My Top 10 Cinema Releases for 2021

10. Wonder Woman 1984 - Dir. Patty Jenkins

Now streaming on Disney+

This DC entry begins with a fantastical and visually exciting prologue as a young Diana competes in an atheletic competition on Themyscria against the adult amazons, and where she learns a lesson about cheating. It’s an inventive set-piece that really pops in 3D.

Gal Gadot’s version of Wonder Woman is brash but she’s sensitive, a romantic and she is a lover of peace and unity. She brings a lot of heart to her role as did Christopher Reeve with the first two Superman movies of yesteryear. I don’t need my action/fantasy movies to be over two hours of wall-to-wall action - I like the innocence of the wishful and romantic diversions here, the time to world build and build character of not just Wonder Woman’s Diana Prince, but also the arcs of the two villains Barbara (Kristin Wiig) and Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal). Is the central premise of an artifact that grants wishes a little conceited? Sure. Does it matter!? Not to me. I had a lot of fun with this escapist fantasy and look forward to the third installment.

9. Penguin Bloom - Dir. Glendyn Ivin

Now streaming on Amazon Prime

This Australian film is based on the true story of Sam Bloom (Naomi Watts) on holiday with her family in Thailand who falls from a faulty railing while sight-seeing. She breaks her back and is thus bound to a wheelchair. This uplifting and life-affirming tale is also about an injured Magpie named Penguin which will have profound effects on Sam and her family.

The bird is charming, yet as much as you may at first think of it as emotional artifice, the whimsy Penguin elicits and the growing effect it has on the family works in the film (probably because we know these events occurred), and all the while the direction of the film still has a knowing, beating heart of what it is to experience trauma.

Watts’ portrayal of Sam Bloom is utterly convincing in the throes of deep depression as she tries to reconcile her fate with what she is no longer able to do as a result of the accident. It’s about saying goodbye to the old version of yourself and making way for a new normal, however challenging. Director Glendyn Ivin beautifully captures earthy cinematography of twilight beaches and cliff-faces and dreamy sequences underwater. If anything, the screenplay could have been padded out slightly - I wanted to know more about the relationships between these family members. This is a beautiful and moving Australian film that you can watch with your kids and they will gain something from it as well. Highly recommended.

8. The Power of the Dog - Dir. Jane Campion

Now streaming on Netflix

Although it doesn’t at first appear to be much like a Campion film, I’d say that this is a return to form for Jane Campion after two uneven seasons of “Top Of the Lake” (2013 & 2017) and her last feature film “Bright Star” as far back as 2009. Overall, this is more so Campion exploring different territory with this male-centric neo-western, instead of her back-catalogue of predominantly female-driven stories with highly feminist rhetoric - yet her reoccurring themes of power and desire are still ever present.

Set in Montana, 1925, two very different brothers Phil and George Burbank (played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemmons) own a profitable ranch and meet widower and inn care-taker Rose Gordon (Kirsten Dunst). The wily Phil makes a highly negative impression on Rose and her son Peter (Kodi Smit-Mcphee) and later the shy and amicable George asks Rose to marry him. Loyalties become blurred for the audience when Phil takes Rose’s son Peter under his wing after initially tormenting him. Campion’s recurring themes of desire, power and sexuality are still present, albeit through the prism of a deconstructed western, with the second half of the film focussing on an unpredictable relationship between Phil and Peter.

It’s a slow-burn psychological drama and not the thriller that the marketing made it appear. The winners are the moody atmosphere and tense tone of the piece, as well as the impressive performances across the board, particulary Kodi Smit-Mcphee (from Adelaide, SA) and Benedict Cumberbatch. Cumberbatch’s searing portrayal of Phil’s evolution is compelling, in fact this is probably the best I’ve seen of him in film. Awards buzz is already calling for both actors. Campion not one to provide easy answers for her characters’ internal and external conflicts, has instead always been more interested in asking the pertinent questions and leaving audiences to ponder and discuss after the film. Does the ending have enough bite? While it’s not what many would have expected, it is unsettling in that you’re not quite sure what emotion you are in fact feeling come the conclusion and it is this ambiguity which stays with you.

7. The Dry - Dir. Robert Connolly

Now streaming on Amazon Prime

A riveting Australian mystery-thriller, based on the novel penned by Jane Harper. It’s about a Federal agent, Aaron Falk who returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of Luke, an old friend he grew up with that was involved in a tragic murder/suicide. This brings up old wounds of the mysterious death (two decade earlier) of Ellie Deacon, Luke and Falk’s childhood friend. Aaron Falk informally starts to investigate the recent crime due to pressure from Luke’s parents, but Falk has a couple of his own secrets he’s kept hidden.

The real beauty of the film is the fine pacing and the engaging interactions between the characters, as well as the much needed flashback sequences of Falk, Luke and Ellie’s youth. These are incorporated more fluidly here (and in a little more detail) than the novel, with the fine younger actors providing supporting roles to a large cast. As the proceedings are all set in a small country town, this is an ensemble piece that features an eclectic group of actors playing the town’s colourful, weary and grief-ridden inhabitants. The story keeps you guessing and the finale is an ultimately moving and tragic denouement.

