Last year, I didn’t have a job. So I spent a lot of time simply existing. During that existence, I watched 137 movies. This is not that impressive of a list since I have watched many of these movies before. However, I still think that this is a lot. Considering that the world is opening up again and I am becoming busier than ever, I wonder if I will ever get the chance to watch in this way again. In many ways, marathoning movies is when I am at my happiest. I guess I should be happy I ever had the chance at all considering the circumstances. As I reflect on the past year, here are some of my favorite movies of 2021.
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
While the story and acting are pretty cheesy (which is fun in its own way), they serve merely as a vehicle for the world. The main character of Johnny Mneumonic is this dystopian future where corporations and gangs fight wars in towering skyscrapers, grungy streets, and virtual realities. This is a future envisioned by another time. Therefore, this aesthetic of science fiction is now entering a form of science fantasy and it is a style that I want to see more. In many ways, it is the truest version of cyberpunk, even more so than the likes of Blade Runner, which has sort of becoming the poster child for the genre. I hope that as time goes on, the sleek aesthetic of that movie can make room for this grungier, messier sci-fi world within our pop culture.
Tenet (2020)
Some people are not going to like this movie. In the character and emotional drama department, this isn’t Christopher Nolan’s strongest film. Where it shines it’s in its mechanics. All of the characters and the quantum mechanics serve as a technical components in a machine. Watching the characters navigate this world reminds me of a game of chess. Maybe it is the fact that Nolan continues to play with brutalist architecture, muted colors, and suits as the primary costume of choice. It is also in the way he sets it all up like a game and appreciating the finale demands the audience to pay attention to the mechanics. Nolan has yet again made a Rube Goldberg of a film and watching it all unfold is mesmerizing.
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Watching the madness that is Daniel Plainview is haunting as it is mesmerizing. Hearing the eerie violin screeching in the background as the movie drags me towards its finale is an experience that I feel in only the best of character dramas. In this story of an oil baron rising to power using his snake-oil charm, this is a western where the combat is in the realm of the psychic rather than gunpowder. Watching this old school capitalist play his dirty games is terrifying as it is delightful.
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)
The movie is too damn charming not to like. I love the characters, flaws and all. The story is quirky and slightly offbeat but only in aesthetics. It is a romance film as traditional as it gets with a flavor that is more appealing to a time, generation, and culture that I understand. As someone who grew up with indie music as a teenager, the film takes me back to that time when love felt more visceral. If nothing else, the movie is endearing and it makes me warm inside.
Robot Jox (1990)
I love giant robots and really, that is the only reason that Robot Jox appeals to me. It is a good thing that it gets it right. The story itself is absurd and the politics are ridiculous. If you don’t take it too seriously, it isn’t bad and occasionally fun to watch. The real highlight, however, is the mech fights. This is Pacific Rim before the age of computer graphics and refined design. This 90’s Sci-fi B-movie is a technical marvel. The stop-motion used for the robots is stunning. I love the designs retaining the tank-like nature of Western mechs without feeling too drab and military. Each robot has character, influenced more by pro wrestling and cage matches than WWII. The practical effects are sure to please anyone who enjoys old-school special effects. I’m not saying this is a good movie. I just know that I fell in love with it.
Bad Trip (2021)
Eric Andre has been one of my favorite comedians for a while. His high-octane nihilistic humor has a frenetic energy that very few can match and his willingness to push the limits is something to be admired. He had been prolific in real-world prank comedy since the early days of the Eric Andre Show. Seeing a full-on Jack-Ass style narrative film is something else. There are pranks in this movie that I will never forget. The movie was a huge source of laughter during a time when I desperately needed it.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
Sky Captain is a great adventure film. This is not a drama about characters who change and grow over time, overcoming their flaws and experiencing story arcs. From the start, you know exactly who these characters are. You have the hero, the heroine, the anti-heroine, the big bad guy, etc. They all have a role to play and the mission is clear: to give you a damn good show. Sky Captain came out during the early days of full CGI technology being used for environments. In some ways, it was dated even then. Still, I remember watching this movie when it came out in theatres and it has stuck with me as a defining movie memory. I think the art style especially holds up. The monochrome palette is absolutely beautiful and reminds me of old adventure comics. I wish more modern films were willing to make these more traditional pulp romps since the style has so much personality. Then again, maybe that is what makes Sky Captain such a unique pleasure today.
