Stephanie Chuang’s Top Ten Films of 2021

2021 was a year that began in strict lockdown and ended in cautious reopening. Films that were meant to be released in 2020 and subsequently delayed reluctantly opened this year to much less pomp and circumstance once it became clear that we were in the pandemic for the long haul. For me, this year saw my return to school, and also my return to theaters. I was delighted to be able to see films with my friends on the big screen again, many of which I had been looking forward to for over a year. After the disappointment that was 2020, it’s undeniable that 2021 was an improvement both in film and overall.

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Spencer Malmberg’s Top 10 Films of 2021

2021 was honestly not my favorite year for movies, and we are going into a highly disappointing Oscar season by the unredeemable amount of nominations for Don’t Look Up. I did like a lot of movies this year though; I also watched way more movies from 2021 then any year I have before. At the time of writing this I have marked down 82 movies from 2021 on my Letterboxd, which is a crazy amount of times I sat in a theater. There wasn’t a lot of box office success, and definitely an even higher impact on Oscar pick season in the late fall and winter movie runs, but it was fun to watch a lot of very different stories and look at the different techniques in which filmmakers go about their movies.

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Rohan Patel’s Top 10 Films of 2021

A year of recovery? As I close the chapter of 2021, I look back to about this time last year with some pessimism. As the news of a vaccine broke, surely, I hoped, the theatrical experience I loved would return with a glorious triumph. But with vaccination skepticism and new variants came yet another glimpse at the possible future of cinema. One where, as of this writing, 6/10 projected best picture nominees had a wide release via a streaming platform. In a year stacked with old 2020 and scheduled 2021 releases, what happened that caused major films from major filmmakers with major actors, like The Last Duel and West Side Story, to bomb at the box office? It may be that the traditional 40-65-year-old demographics that go to the movies felt unsafe in a dark, enclosed space during a raging pandemic. It may be that people are generally willing to wait longer for cheaper prices of VOD. It may just be people don’t hold movies at the center of their pop-culture diet anymore.

Yet…

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Maddie McDougall’s Top 10 Films of 2021

Another year of fantastic filmmaking has come to a close. Film fans far and wide will be sharing their favorites of twenty-twenty-one, and I am certainly no exception to the rule. I am so grateful for having gotten to see so many films this year, from virtual Sundance to better-than-usual streaming releases. Despite the fact that I watched more than 50 new releases this year, there are still many that I have not gotten the chance to see. I am sure that if I had seen them before writing this list, C’Mon, C’Mon, Licorice Pizza, and Red Rocket would have strong chances at making an appearance on this list. They surely would have to put up a fight with this phenomenal Top 10, however. So sit back, have a skim, and feel free to pass judgement on my personal assessment on some of the best that 2021 had to offer.

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