It is that time of year again, where at the end of the year, except for in 2019 for some
reason, I count down my 10 favorite movies from the past calendar year.
This was a bit of a strange year, as I wouldn't say there was a single film that really stood
out to me as the number 1 like we had in some years previous.
I really enjoy the top 5 of this list pretty evenly and those could switch around a bit,
and you know what the same could probably be said for the bottom 5.
But regardless, these are the 10 movies that I loved the most from 2021, and yes these
are my personal picks, don’t expect some objective list of the most well edited and
shot movies ranked by every pixel of beauty, no, these are the movies that I walked out
of and went, I really liked that.
Also as per usual there are some films I have not seen yet that could have maybe made the
list, here they are now, but a) this year I have a bit more of an excuse with cinemas
being currently closed where I’m at, and b) I’ll try to get through all of these
and I hope to make an Oscar movies 2022 video sometime in the future, anyway, enough talk,
let’s get in to my top 10!
Number 10: Free Guy.
I was actually juggling this and Dune back and forth for the number 10 spot, bit of an
odd pairing I know, and while I know some people might immediately roll their eyes and
disregard my list based on me choosing Free Guy over Dune, this is a list of personal
preference and while Dune is great in it's on ways, I chose Free Guy because it is easily
one of the most fun movie experiences I had all year.
I was expecting a fine but generally kind of lame predictable comedy and what I got
was a film that was creative, exciting, and honestly laugh out loud funny at multiple
points, with an added dose of wholesomeness which if you know me you know will elevate
a movie.
On personal preference, one of the most enjoyable films of the year for me has to be on here,
and that was Free Guy.
Number 9: The Power of the Dog.
Bit of a sharp turn from Free Guy, but hey that's why the BHL channel is like a box of
chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get, sometimes it's a silly Ryan Reynolds
video game comedy, sometimes it's a deep psychological exploration of jealousy, sexuality and manipulation.
The Power of the Dog is an excellent drama that features some of if not the best performances
in any film I saw this year, with it diving into complex characters that stick with you
for a while after seeing the film, some fantastic visuals, a really poignant ending, and overall
it's just a fantastic drama that while certainly slower paced than most of the entries on this
list never has a boring moment in it, one to definitely check out if you’re in the
mood for something thought-provoking and very well made.
Number 8: In the Heights.
I am a fan of musicals, and while I did not get the chance to see West Side Story yet,
In the Heights helped to scratch that musical itch for this year so far.
What a wonderful film, that's the word that comes to mind when I think of this movie,
wonderful.
Just a delight from start to finish, ok yes maybe a little too long, but the songs are
so catchy, the characters are so likeable and fun together, the visuals and musical
sequences are incredible, and overall it’s just a movie that makes you feel good about
life.
It’s a film that makes you wanna sing and dance and have fun, while also being an interesting
exploration of these characters’ lives and cultures.
A joyful experience to watch, highly recommend to fans of musicals and also just to fans
of being happy.
Number 7: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
This year the MCU was a bit of a mixed bag for me, we had some crazy highs, and not really
many lows but a lot of average stuff in there, even some properties having great points and
disappointing points within themselves, I wasn’t really expecting Shang-Chi to be
one of the standouts for me.
I thought it would be a pretty ok standalone MCU origin movie, but it was quite a bit more
than that.
It had some of the best action sequences we’ve seen in the MCU in a while, especially when
it comes to hand to hand combat, it had one of the most likeable characters being introduced
to the MCU in a while who unlike some characters we met this year I'm genuinely excited to
see more of going forward.
And overall, as the MCU does well, it was just a very entertaining, very fun watch,
with a lot of great comedy in there as well, especially with the inclusion of Trevor Slattery.
Also has a pretty great MCU villain.
Yes it suffers a bit from a lackluster third act but overall, I had a lot more fun with
this than I was expecting to.
Number 6: Nobody.
A pretty big surprise for me this year, based on the trailers I thought this looked like
a pretty standard action movie, nothing that special, and I think that's because the trailers
fail to convey that this movie is, not quite a parody but almost an homage or a love letter
to action movies, it has lots of tongue-in-cheek plays on certain action movie tropes while
still creating one of the most badass action movies I’ve seen in a while.
Bob Odenkirk does what he always does and absolutely kills it, this time as a badass
trying to live an average suburban life who's then dragged back into a life of badassery.
The action is off the wall with probably one of my favorite moments in any film of 2021.
It was one of those moments where you’re in the cinema and your heart kind of skips
a beat, such an awesome action moment.
One of the more underrated films from this year, total blast from start to finish, funny,
exciting, surprisingly stylish, check it out.
Number 5: The Harder They Fall.
This has got to be a contender for worst marketing for a film, the trailer made this movie look
so generic and visually unappealing to me, some cheap Netflix Western, whatever.
But then I kept hearing such good things about it so I decided to check it out and my god
am I happy I did, incredible film from start to finish.
Honestly the only thing I’d complain about is the saturation being a little too high,
which I know is a stylistic choice but maybe just, down a tiny bit?
But every other stylistic choice the movie makes is phenomenal, there are so many shots
in here that stick with you with the creativity of the composition and the camera movement,
it’s filled to the brim with likeable characters, incredible fun violent action, one of the
best soundtracks in any film in 2021, quotable lines, playing with Western tropes and using
the best of them to its advantage, Idris Elba plays one of the best villains of the year,
Jonathan Majors is very charismatic as the protagonist, you’re genuinely anticipating
these two characters clashing as the film goes on, everyone else is great too.
Just absolutely one of the most fun and stylish films of the entire year.
