For whatever reason, I did not see as many movies this year as I typically do, which resulted in a much smaller list than previous years. Perhaps this is just a rebalancing after last year featured SIXTEEN movies on my list. Still, there were some great films this year, including two phenomenal masterpieces that I am so excited to talk about! If you want to just get to the final results, I have a TL;DR at the end of my blog that ranks my favorite films of 2021, as well as showing what awards they received from me.
DISCLAIMER: As I mentioned, I did not see every movie made in 2021 (with this awards season covering March through December) so there are likely several films that I would have put on this list if I had seen them. I watched a few of the Best Picture nominees, but honestly grew fatigued of the arthouse style this year, which is funny considering some of my favorite films are very niche arthouse (see: The Lighthouse, 2019). I will still make my Oscar predictions for each category because it's fun to do!
Here are my honorable mentions for 2021, followed by my Oscar predictions for categories that will not be included in my own awards:
Honorable Mentions
The Green Knight
King Richard
Raya and the Last Dragon
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Sing 2
Vivo
Movies That I Did Not Watch
Belfast
Coda
Cyrano
Don't Look Up
F9: The Fast Saga
Free Guy
The French Dispatch
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
In the Heights
The King's Man
The Last Duel
Last Night in Soho
Licorice Pizza
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Nightmare Alley
Pig
A Quiet Place Part II
West Side Story
Oscar Predictions for Unincluded Categories
- Costume Design - West Side Story
- Documentary (Feature) - I did not see any documentaries this year unfortunately.
- Documentary (Short Subject) - See Documentary (Feature).
- Film Editing - The Power of the Dog
- International Feature Film - See Documentary (Feature).
- Makeup and Hairstyling - House of Gucci
- Production Design - West Side Story
- Short Film (Animated) - See Documentary (Feature).
- Short Film (Live Action) - See Documentary (Feature).
Now, without further ado, here are the Best Movies of 2021 according to Robert!
Best Animated Film: Encanto
Disney gives us another great film about family, responsibility, and expectations. Lin-Manuel Miranda's songwriting combines with Germaine Franco's composing to give us a fantastic musical that will move you and entertain you. Coincidentally, they also worked together on Coco, another wonderful Mexican-cultured film in 2017, so you can expect more of the same brilliance here. If you missed Encanto in theaters, be sure to watch it on Disney+!
Honorable Mentions: Raya and the Last Dragon; and Vivo.
OSCAR PREDICTION: Encanto
Best Legendary Character: Jason Momoa (Dune)
To say that Duncan Idaho (portrayed perfectly by Jason Momoa) steals every scene that he appears in would be an understatement. Momoa uses his charisma to bring levity into the film through Duncan, while also channeling his powerful presence to make Duncan an intimidating hulk of a man. The scene in the above screenshot in particular struck me as one of the greatest moments in cinema last year, and definitely makes Dune worth watching if you have not done so yet.
Honorable Mentions: Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man: No Way Home); and David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad).
Best Heroic Sendoff: No Time to Die
Daniel Craig has become my favorite actor to portray James Bond of all time, and he gets one of the best endings to a Bond story arc in No Time to Die. He has shown how Bond has grown and matured since his debut in Casino Royale while also giving a final performance that made me tear up in theaters. I know that not all of the Craig-era Bond films have been great, but No Time to Die is right up there with Casino Royale and Skyfall as some of the best Bond films to ever be released. Definitely do not miss this great movie!
Honorable Mentions: Spider-Man: No Way Home; and The Matrix: Resurrections.
Best Ensemble Cast: The Suicide Squad
James Gunn has worked his magic again in taking a crew of bizarre but fun characters and bringing them to life with a fantastic cast. Idris Elba, of course, plays the lead character Bloodsport with a cool energy, but David Dastmalchian deserves recognition for his role as Polka Dot Man as well. Viola Davis, John Cena, Margot Robbie, and Sylvester Stallone bring their A-games here, but Daniela Melchior gave so much heart to this film as Ratcatcher 2 that she deserves a shoutout. She quickly became my favorite character and provides most of the best moments in the film, including a touching flashback of her days with her father, the original Ratcatcher (portrayed wonderfully by Taika Waititi). If you can stomach some intense violence, this is a great and fun movie to watch!
Honorable Mentions: Dune; and The Power of the Dog.
