Most Anticipated Films of 2021 (PART I)

 Wow.  What a year.  To those who are reading this:  Congratulations.  You survived 2020.  It was a psychological tornado that upended our way of life and shook us to the core.  A human molotov cocktail shaken not stirred, chased down with a couple shots of chartreuse.  And among the many many things that were ravaged by its chaos was the movie industry.  Productions were halted.  Release dates were pushed.  And every streaming service out there swooped in like a bird of prey to capitalize on the opportunity to become the primary purveyor of new and exclusive content (which is probably why most of us subscribe to every single one now.)  And unless the new COVID vaccine ramps up distribution, its looking like 2021 is going to be very similar (or at least the first half of it will anyway), which is why I decided that this year's most anticipated movie list would read as more of a movie wish list for 2021 instead.  Now please note that I did try not to get too carried away with my selections and keep it as close to reality as possible (for example, I think we can all agree that there's no way in hell we'll be seeing Matt Reeves' The Batman until 2022, especially since release dates for those kinds of superhero blockbuster behemoths almost NEVER get pushed forward, but rather pushed back, so I'd say its current projected date is pretty realistic.)  I will come clean upfront though and tell you that one of my entries literally had its release date pushed right when I was in the middle of writing this list, and because I couldn't think of an adequate replacement... and because this list is technically a "wish" list... and because I had already drawn up the entry- I figured, "What the hell.  Screw it!  It's staying on the list!"  Don't judge me.  I barely got any great movies out of last year.  I'm desperate! I should also note that this list does not include any of the films that began a VERY limited theatrical release in December-  such as Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, News of the World, and Matteo Garrone's Pinocchio-  all of which I am VERY excited to see, and hope to as soon as the opportunity is made available to me.  And so, without further ado, here is my most anticipated films for 2021.  Enjoy!

PART I: 100-91

100) The Harder They Fall

Director: Jeymes Samuel (They Die By Dawn)  Cast: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Lakeith Stanfield, Delroy Lindo, Regina King, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, and RJ Cyler.

Just like renowned actors in Hollywood, it is not uncommon for popular musicians to dabble in feature film directing.  From Frank Sinatra and Madonna to Rob Zombie and Boots Riley, famous names in music have taken swings behind the camera with varyingly mixed results.  Perhaps that's why I have some reservation and skepticism for the sophomore feature from Jeymes Samuel aka The Bullitts, despite its impressively stacked cast and revenge-western plot.  I didn't catch his debut, They Die By Dawn, but from what I've gathered it was a very minor, under-the-radar release that didn't have the privilege of a splashy premiere at Sundance or Toronto.  Hopefully, with Netflix backing and a much starrier cast, we'll get to see the full capacity of Samuel's talents, and The Harder They Fall will be anything but minor or under-the-radar. 

Release: TBA

99) Umma

Director: Iris K. Shim  Cast:  Sandra Oh, Fivel Stewart, Dermot Mulroney, Odeya Rush, MeeWah Alana Lee, and Tom Yi.

Sandra Oh has always been one of the most criminally underrated actresses of her time, so when she finally headlined a series that allowed her to show us the range of her talent with Killing Eve, we all realized just how badly we wanted to see more.  That's one of the reasons why Umma, the debut film from Iris K. Shim and the first feature film to headline Oh since she catapulted to superstardom with Killing Eve, is such an exciting project.  The supernatural horror film, about a woman whose life with her daughter on their quiet American farm becomes upended when she receives the remains of her estranged mother from Korea, is also produced by Sam Raimi.  Raimi's illustrious contributions to the horror genre obviously carry weight to his involvement here, but it's also worth noting that Raimi has been known to discover and foster exciting talent in the genre as well- as seen with Fede Alvarez, who helmed the 2013 remake of Evil Dead and the nerve-shattering horror/thriller, Don't Breathe.  Hopefully, Shim will prove to be just as exciting a find as Alvarez, if not more, and I'm very intrigued to see how the film handles mining the fear of becoming one's parent(s). 

Release: TBA 

98) Passing

Director: Rebecca Hall  Cast: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, André Holland, Alexander Skarsgård, and Bill Camp. 

