January 21, 2022
Movies are back! Well…kind of…sort of. Much like the rest of the world, the film industry has been turned upside down over the last two years. After a pretty disastrous year in 2020, this past year saw a big rebound in terms of the quality of films released, and fits and starts of box-office success. While things haven’t returned entirely to the way they were in 2019, some of the trends we saw three years ago are continuing, and in some cases, accelerating.
Convenience (And Thus, Streaming) Rules
If there is anything we learned during the pandemic, it’s that people valued the convenience of watching movies in their home. With theaters shut down for a good part of 2020, there were no other options. 2021 saw theaters mostly returning to business as usual with some restrictions (capacity limits, mask requirements, etc.) in place, depending on where you live. And while studios jumped at the chance to get their movies in theaters to get some box office receipts, what we saw when the year came to a close was a widening of the “haves” and “have nots” for which movies would earn the most money. This was never clearer than the biggest picture of the year, which was released in mid-December. Spider Man: No Way Home is still cranking at the box office, already taking in over $700M and has earned more than triple the money made by 2021’s second place film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, another Marvel picture. But as much success as the franchise / IP movies saw (including Fast 9, Black Widow, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage,) there was one group not ready to go back to theaters: those interested in adult dramas.
Some of my favorite movies of 2021, a few of which received incredible critical reviews, could be considered box office bombs. You’ll be reading more about my thoughts on films like West Side Story, Nightmare Alley, Belfast, The Last Duel, and House of Gucci over the next few posts. They all had the following in common: Despite marquee brand name directors and stars, they were only released in theaters, were not attached to a franchise, and had disappointing box office results. The target audience was clearly adults who like dramas and they just didn’t show up. Clearly, they said, “There’s plenty to watch on Netflix – I’ll wait for it.”
One other aspect of the industry that is frustrating for fans right now is just where the hell to find these movies. With the increased number of streaming choices emerging over the last few years, every major player has taken a different approach. Sometimes a movie is only in theaters, other times it goes directly to streaming. Some pictures can be rented a few weeks after being in the theater, others take several months. Clearly, the studios are trying different models to see what works and it will be film / studio dependent for the foreseeable future. Some of this is also dependent on multi-year contractual arrangements that are already in place. For instance, I recently tried to find out when West Side Story would be available on streaming and went down a rabbit hole article that basically had no answer because it could be HBO Max, Hulu, or Disney+, depending upon how a previous streaming deal is handled after Disney bought Fox’s movie production business a few years ago.
I suspect we will continue to see some combination of different models until the landscape of streaming models, theatrical economics, and (potential further) industry consolidation shakes out. And things continue to change week to week. Even with the pandemic still causing concern, we’ve seen a few 2022 titles moved out of the first quarter to later in the year and in the case of a new Pixar movie, Disney making the decision to bypass the theater and just put it on Disney+. So, convenience is great, especially if something is available right away. Confusion is not so great. One of the co-hosts of my favorite movie podcast (The Big Picture) often laments this problem, pleading with the studios, “Just let the people see your movies.” I couldn’t agree more. My piece of advice – if you’re trying to find a film that has been out for a while, consult JustWatch.com. The website and app are a great resource for where to stream or rent a movie. If a title is a little newer, IMDB is a great source for release dates, showtimes, and even streaming options. Hopefully things get a little clearer this year.
OK, despite all of that industry turmoil, 2021 was a fantastic year for films. I saw a lot of (read: way too many) 2021 releases and have done a ranking of my favorites. I have a lot of thoughts, so I’m going to spread this out into four parts. The first two will be a handful of movies that I (mostly) liked and resonated with me (for good, mediocre, or bad). The second two parts will be my top ten films of the year.
Let’s dive in.
