10. The Sparks Brothers (2021)
Although it comes in at #10 on our top 10 best movies 2021 list, doesn’t mean this film is not just as good as the other nine. In a This Is Spinal Tap kind of way; Filmmaker Edgar Wright documents The Sparks Brothers—a successful band from the 70’s.
Underground bands have been popular for many years now, but Ron and Russell Mael are some of the genre’s originals. You’ll also hear from music greats like Flea and Beck, as well as actor and musician Jason Schwartzman.
Director: Edgar Wright
Cast: Ron Mael, Russell Mael
Release date: July 30, 2021
Runtime: 140 minutes
9. The Rescue (2021)
Our #9 best 2021 movies is a true story with never-before-seen footage. Academy Award winners E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin keep viewers on edge throughout this film. The documentary chronicles the against-all-odds daring attempt to save twelve boys and their coach from deep inside a flooded cave in Northern Thailand.
The Rescue brings alive one of the most extraordinary efforts in modern times, the astounding courage of all the divers, and the shared humanity of the international community.
Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin
Cast: Documentary
Release date: October 8, 2021
Runtime: 114 minutes
8. No Sudden Moves (2021)
You may watch No Sudden Moves and think of the small-time criminal’s movie Fargo. That’s because Steven Soderbergh does a great job directing Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, and Ray Liotta.
Everyone has a job to do, even bad guys. And this group is hired to steal what they believe to be is just a single document. Simple right?
Although pulling this caper off in 1950’s Detroit proves anything but. it’s also based on a true story.
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, David Harbour, Jon Hamm, Amy Seimetz, Brendan Fraser, Kieran Culkin, Noah Jupe, Craig Grant, Julia Fox, Frankie Shaw, Ray Liotta, Bill Duke
Release date: July 1, 2021
Runtime: 115 minutes
7. Drive My Car (2021)
Japan is the birthplace of our next excellence in filmmaking entry selection.
Two years after his wife’s unexpected death, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a renowned stage actor and director, receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya at a theater festival in Hiroshima.
There, he meets Misaki Watari (Toko Miura), a shy young woman assigned by the festival to chauffeur him in his beloved red Saab. Tension among the crew (Yusuke and Koji Takatsuki, a TV star who shares an unwelcome connection to Yusuke’s late wife.) mounts as the premiere date approaches.
His chauffeur becomes a source of therapy as he deals with love and loss. This Cannes Film Festival winner easily makes our official countdown.
Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Cast: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tōko Miura, Masaki Okada, Reika Kirishima, Park Yoo-rim, Satoko Abe, Jin Dae-yeon, Sonia Yuan
Release date: July 11, 2021
Runtime: 179 minutes
6. Nine Days (2021)
If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it has schooled us that life should not be taken for granted. Nine Days does a perfect job of reminding us of this fact. Will (Winston Duke) spends his days in a remote outpost watching everyday people going about their days.
It is only after someone’s life ends; earth has an opening. This Point of View (POV) brings a group of unborn human souls in one at a time for an application and interviewing process.
Nine Days is a movie to watch 2021 finalist because Japanese Brazilian director Edson Oda’s feature debut is good at making the point: Do not waste life.
Director: Edson Oda
Cast: Winston Duke, Zazie Beetz, Benedict Wong, Tony Hale, Bill Skarsgård, David Rysdahl, Arianna Ortiz
Release date: July 30, 2021
Runtime: 124 minutes
5. C’mon C’mon (2021)
Pulling double duty as writer and director, Mike Mills’ black and white film takes us back to being a kid. Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) is a radio producer who circumvents the land to interview not adults, but kids. Curious about their take on things, Johnny wants to know what their thoughts are on their futures as well as change in general.
Interviewing these little people to learn how they feel about climate change, animal extinction, loneliness, among other things. Mr. Phoenix’s character doesn’t stop at race either. He speaks to kids with vastly different backgrounds than his own. The best 2021 movies entry is very enlightening to say the least.
Director: Mike Mills
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Scoot McNairy, Molly Webster, Woody Norman
Release date: November 19, 2021
Runtime: 108 minutes
4. The French Dispatch (2021)
The #4 spot of best movies of 2021 is reserved for Mr. Wes Anderson. His well-known style (Moonrise Kingdom, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Royal Tenenbaums) grabs your attention from the start.
A love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in “The French Dispatch.”
The nostalgia rich film It stars Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, Stephen Park, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson.
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, Jeffrey Wright, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Christoph Waltz, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Anjelica Huston
Release date: October 22, 2021
Runtime: 108 minutes
3. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
Director Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men, Hail, Caesar!, and The Big Lebowski), takes on a Shakespeare staple. The Tragedy of Macbeth stars Denzel Washington (Macbeth), Frances McDormand (Lady Macbeth), and Brendan Gleeson (King Duncan).
Filled with betrayal and rivals, The Tragedy of Macbeth takes us on a familiar path. With the support of an ambitious wife, and the prophecy of all-knowing witches, Macbeth will stop at nothing to fulfill his destiny.
Power is a very tricky thing. Incredibly hard to acquire, and even more to keep. And in the case of power-hungry Macbeth—and his quest for the Scottish throne—that person is Macduff (Corey Hawkins).
Director: Joel Coen
Cast: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Bertie Carvel, Alex Hassell, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, Brendan Gleeson
Release date: December 25, 2021
Runtime: 105 minutes
2. No Time To Die (2021)
Sure to make the Movieplenty best movies of 2021 list is 007. Daniel Craig is back as James Bond. The much anticipated final installment for Craig in the franchise that started in the sixties. Plenty of action on tap, but with a look into the psyche of Bond that audiences are not use to.
For example, we learn that James has a daughter. This twist takes the movie into an entirely different direction. Bond has gone into retirement and is enjoying a life of leisure on the island of Jamaica. But his old CIA buddy, Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), shows up for help.
The mission is simple: rescue a kidnapped scientist and save the world from a deadly virus. Not as many gadgets and 007 action sequences that we’re accustomed to, but solid acting holds our attention for nearly 3 hours.
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Cast: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes
Release date: October 8, 2021
Runtime: 163 minutes
1. King Richard (2021)
King Richard is the inspirational story of Venus and Serena Williams. And more specifically, their father Richard who made the impossible–possible.
With sheer determination (and his ever-present business plan) Mr. Williams (Will Smith) trains and develops two of his daughters into world class tennis champions. Blazing a trail straight to the top of a sport with no money, no connections, and no professional trainer.
Ultimately, the William’s sisters dominate the sport of tennis—changing it forever. King Richard showcases how a family with a plan and singular commitment, can overcome the greatest of odds. #1 on our best movies 2021 list also stars Aunjanue Ellis (Mrs. Brandy Williams), Demi Singleton (Serena Williams), and Saniyya Sidney (Venus Williams).
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Cast: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton
Release date: November 19, 2021
Runtime: 130 minutes