Big Picture Big Sound

In my year-end wrap-up last year, I lamented the rapidly shifting, pandemic-induced changes to the landscape of the film industry. A lot of studios pivoted to streaming in 2020 because they needed to get product off the shelves, but it seems that an inevitable future was sped up. The way we consume movies has forever changed, and I'm still working on accepting that (I admittedly watched most of the movies on this list at home). It's hard to not be romantic about going to a movie theater because there's nothing comparable to that experience. You buy your ticket, arrive and sit through the trailers, waiting for the first flickers of light on the screen for the movie you have been anticipating all week. It's too easy to just click play at home, but, perhaps, that is indeed the point.

This year offered us an array of movies and enough diversity to satisfy anyone's palate. Normally, I like a handful of the supposed "Oscar movies," but this year I found a consistent disconnect from the films being propped up for year-end awards. While it's frustrating to watch celebrated movies and meet them with a shrug, it allows me to use my list to spotlight movies that audiences may have not sought out.

Truth be told, my absolute favorite piece of entertainment this year was a series. Since I make up my own set of strict and unwavering rules about what can go on a year-end list, I did not include Netflix's "Pretend It's a City." The seven-part, Martin Scorsese-directed series is an absolute joy. He interviews his friend Fran Lebowitz, who has an opinion about everything and anything. She's insightful, cranky, and absolutely hilarious, and makes for an unexpectedly perfect tour guide throughout the marvelous and chaotic city of New York.

It's customary to spotlight a few movies that were in contention for the Best of the Year list but didn't quite make it. From great independent comedies like "Shiva Baby," to the biographical drama "Judas and the Black Messiah," the animated film "The Mitchells vs. the Machines," and the searing drama about the effects of gun violence, "Mass," 2021 never disappointed (well, it did, but we won't talk about those movies). Not to mention Lin Manuel Miranda's directorial debut "tick...tick...Boom!" and its best-of-the-year performance by Andrew Garfield, Tsai Ming-liang's poetic and observant "Days," and Questlove's entertaining music documentary "Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)," which were all highlights of 2021.

But enough talking and more listing. Here is my countdown of the best movies of 2021:

10. Spider-Man: No Way Home

Somewhere, a fellow film critic friend is preparing to ridicule me for this inclusion on my best films of the list year. Not because he doesn't like the film, which he does, but because of my often-snobbish attitude regarding calling superhero movies the best of the year. "Watch more movies," I have said to him in the past, when he has included popcorn flicks in year-end adulations. I've enjoyed many superhero movies in the past, but have rarely been moved by any of them as I was with "Spider-Man: No Way Home." The Tom Holland-led series has given new life to the character, focusing on the silly good-vs-bad storylines, while giving just as much emphasis, if not more, to the character outside of the costume. We've had good actors portray the titular role, but Holland has been the best the screen has seen. His Spider-Man, while part of a much larger machine, is the first time a superhero didn't feel like a Happy Meal toy. "Spider-Man: No Way Home" is a terrific culmination of a superhero's journey through high school and the high stakes world outside of it. Even though some of the set-up might be overly ambitious, the execution and payoff is shockingly moving.

9. Red Rocket

Director Sean Baker loves to film life lived on the margins. With "Red Rocket" he brings his latest story to Texas, where Mikey Saber (Simon Rex), an ex-porn star, returns to his hometown, where nobody really likes him. He moves back in with his ex-wife (Bree Elrod) and her mother, while courting the 17-year-old Strawberry (Suzanna Son) at a donut shop nearby. Mikey is a pretty lousy person: self-serving, constantly lying, and always looking to use somebody for his benefit. But as portrayed by Rex, it's impossible to take your eyes off of him. Baker has reintroduced the world to Rex, and hopefully he's here to stay.

8. The Beta Test

In my review of "The Beta Test," I called co-writer and co-director Jim Cummings a jack-of-all-trades filmmaker. It's truly thrilling to watch a filmmaker and actor create their own career through independent film, which is exactly what Cummings has done. He also stars in "The Beta Test" as Jordan, a fast-talking agent who, much like Rex in "Red Rocket," is a self-serving narcissist. When Jordan engages in an anonymous, no strings attached sexual encounter, he begins to unravel with the weight of his actions and the possible repercussions. Set in the glossy world of Hollywood, "The Beta Test" is a thrilling skewering of the shady characters that populate Tinseltown.