6. West Side Story - Dir. Steven Spielberg

Now showing in cinemas

Spielberg’s first musical - “West Side Story” while not perfect, it is a solid adaption and frankly better than expected. This “Romeo and Juliet” inspired tale, set in 1950s New York contains many standout dramatic scenes as well as musical ones. Ansel Elgort surprises as Tony - a lot of the psychology of the character works here a little better than the original 1961 film. There is also a great physicality by the actors as well as tremendous visual bursts Spielberg injects throughout including the confrontation with Tony and fellow Jet, Riff (Mike Faist) to stop the planned gang fight against the Sharks in the scene where they both try to gain control of the gun - it’s thrilling.

Even if you are very familiar with the film and stage incarnations, there are many impressive visuals and performances to savour. Namely, Rachel Zegler’s film debut as the innocent Maria and Ariana DeBose as the formidable Anita. DeBose as Anita commands the screen with the lively rendition of “America”, much like Rita Moreno did in the original film adaptation, yet in this sequence the characters and camera are always on the move - it’s another memorable and exciting scene in musical cinema. Rita Moreno returns as a new character, Valentino, who runs Doc’s Drugstore. This addition has mixed results. Yet, at the end of the day, very little has been altered and this tragic romance is still a tense, evocative and faithful adaptation that will hopefully garner some awards buzz and a new generation of viewers to this iconic musical.

5. Cruella - Dir. Craig Gillespie

Now streaming on Disney+

I must admit I rolled my eyes upon hearing of a live-action film based around the iniquitous villain from Disney’s “101 Dalmatians”, even more so when Oscar winner Emma Stone was cast as the titular character. Forget what you know about the 1961 animated movie and the live action Glenn Close vehicle in 1996 as this is a completely revisionist origin story, adventure and (dare I say) character study and a smashing good time at the cinema.

Set in London, a young 12 year old girl, Estella is bullied in school (but can give harder than she gets) finds herself suddenly orphaned and pickpocketing alongside fellow outsiders and friends Jasper (Joe Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser) who later become her hilarious and admittedly sensitive henchman.

Ten years later (around the time of the late 70s punk rock revolution) Estella (Emma Stone) desires something more outside of thievery and has a penchant for fashion. Through a twisty turn of events she finds herself working at The Baroness’ esteemed Fashion House under the tutelage of scene stealing Emma Thompson (the Baroness). Estella’s eclectic career begins to take off, yet her shady and mischievous past might help her in solving the puzzle of her origins, yet this might also pave the way for a new and dangerous identity entirely. Director Craig Gillespie’s wacky and offbeat humour evident in “I, Tonya”, is also smattered throughout “Cruella”. He has clearly demonstrated a gift with the absurd and eliciting comedic and dramatic performances from his actors.

The scenes with Emma Thompson and Emma Stone going head-to-head are standouts and to be savoured. At 134 minutes, some may find it a little over long, but there is way too much devilish, stylish and comical fun to be played out here, set to a frequent and cracking soundtrack that it doesn’t matter an inch! My only qualm is I wouldn’t have minded if it were more darker, the ending a little less clean, safe and santisited, yet I suppose this helps cater for a wider and younger audience (this is Disney after all) but overall they’ve allowed for a welcome and gleeful edginess that just might keep you coming back for more.

4. The Unforgivable - Dir. Nora Fingscheidt

Now streaming on Netflix

Some mild spoilers below

One thing’s for sure, we need more Sandra Bullock on the big screen and with two films already set for release in 2022, we won’t have to wait long. Bullock has a warm and calming presence which is undeniable. Her at times terse and dramatic performance in “The Unforgivable” opts to show us a different side to her acting as well as our perception of Bullock on screen compared with the type of performances she is most known for. This is probably her darkest role from memory, yet we still get glimmers of her charm and soul if you are willing to wait. In “The Unforgivable” she plays Ruth Slater - somewhat unkempt, with some visible wrinkles and an alternatively gruff and silent persona. After serving a prison sentence for a crime two decades ago, she inquisitively returns to her old family home, where she meets the new family that reside there, the husband, a lawyer played by Vincent D’Onofrio. As Ruth tries to integrate back into the world, she works at a seafood packaging factory and meets a man, but is reluctant to tell him of her past. More importantly, she wishes to locate her now grown sister who has since been adopted after both their parents had long passed.

For some viewers, certain plot points towards the final third might seem to undermine what has gone before, yet I don’t agree. The themes of shame and keeping secrets as well as the toll prison life has taken on Ruth are demonstrated in her interactions with everyone she meets. The messages of adjusting to the outside world after becoming significantly hardened to life by her experiences are still present. This is a superb character-driven, psychological thriller that, while a tiny bit derivative in its conclusion, it’s also an old-school story, aptly about the power of family and the desire for redemption.

