cinema - no streaming included. Let's begin...
Oscar-Style Awards
Visual Effects: Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Film Editing: The French Dispatch
Costume Design: Cruella
Makeup & Hairstyling: Last Night in Soho
Cinematography: West Side Story
Production Design: The French Dispatch
Sound: A Quiet Place: Part II
Original Song: 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' from Encanto
Original Score: The French Dispatch
Animated Picture: Encanto
Screenplay (can't quite face researching which were original and which were adapted - sue me!): The Last Duel
Supporting Actor: Rita Moreno (West Side Story) - notable mentions to Mike Faist (West Side Story), David Alvarez (West Side Story), Willem Defoe (Spider-Man: No Way Home), & Anya Taylor-Joy (Last Night in Soho)
Actor: Sir Anthony Hopkins (The Father) - notable mentions to Ansel Elgort (West Side Story), Tom Holland (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Thomasin McKenzie (Last Night in Soho), & Jodie Comer (The Last Duel)
Director: Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)
Bottom 10
One unusual consequence of the pandemic is that the quality of films released is quite high. When I score films, I save '1/5's for the real dregs of the dregs. Movies so bad that they're beyond funny. Movies with such little respect, regard, or understanding of the form that their very conception was a crime. Movies that, frankly, I just didn't like. Counterintuitively to statistics, these are quite infrequent. In 2017, a 53-film year, there were four. For context of what constitutes such a poor quality film, they were: The Mountain Between Us (so very boring and misguided), Arthur: Legend of the Sword (Guy Richie and a mythology he doesn't understand, where David Beckham somehow out-acts everyone), Kong: Skull Island (a monumentally stupid film), and Assassins Creed (a long snore covered by endless swirls of dust). As aforementioned, this year was different. Due to the delays of release, and picture houses desperately trying to turn a profit, those low-calibre films were hidden away. Sure, there have been bad films, but the real nadirs of cinema were buried alongside Universal's attempts at a shared monster universe.
This year's bottom 10 fall into three camps: films that were sloppily created, films that I'll have forgotten I ever saw, and films that left me with a soft "meh." at the end. Ten is the best of the bunch, with one being the bottom of the pile.
10. Copshop - A fun premise that was handled poorly, failing to thus live up to its established expectations.
9. The Croods: A New Age - Not terrible but quite forgettable; a shame considering how surprisingly good its predecessor was.
8. House of Gucci - Long, boring, and slightly offensive. Could easily lead the uninitiated to avoid all Ridley Scott films.
7. Venom: Let There Be Carnage - A tonal mess filled with wooden performances. Totally not worth the mid-credits scene.
6. Respect - Glorified fan-fiction that completely undermines a powerful subject.
5. The Many Saints of Newark - Remarkably unremarkable. A film destined to be the pub quiz answer nobody gets within five years.
4. Reminiscence - A film noir hacksterpiece made by a director who must have only ever watched Miami Vice reruns.
3. Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard - A film dedicated to proving that Ryan Reynolds cannot just save a film by his presence and should be more careful in picking films.
2. Space Jam: A New Legacy - That legacy being 'bad choices' and the end of LeBron James' mercifully short-lived acting career.
1. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway - The only thing that saved this film from a 1/5 write-off (and trust me on this, I saw it twice) was going to a screening with my lovely godchildren, who found it very funny. Clearly, one of the target audience groups liked it. I will give it that. The nods to the adults, though, were massive misses. Every single silly wink and pseudo-meta nonsense misfired, turning the whole film into some sort of weird, cynical, obvious money-making venture. It was like a burglar coming into your home and telling you jokes about crime whilst walking out with your TV having shot you in the leg. At least they were honest, I guess.
The Middle Film
A quick list of those films not bad enough to make the bottom and not good enough to make the top:
Dune / Encanto / F9 / Cruella / Nobody / No Time to Die / Black Widow / Our Ladies / Free Guy / Eternals / Jungle Cruise / Off the Rails / Ghostbusters: Afterlife / Freaky
Top 10
And so to the final segment of the review, a look at the higher echelons of movie-going. I can be quite generous at times with my scoring, but if I have enjoyed a film, what else can I do? This half moon of a year has felt full of decent pictures, ones I have come out of smiling or enthusing about. Hopefully this top ten condenses my ravings to a select few worth striking out for. As with the previous list, but more logically here, 10 is the lowest and 1 is the best.
10. In the Heights - A bright, colourful, and warming movie full of infectious song and dance.
9. The Suicide Squad - DC finally made a good choice with their poaching of James Gunn. His slightly anarchic, off-beat comedy, all delivered with pulse-perfect timing, turned around a flailing franchise and toxic brand.
8. A Quiet Place: Part II - A rare horror sequel that delivers. The cinema craft is excellent, turning the slightest sound into a cause for fear.
7. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - Putting the TV shows aside, the Marvel Movie year has been a bit of a mixed bag, but this proved a surprise hit. Weaving a similar Black Panther magic over Asian-American culture, Marvel showed how to create a thrilling and engaging story with a little known property.
6. The Last Duel - Long and worth nearly every minute, weaving three opposing perspective narratives with skill. Could easily lead the uninitiated to seek out all Ridley Scott films.
5. The French Dispatch - Pure, undiluted Wes Anderson at his very best. Each image, each line of dialogue, each bar of music is perfectly assembled to create a purely artistic whole.
4. Last Night in Soho - A distinctive and engaging thriller based on an unusual premise. With a typically well-hung soundtrack, Edgar Wright is on top form.
3. Spider-Man: No Way Home - A top tier superhero movie, capturing the magic of Spider-Man correctly on film for the first time, whilst successfully tying up three distinct franchises. Exceptional.
2. The Father - A towering piece of cinema, using the form creatively and devastatingly to portray the cruelties of dementia. Probably a career best from Sir Anthony Hopkins.
1 . West Side Story - A triumph. A twilight flourish from the great Steven Spielberg. Although the proof will tell over the years, it has all the hallmarks of 'classic' written over it.
That's all for 2021 folks! Thanks for sticking with me and here's to 2022.
Happy New Year!
Ethan
Comments