After the dark days of 2020, the movies are back! I will never again take for granted the movie theater experience -- no matter how much I love my couch and Netflix, seeing these in theaters remains special and vital. Here's a roundup of the ones I caught in 2021.
11. The French Dispatch. I couldn't connect with this movie -- what is it saying? How do the 3 storylines tie together thematically? The visuals were of course wonderful, but this ultimately lacked depth and purpose to me.
10. Black Widow. Pretty generic action movie fare, but I'm looking forward to seeing more of Florence Pugh's character in the MCU, so it did its job.
9. Last Night in Soho. This movie had the potential to be great but it went off the rails after halfway through.
8. A Quiet Place: Part II. Not as good as the first one, but still solid and enjoyable.
7. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. A lot of fun and a lovely homage to wuxia filmmaking (wrapped in Marvel packaging, of course).
6. In the Heights. The first of several phenomenal movie musicals in 2021. I loved this movie, but thought the story was a bit thinner than the others.
5. Spider-Man: No Way Home. I can't remember the last time I felt so much pure, unadulterated joy at the movies. Yes, this was fan service, but in the best way.
4. West Side Story. A tale as old as time that somehow felt like an electric live wire.
3. Dune. This was a near-perfect adaptation of the first part of this book; so, so impressive. In Denis Villeneuve we trust!
2. CODA. I can't recommend CODA enough -- it's moving and funny and optimistic and features an incredible cast and soundtrack. This is the only film on this list that I didn't see in theaters, but its impact was indelible.
1. Tick, Tick Boom! Sometimes you experience a work of art at the exact perfect moment, and that was Tick, Tick Boom! for me. To be on the cusp of 30, in NYC, questioning whether you've made the right choices and how you want to spend your remaining time in this life -- watching this movie felt like meeting a soulmate.
