Living Up to Expectations: The Good, the Better, and the Best of 2021
This is my annual effort to filter the good, the better, and the best from the rest that cinema has to offer every year. It's an initiative I began back in 2010, and I hope that this year, too, the list will be enjoyable, informative, and up-to-the-mark.
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- DirectorCecilia VerheydenStarsFrank LammersElise SchaapHuub StapelRuthless Ferry Bouman is sent to his native region of Brabant by his boss Brink to avenge an attack on their gang. When he meets lovely Danielle and old family feuds resurface, Brabant starts to pierce his steel armour.A proper, hardcore mob movie after ages – Netflix's new Danish import, Ferry, features no frills, no thrills, just hard-nosed gang dynamics that should please crime film lovers no end while also serving as a solid origin story to the OTT platform's highly engaging web series, Undercover. Plus, there are two fantastic twists in the second half that elevates this far beyond routine gangster fare. Don't miss it if like I, you've recently been starved of good, new crime movies.
3.75/5 stars - DirectorJaume Collet-SerraStarsDwayne JohnsonEmily BluntEdgar RamírezBased on Disneyland's theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element.Had a blast watching Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt's Jungle Cruise. Took me back to the swashbuckling, exotic, romanticized adventures of yore. Maybe not as amazing as Indiana Jones, Romancing the Stone, or even Pirates of the Caribbean, but almost as good, and I'll take that any day in a scenario where such movies are hardly made nowadays amongst the onslaught of superhero stuff largely passing off as family entertainment.
3.65/5 stars - DirectorJohn KrasinskiStarsEmily BluntMillicent SimmondsCillian MurphyFollowing the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats lurking beyond the sand path.A Quiet Place Part II amps up the creature action from the first part and like its predecessor (which I consider a somber take on Tremors, but enjoyed quite a bit nevertheless), gives ample scope for its characters, even the new ones, to develop in the midst of their quest for survival. Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe are given more meat this time, and are par for the course, while Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy are on the money as always. The climax also lead the franchise to an interesting new horizon (literally and metaphorically) and the film ended with me looking forward to the next. All in all, a good creature feature, which, maybe, will end up going down as better than the first A Quiet Place, but, probably, just falls short of some of the best creature horror movies out there. Felt the new settlement that occupies a major chunk of the climax, could've been expanded upon, before that kickass denouement took off.
3.65/5 stars - DirectorLluís QuílezStarsJavier GutiérrezKarra ElejaldeLuis CallejoOn a lonely road, a prison transport is brutally assaulted. Martin, the policeman who was driving, survives and fortifies his position while the con men search for a way to finish him.Spanish thriller Below Zero makes arresting (pun intended) use of its isolated location, claustrophobic environment, and mysterious whodunnit premise to keep us pinned to our seats. Unfortunately, the climax goes down a been-there-seen-that path, making this Netflix film peter out into a mundane revenge thriller. Nevertheless, it's extremely good till that point.
3.5/5 stars - DirectorKevin LewisStarsNicolas CageEmily TostaBeth GrantA quiet drifter is tricked into a janitorial job at the now condemned Willy's Wonderland. The mundane tasks suddenly become an all-out fight for survival against wave after wave of demonic animatronics. Fists fly, kicks land, titans clash -- and only one side will make it out alive.Nicolas Cage channelizes his inner Clint Eastwood, essaying a terrific, badass version of a silent, grunting lone wolf, who takes on a bunch of diabolically possessed animatronic mascots, in a no-holds-barred battle to save the soul of a small town and give us some brutal kills and a batshit-crazy ride along the way. Willy's Wonderland could've been better, but nevertheless, is a good, grisly fun horror ride while it lasts.
3.5/5 stars - DirectorManu AshokanStarsSuraj VenjaramooduTovino ThomasAishwarya LekshmiDpt. Tahsildar Paul Mathai arrives in town for some court matters. He is welcomed by his son-in-law Allen. But when Paul is leaving Allen's home, something catches his eye. There comes the shift in their lives...It's tragic that Sony LIV's Kaanekkaane suffers a bit, and only a bit, from some pedestrian editing and predictability toward the end. If not for these factors, Tovino Thomas, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Aishwarya Lekshmi's deep, dark ride through a gamut of human emotions in the face of one fateful decision would've been an instant classic. It falls just short, ending up as an unpolished gem, but a gem nevertheless of the new-wave movement in the Malayalam film industry.
