The Best & Worst Of 2021

I'm very late with this. I apologize.

2021 was a year unlike others, and truth be told, it was what the world needed. It's been quite some time, possibly since 2017, where so much great stuff was released; So much so that a usual top ten best list won't suffice.

This year saw the release of so many films slated for release in 2020 that were delayed due to COVID. While "Top Gun: Maverick" is now slated for this year (hopefully), the other films I happened to mention not only saw release, but managed to post big numbers at the box office. We're not back 100% to where the world was pre-pandemic, but we sure are getting there. During late March of this year, while seeing "Godzilla Vs. Kong" with a packed theater, the feeling of audience rejoicement during an uncertain time finally came rolling back. 

You know the drill by this point: first, I list off the best performances of the year, vocally as well, with the best being bolded in red. Next, we take a look at the best songs for cinema this year. This year had such a surplus of terrific music, that I will link the full playlist in that section; I usually make these playlists for myself, personally, every year, but we had too much (100+ to be exact) to keep contained. Then, I give you the under/overrated selections of this year and then we round off the list with the Filet Mignon: the worst films of the year(extended to 11 this year because one film needed to be discussed out of a moral need) and the best films of the year, and we're going full force this year: a top 30, yes 30, list. Brief listings will be made for 30 to 11, then the full ten. LET'S GO!

The Best Performances Of 2021
(Choice for personal best is in Red)

Best Actor

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II - "Candyman"
Nicolas Cage - "Pig"
Timothee Chalamet - "Dune"
Justin Chon - "Blue Bayou"
Bradley Cooper - "Nightmare Alley"
Daniel Craig - "No Time To Die"
Benedict Cumberbatch - "The Power Of The Dog"
Jim Cummings - "The Beta Test"
Jean Claude Van Damne - "The Last Mercenary"
Matt Damon - "Stillwater"
Johnny Depp - "City Of Lies"
Leonardo DiCaprio - "Don't Look Up"
Michael Dorman - "Hard Luck Love Song"
Winston Duke - "Nine Days"
Idris Elba - "The Suicide Squad"
Ansel Elgort - "West Side Story"
Andrew Garfield - "Tick, Tick... BOOM!"
Frank Grillo - "Boss Level"
Jake Gyllenhaal - "The Guilty"
Tom Holland - "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
Hugh Jackman - "Reminiscence"
Daniel Kaluuya - "Judas And The Black Messiah"
Zachary Levi - "American Underdog"
Jonathan Majors - "The Harder They Fall"
Breckin Meyer - "The Enormity Of Life"
Mads Mikkelsen - "Riders Of Justice"
Tim Blake Nelson - "Old Henry"
Alessandro Nivola - "The Many Saints Of Newark"
Woody Norman - "C'mon C'mon"
Bob Odenkirk - "Nobody"
Dev Patel - "The Green Knight"
Joaquin Phoenix - "C'mon C'mon"
Ben Platt - "Dear Evan Hansen"
Anthony Ramos - "In The Heights"
Simon Rex - "Red Rocket"
Ryan Reynolds - "Free Guy"
Will Smith - "King Richard"
Rafe Spall - "Long Story Short"
Jason Statham - " Wrath Of Man"
Lakeith Stanfield - "Judas And The Black Messiah"
Jason Sudekis - "South Of Heaven"
Mark Wahlberg - "Joe Bell"
John David Washington - "Malcolm & Marie"

Best Actress

Niamh Algar - "Censor"
Zazie Beetz - "Nine Days"
Halle Berry - "Bruised"
Sandra Bullock - "The Unforgivable" 
Sophia Bush - "Hard Luck Love Song"
Jessica Chastain - "The Eyes Of Tammy Faye"
Morfydd Clark - "Saint Maud"
Emilia Clarke - "Above Suspiscion"
Olivia Colman - "The Lost Daughter"
Jodie Comer - "Free Guy"
Jodie Comer - "The Last Duel"
Penelope Cruz - "Parallel Mothers"
Jamie Lee Curtis - "Halloween Kills"
Kaitlyn Dever - "Dear Evan Hansen"
Rebecca Fergusson - "Reminiscence"
Megan Fox - "Till Death"
Lady Gaga - "House Of Gucci"
Ilana Glazer - "False Positive"
Mckenna Grace - "Ghostbusters: Afterlife"
Rebecca Hall - "The Night House"
Jennifer Hudson - "Respect"
Madison Iseman - "Fear Of Rain"
Dakota Johnson - "Our Friend"
Anya Taylor Joy - "Last Night In Soho"
Valene Kane - "Profile
Riley Keough - "Zola"
Emily Kinney - "The Enormity Of Life"
Mila Kunis - "Four Good Days"
Andi Matichak - "Son"
Thomasin McKenzie - "Last Night In Soho"
Chloe Grace Moretz - "Shadow In The Cloud"
Ruth Negga - "Passing"
Taylor Paige - "Zola"
Rosamund Pike - "I Care A Lot"
Margot Robbie - "The Suicide Squad"
Lea Seydoux - "No Time To Die"
Amanda Seyfried - "A Mouthful Of Air"
Kristen Stewart - "Spencer"
Emma Stone - "Cruella"
Tessa Thompson - "Passing"
Alicia Vikander - "Blue Bayou"
Annabelle Wallis - "Malignant"
Rachel Zegler - "West Side Story"
Zendaya - "Malcolm & Marie"
Zendaya - "Spider-Man: No Way Home"

Best Supporting Actor

Ben Affleck - "The Last Duel"
Gerard Butler - "Copshop"
John Cena - "The Suicide Squad"
RJ Cyler - "The Harder They Fall"
Willem Dafoe - "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
Colman Domingo - "Candyman"
Stephen Dorff - "Old Henry"
Jamie Dornan - "Belfast"
Idris Elba - "The Harder They Fall"
Laurence Fishburne - "City Of Lies"
Michael Gandolfini - "The Many Saints Of Newark"
Andrew Garfield - "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
Andrew Garfield - "The Eyes Of Tammy Faye"
David Harbour - "Black Widow"
Corey Hawkins - "In The Heights"
Cirian Hinds - "Belfast"
Bashar Jackson [Pop Smoke] - "Boogie"
Joel Kinnaman - "The Suicide Squad"
Luke Kirby - "No Man Of God"
Jared Leto - "The Little Things"
Ray Liotta - "The Many Saints Of Newark"
Delroy Lindo - "The Harder They Fall"
Tobey Maguire - "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
Rami Malek - "No Time To Die"
Alfred Molina - "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
Jason Momoa - "Dune"
Edward Norton - "The Fremch Dispatch"
Jesse Plemmons - "The Power Of The Dog"
Colton Ryan - "Dear Evan Hansen"
J.K. Simmons - "National Champions"
Lakeith Stanfield - "The Harder They Fall"
Nicholas Tse - "Raging Fire"
Benedict Wong - "Nine Days"
Lejon Woods - "Dawn Of The Beast"

