Part 3: Film and TV
Film
Mark Y: Despite the ongoing COVID restrictions, there’s been a lot to see and much that I have really enjoyed. The year has seen a lot of delayed movies finally appear. And many of them did not disappoint.
Free Guy was a lot of fun, in a Tron meets The Truman Show kinda way. Jodie Comer was terrific, playing foil to Ryan Reynolds’s engagingly goofy Guy. Black Widow was good, but not the best thing Marvel released this year. On the negative side, on rewatching I liked Wonder Woman 1984 less than I did on first watch, although Gal Godot is still great. Though I have yet to be persuaded to watch Ghostbusters: Afterlife, it did well at the cinemas.
Others that impressed me more than I thought they would – full marks to The Green Knight, which was clever, imaginative and looked stunning. I thought it was Excalibur for a new generation, and I suspect that it is one that not only bears repeated watching but will be referenced in years to come. The revamped The Suicide Squad was a lot better than the original version, as was Zack Snyder’s very lengthy Justice League. I enjoyed the latest Conjuring movie more than I thought I would as an effective horror movie. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a pleasant surprise (annoying sidekick excepted) that benefitted from knowing almost nothing about it beforehand. Similarly, Raya and the Last Dragon looked gorgeous.
Of the films I was most looking forward to this year, No Time to Die was an appropriate ending for the Daniel Craig version of James Bond, even if it was a newer, more modern, cuddlier Bond miles away from Fleming’s original. Similarly, Dune (Part One) was superb, and bears repeated watchings. I’m so pleased to finally see a version befitting the book. Had I been writing this in early December I would have said that this was, hands-down, my favourite movie of the year.
But perhaps my surprise of the year was Spiderman: No Way Home. Honest admission here: I’ve not been a huge fan of the Tom Holland movies to date, but this one knocked it out of the park. No spoilers here, but there were audible gasps in the cinema audience at certain points in the movie when I saw it. And this from a typically reserved British audience. Personally, I laughed, I almost cried, I felt manipulated – but a stellar ensemble piece from all concerned. I can’t wait to see it again.
Rob B: As of this writing, the only films I saw in theaters this year were superhero films: Venom: Let there Be Carnage and The Eternals. I actually enjoyed Venom more than The Eternals, it was just more fun.
I signed up for the Horror streaming service Shudder last year and although I watched some oldies, there were quite a few films original to the service, or exclusive to the streaming service. No One Gets Out Alive, based on the Adam Nevill novel was really interesting. A young immigrant woman has no choice but to take a room in a boarding house. She soon realizes something dark and sinister is controlling things, and this intersects with her own dark past.
One of the craziest, most bonkers films of the year for me was Psycho Goreman on Shudder. Somewhat of a throwback to 1980s horror/science fiction/monster movies, a brother and sister find an alien warlord “Arch-Duke of Nightmares” in their backyard. The younger sister happens to also be in possession of a gem that allows here to control the alien, whom she dubs Psycho Goreman. Turns out PG, as the kids call him, was a slave turned warrior once he was transformed, allowing him to assemble an army and battle his slavers. He was, unfortunately, defeated and imprisoned on Earth until the kids wok him. This movie was a blast.
Jakob’s Wife was another film that received limited distribution to theaters and eventually landed on Shudder. The movie features Scream Queen Barbara Crampton (in something of a career resurgence the past couple of years) as Anne, a minister’s wife who is turned into a vampire by “The Master.” Anne feels more brave, like she can live her own life and not just be “the minister’s wife.” An interesting take on the Vampire story that plays out some of the tropes more logically than they’ve been played in the past. It also features professional wrestler CM Punk in a small role.
Over on Netflix, The Mitchells vs. the Machines was fun, animated family comedy that had some thematic similarities to Pixar’s Wall*E. While on their vacation, the Mitchells happen to be swept up into a robot apocalypse. There’s family tension between father and daughter that comes across rather genuinely, and plays nicely against the apocalyptic backdrop. Fun times.
Over to HBO Max… quite a few films in 2021, because of the pandemic, received a simultaneous release to theaters and HBO Max, although the HBO Max release was quite limited. The biggest/tentpole of the year was probably Dune, which just about lived up to the hype for me. One of the most beautifully shot science fiction movies, very well-acted, and was a pretty good adaptation of the classic novel. I’m just glad I knew before I started watching the movie only half the book was being covered because it ends rather abruptly.
The Conjuring 3 was a slight step down from the previous two movies in the series, but still quite enjoyable. Farmiga and Wilson have undeniable chemistry on the screen, and that helps to fuel the urgency of film’s plot.
Perhaps one of the more controversial films of the year, at least in the Horror genre, was Malignant from James Wan’s (he of The Conjuring, Insidious, Saw, and Aquaman). The response, on social media, was extremely divisive. I enjoyed it very much, another visually impressive movie, but there are some familiar story beats that may annoy people. I watched it the weekend it debuted on HBO Max and enjoyed the heck out of it.
However, of the HBO Max films, the one I enjoyed the most was Godzilla vs. Kong. The kid in me who grew up on Godzilla movies revelled in the giant monster battles and I really also enjoyed the exploration of the mythology behind the Kaiju. Big dumb fun.
