PBS Critic McCuddy Picks Top 11 Films Of 2021: 'Better Year Than You Heard'

What?! Wasn't This Year Terrible? Nope. PBS Critic McCuddy Picks Top '11' of 2021

Bill McCuddy

Great news. There was a lot to choose from this year. Don't listen to the haters. Streaming has upped the quality game in Hollywood. And everyone has seen everything because, well, what else was there to do??

That's why I've turned the volume up to '11.' In homage to 'Spinal Tap' I added an extra film.?

Full disclosure: In a year when I just said everyone has seen everything, I still have not seen "Parallel Mothers," "Drive My Car," or "Pig." So who knows, maybe my list should be a dozen. And yes I saw "Licorice Pizza" so save me your rants on that overrated hit-and-miss two hours and thirteen minutes, please.?

(Aside: The best-written thing on a screen was "Succession" which should be called "Logan's Run")

Let the bitching begin. Save your tomatoes for the sauce.?

11. "Zola." What started as a real Twitter thread ended up as a great road picture in the spirit of another McCuddy fave, 2019's "Queen and Slim." Elvis' granddaughter is in the building here. But the always great Riley Keough is kind of overshadowed by breakout star Taylour Paige. Take this trip.?

10. "Last Night In Soho." Name a bad Edgar Wright movie. 'It Girls' Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie (Hello? "Jojo Rabbit" Case closed) are two sides of a twisted coin in this psychological thriller. This is a great 70's drive-in kinda movie with a wistful and wicked last performance from Dame Diana Rigg.?

9. "No Time To Die." Not THE best Bond film ("From Russia With Love," for the record) but the best Daniel Craig Bond by far. Lots of cool 'easter egghead' nods to past Bond films, and yes, a controversial ending, but a great time for audiences. License to thrill. #SorryNotSorry.

8. "West Side Story." Remember when this was announced and everyone said "Why?" Because Steven Speilberg said so. And that turned out to be just fine. He's still a genius. A lovely send-off for Sondheim and terrific choreography. You won't walk by Lincoln Center without thinking about it. Should have been bigger at the box office. See it on the biggest screen ya' got.?

7. "Being The Ricardos." Backstage pass to a week in the life of Lucy and Desi Aaron Sorkin style. I can't believe haters who say this isn't funny. Every word out of J.K. Simmons' mouth is hilarious. Kidman gets Lucy better than I ever imagined but the man who steals every scene is Javier Bardem as the cheating but loving husband.?

6. "House Of Gucci." My other backstage pass to yet another dysfunctional family, this is "Dallas" or "Falcon Crest" in Italy. If that sounds terrible, this isn't your comedy. Lady Gaga is not really an actress so much as a natural. She's the whole movie. The prosthetics on Jared Leto and the United Nations of assorted Italian accents is just the cherry on the cannoli. Bottomline: I was never bored. And I challenge you to produce one bad review that still doesn't make you want to see it.?

5. "Nightmare Alley." About as perfect an ending as any film in the last ten years and a load of fun getting there. Bradley Cooper as the con man getting conned is one of his best. A great ride down a dark alley.?

4. "The Last Duel" is the OTHER Adam Driver movie directed by Ridley Scott this year. (See #6) This 'Rashomon' style story of Medieval French crime stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon but the real star here is the victim--Jodie Comer--who claims she was raped and the case is solved in court and on the jousting field. Comer deserves an Oscar nomination here. Just one more of the film's injustices.?

3. "Belfast." Kenneth Branagh's "Roma" is ten times better than that personal project and waaaaay more accessible to audiences. An incredible cast that includes dames like Judi Densch and Caitriona Balfe (luminous) are actually upstaged by 11-year-old Jude Hill as Branagh's 'Mini-Me.' I have a slightly better ending for this film but when don't I? It's nearly perfect and deserves the Oscar love it's going to get. Erin go Branagh. (I hear your eyes rolling, leave me alone)

2. "King Richard." This William's sistered approved bio pic of their dad--Will Smith in one of his least commercial films--ignores racism and some of the other obstacles in their way and is still one of the best films of the year. Smith shines and I hope he wins an Oscar. But the real stars are Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton as Venus and Serena who both learned how to play tennis to make the film. This is one for the whole family--theirs and yours.

1. "Old Henry." Old WHO? This twist-filled western proves that genre is not played out. And also that usual Coen Brothers 'hayseed' Tim Blake Nelson is a terrific leading man. He blew me away. The power of this is much better than anything Benedict Cumberbatch and Jane Campion did. All the classic western elements are here because you've seen them before. Doesn't matter. This is easily the best movie you haven't seen. This or any recent year.?

Bill McCuddy contributes to PBS/All Arts, GoldDerby.com, Schneps Media and various other print, television and digital outlets. He is a voting member of the CCA and cohosts the podcasts The Accutron Show and Sitting Around Talking Movies. And he also sees the bad movies so you don't have to.