Best Supporting Actress

Akwafina - "Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings"
Amy Adams - "Dear Evan Hansen"
Uzo Aduba - "National Champions"
Ana De Armas - "No Time To Die"
Zazie Beetz - "The Harder They Fall"
Ariana De Bose - "West Side Story"
Abigail Breslin - "Stillwater"
Jessie Buckley - "The Lost Daughter"
Paisley Cadorath - "Nobody"
Toni Collette - "Nightmare Alley"
Viola Davis - "The Unforgivable"
Judi Dench - "Belfast"
Kirsten Dunst - "The Power Of The Dog"
Giselle Eisenberg - "The Enormity Of Life"
Aunjanue Ellis - "King Richard"
Rebecca Fergusson - "Dune"
Ariana Grande - "Don't Look Up"
Judy Greer - "Halloween Kills"
Tiffany Haddish - "The Card Counter"
Rebecca Hall - "Godzilla Vs. Kong"
Dakota Johnson - "The Lost Daughter"
Regina King - "The Harder They Fall"
Evangeline Lilly - "South Of Heaven"
Rooney Mara - "Nightmare Alley"
Daniela Melchoir - "The Suicide Squad"
Julianne Moore - "Dear Evan Hansen"
Carrie Anne Moss - "The Matrix Resurrections"
Arianna Ortiz - "Nine Days"
Florence Pugh - "Black Widow"
Krysten Ritter - "Nightbooks"
Saniyya Sidney - "King Richard"
Milena Smit - "Parallel Mothers"
Suzanna Son - "Red Rocket"
Amandla Stenberg - "Dear Evan Hansen"
Emma Thompson - "Cruella"
Marisa Tomei - "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
Alicia Vikander - "The Green Knight"

Best Vocal Performance

Akwafina - "Raya And The Last Dragon"
Eric Andre - "The Mitchells Vs. The Machines"
Eric Bauza - "Space Jam: A New Legacy"
Stephanie Beatriz - "Encanto"
Jeff Bergman - "Space Jam: A New Legacy"
Emma Berman - "Luca"
Maria Cecilia Botero - "Encanto"
Gemma Chan - "Raya And The Last Dragon"
Jessica Darrow - "Encanto"
Taron Egerton - "Sing 2"
Zach Galifinakis - "Ron's Gone Wrong"
Jack Dylan Grazer - "Luca"
Jack Dylan Grazer - "Ron's Gone Wrong"
Diane Guerrero - "Encanto"
Halsey - "Sing 2"
Oscar Issac - "The Addams Family 2"
Abbi Jacobson - "The Mitchells Vs. The Machines"
Nick Kroll - "The Addams Family 2"
John Leguizamo - "Encanto"
Danny McBride - "The Mitchells Vs. The Machines"
Matthew McConaughey - "Sing 2"
Lin-Manuel Miranda - "Vivo"
Chloe Grace Moretz - "The Addams Family 2"
Mike Rianda - "The Mitchells Vs. The Machines"
Maya Rudolph - "The Mitchells Vs. The Machines"
Charlize Theron - "The Addams Family 2"
Kelly Marie Tran - "Raya And The Last Dragon"
Jacob Tremblay - "Luca"

The Best Songs For Film This Year

As I mentioned, the link to the full 100+ song playlist will be linked here: https://music.apple.com/library/playlist/p.gek114vsKeGgqe

"30/90"
Andrew Garfield
"Tick, Tick... BOOM!"

"A Little Closer"
Colton Ryan
"Dear Evan Hansen"

"Ain't No Better Love"
Seal
"The Harder They Fall"

"AP"
Pop Smoke
"Boogie"

"Be Alive"
Beyonce
"King Richard"

"Benny's Dispatch"
Corey Hawkins & Leslie Grace
"In The Heights"

"Blackout"
Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Stephaine Beatriz, Gregory Diaz IV, Noah Catala, Daphne Rubin-Vega & Dascha Polanco
"In The Heights"

"Call Me Cruella"
Florence + The Machine
"Cruella"

"Columbia, Mi Encanto"
Carlos Vives
"Encanto"

"Control The World"
24KGoldn featuring Lil Wayne
"Space Jam: A New Legacy"

"Dos Oruguitas"
Sebastian Yarra
"Encanto"

"Downtown (Downtempo)"
Anya Taylor-Joy
"Last Night In Soho"

"Fast Lane"
Don Toliver, Lil' Durk & Latto
"F9"

"Fight For You"
H.E.R.
"Judas And The Black Messiah"

"Guns Go Bang"
Kid Cudi & Jay-Z
"The Harder They Fall"

"Heads Will Roll"
Scarlett Johansson
"Sing 2"

"Home All Summer"
Anthony Ramos & Leslie Grace featuring Marc Anthony
"In The Heights"

"Hoops"
Saweetie featuring Kash Doll & Salt-N-Peppa
"Space Jam: A New Legacy"

"It Ain't Nuthin'"
Snoop Dogg & October London
"The Addams Family 2"

"I Won"
Ty Dolla $ign, Jack Harlow & 24KGoldn
"F9"

"Lane Switcha"
Skepta, Pop Smoke, A$AP Rocky, Juciy J & Project Pat
"F9"

"Last One Standing"
Skyler Grey featuring Polo G, Mozzy & Eminem
"Venom: Let There Be Carnage"

"No Time To Die"
Billie Eilish
"No Time To Die"

"Only Us"
Kaitlyn Dever & Ben Platt
"Dear Evan Hansen"

"Paciencia Y Fe"
Olga Merediz
"In The Heights"

"Pump Up The Jam"
Lil' Uzi Vert
"Space Jam: A New Legacy"

"Rain"
Grandson & Jessie Reyez
"The Suicide Squad"

"Red & Yellow"
Lil' Skies
"F9"

"Requiem"
Kaitlyn Dever, Amy Adams & Danny Pino
"Dear Evan Hansen"

"Rubber Meets The Road"
Brantley Gilbert & Tyler Hubbard
"The Ice Road"

"Sincerely Me"
Ben Platt, Colton Ryan & Nik Dodani
"Dear Evan Hansen"

"Spiral"
21 Savage
"Spiral: From The Book Of Saw"

"The Anonymous Ones"
Amandla Stenberg
"Dear Evan Hansen"

"The Family Madrigal"
Stephanie Beatriz
"Encanto"