3.5/5 stars - DirectorMahesh NarayananStarsFahadh FaasilNimisha SajayanVinay ForrtA past ridden with crime, death and pain is recounted to Freddy, a juvenile criminal, who has been assigned to eliminate his estranged uncle Sulaiman, an aging patriarch, while behind bars.It's derivativeness, indulgent length, and moments where the narrative dips occur notwithstanding, Fahadh Faasil and writer-Director Mahesh Narayanan's third collaboration together after Take Off and C U Soon certainly holds the most repeat value of all their combined efforts, if not being their best film yet. If you're looking for a sprawling, ambitious crime sage that spans generations, and don't mind the durations, then Amazon Prime Video's Malik should be right up your alley.
3.5/5 stars - DirectorGopichand MalineniStarsRavi TejaShruti HaasanSudhakar KomakulaKrack is an action film which follows Veera Shankar, a hot headed police sergeant, who forms a vicious rivalry with notorious crime figure, Katari Krishna.The police brutality and downright bullying are unapologetically in your face and hard to ignore at times, but if you could overlook the brash insensitivity there as also some of the weaker plot points, Telugu film Krack is quite literally a “crackerjack” masala entertainer with mind-boggling action scenes and Ravi Teja carrying the show like a man that befits his moniker of Mass Maharaja. Shruti Haasan may not have much to do, but she gets one scene to shine that would leave a lasting impression and the antagonists also make for worthy foes, though you wish they'd have given a tougher fight in the climax. Still, it's easy to see why this turned out to be Ravi Teja's hitherto biggest hit and is well worth your time. Now available on Aha.
3.25/5 stars - DirectorZack SnyderStarsDave BautistaElla PurnellAna de la RegueraFollowing a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.Top-notch entertainment, excitement, thrill, and an adrenaline rush from start to finish – Netflix's Army of the Dead may be two and a half hours long, but it's so freaking cool and engaging that not a moment did my attention waver. Especially rewarding for longtime zombie horror fans who've been wondering if we've seen it all (big budget, mid-budget, or indie) and there really is nothing new to offer, and then comes Director Zack Snyder who had given a shot in the arm to zombie movies back in 2004 with the masterful Dawn of the Dead (my favorite remake ever), and does it again, taking the sub-genre to nigh inconceivable new dimensions and pulling a rabbit out of the hat – I'm not even referring to the zombie tiger here, which is just the tip of the iceberg. Wrap up whatever you know about zombies, put them in a box, and go in with a clean slate because this will leave you in shock and awe, provided you're not a traditionalist prude who's rigid to change, and that, too, over make-believe cinematic tropes. For the rest, Army of the Dead will prove to be a total blast, and the possibilities of how the story can be taken forward as also how the backstories unfold in the prequel anime series are endless; can't wait.
4.5/5 stars - DirectorJames WanStarsAnnabelle WallisMaddie HassonGeorge YoungMadison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities.James Wan: What a Diretor! What a Diretor! What a Diretor! Malignant: What a Movie! What a Movie! What a Movi! Guts to conceptualize it. Conviction to pull it off. A bonkers ride of the macabre. A love letter to both Italian Giallo horror and Stephen King. A harmonious balance of intellect with thrills and chills. A display of conveying more through imagery than dialogue. Zooms straight to my top 50 horror movies of all time and easily among my top five horror films of 2021 along with Censor, Army of the Dead and Son (in no particular order).
4.5/5 - DirectorSrikanth AddalaStarsVenkatesh DaggubatiPriyamaniRajeev KanakalaA conflict between Dalits and Kamma landlords which is based on the Karamchedu massacre, that happened in 1985.Venkatesh and Director Srikanth Addala's Telugu remake, Narappa, is a terrific watch for those who haven't seen Dhanush and Director Vetrimaaran's original Tamil masterpiece, Asuran. For those who have, it's like swapping the faces and rewatching the same film.
