Not in any particular order:
The Power of the Dog
Belfast
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
Dune
The Sparks Brothers
The Last Duel
The Velvet Underground
Last Night in Soho
The Green Knight
Haven’t seen everything yet such as The Tragedy of Macbeth which hasn’t opened here yet.
We will watch THE POWER OF THE DOG soon. Agree on PASSING and SUMMER OF SOUL. Also enjoyed TINA. I haven’t seen any on Steve’s list. Not a very big (or good) movie year for me. The best movies we saw were from the previous year – NOMADLAND for one – or classics we watched again. I’d add DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD (Netflix documentary), PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (2020), THE LAVENDER SCARE (documentary), THE FATHER (2020), PASSING and SUMMER OF SOUL.
Jeff, I almost decided to skip posting FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2021 because I only went to the AMC or Regal Theaters a handful of times. I did watch new movie releases on streaming services like HBO Max but–let’s face it–2021 was not a good year for movies. It’s looking like 2022 is going to start out the same way 2021 did: raging Covid-19, restrictions, and mediocre movies.
I haven’t been to a theater this year and probably won’t any time soon, so the few new movies I’ve seen have been streaming and mostly bad to mediocre. Only two were really worth mentioning–THE POWER OF THE DOG and PASSING, both on Netflix.
Michael, I agree with you. THE POWER OF THE DOG and PASSING are the best movies of 2021. SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME thrilled me the way pre-Pandemic MARVEL movies did.
I watch what appeals on TCM, the only special channel I have.
Byron
I have to say I’m with Rick on this. I could watch nothing but TCM and be content. Cinema died for me in the 90s as it shifted toward tent pole movies and the current emphasis on franchises, particularly comic book IP, makes it unlikely I’ll be seeing new movies anytime soon. As far as I’m concerned, old movies aren’t old if they are new to me and nothing will ever match the craftsmanship of films made from the 20s through the mid 60s and there were enough films produced during that era to last me the rest of my life. I’ve tried watching some of the stuff Netflix has produced and it just feels hollow (and looks like crap). I don’t care what anyone says, movies made for TV look like they were made for TV. Digital cameras and HD television have made new “film” utterly unwatchable to me. I have nothing against anyone who likes new movies. It’s just not my bag. That said, I still read your movie reviews, George.
Byron, thanks for reading my movie reviews! I’m no Pauline Kael or Roger Ebert, but I try to convey a sense of the movie and my reactions to it. Like you and Rick, I like older movies, too.
Steve Oerkfitz
2 out of 3 is not bad. The Sun Also Rises is pretty bad.
Steve, I’m with you on THE SUN ALSO RISES. Didn’t like the book, didn’t like the movie.
Michael Padgett
George, I think you’re in the minority here. I could come up with only two movies from this year to list, although there would be more if not for the plague. But I must have seen 15-20 old movies this year that were way better than either of them.
Michael, I’m a sucker for MARVEL movies. Movies prior to 10 or so years ago lack the technical sophistication and CGI visuals to capture the action and Special Effects needed to tell stories like THE AVENGER movies or SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME. The older movies make up for the with actual movie stars with talent rather than actors in rubber suits augmented with plenty of computer graphics.
Not in any particular order:
The Power of the Dog
Belfast
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
Dune
The Sparks Brothers
The Last Duel
The Velvet Underground
Last Night in Soho
The Green Knight
Haven’t seen everything yet such as The Tragedy of Macbeth which hasn’t opened here yet.
Steve, nice list! The new version of MACBETH is getting a lot of media buzz.
We will watch THE POWER OF THE DOG soon. Agree on PASSING and SUMMER OF SOUL. Also enjoyed TINA. I haven’t seen any on Steve’s list. Not a very big (or good) movie year for me. The best movies we saw were from the previous year – NOMADLAND for one – or classics we watched again. I’d add DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD (Netflix documentary), PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (2020), THE LAVENDER SCARE (documentary), THE FATHER (2020), PASSING and SUMMER OF SOUL.
Jeff, I almost decided to skip posting FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2021 because I only went to the AMC or Regal Theaters a handful of times. I did watch new movie releases on streaming services like HBO Max but–let’s face it–2021 was not a good year for movies. It’s looking like 2022 is going to start out the same way 2021 did: raging Covid-19, restrictions, and mediocre movies.
I haven’t been to a theater this year and probably won’t any time soon, so the few new movies I’ve seen have been streaming and mostly bad to mediocre. Only two were really worth mentioning–THE POWER OF THE DOG and PASSING, both on Netflix.
Michael, I agree with you. THE POWER OF THE DOG and PASSING are the best movies of 2021. SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME thrilled me the way pre-Pandemic MARVEL movies did.
Watched in 2021:
Citizen Kane
The Sun Also Rises
The Andromeda Strain
Rick, I think you’re living in the Past.
I watch what appeals on TCM, the only special channel I have.
I have to say I’m with Rick on this. I could watch nothing but TCM and be content. Cinema died for me in the 90s as it shifted toward tent pole movies and the current emphasis on franchises, particularly comic book IP, makes it unlikely I’ll be seeing new movies anytime soon. As far as I’m concerned, old movies aren’t old if they are new to me and nothing will ever match the craftsmanship of films made from the 20s through the mid 60s and there were enough films produced during that era to last me the rest of my life. I’ve tried watching some of the stuff Netflix has produced and it just feels hollow (and looks like crap). I don’t care what anyone says, movies made for TV look like they were made for TV. Digital cameras and HD television have made new “film” utterly unwatchable to me. I have nothing against anyone who likes new movies. It’s just not my bag. That said, I still read your movie reviews, George.
Byron, thanks for reading my movie reviews! I’m no Pauline Kael or Roger Ebert, but I try to convey a sense of the movie and my reactions to it. Like you and Rick, I like older movies, too.
2 out of 3 is not bad. The Sun Also Rises is pretty bad.
Steve, I’m with you on THE SUN ALSO RISES. Didn’t like the book, didn’t like the movie.
George, I think you’re in the minority here. I could come up with only two movies from this year to list, although there would be more if not for the plague. But I must have seen 15-20 old movies this year that were way better than either of them.
Michael, I’m a sucker for MARVEL movies. Movies prior to 10 or so years ago lack the technical sophistication and CGI visuals to capture the action and Special Effects needed to tell stories like THE AVENGER movies or SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME. The older movies make up for the with actual movie stars with talent rather than actors in rubber suits augmented with plenty of computer graphics.
I don’t remember the last time I was in a theater and I don’t get any streaaming services! If I watch a movie at all it’s an oldie on TV!
Bob, I hope your DVD player is working!