Best Movies of the year 2021

1. Pig

(Amazon Rent- Apple TV)

Yes, the best picture of the year is a movie with Nicolas Cage playing a guy looking for a lost pig. Don’t be confused with the odd premise, this a deeply moving film, a transcendental experience that you hope for every time you sit down to see a movie. Pig is a profound and nuanced study of grief and regret, a melancholic and poignant story, with a superb, triumphant performance from Cage.

2. Drive my car

(Amazon Rent- HBO/Max)

If you can be patient and stick with the 3-hour run-time you will be rewarded with an unforgettable journey of love, loss and acceptance. A quiet triumph, for Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi.

3. The French Dispatch

(Amazon Rent- HBO/Max)

I don’t love everything West Anderson does, in fact I haven’t love anything from him since the Royal Tenenbaums. But The French Dispatch is arguably his best work. It’s all very cleverly worked out- includes animation, multiple frame ratios- it is quirky, imaginative and aesthetically wonderful.

4. Hand of God

(Netflix)

Hand of God is deeply affecting coming-of-age film about the birth of a vocation and about the evolving process of looking at life. A gorgeously observational film about growing up and our best and worse memories.

5. C’mon C’mon

(Amazon Rent- Apple TV)

A very small and low-key film with a powerful and sincere undertone about community, family and the legacy we leave behind for the next generation and how much we can all learn from the young. Very well-written and acted, with relationships and interactions that are very genuine and heartwarming.

6. Titane

(Amazon Rent- Apple TV)

Titane is provocative with a purpose, constantly deifying physical and cinematic boundaries. A genre blurring piece of cinema, unapologetic in its brutality, offering a unique look at self-discovery and the human body.

7. Belfast

(Amazon Rent- Apple TV)

Branagh's film is stunning, shot in black-and-white with intoxicating mix of awe through exquisite lighting and ample portrait-like closeups. This was gorgeously shot, eye-catching and enchanting, using black and white to full advantage

8. The Tragedy of Macbeth

(Apple TV)

The Tragedy of Macbeth is gorgeous work of art with infectious production design, enchanting cinematography, austere visual aesthetics, and a powerhouse performance from Denzel Washington. This is clearly one of Shakespeare’s finest adaptations, meticulously manufactured by Joel Coen.

9. The Power of the Dog

(Netflix)

Campion’s labyrinth of a screenplay requires patient attention and the audience to do part of the work to fully appreciate this sophisticated arthouse film with extraordinary depth.

10.The Card Counter

(Amazon Rent- Apple TV)

The Card Counter is a subtle exploration of national crimes against the individual conscience. This is intelligent, rich, and pertinent storytelling for grownups that isn't about lecturing or pandering.

Oscar Predictions

I. Best Picture

Who is going to win: CODA

Who should win: Drive my Car

Comment: Don’t get me wrong, CODA is a good film, but not even close to Drive my Car (CODA was not even on my top 10 list of the years).

II. Best Director

Who is going to win: Jane Campion

Who should win: Kenneth Branagh

Comment: This is a tough category, and Jane Campion is deserving, but Belfast quality is solely driven by Branagh’s technical feats.

III. Best Actor

Who is going to win: Will Smith

Who should win: Benedict Cumberbatch

Comment: Will Smith gave a very good performance, and worthy of an Oscar nomination. But it was Cumberbatch’s multi-layered and highly complex performance the more deserving.

IV. Best Actress

Who is going to win: Jessica Chastain

Who should win: Nicole Kidman

Comment: Often a performance with prosthetics and makeup always has an edge. Although I love Chastain and she certainly delivered an impressive imitation of the real person she portrays, it was Kidman who was able to find the nuances of her real-life character Lucille Ball

V. Best Supporting Actress

Who is going to win: Ariana DeBose

Who should win: Jessie Buckley

Comment: You can argue that DeBose was the best thing in West Side Story, but that character will always be designed for Oscars, since it has so many Oscar bait moments. But watch Buckly in the Lost Daughter and see her overshadow one of the best in the business in Olivia Colman.

VI. Best Supporting Actor

Who is going to win: Troy Kotsu

Who should win: Kodi Smit-McPhee

Comment: Troy Kotsu was great in CODA, but Kodi-Smit was phenomenal and delivered a 10 in a highly difficult role to play.

VII. Best Original Screenplay

Who is going to win: Licorice Pizza

Who should win: Belfast

Comment: This category is so weak that you have one of the worse screenplays of the year (Don’t Look up) nominated for an Oscar.

VIII. Best Adapted Screenplay

Who is going to win: CODA

Who should win: The Power of the Dog

Comment: CODA had very conventional storytelling, The Power of the Dog was screenwriting at its best.