"Tonight"
Ansel Elgort & Rachel Zegler
"West Side Story"

"What It Feels Like"
Nipsey Hussle & Jay-Z 
"Judas And The Black Messiah"

"When The Sun Goes Down"
Corey Hawkins & Leslie Grace
"In The Heights"

"You Will Be Found"
Ben Platt, Amandla Stenberg, Kaitlyn Dever, Liz Cate, DeMarius Copes, Issac Powell, Hadiya Eshe & Dear Evan Hansen Choir
"Dear Evan Hansen"

The Most Overrated Film Of The Year

"Licorice Pizza"
Coming-of-age stories tend to be rather aimless. Going into these films, one knows there will be no real story, rather more focus on the main characters. Our central duo are portrayed by Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman. Both of them do a really nice job, particulalry Haim. The period setting and dressing is pretty top-notch. The supporting cast is kinda pointless. The main issues? The big one happens to be the fact that the film seems to advocate for a romance between a 25-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy and it's so uncomfortable, that it casts a sour shadow over the entire film. It leaves one feeling icky. That and the fact that the film includes some outrageously unneeded racist jokes towards asians(and it's kind of off-handedly revealed that these are here for no discernable point or reason) resulted in the first ever instnace in which I downgraded a film. Upon viewing it, I enjoyed it, but after much pondering, my thumbs up, went down.

Overrated Runners-Up: Army Of Thieves; Demon Slayer: Mugen Train; Dream Horse; Lamb; Moxie; The Dig

The Most Underrated Film Of The Year

"Dear Evan Hansen"
I'll delve more into this on my best list (spoiler), but I don't think the unusual tidal wave of hate was deserved, nor needed. This was a lovely, heartbreaking and tender film. Sure, Ben Platt may appear a bit out of place, but he does really well in the role.

Underrated Runners-Up: A Journal For Jordan; City Of Lies; F9; Halloween Kills; Hard Luck Love Song; Mortal Kombat; Resident Evil: Welcome To Racoon City; Space Jam: A New Legacy; The Ice Road; The Little Things; Tom And Jerry... And all SEVEN of Bruce Willis' VOD films (Apex; Cosmic Sin; Deadlock; Fortress; Midnight In The Switchgrass; Out Of Death; Survive The Game)

The Worst Films Of 2021

Dishonorable Mentions: 2's A Couple, 3's A Crowd; 5G Zombies; A Dark Foe; Aftermath; Aileen Wuronos: American Boogeywoman; America: The Motion Picture; Amityville Uprising; Awake; A Week Away; Bats; Before I'm Dead; Blind Ghost; Breaking News In Yuba County; Catch The Bullet; Cerebrum; Chaos Walking; Chinese Speaking Vampires; Crime Story; Crosses; Death To 2021; Demon Slayer: Mugen Train; Diana: The Musical; Doll Face; Dream Horse; Fast Vengeance; Gully; He Belongs To Me; Her Only Fan; He's All That; Home Sweet Home Alone; Hypnotic; Intrusion; Jurassic Hunt; Lady Of The Manor; Lamb; New Order; Night Teeth; Rising Wolf; Snakes In The Grass; Snow Black; Suga Babies; Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman; The Amityville Moon; The Devil Below; The Dig; The Driver; The Last Letter From Your Lover; The Misfits; The Opps; The Penthouse; The Reckoning; The Resort; The Seventh Day; The Vault; The Virtuoso; The Wrong Path; Thunder Force; Voyagers; Zeros And Ones

11. "Music"
If ever there was a film released this year that was mired in controversy and negative reception, it’s musician Sia’s directorial debut film “Music”. This is stunningly bad. Now it’s not the absolute worst film of the year, but it’s still incredibly misguided and inept on so many levels, it’s tough to even gauge its existence in the first place. The film follows an autistic girl named Music (Maddie Ziegler) as she suddenly loses her grandmother and is placed under the care of her older sister Zu (Kate Hudson), short for Kazu (one cannot simply make that up). Maddie Ziegler’s performance is perhaps the biggest issue. Ziegler is not autistic in real life and her performance, while not mean-spirited, seems dangerously out of place. Through the whole film, you’re never reasonably brought over to believing you’re watching an austistic person, but rather what someone thinks autism is like. It’s off-putting to say the least. The narrative is frequently interrupted by big production numbers of original music created for the film. According to Sia, these are supposed to represent how Music sees the world and, by extension, herself. I have to give the film credit, there’s at least a couple instances where this is capably portrayed and seems like a valiant attempt… until it starts happening to other characters without any explanation whatsoever. Music is the one who’s supposed to be having these visions and it doesn’t exactly make sense when it’s happening to other people that she’s not in the same room or scene with. The writing is constantly sub-par. Dialogue comes out of the characters mouth that sometimes doesn’t make sense. “Who puts scratch and sniff stickers in their will?” Remarks Hudson early on. The bottom line here is that the film has a heart, somewhere in there, and it has incredible intentions and for that, I praise it. Aside from what it does get right (Odom Jr.’s performance and the two to three numbers that accurately reflect Music’s viewpoint), however, the film is an unintentional and frankly harsh disaster.

10. "Paranormal Activity: Next Of Kin"

Well, well, well, it’s been awhile “Paranormal Activity”. I’ve grown a lot. You haven’t changed. It’s been six years. You’ve had time. You think a bunch of idiots exploring paranornal activity in Amish Country (really?) is gonna scare me? The two-headed goat was hilarious so thank you for that. Your writing still sucks. The acting still plain. The camerawork seems way too professional for a found footage flick. This series hasn’t been good since the first film. I think it’s time you go away. “Next Of Kin” is the same as the other sequels. It’s boring, awful, predictable and just not a good time at all. What saves it from being a zero star film? It was a fuzzy, warm feeling getting to bash a “Paranormal Activity” film again. Oh, and Emily Bader gives a decent performance.

9. "Room 9"

“Room 9” comes to us from our friends at Grindstone Entertainment and Lionsgate and it is undeniably one of the worst movies of the year. Featuring a plot that makes no sense (the dvd makes you believe there’s some evil motel/hotel room when that’s not the case), the acting is beyond poor and the sound mixing is completely awful. The pacing is horrible and languid, the jittery filters they use are distracting and nonsensical and the writing is beyond asinine. God Bless horror legends Kane Hodder, Scout Taylor Compton and Michael Berryman; they seem to know they’re in an awful waste of time and act accordingly. They’re also barely in it. There’s not one character that could be considered the lead. I’ve seen better production in squirrel turds.

