By William Watson

Did the world re-open in 2022?  If you look at the movies, it feels like the answer is…sort of?  Sure, there were tentpole movies like Spider-Man, Shang Chi, Black Widow, and No Time to Die, but the movie industry was definitely still a stay on home prospect most weekends.

In a year where very few films hit the modern $200m magic domestic number, Warner Brothers even adopted a controversial decision to do day and date releases of its entire slate.  It remains to be seen how this new shift in the industry will play out, but that is for 2022 to decide.

But first let’s close out 2021.  In a weird film year, I got my fellow Geek, Ryan Garcia, to buy into the madness of mass film watching.  To make this article more fun, any film he saw on my list, he will bring the snark in the full list at the end. Check out his often bizarre film analysis.

Well, here we go…

Time to jump right into the list!

Top Ten

10. Coda

The Ted Lasso of 2021 movies.  Just so sweet and warm.  Coda tells the story of the only member of a family that is not deaf, who wants to be a professional singer.  The way the family connects and supports her despite their blue collar roots will have you smiling.

9. In & Of Itself

Rarely do I take movie recommendations from Ryan, but we exchanged movie assignments middle of the year, and this was his pick for me.  I am glad because I might have missed this recording of a live performance by magician and storyteller, Derek DelGaudio.  His act is mixed in with a deep and emotional examination of personal identity.

8. Spider-Man: No Way Home

I was really frustrated when I heard they were doing a multiverse take on Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.  That isn’t really Spidey’s signature temperature.  I was preconditioned to hate it, but damn it Holland, Zendaya, and the rest of the cast was amazing.  I still wish we had gotten a more conventional Spider-Man movie where he swings around New York, but if they are going this route, at least they executed.

7. Nine Days

Artsy SciFi/Fantasy done well.  A small, personal story of a man in the beyond who gets to choose from a group of souls who gets to go to Earth and live.  Winston Duke, best known for the brutish M’baku in Black Panther, turns in an incredibly nuanced performance.  His fascination with his charges, those who are set to replace one who died suddenly (especially the amazing Zazie Beetz), and how he softens the blows for those eliminated make me wonder how he’s not attracted ANY Oscar buzz.

6. Cruella

I had NO desire to see this movie.  It was so far down on the list that I thought about not watching it until it was free on D+.  But Stephanie wanted to watch it on a date night, so we rented it early.  Money well spent!  I assumed Emma Stone would do well, and she even exceeded expectations, but EVERYTHING worked in this movie.  The direction, the costumes, the cinematography, the story.  EVERYTHING!  Probably my biggest surprise of the year.

5. Belfast

This is Oscar bait done well.  When I saw it was a black and white movie set in the Troubles, I felt like many farts were to be sniffed.  But this movie had a sweet and warm narrative set in a tough period of Northern Ireland’s history. Ciarán Hinds makes a good movie a special film with his Oscar worthy performance.  The King Beyond the Wall, indeed!

4. King Richard

This might be Will Smith’s year to win the Oscar.  He infused a fascinating character with depth and life.  Richard Williams was a fascinating character and a lesser actor could have played him as a caricature without meaning to, but Smith fleshes him out and captures his drive (often obsessively so) to make his daughters great in every way.

3. Being the Ricardos

I don’t understand the controversy around the casting. Everyone was amazing!  I love Aaron Sorkin.  I love behind the scenes movies about famous moments in entertainment.  I love 50s/60s era Hollywood.  This was a movie custom made for me.

2. I Care a Lot

A February Netflix movie is my second favorite film of the year.  That is how good it was.  It was equal parts funny, tense, and violent.  Peter Dinklage continues to find great roles that don’t even acknowledge his height; which tells you how amazing he is because entertainment has long been awful to people who have dwarfism.  Dinklage is menacing and excellent, but it is Rosamund Pike who really makes this special.  How she missed out on a nomination last year for the Oscars should be reviewed by the Justice Department!

1. Judas and the Black Messiah

So…my FAVORITE movie of the year was a film released in February on HBO MAX.  Daniel Kaluuya earned his Oscar, putting in a Supporting Actor performance that belongs in the pantheon with Heath Ledger, JK Simmons, and Joe Pesci.  Sure, sure.  You have to pretend he’s not the lead character, but whatever.  This movie should have won Best Picture.  It had so much heart, passion, and depth.  Worth the price of HBO Max for a whole year…

BOTTOM TEN

But even more fun than the top 10?  The stinky bottom ten.  You see a lot of movies…you see a lot of stinkers.  In the past, I have sought out bad movies like Transformers or Mortdecai to fill in the bottom of the list.  This year, the turds sought ME out!

