3. Crank These Up to Eleven and Roll Down the Window!
These were everything I wanted and I adored them. I can’t quite bring myself to put them among the “2”s, but these are still some of my favorites from this year.
After Blue
Imagine if Heart’s “These Dreams” music video was given a wacky sci-fi concept and made into a movie. That’s the closest I can get to encapsulating what awaits your eyeballs if you slap them on this beauty. Set on a planet that humans fled to that soon became all-female because for some reason the men couldn’t survive the environment, this movie has galactic mean girls, a villain named Kate Bush, guns named after fashion designers, slime baths, and so much glitter they probably had to burn the set down to get rid of it. I have no idea what I watched but I can’t wait to see it again. (Not yet released.)
Benedetta
Classic Verhoeven, and all that entails, but “Showgirls in a convent” it is not. This movie is very intentional and you do not make a movie like SHOWGIRLS intentionally. This has quite a bit to say about the nature of faith and how it can be corrupted in the pursuit or protection of power. But Verhoeven gonna Verhoeven, so naturally there are hot lesbian nuns doing it in various states of what Joe Bob Briggs would call “nekkidity.” It’s great, and if you're a fan of Paul Verhoeven, you’ll probably love it. Just leave your expectations at the door when it comes to more bonkers fare. For all the kink, it's fairly straightforward. (Still in some theaters and available to rent on streaming platforms.)
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
This is so much fun and left me with a giant smile on my face. The premise starts out simply and interestingly enough. The owner of a cafe discovers that the TV feed in his cafe (which he can watch on his computer in his apartment upstairs) shows the future – two minutes into the future, to be exact. You might not think much can happen in two minutes, but just wait until you see what this movie has in store for you. As more of the main character's friends enter the situation, things get more and more ridiculous and complicated. Just when you think they’ve taken the concept as far as they can, they go even further. What a refreshingly original time travel idea; I’d begun to think we’d run out of those. (Not yet released.)
In the Heights
I had a few quibbles with some of the writing decisions, but this was as close to a perfect adaptation of the first musical I saw after moving to New York as I could have asked for. The cast album was in heavy rotation in my headphones for the first few months I lived here. The movie has so many imaginative musical numbers – “96,000” and “When the Sun Goes Down” being the biggest standouts. It was filmed very near where I live (Jimmy Smits’s trailer was right in front of my apartment building for a few days of shooting), and it was incredible to see these neighborhoods look as alive as they feel in real life. Forget “Sex and the City,” THIS is a real portrait of MY New York (well, except that the real thing is more diverse, as many people were quick to point out when the film was released). Anthony Ramos makes a great Usnavi and Gregory Diaz IV is the MVP. Love Lin-Manuel Miranda playing the Piragua guy and getting to do one of my favorite numbers of the show. (Streaming on HBOMax and available for rent on other streaming platforms.)
King Richard
I knew nothing going into this except that Venus and Serena Williams were the best tennis players (of any gender) in the world. So, if nothing else, this movie taught me a lot about their background and the efforts of their father (and mother) to make them the superstars they eventually became. I’m not sure I’d call this movie “inspiring,” exactly. I will probably never be as talented at anything as Venus and Serena are at tennis, and a whole lot of this film is Richard Williams stubbornly demanding opportunities for his daughters because he knows they’re not just good – they’re going to be the best. This isn’t about making them happy or encouraging them to follow something they like; Richard sees this as their destiny, and he has a detailed plan to make it happen, knowing full well all of the obstacles they’ll have to deal with. Lots of great performances in this, but Will Smith gives his best performance to date. (Available to rent on streaming platforms.)
New York Ninja
Oh. My. God. Bless this perfect diamond of a movie. Filmed in 1984, but uncompleted and abandoned, it was picked up by Vinegar Syndrome and lovingly reconstructed and finished by Kurtis Spieler, who not only cut the raw visual materials together into a (mostly) coherent film but also completely assembled new audio from scratch. All of this obviously makes this project special, but I think the real accomplishment was seeing the potential in what they already had. It looks like another dumb 1980s action movie, but it’s so much more. The DIY-ness of it, the amazing and surely-brought-from-home costumes, the bad wigs, that one guy with the epic rattail, and way more NYC location shooting than the original filmmakers could possibly have had permission for (plus a lot more that there’s just not enough space to mention) make this a must-see. It is more fun than ought to be legal, and I’m happy to hear VS has struck a 35mm print of it so it can play in some theaters and get some love from audiences. (Not currently in theaters but physical copies are available on Vinegar Syndrome website and Amazon has pre-orders available.)
