Geeky Therapy Awards: Best Movies & Series of 2021
- Vega
- Jan 3, 2022
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 21, 2023
After 100 newly watched feature length films and over 40 newly watched series, 2021 for Geeky Therapy has been quite a busy one. Any drought left by 2020's extreme slow down of the Hollywood machine has quickly been remedied by 2021's abundance of new movie and series content. This was largely helped by HBO Max's streaming/theater model that allowed audiences to easily enjoy new films from the comfort of their living rooms. More than just for convenience, I became very thankful for these opportunities considering much of what was released ended up being pretty sub-par. Nevertheless, there was plenty of horror, drama, and thrills that exceeded expectations, thus leading to the 2021 Geeky Therapy Awards. As a follow-up to the 2021 Awards: Mid-Year Edition (Insert Link), it is very reflective to see how much one's movie and series preferences change over the course of a year, as well as how much sustains its wonder. As we look at the best and not so best movies and series over the past year, let us begin with a few remarkable entries, including one of the best films I have ever seen, that came from years past.
THE GOLDEN BUT OLDIES
(The best content I watched this year that was not released in 2021
1. Coherence
Even if thinking and high level concepts are the bane of your existence, this is a must watch film. Released in 2013, this is a remarkable sci-fi film about a dinner party that occurs at the same time a comet closely passes by the Earth. The comet influences a series of reality-altering events that the dinner guests must explore. I watched this close to mid-2021 and there are still days now I find myself thinking about it and wanting to revisit it. It is such a layered and twisty film that is only made better by the fact that the actors received no scipt for the film and, instead, worked simply off of key points about their character and scenes. An absolute brilliant film.
2. Triangle
3. The Raid
Runner-Up: Kim's Convenience
THE WASTED POTENTIAL
MOVIE
1. Halloween Kills
This was not a bad movie, but in the way it followed up the well-done 2018 "Halloween" retelling and its shift in style made this a bad Michael Myers movie. Especially within the horror community, this was a well anticipated film that brought an unrecognizable version of its main character and a story that was great for a trailer, but wore out quickly as a feature film. A lot of nostalgia and nods to previous films could not save this from feeling like an uninspired brutal slasher film.
2. Reminiscence
3. The Woman in the Window
Runner-Up: The Eternals
SERIES
1. I Know What You Did Last Summer
Amazon's series revival of "I Know What You Did Last Summer" was actually quite enjoyable, but it was clear how much better this could have been. The intriguing who-dun-it and character relations drove this series away from its weak character motivations and poorly introduced/resolved plot details. It simply had a lot of strange in it that came off as random inclusions to complicate the plot, which they did, but not in a good way. There was also the flashback storytelling element that went through different persepectives of the exact same sequence, which quickly became bland and unnecessarily repetitive. No decisions has been made regarding a second season, but I hope the series is continued, just with a tighter script.
2. Panic
3. Clickbait
Runner-Up: Slasher (S4)
THE MOST ENJOYABLE
MOVIE
1. Spider-Man: No Way Home
I should not have to say much about how satisifying this movie felt, and thus, I will not. The oozing of nostalgia was made to fit the story well and this film brought out some of Holland's best work as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Had it not been for some questionable plot conveniences and poor tonal pacing, this was a film that could have easily competed for the "Best in the World" Award.
2. Fear Street Trilogy
3. Godzilla vs. Kong
Runner-Up: Jungle Cruise
SERIES
1. Chucky
This series had no right to be as fun as it was, especially considering the more comedic side of the Child's Play franchise has drawn most of my criticism, but Chucky may just work best in a series format. Creative kills, some interesting character dynamics, and an overarching storyling that was befitting to the killer doll made this the surprise hit of the year. The father-daughter tande of Brad and Fiona Dourif bring Chucky and Charles Lee Ray to life in a way that brings more depth and completeness to the antagonist. Already renewed for season two and with a storyline that has an absolutely ridiulous premise, the thought of this series getting even better feels ludicrous.
2. Invincible
3. Outer Banks (S2)
Runner-Up: Sex Education (S2)
THE REGRETFUL VIEWING
MOVIE
1. There’s Someone Inside Your House
To be fair, having read the book just months before movie's release, I set myself up to be disappointed, but this was not just a simple case of poor book to film adaptation. There was a major premise shift that the fil adapted, giving the mysterious killer an identifiable MO and a motivation to kill those harboring secrets, rather than the book's much weaker, and pettier, justification. Regardless of how the book presented the story, Netflix's film was seriously lacking in character depth and interesting storytelling. To be honest, this film did not do any one thing good enough to even fall under the category of regular ole, boring slasher. In the end, it was just boring.