So let’s take a look at the stinky turds inhabiting the Watson Bottom Ten!

10. Snake Eyes

Was Snake Eyes in this movie? This was a dumb karate movie that could have been any property until the last 30 seconds.  I’m not sure GI Joe can be adapted into film.  There’s just not much special about it.

9. F9

That rope bridge action sequence explains why Trump was elected president.  May god have mercy on your soul if you like this franchise.

8. TOM AND JERRY

This was bad even by children movie standards.  I kind of like the “Home Alone in New York” premise, but this movie couldn’t have been worse if it also included Donald Trump.

7. INFINITE

I expected nothing less from Markie Mark.  As dumb as this movie was, it was worse because he’s just not a good actor.  Put Matt Damon or Will Smith in this exact movie, and it goes up 30 spots.

6. MATRIX: RESURECTIONS

Memba Matrix? I ‘memba!  When you are making jokes about making a fourth version to a video game trilogy to practically apologize for making the movie, you should know you should have scrapped the project.  While this one wasn’t as atrocious as the third installment of the original trilogy, it was nowhere near as good as part two.  I didn’t like part two.

5. The Woman in the Window

Ruining a movie with THIS cast???  Check.  Knock off Rear Window with none of the charm?  Check.  Get me to the point where I didn’t CARE if she was crazy or there was a mystery? Check.  Disappoint me with the ending?  Check.

4. MALIGNANT

I vowed to watch all the WB day and date releases because I bought I big screen the day the news was announced. This one tested my vow.  This was a nostalgia movie for an era where I had already abandoned horror movies as a genre I enjoyed.  I can only assume this picture is from the movie because I don’t remember shit about it other than a general disgust.

3.  HALLOWEEN KILLS

This was everything the 2018 reboot was supposed to undo.  This was a schlocky, dumb movie where Jamie Lee Curtis phones in her worst performance ever.  There was a cool premise they could have worked, the town fights back, but they made it REALLY dumb instead.

2.  CRY MACHO

It was so stereotypically insensitive toward Hispanics, I am surprised Eastwood didn’t call it Cry Nacho.  Eastwood’s time is passed.  He needs to stop directing if this is his product.  He definitely needs to stop acting.  His fight scene was laughably bad.  Poor guy is 90.  He can’t beat anyone up except for Tom…

1. BARB AND STAR GO TO DEL VISTA MAR

The worst movie I have seen since Mortdecai.  I do not understand how this got positive reviews.  There is NOTHING funny about this movie.  Terrible start to finish.

Final Thoughts

Not the best year for cinema. It’s odd because I thought this year would be a powerhouse given the hold from 2020. Yet, the film quality was really not there, making me wonder about the state of the industry. Well, until next year…

Full List (#1-175)

ALL-TIME GREATS

There are no entries this year which feel like they qualify as all-time greats…

EXCELLENT

MOVIE

STARS

LOCALE

GENRE

DATE WATCHED

Ryan says:

Watson Says:

1	JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH	9.5	HBO MAX	DRAMA	2/13	Amazing. Even the end title cards are powerful.	Some of the most powerful acting ever.
2	I CARE A LOT	9	NETFLIX	DRAMA	2/26	Pike kicks ass and her hair will slice you in half.	I wish this would have come out later in the year so Pike would be in the Oscar race…
3	BEING THE RICARDOS	9	AMAZON	DRAMA	12/23	Sorkin never lets the truth get in the way of a good story, again.	I don’t understand the controversy around the casting. Everyone was amazing!
4	KING RICHARD	9	HBO MAX	DRAMA	11/19		This might be Will Smith’s year!
5	BELFAST	9	FIRST RUN	DRAMA	11/14		A special movie made even more special by Handis…
6	CRUELLA	9	DISNEY+	DRAMA	5/29	Emma Stone makes a ho-hum retelling into fire.	One of the biggest surprises of the year!
7	NINE DAYS	9	PVOD	DRAMA	11/3		So moody and beautiful
8	SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME	8.5	FIRST RUN	ADVENTURE	12/16		It was the best possible version of a weird plot choice…
9	IN & OF ITSELF	8.5	HULU	DOCUMENTARY	8/9	Pure magic.	An amazing story teller…
10	CODA	8.5	APPLE TV+	DRAMA	12/19	There is a scene in this movie that, if you can watch without bawling, you are literally soulless	The Ted Lasso of movies.

