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2021 Media Roundup: Film
Dec. 19th, 2021 10:08 am I guess I better start these, huh? It is, after all, a tradition.
I'll start with the shortest one: Film. I don't watch a lot of movies at the best of times, and while other people felt like sitting in a cinema for 3 hours in a mask with strangers who are not necessarily wearing masks sounds like a good time, I am not one of those people. Accordingly, I saw two new films with other people, both at the drive-in, and one new-ish film on my own. According to my calendar, there was also one of our online Charlize Theron-a-thons in 2021, though I don't remember which of the films we watched. That might have actually been it? I don't know. 2021 is a blur.
The new and new-ish films I saw were:
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: This was the first movie I saw in two years with other people in person, with popcorn and everything! So it's always going to be associated with the brief period where things were actually looking up. I really enjoyed it beyond that, though—it is basically a Marvel formula movie but with some important twists: a primarily POC cast, the female lead not being the love interest, and the origin story elements minimized. It was also quite funny, and the special effects were excellent in a way that enhanced the narrative rather than felt like filler. Also Simu Liu is a local guy and we stan him. I didn't know Michelle Yeoh was going to be in it either and I actually squealed out loud when she turned up.
The Eternals: I also saw this one at the drive-in, except in this case it was more about "omg I get to see another movie" than coming away with the sense that it was any good. It definitely had good moments and I appreciate its ambition, but I felt that its reach exceeded its grasp. What was irritating for me was that it pushed back at some of the things I dislike about superhero movies and teased at subversion but then left it alone. It raised issues that I wanted to see explored more in superhero/fantasy movies, like "why do hugely powerful characters waste so much time stopping crime when they could end the climate crisis," but the constraints of the Marvel Formula and Hollywood economics meant that they couldn't explore them, by, say, having the Eternals and the Deviants band together to overthrow the gods, or even by suggesting that the steam engine is responsible for a good lot of our problems.
Additionally, I'm not sure it's possible to make a movie in which aliens nudge human civilization forward without it being racist, even if those aliens are played by BIPOC actors. It sure was pretty, though.
Blood Quantum: This was objectively the best movie I saw in 2021. It came out in 2019 though. It's by Jeff Barnaby so it's gory as fuck and Problematic. Set on a Mik'maq reservation, it's about a zombie plague where Indigenous people are immune to zombification (but can still be eaten by them). A group of white survivors take refuge in Red Crow's fortress, and predictable horror ensues.
Zombie movies are best when they tackle real world politics, and this has it in droves. The zombie plague brings up not just genocide through disease, but the complex politics of multiracial identity, generational trauma, and gender politics. It's also wonderfully inventive, with stunning animated sequences and memorable characters, with particularly outstanding performances by Michael Greyeyes, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, and Stonehorse Lone Goeman.
Winter break is traditionally my time to watch movies, so I'll probably see a few more (like Dune) this week. In lieu of me having anything to say about them, enjoy this article from the Jacobin about why movies suck now.
I'll start with the shortest one: Film. I don't watch a lot of movies at the best of times, and while other people felt like sitting in a cinema for 3 hours in a mask with strangers who are not necessarily wearing masks sounds like a good time, I am not one of those people. Accordingly, I saw two new films with other people, both at the drive-in, and one new-ish film on my own. According to my calendar, there was also one of our online Charlize Theron-a-thons in 2021, though I don't remember which of the films we watched. That might have actually been it? I don't know. 2021 is a blur.
The new and new-ish films I saw were:
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: This was the first movie I saw in two years with other people in person, with popcorn and everything! So it's always going to be associated with the brief period where things were actually looking up. I really enjoyed it beyond that, though—it is basically a Marvel formula movie but with some important twists: a primarily POC cast, the female lead not being the love interest, and the origin story elements minimized. It was also quite funny, and the special effects were excellent in a way that enhanced the narrative rather than felt like filler. Also Simu Liu is a local guy and we stan him. I didn't know Michelle Yeoh was going to be in it either and I actually squealed out loud when she turned up.
The Eternals: I also saw this one at the drive-in, except in this case it was more about "omg I get to see another movie" than coming away with the sense that it was any good. It definitely had good moments and I appreciate its ambition, but I felt that its reach exceeded its grasp. What was irritating for me was that it pushed back at some of the things I dislike about superhero movies and teased at subversion but then left it alone. It raised issues that I wanted to see explored more in superhero/fantasy movies, like "why do hugely powerful characters waste so much time stopping crime when they could end the climate crisis," but the constraints of the Marvel Formula and Hollywood economics meant that they couldn't explore them, by, say, having the Eternals and the Deviants band together to overthrow the gods, or even by suggesting that the steam engine is responsible for a good lot of our problems.
Additionally, I'm not sure it's possible to make a movie in which aliens nudge human civilization forward without it being racist, even if those aliens are played by BIPOC actors. It sure was pretty, though.
Blood Quantum: This was objectively the best movie I saw in 2021. It came out in 2019 though. It's by Jeff Barnaby so it's gory as fuck and Problematic. Set on a Mik'maq reservation, it's about a zombie plague where Indigenous people are immune to zombification (but can still be eaten by them). A group of white survivors take refuge in Red Crow's fortress, and predictable horror ensues.
Zombie movies are best when they tackle real world politics, and this has it in droves. The zombie plague brings up not just genocide through disease, but the complex politics of multiracial identity, generational trauma, and gender politics. It's also wonderfully inventive, with stunning animated sequences and memorable characters, with particularly outstanding performances by Michael Greyeyes, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, and Stonehorse Lone Goeman.
Winter break is traditionally my time to watch movies, so I'll probably see a few more (like Dune) this week. In lieu of me having anything to say about them, enjoy this article from the Jacobin about why movies suck now.