2. False Positive
3. Fried Barry
Runner-Up: Spree
SERIES
1. The Sinner (Season 3)
I could forgive a sophomore slump, especially after a first season that brought some of the more intelligently twisting stories brought to television. But an aboslutely abysmal third season is where I draw the line. The third season of “The Sinner” had no layers to its mystery, and barely kept much mystery at all, focusing more on its character development. The problem was that the cast of characters was extremely uninteresting, leaving the character studies to be that much more bland. With the intricacies of the first season having all but been forgotten, it is time for these latter seasons to be forgotten as well.
2. The Circle (Season 3)
3. The A-List (Season 2)
Runner-Up: None
THE UNDERDOG VICTORY
MOVIE
1. Z
A questionable third act left what I consider one of the best horror films of the past decade out of the running for the “Best in the World” Award. Excellently creepy with its play on the childhood imaginary friend, this was a movie that stuck with me long after it ended. It, not only, proved its ability to build great tension, but its scares ignored the ideas of being campy or overused, including a truly eye-popping moment that is just one of the many thrilling sequences that “Z” offers. A remarkably little known addition to the horror genre leaves Brandon Christensen as a must-follow director in the genre.
2. The Mitchells vs The Machines
3. Malignant
Runner-Up: The Harder They Fall
SERIES
1. Squid Game
I would be remissed to talk about the biggest movies and series of the year and not include the phenomenon that was the South Korean social thriller “Squid Game”. When 450+ individuals suffering from financial hardships are invited to play for a large cash prize, they are taken to an unknown location and pitted against each other in children's games with a deadly twist. Even while being led by an unlikeable, barely redeemed main protagonist, the show built upon its diverse characters, social implications, and its dark take on children's games to amass its unprecedented global following.
2. The White Lotus
3. Sweet Home
Runner-Up: None
THE OVERHYPED & OVERRATED
MOVIE
1. Dune
Admittedly never having been a big fan of sci-fi epics, the trailers and fan hype did a decent job of getting me excited enough to check out the latest adaptation of Frank Herbert's acclaimed novel. That excitement ended about 45 minutes through, once I realized how insanely bored I was of the world-building and slow-paced political machinations of the start of this two-part story. From the pacing to the scenic shots to the dialogue, this film never feels a need to move with any haste. Even worse, the film suffers from its overabundance of poorly explained story details, leaving the general audience scrambling for an additional two hours to Google the necessary story details. The movie leaves more questions than answers, and not in the intriguing “ooh, what could this mean” kind of way.
2. Zack Snyder’s Justice League
3. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
Runner-Up: Venom: Let There Be Carnage
SERIES
1. Jupiter’s Legacy
Netflix was so quick to cancel the show, I wonder if they had any time to feel disappointed in how bad “Jupiter's Legacy” bombed. What was supposed to establish Netflix's stronghold in the sea of comicbook shared universes, instead became a suprising fail from a streaming giant known for hit series. Unfortunately, the show carried an overly campy appearance with subpar special effects that only worked to the detriment of a weak plot focus combining for the quickly sinking ship.
2. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Final Season)
3. Nine Perfect Strangers
Runner-Up: None
THE BEST IN THE WORLD
MOVIE
1. Last Night in Soho
I would have smacked anyone who told me my top movie of the year would about a girl in fashion school who time travels to the 1960s in her dreams and becomes obsessed with the life of an aspiring singer. Yet, here we are. I found this Edgar Wright offering to be an absolutely mesmerizing film that combines superb color use, set design, costuming, and music to bring a smooth experience to the senses. Akin to the character depth and themes tackled in Darren Aronofksy's “Black Swan,” this is a film that deserves to be a darkhorse during awards season, even with its critical detractors. It was a tight race between this film and Guillermo Del Toro's “Nightmare Valley,” and although it lacks the great storytelling of Del Toro's film, the style and visual appeal of “Last Night in Soho” pushed it above and beyond for me.
2. Nightmare Alley
3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Runner-Up: Psycho Goreman
SERIES
1. Cruel Summer
Knowing the series that the second half of 2021 would offer, I am pleasantly surprised to find that Freeform's teen legal thriller maintained its top spot from the Mid-Year Awards. As discussed then, “Cruel Summer” was so well-crafted and gripping, both in its style and substance, that it was hard-pressed to find another series that brought such a complete package. The series tells the story of the disappearance of Kate, a town's “it” girl, and the accusations, both personal and legal, against Jeanette, the unpopular girl that seemingly takes her place. The structure and use of color tones of the show to deliver the story's progression over three years and the smart writing propels this as one of the best single seasons I have ever experienced. It is a bit rewarding to see network television take such a critically acclaimed win amidst a time when streaming services are considered superior. If you have a vendetta against teen dramas, then you may find some aspects of this series to be less appealing, however, this is a still a series deserving a chance from everyone.
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