Josh’s Favorite Movies of 2021 — Part Two!
Yesterday I began my look back at my favorite movies of 2021! Let’s continue…!
20. Oxygen — In this thrilling, tense sci-fi film, Mélanie Laurent plays the main character (whose name we don’t at first know), who wakes up trapped in some sort of futuristic medical pod. She doesn’t know who she is or how she got there, but she doesn’t seem to have the needed authority or codes to order the pod’s A.I. to unlock it and release her, and the oxygen within the pod is rapidly running out. I always love original sci-fi stories, and I was impressed by the way director Alexandre Aja and screenwriter Christie LeBlanc were able to create a great sci-fi premise here in this film. I love the way the movie is structured as a mystery, with Ms. Laurent’s character and the audience gradually putting together the pieces of the puzzle, while also being a nail-biting race-against-the-clock thriller. Mélanie Laurent is electric as basically the only human being we see on screen for the entire film. (Click here for my full review.)
19. Don’t Look Up — Adam McKay’s sci-fi comedy/satire is so spot-on and so prescient that it feels more like a documentary film than a satire/comedy. Perhaps that’s why it’s been rubbing some viewers the wrong way. Certainly I will confess that I didn’t get much joy from watching the film, despite how funny it was. This was because my stomach was churning the entire time, as I realized that this fictional satirical premise felt entirely plausible and realistic based on how the world seems to look most days!! Mr. McCay has perhaps done his job too well. Don’t Look Up makes its point so well that it’s something of a downer. At the same time, I found it to be absolutely riveting and stuffed full to overflowing with one incredible performance after another by Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance, Ron Perlman, Melanie Lynskey, and many more. (My full review is coming soon.)
18. The Last Duel — While this film can’t hold a candle to some of Ridley Scott’s greatest works, I think The Last Duel was unfairly ignored this year. I really dug this Rashomon style re-telling of the feud that erupted between Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and his former friend Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) after de Carrouges’ wife Marguerite (Jodie Comer) accused Le Gris of raping her. All three lead actors turn in magnificent, memorable performances, creating indelibly memorable characters. Add to that list Ben Affleck, who blew me away with his work as the wealthy and jovially self-centered Count Pierre d’Alençon. I loved the film’s three-part structure in which we get to experience the events from the different characters’ perspectives. That could have been boring, but the smart script — written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, collaborating on a film script for what I believe is their first time since Good Will Hunting, along with the talented Nicole Holofcener — makes brilliant use of the structure to add nuance and complexities with each new pass through the events being depicted. Ridley Scott is one of the best there is at depicting a historical epic and bringing events to realistic life, while the story about the many ways a woman can find herself trapped and abused by men feels powerfully relevant today. (My full review is coming soon.)
17. Joy Ride — A perilous car accident doesn’t stop comedians Bobcat Goldthwait (best known for his role in the Police Academy movies; he’s also a talented film director) and Dana Gould (longtime writer for The Simpsons) from continuing their stand-up tour. This leisurely-paced documentary/performance film alternates between clips of the two men killing it on-stage during their comedy shows and their funny and reflective conversations while in the car, driving between gigs. I laughed a lot watching this. A LOT. (My full review is coming soon.)
16. Black Widow — My least-favorite of this year’s wonderful crop of new Marvel movies is still an excellent movie! It’s wonderful to see Scarlett Johansson finally given the spotlight here in her well-deserved and long-awaited solo film as Natasha Romanov. I was thrilled that she was surrounded by so many wonderful new characters: Florence Pugh was instantly memorable as Yelena Belova (and following this and her terrific appearance in Hawkeye, she’s already become an important member of the MCU); David Harbour was absolutely hilarious as the Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz was wonderful as Melina, the G1 Black Widow. The action in the film is terrific; I loved the big fun prison break-out sequence in the middle of the film, and I particularly enjoyed the film’s many viscerally brutal hand-to-hand combat sequences. That was a fun surprise in a MCU film. If this is the last time we see Ms. Johansson as Natasha in a Marvel film, it’s a strong farewell. (Click here for my full review.)
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