It’s been eight long years since David Cronenberg’s last film, but he’s finally back with another sick and surgical slice of psychological-tinged body horror. Crimes Of The Future possess thematic overlap with other Cronenberg staples, like Videodrome and eXistenZ, but it’s by no means a regurgitation. If surgery is the new sex, then long live the New Flesh, baby!
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Nic frreeeeaaaaaakking Cage is back, baby, and this time he’s playing a parody of himself in Tom Gormican’s action comedy, The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent. It’s a pretty entertaining and fun-filled filmic shrine to all things Nicolas Cage, but as a whole, it doesn’t quite reach its full potential and fizzles out into another middling Cage vehicle.
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Writer/director Robert Eggers is back with a searingly savage tale of Nordic revenge. The Northman marks Eggers most expansive — and expensive — film to date, and he proves to be just as sturdy at this scale, delivering a gnarly viking epic fit for Valhalla.
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Six years after their debut, Swiss Army Man, the directing duo Daniels (comprised of Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) return with Everything Everywhere All At Once. This ain’t no sophomore slump, folks! No siree, Daniels have perfected their unique brand of heartfelt irreverent absurdity here and delivered the gonzo sci-fi comedy we all need.
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With X., writer/director Ti West returns to his horror roots and seeks to bring a modern bend to the gritty, DIY filmmaking of the 1970s. Conjuring up an aesthetic that’s a part Debbie Does Dallas, part Texas Chain Saw Massacre, X captures that oldschool feel but doesn’t come backing much heat. It’s not altogether joyless, but for a film that lays emphasis on the hardcore, let’s just say the film has trouble getting it up.
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In The Batman, the Caped Crusader returns for one of his most epic, ambitious, and bleak cinematic outings yet! With a fresh angle that eschews redundancy, writer/director Matt Reeves gives the “World’s Greatest Detective” the David Fincher treatment, delivering a gritty operatic noir that rivals the very best the franchise has to offer.
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Everything is a family affair in the witchy coming-of-age indie horror flick Hellbender. The film is the second feature written and directed by an indie filmmaking family (specifically, husband & wife John Adams and Toby Poser, and their daughter, Zelda), who pretty much singlehandedly tackle all aspects of the production (including the score). Although it’s not a total home run, Hellbender manages to conjure up some seriously bewitching charisma, innovative genre thrills, and bitchin’ tuneage.
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After a little over a decade, the Jackass gang make their glorious return with Jackass Forever! You’d think the jokes would get old after all this time, but Knoxville and company give nuance to every nutshot. Every installment into the Jackass franchise is a smorgasbord of painfully comedic delights, but Forever hits the funny bone in all the right ways.
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Joel Coen joins the ranks of greats like Roman Polanski, Orson Welles, and Akira Kurosawa by taking on Shakespeare’s MacBeth. It may only have one half of the Coen genius behind it, but The Tragedy Of MacBeth gives the full Coen effect. It’s one of the most visually striking films of the year, and it’s the best Coen’s been since 2013’s Inside Llewyn Davis.
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Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson resurrects the San Fernando Valley of the early 1970s in his latest charmer, Licorice Pizza. Blending coming-of-age, hangout, and romantic comedy elements ,PTA pulls from his childhood as well as his past catalogue to create his most enchanting, laugh-out-loud film to date.
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Writer/director Sean Baker is back with another tangy and humane story about a sex worker living on the fringe. Sprinkled with Baker’s signature hallmarks and charismatically glazed by a phenomenal performance from Simon Rex, Red Rocket puts the “XXX” in Texas and delivers one of the year’s funniest films that charms as much as it disturbs.
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Writer/director Guillermo Del Toro is back with another exquisite genre piece that casts an undeniable spell! Surprisingly supernatural free, Nightmare Alley finds del Toro taking on the seedy Noir with natural aplomb. Full of signature flourishes, excellent performances, and sublime sets/costumes, del Toro delivers his best effort since Pan’s Labyrinth.
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Writer/director Nathalie Biancheri’s sophomore effort, Wolf, is one strange animal. Although it leads to some nice moments of absurdist comedy, it unfortunately doesn’t have much to say. Its premise opens up the doggy door to an allegory that’s left far too vague to truly satisfy.
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Ridley Scott drops his second film of 2021 with House Of Gucci. Inspired by the shocking true story of the family behind the Italian fashion empire, this elegantly conventional biopic is filled to the brim with vibrant performances and depicts one of fashion’s biggest murders.
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Denis Villeneuve is back with another sci-fi epic! This time around, he grapples with one of the most influential sci-fi novels of all-time: Frank Herbert’s Dune. With incredible scope and scale, Villeneuve beautifully articulates Herbert’s vision, delivering another meticulously crafted and masterfully executed sci-fi blockbuster for adults.
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The Last Duel marks one of two Ridley Scott releases we got in 2021 — and if you want our opinion, it’s the better of the two. The film is a wieldy medieval drama that’s made palpably modern with its #MeToo bend. With a Rashômon-inspired narrative structure, The Last Duel effectively ruminates on the subjectivity of Truth, gender roles, and egomania.
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Writer/director David Lowery returns with an adaptation of one of the most well known Arthurian tales, delivering a simmering, slow-burning epic that quietly meditates on its themes of honor, maturity, and time. Frequently stunning, occasionally elusive, and favoring deep contemplation over genre thrills, The Green Knight’s alchemy won’t be for everyone, but for fans of slow cinema, it will likely cast a vigorous spell.
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The citizens of Haddonfield are flung into a crazed panic in David Gordon Green’s latest installment in the Halloween franchise. True to its name, Halloween Kills delivers some hardcore horror violence, but it also nearly shatters the excitement Green’s 2018 film ignited. It’s a fiery mess that manages to be mildly entertaining, despite its many odd decisions.
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Sopranos creator David Chase returns to the show that made him famous to deliver the prequel film no one asked for. Part origin story, part race relation film, part historical fiction, and part fan service feature, The Many Saints Of Newark is many things and nothing at all.
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7 years after he scored high marks with The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson makes his triumphant return to live-action with his resplendent 10th feature, The French Dispatch. Featuring another sprawling ensemble cast, Anderson crafts a gleefully piquant anthology, replete with his signature swagger and flair, that pays loving homage to The New Yorker, its writers and editors, and it may just be the auteur’s best film to date.
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