Best Music: Bo Burnham (Inside)
To get ahead of any potential protestations, I had the privilege of watching Inside at a local theater as well as on Netflix, so I consider Inside to be a feature film rather than a comedy special, so it is eligible for all of my awards! As such, it really is a no-brainer for me to pick Bo Burnham's masterpiece for the Best Music in 2021 cinema. On top of great music production and composition, Burnham's lyrics hit a chord with me regarding my time during lockdown and post-lockdown in a world overrun by COVID-19. Combining catchy pop tunes with haunting lyrics was the magic ingredient for an absolutely amazing musical experience for me. This will always be on Netflix, so be sure to watch Inside if you have not yet!
Honorable Mentions: Hans Zimmer (Dune); and Germaine Franco (Encanto).
OSCAR PREDICTION: Hans Zimmer (Dune)
Best Comic Book Film: Spider-Man: No Way Home
The hype for this movie was tremendous, and yet it fully lived up to those high expectations. Willem Dafoe absolutely crushed his return as Norman Osborn, while Tom Holland continued his excellent run as Peter Parker, a.k.a. your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. This story's unpredictability led to a very exciting journey from start to finish for me. In addition, having a message of rehabilitation for villains instead of punishment or death was a very unique and heartwarming choice to make, and I greatly appreciated their decision to do so. I fully expect that anyone who reads this list will have already seen Spider-Man: No Way Home, but be sure to do so if not.
Honorable Mentions: The Suicide Squad; and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Best Supporting Performance: Rebecca Ferguson (Dune)
Having never read the books, I went into Dune with no expectations beyond Denis Villeneuve being one of the best modern filmmakers. After all, his films appear in my previous awards all over the place (Enemy, Prisoners, Sicario, and Arrival), in addition to the excellent Incendies that I watched long after it was released. So seeing Rebecca Ferguson turn in an amazing performance as Lady Jessica was so great for me, especially once I learned how much they amplified her role in the film as compared to the book. She shows fear and emotion in private, but calms and controls herself during those quiet moments before standing tall and fierce before others. The scene in the ornithopter about halfway through the film also showed off her frightening powers in an awesome way that made me love her even more. Ferguson definitely deserves recognition for her acting in Dune, regardless of whether she was nominated for an Oscar or not.
Honorable Mentions: Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog); and Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog).
OSCAR PREDICTION: Actress in a Supporting Role - Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog)
OSCAR PREDICTION: Actor in a Supporting Role - Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog)
Best Cinematic Song: All Eyes on Me (Inside)
Inside starts out with a goofy and light tone, but about halfway through descends into a darkness filled with depression and anxiety over the state of our world. All Eyes on Me takes the auto-tune heavy beat style used by Kanye West at concerts and harnesses it to tap into the deepest existential crises of my generation, while still acknowledging our own ennui in the face of such imminent and inevitable destruction. I cannot listen to this song and not get chills over my entire body every single time. One line in particular always resonates within me:
"You say the ocean's rising, / Like I give a shit.
/ You say the whole world's ending; / Honey, it already did.
/ You're not gonna slow it, / Heaven knows you've tried.
// Got it? Good, / Now get inside."
Honorable Mentions: Welcome to the Internet (Inside); and Surface Pressure (Encanto).
OSCAR PREDICTION: Be Alive (King Richard)
Best Emotional Return of Characters: The Matrix: Resurrections
I know that there were a lot of people who were disappointed by this film, but it gave me everything that I wanted from a Matrix sequel. It definitely has its flaws, but everything from the mind-bending first act to the insight into a post-war world where machines and human live together was so refreshing and positive (as opposed to the relentless despair of The Matrix: Reloaded and Revolutions). I also read an article several months before its release about how director Lana Wachowski lost both of her parents within a year of each other and could not figure out how to deal with her grief. In the end, she decided that although she could not bring her parents back to life, she could take these two characters who were near and dear to heart and resurrect them. That kind of emotional bond to Neo and Trinity moved me in an incredible way both when they finally reunite with each other and when they finally kiss for the first time in 50 years (within the storyline). It may not be a perfect film, but it is a truly heartfelt story that everyone should get to enjoy! Check it out on HBO Max if you missed it in theaters.
Honorable Mentions: Spider-Man: No Way Home; and No Time to Die.
