2021 Film & TV in Review

With those dang Academy Awards right around the corner, the Deep Cut Trio continues its annual tradition of reviewing the movies and television of yesteryear. What kind of year was 2021 for motion pictures? Why does Wilson think every director is in their “late era?” Does Dune satisfy Ben’s hunger for good sci-fi? How did Eli meet Jane Campion, director of The Power of the Dog? Why is there neither pizza nor licorice in Licorice Pizza? Do Disney and Marvel own our eyeballs? Are we getting Succession burnout? All these questions and more will be answered in Deep Cut’s beefiest episode to date.

Tune in to hear bite-size talks on the movies and TV that Wilson, Ben, and Eli loved and hated before they lay out their highly anticipated top 3 movies of the year. Buckle up for the Big Bad Hot Takes and the Small Good Cold Takes.

Tell us your 2021 faves on our Discord server. Keep up with Deep Cut on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Letterboxd.

Find what you’re looking for with this handy guide to the episode’s chapters:

(00:00:28) Introduction

(00:01:40) 2021 Overview (how was this year in movies?)

(00:06:16) Honorary Mentions

(01:03:06) Obligatory Mentions

(01:24:50) Wilson, Ben, and Eli’s Top 3 Movies

(01:50:07) TV Talk

(02:12:29) Watching Goals for 2022

(02:15:23) Deep Cut's 2022 Plans

Movies Discussed:

In Front Of Your Face (Hong Sang-soo), The Disciple (Chaitanya Tamhane), Azor (Andreas Fontana), The French Dispatch (Wes Anderson), Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (Radu Jude), Drowning in Potential (Joel Haver), The Mitchells Vs. The Machines (Michael Rianda), Belle (Mamoru Hosoda), The Last Duel (Ridley Scott), Sardar Udham (Shoojit Sircar), Benedetta (Paul Verhoeven), Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Ryusuke Hamaguchi), The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion), Bergman Island (Mia Hansen-Løve), A Hero (Asghar Farhadi), The Humans (Stephen Karam), All Light, Everywhere (Theo Anthony), Quo Vadis, Aida? (Jasmila Žbanić), Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar (Josh Greenbaum), Nine Days (Edson Oda), What Do We See when We Look at the Sky? (Alexandre Koberidze), Anne at 13,000 ft (Kazik Radwanski), Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen), Test Pattern (Shatara Michelle Ford), The Father (Florian Zeller), Hell is Empty (Jo Shaffer), Dune (Denis Villeneuve), Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Destin Daniel Cretton), Spider-Man: No Way Home (Jon Watts), Black Widow (Cate Shortland), West Side Story (Steven Spielberg), The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Titane (Julia Ducournau), Annette (Leos Carax), Hand of God (Paolo Sorrentino), This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection (Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese), Summer of Soul (Questlove), Mass (Fran Kranz), The Inheritance (Ephraim Asili), C’mon, C’mon (Mike Mills), We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (Jane Schoenbrun), Petite Maman (Celine Sciamma), Mad God (Phil Tippett), Drive My Car (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)

TV Discussed:

The White Lotus, Arcane, Joe Pera Talks With You, Pen15, Search Party, City of Ghosts, Loki, Feel Good, Love Life, Genera+ion, Naomi Osaka, Reservation Dogs, I Think You Should Leave, The Other Two, Smiling Friends, How To With John Wilson, Succession

Phew! Love you all!