8. "Safer At Home"

“Safer At Home” is a movie that takes place in September of 2022 (which the movie forgets in the epilogue by stating it’s suddenly April of 2022, but that’s the least of this messes problems) and purports that the Covid pandemic hasn’t gotten any better, so much so that our restrictions that we had have gotten stricter and the death toll is rising, which is a bit odd watching now as the pandemic is waning. A group of friends get together over Zoom (yes, it’s Zoom, no matter how many times the filmmakers get around tying to say it) to throw a party for one of their friends. When another one of them accidentally wind up dead by another’s hand, it’s up to them to try and save the situation. Where do I begin? All of these people are totally obnoxious and are regulated to one dimension. One of them, Harper (Alisa Allapach) puts her hands over her mouth in shock at least 45 times, so she’s the most scared out of anyone, but do any of these asinine morons pick up the phone to call the police for help? Nope. Why? They mention that the police are more occupied with the pandemic and enforcing curfew restrictions. WHAT? They spend this whole movie making SURE they stay connected onto this app without getting off to call for help and instead helping and aiding their friend to evade possible criminal charges. The writing sucks. The acting is uneven. The plot is awful. Do I have anything nice to say? Yes; Adwin Brown, as Ben, is not only the most level-headed of the group, but manages to give the only performance fitting of the material. I don’t care if you made a feature film during an ongoing pandemic, you could’ve, I don’t know, made a good one. This is an unexplainable turd monster of unpleasantness. Oh, and as much as I HATE spoiling movies, I have to warn you: the poster you see here is the final shot of the film. The film was directed by Will Wernick, who was also responsible for last years equally terrible “No Escape”. He should never be allowed to direct a film ever again.

7. "Christmas Vs. The Walters"

Roughly halfway through “Christmas Vs. The Walters”, my eyes gazed up to the theater ceiling and noticed a tile was missing, revealing the insulation. I had never seen a sight in a theater before. What color was it? How long has it been up there? Who put it up there? How does it get up there? Thats how awful this movie was, probably the most obnoxious and aggressively annoying holiday film I’ve ever seen. The film tells the story of an absolutely bland and unlikeable family of nitwits getting prepared for Christmas. Shawnee Smith blandly portrays Diana, our lead, and shes a charmer; she hasn’t spoken to her sister for two years over a nonsensical issue and gets viciously angry at her daughter for helping a stray dog. This stray dog, for some unknown reason, is a huge problem in this neighborhood for reasons that are never divulged; the dog simply minds it’s own business and gets occasional pets from passerby. I didn’t realize that was such an issue. Dean Winters plays the husband who can’t emote or show feelings because his head is up his own ass regarding work, and Christmas is too much. Her kids are kids, I suppose, but there’s so much time focused on the teenage daughter that their young son is practically forgotten. Over the course of this “comedy” I laughed twice, both from offhanded remarks given by Chris Elliott’s quack of a doctor. Bruce Dern literally phones in his performance, so there’s that. Filmmaking wise, it’s atrocious. Editing is akin to that of a budget television film, there’s constant ADR issues (at some strange moments, characters will suddenly talk louder for sentences in scenes at random and then continue on as if all is normal), the generic score is wretchedly simple, it’s just a huge mess. Do they keep the dog? Does the pregnant Diana give birth to the baby ON Christmas? Does Dean Winters choose family over work? Is there an ugly looking Jeep Truck in the movie? The answer to all of these are “OF COURSE, IS THIS YOUR FIRST RODEO, COWGIRL?” There’s also a Christmas obsessed neighbor in the film who’s a completely unctuous tit. I’d have more fun eating burnt Werther’s candy canes then to sit through this again.

6. "The Kissing Booth 3"

Three times. They’ve done the exact same movie three times, and all three times they’ve ended up being atrocious. “The Kissing Booth 3” is unnessecary, ridiculous and convoluted trash with the brain of a three year old. I take that back; a three year old could’ve written an Oscar winner compared to this. I hated all three of these cliched and desperate attempts at movies, yet, for five single minutes, one scene in this installment stopped the childish antics and showed that, yes, letting go of things is tough, and the memories bittersweet, but it’s a part of life. For five minutes, the movie is right in every way as we look at a beach house about to be given away, one that our characters have spent their whole lives in. It’s surprisingly touching. This is then negated immediately when it’s decided in the very next scene that the house isn’t going anywhere. I’d rather swallow poisonous seaweed from Edgewater beach than watch any of these three pieces of absolute trash ever again. This is the last one in the series. Thank God it’s over.

5. "Wolf"

I don’t know who in Hollywood in their right mind would green light something like “Wolf” and then have the audacity to have it be released in theaters, but whoever they are, they need to be seriously brought in for questioning. This is by far the weirdest and most delusional film I’ve seen of the year and it’s also one of the worst of 2021. In taking the conceit of conversion camps (which should be abolished either way, you cannot change a persons sexuality no matter what) and using them for people with species dysphoria, or “Otherkin”, it’s really really off the wall bonkers and chaotically goofy. Whether Otherkin is an actual mental ailment or not, I have no real idea; basically these are people who believe they’re actually animals, sort of like Furries but Furries are a whole different manner altogether. The way it’s portrayed here in this movie is beyond foolish and seriously confused. George McKay is our main character, brought into this hospital because he believes he’s a wolf. There he meets other people, one who thinks he’s a German Shepard, one who thinks she’s a horse, and one he falls in love with, a woman who thinks she’s a Wildcat, played by Lily Rose-Depp. If the movie wants to portray the hospital as trying to help these kids, it goes about it totally wrong; in exercises, the doctors actually encourage them to act as their animal counterparts, which seems as if it’s defeating the purpose. They let a girl who believes she’s a parrot, regularly dress up as one; during one really bizarre scene, she tries to jump from a window to “fly” and the wacko doctor (Paddy Considine) actually tells her to jump. What? Near the third act is when the film fully goes off the walls; after the doctor takes George to see a wolf (while he’s dragging him by an actual leash, mind you), he places him inside a cage and tortures him for the rest of the story. This movie is beyond misguided, it’s unintentionally hilarious too! A scene where George and Lily crawl around on the rooftops as their animal counterparts is uncomfortable, yet giggle inducing and a scene near the end where the main doctor snaps and starts mocking the patients had me rolling with laughter because of the weird noises and faces he makes. The film features committed performances, and one from a man who just wants to be a squirrel is actually the only thing that works; he’s very tortured and sad, but that devotion only gets you so far. This material is so goofy, uncomfortable and just bonkers; the fact that the film ends with George triumphantly howling like a wolf made me squirm. There were a couple points where I wanted to walk out, but I stuck through, like the dummy I am. This is just ugly; it’s bizarre; it’s one of the worst of the year, bar none.

