It's here! My best of the year stuff. If you're unfamiliar with this, it's something I do every year. Since I was 13 or so. Mostly for my own enjoyment. It's an expensive and time-consuming hobby, but hey, at least in my waning days I'll have nothing to show for all that time and effort except fractured memories of these films slowly fading as I slip this mortal coil, right?

I saw about 130 releases from this year, I didn't count last year's late Oscar entries as 2021 releases, so they exist unstuck in time. I missed a few major contenders, such as The Souvenir Part II, In the Heights, and some of the smaller or harder to find releases. I had to do some work to see some of these. They don't make it easy for dorks like me to see the end of the year movies before the end of the year. I also had a baby in June which initially meant more movie time, then as he aged and needs things like "love" and "attention" it became a bit more difficult. But I persisted! And here it all is, and to be cheesy and quote the opening line from my favourite song of the year from one of my favourite movies

So... may we start?

BEST PICTURE OF 2021

20. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND AND SUMMER OF SOUL
Directed by Todd Haynes and Questlove

I am very hit-and-miss on concert films, but this one covers such a unique and incredible piece of music history that it is hard not to fall in. Questlove's first film does a great job of not only presenting the performances but also contextualizing the event. Not just seeing the footage, but seeing how people felt experiencing the event is quite powerful.

Todd Hayne’s first documentary is kind of a perfect matching of subject and artist. The Velvet Underground is a great documentary, and part of that is Hayne’s focus. He does not follow Lou Reed and John Cale’s careers outside of the original band, but instead focuses on its story, the people within it, and the people changed by it. It really stands out as a documentary that should resonate with anyone who has had a particular artist or piece of art really make an impact on them.

I couldn't really decide between one or the other. So I cheated and stuck them together. They are both excellent documents about just how important music, and even more broadly, connecting and feeling represented by art can really mean to people.

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BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE OR NONBINARY PERSON IN A LEADING ROLE

Honourable Mentions: Alessandro Nivola - The Many Saints of Newark | Jim Cummings - The Beta Test | Amir El Masry - Limbo

Cooper Hoffman - Licorice Pizza | Will Smith - King Richard | Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro - No Sudden Move

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE IN A LEADING ROLE

Rachel Zegler - West Side Story | Niamh Algar – Censor | Ann Skelly - Rose Plays Julie | Rachel Sennott - Shiva Baby

Tilda Swinton - Memoria | Alexis louder – Cop Shop

SUPPORTING ROLE

Honourable Mentions:

Honourable Mentions:

BEST DIRECTOR

Steven Spielberg - West Side Story
David Lowery - The Green Knight
Rysuke Hamaguchi - Drive My Car
Joel Coen - The Tragedy of Macbeth
Janicza Bravo - Zola
Joachim Trier - The Worst Person in the World
Paul Schrader - The Card Counter
Jordan Graham - Sator
Leos Carax - Annette
Michael Sarnoski - Pig

Honourable Mentions: Ridley Scott - The Last Duel Red Rocket - Sean Baker | Jasmila Zbanic - Quo Vadis Aida? | Aleem Khan - After Love | Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese - This is not a Burial, it is a Resurrection! | Jane Campion - The Power of the Dog | Destin Daniel Cretin - Shang Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings |

It's an embarassment of riches this year, but it's hard not to give Spielberg the most credit. The intricacy of the task at hand, and the near perfection in execution is so hard to overlook. David Lowery does an amazing job developing a mood and atmosphere as he always does. Hamaguchi makes a three hour personal drama riveting. Coen staged a creepy and otherworldly Macbeth. Bravo took a story that might have been very hard to take seriously, meshed it with all the style any person can bring to the table, and knocked it out of the park.

Steven Spielberg at Doc's

David Lowery directing the clash.

Sarnoski guiding Pig.

Steven Spielberg at Doc's

1/10

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Paul Schrader - The Card Counter
Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt - The Worst Person in the World
C'Mon C'Mon - Mike Mills
Red Rocket - Sean Baker
Aleem Khan - After Love
Jordan Graham - Sator
Mohamed Rasouloff - There is no Evil
Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe - The Beta Test
Amin Nawabi and Jonas Poher Rasmussen - Flee
Rose Glass - Saint Maud

Honourable Mentions: Ben Sharrock - Limbo | Noah Hutton - Lapsis | Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese - This is not a Burial, it is a Resurrection! | Brea Grant - Lucky | Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski - The Night House

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Tony Kushner - West Side Story
Rysuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe - Drive My Car
David Lowery - The Green Knight
Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon - The Last Duel
Joel Coen - The Tragedy of Macbeth
Jane Campion - The Power of the Dog
Janicza Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris - Zola
Jasmila Zbanic - Quo Vadis, Aida?
Maggie Gyllenhaal - The Lost Daughter
Emma Seligman - Shiva Baby

Honourable Mentions: Sian Heder - CODA | Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Crettin, and Andrew Lanham - Shang Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings |

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

Andrew Droz Palermo - The Green Knight
Bruno Delbonnel - The Tragedy of Macbeth
Robert Yeoman - The French Dispatch
Dariusz Wolski - West Side Story
Alexander Dynan - The Card Counter
Caroline Charmpetier - Annette
Claire Mathon - Spencer
Ari Wegner - Zola
Pierre De Villers -
This is Not a Burial, It is a Resurrection!
Jordan Graham - Sator
Linus Sandgren - No Time to Die
Ari Wegner - The Power of the Dog

BEST EDITING

Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn - West Side Story
Joi McMillon - Zola
Claire Simpson - The Last Duel
David Lowery - The Green Knight
Brett W. Bachman - Pig
Tom Cross and Elliot Graham - No Time to Die
Paul Machliss - Last Night in Soho
Benjamin Rodriguez Jr. - The Card Counter
Mark Towns - Saint Maud
Olivier Bugge Coutte - The Worst Person in the World

Honourable Mentions: Joel Coen and Lucian Johnston - The Tragedy of Macbeth | Janus Billeskov Jansen - Flee | Elisabet Ronaldsdottier, Nat Sanders, and Harry Yoon - Shang Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings | William Yeh and Evan Schiff - Nobody | Jordan Graham - Sator | Jean-Christophe Bouzy - Titane

Editing is often a bit hard to talk about. So much detail and focus goes into a successful editing job. It's not just about how much editing (though in cases like Zola that can play to it's favour) but delicate touches, timing, the right take, the right look, the right structure. It's all vital.

Familiar but brand new.

Colour and detail.

Detailed and dramatic.

Familiar but brand new.

1/10

BEST COSTUME

The Green Knight
West Side Story
The Last Duel
The French Dispatch
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
Last Night in Soho
Spencer
Shang Chi and the
Legend of the 10 Rings
Annette

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

West Side Story
The Tragedy of Macbeth
The Green Knight
The French Dispatch
Annette
Nightmare Alley
The Last Duel
Licorice Pizza
Last Night in Soho
Spencer

Robert Moses's New York come to life!

Horror world.

Prison or palace?

Robert Moses's New York come to life!

1/10

BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIR

The Green Knight
West Side Story
The Power of the Dog
Titane
Gaia
The Last Duel
House of Gucci
Pig
Annette
Nightmare Alley

Filth.

Glossy glammed up HBO's Carnivale

Filth.

1/10

Original Score 2021

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