STRONG ENTRIES

11	TWAS THE FIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS	8.5	APPLE TV+	COMEDY	11/30	Kilowatts for Christ: The Movie	Every lawyer knows someone just like this guy…
12	LAST NIGHT IN SOHO	8.5	FIRST RUN	HORROR	3/30		The two leads got me to go along for the ride.
13	SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS	8.5	FIRST RUN	ACTION	9/2	“Your mother wanted you to have something special when you returned.” “Dragon-scale shirts? What do they do.” “Nothing. That’s what she gets for leaving.”	Fun new entry to the MCU
14	NO TIME TO DIE	8.5	FIRST RUN	ACTION	10/12	That’s how you fucking end a story arc!	A fitting exit for Daniel Craig.
15	ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN	8.5	FIRST RUN	DOCUMENTARY	7/18	Frustratingly spends time on the boring while skipping the interesting.	Brought back the pain of his passing..
16	TOM PETTY: SOMEWHERE YOU FEEL FREE	8.5	FIRST RUN	DOCUMENTARY	10/20		Same as Roadrunner…
17	THE SPARKS BROTHERS	8.5	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	12/6		I would have thought Edgar was making a mockumentary if I didn’t know they were real…
18	STREET GANG: HOW WE GOT TO SESAME STREET	8.5	PVOD	DOCUMENTARY	5/25	I would pay to watch two hours of Muppet bloopers.	Big Bird singing at Henson’s funeral brings the feels
19	FAUCI	8.5	DISNEY+	DOCUMENTARY	10/11		Great look at a personal hero
20	NOBODY	8.5	PVOD	ACTION	5/3	The newer, better, less racist Taken.	Bob has come a long way from Mr Show!
21	CITIZEN ASHE	8.5	PVOD	DOCUMENTARY	12/8		A dignified man who was a pioneer
22	NO SUDDEN MOVE	8.5	HBO MAX	DRAMA	6/2	Gotta love a movie where Brendan Fraser is credited but unrecognizable and Matt Damon is recognizable but uncredited.	Great noir crime thriller. My sweet spot
23	8-BIT CHRISTMAS	8.5	HBO MAX	COMEDY	12/12	A more modern, slightly worse Christmas Story, salvaged by NPH	A charming new holiday classic
24	THE LAST DUEL	8.5	FIRST RUN	DRAMA	10/17		Come for the drama. Stay for Affleck’s hairdo…
25	ASSASSINS	8.5	PVOD	DOCUMENTARY	11/28	If I had a nickel every time I heard someone say they were tricked into becoming an international assassin by making YouTube prank videos I would now have two nickels. Which is not a lot of money but way more than I thought I’d ever have.	The prank was on them…
26	FRENCH DISPATCH	8.5	FIRST RUN	COMEDY	10/21		More of an anthology than a singular film…
27	FREE GUY	8.5	FIRST RUN	COMEDY	8/19	This movie made me adjective!	A breath of fresh air in the years that air can kill you
28	WEST SIDE STORY	8.5	FIRST RUN	MUSICAL	12/10		Spielberg made a remake special.
29	THE CARD COUNTER	8.5	FIRST RUN	DRAMA	9/11	This could have been a perfect film if the team behind Rounders made it	Gritty and captivating
30	TICK…TICK…BOOM!	8.5	NETFLIX	MUSICAL	11/23	This will change your life. Bum bum bum bum bum.	Andrew Garfield is the only person that should contend with Will Smith for Best Actor!
31	THE SUICIDE SQUAD	8.5	HBO MAX	ACTION	8/5	Killed it.	Good, dumb fun that should have done better.
32	THE UNFORGIVABLE	8.5	NETFLIX	DRAMA	12/18	Sandra Bullock should just make Netflix movies forever.	This was a nice surprise.
33	UNTOLD: MALICE AT THE PALACE	8.5	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	8/16	I haven’t felt this bad for millionaires since the internet bubble burst.	It will make you feel for Jermaine Oneal
34	CLERK.	8.5	PVOD	DOCUMENTARY	12/8		Required viewing if you are a Kevin Smith fan.
35	RED NOTICE	8.5	NETFLIX	ACTION	11/13	This movie had me at featured extras.	I could watch this cast do anything.
36	MAYOR PETE	8.5	AMAZON	DOCUMENTARY	12/1		Glad they had a camera crew following his unexpected rise.
37	76 DAYS	8.5	PVOD	DOCUMENTARY	9/15		Same here but for Covid and not Pete.
38	THE LOST LEONARDO	8.5	PVOD	DOCUMENTARY	11/30		I think it was by a follower and not Leonardo.
39	BLACK WIDOW	8.5	FIRST RUN	ADVENTURE	7/8	This would have been a much better movie without Natasha.	The movie would have been mediocre without Florence Pugh.
40	RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON	8.5	DISNEY+	ANIMATED	3/22	Awesome world. Looking forward to some sequels.	Disney proper has been kicking Pixar’s butt the last five years.
41	A QUIET PLACE 2	8.5	FIRST RUN	HORROR	6/17	This needs to turn into a premium series. Nice, tight little stories that could use a little more fleshing out.	Fun but not much new from the original.
42	ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI	8.5	AMAZON	DRAMA	1/23	Turns out this is not a reboot of the only song you know from Chess.	Great acting and directing.
43	THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE	8.5	FIRST RUN	DRAMA	9/18		The performances were great, but the story flags a bit.
44	BLACK HOLES: THE EDGE OF ALL WE KNOW	8.5	PVOD	DOCUMENTARY	5/19	This was amazing–when it’s all about a picture but the real money shot is a 4×4 grid showing correlation between images. Oh yeah, baby.	The scientists are surprisingly compelling storytellers
45	PIG	8.5	HULU	DRAMA	12/19		The best revenge movie about a truffle hunting pig you will ever see.
46	MUSIC BOX: WOODSTOCK 99	8.5	HBO MAX	DOCUMENTARY	8/8	Turns out we shouldn’t have done it all for the nookie.	Ok…so maybe Gen X was just as douchey as other generations…

