Why So Blu?

Gregg’s Best and Worst Films of 2021

2022?! But we just started 2021! Yes, time does seem to be flying by awfully quick these days, but I’ll take it considering the further we move ahead, the more we can eventually put Covid-19 in the rear view. Speaking of which, before we get to the films on the list, can we just look at how much better things are right now than they were twelve months ago? Yes, I’m aware numbers are spiking, but the things we can do in society today that we couldn’t a year ago is quite the positive upswing. In over a decade of writing for Why So Blu, last year was the first time my Top 10 list was shrunk to a mere five films. This was of course due to the tremendous lack of new releases combined with the closures of cinemas across the country. But, here we are.

We persevered and leapt over another covid hurdle. Theaters are bustling and streaming is more like a tsunami when it comes to new, big budget films. Productions like Netflix exclusives The Harder They Fall and Red Notice are just a few of the streaming-specific movies that completed a list of what to watch in 2021. While I did not get to see The Last Duel or Nightmare Alley, and this list was due before The King’s Man is to be released, I am feeling rather confident about the placement laid out here before you.

The Top 5 Worst Films of 2021

Before we get to the best of the best in 2021, let’s take a look at what I thought were some of the most time-sucking duds of the year. All of these were approached with an open mind, but some did their best to either put me to sleep, make me contemplate leaving the theater or had me wondering who the hell approved this script.

5. Free Guy – This Ryan Reynolds film focused on a background character in a video game world who ended up developing free choice and becoming something more. The trailer looked like this could be a fun ride of a film, especially considering Reynolds was the star. Even prior to seeing this movie a friend of mine who saw it ahead of me exclaimed, “Wait for the laughs!” Well, here we are in December and I’m still waiting. This movie fell so flat that it would even rival a Nebraska landscape. Reynolds’ nervous delivery eventually wears thin and the jokes are humorless at best. Even the addition of Taika Waititi couldn’t rescue this.

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4. Snake Eyes – The third live action G.I. Joe film had more promise than its two predecessors. It was an origins film of arguably the most famous Joe out there, Snake Eyes. What ended up playing out on film was the result of a disastrous script. Instead of being the heroic ninja who never speaks, we get a slick-talking backstabber who is everything but the Snake Eyes we’ve always known and loved. Shame on you, Larry Hama, for giving your blessing to that script. This reel of film is best viewed at the bottom of a garbage can.

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3. Antlers – Only one film sent me to slumberland in 2021 and here it is. This horror film focused on a Native American legend of man awakening a malevolent spirit of earth after that planet is polluted and robbed of its resources. With a run time of one hour and 40 minutes, I was fooled into believing this movie actually lasted three hours and 40 minutes. It’s never a good sign when you zonk out in the middle of a film, only to wake up and still know exactly what’s going on in the story. Antlers couldn’t get out of its own way and took forever and a day to get to the point with a payoff that was never really there in the end.

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2.  The Green Knight – The tale of the Green Man or Green Knight is actually tied to the legend of King Arthur. Based on what little but curious knowledge I had of the sub-tale, I was all in for this feature length film. Dev Patel stars as Gawain, a knight of King Arthur’s Round Table. You may remember him from a good movie like Slumdog Millionaire. While the acting in this film is unquestionably top tier, this whole production looked like a director and some actors got together and said, “Hey, let’s all do acid and make a movie.” The composer may have taken a hit of something as well because that was simply the worst soundtrack I have ever experienced, and I use the word “soundtrack” in the loosest sense. It was more of someone frantically playing one string on a violin repeatedly. Combine that mess with this disjointed film and we’ve got a recipe for boredom, confusion and frustration.

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1. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City – Let’s face it. This franchise, based on the popular video game, was never one built on great acting. Still, prior to this reboot, some of the RE movies held merit as solid action films while others were forgettable. Enter 2021 and the post-Milla Jovovich era with this reboot. If the previous installments faltered on acting, this new film never got out of the gate. Not for a moment do any of the characters come across as potential heroes or competent law enforcement officials. There ends up being no emotional attachment to any of them, which only prolonged my pain in a film where the story offered absolutely nothing new. At some point during the film’s latter half, I ended up wondering how many peas I can plant in a mid-size flower pot because any thought entering my mind was more entertaining than what was taking place on screen. Invigorating movie, right? Yeah. Incredible. Let’s play a game called “how many times can I check my watch in the movie theater.”

 

The Top 10 Films of 2021

 

Now that we’ve gotten the rotten apples out of the way, and likely started a few arguments with that list, it is time to move on to the positive! Not only are we about to talk about my favorites of the year, but it’s a list where a great dealing of shuffling occured in the final months of 2021. After a dismal 2020 where I struggled to even come up with a list (though My Octopus Teacher is still more than worthy), we have arrived at a point where 2021 witnessed a resurgence in great storytelling and the product of great filmmaking. Let’s get to that list!

*Spoilers below*

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#10 The White Tiger

Brought to us from India, this Netflix release told the story of a poor villager who becomes a chauffeur for a wealthy family. When faced with the ongoing verbal and mental abuse from his employer, the determined driver schemes his way toward a plan of retribution. While most American audiences won’t recognize the cast, save for the stunning Priyanka Chopra Jonas (yes, Nick Jonas’ wife), make no mistake that they are exceptional in their respective roles amidst a story that takes several twists and turns.

