Tell us your favorite ten films of 2021 for a chance to win a Gift Card valid at all eight Laemmle locations and at home on watch.laemmle.com! The contest lasts through January 31, 2022.
Here’s Greg Laemmle’s Top 10 list:
#10 – SHIVA BABY – This true indie gem came out just as theatres were reopening in April, and got a little lost in the shuffle. I understand that director Emma Seligman and star Rachel Sennott are teaming up on another project, and can’t wait to see the results.
#9 – THE CARD COUNTER – Writer-director Paul Schrader is again at the top of his game with this meditation on the collective guilt arising from our country’s adventures in nation building and the ensuing crimes against humanity. Oscar Isaac is terrific as Schrader’s scapegoat, and Tiffany Haddish and Tye Sheridan provide excellent support.
#8 – THE VELVET QUEEN – We wonder if patience will be rewarded as the subjects of the documentary wait for a glimpse of an elusive Himalayan snow leopard. But either way, the audience’s patience is rewarded in this quiet and contemplative documentary.
#7 – JOCKEY – Clifton Collins Jr. has always been a welcome presence on screen. But also such a chameleon that even the most astute moviegoer may miss his presence. But he’s hard to miss as the aging jockey at the center of this quietly powerful story. If there is any justice in Hollywood, he will be remembered when nominations for Best Actor are announced.
#6 – C’MON C’MON – Writer-director Mike Mills may only have four films to his credit (previously THUMBSUCKER, BEGINNERS, 20TH CENTURY WOMEN), but he has yet to deliver a bad film. Anchored by strong performances from Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann and young newcomer,Woody Norman, this is worth searching out.
#5 – tick, tick…BOOM! – I’m not a fan of RENT. And although I was familiar with the songs from this earlier Jonathan Larson musical, I wasn’t particularly a fan of the music. But I loved what director LIn-Manuel Miranda did to blend Larson’s musical within a documentary framework to create something that goes above and beyond the source material. And in a year when he also delivered amazing performances in MAINSTREAM and THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE, Andrew Garfield is beyond fabulous in the lead.
#4 – DRIVE MY CAR – Adapted from a short story by Murakami Haruki, this breakthrough film from director Ryusuke Hamaguchi is the foreign language sleeper of the year.
#3 – DUNE – It should come as no surprise that Denis Villeneuve delivers a visual feast in this epic telling of the first part of Frank Herbert’s beloved sci-fi novel. But the emotional and philosophical aspects of the tale are given equal attention, and the result is that rare Hollywood blockbuster that satisfies on all fronts. How often does one get to say that they eagerly look forward to the sequel to a Hollywood blockbuster.
#2 – BELFAST – Too sentimental? Who cares. It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. And like Dickens, writer-director Kenneth Branagh shows us both the beauty and terror of his youth in Belfast in this elegiac tale. The cast is uniformly excellent, from old pros like Judy Dench and Ciaran Hinds to newcomer Jude Hill.
#1 – THE POWER OF THE DOG – I beg you. Please find a way to see this on the big screen. Or if you must stream it, put your phone in another room and commit yourself to giving this film the same level of care and attention that director Jane Campion and her cast and crew clearly delivered in bringing this into existence. This may be Ms. Campion’s finest work yet and coming from the director of AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE, THE PIANO and BRIGHT STAR, that is saying a lot. I sincerely hope that she does not take off for another 12 years (the span between BRIGHT STAR and THE POWER OF THE DOG) from making feature films, but if that kind of break is needed to produce a movie as perfect and complete as THE POWER OF THE DOG, I will patiently wait. This film is that good.
A couple other top ten lists from people who know their stuff and see pretty much everything:
1. DRIVE MY CAR
2. THE POWER OF THE DOG
3. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND
4. SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
5. PASSING
6. AZOR
7. THE CARD COUNTER
8. THE DISCIPLE
9. WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY
10. SPENCER
1. DRIVE MY CAR
2. THE SOUVENIR: PART II
3. PROCESSION
4. MEMORIA
5. DAYS
6. PARALLEL MOTHERS
7. PETITE MAMAN
8. THE DISCIPLE
9. THE GREEN KNIGHT
10. THE POWER OF THE DOG
11. PASSING
With the 91st Academy Awards right around the corner, it’s time for our annual Predict the Oscars Contest! The person who most accurately predicts the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s choices in all 24 categories, from the shorts to Best Picture, will win fabulous prizes (free movies and concessions at Laemmle)!
Each year, our friends at the 
It’s time for our annual Predict the Oscars Contest! The person who most accurately predicts the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s choices in all 24 categories, from the shorts to Best Motion Picture, will win fabulous prizes (free movies and concessions at Laemmle)!