Nobody
Is it a John Wick knock-off? Possibly, though I think that’s a kind of lazy comparison of two action movies that don’t have much else in common besides solo heroes who beat the crap out of people in campaigns of revenge. NOBODY doesn’t have the detailed worldbuilding of the John Wick movies. It’s still excellent and has great characters and I think fairly plausible motivations. I love seeing Bob Odenkirk get to tackle a role like this. I love the slow reveal of who he is and what he’s capable of after seeing his initial interactions with his family and others in his everyday life who don’t really take him that seriously. The fight scene on the bus is iconic and I think the best action scene in the movie, and among the best I’ve ever seen. (Available for rent on streaming platforms.)
Raya and the Last Dragon
This movie has such beautiful animation, from the setting to the characters, but there’s a lot more going on here. This is a great story with a good (if simplistic) message. There’s great worldbuilding here as well, and as someone who grew up on endless princess stories, I love seeing adventures featuring female characters and conflicts that don’t revolve around marrying a prince (or marrying anyone, for that matter). I love the voice talent, particularly Awkwafina as the eponymous dragon; Awkwafina should be in everything. Also, Alan Tudyk continues his incredible string of voice acting roles with yet another adorable animal who doesn’t speak but makes cute noises. (Streaming on Disney+ and available to rent on other streaming platforms.)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Possibly my favorite Marvel movie, at least partly because it’s not so danged interconnected with the rest of the MCU (seriously, all this serialization is wearing me out – too much homework!). Several incredible fight sequences (thanks to Brad Allen, stunt coordinator, who died this past year), of which a definite standout is the one on the scaffolding outside the building in Macau. A great cast, led by Simu Liu and (again) Awkwafina. And some great storytelling – I love the backstory of Shang-Chi’s parents and how it sets up Wenwu as an amazing, three-dimensional villain (played by Hong Kong acting legend Tony Leung). And once again, we get another play of my favorite song, Enemies Working Together for a Common Cause. (Streaming on Disney+ and available to rent on other streaming platforms.)
She Will
It’s folk horror, but neither as folky nor as horror as I expected – but that’s not a bad thing! This movie had me at Alice Krige and never let me go. Krige plays a former actress who’s recovering from a double mastectomy and goes to a retreat built on a site where women accused of witchcraft were burnt at the stake. The land, filled with the women’s ashes, seem to give Krige’s character special powers to enact revenge in her dreams, particularly against a former director of hers (played by Malcolm McDowell), who abused her when she was a young actress playing what would end up being her most recognized role. This is Alice Krige’s show and I’m here for it, but Kota Eberhardt gives a great supporting performance as her home health nurse. Perhaps I related to this a bit more than I would have otherwise due to my own health experiences this past year, but I loved this a lot. (Not yet released.)
Slumber Party Massacre
I love the original and I love its sequel even more, but I was *pumped* to see that someone had made a new version of the 80s slasher classic. Like this new version, the original was directed by a woman, but Amy Jones was a director-for-hire who had to check off some things for producer Roger Corman (namely, gratuitous T&A), and Danishka Esterhazy doesn’t seem to have been under any such constraints on this new one. I adore how this movie shows affection for the original (and the sequels - that guitar!) while updating it substantially for a more socially aware audience. Some of it is on the nose, but I think much of that is on purpose (the line about “getting rid of all the men” KILLED ME). This was so much fun, with tons of surprises. I watched and live-Tweeted it when it first aired on SyFy this fall, and I got a huge thrill out of the cast and crew (including the director!) noticing and interacting with my commentary. (Available to rent on streaming platforms.)
Spencer
I don’t know what people’s problem with this is, except that a lot of them seem to want it to be something it’s not. I suppose Princess Diana has always been a subject people have a lot of Opinions and Feelings about, and any attempt to navigate her as a person is going to light all those opinions and feelings on fire. But I thought this was wonderful and sad. This is not a “based on a true story” thing. The event this movie is built around probably never happened (that thing where everyone had to be weighed was definitely true, though perhaps not in practice by the time setting of the film – Edward VII apparently started it). But I buy it as a stab at what her experience with the Royal Family must have been like and what was so incongruous between her and the rest of the family. I felt so horrible for her, and while it doesn’t feel like actual histrionics, you can see where these awful people would have seen her behavior as such. The way food and clothes are weaponized in this movie is terrifying – my God, the drama over her wearing the wrong outfit to Christmas Day church! Her interactions with her sons seem the most revealing, and the snooker scene with Charles is one of the most amazing scenes in any movie in 2021. (Still in some theaters and available to rent on streaming platforms.)
Tina
I seem to have seen a LOT of music documentaries this year (well, for me) and this one was a banger. Tina Turner’s story has been told many times, but this feels like a complete version of that story, one that doesn’t revolve so much around her life with Ike. That is definitely a major chapter (which she has unfortunately had to relive many, many times in the media) but her comeback and remaking of herself is far more important. It’s great to see her happy with a man that she loves who adores her and treats her like the queen she is. And I like that, when we reach the end of the doc, she’s ready to step back and retire and just enjoy her life. She has more than earned it. (Streaming on HBOMax and available to rent on other streaming platforms.)
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