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Welcome back, everyone! Last week I took on one of my favorite topics: bad, bad holiday films. This week I go back through 2021 and I look at some of the best films I had the pleasure of watching. Movies can excite us, bring us to tears, instill us with joy, or inform of us the experiences of others. It can be a documentary, a drama, a romance, a comedy, or an action thriller. Whether it’s science fiction films or horror shows, every year creative minds put their best efforts together in hopes to find and entertain an audience. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, you feel pulled into a world that can challenge your thinking or make you look at a subject matter in a completely new way. There are some films that will always stand out because of what I consider the original power in the viewing. Hoop Dreams would certainly fit that category as a film so unbelievably well-structured and so well-told that when it was snubbed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (Oscars) I could not believe it. Other films I have an emotional connection to because of the storyline, which can be sugar sweet or sad.
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Going into this year I had several films I looked forward to, and several I did not know of until the year began. Jane Campion, for me, scored a film that stands out in The Power of Dog. It has been quiet a while since her fantastic film The Piano in 1993, and while the TV series Top of the Lake is very good, Campion hits a masterstroke here with a film that provides a deep, rich texture told in chapters. The first time I watched the film, the ending came as both a shock and a moment where I said to myself: “I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!” The second time I watched the film, I picked up all of the moments I should have seen the first time. This is a film that is much better on the second watch, but the first time alone is a fantastic journey where Benedict Cumberbatch shows himself to be one of those actors who disappears into the role. This is a beautiful film on Netflix; if you haven’t seen it, take the time.
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Daily Kos community contributor Denise Oliver Velez could tell you exactly why this film is worth watching—even without her connection to it. Hulu put forward a documentary that is well-told and fun to watch. This is Questlove’s first film, but judging from the way it is put together and the success it has achieved, it should not be the last. The film walked away with well-deserved awards and you have the chance to see it for yourself from the comfort of your couch.
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Dune is a book that I read as a kid, and have read again a few times. Admittedly, I have always found God Emperor of Dune to be the most dense, well-structured of the books. The 1984 film has advocates, and it can be an absolute lark at times. The SyFy channel turned in a multi-part miniseries which did a decent job with a limited budget. Warner Brothers spared nothing to make a big budget splash with this film, originally slated to be a summer tentpole. Its release kept getting pushed back due to COVID. The time it sat in post-production may have done it some good, as the film is tight and you never feel rushed or as though scenes don’t work together. One problem some viewers may have is that the film also doesn’t really have an ending. It cuts off with a clear cliffhanger for a second film. For readers of the book, this is expected. If you haven’t read the books, it may come across as a bit annoying.
There are other films I’m still looking forward to seeing: Cyrano, Belfast, and Nightmare Alley are among the top contenders. I have to say at this point, I just can’t imagine something unseating The Power of Dog. If you have a 4K television, I urge you to watch this film. Put aside the subject matter; Jane Campion’s film utilizes resolution, camera work, settings, and images in a way that no special effect will ever, ever replicate. It is beautiful and intricate and stands alone as a work of art.
Do you have a best or worst film of 2021?
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