4. "Good On Paper"

“Good On Paper” is so awful, so retched and so unpleasant, I don’t even know where to begin. Iliza Schlesinger unsuccessfully takes the formula that made “Trainwreck” and “The Big Sick” work so well and sets it on fire right in front of the viewers eyes. Whereas there was poignancy and self-reflection with Amy Schumer in “Trainwreck” and Kumail Nanjiani in “The Big Sick”, there is none of that to be found here. Based on a true boyfriend that Schlesinger reportedly had, the film follows Andrea (Schlesinger), a, you guessed it, comedian who’s also an aspiring actress. While on a plane, she befriends Dennis (Ryan Hansen), a man who automatically doesn’t seem to be all he claims to be. The following 80 minutes after this initial awkward meet up are so unpleasant, so mean-spirited and so vile, it left an awful taste in my mouth. Through voice over narration, Andrea makes it clear that she isn’t really into Dennis, and in one off putting scene, makes fun of his body calling it “unattractive” (the man barely has a gut yet the movie makes a point to fixate on it), so why Andrea pursues a relationship with him is unexplained. She doesn’t seem to have a void in her dating life (she actually leaves a date to tend to Dennis early on) and every time this man blatantly lies to her, she doesn’t catch on until it’s too late. It’s not like he’s sly with it; whenever the man lies, his tone of voice is wavy, he stutters and stammers horribly and fakes an injury when he sees fit. None of the characters in this movie act like a normal or reasonable person. They’re either mean, vindictive, conniving, over the top, hateful or just made to be weird. Andrea is a horrible protagonist, not likeable by any stretch of the imagination, and Dennis is made to be an absolute scumbag; when it’s revealed near the end why he’s lying, an attempt is made to make him appear sympathetic, but in reality, it’s nasty and creepy. The acting is over the top and never reigned in, so not a single performer turns in a good performance. The writing is putrid, the story is disgusting and the random interludes of Schlesinger’s stand up thrown in at random throughout don’t work. I’ve never seen her stand up work, but if this is what she brings to the table, it’s simply not funny. Margaret Cho is unctuous as the standard best friend role. I really could go on and on and on, but I’ll leave you with this: this isn’t just one of the worst comedies I’ve viewed, it’s one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen, period.

3. "Habit"

What do you get when you try and bring back the 90’s imitators who tried to bite off Tarantino’s style constantly with varying success, and mix it with a bowl of puréed mushy feces? You get 2021’s “Habit”, undoubtedly one of the absolute worst movies I’ve ever seen. The plot, and I stretch to even call it that, has three women, led by Bella Thorne, trying to earn money back that was stolen from them by an unknown person. That person also stole their stash of drugs that they had to sell for someone, and if they don’t get the money, then some batty woman is coming after them. This plot is so disjointed, so unbelievable and so poorly executed, it’s headache inducing. The writing is abysmal and aggressively juvenile, the acting is BEYOND wretched and the moral quandaries this film has are perplexing. Bella Thorne has proven that she can be a good actress with the right role and script; 2020’s “Infamous”, 2018’s “I Still See You” and that years “Ride” have showcased this, so why her hollowed gaze and monotonous line deliveries are deemed satisfactory here is ludicrous, but it’s still the best part of the movie. The film shows complete disregard to any semblance of humanity for every second it’s running, and it runs out of gas before it ends. The movies running time is only 81 minutes. The credits start at 74 minutes. The movie essentially backs itself into a corner at the 60 minute mark and laughably tries to bring a badass conclusion to the complete degradation we laid witness to. A bit of controversy sprung up when the films trailer was dropped and discussions that the film portrays Jesus as a lesbian woman were ruling people up. Paris Jackson (who gets third billing and is in only one TWO MINUTE SCENE) plays Jesus and does… nothing but stare at Bella Thorne without blinking or saying a word. Why is she Jesus in the first place? Well, because Throne plays a devout Christian who describes her relationship with faith in vulgar and creepy ways. The movie features endless scene upon scene of recklessly ugly characters doing equally nasty things; by far the worst of the bunch being a scene where, for no reason whatsoever, a 12 year old boy, who is introduced into the plot with zero introduction, states to a character that he’s allergic to bees. The villain then injects the boy with venom to cause him to have an allergic reaction and go comatose. The movie makes it clear that the boy isn’t dead via a news report, but you still thought showing an act of horrific menace against a child was acceptable and that’s deplorable. I absolutely despised this movie with every inch of my being. It’s not funny, it’s not cute, it’s not thrilling, it’s not titillating, it’s not sexy, it’s just disgusting, wretchedly awful and one of the absolute worst movies I’ve ever had the displeasure of sitting through. The fact that this was even allowed to be made in the first place is horrid. Even if there were flies in the room, I wouldn’t expose them to this ungrateful turd.

2. "Me You Madness"

Louise Linton was unknown to me. After viewing “Me You Madness”, a film which she not only stars, but wrote, directed and produced, I can firmly say that she might be the most vapid, idiotic and sickeningly ridiculous person I’ve ever seen. You have to literally try to make a film this awful, but somehow, Miss Linton did it. She has made one of the absolute worst films of all time, at least that I've ever seen. As for the films “plot”, and it’s in quotes because the film bounces around more than Yosemite Sam when he’s pissed off, it’s Linton as Catherine, a woman I wouldn’t wanna spend fifteen seconds with let alone a full feature, who spends the entire film boasting about how wonderful she is. She’s smart, she’s sexy, she’s a serial killer. That’s correct, this is a film about a self-worshiping murderer. “American Psycho” comparison notwithstanding, this movie manages to make the awful “American Psycho 2” look like a dream. The performances, while not incompetent, are very stilted and bland. These characters, Linton especially, are so hateful, so vile and so wretched that it’s hard to latch onto anything almost right from the start. The writing is ungodly terrible, one of the absolute worst scripts Hollywood has ever conceived and let be put on film. Our two main characters will often go on nonstop tangents, with no regard to pacing, timing or relevance to whats happening in the scene. At two or three points, Linton stops the film dead in its tracks to list off every single ”Texas Chainsaw” film for no reason, and goes the extra mile by attempting to list EVERY SINGLE FILM THAT HAS A GUN IN IT. The film is straight up offensive. No way about it. Linton seems fit to call everyone with Bipolar Disorder a “psychopath” and kills people because they’re either Democrat or Republican. The editing in the film is the worst, the absolute WORST I’ve ever seen. Cartoon sound effects are added in at random for no reason, shots are chaotic and out of focus and the films random bouts of it being sped up are nonsensical. Ed Westwick is our male lead, and he’s an ugly persona too. He lies, he steals and doesn’t seem TOO appalled at the freezer full of dead bodies Catherine has. Finally, the films soundtrack of ‘80’s hits, while fun to listen to, are all over the place and not a single one of them fit into the films plot well. Therefore, it’s use in the film is lost and completely needless. I want to make this absolutely clear: ”Me You Madness” is an abysmal example of filmmaking. This is nothing but a vanity project for Louise Linton, and if this is the quality of films she wants the public to consume, she’s a complete Looney Tune. Never mind the completely gross and useless scene where she eats a live spider, this film is gross, ugly, offensive, poorly made, wretchedly acted and just a complete disgrace. At one point, after Linton’s Catherine has drugged Westwick’s Tyler, she begins to grope him. Her onscreen narration (which is grating on the ears) tells us “Oh shut up, it’s so refreshing to see a woman grope a man. Plus it’s fun.” I kid you not. That’s a line and scenario in this film. Last I checked, sexual assault of any kind is not funny and the fact she plays it that way is disgusting. This is one of the absolute worst films I’ve ever seen, and as far as Linton’s future career is concerned, I hope for everyone’s sake she’s never allowed near a camera again. To call this a piece of shit is unkind to literal shit itself.

