2021 DECEMBER MOVIE RANKINGS

I’ve certainly kept up with the four-movies-a-month thing I’ve been cultivating toward the end of this year. A few new releases, and a few older selects.

2021 in general has felt like an extension of 2020. I’m still trying to figure out this so-called life of mine, while keeping a movie review site afloat. I find that posting to this is comforting, though I am not as consistent as I once was. Here’s to a better year in 2022, and I wish you all the best come New Year’s.

#4- “Home for the Holidays” (1995)
70%= Burnt Popcorn
Pros: Chaotically entertaining, fun performances, humorous, and fairly unpredictable.
Cons: It’s difficult to really resonate/care for any of the characters, and the story isn’t as engaging as I would want it to be.

#3- “American Underdog” (2021)
78%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Heartwarming, faith element is nice, solid lead chemistry, well-directed football sequences, and a good tale overall.
Cons: There could have been more football (but that wasn’t the focus of this story), the narrative follows the usual beats of a family redemptive story, and the character of Kurt Warner didn’t have much that he had to change about himself (he honestly was a stand-up, nice guy who just isn’t given a shot).

#2- “Do the Right Thing”
85%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Well written, great backdrop, entertaining character piece, solid performances, and interesting style.
Cons: The ending is a toss-up for me in terms of some character choices.

#1- “Spider-Man: No Way Home”
93%= Juicy Popcorn
Pros: Wickedly fun, digs into nostalgia, entertaining action sequences, well-balanced story and characters, hits the emotional beats just right, and made me remember how much of a Spider-Man fan I used to be.
Cons: There are quite a few story details regarding the multi-verse that are kind of spotty.

2021 is now officially wrapped, with “Spider-Man: No Way Home” being crowned the champion of December. It will go up against “When Harry Met Sally…,” “Coherence” (2013), “The Elephant Man” (1980), “Dead Poets Society,” “Drive,” “A Quiet Place Part II,” “Unforgiven,” “You’ve Got Mail” (1998), “Frances Ha,” “Gremlins,” and “The Green Knight” to declare who will be the next Movie of the Year!