It has been a fantastic year for movies, particularly here toward the end of 2021. We’ve had a massive pile-up of new films from major directors: Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza. Obviously, we loved all of those cinematic experiences here at GRAZIA. But we’re also taking a look back at the movies that each of our writers and editors loved most this year. These were our faves:
Danica Lo, Strategic Editorial Advisor
I’m Asian-American and I love Marvel movies, so (of course) I was super-excited to see a predominantly Asian-American cast and an Asian-American superhero take a star turn in the MCU. But beyond representation, I loved Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings because it was so well-done, featured so many riveting fight scenes, and referenced some important stories and legends I’d only heard about when I was growing up. Oh, and the animals! Hands down, Shang Chi had some of the best animals of any movie released in 2021.
Hannah Militano, Contributing Writer
Having been familiar with Frank Herbert’s Dune universe since my dad made me watch the 1984 David Lynch adaptation as a kid, I was excited to see a more technologically advanced take on the story. That’s not to say that a huge driving factor for my excitement wasn’t the fact that it starred a triad of my celebrity crushes, Timothée Chalamet, Jason Momoa and Oscar Isaac. That most definitely played a huge role. But to see director Denis Villeneuve stay true to the original story while making it all feel so new definitely felt like a feat to me. Now, I’ll just have to wait for the release of Part Two.
John Russell, Contributing Editor
The Green Knight wasn’t the first film I saw in a theater this year, in that brief, beautiful, post-vax, pre-delta moment last summer, but it was one of the first. But it wasn’t just the momentary return to the immersive experience of seeing a film on the big screen that made this one stick with me. I mean, sure, it was part of it. But I have a feeling that even at home, David Lowery’s strange and beautiful rendering of the legend of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) and his other worldly bargain with a mysterious knight would have had me riveted. I just can’t overstate how gorgeous and transporting this film is.
Ty Gaskins, Style Editor
I think Passing (streaming on Netflix) was a brilliant film. Inspired by Nella Larsen’s novel, the black-and-white drama set in the 1920s follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends. One is a light-skinned Black woman living in Harlem (Tessa Thompson), and the other is a light-skinned Black woman who has decided to live her life passing as a white woman (Ruth Negga). The two begin to become obsessed with one another, and jealousy ultimately deconstructs their seemingly perfect lives.
Josh Sokol, Multimedia Producer
At this point, we can all agree that biopics are arguably over-saturated and often times hit-or-miss. But The United States vs. Billie Holiday (streaming on Hulu) was truly something special, covering loaded, yet historically accurate, sociopolitical topics. With a Golden Globe– and BET Award-winning performance from Andra Day as Billie Holiday, this film was one that stuck with me throughout the entirety of 2021. And we mustn’t forget the costuming, music production and set design that really brought this movie together.
