After taking in a satisfyingly ridiculous number of films and streaming this year, here are my Top Tens.
While there was arguably more joy to be had on the series front, with the streaming revolution kicking into an extra gear and blood in the box office, these were all exceptional:
1. PIG
Nicolas Cage and first-time director Michael Sarnoski delivered the surprise of the year, ingeniously subverting revenge-thriller genre expectations to deliver a tale of grief and regret with originality and panache. I rewatched it within a week. Team it up with the lovely documentary Truffle Hunters.
2. MINARI
A beautiful and understated semi-autobiographical labour of love from writer-director Lee Isaac Chung, this is a universal story of family and sacrifice that cuts deep and lingers long after the end credits.
3. SPIDERMAN: NO WAY HOME
Say what you will about sequel/superhero overload – blockbusters don’t come more joyful and satisfying than this, with a series of lovingly-crafted surprises making for the most memorable cinema screening in years. While Bond laboured to an underwhelming finale, Marvel made it clear that nobody does it better.
4. THE CARD COUNTER
Another brutal and engrossing Paul Schrader dive into the soul of a tortured man, with a never-better Oscar Isaac as his muse and one of the best payoffs of the year.
5. SUMMER OF SOUL
A few months after the famous Beatles recording sessions that were recut for this year’s acclaimed Get Back docuseries, another iconic moment in music was being captured – only to be completely forgotten. SOS uses exhilarating stage footage and enlightening interviews to pay a fitting tribute to the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, its legendary performers (including Nina Simone, Gladys Knight and a teenage Stevie Wonder) and the cultural legacy of that revolutionary time.
6. THE FATHER
For all their faults, the Academy got it absolutely right when they ‘controversially’ picked Anthony Hopkins over Chadwick Boseman for Best Actor. He puts in a colossal performance as a man whose world is being twisted by dementia, with a brilliantly adapted screenplay – also deserving of its Oscar – that plays more like a thriller than family drama and hits like a ton of bricks.
7. VAL
Another 2021 archival marvel, Val Kilmer takes us through the highs and lows of an extraordinary life and rollercoaster career using footage from decades of obsessive home video-making. Likely one-sided at times, it nevertheless feels candid and vulnerable; a mixture of celebration, revisionism, catharsis and cautionary tale, assembled with a poetic touch and featuring some exceptional behind the scenes moments for film fans. Team it up with the more workmanlike Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain.
8. THE SUICIDE SQUAD
Free from the weight of a Superman or a Batman, or any Marvel parallels, this is DC Studios’ best effort yet. Propelled by writer-director James Gunn’s chaotic energy and powered by visuals as stunning and creative as they were expensive, TSS uses a wacky cast of disposable super-nobodies to twist the comic book film genre into bloody and joyfully nutty directions.
9. JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Another thoroughly deserving Oscar-winner, Daniel Kaluuya is electrifying as charismatic Black Panthers leader Fred Hampton in this gripping, ambitious and superbly executed glimpse into a lesser-known slice of the African American struggle. Team it up with the powerful MLK/FBI documentary which blows open the FBI’s disturbing obsession with Black civil rights leaders.
10. RED ROCKET
A last-minute addition, just pushing out either the lovely parenthood drama Cmon Cmon or the joyful punch-up fest Nobody… today at least. The charismatic Simon Rex plays a hyperactive washed-up porn star who moves back into his dead-end Texas hometown and tries to con a colourful but grounded cast of local characters – played by nonprofessional actors – into helping him find his feet. Crass, fresh, darkly funny and thoroughly entertaining; team it up with the wild Zola for more edgy ‘real America’ kicks.
Honourable Mentions: Shang Chi, Dune, The Green Knight, Mandibles, Sparks Brothers, Riders of Justice, Stowaway, I Care a Lot, Hand of God, Licorice Pizza.
Stinkers: Space Jam 2, Old, Army of the Dead, Don’t Look Up, Red Notice, A Quiet Place 2, The Matrix Resurrections
BONUS: TOP TEN STREAMING
1. It’s A Sin
2. Get Back
3. Loki
4. Bo Burnham Inside
5. The White Lotus
6. Exterminate All The Brutes
7. Dave
8. Hacks
9. The Investigation
10. 100 Foot Wave
The covid crisis continued to speed up the seismic shift to streaming with a torrent of programming for all tastes.
As the war between the ‘pluses’ and the ‘maxes’ continued apace, with some predicted mergers already happening, some eye-watering cheques were thrown around to secure proven talent and buzzy shows.
Helped by a healthy film day-and-date release schedule and a wealth of prestige productions, HBO Max overcame some initial bumps to achieve huge growth and become my personal go-to destination.
But Netflix still rule the roost with quantity-over-quality; although the likes of Bo Burnham Inside, The Squid Game and Power of the Dog helped in different ways, Red Notice seems to be where their strategy is at.
Disney are hot on their heels, with the uncanny timing of the MCU’s shift to series building on their heavyweight library for a bumper year for Disney+, while their parallel streamer Hulu continued to flesh out its edgy personality.
Despite Ted Lasso and some eye-catching productions, Apple+ still don’t have a firm footing – but who would bet against them? Peacock tried bravely but, having pooped the bed with its Olympics coverage, are still lagging.
Paramount can’t stream their biggest show, the mammoth Yellowstone, but are throwing money at the problem, with huge deals for its creator Taylor Sheridan, the South Park boys and the Star Trek franchise.
2022 looks set to be make-or-break for at least some of these. And Season 3 of Atlanta finally arrives. Buckle up!
MS.