3/5 stars - DirectorMadonne AshwinStarsYogi BabuSheela RajkumarSangili MuruganA local barber's fate turns overnight when he becomes the single deciding vote in the village elections.After Mohanlal and Jeethu Joseph's Drishyam 2, say hello to the next great film of 2021, Tamil entry, Mandela, on Netflix — a brilliant political satire that's as telling and hard-hitting in parts as it's introspective and emotional in other aspects, made all the more relevant by the ongoing elections. It's also great to see Yogi Babu shine as the central protagonist in a beautifully subdued performance for the ages, highlighting what more he's capable of other than being a great comic sidekick. The biggest winner though is Madonne Ashwin's script and direction, where an art film's profound message is made accessible to all by shrewdly interspersing it with subtle commercial tropes, yet always ensuring its heart is in the right place. A special mention for the songs and background score, too, which vitalize an already amazing movie. If I really have to nitpick, then all I'll say is that the length is a slight issue, but other than that, this one should flat-out be India's pick for the Oscars next year.
4.5/5 stars - DirectorDnyanesh ZotingStarsJimmy ShergillSparsh SrivastavRajshri DeshpandeA glorified cop's life is thrown into chaos as he is forced to commit a series of crimes before a suicide bomber blows up a school. As he races against time, he's confronted by an evil that is hell-bent on striking raw, primal terror.Collar Bomb is a quite a taut, tight thriller for three quarters of the way until the final quarter ergo the climax almost brings everything crashing down. Thankfully, Jimmy Sheirgill and surprise package Asha Negi prevent the movie from ending with too sour an aftertaste.
3/5 stars - DirectorDominic CookeStarsBenedict CumberbatchMerab NinidzeRachel BrosnahanBusinessman Greville Wynne is asked by a Russian source to try to help put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.The Courier may lack suspense and not satisfy traditional spy film lovers, but it rewards those waiting to be patient and focus on the humanity, sacrifice, and life-altering decisions taken by two extremely brave, real-life spies. Additionally, if you need just a solitary reason to watch it, then it'd have to be another spectacular show by that wonderful actor, Benedict Cumberbatch.
3/5 stars - DirectorVenu SriramStarsPawan KalyanNivetha ThomasAnjaliThree girls find themselves accused of attempt to murder after escaping molestation. Their only hope is an alcoholic lawyer who agrees to take up the case.It may lack the profound impact of Pink, with “no, means no” all but being replaced “don't you dare” feel, but the Telugu remake, Vakeel Saab, is still a rip-roaring blast of a ride where the pertinent message thankfully doesn't get lost in a bid to please Pawan Kalyan fans. You get the best of Power Star moments with the message of gender neutrality and toxic masculinity being dished out like an extra-spicy chutney that you don't mind consuming. All in all, a well-made commercial entertainer, and it's no surprise why it minted so much moolah at the box-office just prior to the second lockdown. Now available on Amazon Prime.
3.75/5 stars - DirectorAdam WingardStarsAlexander SkarsgårdMillie Bobby BrownRebecca HallThe epic next chapter in the cinematic Monsterverse pits two of the greatest icons in motion picture history against each other--the fearsome Godzilla and the mighty Kong--with humanity caught in the balance.Godzilla vs. Kong is a the big-screen mashup we've been waiting for ages in theatres ever since lockdown struck. And for diehard fans of TOHO's original Japanese monster movies, the climax is nothing short of an orgasmic, retro, theme-park ride, almost seeming like two heroes joining hands to take on a more powerful villain.
4/5 stars - DirectorPraveen KandregulaStarsVikas VasisthaSandeep VaranasiRag MayurWhen a driver finds an expensive camera in the back seat of his rickshaw, he comes up with a ridiculously ambitious plan to gather the village and make a film - a ticket to get their drought-hit village out of its dreary conditions.Netflix's new Telugu film, Cinema Bandi (produced by Raj & DK of Go Goa Gine, Stree, and The Family Man fame), is one of the most warm, charming, and heartfelt love letters to cinema to come out of the Indian film industry. While the middle position lags a bit, the focus on celebrating cinema and its power to change lives and entire communities as a whole is never lost, and the performances make it so much more worthwhile. The parting line at denouement: “Everyone is a filmmaker at heart”, sums up this wonderful viewing experience.
