This was another weird year for movies. The theaters did open back up again. But I didn’t go. Partly it was out of Covid conservativeness but I also just felt so behind that when there were windows where things felt safer, I wasn’t sure what to see. And then there were spikes again.

But I did take advantage of more movies being available to stream. And while not everything was available yet to me, I even threw down some cash (well automated charge). I did manage to see all the Oscar nominations and you’ll see that they mostly didn’t make my cut though a few did.

And for some reason I copped out this year and couldn’t bring myself to put them in fave order, maybe because there wasn’t a best standout or maybe because I was drawn to some lighter fare this year. So alphabetical it is.

• Black Widow – As you’ll hear me say I love an origin story, it’s typically a more standalone story and gets to the psychology of the character, they managed to do that in a story even though we’ve already seen a lot of Scarlett, a few areas where I had to let it go that I couldn’t remember what was up with the greater Avengers universe.
• Coda – Not only a beautiful look into the deaf world via the story around a ‘child of deaf adults’ but a beautiful look at family and a somewhat traditional coming of age tale that pulls off both a sweet romance and striving for triumph via the school choir.
• Drive My Car – Admittedly I still think this story could have been shorter but I found the odd journey of this widower and his driver as they both uncover their personal stories and look for new directions to have been rewarding.
• Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – Instead of West Side Story tune in to this musical about a 16-year-old boy’s dream to becoming a drag queen, lots of fun numbers and costumes and again a heartfelt coming of age journey for Jamie and his friends and family.
• The Harder They Fall – The cast on this fun western from Idris Elba to Regina King to LaKeith Stanfield to… was top notch and I was with them through this action-packed brutal throwdown on the way to revenge, it might also ask bigger questions but you don’t need to ask them to enjoy the ride.
• Pig – I’m a little bit of a sucker for Nicolas Cage but this odd tale of a truffle hunter getting back into a world he fled from to find his beloved pig somehow rides the line of him both odd and sincere.
• Plan B – Things don’t go so well for this high school duo trying to get a morning after pill, it’s got Booksmart vibes and I mean that in the best way, while dealing with one of the serious issues of today.
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Origin story alert, what a fun trip with Simu Liu and Awkwafina, as they dig into the past and the mysteries of the martial-arts and underworld, looking forward to this next generation of Marvel heroes.
• The Suicide Squad – I’m really not sure this should have made my list but I did a watch of Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, and The Suicide Squad and found that they just got better with each one, and felt like it ended on a good romp with the group of supervillains.
• Together Together – This was an incredibly sweet story about the relationship of a surrogate mother and a middle-aged man who wants a child, I love it when a more independent movie draws me in with the characters and situation.

Oh and while F9 didn’t make it on the list I did do a rewatch of all the Fast & Furious movies leading up to it, and what a ride.

What were your favorite movies from last year?