Best Leading Performance: Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog)
The best villains in cinema are either pure evil (A Clockwork Orange, No Country for Old Men) or a complex character that has some empathy behind their motives (There Will Be Blood, Ex Machina). In this case, the latter applies to Phil Burbank, who is brought to life menacingly by Benedict Cumberbatch. His subtle mind games with Rose (well acted by Kirsten Dunst) drive the tension of the film, showing the burning, cold hatred of a man whose brother was "stolen" from him by a new wife. However, the tenderness and inner turmoil of Phil comes to light during the second half of the film, which sees him mentoring Rose's son, Peter (also greatly done by Kodi Smit-McPhee), while growing ever more fond of him. The way that the story takes this relationship really surprised me, and it would not have worked if it were not for the fantastic performance that Cumberbatch gives here. Definitely check out this Oscar frontrunner on Netflix if you somehow missed it up until now!
Honorable Mentions: Bo Burnham (Inside); and Stephanie Beatriz (Encanto).
OSCAR PREDICTION: Actress in a Leading Role - Kristen Stewart (Spencer)
OSCAR PREDICTION: Actor in a Leading Role - Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog) [but I really am rooting for Will Smith (King Richard)]
Best Technical Achievement: Dune
This year, due to the smaller size of my list, I decided to condense the categories of Best Cinematography, Best Sound Effects, and Best Visual Effects into one category. As it happens, all this really does is condense three awards that would have gone to Dune into one! The visual effects are absolutely gorgeous and bring the world of Arrakis to life in both a terrifying realistic way and a painterly fantasy way. The deep rumble of the sandworms and menacing silence of floating soldiers elevate this film, especially in a theater. Finally, Greig Fraser gives us amazing shots (such as in the above picture) that really give us the scope and size of many of these enormous beasts and machines, while also giving us those close and tender moments between characters that lets us see their expressions and emotions towards each other (especially between Lady Jessica and Paul). I fully expect Dune to nearly sweep the technical awards at the Oscars this year, and deservedly so.
Honorable Mentions: The Power of the Dog; and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
OSCAR PREDICTION: Cinematography - Ari Wegner (The Power of the Dog)
OSCAR PREDICTION: Sound - Dune
OSCAR PREDICTION: Visual Effects - Dune
Best Time Capsule of Reality: Inside
As I already mentioned, Inside really brought to the screen just exactly how it felt to feel trapped inside of our houses for over a year. As someone with a spouse who has autoimmune deficiencies, my anxiety spiked tremendously during this time and made us closed off from the outside world for almost two years while we awaited some kind of protection against a potentially deadly virus for her. Bo Burnham makes jokes in this movie about his (not so) unique circumstance while filming it, but he also really draws attention to how reliant we have become on the internet for social interaction. He also shows the dangers of living within our social bubbles that echo and amplify potentially fringe political beliefs, leading to further and further radicalization and polarization of both sides of the aisle. If anyone in the future ever asks me what it was like to live through a worldwide pandemic, I can easily point them to this film to give them the full mental and emotional experience of surviving through such a generationally traumatic event.
Honorable Mentions: King Richard; and The Matrix: Resurrections.
Best Comic Book Performance: Margot Robbie (The Suicide Squad)
We already knew that Margot Robbie was perfectly cast as Harley Quinn, but we never really got to see the combined goofiness and maniacal violence of her character until The Suicide Squad. The sequence about her romancing by a prince of sorts was both parts hilarious and heartbreaking, and the scene that this screenshot comes from gave us a look inside of her mind while also being a perfectly choreographed action set piece. Robbie really shines as Harley when she is given screentime in this film, making it well worth watching for even her performance alone.
Honorable Mentions: Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man: No Way Home); and Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad).
Best Screenplay: Charise Castro Smith and Jared Bush (Encanto)
To start a story about a magically-gifted family in the way that Encanto does with its main character, Mirabel, was very bold and very unexpected. However, the way that Castro Smith and Bush use that plot twist to drive the emotional underside of the movie results in a thoroughly enjoyable experience, along with an ending that made me cry both in sadness and in happiness. In particular, the moment at the end when Mirabel looks at her reflection and says, "I see me; all of me," truly hit me right in the heart, as someone who recently learned how to accept themself after months of personal therapy. My own statement changed over the course of those months from "I want to be me," to "I need to be me," and finally arriving at "I am me." To see Maribel reach the end of her own similar journey of self acceptance made and makes me feel so incredibly happy in a way that few films ever have. If you need a story that will make you feel warm in a truly personal way, watch Encanto and enjoy the fantastic writing done by Castro Smith and Bush.