4/5 stars - DirectorIlya NaishullerStarsBob OdenkirkAleksey SerebryakovConnie NielsenA docile family man slowly reveals his true character after his house gets burgled by two petty thieves, which, coincidentally, leads him into a bloody war with a Russian crime boss.Think John Wick with a family, much less martial arts, but much more adrenaline-pumping gunfights, and not as dark and brooding, and you get the wildly entertaining Nobody, where Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad's physically uninspiring Bob Odenkirk convinces our socks off as an all-out action hero. Fun fact: Derek Kolstad, the writer of the John Wick franchise, has also written this.
3.75/5 stars - DirectorBakkiyaraj KannanStarsKarthiRashmika MandannaNapoleanA man raised by gangsters tries to reform them, and a hired job to protect a village presents him with the perfect opportunity.Emotions that strike a chord, drama that takes you on a heady trip, BGM that's seriously infectious, songs that make your feet tap, and action that's a thing of beauty — Tamil movie Sulthan is masala filmmaking in its earthiest, purest form, where you don't mind the refurbished plot simply because of how delightfully it's been repackaged, with the interval and climax action blocks alone worth the price of admission. The romantic angle between Karthi and Rashmika Mandanna is the only let down here, but the former's breezy charm and latter's bedazzling persona more than make up for it. If you want to enjoy a mass entertainer that goes back to its roots with just the right amount of spice, then this is your best bet on the big screen at the moment.
3.75/5 stars - StarsJu Ji-hoonBae DoonaKim SungkyuWhile strange rumors about their ill King grip a kingdom, the crown prince becomes their only hope against a mysterious plague overtaking the land.Netflix's Korean horror film, Kingdom: Ashin of the North, acts as more than a worthy link between season 2 and the upcoming third season of Kingdom, the best zombie show I've ever seen bar none. It may not include the best aspects of Kingdom and could prove a tad difficult to follow for those who haven't seen the web series, but it's still a tense, atmospheric, bone-crunching (literally and metaphorically) entry, and a satisfactory backstory for fans of the show.
3.5/5 stars - DirectorMartin PrakkatStarsKunchacko BobanJoju GeorgeNimisha SajayanThree police officers who are on a run for life, escaping the outbreak against them due to the unlawful arrest and torture of a civilian. It brings in a few shades of arrogant yet very much human police officers and their helplessness.Malayalam film Nayattu works both as a stinging indictment on police corruption and how they're stooges to politicians, underlining our fate when they can't even protect their own, while also proceeding as a frantic, white-knuckle, neo-noir chase film, where you never know what'll happen next. Martin Prakkat has always been a reputed name, but never knew he was capable of this kind of energetic, tense direction based on his previous works. And the anti-clinatic denouement, though slightly underwhelming on first viewing, feels fitting to the subject upon introspection. Other than a few editing and narration issues, which are also easy to ignore, this one is a must-watch.
4/5 stars - DirectorMartin PrakkatStarsKunchacko BobanJoju GeorgeNimisha SajayanThree police officers who are on a run for life, escaping the outbreak against them due to the unlawful arrest and torture of a civilian. It brings in a few shades of arrogant yet very much human police officers and their helplessness.Malayalam film Nayattu works both as a stinging indictment on police corruption and how they're stooges to politicians, underlining our fate when they can't even protect their own, while also proceeding as a frantic, white-knuckle, neo-noir chase film, where you never know what'll happen next. Martin Prakkat has always been a reputed name, but never knew he was capable of this kind of energetic, tense direction based on his previous works. And the anti-clinatic denouement, though slightly underwhelming on first viewing, feels fitting to the subject upon introspection. Other than a few editing and narration issues, which are also easy to ignore, this one is a must-watch.
4/5 stars - DirectorChris McKayStarsChris PrattYvonne StrahovskiJ.K. SimmonsA family man is drafted to fight in a future war where the fate of humanity relies on his ability to confront the past.Despite its derivative nature and slightly overstaying its welcome at 2 hours and 15 minutes, Amazon Prime's The Tomorrow War zips by on the sheer conviction of its larger-than-life set pieces, fantastic creature design, wonderful CGI VFX, adrenaline-pumping action sequences, and a wholly committed cast, especially a completely endearing Chris Pratt. If you don't go looking for the next Edge of Tomorrow, Oblivion, War of the Worlds or Independence Day, there's plenty of fun to be had here.
