The Logeys are here!
I know, I know. FINALLY, right? I apologize if you’re been sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for this. Thankfully the wait is over, so let the celebrating commence!
I saw a grand total of 61 movies from 2021. Admittedly, this number is lower than I would have liked for it to have been but I made an effort to see all of the movies I truly wanted to see and that I felt I needed to see. There were several that slipped through the cracks, some of which are Oscar nominated, and others that I avoided like the plague. To all of those movies that I missed out on, I am sorry.
If you’re new here, WELCOME! My name is Logan and I like to watch, talk about, and (occasionally) write about movies. I started doing this back in 2013 (I think) and have held strong ever since. What you’re about to read is essentially my personal version of the Oscars, where I give out awards to the films and performances that I enjoyed the most from the year. Some of these will overlap with my Oscars predictions that will come out later but some of them will differ, which is what makes this fun for me.
In all, 2021 was a far better year for movies than the shell of a year we had in 2020 (for obvious reasons). I enjoyed many of these movies SO MUCH MORE than the ones we got the year prior and while it wasn’t quite as good of a year as 2018 and 2019 (in my opinion), it does appear that the movie industry is returning back to form. How you watch movies, however, is definitely changing. So many of these movies are available to stream at home now from the moment it comes out. I still made the trek out to the theater to see plenty of movies during 2021, but there are several movies that I watched at home that I would have preferred to see in a theater. That part stinks.
Alright, enough rambling. Let’s get to the good stuff. Thanks for coming by and I hope you enjoy!
Best Vocal Performance:
Awkwafina, Raya and the Last Dragon
Jack Dylan Grazer, Luca
Abbi Jacobson, The Mitchells vs. the Machines — WINNER
Caleb Landry Jones, Finch
Sylvester Stallone, The Suicide Squad
Kudos to Abbi Jacobson for her performance but this recognition is really about how wonderful of a character Katie Mitchell was.
Best Young Actor/Actress:
Jude Hill, Belfast — WINNER
Cooper Hoffman, Licorice Pizza
Emilia Jones, CODA
Millicent Simmonds, A Quiet Place Part 2
Rachel Zegler, West Side Story
There were A TON of great options here (several more that weren’t even included in this five) but Jude Hill’s ability to stand out amongst a cast full of Oscar-worthy performances was very impressive.
Best Supporting Actor:
Willem Dafoe, Spider-Man: No Way Home
Mike Faist, West Side Story
Ciaran Hinds, Belfast
Troy Kotsur, CODA — WINNER
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
Kotsur, along with his on-screen wife Marlee Matlin, are a fascinating paring as the deaf parents for the film’s lead, Emilia Jones. And as great as Jones, Matlin, and others were, Kotsur’s performance was the biggest stand out to me. Kodi Smit-McPhee is the rightful Oscars frontrunner in this category so he would have been an easy choice as well. Also, scoff at Willem Dafoe. We all know he and Tobey/Andrew were the best parts of that movie.
Best Supporting Actress:
Caitriona Balfe, Belfast
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story — WINNER
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard
Marlee Matlin, CODA
Olga Merediz, In the Heights
West Side Story was full of great performances but Ariana DeBose’s portrayal of the same role that Rita Moreno won an Oscar for in the 1960s was the star of the film. Incredible performance. There really isn’t another option here, in my opinion. Aunjanue Ellis is great in King Richard and gives one of the year’s best scene-stealing moments. Catriona Balfe was a total miss by the Academy in their nomination list. Marlee Matlin was wonderful in CODA and Olga Merediz fell victim to her film coming out so much earlier in the year.
Best Lead Actor:
Nicolas Cage, Pig
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick… BOOM
Dev Patel, The Green Knight
Will Smith, King Richard — WINNER
Will Smith is the heart and soul of King Richard, one of the year’s best films, and gives one of his greatest performances to date. He has been tabbed for awards for MONTHS for this performance and he deserves all of the love. If Smith is 1a in this race then Cumberbatch is 1b. I’m giving it to Smith primarily because I enjoyed his movie and his role so much more than Cumberbatch’s in The Power of the Dog. Andrew Garfield had an incredible year and showed so much range for his role in Tick, Tick… BOOM. Dev Patel and Nicolas Cage were both excellent in their films as well.
Best Lead Actress:
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter — WINNER
Lady Gaga, The House of Gucci
Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
Probably the most difficult category for me to choose but it’s hard looking past Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter. A film that probably won’t be seen by many, Colman gives another award-caliber performance playing the film’s lead. Nicole Kidman and Jessica Chastain are great in their respective roles transforming into other famous people but I didn’t feel quite as strongly about either of them. Alana Haim was an absolute breakthrough in Licorice Pizza and Paul Thomas Anderson deserves as much of the credit for putting her in the film. Lady Gaga was great in House of Gucci but the film, for as fun as it was at times, had me cringing more than it should have (thanks a lot, Jared Leto).
