2021 movies

The world finally, carefully – eventually, somewhat – opened back up in 2021. Maybe you didn’t go to the theater as much as you hoped; maybe a few large gatherings were still canceled. And maybe you didn’t buy enough crypto or go to space with a billionaire or get to host Jeopardy! But you surely got to see a few great films, right? The SAGindie staff was lucky enough to do just that – either on those still-too-rare theatrical outings or a comfy binge-watch at home. So that means the continued tradition of year-end lists must commence! Here are SAGindie’s FAVORITE FILMS OF 2021.

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Darrien’s Favorites:

In no particular order:

I suspect this list would be different if I had already seen the following, which I expect to love:

 

Eliza’s Favorites:

2021:

New to Me:

 

Colin’s Favorites:

Favorite films of 2021:

Favorite classic films I finally saw in 2021:

 

Shefali’s Favorites:

Here are my top 10 for 2021!

 

Michael’s Favorites:

Favorite Movies of 2021 So Far:

  • Benedetta – Lesbian nuns in heat. Oozing stigmata. Swashbuckling Jesus. The Black Death. High end sexploitation fun for the whole family!
  • Licorice Pizza – Inexplicably energized, wonderfully overlong, achingly youthful. Thank god for PTA. (Also, Tom Waits!!!)
  • Passing – Ravishing and sensual yet claustrophobic and tense. Feels like something old and new at the same time.
  • The Power of the Dog – An anti-Western Western rooted in the battle between history versus mythology. Brilliantly made and surprising as hell.
  • Summer of Soul – Mind blowing performances woven through with deeply meaningful socio-political context. What a gem.
  • Titane – Torturously brilliant and extremely smart. Ballard/Cronenberg’s Crash meets American Psycho meets Rosemary’s Baby in a New French Extremity body horror psychosexual mashup.
  • Wojnarowicz – As a longtime Wojnarowicz fan I may be biased, but this is a damn good doc.
  • Zola – A harrowing, hysterical, well-crafted gonzo dark comedy with shades of Tangerine, Spring Breakers, Uncut Gems, and After Hours.

Favorite TV Shows of 2021 So Far:

  • Dave – I wasn’t sure about this second season at first but it pans out to be pretty damn great if you stick with it.
  • Exterminate All the Brutes – Connects all the xenophobic dots with a riveting experimental style. Should be required viewing.
  • Small Axe – Soulful filmmaking by a brilliant filmmaker. Regretfully overlooked.
  • Succession – Hilarious and harrowing, brilliant on every level. Top 5 favorite shows of all time and it just keeps getting better.
  • The Underground Railroad – Harrowing filmmaking by a brilliant filmmaker based on a great book. Regretfully overlooked. Thuso Mbedu should win every acting award.
  • The White Lotus – Sharp dark comedy fun.

Older Movies & TV Shows I Saw For the First Time and Loved in 2021:

 

WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2021?

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