1. "After We Fell"  

In 2019, “After” was released and was my choice for that years worst film. In 2020, it’s sequel film, “After We Collided” was released, and was consecutively my choice for that years worst film. We are now approaching the home stretch of 2021, and the series has received a third entry, “After We Fell”. Can you guess where this is headed? Virtually nothing has changed for the better, and that’s to be expected. Everything keeps getting worse. How is this humanly possible? Its not the director (each film has had a different director, each one seemingly not fixing what was broken, I.e. everything). It’s not the revolving and constantly changing supporting cast (this movie recasts people quicker than it takes time for me to let a fart loose), though they don’t give any life to the proceedings whatsoever. No, no, no. It’s the atrocious writing, which manages to mangle even the simplest of lines (“I think you’ve had too much wine” Hardin tells Tessa at one point, trying to sound sexy but really coming out more as if a bartender is cutting someone off for the night) and features the characters basically repeating the same tired actions as they’ve done in the previous two films, eerily with the same modes of dialogue. Josephine Langford continues to massively unimpress as Tessa; if I were her, I would’ve taken the money and ran for the hills. Her character is constantly talked up about being so smart yet doesn’t catch onto the same abusive and childish antics Hardin subjects her to. At one point, Hardin shoulders a waiter for simply taking Tessa’s meal order. For what reason? So he can assert dominance. Hero Fiennes-Tiffin continues to be rancid as Hardin, a character who hasn’t grown and continues to be a hardheaded, soul-sucking bastard he was in the other films. But what about everything else? Well, aside from previously mentioned areas, the soundtrack of indie alternative and bedroom pop music sucks, the editing is atrocious and the series’ bread and butter (the love scenes) are extremely uncomfortable to watch, even more so this time around. The actors don’t seem to be into it, thus causing one to squirm in their seat. There’s a scene with the two in a hot tub, and I’ll give them this: in the previous film, they moved like Big Mouth Billy Bass fishes. Here, they actually look like fish out of water. The scene is so lame that not even the hot tub is steaming. The nail in the coffin? The screen ends with the words “To Be Continued…”. Thankfully, it’s final installment is out next year. I have to point out that this film was in theaters one night only before a digital release the following month, and as such, there was a featurette when the movie concluded. It’s laughable when everyone involved says “these characters are rich with depth and detectable arcs.” You know who else had an ark? Noah. Yay.

The Best Films Of 2021

Honorable Mentions: 137 Shots; A Journal For Jordan; American Underdog; Bad Trip; Belfast; Biggie Smalls: I Got A Story To Tell; Black Widow; Bo Burnham: Inside; Boss Level; Candyman; Coming To America; Dave Chappelle: The Closer; Dune; Enforcement; Escape Room: Tournament Of Champions;  Fatherhood; Fear Street Part One: 1994; Fear Street Part Two: 1978; Fear Street Par Three: 1666; Flee; Four Good Days; Free Guy; Ghostbusters: Afterlife; Godzilla Vs. Kong; Halloween Kills; Hard Luck Love Song; Here Today; House Of Gucci; Initiation; Joe Bell; Jungle Cruise; Long Story Short; Luca; Malcolm & Marie; Mortal Kombat; National Champions; Nightbooks; Night In Paradise; Nightmare Alley; No Man Of God; No Time To Die; Old; Old Henry; Our Friend; Passing; PG: Psycho Goreman; Pig; Pray Away; Procession; Profile; Queenpins; Raging Fire; Raya And The Last Dragon; Reminiscence; Respect; Resident Evil: Welcome To Racoon City; Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain; Ron's Gone Wrong; Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings; Sing 2; Small Engine Repair; Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins; Son; South Of Heaven; Space Jam: A New Legacy; Spiral: From The Book Of Saw; Stillwater; Strip Down, Rise Up; Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised); The Addams Family 2; The Eyes Of Tammy Faye; The Guilty; The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard; The Ice Road; The King's Man; The Last Duel; The Little Things; The Lost Daughter; The Paper Tigers; The Power Of The Dog; The Protege; The Rescue; The Sparks Brothers; The Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run; The Toll; Those Who Wish Me Dead; Tick, Tick... BOOM!; Till Death; Tom & Jerry; Venom: Let Thee Be Carnage; Worth; Zola  

30. "Zack Snyder's Justice League"
A 4 hour re-edit of the 2017 film "Justice League" this film is a grim yet hopeful look at what was supposed to have been. This is the true version of the film; even as someone who enjoyed the 2017 theatrical cut, This is far and away the better version.

29. "West Side Story"
Spielberg's first musical and a terrific remake to boot, the film encapsulates the feeling of "Old" Hollywood in spades.

28. "Wrath Of Man"
Guy Ritchie doing what he does best: crime films. Not as favorable to me as 2020's "The Gentlemen", but the tale of Jason Statham methodically getting revenge for his son is brutal and brilliant.

27. "The Many Saints Of Newark"
Gabagool. "The Sopranos" is the single greatest television show, and it's prequel follow-up is extremely good, with the late-great James Gandolfini's son Michael, eerily, yet fantastically, encapsulating the very role his father made an icon.

26. "The Beta Test"
Jim Cummings is a filmmaking genius. His story of a Hollywood bigshot getting in way over his head is dark, thrilling and wildly funny.

25. "The Harder They Fall"
The Best Netflix original film thus far and the best western I've seen thus far, this is an engaging and wonderful piece of cinema.