Best Director:
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Steven Spielberg, West Side Story
Denis Villeneuve, Dune — WINNER
The biggest miss by the Academy, Denis Villneuve should have been nominated for Best Director so I will do my best to make it up to him. I hope he accepts this honor. Jane Campion and Steven Spielberg are wonderful runners-up here but for what Villneuve was able to accomplish with this film was monumental. It had such a rough history and was deemed impossible to properly adapt to the big screen, Villneueve took that challenge and absolutely destroyed it. While Dune isn’t the year’s best film, it certainly is its greatest achievement.
Best Film That Wasn’t Actually A Film: Bo Burnham: Inside (IYKYK)
Best BOTS/Biopic: King Richard
Best Sports Movie: King Richard
Best Sci–Fi: Dune
Best Comic Book/Superhero: Spider-Man: No Way Home
Best Animated Film: The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Most Surprising Film: The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Best Horror/Thriller: A Quiet Place Part 2
One of the first films to return to theaters, the follow-up to the 2018 hit was just as strong, if not even stronger, than its predecessor. Emily Blunt and Millicent Simmonds were both incredible. This film just nearly missed the Film of the Year nominees list.
Best Action Movie: No Time To Die
An epic conclusion to the Daniel Craig era of James Bond but I will never forgive this film for criminally underutilizing Ana de Armas.
Funniest Film: Free Guy
Maybe a controversial take but I had a blast with Free Guy. I thought it was such a great, hilarious time at the movies. With that being said, I think we can pronounce studio comedies officially dead.
Most Disappointing: Eternals
On paper, Marvel Studio’s Eternals could have been great. I’m not talking just great for a super hero movie, I’m suggesting that Eternals could have been competing for best film of the year. It had the reigning Best Picture and Best Director winner helming it (Chloe Zhao) plus a stellar cast featuring Hollywood a-listers and rising stars alike. It was thought by many to be the best film that the MCU has ever produced. What we got instead, however, was far from that. The film was beautifully shot and was one of the best looking movies of the year, sure, but the story was an absolute mess and it tried to do way too much. This film would have done better as a 7-episode series on Disney+ and it also fell victim of being the weaker of the two sci-fi epics that came out within a couple weeks of each other (coming out days before Dune).
Film of the Year Nominees:
Belfast
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Where to watch (as of 2/25/22): Available to rent on-demand
Kenneth Branagh wrote and directed his most personal film to date, a semi-autobiographical story of a young boy and his family living in Belfast, Northern Ireland in the 1960s. Branagh gives us a beautiful film that I thought to be quite the crowd pleaser. As great as many of the film’s technical aspects are, I think its true strength is in its cast. Caitriona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Ciaran Hinds, and Judi Dench are all wonderful in their roles while newcomer Jude Hill gives one of the best performances from a young actor in all of 2021.
Dune
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Where to Watch: Available on Blu-Ray, DVD, and on-demand. Will return to HBO Max eventually.
My goodness, what a film. Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel is the single greatest technical achievement in film from 2021. Shot in such a grand scale with beautiful camera work and set pieces, Dune is an obvious front-runner for just about every technical category imaginable. The cast is full of Hollywood A-listers who are all giving great performances, but it’s truly Villenuve’s direction and script that make this film the success that it was. The original Herbert novel has inspired a ton of sci-fi films over the years but getting this particular story to be properly adapted has been a struggle. Many have tried, a few were able to put something on a screen, but nothing to the level of Villenueve’s adaptation. I drove 180 miles round-trip to see this film on the largest screen possible, and I’m very glad I did.
Encanto
Directors: Jared Bush and Byron Howard
Where to Watch: Disney+ and available on Blu-Ray, DVD, and on-demand.
Proud to say that I thought Encanto was cool before Disney+ made it a phenomenon. Another gem from the folks at Walt Disney Animation, Encanto is the story of Mirabel and the Family Madrigal who all, aside from Mirabel, possess magical powers. A wonderful film about family from directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard, Encanto will have you and yours singing for weeks at a time. Just don’t talk about Bruno-no-no-no-no.
King Richard
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Where to Watch: Available on Blu-Ray, DVD, and on-demand. Will return to HBO Max eventually.
The true story of the first family of tennis — Venus and Serena Williams and their father Richard (played by Will Smith) — King Richard shows the trials and tribulations of growing up as tennis prodigies and the lengths that one man went to to provide for his family. Smith is award-worthy as the film’s lead and Aunjanue Ellis gives an incredible performance of her own as Venus and Serena’s mother, Brandy. Easily one of the best sports movies of the past five years, King Richard also has some of the best pure sports action we’ve seen on a screen in quite some time. Great film all around.
Licorice Pizza
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Where to Watch: Currently still in select theaters. Home release date TBA.
Hollywood loves movies about itself (see, La La Land, Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, etc.) and Paul Thomas Anderson’s comedy Licorice Pizza is certainly no exception. Taking place in San Fernando Valley in 1973, Licorice Pizza stars Alana Haim (of the band, Haim) and Cooper Hoffman (son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) as they navigate life and first love. Haim and Hoffman both give incredible performances as first-time actors and provide PTA a lot to work with as a director. Sean Penn, Tom Waits, and Bradley Cooper all shine in supporting, and rather limited, roles. Anderson has a long track record of directing incredible films, but the casting choices in Licorice Pizza will go down as one of his greatest triumphs to date.