Number 4: The Mitchells vs The Machines.
I was gonna say if you liked Into the Spider-Verse you’ll like this movie, and while that is
still true, that's almost a discredit to this movie, because it has its own style compared
to Into the Spider-Verse.
They're similar in the sense that they're different from every other animated movie
you’ve seen, if that makes sense.
Hands down one of the funniest films of the year and one of the most emotional too, I
mean I’m not trying to be that guy but if this was a Pixar movie and it had a bit more
of a mainstream push I think it would be one of the biggest hits of the year, it’s everything
you want from an animated family film like this.
Hilarious, but also deals with very relatable family themes and I guarantee will have you
choked up by the end.
On top of that it’s wildly creative, the style of the film mimicking the chaotically
brilliant mind of the protagonist leads to it being visually insane in a good way, with
tons of easter eggs to spot when rewatching, and that style not only makes each frame entertaining
but ties in perfectly to the characters and story.
It’s just an absolute blast that the whole family can watch and love, easily one of the
best animated movies from the past few years.
Number 3: Spider-Man No Way Home.
I know a lot of you were waiting to see where this would land on my list.
Look the only real negative thing I can say about this movie is pointing out some dumb
plot points, and considering it's a comic book superhero movie, that's not that big
of a deal for me.
And everything else, I mean this movie is 100% exactly what fans wanted, just like Endgame
it had crazy hype going into it and lived up to all of it.
On top of that it’s funny, has it's emotional moments, has some pretty spectacular action,
a pretty unique story that I wasn’t really expecting, and the fan-service is amazing.
It feels earned and well done and not forced in, it is so much fun and it felt truly special
to get to see all of that unfold on the big screen.
Awesome movie, even better experience.
Number 2: The Suicide Squad.
I was conflicted on this one’s placement with Spider-Man: No Way Home but I eventually
put them in this order as although Spider-Man: No Way Home is a better event and overall
cinema experience in my opinion, as a film altogether I think The Suicide Squad has it
beat, and in it's own way The Suicide Squad was also a great event and cinema experience.
This was just exactly what I was expecting in the best way possible, you tell me James
Gunn is making an r-rated Suicide Squad movie, this is precisely what I would be hoping we’d
get.
Super violent, hilarious, vulgar but still clever, packed with some of the most memorable
characters in any film this year, stylish and creative.
I’ve said since the first Suicide Squad came out that you could really make something
special if you fully utilized this premise because it has so much potential, and this
movie is the definition of using all the potential from that premise.
Thanks James Gunn for doing it again.
Now before we get to my number 1 film of 2021, here are a few honorable mentions.
Raya and the Last Dragon.
Pretty fun movie, though I felt if it had leaned a little more into the genuinely interesting
lore and setting and less into goofy dragon shenanigans it could’ve stood out a bit
more, but still fun.
A Quiet Place Part 2.
Just as good if not better than the first, very effectively tense and well-paced, I just
don’t really like horror movies.
Luca.
Super fun Pixar film, gorgeous animation style that's so pleasant to watch, funny moments,
really enjoyable.
The Sparks Brothers.
Great documentary, gets creative with it's storytelling and has a fascinating tale to
tell with this musical journey, even if you haven’t heard of Sparks you should check
it out, in fact it might even be better if you haven’t because it’s such a fascinating
story to learn about.
Passing.
Quite good drama with excellent performances.
Snyder’s Justice League.
Big improvement on the original, though it still retains some of its flaws, a much more
satisfying film with some amazing visuals and a lot for DC fans like myself to enjoy.
No Time To Die.
I seem to be the only one who liked this movie, but despite some of its flaws, I wanted some
cool spy fun from it and I got that.
Dune.
As mentioned this was close to making the list, probably the best visuals of any film
this year and insane world building, but story structure and character wise this left a bit
to be desired for me.
And No Sudden Move.
Pretty fun action heist thriller…thing with twists galore and lots of great performances.
And my number 1 favorite film of 2021 is…Last Night in Soho.
And no, I did not just pick the Edgar Wright movie by default.
Like I said these top 5 could switch around a bit, it’s not like this one is way more
incredible than any of the others, but I think it was just the film in 2021 that made me
feel the most and the one that had me most glued to the screen.
I almost missed a class because I was planning on watching just half of the movie but I was
so engrossed in the story that I didn't even realize way more of it had passed and so I
had to run to class, anyway a bit of a tangent.
Look, I like stylized creative movies, and this one is both super stylized and creative.
I’m not even that into horror movies but this is the kind of horror that I can very
much appreciate, while frightening at times, more psychologically disturbing and built
on top of a great story, it's not just a bunch of loud noises meant to scare you like an
amusement park ride but the horror is most of the time a by-product of the great story
being told.
There are great performances all around, amazing visuals, set design and costumes are on point,
and like I mentioned it's just a film that truly draws you in.
In a year where I’ve had to watch a lot of movies from home where there are lots of
distractions, you really appreciate a film that even when watching at home it was like
I was in the cinema, I wasn’t once tempted to look away from the screen.
So yeah Last Night in Soho is my personal favorite film of 2021.
So, that was my list of my 10 favorite movies of 2021.
Also I think I’ll make a quick channel end of year wrap up video that usually goes at
the end of these separately and I’ll put that up in the next few days.
Also most anticipated movies and box office predictions coming soon don’t worry I didn't
forget about them!
Just didn't get the chance to make them in December.
Anyway, what did you think of my list?
And what does your list look like?
Let me know all of your thoughts down below in the comments.
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Thanks for watching and I’ll see ya next time.