Honorable Mentions: Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, and Eric Roth (Dune); and Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog).
OSCAR PREDICTION: Writing (Adapted Screenplay) - Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
OSCAR PREDICTION: Writing (Original Screenplay) - Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)
Best Director: Denis Villeneuve (Dune)
To take such a legendary novel as Dune and turn it into a cinematic masterpiece requires the skill and passion that only one such as Denis Villeneuve could ever give. You can tell how much he (and most of the people working on this film) adored the source material, and it results in a truly epic film that will likely start a trilogy worthy of being placed alongside the original Star Wars movies and The Lord of the Rings. Every single shot feels carefully crafted to both look gorgeous and elicit appropriate emotions, whether they be of wonder, terror, or endearment. The fact that Villeneuve was snubbed at the Oscars this year is up there with The Dark Knight not being nominated for Best Picture. In fact, he has only ever received one nomination for Best Director (Arrival) despite having crafted so many fantastic films. My hunch is he will receive the award for Dune: Part II in a similar fashion to Peter Jackson for LOTR: The Return of the King. However, I will continue to laud Villeneuve as one of the best directors of the last 20 years and give him his second award for Best Director (Sicario in 2015; also nearly in 2017 for Arrival)!
Honorable Mentions: Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog); and Bo Burnham (Inside).
OSCAR PREDICTION: Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
Best Film: Inside
In a recurring theme, my favorite film of the year was the one that I most connected to on a deeply personal level. I have watched Inside so many times, and listened to its soundtrack at least twice as much. On top of some hilarious comedy and beautiful music, Bo Burnham gives us the most soul-wrenching performance of the entire year. Although I definitely believe that some moments in this quasi-documentary are staged (I very nearly gave this Best Documentary but decided that it was not truly a documentary), a great majority of the quiet moments between the songs struck me as sincere, if at least from an emotional perspective. So many of us felt so alone and lost during the pandemic, and many of us still feel anxious about its ongoing spread and what the future holds (with recent world events contributing even more to that fear). Inside perfectly captures that isolation and takes you on a ride through every emotion that Bo (and millions more) felt during such a tenuous time.
If that sounds terrifying to you, I understand. It sounded terrifying to me enough to the point that I put off watching Inside for nearly a month after it released. But the reality is seeing someone go through a nearly identical mental struggle to your own has an odd catharsis to it. I felt seen by this film. I felt a kinship to Bo that I never would have thought was possible. Living in a state that spent the majority of the pandemic doing their best to ignore its existence left me feeling completely on my own to fend for myself; the only sane person in a sea of insanity. But even Bo, living in California, felt that exact same feeling. There were millions of us who felt isolated and surrounded by people who did not give a shit about other people's lives. But we were all there, unaware of each other and only seeing and hearing from the vocal minority of science-deniers and conspiracy theorists. To know that I was not truly alone, and that there are still many, many people who care just as I do, was oddly reassuring. The world may still feel like a terrible place right now, but there are still many good people in it that we just need to reach out and connect with again instead of burrowing down into our individual foxholes while we pray that the storm passes.
Finally, on a technical note, the fact that Bo wrote, directed, and conceptualized this entire film on his own is truly a mark of a creative genius. The lighting and cinematography of this film, given his limitations, are incredible and excellently done. That such a deeply personal experience could connect with as many people as it has while also being a fantastic visual and aural treat makes this film truly in its own class far above any other film this year. Which, of course, makes Inside my Best Film of 2021.
Honorable Mentions: Dune; and Encanto.
OSCAR PREDICTION: The Power of the Dog
TL;DR
- Inside (Best Film, Best Cinematic Song, Best Music, Best Time Capsule of Reality)
- Dune (Best Director, Best Supporting Performance, Best Technical Achievement, Best Legendary Character)
- Encanto (Best Animated Film, Best Screenplay)
- The Suicide Squad (Best Ensemble Cast, Best Comic Book Performance)
- The Power of the Dog (Best Leading Performance)
- No Time to Die (Best Heroic Sendoff)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (Best Comic Book Film)
- The Matrix: Resurrections (Best Emotional Return of Characters)
Thank you for reading through my awards this year, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Here's to another great year of films (I am very excited to see The Batman this weekend!) and please leave comments with your own opinions!