VERY GOOD

47	WHITE TIGER	8.5	NETFLIX	DRAMA	2/14	I wanted this to be better.	A charming little movie that could not have been ANY better!
48	OLD HENRY	8	PVOD	DRAMA	10/31		Nice PVOD rental with some good shootouts.
49	GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE	8	FIRST RUN	ADVENTURE	11/24		Ghostbuster: The Force Awakens.
50	CMON CMON	8	FIRST RUN	DRAMA	12/7		It jumped up 10 spots in the last 90 seconds of the film.

GOOD MOVIES

51	HOUSE OF GUCCI	8	FIRST RUN	DRAMA	11/26		Should have been a top ten movie but failed to execute.
52	SOUTH PARK: POST-COVID: THE RETURN OF COVID	8	PARAMOUNT+	ANIMATED	12/16		One of the rare times that South Park channels Futurama and delivers the feels!
53	NIGHTMARE ALLEY	8	FIRST RUN	HORROR	12/17		This was decent but it should have been better.
54	VACATION FRIENDS	8	HULU	COMEDY	11/28	John Cena needs to stop making movies where John Cena is the best part.	Dumb fun on Hulu.
55	DUNE	8	HBO MAX	ADVENTURE	10/22	If this receives a grade it should be Incomplete.	In the first 30 minutes, I thought it would be in my all time favorites. Then the next two hours were kinda boring.