Biggest Surprise – Finch
As I was compiling my list of films to watch this year, there were ones that I figured might find their way onto my top ten list, but I certainly didn’t have a post-apocalyptic story about America’s dad building a robot on my bingo card. Yet, here we are. While Finch, starring Tom Hanks in the title role, didn’t make my final top ten list (it fell just short), it was certainly the biggest surprise for me this year. Hanks has had an interesting run of movies lately, some great (Bridge of Spies, The Post and News of the World) and some not so great (did anyone see The Circle?). I wasn’t sure if Finch would be any good, especially since it was headed straight to Apple TV+, just like his 2020 movie Greyhound, which was decent, but not great. But I have to say, I found Finch engaging and quite moving. It could be because I’m a massive dog lover. Let me explain.
Hanks plays Finch Weinberg, an engineer who was one of the few survivors of a massive solar flare that made living very difficult, especially with high temperatures, and extreme weather events. Despite the premise, the film is not preaching about climate change, so this isn’t an overtly political message movie. Hanks makes his way around the city to get what he needs, all while dodging the harmful UV rays of the sun. His only companion is his dog Goodyear, who may be left alone if Finch succumbs to an ailment from which he is suffering. He decides to build a companion robot (voiced by Caleb Landry Jones), load him up with as much knowledge as possible, and train him to live like a human. The quirky trio venture out on a road trip to move to a safer location, and let’s just say that a man, a dog, and a robot have some acclimation issues learning to live with each other. Hanks once again demonstrates that he can play any role to perfection (especially considering he is acting opposite a dog and a robot for God’s sake), and despite the setup of a post-apocalyptic world, this film isn’t depressing. It’s a feel-good movie with plenty of funny moments, enough drama to keep the plot interesting, and one of the cutest dogs to ever appear on the screen. Finch is now streaming on Apple TV+
Biggest Disappointment – Belfast
When I set out on this mission of writing about movies, I gave myself a goal of branching out of my comfort zone, finding new genres, filmmakers, actors, and even delving further into international pictures. I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t just watching the same old same old movies I’ve been watching my whole life – the goal here was to have fun, but also learn. Naturally, when you watch a lot of films, the odds tell you that not all of them are going to work for you. And most times when that happens, I can kind of predict it, like if I go in with some trepidation about some aspect of the movie, or see a lukewarm or bad review. I try to avoid reviews as much as I can to go in open-minded, but that was impossible with Belfast, which was widely acclaimed after its successful run on the Fall film festival circuit. But, I have to tell you, recognizing that I am on an island on this one, I don’t remember being this disappointed with a movie in a long time.
Kenneth Branagh wrote and directed this coming of age story based on his childhood growing up in Belfast during the turbulent late 1960s. This movie is being touted as an award front-runner, so naturally I had high expectations going in. But I found Belfast to be a “Mad Lib” version of Oscar bait, trying to check every box on a list of “Oscar-winning film” tropes. Almost every aspect of the storyline felt cliched and predictable and not genuine. The acting performances were ok, but felt wooden way too often (like they were reading lines), especially the child performances (which I can understand, to a degree). And I couldn’t get over the fact that the streets of Belfast looked like a backstage Hollywood lot. I kept wondering if I was missing something intentional about the look of this movie that made it feel like an amateur film school project. Again, if you loved Belfast and it resonated with you, that’s great. It just didn’t work for me and was easily my biggest disappointment of the year. Belfast is available to rent on demand.
Now, That’s How You Tell A Heartwarming Family Story – C’mon C’mon
If someone says to you, “Hey, have you seen that black and white heartwarming family story?” and they tell you about Belfast, I have a perfect response – “The film you need to watch is C’mon C’mon.” Man, I loved this movie. Written and directed by Mike Mills, whose small filmography includes the brilliant 2016 picture 20th Century Women, his new picture features Joaquin Phoenix in a role that one could describe as the complete opposite of his last performance in Joker. This is an example of why I love actors trying different things from movie to movie.