3/5 stars - DirectorEnrico CasarosaStarsJacob TremblayJack Dylan GrazerEmma BermanOn the Italian Riviera, an unlikely but strong friendship grows between a human being and a sea monster disguised as a human.Disney Plus' Luca is old wine in a new bottle for Disney Pixar, with the same themes of friendship, acceptance, diversity, inclusiveness, and the same tropes of hostility toward the unknown, the odd ones out, the stock bully, and all the works we're very familiar with by now. Nevertheless, it's still well presented and makes for an entertaining watch, but Disney needs to shake up its game soon.
3/5 stars - DirectorSteve YamamotoStarsDante BascoErica LindbeckBrando EatonIn a world where humans and fearsome monsters live in an uneasy balance, young hunter Aiden fights to save his village from destruction by a dragon.Good modelling, clunky animation, but the fantasy lore and overall action is reasonably engaging at just 58 minutes – Netflix's new animated movie, Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild, should please fans of the video game far more, but there's enough to engross neutral viewers like me, too.
3/5 stars - DirectorRanjit TewariStarsAkshay KumarHuma QureshiVaani KapoorWhen an Indian commercial airliner is hijacked by terrorists in the mid 1980s, a government agent is tasked with rescuing the 210 hostages.Some issues with the climax, camerawork and 3D aside, Bell Bottom is underlines quality in every frame on the back of razor-sharp direction, to-the-point writing, crisp editing, an adrenaline-pumping background score, some stunning twists, seeti-maar dialogues, and one of Akshay Kumar's career-defining roles.
4/5 stars - DirectorJ BlakesonStarsRosamund PikePeter DinklageEiza GonzálezA crooked legal guardian who drains the savings of her elderly wards meets her match when a woman she tries to swindle turns out to be more than she first appears.If you want to see how a great film can be ruined in its final act not by bad writing or direction, but just by the writer and Director (in this case, the same bloke, J Blakeson) being dishonest with their own characters by abandoning the crux of the plot to force an agenda down our throats, then watch I Care a Lot on Netflix. The first 2-thirds of this Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage thriller brought me to the edge of my seat, evoking multiple emotions within, making me root for every gray character on display just so the main antagonist received her comeuppance. The final third made me care less for every character on screen as they abruptly changed arcs to accommodate a contrived agenda, made worse by the denouement, which seems like a rush job to haphazardly link the story back to what was earlier set up.
3.5/5 stars - DirectorMilind RauStarsNayantharaAjmal AmeerManikandan K.A cat-and-mouse game engages between a blind woman and a serial killer when the former becomes the witness of a kidnap performed by the latter.Nayanthara is nigh perfect as a blind woman in Netrikaan and admirably shoulders the movie along with solid support from the rest of the cast. And to it's credit, if you go easy on the sloppy final act, this Tamil thriller is really suspenseful and mysterious with a dark, disturbing touch.
3.5/5 stars - DirectorSung-hee JoStarsSong Joong-kiKim Tae-riJin Seon-kyuSet in the year 2092 and follows the crew of a space junk collector ship called The Victory. When they discover a humanoid robot named Dorothy that's known to be a weapon of mass destruction, they get involved in a risky business deal.Despite not boasting the most original premise, Korean sci-fi film Space Sweepers, available on Netflix, is made to look fresh owing to some unique sub-plots and innovative execution, made all the more effective by the utilisation of CGI, which, though not the best you've seen, is still attractive enough to convey the story on hand, especially given the budget constraints. With some tighter editing and a more seamless climax, this could've ended up being a truly great, modern space opera. Ends up just short.
3.5/5 stars - DirectorBuchi Babu SanaStarsPanja Vaisshnav TejKrithi ShettyVijay SethupathiThe son of a fishing community falls for a village head's daughter, but they face violent opposition from the girl's doggedly old-fashioned father.Agreed, it's highly derivative, and yes, it resembles Sairat in more ways than one, but Telugu film Uppena still manages to stand out courtesy some smart packaging, brilliant music by Devi Sri Prasad, two shocking twists that you never see coming, a truly positive climax, and that flawless actor, Vijay Sethupathi, rising several notches above the script (he's also well supporter by both lead debutants, Panja Vaisshnav Tej and Krithi Shetty).
3.5/5 stars