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#9 Dune

Having never seen the original version released in 1984, I was advised by many to keep it that way. While the original may have been both a box office and critical bomb, the reboot with its all-star cast proved to be a seamlessly flowing tale that did the impossible. It became successful sci-fi not named Star Wars or Star Trek. If Dune does have a flaw, it was not being able to completely connect or relate to the characters. Nevertheless, the script took viewers to the war-torn desert planet of Arakis and we didn’t want to leave. With the sequel given the go-ahead immediately following the film’s opening weekend, audiences can remain hopeful for more great content in this franchise.

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#8 Ghostbusters: Afterlife

When you think about it, there is only one good Ghostbusters movie. Ghostbusters II was merely okay at best and the 2016 reboot was a dumpster fire of big budget proportions. The trailer for Afterlife provided both excitement and optimism, and thankfully both were delivered. While there is about 10 to 15 minutes of fluff you could axe from the early part of the film, it is still a ghastly fun romp, that for a moment, took me back to that 7-year old version of me in the theater for the original so long ago. The sound of emergency vehicles isn’t exactly music to my ears, but for the Ecto-1, I will make an exception. Overall, there is nothing groundbreaking in this movie. What it does offer is a well-constructed sequel worthy to follow the footsteps of the original film.

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#7 The Suicide Squad

It’s not exactly an industry secret that DC films haven’t had the same lure and success that its Marvel counterpart provides on a regular basis. The first Suicide Squad movie was a great example of that. With an uninspiring villain and a generally poor script, it laid an egg. Not a golden one either. I mean the ones with that pungent, sulphuric aroma. However, and this is a big however, Warner Bros. went out and landed itself a competent comic book film director in James Gunn, famous for his uber successful Guardians of the Galaxy films. Gunn did here what the prior film’s director, David Ayer, could not. Gunn just gets it, and this is evident of his assembling of many of the DC universe’s most bizarre villains to cohesively unite in a story where the bad guys are the good guys…kinda sort of.

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#6 Cry Macho

At 91 years young, Clint Eastwood is still going strong. He both directed and starred in Cry Macho, which proved that complexity in storytelling isn’t always a necessary aspect in the multi-faceted world of making movies. Truth be told, Cry Macho is a very simple film, and there is nothing wrong with that. The movie finds its footing early and knows exactly what it is throughout. Eastwood’s character is a former rodeo star far removed from his days of bull-riding. He’s tasked with crossing the border into Mexico and retrieving his benefactor’s son from an abusive mother. The story unfolds in what is a very grounded delivery that knows how to get to the point.

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#5  No Time to Die

The final installment of the Daniel Craig era of James Bond both entered and left with a bang. After being unimpressed with the previous two Bond films, I wasn’t thinking the prospects for No Time to Die would exactly reach for the stars. Boy was I wrong. In what can be billed as one of the best Bond films in existence (still behind Casino Royale of course), the latest entry in the 007 franchise took its two-hour and 43-minute runtime and made it feel like half of that. You’ll find aspects of several Bond eras here, from the slick confidence of the Connery Bond to the cheeky humor of the Brosnan films. It’s exciting, it’s dramatic and that ending…oh that ending.

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#4  Finch

An Apple TV original, wasn’t heavily promoted, even within Apple TV.  The story focuses on an engineer simply known as Finch who lives in an abandoned corporate facility with his dog Goodyear.  The movie is set amidst a dystopian backdrop where global warming has caused a catastrophic deterioration of the earth’s landscapes.  Finch’s latest technical feat is the creation of a robotic assistant, Jeff.  Finch’s goal is to continually teach Jeff the ways of humanity and looking after Goodyear.  The film does a lot with such a small cast and even finds ways to tug at your heart strings throughout.

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#3  Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

I vaguely recognized this Marvel character from the “Master of Kung-Fu” comic book series.  Though it is one I never delved into, Disney had my curiosity piqued when I first heard they were making a feature-length film of one of their less popular characters. If they’re investing this much in title, there must be something to it.  Not only was there something to it, this film stood at the top of my list for several weeks.  Shang-Chi offers a solid underlying story, great martial arts (pay attention Snake Eyes producers) and outstanding visuals.  The action was served up by a great script and strong cast, earning it the bronze on this crowded 2021 podium.

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#2  King Richard

Tennis may not be my cup of tea, but tell me a good story and I don’t care what the foundation is.  The Academy might as well hand over the Best Actor Oscar to Will Smith right now because his performance as Venus and Serena Williams’ father was nothing short of outstanding.  Audiences get a glimpse at what Richard Williams sacrificed and persisted toward in order to give his kids a better life than he had.  You can disagree with his methods, but both he and his wife produced two of the greatest tennis players ever to grace the planet, with Serena arguably being the best female tennis player in history.  All of that gets wrapped in to a two-and-a-half hour runtime that felt like a viewing experience a fraction of that length.

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#1  Spider-Man: No Way Home

After what was for me an underwhelming second installment in the Tom Holland Spidey franchise with Far From Home, this third and hopefully not final film in the series proved to be the best yet.  And that’s of any Spider-Man movie.  With the inclusion past Peter Parkers Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, seeing the trio of webslingers united through a wickedly good script was enthusiastically crowd-pleasing.  The last time I heard a cinema audience cheer like that, Cap took hold of Mjolnir.  The addition of one Sorcerer Supreme brilliantly added to the chaotic mess Peter #2 created in No Way Home…or was that Peter #1?

Same-named roster aside, Marvel has absolutely exceeded expectations in bringing things full circle in their cinematic universe.  If, two decades ago, you would have told me twenty years worth of Spider-Man would all be reunited and included into one epic film, I might have looked at you sideways and called you crazy, perhaps even overdramatic.  Leave it up to Kevin Feige and the Marvel/Disney team to not only make it work, but deliver beyond expectations