Phoenix plays Johnny, a radio / podcast journalist who is working on a project traveling from city to city interviewing kids about their views on the world we are living in. He receives an urgent phone call from his sister, who needs to attend to her estranged husband after he has a health emergency. She asks her brother to watch her nine year-old son Jesse. What starts out as a quiet few days at their house turns into a road trip odyssey when Johnny has to continue traveling for his work, bringing his nephew along for the ride. They spend time in New York and New Orleans, learning about each other and developing a close bond. Phoenix learns the cold hard reality that being a parent, even for a temporary period, is really freaking hard. Jesse is played by Woody Norman, making his film debut, and is just incredible. You can sense a genuineness in his performance as he and Phoenix work so well together, and their bond as uncle and nephew feels real as it develops throughout the film. Mills is a very talented writer / director, and one that I hope continues to make more movies in the near future. C’mon C’mon is available to rent on demand.
Outstanding Achievement in Short Film – All Too Well
Wait a minute, we’re covering short films now? Well, not really. I just felt compelled to write about this after watching it the same weekend I was disappointed by Belfast. Back in mid-November, Taylor Swift released her re-recorded version of Red, her 2012 album. If you want more background on the rationale of this project, you can read about it (and me gushing about her talents) here. Along with the original sixteen songs, she included an additional fourteen tracks. Some were new versions of outtakes she had previously released, and some were new ones “from the vault,” including a ten-minute anthem that helped break Spotify when Red was released. But, first a little background.
Shortly after Red was released in 2012, stories started emerging online about All Too Well, the ultimate breakup song, probably her best song, and one of the songs her devoted fans are most obsessed about. Rumor had it back then that during a soundcheck, she had actually performed a ten-minute version of the song that further expanded on the torture and heartbreak of the end of a relationship. The rumor was never confirmed until Taylor announced the tracks for her version of Red ahead of its release last year. The last track was titled All Too Well (Ten Minute Version) and the internet went nuts with anticipation for a new spin on a song that was, to be candid, perfect. Would she just tack on new verses, an extra chorus, and an outro? Well, the answer was more complicated, and made the song even better. It turns out that the longer version was the original one she wrote, and she had to shorten it for the album in 2012. The new version features new and extended verses and choruses, an extra bridge, plus she included a beautiful outro. The song built on the themes from the original in a way that only enhanced it and doesn’t feel bloated (although one has to ask if there is ever a need for a ten minute song – after all, Stairway to Heaven was eight minutes and American Pie was slightly shorter than nine minutes.) I didn’t care – it sounds incredible and only reiterated her superpower artistic talents. Speaking of which…
You are probably wondering why I am (once again) gushing about Taylor Swift during a year-end movie review. Well, in addition to the new version of All Too Well, she also wrote and directed a short film about a couple going through the highs and lows of the relationship depicted in the song’s lyrics. Wait a minute – isn’t this a music video? Well, Taylor called it a short film, so who are we to argue? Actors Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink portray a couple, based on Taylor and her rumored boyfriend from the song, actor Jake Gyllenhaal. This may explain why you might have seen #PrayForJake trending in mid-November last year. Anyway, the film is a beautiful depiction of love born, cherished, and lost, with all of the ugliness that can be expected in a breakup. And when I watched that short film, the day after I was disappointed by Belfast, my reaction was, “Now THAT, Kenneth Branagh, is how you depict genuine emotion on screen. Go take some lessons from Taylor Swift” All Too Well (The Short Film) is available to stream on YouTube.