DECENT FLICKS

56	CANDYMAN	8	PVOD	HORROR	12/28		Decent flick, but great direction that makes me excited about Marvels.
57	VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE	8	FIRST RUN	ADVENTURE	9/30	The first one was fun and funny. This was neither for me.	Had the decency to be 90 minutes.
58	BECOMING COUSTEAU	8	DISNEY+	DOCUMENTARY	11/28		What can I say? I like bipoic docs.
59	MINARI	8	PVOD	DRAMA	2/28	Fittingly named. A weed of a movie that some people find valuable.	Small little movie.
60	UNTOLD: CRIMES & PENALTIES	8	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	9/26		WWE meets Sopranos meets Slapshot
61	ZOLA	8	PVOD	DRAMA	9/28		Had its moments.
62	9/11: INSIDE THE PRESIDENT’S WAR ROOM	8	APPLE TV+	DOCUMENTARY	9/8		Interesting view from the people in charge at the time.
63	MALCOM AND MARIE	8	NETFLIX	DRAMA	2/10		A performance piece. Zendaya is a treasure.
64	A PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN	8	PVOD	DRAMA	1/24	This one will stick with you for a while. Maybe forever.	I liked it but I didn’t love it.
65	OPERATION VARSITY BLUES: THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL	8	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	3/23	Bad people, bad system, bad outcomes.	Interesting doc/drama combination.
66	LUCA	8	DISNEY+	ANIMATED	7/4	I remember when Pixar movies had consistent, interesting worlds.	Felt more Dreamworks than Pixar, but the animation is good.
67	BLOOD RED SKY	8	NETFLIX	HORROR	8/4	I hope this becomes a franchise. Few edits short of a masterpiece.	If you are already afraid of flying, not the film for you…
68	CRACK	8	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	2/11		Interesting but unmemorable.
69	MLK/FBI	8	PVOD	DOCUMENTARY	1/18		Pretty straightforward doc.
70	NEWS OF THE WORLD	8	PVOD	DRAMA	1/16	$15	HANKS!
71	THE DISSIDENT	8	PVOD	DOCUMENTARY	1/14	Pro tip: when engaging in a cyber war with a rich country, don’t click on random text links.	It will make you MAD!
72	THE FATHER	8	PVOD	DRAMA	3/28		I wish Boseman had won Best Actor, but don’t say he was robbed if you haven’t watched this brilliant performance.
73	WHO ARE YOU, CHARLIE BROWN?	8	APPLE TV+	DOCUMENTARY	6/26		Warm and sweet doc.
74	RIDE THE EAGLE	8	PVOD	COMEDY	12/12	Fun disposable film. Perfect for napping when JK isn’t on screen.	MUCH better comedy than I expected. I liked the Covid shooting techniques.
75	SOUTH PARK: AFTER COVID	8	PARAMOUNT+	ANIMATED	11/27		It was fine but not peak South Park.