24. "The Enormity Of Life"
Cleveland's own Eric Swinderman wites and driects this beautiful film about mental health and features terrific turns from Breckin Meyer, Giselle Eisenberg and Emily Kinney. My interview with Eric can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkcuYeFjwds&t=12s 

23. "C'mon C'mon"
This film reminded me of a more grounded and quiet version of 1999's "Big Daddy" with Joaquin Phoenix watching over his nephew (Woody Norman). Shot in black-and-white, this is such a joyful film to watch.

22. "Belle"
I'm not huge on Anime, but this was such a dazzling and enjoyable film. A girl is the biggest online sensation in this VR type simulation, but soon tuns into a conquest to help the "Beast" of this world. This is a colorful and deeply touching movie.

21. "City Of Lies"
Long delayed after being taken off the schedule from 2018, this is a terrific crime film taking a look at the investigation behind the death of The Notorious B.I.G. that features amazing performances from Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker.

20. "Encanto"
Disney's second film of this year, this is a very heatfelt film with some of the most colorful animation I've ever seen and ear-worm catchy songs. 

19. "Censor"
A Gripping horror tale taking place during the"Video Nasty" era of the 80's in which one of the board's Censors starts having very life-like visions and features one of the best horror endings in recent memory.

18. "King Richard"
Yeah, yeah, yeah, the slap I get it. This is a really good sports drama film featuring a career best turn from Will Smith and manages to be super inspiring to boot. 

17. "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
Everybody and their mother and their grandmother and their cousins and their sister's cousins friends saw this. All of them have talked about it. It's the best MCU film to date and a wonderfully high energy film.

16. "Cruella"
Disney: This is how you re-imagine your classic tales. Emma Stone is astounding as the title character, while the film takes on a streak of rebellion that runs red hot and bleeds onto the viewer. 

15. "Dear Evan Hansen"
Very maligned by people, this is one filled with heart. Yes, it's a tad odd having a story revolving around mental illness and suicide to feature musical numbers, but it's not out of place and treats the material with the utmost love and respect. 

14. "Riders Of Justice"
A Tense as all get out Danish film about a group of people investigating a train explosion that took the lives of Mads Mikkelson's family. See this immediately.

13. "Copshop"
I was one of the twelve people to see this in theaters, but "Copshop" is a stylish action film that's a slight throwback to the thrillers of the '70's with dynamic action set-pieces and bonkers performances.

12. "In The Heights"
The most alive film of the year, this was a bright, bouncy musical offering filled with catchy songs and beautiful summer locales. I loved this one to death. 

11. "The Mitchell's Vs. The Machines"
An animated film for film lovers? Vibrant and colorful animation? Sign me up. This movie is one of the best animated films I've ever seen and features the most plucky and likeable protagonist for one of these films in a while. It also has fighting robots and a bug-eyed pug. I loved the hell out of this. 

10. "F9"

I will continue eating these movies up no matter how fast, how furious, how absurd and how out there they get. If you can’t get behind the delicious thrills and over the top insanity of latest installment, “F9”, then you’re missing out. Running 143 minutes (150 for the Director's cut) but never feeling that long, the film has eccentric and high energy action sequences, game and familiar performances from the central cast and directions this movie takes that are so out there, it really has to be seen to be believed. The return of Lucas Black, Bow Wow and Jason Tobin is delightful and a really nice touch to have them incorporated more in the main storyline, though when they stopped drifting and got their degree’s in rocket engineering are left to speculation. Black in particular is so happy and Gung ho, it makes one wish he would have a larger presence in the next one. Of course, it’s just a tad absurd that Dominic and Mia have a brother they’ve never spoken about in any of the other movies (Mia even utters the line “how do you say goodbye to your ONLY brother?” In “Fast & Furious”), but we’ll just chalk that up to the fact that it’s John Cena and no one could see him. Cena is terrific, as he has proven to be. Lastly, the soundtrack is terrific, with “Fast Lane” and “Lane Switcha” being on constant repeat on my phone, and the tiny tributes these latest installments have done to fallen member Paul Walker are heartwarming and might bring a tear to your eyes. Simply put, these are the first movies I think of when I think of the term “Summer Blockbuster”, and these are continuously fun and delightful. Goofy and outrageous, yes, but so much damn fun.

9. "A Mouthful Of Air"

“A Mouthful Of Air” is quite a devastating movie. That’s not to say it’s horrible, it’s actually incredible. Amanda Seyfried delivers one of the absolute best performances of the year as Julie, a mother suffering deeply from Post Partum depression and just looking for any sort of escape from the pain. It’s a very sad, yet entrancing tale, and Seyfried is at the forefront of it all, baring her soul to the audience. As Julie, she’s so heartbreaking one minute, but so touching the next. Her eyes light up whenever she talks about writing the next installment of her childrens book series, yet, almost like a switch, her mood can suddenly dampen. Finn Wittrock, as her husband Ethan, is also great, essaying a husband who is doing the best he can, but can’t help to let the cracks show every now and then. The ending to the film, which is left for everyone to discover on their own, set to Ruth B’s cover of “Pure Imagination”(Possibly the best version of the song out there, as Gene Wilder’s is classic and Maroon 5’s cover is atrocious) is when the tears started flowing, a sad, yet beautiful conclusion to a sad and beautiful film. Are films like this tough for me to go through? Yes. Are they cathartic and helpful to experience? Yes. Am I Ok? Yes. Yes I am. And kudos to the filmmakers who put up a little warning before the studio logos came up, that’s the first time I’ve seen that.

8. "Judas And The Black Messiah"

“Judas And The Black Messiah” is as great as you’ve been hearing. It’s a triumphant portrait and stunning portrayal of the infiltration and, later, assassination of Fred Hampton Jr., a leader of a local Black Panther chapter. The performances from both Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield are magnificent, with Kaluuya bringing the confidence and swagger and Stanfield bringing the anxiety and fear within. The film is never less than engaging and the final few minutes come as a genuine surprise, given I wasn’t all too familiar with the real story. Where the film truly shines in it's importance in showing every detail, no matter how big or small. This is truly remarkable, important and never less than great.

