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Post by Jeremy on Dec 6, 2021 9:12:01 GMT -8
It's that time again!
This thread functions somewhat as a placeholder (I will post my Worst Films of 2021 piece sometime this week, and my Best Films of 2021 later this month), but it's also a good place for discussion and reflection, if you have specific films from this year you want to highlight or condemn.
Mostly, my prime complaint remains the same as always - how most of the best films every year don't get wide release until late December (or even early January) which means it's tough for anyone to properly honor them in an end-of-year list before the calendar flips over.
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Post by ThirdMan on Dec 6, 2021 14:56:53 GMT -8
I really haven't watched a great deal of 2021 films, but I'll most certainly wait until I've seen Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza (hopefully the week of Christmas/New Years) before offering any detailed thoughts at all.
I will say that the most visually-striking film I've seen thus far in 2021, shot-for-shot, is undeniably The French Dispatch. But as I noted a while back, it's also a film that unloads so much visual and verbal information on you at once that it's very overwhelming on a narrative level. I'll be curious to see if it's easier to process on a second viewing, whenever I get around to that.
And unless I absolutely ADORE the PT Anderson flick, I doubt I'll settle on an undeniable favourite for the year.
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Post by Jeremy on Dec 6, 2021 20:30:02 GMT -8
I have a couple of tentative favorites for the year, and I expect I'll watch a few more over the next week or so. This has been an unusual year for film, since several of the films in the most recent Oscar season (e.g. Nomadland, Minari) did not achieve a major release until January or February of this year, so they could technically be classified as 2021 releases.
I missed the brief window that French Dispatch was playing at my local theater, so I guess I'll catch it when it starts streaming. Or maybe I'll travel a little farther to one of the arthouse theaters for that or Licorice Pizza (even if my feelings toward PTA films are hit-and-miss). The screenings are available, if I can work up the motivation.
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Post by guttersnipe on Dec 8, 2021 5:47:22 GMT -8
Colour me interested! As per usual (perhaps moreso), my perspective on the year in question is pretty inchoate given that it typically takes forever for festival curiosities and underground titles to filter down to me. As it stands, unless something changes in the next three weeks I believe I once again have racked up exactly ten viewings for this year.
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Post by Jeremy on Dec 9, 2021 8:10:57 GMT -8
I've seen more year-of-release films in 2021 than I did in 2020, though still less than in 2019. Theaters and Hollywood are recovering, but it's still taking some time. Kicking things off now with my 10 worst films of the year. These were the movies that annoyed me the most, so please take a moment to share in my grief.
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Post by Jeremy on Dec 23, 2021 9:14:37 GMT -8
My final article of 2021, in which I pick the 10 best films of the year. (I'm sure this list will probably change a bit as I watch a few of the acclaimed year-end releases in January or February, but these are my picks based on films I watched as of the current self-imposed year-end deadline. Ah, the perils of not getting easy access to early screenings...)
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Post by ThirdMan on Dec 23, 2021 17:49:12 GMT -8
It's no small feat for a non-kosher film to be deemed Best Of The Year by Mr. Grayson.
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Post by guttersnipe on Jan 1, 2022 3:04:51 GMT -8
Happy New Year, everyone!
1) The French Dispatch 2) Dune 3) Together 4) Encanto 5) Godzilla vs Kong 6) ear for eye 7) Luca 8) Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City 9) Raya and the Last Dragon 10) Even Mice Belong in Heaven
BEST SHORT: The Mezzotint BEST DOCUMENTARY: Can't Get You Out of My Head BEST MUSIC VIDEO: Doja Cat - Streets
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Post by guttersnipe on Jan 1, 2022 3:08:27 GMT -8
And the best films I saw in 2021, in chronological order:
The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932, Charles Vidor and Charles Brabin) Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea (1977, Jindrich Polák) Le Pont du Nord (1981, Jacques Rivette) A Woman Without Love (1952, Luis Buñuel) R (2010, Tobias Lindholm) Noroît (1976, Jacques Rivette) Wolfwalkers (2020, Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart) Bombay (1995, Mani Ratnam) Sound of Metal (2019, Darius Marder) This is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection (2019, Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese)
BEST SHORT: When the Pie Was Opened (1941, Len Lye) BEST DOCUMENTARY: Can't Get You Out of My Head (2021, Adam Curtis) BEST MUSIC VIDEO: Riz MC feat. Aruba Red & Plan B - All of You (2012, Richard Pengelley and Tom McKay)
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 2, 2022 6:50:55 GMT -8
Happy New Year, everyone! 1) The French Dispatch 2) Dune 3) Together 4) Encanto 5) Godzilla vs Kong 6) ear for eye 7) Luca 8) Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City 9) Raya and the Last Dragon 10) Even Mice Belong in Heaven I like how you made sure to watch all the new Disney/Pixar releases this year. Much respect. That said, I was unfortunately not particularly blown away by any of this year's animated output from those studios, and I would add that I actually found Encanto to be the weakest of the three films. Mostly because of the third act, which bungles its big dramatic moment due to lack of proper buildup and all-too-hasty resolution. It's a good film, with great animation and memorable songs, but didn't nearly reach its potential.
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Post by guttersnipe on Jan 2, 2022 14:35:10 GMT -8
Yep, I briefly had the opportunity to piggyback somebody's Disney+ so I used it for a nice bit of catch-up. Encanto I actually watched at the cinema just a fortnight ago, and whilst I really enjoyed the colours and how the songs closely resembled music videos (thus making the central casa a kind of musical hub system), I agree it was somewhat dramatically inert. Like you say, none of these were amazing, but I also saw Earwig and the Witch last month, which is such a turkey it makes each of those Disney/Pixars look like The Secret of NIMH.
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Post by ThirdMan on Jan 2, 2022 19:12:15 GMT -8
Happy New Year, everyone! 1) The French Dispatch 2) Dune 3) Together 4) Encanto 5) Godzilla vs Kong 6) ear for eye 7) Luca 8) Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City 9) Raya and the Last Dragon 10) Even Mice Belong in Heaven BEST SHORT: The Mezzotint BEST DOCUMENTARY: Can't Get You Out of My Head BEST MUSIC VIDEO: Doja Cat - Streets I can generally tell what my favourite film of any year is by which film I'm looking out for the most when I skim over Top 10 Films critics' lists in December. Right now, despite it being a bit overwhelming, and keeping the actual narrative at an arm's distance, I'm certainly leaning towards the Wes Anderson picture. Its visual design really is fabulous, and of course, the cast is tremendous as usual.
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 3, 2022 7:23:26 GMT -8
I do feel bad about missing French Dispatch in 2021 (it was in and out of my local theater before I could blink and only made it to DVD last week), but I'll watch it pretty soon and see where it lands. Like you say, none of these were amazing, but I also saw Earwig and the Witch last month, which is such a turkey it makes each of those Disney/Pixars look like The Secret of NIMH. I came close to watching Earwig this year, but I heard some truly terrible things about it, and I'm at the point in my life where I no longer feel compelled to watch every new animated release. Besides, my "Worst Films of the Year" list was getting crowded already, so I passed.
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