NOT A WASTE OF TIME

76	COPSHOP	8	FIRST RUN	ACTION	9/25		Dumb fun that passed a Saturday afternoon.
77	BLOOD BROTHERS: MALCOM X & MUHAMMAD ALI	8	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	9/12		Pretty straightforward doc.
78	BEING JAMES BOND	8	APPLE TV+	DOCUMENTARY	9/7	Fantastic interview leading up to Time To Die.	Really made me appreciate Craig’s place in film history.
79	SPENCER	8	FIRST RUN	DRAMA	11/6		Dallas Buyers Club entry. A performance piece.
80	FATHERHOOD	8	NETFLIX	DRAMA	6/26	I want Kevin Hart to be better than this.	Hart was charming and I like seeing him try to stretch his skills.
81	WORTH	8	NETFLIX	DRAMA	9/12		Good performance by Keaton.
82	SUMMER OF SOUL	8	HULU	DOCUMENTARY	8/2		I would love to go back in time and attend this amazing music festival.
83	DON’T LOOK UP	8	NETFLIX	COMEDY	12/24	Feels like if this was supposed to be satire it should have gone further, which is odd given the topic.	Sadly a missed opportunity for greatness.
84	THE FRIENDS REUNION SPECIAL	8	HBO MAX	SPECIAL	5/29	This was fun, funny at times, and had some new information. Everything you’d want from a reunion.	Pure ass nostalgia!
85	A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX	8	PVOD	DOCUMENTARY	5/22	Super basic simulation theory from questionable sources. If it weren’t for the PKD footage, it’d be awful.	It made me think.
86	WEWORK: OR THE MAKING AND BREAKING OF A $47 BILLION UNICORN	8	HULU	DOCUMENTARY	4/11	I wanted there to be more about the crash here.	Megalomanics gotta megalomanic…
87	RITA MORENA: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT	8	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	12/17		What a charming entry in the annals of the American Dream.
88	WITHOUT REMORSE	8	AMAZON	ACTION	5/1	Pretty generic. Could have been any action film except for the mid-credit scene.	Should have been so much better.
89	FRAMING BRITNEY SPEARS	8	HULU	DOCUMENTARY	4/2	Free Britney.	Pretty straightforward doc.
90	THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES	8	NETFLIX	ANIMATED	5/8	Unexpectedly awesome and sweet and funny at the same time.	I liked it but it was definitely more targeted at children than designed to appeal to all ages.
91	THE DAY SPORTS STOOD STILL	7.5	HBO MAX	DOCUMENTARY	3/30		Chris Paul’s lens is interesting.
92	THE GREEN KNIGHT	7.5	FIRST RUN	ADVENTURE	7/31		Focuses more on mood and visuals than storytelling.
93	TREAD	7.5	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	12/5		Follows a crazy guy who loses his shit.
94	NOMADLAND	7.5	PRIVATEER	DRAMA	1/20	Are these broken people or symptoms of a broken system?	Beautiful but boring.
95	THE COURIER	7.5	PVOD	DRAMA	8/28		A decent period piece spy thriller
96	PIECES OF A WOMAN	7.5	NETFLIX	DRAMA	1/10		Dallas Buyers Club entry. A performance piece.
97	THE YEAR EARTH CHANGED	7.5	APPLE TV+	DOCUMENTARY	6/26		Interesting tidbits but not a great story.
98	THE LITTLE THINGS	7.5	HBO MAX	DRAMA	1/29	Tough sell. Not really a murder mystery, but acts like one.	Fun for a February on HBO Max.
99	ARMY OF THE DEAD	7.5	NETFLIX	ACTION	5/22	This is the best zombie heist film to come out in a long time.	This was fun but stupid. I WILL watch a sequel, though.
100	THE TOMORROW WAR	7.5	AMAZON	ACTION	6/2	This is the Jeff Foxworthy of Edge of Tomorrows.	Same as Army of the Dead…
101	THE WRATH OF MAN		PVOD	ACTION	12/25	An epic, interweaving crime tapestry where half the threads are fine silk and the other half are flimsy cobwebs.	It’s like Guy Ritchie farmed out half the film to Liam Neeson’s writing team.
102	BECKETT	7.5	NETFLIX	DRAMA	9/19	Guy jumps off a ledge and survives, so he finds a taller building to jump off of and survive.	With a better script doctor and director, this would have been impressive.
103	FEAR STREET 2: 1978	7.5	NETFLIX	HORROR	7/14	Hard to judge as a standalone, but still brought some great elements to the first one.	I love the three film concept. This was the best as a single film.
104	SCHUMACHER	7.5	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	11/7		Hit just at the right time as I got into F1.
105	FINCH	7.5	APPLE TV+	DRAMA	11/6	“What if Pixar was really fucking depressed when it made Wall-E?”	I love Hanks, but this one dragged a lot.
106	ARMY OF THIEVES	7.5	NETFLIX	HORROR	11/1	It was fun, but at the end of the day the best part was the CGI of the inside of the safes.	A very likable lead.
107	UNTOLD: BREAKING POINT	7.5	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	11/11		I like the untold series of sports docs.
108	IN THE HEIGHTS	7.5	HBO MAX	MUSICAL	6/23	Exactly how musicals should be made into movies. Exciting, visually stunning, and an amazing cast/story/music.	It just didn’t connect with me.
109	FEAR STREET 3: 1666	7.5	NETFLIX	HORROR	7/17	Fantastic ending of the trilogy–half origin, half resolution. What a fun event!	You needed this to end the series, but as a standalone movie it is uneven.
110	LARRY FLINT FOR PRESIDENT	7.5	TRIBECA	DOCUMENTARY	6/14		What a character!
111	JUNGLE CRUISE	7.5	DISNEY+	ADVENTURE	7/31	How does a movie feel too big and too small at the same time?	They almost wasted an all world cast. They better get the sequel right!
112	THE ETERNALS	7.5	FIRST RUN	ADVENTURE	11/4	Total opposite of GotG. That movie took a cast of mostly unknown characters and made us like them all. This took a cast of mostly unknown characters and made us not give a shit about any of them.	The Nomadland of the MCU.
113	OLD	7.5	PVOD	HORROR	10/31		I liked the concept and the twist, but the movie had a lot of down time.
114	BOB ROSS: HAPPY ACCIDENTS, BETRAYAL AND GREED	7.5	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	8/27	This should have been 90 minutes about the squirrel that lived in his shirt pocket.	Thank goodness Ross wasn’t the bad guy the title alludes to!
115	THE HARDER THEY FALL	7	NETFLIX	DRAMA	11/6	Westerns are usually black and white. This is one is too, but different.	I love the cast and the premise, but the direction didn’t work for me.