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)
In this era of anime, I often feel bombarded by fan service and flamboyancy. This is not an issue in and of itself because I enjoy these things on occasion, too. But I don’t always want the glitz. Sometimes, I want the grit and I want it as dirty as possible until it sands down my heart into a raw, hollow void. That is what Jin-Roh is. Set in an alternate history where Japan sided with the Allies and still lost, Jin-Roh’s world is constantly in a state of political unrest. Espionage and betrayal are common and there are more wolves skulking the streets than there are men. The animation is cel-animated so it’s smooth in that old-school, dream-like fashion. The armor of the Kerberos agents is menacing, the eye candy that drew me in. Yet, at its heart, Jin-Roh is a love story about two people falling for each other in a world where you can’t trust anyone. Watch this one by yourself or at least with those that can be a respectful audience in the face of brooding melancholy.
Demon Slayer: Mugen Train (2020)
This was the first movie I watched in the theatres since the pandemic. After a year and a half without the theatre experience, there is no other movie that could have reminded me just how powerful that experience can be. Those who are fans of anime and manga already know how great the story is. Experiencing the Mugen Train Arc in the theatre elevated that greatness. The animation is a beautiful mix of 2D and 3D. The fight choreography is sleek yet weighty. Hearing the music and sound effects through proper speakers was a treat in and of itself. The bass hit my body with every song beat and sword clash, bringing me closer to the experience. Without spoiling anything, the film had me in tears several times. Maybe it had more to do with the theatre than it did with the actual movie. I don’t think it matters because as I am typing this, the memory is still strong and it has me smiling.
Good Time (2017)
Watching Good Time is like experiencing a bad acid trip. Despite all of the hype over Uncut Gems (which is also a great movie), I think the directors of that film had me much more intrigued with Good Time. It is a fever dream with every scene and sequence leading into higher and higher stakes. Despite the surreality of each scene, it is also impressive how it all comes together seamlessly. Watching our unreliable protagonist go through every moment is hypnotizing. At some point in the film, I became just another innocent bystander seduced into his schemes.
Dune (2021)
The second movie I watched in theatres last year. Denis Villeneuve already proved himself as the vision of modern sci-fi films with the likes of Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival. All of his movies manage to create clean aesthetics without becoming overly glitzy. There is a classic sense of cinema here. The beautiful sands of Arrakis muddle and grit the camera lens as much as it sparkles and shines. I read Frank Herbert’s novel of the same name for the first time last year and seeing the thopters, energy shields, and knife fights in action had me jumping in my seat. Usually, I am utterly hypnotized by the theatre experience but Villeneuve was able to bring a child-like wonder out of me too powerful to contain. Watching the medieval-style political intrigue with the science fiction technology and the mystical nature of the Bene Gesserit and the Spice Melange: this is epic in every sense of the word.
The French Dispatch (2021)
I have been a fan of Wes Anderson since high school after watching Rushmore. It has been a pleasure to watch his movies over time, with each new production revealing more and more of his artistic sensibilities. In some ways, this is his most personal film, an homage to a France that he is nostalgic for but only existed in a strange Interstice between reality and dreams. Each of the stories in this anthology are interesting on their own but it is fun to how these individual stories come together to form a complete narrative experience. It is very literary in that way, reminding me of how the best short story and anthology collections allow us to look into a fully realized world and colorful lives of the outstanding cast of characters that live in it. It also helps that the movie looks and sounds absolutely beautiful.
Minority Report (2002)
I have been told that I would love the work of Phillip K. Dick but so far, I have only read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Valis. This is my first exposure to Minority Report in any fashion. From the vague images of it I have seen in the past, I thought this was going to be a typical Tom Cruise movie. While I think he is a very capable action lead, I often found many of his movies to be more about spectacle rather than plot. Yet, I Minority Report is heady in all my favorite ways. It is a science fiction future with a splash of psychic mysticism, which is completely in line with what I know from Dick, especially after reading Valis. The movie is sleek as it is heady and experiencing this world reminded me of all of my other favorite Orwellian stories that Minority Report has probably inspired, such as Psycho-Pass.