MarkC: I’ve been hit and miss with films this year, and while there was plenty I wanted to watch I didn’t find myself going out of my way to get to them. But still, there’s been some good ones…
Zack Snyder’s Justice League was looooong, but actually better than the original release; Mortal Kombat delivered a film that seemed both faithful to the games and giving a somewhat realistic take on them; Nobody was another take on the John Wick style movie, and more successful than I thought it would be; Voyagers was a typical middle of the road YA generation ship story, but nice to see; Army of the Dead just good fun zombie action with a little depth; Godzilla vs Kong was a thing that happened, say no more; The Tomorrow War interesting and somewhat predictable; Spiral, a new entry in the Saw franchise, fell a little flat; Jolt wasn’t too bad for a popcorn flick; The Suicide Squad was good fun, though not as good as everyone seemed to make out; Black Widow would have been much better released some years back, but still enjoyable enough; Chaos Walking an interesting adaption, and it made me want to read the source material; the Fear Street trilogy were good, but I found them a little too YA for me despite the violence and gore; Infinite wasn’t as bad as I’d heard and good enough if you’re brain is switched off; Shang-Chi very good fun and refreshing to see a Marvel film without any baggage; Red Notice a decent enough action flick, but shame about the dodgy CGI.
Television
Mark Y: Although the return of the movies to cinemas was good, it is perhaps to the television channels that we should look for the biggest developments this year. As the world experienced lockdown, it was to the likes of Amazon, Apple, Disney and Netflix that many turned to in order to make the situation bearable.
Generally, there was enough material created pre-Covid to make the situation bearable. And whilst not all of it worked, there was enough to keep us occupied.
Successes: There were a couple that appeared at the end of last year that kept their interest through the year. The Witcher and The Mandalorean both did very, very well, and deservedly so. Wheel of Time seems to have done very well too, although I personally have yet to watch it.
In my household Loki seemed to go down very well, although personally I enjoyed the retro-espionage shenanigans of Falcon and the Winter Soldier more. Wandavision was OK. However, Hawkeye was my favourite Marvel series at the end of the year, with Hailee Steinfeld in particular showing the potential I first saw in her performance in Bumblebee. The second season of the alternate-history For All Mankind upgraded and outdid the first season to become one of my favourites of the year.
Less successful: Foundation started well and looked amazing but soon went well away from the original material and slowed down enormously in the middle to a so-so conclusion. The BBC’s version of His Dark Materials was good and had an amazing cast, though I frankly found it a bit of a slog.
At the time of typing I have yet to see The Book of Boba Fett, as it hasn’t been released at the time of typing this. But it does look good, and I am looking forward to this during 2022.
And we’re all waiting for the Lord of the Rings series due next year, although I am less enamoured and more cautious personally, still recovering from the travesty of the Hobbit Trilogy of movies.
Rob B: The biggest genre show of the year was probably The Wheel of Time, it was the top streaming show in Amazon’s history, or maybe the #2 watched show of all time for them? Either way, a lot of people watched it and with a show based on a 15-book series that has sold 90 million copies, there will some clashing of opinions. One of the major themes of the series is how the wheel weaves and things repeat themselves, echoes of the past in the present, and all that. That’s essentially the best way to view this show, for book readers – another turning of the wheel. That said, two major changes from book to screen did annoy me, but I enjoyed the first season of 8 episodes quite a bit.
Another big new show for 2021 was Midnight Mass on Netflix, from the master of modern horror film, Mike Flanagan. This was his third series for Netflix and easily his best. Amazingly acted, Flanagan touches on powerful themes of belief and power and blood-sucking. The word “vampire” is never uttered and though that may have annoyed me initially, the show was better for it. Lots of Easter Eggs in the whole series for things Flanagan has done in the past and Stephen King. Frankly, Midnight Mass might be the best Stephen King story not written by Stephen King, if that makes any kind of sense.
As of this writing, the final season of The Expanse is in the midst of its weekly release schedule on Amazon Prime and is just fantastic.
On the Marvel/Disney+ front, a slew of shows hit the service, WandaVision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, and Hawkeye. I enjoyed all of them, WandaVision examined grief in a stellar performance by Elizabeth Olsen with a mischievous and wonderful Katherine Hahn as her nosy neighbor, Agatha. I dare you to hear the Agatha song (the title is a spoiler, but if you know, you know) and not hum it in your head. Loki was a brilliant look at the greater Marvel Universe and Tom Hiddleston was dynamite, but he oozes charm. Speaking of oozing charm, Hailee Steinfeld from Hawkeye was the breakout character/star from all the Marvel episodic shows in my opinion. I also enjoyed the animated What If? series, too. Falcon and the Winter Soldier was good, but any group or list of things, something has to unfortunately fill the bottom slot. Some great elements in the show, but it was a little uneven.
Over on Shudder, the second and third seasons Creepshow television show were released. Yes, based on / a continuation of the Stephen King anthology films. Some corniness, but lots of fun. Episodes feature the aforementioned Barbara Crampton, Keith David, C. Thomas Howell, Justin Long, the voice of Mark Hamill, along with several other somewhat familiar faces. Stories based works by Stephen King, Joe Hill, Josh Malerman, Dana Gould, and Daniel Kraus, to name a few. Stories pay homage to George Romero films, pulpy SF/Horror of the 1950s, H.P. Lovecraft/Cthulhu.
MarkC: I tend to watch TV shows one at a time, and often over a period of weeks rather than in binges, though there are exception. I managed a fair few this year, though many were older or irrelevant.
I enjoyed Marvel’s offerings on the whole (WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki), but not quite got to Hawkeye yet, and I’m still working through What If?
The Witcher was good (season 2 is next up for me); the second season of Love, Death, and Robots gave fewer episodes, but some good ones; Jupiter’s Legacy seemed to get bad reviews (that I saw), but I thoroughly enjoyed it and very disappointed there won’t be another season; Lost in Space was a good enough final season, but a little lacking; Another Life season 2 was something I watched (I’m sure there is a good show there under all the crap). I also caught a couple of Korean shows – inevitably Squid Game, which was good, but also Hellbound, which was definitely an interesting one with a second season I am very eager to watch when (if?) it shows up.
