Top ten of 2021

A list of ten films I really liked that released in Australia in 2021 in Cinemas and I got a chance to see. Noting there are a couple of films that may be worthy that I didn't see this year due to release dates, and some of the films I'm listing came out overseas in 2020, never the less they count as 2021 releases for my purposes. For what it's worth, I saw 235 films this year, 135 new ones, 100 old ones. I'd rate 199 of them as "good". You can read the full reviews of all of them on letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/simbot/films/reviews/

Another Round - An illustration of four men in midlife crisis attempting to deal with their lost youth through irresponsible behavior, with a great climactic final scene showing off Mads Mikklesen and his amazing legs.

Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra - a really great movie about a family, a culture and a movement - capturing modern dance and fame and its effect on three brothers. It's a really engrossing story with captivating dance footage and a real heart to it. 

Lapsis - A look at the modern gig-culture world through a sci-fi lens that has a specific unique look as it deals with the encroachment of big business on our lives and the increasing mechinisation of human beings.

Malignant - Probably the nuttiest left turn of a film this year, probably only the last third really belongs on this list but the last third was so much fun that it drags the film onto my list despite the somewhat laboured setup. It's one of those "you just have to see it to believe it" kinda films. 

Minari - A sweet family tale of finding a place in the world and holding onto it, as a Korean family moves to a small rural town and tries to establish their place, it's gentle, funny and a great outpouring of soul. 

Pig - Nicholas Cage only occasionally makes great movies - too often he's overacting in films that never really use his talents correctly. But in this case he's happened upon a solid script and has shaped his performance enough to give space to the rest of the performers around him - lifting Adam Arkin and Alex Wolff into strong performers rather than just sidelines to his main attraction. It's a great old-fashioned noir storyline in an unusual setting, and is incredibly pleasurable.

Riders of Justice - A really great look at the "old guy revenge" movie through giving space to the nerdy guys doing the research, thoroughly delightful. Although eventually Mads Mikklesen ends up busting up bad guys, it's not entirely a film in love with retribution so much as finding support structures around you.

Summer of Soul, or when the revolution could not be televised - A great doco about a period that's been visited a lot, from an angle that hasn't been seen much - the late sixties music scene through the eyes of African Americans, and the culture that surrounded them. 

Tick Tick ... Boom! - This is a particularly-me-kinda film - I'm aware the extreme earnestness of a 29 year old white guy declaring "I'm the future of American Theatre" is something that most people are going to find slap-worthy, but ... well, I was 23 and just leaving university when I first heard "Rent" and it kinda captured my heart before my brain had a chance to intervene. And this captured my heart too, particularly with Andrew Garfield's no-shame-whatsoever performance and the great capturing of the location and era. 

Titane - A wild pleasure, bringing us into a character who seems wildly unhinged and a situation that's somewhat absurd, and making us care about them and their choices - it's eventually almost a family bonding story through some very weird methods. 

Near Misses (just outside the top 10) - Luca, Supernova, The lost Daughter

Least Loved - A Call To Spy, Creation Stories; Every Breath You Take; Occupation: Rainfall

New To Me Favourites - Black Book, Black Narcissus, Chunking Express

New To Me Favourites (Insanely Fun but ridiculous edition) - Man's Best Friend.