3. Don’t Look Up - Dir. Adam McKay

Now streaming on Netflix

Some mild spoilers below

This satirical comedy/drama concerns Professor Dr Randall Mindy played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and Astronomy grad student Kate performed by Jennifer Lawrence, who discover a massive comet hurtling towards earth that will surely be an extinction level event. No one seems to listen to their urgent message and time is fast running out. Director Adam McKay seems to be drawing parallels to not just a misguided media and polititians’ ignorance towards climate change, but also our world’s divisive handling of the COVID-19 situation, the inability to urgently act, the lies, false hope, and miscommunication that occurs when a populace don’t work together as one. Seeing the world reflected back at you on screen in all it’s sad, ignorant, maddening, self and media obsessed ways, yet having it successfully make you laugh at its inherent stupidity left me with a warm fuzzy feeling that was oddly comforting - we are not alone, we are bigger than this, but we’ve lost our way.

Meryl Streep impresses as President Orlean, a time when her over-reaching works in her favour; she humorously chews the scenery in her supporting role, perhaps as no one else can. Jonah Hill is somewhat under-utilised as her son and Chief of Staff. Granted there are a lot of characters but I think he deserved just a little more screen time. Jennifer Lawrence initially grates, but then becomes the voice of reason and actually has a good arc in that she embraces her fate. Dicaprio is utterly batty in this; this complete turn for him from being the suave, strong leading man and sometimes hero to a bumbling neurotic, yet ironically in “Don’t Look Up” he is an anti-hero of sorts, at least he tries to be. Timothee Chalamet enters late in the piece as as free-wheeling hippy (Yule) and friend to Kate. Let’s not forget the madness that is Mark Rylance as Peter Isherwell. I didn’t recognise him until his name in the closing credits. Don’t forget to stay for the crazy closing credits scenes: the first set 22,000 years later, and the latter post credits scene I missed in the cinema, yet can fortunately now catch it on Netflix.

2. Nitram - Dir. Justin Kurzel

Now streaming on Stan

I don’t usually like to be too disturbed when I go and see a film, yet overall “Nitram” is more unsettling in its overall tone, with the horrific events that occurred in real life largely (and thankfully) absent from the screen. This is an ardently political film that is superbly written, performed and its attention to detail in this troubled family’s life is atmpospheric and palpable rather than exploitative. The film’s themes are nuanced and subtextually presented in every ‘cracked corner’ of the film rather than any overt dialogue - and that is the mark of a supremely fine screenplay by Shaun Grant and the sophisticated direction of Justin Kurzel (originating from Gawler in SA) and the director behind Macbeth (2015) starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard.

“Nitram” concerns a young man living with his parents in Tasmania, Australia, who is an outsider and comes to the attention of an older woman and heiress named Helen (Essie Davis). Judy Davis and Anthony LaPaglia perform as the parents of Nitram, with Caleb Landry Jones as the young man (who recently and deservedly won the Cannes award for best actor for this film). The dilapidated mansion Nitram later moves into with Helen and the evident living conditions therein visually convey the characters’ muddled inner lives and that something is bound to soon crack. As the relationship develops he slowly becomes increasingly more unhinged before committing an unspeakable atrocity.

On the whole, the film is not interested in exploiting the terror of what happened so much as it explores and shines a light on gun violence, mental health issues, alienation, suggested bullying and family members and medical professionals whose perhaps ignorant and early critical insights could have prevented a tragedy and better enabled a troubled young man on a path of education to better deal with his later diagnosis of Aspergers. If you are a part of the Arthouse crowd and haven’t yet seen this film, I urge you to, to continue to open up the discussion about the serious issues this film explores.

1. Last Night In Soho - Dir. Edgar Wright

Coming soon to DVD and Blu-ray

This heady rush of a film needs to be seen on the big screen so that its recreation of swinging 60’s nightlife and music can wash over you. The less you’ve heard about the story the better, as this is bound to be a cult hit. It’s incredibly slick, sophisticated at times and visually stunning! Its dream-like aesthetic is atmospheric, but also relevant to the narrative’s exploration of imagination and dreaming born out of one’s need to grow and connect. It’s “The Wizard of Oz” with a horror twist finale. It’s also probably one of the first films I’ve seen that (at times) visually and aesthetically echoes one of my favourites of all time “Mulholland Drive”.

New Zealand actress Thomasin Mckensie stars, fresh from her brilliant breakout role in last year’s “Jo Jo Rabbit”, who is convincing as an innocent named Eloise on the cusp of womanhood, held back from a trauma in her past. Anya Taylor-Joy from “The Queen’s Gambit” is supporting and is as bewitching as ever playing Sandie and giving voice to two 60s covers in the film. This is Edgar Wright’s first female-centric film and it is a winning one, if you can forgive a few mild contrivances and over-use of a certain visual allusion in the final third which tends to lack impact. Wright’s distinct brand of humour is next to absent in this work, yet it is there if you are familiar with his previous films and know where to look. On the whole this is fast, mysterious, thrilling and most importantly a fun trip and the film’s look really is to die for! Highly recommended if the above mentioned classics hold a special place for you..

Thanks for reading my reviews of the top films that impressed and stayed with me in 2021. Depending on your tastes, I hope that you have already, or can seek out and enjoy a few on this list too.