IF YOU HAVE SPARE TIME

116	STILLWATER	7	PVOD	DRAMA	8/21		ZZZzzzzz….
117	STOWAWAY	7	NETFLIX	DRAMA	4/27	If you’re curious about this, just watch Gravity again.	A great premise that didn’t quite launch.
118	THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD	7	HBO MAX	DRAMA	5/15	The screenwriter had a fire sale on action movie cliches.	Glad I only saw this on HBO.
119	CHAOS WALKING	7	PVOD	ADVENTURE	5/28	I mean, sixth release time is the charm! (Watson: It was not…)	Better than I expected. Holland is just likable.
120	FEAR STREET 1: 1994	7	NETFLIX	HORROR	7/5	Best since Scream of poking fun at a genre while also being right inside the genre.	Without the trilogy, this would have been a teeny bopper flick
121	KATE	7	NETFLIX	ACTION	9/27	This was fun in a way Gunpowder Milkshake should have been.	I like this subgenre and the lead, but it was unmemorable.
122	INJUSTICE	7	PVOD	ANIMATED	11/2		Passable DC Animated flick.
123	THE GUILTY	7	NETFLIX	DRAMA	10/4	Nightcrawler lite and with telephones.	Not a bad film, but not a classic.
124	VAL	7	AMAZON	DOCUMENTARY	8/17	Worst remake of the Stephen Hawking documentary yet.	He’s a weird dude.
125	WEREWOLVES WITHIN	7	PVOD	HORROR	7/9	I laughed more than I thought I would. Really fun modern comedy.	Felt like this could have been better with a tighter script.
126	TINA	7	HBO MAX	DOCUMENTARY	4/12	Tina Turner remains the best concert I ever went to. It was better than this, although this was interesting.	Pretty straightforward doc.
127	GODZILLA VS KONG	7	HBO MAX	ADVENTURE	3/31	Anytime a person spoke this movie got worse.	Boring as hell when Godzilla and Kong are not on screen together.
128	UNTOLD: BREAKING POINT	7	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	11/7		The worst of the series I watched. I skipped the Jenner entry though.
129	OUR TOWNS	7	HBO MAX	DOCUMENTARY	5/2	Some interesting takes, just not sure there were interesting takeaways.	ZZZzzzzz….
130	JUSTICE LEAGUE: SNYDER CUT	7	HBO MAX	ADVENTURE	3/18	It’s a bit more believable that Bruce grew that beard in 7 days as opposed to just one, but not much.	They should have made this a mini-series as planned.
131	BATMAN: SOUL OF THE DRAGON		PVOD	ANIMATED	12/1		Decent DC Animated.
132	PETER RABBIT 2	7	PVOD	COMEDY	8/29	James Cordon ruined this movie.	Missed the charm of the original.
133	ENCOUNTER	7	AMAZON	DRAMA	12/11		Riz Ahmed saves this from the near bottom.
134	YES DAY	7	NETFLIX	COMEDY	3/24	Should you watch it with your family if you have nothing else to watch? Yes.	Family fun if you have YOUNG kids.
135	JUSTICE SOCIETY: WORLD WAR 2	7	PVOD	ANIMATED	5/15		I would have rather just had a movie about the JSA instead of time travel with the JLA.
136	BATMAN: LONG HALLOWEEN PART 2	7	HBO MAX	ANIMATED	10/13		Better than part 1.
137	THE UNITED STATES V BILLIE HOLIDAY	7	HULU	DRAMA	2/26		Relied just on the music. The plot was boring.
138	BATMAN: LONG HALLOWEEN PART 1	7	PVOD	ANIMATED	7/12		Not as good as part 2. But obviously not much…
139	THUNDER FORCE	6.5	NETFLIX	COMEDY	3/26	Amusing enough, but mostly a miss.	What Ryan said…
140	NAIL BOMBER: MANHUNT	6.5	AMAZON	DOCUMENTARY	5/26		Passable crime doc.
141	MURDER BY THE COAST	6.5	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	8/18		I don’t remember much of this one.
142	COMING 2 AMERICA	6.5	AMAZON	COMEDY	3/5	This was a total blast. How dare you.	Memba Coming to America? I ‘memba!
143	THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK	6.5	HBO MAX	DRAMA	10/6		Felt like fan fic.
144	OASIS KNEBWORTH 1996	6.5	PARAMOUNT+	DOCUMENTARY	11/28		I liked the music, but I really hate the Gallaghers…
145	ESCAPE ROOM: TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS	6.5	PVOD	HORROR	12/23		The rooms were fun. The plot was clunky.
146	LOCKED DOWN	6.5	HBO MAX	DRAMA	3/14	Not really a heist	I graded this one on the covid curve.
147	PLAYING WITH SHARKS	6.5	DISNEY+	DOCUMENTARY	8/11		It was something on in the background.

