Thread by @MrEAnders

I missed a lot of the big stuff this year, which is honestly fine by me. I’ll catch up eventually.

So, that in mind, here are my Top 10 favorite films of 2021!

This year I got an actual job writing (!!!) so I didn't have as much time for freelance reviews, but I managed to write about half of these! Hopefully they're ones you haven't seen that I can convince you are worth your time, or at least are worth thinking about in a new way.

First up, a lot has been written about #TheMatrixResurrections and how it "resents its own existence," but I tried to put it in context of the Wachowskis' anti-cynical oeuvre and how the movie is ABOUT the joys of familiar stories told in new ways. medium.com/everythings-in…

Next, no horror movie this year rattled me more than THE NIGHT HOUSE, a stunning rumination on depression, death, loss, and life. The best movie of the year I'm afraid to watch again. medium.com/everythings-in…

I fell head over heels for FIREBIRD, a Cold War romance that has a seductive preoccupation with the beauty of a man’s hand reaching out to touch another man’s bare skin medium.com/everythings-in…

COMING HOME IN THE DARK is on Netflix now, and it's a gripping thriller with an astonishing sense of escalating tension and dread. Brutal, powerful stuff. medium.com/everythings-in…

And finally, my favorite film of the year is DANCE OF THE FORTY ONE, also on Netflix. It's a film ostensibly about a traumatic event in Mexican queer history, but the film focuses on beauty and sensuality instead. A film Luchino Visconti would love. medium.com/everythings-in…