I mentioned earlier about how actors will often try their hand at directing, a list that stretches even longer than the one of musicians who have tested their luck at it.  And although the results of these efforts are not as varying in quality as those of the musicians-turned-directors, they are varying nonetheless.  But I have a lot of hope for actress Rebecca Hall's debut, which is slated to debut at Sundance later this month.  Mostly because the source material- the groundbreaking 1929 novel of the same name by Nella Larsen- is a searing and essential masterwork that reverberates with themes about race and identity that couldn't be more important and relevant right now.  Then there's also the fantastic cast headlined by Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga, plus producing credits that include the likes of Oren Moverman and Forest Whitaker, and what you have is probably the biggest early front-runner for next year's Oscars (assuming all goes smoothly of course.)  Set in New York during the 1920s, the story follows two mixed-race women who were friends in high school, and how their unexpected reunion fuels a mutual obsession with each other's lives that threatens to deconstruct their carefully constructed realities.  As it's been noted, this will be Rebecca Hall's first film in the director's chair, so the results could end up going a variety of different ways, but with so much at stake and so much talent involved, I'm praying that her debut is a homerun, because Larsen's novel deserves nothing less.

Release: Premiered at Sundance on January 30th.  Netflix now has distribution rights, but an official release is still TBA. 

97) The King's Man

Director: Matthew Vaughn (Kingsmen: The Secret Service, Kick-Ass)  Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickinson, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, Charles Dance, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Stanley Tucci, Neil Jackson, Alison Steadman, and Alexandra Maria Lara. 

Sequels, prequels, and spinoffs don't usually generate a great deal of interest with me these days.  Lord knows we have enough of them already as it is.  But this prequel/spinoff to Matthew Vaughn's two previous Kingsmen films boasts a lush setting in early 20th-century Europe and a to-die-for cast that's as magnificent as anything you're likely to get from a studio blockbuster this year.  Plus, I enjoy a little popcorn entertainment to go alongside the more indie and auteur-driven fare I almost exclusively consume, and I'd personally prefer an old-fashioned spy actioner about standing up to fascism than another bombastic Fast and the Furious movie.   

Release: December 22nd.

96) The United States vs. Billie Holiday

Director: Lee Daniels (Precious, The Butler)  Cast: Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund, Natasha Lyonne, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Evan Ross, Dana Gourrier, Erik LaRay Harvey, Melvin Gregg, Tyler James Williams, Rob Morgan, Tristan D. Lalla, and Alika Autran.

The music-biopic genre is one that has been overworked to death, and we've probably seen enough more of these films than we've cared to.  But every now and then, the right story comes along at the right time to shake the dust off any worn genre, and Lee Daniels' Billie Holiday biopic is looking like it could be that kind of story by tapping into a collective rage we're all grappling with right now.  Based on a nonfiction book by Johann Hari (Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs), Daniels' film follows notorious jazz singer Billie Holiday during her career when she was targeted by the Federal Department of Narcotics with an undercover sting operation by black Federal Agent Jimmy Fletcher, with whom she had a tumultuous affair.  One of the reasons Hari's book is such a vital work is that it underscores the misconceptions and disinformation behind the "war of drugs," which was never really about solving the American epidemic of drug abuse, but rather a ruse by the Federal government to marginalize and oppress communities and persons of color.  In the wake of the failed and totally unjustified "drug raid" on Breonna Taylor's home that tragically took her life, The United States vs. Billie Holiday should pose very important and necessary questions about the role the police and government have played in solving drug addiction, and hopefully get audiences to reevaluate some of their own preconceived notions about the issue.  My only reservation- and it's the reason this movie is placed as low as it is on the list- is that I haven't really connected with any of Lee Daniels' previous works.  Hopefully, that changes with this film.

Release: Begins streaming through Hulu on February 26th.

95) The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Director: Michael Showalter (The Big Sick)  Cast: Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Cherry Jones, Sam Jaeger, Vincent D'Onofrio, Gabriel Olds, Fredric Lehne, Mark Wystrach, and Jay Huguley.

