Will Sorg
10. The Matrix: Resurrections: Easily one of the more polarizing
films of this year, The Matrix: Resurrections is very much a love
it or hate it kind of film. ??It is a bold refutation of franchise reboots
and a genuinely heartfelt story on artistic fulfillment and a purely
fantastic action film with some truly incredible moments.
(VOD and on HBO Max on May 10th)
9. Titane: This is a film that is completely in tune with what it wants
to be. It is dark, experimental and incredibly weird. The film’s
tone oscillates between dryly humorous and shockingly
disturbing with the whole movie feeling like a fever dream.
(VOD and on Hulu)
8. Pig: One of the most emotionally impactful films of this year. Pig
held my attention throughout the runtime and had me in tears
in the movie theater. Nicholas Cage gives a career defining
performance.
(VOD and Hulu)
7. Dune: This is possibly one of the greatest adaptations of a science
fiction book. Director Denis Villeneuve and his cast and crew all
perfectly realize this sci-fi epic as the enthralling, layered
masterpiece that it is.
(VOD and HBO Max)
6. Drive My Car: This film is a wonderful look into the interpersonal
relationships of various characters as they deal with grief, passion
and the beauty of language.
(VOD and HBO Max)
5. The Tragedy of Macbeth: Shakespeare has never felt more alive
than it does in this film. The sets and cinematography are second
to none, and the story is perfectly executed. Denzel Washington
gives us the best performance of this year with his intense and
undeniably charismatic Macbeth.
(Apple TV)
4. Neon Genesis Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon A Time: This is
very much a personal pick for this list. I would not recommend
someone to watch the 4th installment of a film series that is also
a continuation of a TV show unless you’ve seen what it is a
culmination of. However if you do hold the context of previous
installments this is truly an incredible movie.
(Amazon Prime Video)
3. Licorice Pizza: Paul Thomas Anderson is the master of morally
ambiguous characters and his newest film continues to show his
prowess at storytelling. The actors give it their all and end up
building up a cast of characters that feel complex and real in a
wonderfully funny and visually engaging film that plays with
non-narrative structure beautifully.
(VOD)
2. The Worst Person in The World: This film is incredibly
entertaining, funny, and all around intriguing. It crafts a portrait
of a woman trying to understand what she wants from life. The
audience sees her mistakes and her successes and in the end it
shows the complexity of the human experience. Lead actress
Renate Reinsve is endlessly watchable as Julie and director
Joachim Trier has a genius vision.
(VOD)
1. C’mon C’mon: Mike Mills’ newest film is a simplistic story that is
able to encapsulate the entirety of the complex, ever changing
world called Earth. Joaquin Phoenix is impeccable and his co-star
Woody Norman is the best child actor I have ever seen in a film.
To describe the beauty of this film would be to describe the
beauty of being alive. If there is any 2021 film that will mystify
me till the end of my life it is C’mon C’mon.
(VOD and Hulu)