Alec Toombs' Top 10 of 2021

Ten movies that really blew Alec's hair back, 20 movies he genuinely enjoyed and 10 movies that just blew.

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This past year turned out to be a busy one for me. I watched 308 movies overall (213 of them were from 2021). I wrote 112 pieces of film criticism – up from 96 in 2020. (Please feel free to check out my backlog here.) My random cinematic comings and goings are also available for your viewing pleasure over on Letterboxd.

I’d like to thank Christopher Lloyd for his guidance, support and the platform itself. I’d also like to thank my wonderful wife Jamie for her patience with and presence in my incessant movie-watching. Lastly, I’d like to thank y’all for reading my material and the works of my fellow Film Yap writers. It’s greatly appreciated.

My Bottom 10 of 2021 listed in order of derision are “Assault on VA-33,” “Zeros and Ones,” “Fortress,” “Great White,” “Witch Hunt,” “Needle in a Timestack,” “It Takes Three,” “Home Sweet Home Alone,” “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” and “Die in a Gunfight.”

My 20 Honorable Mentions listed in order of admiration are “I Care a Lot,” “Riders of Justice,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Blue Bayou,” “Derek DelGuadio’s In & Of Itself,” “The Father,” “Bad Trip,” “Nobody,” “The Tomorrow War,” “Candyman,” “Free Guy,” “No Time to Die,” “8-Bit Christmas,” “What Josiah Saw,” “Last Night in Soho,” “Red Rocket,” “Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” “The Guilty” and “Licorice Pizza.”

With no further ado, here’s my Top 10 of 2021 …

10.) Ride the Eagle – “Ride the Eagle” (now available on DVD and to stream on Hulu) is the Jake Johnsonest flick to ever Jake Johnson – he not only stars in but also co-wrote and co-produced the picture. Mileage may vary depending upon your feelings regarding Johnson, but the film played like gangbusters for me.

“Ride the Eagle” is funny, but it’s not nearly as humorous as I expected it to be. What it lacks in laughs it more than makes up for with heart and genuine emotion. I cried at this movie … a lot.

I might’ve connected with the film as deeply as I did as I recently lost a relative with whom I lost touch in the last years of her life. It has a wonderful message of forgiveness and actively encourages its audience to live their best lives.

9.) Belfast – A lovely film about a troubled time. Jude Hill is an adorable revelation as Buddy - the youthful stand-in for writer/director Kenneth Branagh. Jamie Dornan and Caitriona Balfe make for the prettiest parents and partners you'll ever see on screen. Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds add considerable warmth to the proceedings. "Belfast" is a bit obvious and on the nose, but I really loved Harris Zambarloukos' beautiful black and white cinematography, Van Morrison's warm-hearted tunes and the nods to Branagh's future artistic endeavors. (Now on VOD; available on Blu-ray and DVD in February.)

8.) King Richard – (Available on VOD beginning Tuesday, Jan. 4. Available on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, Feb. 8.)  I was somewhat distracted by Will Smith's Leon Phelps "The Ladies Man" voice at first, but then I gave myself over to the performance and it's a doozy. Both Smith and Aunjanue Ellis should be shoo-ins for Oscar nods this year. I was already a fan of Saniyya Sidney due to her work on the short-lived Mark-Paul Gosselaar vampire series "The Passage," but she really comes into her own here as Venus Williams. "King Richard" is Black Girl Magic personified and it's a beautiful thing.

7.) Spider-Man: No Way Home – (currently in theaters) Fan service like whoa. My first screening was like a goddamned rock concert. It’s the third best Spider-Man flick after “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse” and Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 2,” but it’s awfully damned close. It’s easily the best comic book movie of 2021.

6.) Spencer – Kristen Stewart looks incredible and acts incredibly as Diana, Princess of Wales. I'd have no issue whatsoever with her winning the Best Actress Oscar this year. I loved that Princes William and Harry dressed exactly like my brother and I did in the late 1980s/early 1990s during the picture's conclusion. The inclusion of Mike and the Mechanics' "All I Need is a Miracle" is my favorite needle drop of the year. I can't stop singing and/or listening to it since seeing “Spencer.” (Now on VOD; available on Blu-ray and DVD beginning Tuesday, Jan. 11.)

5.) Mass – It’s not an easy watch, but it’s a hugely rewarding one. Actor-turned-writer/director Fran Kranz has made an incredibly assured and powerful debut. Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Ann Dowd and Reed Birney make up the best ensemble of 2021 and each of their performances is a revelation. “Mass” is a stirring reminder that our country can and should be better – children’s safety should always take precedence over irresponsible gun ownership. (Now on VOD; available on Blu-ray and DVD beginning Tuesday, Jan. 11.)

4.) In the Heights – (now available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD and to stream on HBO Max) Easily the most vibrant movie of 2021. It’s a beautifully colorful blast. I laughed. I cried. The world would be a better place if we had more abuelas to assist us with all our sueños. Dreamers matter.

3.) Bo Burnham: Inside – (now available to stream on Netflix) Fuck it, I’m calling this a movie. I'm thankful to say I didn't relate to a lot of "Bo Burnham: Inside" (aside from a lack of showering at times during quarantine), but that doesn't mean it didn't affect me. It certainly gave me insight into what some people I care a lot about are going through and is undoubtedly the work of a profoundly talented and creative individual.

2.) Pig – (now available on Blu-ray and DVD and to stream on Hulu) This ain't the "John Wick" meets "Babe" movie that was sold to us ... it's something infinitely more special. "Pig" is a profoundly sad and powerful rumination on grief. It's a call for artists to be true to themselves. It's also an exquisite foodie movie. That it's the feature writing/directing debut of Michael Sarnoski makes it all the more impressive and makes him a name to watch in the years to come. This is some of the best work of Nicolas Cage's career – simultaneously towering and quiet. I encourage y'all to go into this knowing as little as possible … just know that the bulk of the violence is of the emotional variety. I couldn't love this movie anymore if I tried. You could say I'm BIG on the "Pig."

1.) CODA – (now available to stream on Apple TV+) Sensitively written and directed by “Orange Is the New Black” writer/producer/director Sian Heder, “CODA” is a dramedy that made me laugh a lot and cry even more … a lot more. (I ugly cried at this bish.) It’s just so damned good-hearted and empathetic. It doesn’t reinvent the coming-of-age subgenre, but what it does it does so exceedingly well. The cast is so uniformly excellent that it’s almost impossible to select a standout. It contains the most memorable and impactful final line of any movie in recent memory IMHO. I was gutted, but in a good cathartic way.