7. "Nobody"

“Nobody” was the perfect film to see after a rough week and the exact reason why I love movies so much. Bob Odenkirk plays Hutch, a, well, nobody who turns out to be a bit of a somebody after a bus fight turns into something more dangerous and deadly. Everything this movie does is phenomenal and is executed with class and seeming ease. The action is top notch, the gun fighting and creative weapons improvised throughout make for a lot of “ooooooo!” Moments while watching it. The comedy the film manages to squeeze out from certain scenes is also done pretty well; a scene involving a hospital waiting room chair is painfully and tremendously funny. The writing is slick and the pacing is quick and trim; not one ounce of footage could be cut from this. Odenkirk is terrific in emulating this tricky yet well-tailored role, and newcomer Paisley Cadorath might be the most natural and adorable onscreen daughter to date. One minor complaint I have, and it is minor: there’s a scene where Hutch’s scars mysteriously disappear then reappear moments later. Other than that, “Nobody” is essentially “John Wick” with a 9-5 businessman instead of an assassin (the poster is even a take on a poster for “John Wick: Chapter 2”) and the use of Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker” during a wild climactic car chase is perfect. I cannot recommend “Nobody”, enough. In fact, it made me want to grab my own Kitty Cat Bracelet.

6. "Nine Days"

Where do we go when we die? How does death make you feel? Is it scary? More off, what do you see after passing away. No one really has any of the answers; it's of course impossible to determine these things as a living person. “Nine Days” is extremely powerful while never being loud or forceful about it. A theoretical story about people who have died and move onto a sort of Purgatory run by Will (Winston Duke). They have Nine Days to run through a series of tasks and scenarios. Only one can succeed. If they do, they get to be reborn. If they don’t, they merely pass on. This is a very deep and thought provoking film, one that makes me love it more and more as I reflect on it. The acting, while never showy, is very grounded and wonderfully done, while the premise and writing are executed with quiet exuberance. This is a film that made me genuinely cry, and I employ everyone out there to see it. It’s truly one of this years best.

5. "The Night House"

“The Night House” is absolutely chilling, terrifying and massively intense. The film follows Beth (a courageous and dynamic Rebecca Hall), coming to grips with the recent suicide of her husband. As she tried to pick up the pieces, strange things start to happen around her. Are these strange things real? Or do they happen to be the byproduct of her not sleeping enough at night? Whatever it is, she needs answers. This is one of 2021’s best horror movies, and just one of its best period. The film poses so many scary and eerie situations and scenarios that it left me actually frightened by its prompts. Rebecca Hall continues to be one of the most unsung actresses in Hollywood and she gives her best performance yet, here. From quiet and lost one minute, to manic and wild the next, it’s easily a performance not to be forgotten. The film is genuinely scary (for what it’s worth, the film does have two well earned jump scares, the first of which caught me so off guard I almost screamed) and it doesn’t dumb things down for the audience. The ending, without daring to give anything away, is probably one of the most intense moments I’ve experienced at any movie. I’m still a little shaken just thinking about it.

4. "Last Night In Soho"

Man, this was an experience to say the least. The film follows Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie) as she gets accepted into a prestigious fashion school in London. As she transitions from living on campus to a kind old woman’s home to rent a room, she begins experiencing very real-feeling dreams centered around the sultry Sandie (Anya Taylor Joy). At first, she’s delighted in having these dreams as they start serving her inspiration in fashion design, but as the nights go on, the dreams get worse, and Ellie isn’t sure she wants to sleep anymore. Edgar Wright has made a genre triumph. The film does everything correctly and then some. The costuming and cinematography are to die for, the soundtrack filled with impeccable 60’s hits is like candy, and the suspense and tension racked up as the film goes on is airtight. The real stars of the show are the mousy, yet confident Thomasin McKenzie as Ellie, and the always amazing Anya Taylor-Joy as the mysterious Sandie, both revealing more layers as the film goes on. Taylor-Joys rendition of “Downtown” is a big plus.

3. "Blue Bayou"

"Blue Bayou” is so raw and honest that by the end of the film I was weeping. Written, directed by and starring Justin Chon as Antonio, a man who undyingly loves his wife (Alicia Vikander) and stepdaughter (a charming Sydney Kowalske), but has a hard time getting more than a steady income with his past hindering him and lingering over his head. With the threat of deportation hits him after an incident (and a legal loophole makes his chances of staying shrink), he has to face the road ahead step by step and hope for the best. With performances this real (they fully transcend the archetype and description of characters) and writing this strong, it makes the viewer feel as if they’re one of them. By the time the film was over, I was left in tears; without spoiling anything, the emotions that were building up little by little throughout the film, fully exploded by the time the absolutely gut-wrenching scene hit. I might have been saying this a bit this year (so much so that my usual top ten year end list might expand to twenty), but “Blue Bayou” is one of the absolute best films of the year; it’s certainly human and beautiful in all of its layers shown.

2. "The Suicide Squad"

I adored 2016’s “Suicide Squad”. I adored 2020’s “Birds Of Prey”. And I adore 2021’s “The Suicide Squad”. This movie encapsulates everything a hard-R summer blockbuster should be and more. This was such a fun time filled with terrific performances, a heavy amount of violence and a weasel that looks strung out and wet the whole time he’s there. Margot Robbie continues to be fantastic as Harley Quinn, while John Cena is still amazing no matter what the role calls for. Give him a role that’s got some comedy in it and he’ll run away with it. The soundtrack, the colors, the cinematography, the pacing, the giant one eyed starfish; it’s all excellent. Idris Elba? Terrific. Daniela Melchior? Beautiful and achingly human. King Shark? This might be Stallone’s funniest performance yet, and his voice is PERFECT for it. This is, at least for now, my pick for the best film of the year. I loved every second of it and cannot wait to see it again. I've since seen the film three times and love every sigle aspect about it. 

1. "Red Rocket"

“Red Rocket” is without a doubt the absolute best film of 2021. I am being completely serious when I say that. Not only is it an honest and raw character study, it’s engaging, it’s thought-provoking at times and features crisp writing with terrific performances. Simon Rex BETTER get recognition for his amazing turn as Mikey, a former adult film star who moves back to his hometown to look for honest work. The only hitch with Mikey is that he’s not a very honest man; constantly conning and weaseling his way in and out of peoples lives. The movie actively discourages Mikey and in turn doesn’t turn away from every move he makes, just like the audience viewing it. You wanna see Mikey turn over a new leaf and hope to see regret in his actions, but he has stubborn pride, and forget it if you’re asking him to give that up. Rex is phenomenal and gives the best performance of the year. Also fantastic are the rest of the supporting cast (including newcomer Suzanna Son as Strawberry), providing the (somewhat) voices of reason who are either fooled by his promises or fed up with his shit. The cherry on top? The films use of *N-SYNC’s 2000 hit “Bye Bye Bye”. The song comes up at certain points (and actually starts and ends the film proper) and the way they use it, making the lyrics fit the situation or theme proper, is shockingly great. Plus, I’m a huge *N-SYNC fan, so sue me. Suzanna Son also covers the song during the film and it’s actually lovely. I said it once and I’ll say it again: Simon Rex is amazing and “Red Rocket” is the BEST film of 2021.