I hope you all enjoyed my list. There are definitely more films that I could have talked about but these were ones that stuck out to me the most. Here is my complete list:
1. Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
2. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)
3. Sol Levante (2020)
4. Enter the Dragon (1973)
5. There Will Be Blood (2007)
6. The Five Venoms (1978)
7. Tenet (2020)
8. Hook (1991)
9. Month Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
10. Truman Show (1998)
11. Clue (1985)
12. Taekwon V 84 (1984)
13. Vampire Hunter D (1985)
14. Mars Attacks! (1996)
15. What If (2013)
16. Shanghai Noon (2000)
17. Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
18. Logan Lucky (2017)
19. Tropic Thunder (2008)
20. The Shape of Water (2017)
21. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)
22. Brick (2005)
23. Where the Red Fern Grows (1974)
24. Super 8 (2011)
25. Cool World (1992)
26. The Wicker Man (1973)
27. Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny (2006)
28. Attack the Block (2011)
29. The Time Machine (2002)
30. Appleseed (1988)
31. Robot Jox (1990)
32. Bad Trip (2021)
33. Jojo Rabbit (2019)
34. The Blob (1958)
35. Ran (1985)
36. Bottle Rocket (1996)
37. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
38. It: Chapter One (2017)
39. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
40. It: Chapter 2 (2019)
41. Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
42. Galaxy Quest (1999)
43. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
44. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
45. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)
46. Accepted (2006)
47. Dude, Where’s My Car (2000)
48. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
49. Zach and Miri Make A Porno (2008)
50. Clerks (1994)
51. Another Round (2020)
52. Swingers (1996)
53. Arrival (2016)
54. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
55. Zombieland (2009)
56. Space Pirate Captain Harlock (2013)
57. Some Like It Hot (1959)
58. Demon Slayer: Mugen Train (2020)
59. Pecker (1998)
60. The Crow (1994)
61. I Saw The Devil (2011)
62. The Disaster Artist (2017)
63. Zathura (2005)
64. Army of the Dead (2021)
65. Layer Cake (2005)
66. John Wick (2014)
67. John Wick Chapter 2 (2017)
68. John Wick Chapter 3 (2019)
69. The Big Lebowski (1998)
70. Rush (2013)
71. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
72. Stand By Me (1986)
73. Mystic River (2003)
74. The Master (2012)
75. Seoul Searching (2015)
76. Cats (2019)
77. Naughty Books (2020)
78. The Bros (2017)
79. 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
80. Hot Rod (2007)
81. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
82. 50/50 (2011)
83. The History of Future Folk (2012)
84. Mind Game (2004)
85. Batman Ninja (2018)
86. Batman: Hush (2019)
87. Space Sweepers (2021)
88. Fantastic Planet (1973)
89. Black Widow (2021)
90. Insomnia (2002)
91. Pom Poko (1994)
92. Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
93. Good Time (2017)
94. Croupier (1998)
95. Nocturnal Animals (2016)
96. Batman (1989)
97. Citizen Kane (1941)
98. The Matrix (1999)
99. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
100. Office Space (1999)
101. The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
102. Boogie Nights (1997)
103. In the Mood for Love (2000)
104. Spy Kids (2001)
105. Weathering With You (2019)
106. Promare (2019)
107. Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone. (2007)
108. Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance (2009)
109. Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo (2012)
110. Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.01 Thrice Upon A Time
111. Le Samurai (1967)
112. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
113. Superman (1978)
114. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
115. Only Yesterday (1991)
116. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
117. Dune (2021)
118. The French Dispatch (2021)
119. The Housemaid (1960)
120. 21 Jump Street (2012)
121. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
122. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
123. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
124. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
125. Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix (2007)
126. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince(2009)
127. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 (2010)
128. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 (2011)
129. The Outsiders: The Complete Novel (1983)
130. This is 40 (2012)
131. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
132. Tick, Tick…Boom (2021)
133. No Time To Die (2021)
134. Jingle All The Way (1996)
135. Elf (2003)
136. Minority Report (2002)
137. The Matrix Resurrection (2021)
Danger Wonka 