Tammy Faye has always been an extremely fascinating public figure, so the idea of Jessica Chastain embodying her on screen was always going to be an enticing one.  The renowned televangelist, whose prominence peaked from the mid-70s to mid-80s, had an eccentric persona that was equally matched by her glitzy appearance.  With her big hair, overdone makeup, and vibrant, eye-popping wardrobe, it's no wonder she's become such an iconic personality within the gay community; the inspiration for drag comedy sketches and fashion runways alike.  But it was her warmth and boundless compassion, especially for LGBTQ persons and victims of AIDS (a remarkably uncommon trait for that time, especially from self-identifying evangelicals), that made her a truly enduring figure- as much as an iconic one- within that community.  Andrew Garfield will star as her adulterous husband and business partner, Jim Bakker, whose notorious rape scandal and imprisonment for fraud and conspiracy collapsed their business empire and marred Tammy Faye's image almost beyond repair.  Directed by Michael Showalter from a script by Abe Sylvia, the film is based on the acclaimed documentary by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, and this is perhaps where my only reservation is, since I'm unsure what new dimensions the film is hoping to explore that weren't already thoroughly and expertly covered in that doc.  At the very least though, Showalter's film should prove to be an awards-worthy showcase for his actors. 

Release: September 24th.

94) The Survivor

Director: Barry Levinson (Rain Man, Diner)  Cast: Ben Foster, Billy Magnussen, Danny DeVito, Vicky Krieps, Peter Sarsgaard, John Leguizamo, Saro Emirze, Kingston Vernes, Sophie Knapp, Dar Zuzovsky, Paul Bates, Anthony Molinari, Charles Brice, and Zachary Golinger.

After two decades worth of forgettable and unremarkable comedies (a lot of them just plain bad), it's not easy to have much faith in Barry Levinson's directing capabilities or any of his future projects.  He just hasn't made a great film in years.  But then you consider the subject of his upcoming film, the formerly titled Harry Haft- a biopic about a boxer and Holocaust survivor haunted by the memories and guilt of his experience in the concentration camps, where he would fight fellow prisoners to stay alive- and you realize that this may actually be one of those rare return-to-form movies that puts a respected talent back on the map.  Levinson's film will follow Haft from his time in Auschwitz to his eventual escape to a post-WWII New York, where he reengaged in the boxing profession in hopes that his notoriety might signal the attention of his first love, who he'd been desperately searching out.  The film's story of struggling immigrants trying to find renewed hope in a bruised Americana- not unlike one of Levinson's earlier great films, Avalon- should find the director comfortably within his element.  And with Ben Foster as the movie's titular character, the actor may have found another meaty and challenging role to showcase his extraordinary and transformative acting skills. 

Release: TBA

93) Bliss

Director: Mike Cahill (Another Earth, I Origins)  Cast: Owen Wilson, Salma Hayek, Madeline Zima, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Joshua Leonard, Nesta Cooper, Steve Zissis, Ronny Chieng, DeRon Horton, and Bill Nye.

Mike Cahill, the auteur behind reality-bending sci-fi such as Another Earth and I Origins, returns to the familiar territory of parallel realities and existentialism that was present in his last two films, only this time (based on the trailer anyway) he's grown out of the morose and ponderous tone that hindered his earlier work.  Owen Wilson plays a cubicle desk-jockey named Greg who, upon getting divorced and fired from his job, meets the mysterious Isabel (Salma Hayek.)  She convinces him that the monotonous and polluted world they live in is in fact a simulation, one that's only been designed to help them appreciate the blissful reality that they actually inhabit.  Sounds like the anti-version of The Matrix, and I'm very curious to see if the film is able to mine any fresh ideas from a concept we've seen before.  Cahill is an audacious talent, and his previous work- in spite of its flaws- has always indicated that he was capable of delivering something truly special somewhere down the line.  The fact that this comes out in only a few weeks and yet didn't make the cut at Sundance is a bit concerning, but hopefully it was only because the festival's slate was more limited this year (due to them going virtual), and perhaps Amazon just wanted to provide us all with some fresh, new content.

Release: Begins streaming through Amazon Prime on February 5th.

92) Locked Down

Director: Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow, American Made)  Cast: Anne Hathaway, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Stephen Merchant, Mindy Kaling, Lucy Boynton, Dulé Hill, