My Top 10 Movie List 2021.

After going through an almost two-year media cleanse that included watching no Television, I broke back into the habit this year.

2021 has been the worst year of my life hands down! But one of the ways I survived it was watching movies.

So here are the Top Ten movies that are doing it for me;

1. Love Hard. (2021)

Summary;

Natalie ( played by Nina Dobrev) is a woman in Los Angeles. who has made a career out of writing about her terrible love life for a cringe-worthy site. After a string of particularly rough disappointments, a friend widens her dating app’s search radius to include the whole country. Finally, she matches with a smiling face who’s charming and exciting to talk to. After a particularly long conversation, the long-distance digital boyfriend pines that he wishes Natalie would be there for Christmas. At her friend and boss’ insistence, Natalie travels across the country to Lake Placid, New York, to meet the man of her dreams. But when she gets there, Josh ( played by Jimmy O. Yang) doesn’t look like the pictures he sent her. He used the photos of a former friend, Tag ( played by Darren Barnet), to talk to women after being ignored on dating apps for so long. Outraged but now stuck in Lake Placid without her luggage, Natalie decides to stay and pass herself off as Josh’s girlfriend in order to impress his family. In turn, Josh promises to help her win over the man whose photos she originally fell for even if it’s as deceptive as what Josh did to her.

What I liked most about this movie was the humour, I mean, the jokes are hilarious. Even though it is another generic Christmas movie, Love Hard might just leave you warm and mushy inside.

Netflix’s Love Hard, I think will be remembered for its touching message to the audience — "Be authentic."

2. The Harder They Fall. (2021)

From the music to the casting, and the plot I was left speechless with black pride, joy and excitement from start to finish.

Summary;

The film opens with a boy, Nat Love, watching as his parents are killed in front of him. Some years later, that boy is now a man ( played by Jonathan Majors), whose entire life is dedicated to avenging his parents’ death. He’s killed all but one of those responsible and he’s finally tracked down the leader: Rufus Buck ( played by Idris Elba). It’s a classic revenge pic with Love and a small ragtag gang facing down Buck’s deadly crew.

Some folks say this movie is overindulgent (whatever that means), but I wholeheartedly admit that Netflix has delivered a delicious opportunity of highlighting Black history to make a broader point on the misremembered glory of the wild west.

The film stars Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, and Deon Cole.

3. Last Christmas. (2019).

I guess because this movie stars my latest celebrity crush, Henry Golding, I can forgive it and his character, Tom for its very disappointing ending.

This movie also stars Emilia Clarke, Michelle Yeoh, Emma Thompson, Patti LuPone, Bilal Zafar, Lydia Leonard, Maxim Baldry and Madison Ingoldsby.

Summary:

In Last Christmas, we meet unlucky Londoner/aspiring singer Kate ( played by Emilia Clarke), who's made many poor decisions, including taking a job as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop. Her overbearing Yugoslavian immigrant mother, Petra ( played by Emma Thompson), and her friends are worried about her, especially after a life-threatening illness. As the true Christmas season approaches, Kate keeps running into Tom (Henry Golding), a big-hearted volunteer who seems to inspire her to turn her life around. But she worries that he might be too good to be true. Turns out he was! Sigh!

4. How To Be Single. (2016)

This movie stars Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Damon Wayans Jr., Anders Holm, Alison Brie, Nicholas Braun, Jake Lacy, Jason Mantzoukas, and Leslie Mann.

Summary;

After four years of college, young Alice ( played by Dakota Johnson) decides she needs a break from her long-term boyfriend Josh. Excited and ready for new challenges, the eager grad moves to New York to take a job as a paralegal. Helping her navigate her way through an unfamiliar city is Robin ( played by Rebel Wilson), a fun-loving, wild co-worker who enjoys partying and one-night stands. With Robin as her freewheeling guide, Alice can now learn how to get free drinks, meet men and enjoy the single lifestyle.

Blending the clichéd with the new, How To Be Single is a surprise but not a revelation. As a statement on modern relationships, it's muddled but it does deliver enough laughs and romance to make it a pleasing enough diversion.

5. Yara. (2021)

Summary;

Based on a real-life story, Yara tells the true story of the horrifying murder of a 13-year-old girl, Yara Gambirasio. After leaving a sports centre in Brenbate di Sopra (Italy) one evening, she never made it home. After three months pass by, the case takes a devastating turn when her body is found. As the movie is based on real events, the drama doesn’t stop when the credits stop rolling. If the audience does a quick Google search after the 1hr 35mins movie ends, they’ll learn that there are still some unanswered questions.

This is a fascinating, yet bleak story, and one which sets out the key details of this real-life murder. The film covers all of the major points of the crime, from the disappearance to the recovery of Yara’s body, as well as the arrest of the man who is convicted of her murder.

This Italian crime drama stars Isabella Ragonese and Sandra Toffolatti and was directed by Marco Tullio Giordana.

Even though it was clouded with so much sadness and sorrow, my takeaway from this movie was that there will always be justice somehow, and in some way.

6. Kindred. (2020)

I was left feeling hollow by the time this movie was over. It does put a number of things into perspective for me to be honest. I wish I could expatiate on that but I am glad I don't have to.

Summary:

Vulnerable mother-to-be Charlotte ( played by Tamara Lawrance) is taken in by her recently deceased boyfriend’s mother ( played by Fiona Shaw) and her stepson ( played by Jack Lowden), who seems increasingly obsessed with her every move. Plagued by mysterious hallucinations, Charlotte’s suspicions grow about Margaret and Thomas’ intentions for her unborn child.

7. Crazy Rich Asians. (2018)

I hardly have this to say about anything and that is that I loved everything about this movie. It stars Constance Wu, Henry Golding and Michelle Yeoh.

Summary:

This contemporary romantic comedy, based on a global bestseller, follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend's family.

The film concerns Rachel Chu ( played by Constance Wu), an NYU economics professor who gets invited by her current beau ( played by Henry Golding) to fly to Singapore and meet his family while attending a friend’s wedding. What Rachel doesn’t know is that he’s an heir to a family fortune (i.e. - "crazy rich") and one of the most eligible bachelors in his native country. This pits her against Nick’s oppositional mother (Michelle Yeoh) who is concerned that this oblivious interloper may interfere with the family’s plans for their favourite son.

As much as this is a love story, “Crazy Rich Asians” is very much about powerful women at its centre. We catch a glimpse of some of the anti-Asian discrimination Eleanor faced back when Nick was a child, and how she wields wealth like a weapon against enemies and intruders.

There is more to it but it's more likely better that you analyse that for yourself as this is not a movie review.

8. I Am Gabriel. (2012)

My mum and I distance watched this movie together a couple of months or so after my daddy passed on.

As a sucker for all things angels, I was easily pleased by this movie.

Summary;

An unforgiving sun, a parched earth, and a failed economy have left a small Texas town desolate. For ten years Promise, Texas has known nothing but one curse after another. It's barren, broken, and dying, leaving a town full of despair. When a couple finds a boy walking along a dusty road, alone in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but a mat tucked under his arm, they pick him up in hopes of helping him. What they don't realize is that he has come to help them and the residents of Promise. No one knows who he is or where he came from. Some think he's an answer to prayer. Others think he's a runaway or a false prophet. And the only thing this boy will say about himself is that he's here to help. The town's sheriff, Brody, is determined to uncover the truth. But Brody has his own problems trying to hold a dying town together. Miracle after miracle takes place and the residents of Promise embrace the boy. But when the beloved town doctor dies, it is time for the truth to be revealed. The boy pleads with Brody in front of the whole town to believe that he's come to help, not to hurt anyone. Finally, with his back against the wall, the boy reveals his true identity.

Even though it is quite dated, I can watch it over and over again. It stars Dean Cain (as Sheriff Brody), Gavin Casalegno (as Gabriel), and John Schneider (as Doc).

9. Yesterday. (2019)

“Yesterday,” is a wide-eyed musical fairy tale written by Richard Curtis (“Notting Hill,” “Love Actually”) and directed by Danny Boyle (“Trainspotting,” “Slumdog Millionaire”).

Summary:

When the Beatles are mysteriously erased from global cultural memory, one young guitarist's stardom is made.

Jack ( played by Himesh Patel) is a struggling 27-year-old singer-songwriter sick of playing to thin crowds. But his bright-eyed old friend and manager Ellie ( played by Lily James) is supportive – and clearly in love with him. The years of musical irrelevance end when there’s an electricity blackout across the globe, a jolt from the storytelling gods so absurd that you go with it. Jack is knocked off his bicycle and wakes in hospital to the gradual realisation that not a single other soul in the world knows who the Beatles are. It also stars Ed Sheeran.

This was actually the second movie I broke my media fast with and it made me feel quite human again on many levels.

10. Suicide squad. (2021)

I went to the cinema with my cousins to see this one. It was the first movie I broke my media fast with. It was a rude reawakening with a lot of everything and I don't regret it one bit.

Summary:

Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.

It stars Idris Elba, John Cena, Viola Davis, Margot Robbie among many fine others.

In Conclusion:

Travelling into these different worlds was good therapy for me and I recommend to anyone out there who is having a hard time with life in any way to just switch off for a moment every now and again, watch a good movie, get some sleep, wake up and start again.