Welcome to The Pick List. This is the place where i write about the list of my favourite movies according to a certain theme. This time the theme is “Movies of 2021”. Listed below may not contain critically best movies, because i pick them according to my personal taste and how I was awed by the movies.
Last year, the year of 2021, was still not a cheerful year for the movie industry. After the cinema industry went back by the end of 2020, the sub-sector must be put into a halt due to PPKM Darurat caused by the spread of Delta variant. Therefore, we are still not able to be fully enjoyed the list of movies that should be released in 2020-2021 but had to be delayed.
Even so, there are some movies worth to be enjoyed and accompany us through the hard time and make us enjoy to back to watch movies in cinemas. The movies listed below are those which aired in cinemas and streaming services in Indonesia, i do not list the movie that is not aired in Indonesia.
So here is our list!
Spider-Man: No Way Home (by Jon Watts)
Spider-Man: No Way Home take place right away after Far From Home in 2019, with Spider-Man’s identity is now revealed to the whole world. The revelation of Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) identity is not only affecting him but also his closest circle. Then to solve his problems, he seeks help from the Dr. Strange to undo the event.
When casting his magic, things went south. Peter Parker and Dr. Strange accidentally attract everyone related to Peter Parker and Spider-Man across from the multiverse. It is hard to deny that No Way Home presents the thrill of seeing so many of the series’ finest actors and most iconic characters together in one place. No Way Home can be said as the marriage of new and old school Spideys with the franchise nostalgic feeling.
No Time to Day (by Cary Joji Fukunaga)
Following Spectre, No Time to Die is opened with James Bond (Daniel Craig) romance life with Madeleine (Lea Seydoux) before the couple split up then Bond live a slow life in Jamaica. But due to circumstances, the retired agent is brought back into the field for one last mission to fight against a secret organization called Spectre.
Unlike the rest of the bond movies, No Time to Die, gives majority of the focus to Bond instead of the villain storyline. This is making viewers grow more intimate with Daniel Craig. We are made to understand that now the aged Bond is tired and wants to out of the mission. No Time to Die was indeed a great way to end Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond. It is the most retrospective and introspective Bond movie.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (by Destin Daniel Cretton)
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings tells the story of Shaun (Simu Liu) an American Chinese who lives in San Francisco who was one day suddenly attacked by a group of assassins sent by his father. The movie explores on the conflict between father and son packed with superhero action style.
Unlike other Marvel or superheroes movies which are straightly cool or epic. Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has that beautiful Asiatic element. The movie is opened with a lowkey romance, then we are brought into a family relationship, astonishing choreography, and beautiful world building. The movie is like Marvel meeting with Avatar the Legend of Aang.
Dune (by Denis Villeneuve)
Dune is set thousands of years in the future and centers on Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the scion of a noble family. With his father, Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac), and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), Paul is about to depart for his new home on a desert planet called Arrakis.
Dune presents a vivid, euphoric and visually dazzling cinematic experience that engages us on every level and in every moment. You won’t be able to ignore the alluring charm of the movie and its visual. The story is grand, but not overly-done, and we can appreciate that every detail in the movie is worked with precision.
Minari (by Lee Isaac Chung)
Minari is an east Asian herb, sometimes called water dropwort or water celery in English. The movie itself follows a Korean-American family that moves to a tiny Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream.
As a Korean movie, indeed that the ‘drama’ aspect of this movie is not disappointing. There are depth and complexity to the foundational story of the movie, that you can find in the emotion of love, loss, hope, and regret. Minari shows the balance of the dreamier elements of the drama with a naturalism that keeps it rooted in reality. Funny, sad, thoughtful, endearing, Minari is one of those movies that gets everything right.
Putu Radar Bahurekso
t : @puturadar | ig : putu.radar