GETTING A LITTLE TEDIOUS

148	PINK: ALL I KNOW SO FAR	6	AMAZON	DOCUMENTARY	5/22	Pink’s music and the wire flying save this otherwise boring doc.	I like her music. She is not an interesting person.
149	BIGGIE: I GOT A STORY TO TELL	6	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	3/8	Biggie is fascinating. This wasn’t.	How do you screw up a documentary about Biggie?
150	OUTSIDE THE WIRE	6	NETFLIX	ACTION	3/13	So bad. So very bad.	This one should have been more fun.
151	AMERICA: THE MOTION PICTURE	6	NETFLIX	ANIMATED	7/18	Super funny on paper. Kinda funny on screen.	Not funny either way…
152	14 PEAKS	6	NETFLIX	DOCUMENTARY	12/7		Cool premise. Great visuals. No narrative thread.
153	MORTAL KOMBAT	6	HBO MAX	ACTION	4/24	“Okay, here’s the plan. You know how we just fought all those guys and they won? Well now we’re going to fight the exact same guys again.”	Not as good as the cartoon movie from 2020.

I’M GETTING A HEADACHE

154	THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD’S WIFE	6	PVOD	COMEDY	8/24		Even a bad movie with Ryan Reynolds is a bad movie with Ryan Reynolds.
155	GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE	6	NETFLIX	ACTION	7/21	Valiant effort, but the attempt at worldbuilding was what made this so frustrating.	Stop trying to make the next John Wick, Hollywood.
156	REMINISENCE	5.5	HBO MAX	DRAMA	8/22	This is an excellent anti-Chinatown.	I was bored the whole time.
157	SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW	5.5	PVOD	HORROR	11/9		If Chris Rock can’t make me like a Saw movie…
158	CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG	5.5	PARAMOUNT+	COMEDY	12/1		I watched this just to annoy Clayton…
159	SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY	5.5	HBO MAX	COMEDY	7/22	Spent as much time in space as the Fantastic Four reboot.	Why hasn’t Warners come out with a jelly called Space Jam?
160	ICE ROAD	5.5	NETFLIX	ACTION	6/26		The “good” Liam Neeson movie of the year.
161	THE MARKSMAN	5.5	PVOD	ACTION	6/7		The BAD Liam Neeson movie of the year.
162	THE CONJURING	5	HBO MAX	HORROR	5/4	It’s nice to have another X-Files movie to watch.	So insultingly dumb.
163	VOYAGERS	5	PVOD	DRAMA	9/22	It’s been a rough couple of years and even I thought this was overly pessimistic about humanity.	Artsy sci fi movies are easy fuck up. They did.
164	THE POWER OF THE DOG	5	NETFLIX	DRAMA	12/1	This was a flawless movie.	It was sooooooo boring and the acting was bad. I usually love fart smelling movies and this one died on the vine for me. The biggest surprise ever was that Ryan liked this.

THE BOTTOM AND DESERVING

165	SNAKE EYES	5	PVOD	ACTION	8/22	Years from now I look forward to someone bringing up this movie and I’ll say “They made a Snake Eyes movie?”	Was Snake Eyes in this movie?
166	F9	5	FIRST RUN	ACTION	6/24	Magnets, bitch!!!	That rope bridge action sequence explains why Trump was elected president.
167	TOM AND JERRY	4.5	HBO MAX	COMEDY	2/26	Nothing about this movie was good. But Tom and Jerry were the worst parts.	This was bad even by children movie standards.
168	INFINITE	4	PARAMOUNT+	ACTION	5/13	This movie makes Highlander 2 look like Highlander.	I expected nothing less from Markie Mark.
169	MATRIX 4	4	HBO MAX	ADVENTURE	12/22	Fans of the Matrix series will love it, others won’t. I’m totally cool with that.	Memba Matrix? I ‘memba!
170	THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW	4	NETFLIX	DRAMA	5/14	Really good second act but a first act that slogged and a third act that felt forced. Pity.	Ruining a movie with THIS cast???
171	MALIGNANT	3.5	HBO MAX	HORROR	9/19		I vowed to watch all the WB day and date releases because I bought I big screen the day the news was announced. This one tested my vow.
172	HALLOWEEN KILLS	3.5	PEACOCK	HORROR	11/23		This was everything the 2018 reboot was supposed to undo.
173	CRY MACHO	3.5	HBO MAX	DRAMA	10/6		Eastwood is done as a leading man. This was just sad.
174	BARB & STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR	0.7	PVOD	COMEDY	4/21	This movie made Tom and Jerry look like Judas and the Black Messiah.	The worst movie I have seen since Mortdecai.