5 OF 2021’S VERY BEST MOVIES
By Adam Mast
Another crazy year is in the books and while I didn’t have an opportunity to see nearly as many movies as I generally do in a given year (heck I didn’t even have an opportunity to see the likes of “Licorice Pizza” and “The Tragedy of MacBeth”), I still managed to experience several cinematic gems that I’d have absolutely no problem recommending. In fact, here’s a list of 5 faves from 2021 as well as a handful of honorable mentions.
1. PIG
One of the year’s most underappreciated films also emerges as 2021’s strongest. Featuring career-best work by the legendary Nicholas Cage, this character-driven story of a reclusive chef searching for his kidnapped truffle-hunting pig is infinitely more poignant and heartfelt than the synopsis might lead you to believe. While I’ll always be a fan of Gonzo/go-for-broke Cage, this thoughtful and understated shade of the actor represents something more reminiscent of his quietly effective work in the underseen gem, “Joe.” “Pig” comes to us courtesy of first-time feature director, Michael Sarnoski and while it isn’t without its cynical moments, this is ultimately a hopeful and altogether moving film about the human condition.
2. NIGHTMARE ALLEY
“Nightmare Alley” might be the best higher profile movie of 2021 that hardly anyone has seen. At the very least, it’s Guillermo del Toro’s best film since “Pan’s Labyrinth.” A dark, atmospheric, engrossing, incredibly well-shot 1940’s-set noir epic about carnies, grifters, and geeks. This stunner of a movie follows confident (and manipulative) mentalist Stanton Carlisle (a phenomenal Bradley Cooper) and his rise to fame. Along the way, he becomes smitten with good-hearted Molly Cahill (an understated Rooney Mara) and hypnotized by psychiatrist Lilith Ritter (a fantastic Cate Blanchett.) He also crosses paths with a stellar roster of colorful supporting characters played wonderfully by the likes of Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, David Strathairn, Richard Jenkins, and Ron Perlman just to name a notable few. With William Lindsay Gresham’s novel as his playbook, the gifted del Toro pours his heart and soul into the breathtaking, transfixing, uncompromising, and sometimes brutal proceedings. “Nightmare Alley” is positively drunk in the pure love of cinema and we the filmgoers are all the luckier for it.
3. THE SPARKS BROTHERS
While the dream-like thriller “Last Night in Soho” was the more high-profile Edgar Wright-helmed release in 2021, “The Sparks Brothers” is the one that left the bigger impression. This high-energy, infectiously likable documentary traces the epic careers of Ron Mael and Russell Mael, a highly influential yet sorely underappreciated pair of sibling musicians whose decades-long time in the business has seen an impressive outpour of truly creative (and uncompromising) art-rock. Not familiar with the band? No matter. You don’t need to be to enjoy what was arguably the most purely entertaining movie of the year. A spirited blast from beginning to end.
4. MASS
“Mass” is provocative and gut-wrenching and while it is a very tough watch it also emerges as a must-see. This 4 character piece from writer/director Fran Kranz (an actor by trade who you might remember from “Cabin in the Woods”) finds the parents of the victim of a school shooting seeking answers from the parents of the shooter. The intimate, thoughtful, and emotionally-charged proceedings are shot like a play and for all the heated debate at the heart of this movie, “Mass” is sensitive, empathetic, and appropriately well-balanced. Further still, it refrains from judging its characters and opts instead to be as honest as possible in its depiction of a truly awful situation. Ann Dowd, Martha Plimpton, Jason Isaacs, and Reed Birney are positively stellar in a film you’ll want to talk about long after the end credits have rolled.
5. GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE
Fan service and nostalgia have been taking quite the beating in some circles but if relying on such things produces a movie as entertaining as “Afterlife,” then I don’t have a problem with it. Following the much divisive Paul Feig-helmed “Ghostbusters” reboot, Sony Pictures decided to give Jason Reitman (son of original “Ghostbusters” director Ivan) a shot at revitalizing the franchise and the end result is a wonderfully heartfelt ode to family. Truth be told, “Afterlife” owes just as much to Spielberg and the engaging Amblin movies of the 80s as it does to the franchise that inspired it. What’s more, Reitman has been very vocal about the fact that he made this film as a tribute to his father, to his daughter, and to the late Harold Ramis and quite frankly, it’s this sense of warmth that makes the movie so darn appealing. There’s a refreshing lack of cynicism here but most importantly, I walked out of the joyful “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” with a great big smile on my face.
Honorable Mention: “Coda,” “The Power of the Dog,” “Val,” “Werewolves Within,” “Malignant,” “Belfast,” “King Richard,” “Dune,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Being the Ricardos,” “A Quiet Place Part II,” “Matrix Resurrections,” “Hive,” “Dream Horse,” “Tick Tick…Boom,” and “Nine Days.”