Not Your Parents 80s Film – Ghostbusters: Afterlife
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, then you know that I am a child of the 1980s, so naturally, I was a big fan of the original Ghostbusters, released in 1984. I have vague memories that the sequel was decent, but not as good as the original. And I have no idea the last time I saw either film, so who knows how well they hold up. But my memories of the movie were of a combination of fun action sequences of our fearless heroes battling ghosts with hysterical jokes, primarily dry humor from Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis. The 2021 addition to the series is decidedly not that.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife takes place in current day Oklahoma, where Callie Spengler (portrayed by Carrie Coon, one of the most underrated actors working today) travels to the farm her father left for her in his will. Her father was Egon Spengler, the character Ramis played in the original films, and he moved to Oklahoma when the ghostbusting business went bust (see what I did there?). In his later life, he discovered some disturbances in the ghost world and was investigating them when he died, but left enough equipment and clues for his grandchildren to take up the cause. One of those kids is Phoebe, who seems to have inherited Egon’s science-curiosity and ghostbusting skills. She is played by Mckenna Grace, who is very good in the movie, as the classic nerd with a heart of gold. As the kids try to banish the ghosts back to their corner of the universe, and save their town in the process, we see some nice family moments, decent action sequences, and even some nice callbacks to the original films, including some nice cameos. But what was missing were the jokes. It’s not that the movie wasn’t funny – at times it was, but it was funny in a “family movie” kind of way, not in a “adult-oriented comedy” kind of way. And that’s why I found this one a little lagging. It’s a good family comedy, but if you want the dry humor of the original, I’d recommend finding that one on your streaming services and recapture the magic of Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis at their best. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is now available to rent on demand.
Here Comes the Crazy – House of Gucci
Let’s see, we’re going to make a movie about one of the most famous fashion brands in the world and some pretty complicated family dynamics within the people running the business that led to a notorious crime and scandal. Sounds like high melodrama, right? Who better to make that film than the director of Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator? That’s right – the man who directed this wild story is the legend himself, Ridley Scott. He is not only still going strong at 84, but had two excellent movies this year, is already working on his next project (an epic drama about Napoleon), and based on his recent press tour promoting House of Gucci, has zero f*cks to give. I hope I’m still loving life like this man at 84.
When we look back at 2021, as I mentioned above, House of Gucci will be on the list of films that may be perceived as “box-office bombs”, but that’s selling the work of Scott and everyone involved short. Adam Driver and Lady Gaga lead an impressive cast as Maurizio Gucci, the son and nephew of the two brothers who founded and run the Gucci fashion empire, and his wife Patrizia. While Maurizio wants to build his own life outside of the family business, Patrizia desperately wants to be part of the show. She pressures him into not only getting involved in the business, but sabotaging his family to take over as the head of Gucci. This movie has it all – starting with an excellent pedigree of performers (Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, among others) supporting Driver and Gaga, who are both fantastic. Of course, with a film like this, you’re going to get beautiful locations, the best fashion in the world, an excellent soundtrack, and some wild plot twists. And accents….lots of accents…One of the criticisms of this movie when it was released was that Scott didn’t know if he was making a serious film or a satire. That’s primarily because a few of the performances are over the top at times, particularly Gaga and Leto. But, if you just go into this one with an open mind and ready to have fun at the lunacy of this cast of crazies, you’ll be sure to enjoy it. House of Gucci is scheduled to be available to rent on demand in February.
An Acting Tour de Force – tick, tick…BOOM!
This film could easily have been under the “Biggest Surprise” category, as I had no idea what to expect going into watching the directorial debut of Lin-Manuel Miranda. I like musicals as much as the next guy, but we all know that they can go really well (like one of my top ten movies you’ll read about soon) or really bad (like Dear Evan Hansen, which admittedly I never saw, but read enough reviews to learn what went wrong with that one). The biggest asset Miranda had in adapting this stage musical into a film was the star, Andrew Garfield, who is fast becoming one of the more talented (and probably underrated) actors in Hollywood. He was also excellent as Jim Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and played a certain web-slinging superhero in the biggest movie of the year, Spider Man: No Way Home.
In tick, tick…BOOM!, Garfield plays Jonathan Larson, the man who wrote the successful Broadway musical Rent, at a time when he is wrestling with his aspirations to be a successful playwright. The title refers to the impending pressure Larson is feeling as he approaches his thirtieth birthday. He is trying to finish a musical he is working on, find someone to help finance a production of the show, all while juggling a girlfriend, a best friend, poverty, and the scattered thoughts he constantly has running through his brain. His obsession with his art causes him to neglect his relationships and never get on top of his life.
