St. Joe Live's Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2021
Jan. 6—2021 was a year of transition for movies.
Delayed blockbusters like "No Time to Die" and "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" finally got released while streaming services like Netflix continue to dominate the conversation with hits like "Red Notice" and "Don't Look Up."
We checked out a lot of those movies this year. These were some of our favorites:
1. "Pig" (R, on Hulu) — The problem I have with the "John Wick" series is despite all of its incredible action sequences, its revenge plot is so emotionally cold that it doesn't grab me as much as I want it to. Taking the opposite approach, "Pig" has the feeling of a revenge story (Nicolas Cage plays a reclusive truffle farmer whose prized pig is stolen) but is more centered on dealing with grief, repairing broken relationships and looking at what we should focus on in life rather than the vapid, meaningless validation from strangers. It's a weird, touching film that stayed with me long after it was over.
2. "Licorice Pizza" (R, in theaters) — Memories of teenage crushes rarely exist in a neat, linear timeline. They're snapshots of awkward encounters, failed attempts at romance and the rare moments where everything works out right. Viewed through a washed-out, hazy lens in 1970s California by writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson, "Licorice Pizza" is an almost perfect collection of those odd memories, as Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim both give amazing performances as two starry-eyed people sharing an odd, fun moment in time.
3. "The Green Knight" (R, on Video on Demand) — The opposite of a hero's journey, the main character Gawain (a fantastic Dev Patel) plays a coward who continuously fumbles his way to a possible beheading. Director David Lowery mixes navel-gazing fantasy with an epic feel worthy of a king-adjacent story. It's weird, off-kilter and wonderful with a wallop of an ending.
4. "The Power of The Dog" (R, on Netflix) — Benedict Cumberbatch gives the performance of his career as an angry, insecure rancher who's at odds with everyone, including his brother and his wife and son (all played in stand-out performances by Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst and Kodi Smit-McPhee).
5. "Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)" (PG-13, on Hulu) — The Roots drummer Questlove not only unearths more-than 50-year-old footage of a forgotten music festival that featured the likes of Nina Simone and Stevie Wonder, he also unlocks the emotions of the performers, audience members and monumental events surrounding this concert that was almost lost to time.
6. "The Suicide Squad" (R, on HBO Max) — It's not only the best superhero movie of the year, but it's also the funniest and grossest as well.
7. "West Side Story"/"In The Heights" (PG-13. "West Side Story" is in theaters, and "In The Heights" is on HBO Max) — Minus "Dear Evan Hansen," it was a great year for movie-musicals. Both of these felt like being brought back to life after a dreary, uncertain year.
8. "CODA" (PG-13, on Apple TV+) — Between this and "The Mitchells Vs. The Machines," it was also a good year for close-knit family comedies. Emilia Jones gives an emotional performance as Ruby Rossi, a "CODA" or child of deaf adults, whose deaf parents and brother rely on her to communicate with the outside world. When she gets a chance to go to college, she has to decide whether to take it or stay as her family's interpreter. Do you know where this story is going? Probably. But it does such a commendable job balancing humor, schmaltz and sincerity, you don't really care.
9. "The Worst Person in the World" (R, coming soon) — A Norwegian drama-comedy starring Renate Reinsve in the most magnetic performance of the year, her character is not the person the title suggests, but she feels that way as she jumps from careers and boyfriends in search of something that will anchor her down.
10. "Red Rocket" (R, in theaters) — Featuring the actual worst person in the world, every action from former adult film star Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) makes you angry, uncomfortable and dirty. Yet, you can't look away from Rex's bizarrely charming performance, along with an equally captivating turn by newcomer Suzanna Son.
Andrew Gaug can be reached at andrew.gaug@newspressnow.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @NPNOWGaug