7. In The Heights

In a year that saw Lin Manuel Miranda make his directorial debut and write songs for a few animated movies, the best achievement to come out of the Miranda universe is Jon M Chu's "In the Heights" adaptation. A glorious celebration of culture, community, and New York City, "In the Heights" transported you to the hot summer streets of Washington Heights in a dazzling and crowd-pleasing film version of Miranda's pre-"Hamilton" fame play. Sadly, the movie didn't attract audiences as well as it was marketed, but it doesn't make the movie any less great. It certainly made a star out of Anthony Ramos.

6. Procession

The toughest movie on this list happens to be the most cathartic. Robert Greene's stunning documentary "Procession" unites a group of sexual abuse survivors who have lived with the trauma inflicted upon them by priests in the Catholic Church. They have carried the weight of the abuse through their entire lives and are ready to start speaking out and, more importantly, start healing. They do so by participating in "drama therapy," where they reenact the painful moments from their childhood. "Procession" is upsetting but cleansing, and one of the most powerful film experiences of the year.

5. Spencer

There's been a lot of talk about Kristen Stewart's likely Oscar win for her interpretation of Princess Diana, which is completely warranted. Stewart has been one of our finest actresses working, and was written off as the girl from "Twilight" for far too long. "Spencer" is a great moment for audiences to see the depth she brings to every role, which may have gone overlooked in the smaller indies she did in her post-franchise career. "Spencer" isn't the austere Oscar-seeking biopic it appears to be on its surface because director Pablo Larrain takes a haunting fabulist approach to presenting a fictionalized snapshot of a moment in Diana's life.

4. Passing

In a year of actors making their directorial debuts, none were finer than Rebecca Hall's stunning "Passing." The film had its debut at this year's Sundance Film Festival and the central performances by Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga as two former friends who reconnect in 1920s New York City have been on my mind since. Negga's character is a Black woman, who passes as white, and the juxtaposition between her character and Thompson's provides a fascinating dichotomy. The final shot of this gorgeous black-and-white film will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

3. Parallel Mothers

There is no director who does melodrama quite like Pedro Almodovar. Penelope Cruz stars as Janis, who becomes unexpectedly pregnant and gives birth the same day as Ana (Milena Smit). Janis and Ana stay connected long past their hospital stay and, much like most of Almodovar's films, the layers start unraveling with great precision. The movie is about much more than an unexpected relationship. Told through Almodovar's bold lens of greens and reds, "Parallel Mothers" is a stunning piece of filmmaking.

2. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar

There wasn't a movie that brought me greater joy in 2021 than "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar." Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo (who earned an Oscar nomination for their "Bridesmaids" script) wrote the screenplay and star as two lifelong friends, who take a trip to Vista Del Mar to spice up their mundane everyday lives. They have big plans for their trip, but those are thwarted when they meet Edgar (Jamie Dornan, a comedic revelation), who is at the same resort with his own agenda. "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar" is weird, wild, fun and consistently funny and, in the dark times we have been living through, a great piece of escapism.

1. Pig

If my number two selection brought me great joy throughout the year, my number one is the movie I couldn't shake. Michael Sarnoski makes a bold feature debut with "Pig," a movie that continually surprised me throughout its 92-minute runtime. Nicholas Cage stars as Rob, a former chef who lives in a cabin in Oregon with his truffle-hunting pig. He is visited weekly by Amir (a tremendous Alex Wolff), who picks up the truffles to sell and is Rob's only connection to the civilized world. One night, Rob's pig is stolen, which forces him into the city of Portland with Amir, to track down who may have taken his beloved pig. It's been easy to laugh at Cage's work over the past several years, because he appears in a new movie almost every week, which winds up having no cinematic footprint. "Pig" is a chance for the actor to truly dive into a character and explore what's below the surface. That's exactly what he does in "Pig," while giving one of the best performances of his career. The movie doesn't waste a moment of its runtime, which allows its emotional impact to be even greater. "Pig" isn't the revenge thriller it may appear to be and that should not disappoint you but entice you to seek this film out. It won't leave you.

Thank you for another year of visiting BigPictureBigSound.com and reading our thoughts on the newest movies. Please let us know in the comments what you loved this year and what you are looking forward to seeing in 2022. Stay safe out there.