The film bounces between Larson on stage performing the autobiographical musical and scenes in his life as he goes through this journey. Garfield regularly breaks the fourth wall, speaking directly to the camera, which helps explain his neurosis and idiosyncrasies. I found this film to be excellent, with strong musical numbers, particularly Boho Days and Sunday, the latter taking place at the diner where Larson works and featuring a number of Broadway veterans in cameo roles. There are some good supporting actors in this one, particularly Alexandra Shipp as Larson’s girlfriend and Bradley Whitford as Stephen Sondheim, but this movie is all about the commitment and energy that Garfield brings to the role. A true acting tour de force and a reminder that we should look forward to everything he does in the future. tick, tick…BOOM! is available to stream on Netflix.
A Supersized Sendoff to James Bond – No Time to Die
One of the films most impacted by the pandemic the last two years and the inevitable delay of movie releases, No Time to Die finally found its way into theaters in October of last year. From a financial standpoint, it was almost impossible to “win” given how much the film cost to make and market, as I covered in my Fall preview here. And I’m not too concerned about MGM Studios and their (soon to be) owner Amazon. They’ll be fine financially. Let’s talk about the movie.
Much was made about this being the last installment of Daniel Craig as 007, so we naturally expected a sendoff, and we definitely got one. He’s been playing the role for 15 years, with No Time to Die his fifth time in the tuxedo sipping on martinis. While that may not seem like that big of a commitment, these movies are a massive undertaking, often taking months to shoot, not to mention the preparation time to get ready for the action sequences. Craig has said that the Bond pictures took a lot out of him, and he was ready to move on to other roles. His next film is the sequel to Knives Out, one of the most anticipated titles expected later this year.
No Time to Die definitely feels different than most Bond movies. While it features the usual plot to stop an evil mastermind trying to destroy the world (played by Rami Malek, who is fine. Not great, not terrible – let’s just say I’m glad he is not in too much of the picture), we get to see a more personal side of Bond in this one. After a brief prologue, the film opens with him and his serious love interest on vacation in Greece. We’re used to Bond bouncing from one-night stand to one-night stand, but this time he is deeply in love. The opening sequence creates some disruption to this relationship, and sends Bond off into retirement and seclusion. When he is recruited by the CIA to help locate a bioweapon, he finds himself at odds (at times) with MI-6, the British intelligence agency he spent so many years working for. Eventually they team up to locate the weapon, destroy it, and save the world (naturally).
Overall, I thought the movie was excellent – the story, the character development (both new and old ones), and of course, the action sequences. Speaking of which, the best new character was Paloma, a CIA agent who helps Bond when he is in Cuba trying to do what he does best. The character was played by Ana de Armas, who was absolutely wonderful – unfortunately, she is only in the movie for this brief 15 minute sequence. Memo to MGM and Amazon – please greenlight the Paloma spinoff film franchise now and pay de Armas whatever she wants. The one quibble I’d have with No Time to Die is the runtime – it’s almost three hours and it definitely could have been trimmed a bit and still be just as good. Despite an extended third act that should have developed more efficiently, the ending itself was spectacular in giving Craig a nice send off – I won’t spoil it, but suffice it to say, the filmmakers did a perfect job of balancing the action, the drama, and the emotion. There’s no word on what will happen to the James Bond character and who will be playing him next. But until then, we have five Daniel Craig films to revisit in the meantime. No Time to Die is now available on DVD and to rent on demand.
That’s all for this week. I’ll be back for part two next week, with a look at more of my favorites from the year in film. Thanks for reading and if you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe here.
Thanks for a great read this week. There are some movies you wrote about that I’ll have to look to watch.
Thanks MB!