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Director: Mike Rianda
Where to Watch: Netflix. Also available on Blu-Ray, DVD, and on-demand.
The Mitchells vs. The Machines burst onto the scene, seemingly out of nowhere, all the way back in April and immediately vaulted itself to the top of my list. Produced by the great duo of Phil Lord and Chrisopher Miller and directed by first-timer Mike Rianda, Mitchells is the story of a dysfunctional family that start the film on a seemingly harmless road trip from their home in Michigan to California, where young Katie will be attending film school, and soon after are forced to have to save the world from a robot uprising. A love letter to film geeks everywhere, this animated movie has something for everyone.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Where to Watch: Currently still showing in theaters. Will be available on-demand on March 22nd and on Blu-Ray/DVD on April 12.
One of the most under-the-radar movies of the year, Spider-Man: No Way Home seemed to come and go without any fanfare whatsoever. Such a shame.
Okay, but really though…. Did y’all see No Way Home? Incredible stuff. I’ve been vocal about some of my issues with the film from a quality standpoint but the pure enjoyment level that I had the first time seeing this movie in a crowded theater was something that has only been matched but a few times prior. Tom Holland is great (as always) but it was some of the film’s (surprise?) stars that stole it for me. What an incredibly fun time at the movies and a great way to end the Tom Holland (first?) Spidey trilogy.
Tick, Tick… BOOM
Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Where to Watch: Netflix
Holy Andrew Garfield! It has been made abundantly clear that the guy is a talented actor but I’m not sure even he realized he could sing as well as he did. Tick, Tick… BOOM is a movie that is based on a musical that itself is based on the real life happenings of the legendary Jonathan Larson (composer of RENT). Larson (played by Garfield) is an up-and-coming, yet struggling, musical composer living and working in New York City in 1990, at the time of his 30th birthday. The film’s first-time director, some guy by the name of Lin-Manuel Miranda, stages this film so wonderfully and shows his own personal passion for the genre and for Larson in particular in how he put this film together. Robin de Jesus, Alexandra Shipp, and Vanessa Hudgens also star but it is absolutely Garfield’s film and he rocks every second of it.
West Side Story
Director: Steven Spielberg
Where to Watch: Available to stream on both Disney+ and HBO Max on March 2nd. Will also be available on Blu-Ray, DVD, and on-demand on March 15th.
Admittedly not my favorite movie of the year (heck, it wasn’t even my favorite musical of the year), but man do you have to appreciate what Steven Spielberg was able to do with this film. It’s hard to take a source material that was already award-winning in it’s own right and remake it to something that is up to par with its predecessor, but Spielberg does that in every way imaginable. From the film’s incredible cast, to the subtly modernized script, to it’s set design and choreography, West Side Story is an absolute masterclass from one of our greatest living directors. Bravo, Mr. Spielberg. Bravo.
Film of the Year
I wasn’t totally sure which direction to go for my Top Film of 2021. There were a lot of great movies to choose from but I didn’t feel like there was one single film that was the perfect blend of quality and enjoyment. The Power of the Dog is probably the year’s best film but it bored me to death, so it didn’t even make my nomination list. West Side Story might be the year’s second best film but it was honestly my third favorite musical of the year. Dune was a technical masterpiece but it felt very much like the first part of a much longer story, which it obviously is. I had Licorice Pizza penciled in here for quite a while and even had the whole post written and ready to go. And then, I had an epiphany. There has been one movie that I have been championing for the better part of the last year and, when it’s all said and done, it needed to be my choice for the Film of the Year. That film is CODA.
CODA
Director: Sian Heder
Where to watch: AppleTV+
CODA (which stands for child of deaf adults) is the story of a girl that is struggling to balance her life as a high schooler trying to pursue her dream of music while also being the only hearing member of her family who need her to run their own business. Emilia Jones give a breakout performance as the film’s lead, Ruby Rossi, while Troy Kotsur and Marlee Matlin are sensational as deaf Ruby’s parents. I’ve found out of late that I am an absolute sucker for these kind of movies (thanks, Mom) but CODA is so much more than just a fun, family, coming-of-age dramedy. This one will pull at several heart strings and is absolutely deserving of the love it’s already received.
I loved CODA from the first moment I watched it. I still struggle to see it as an awards kind of movie but apparently enough people felt as strongly as I did about it, so it is very much in Best Picture conversations (even winning Best Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards). Is CODA the year’s best film? No, and I don’t think there are very many people that will try to justify it as such. But you also won’t come across many people that have seen it that haven’t felt some sort of impact from it (but those people do exist and you know who you are).
If you haven’t already, seek out CODA. It’s an AppleTV+ original so it will remain on that platform for forever. Don’t expect to be blown away by it like you might something like Dune or West Side Story but rather watch it with an open mind, an open heart, and an open box of tissues.
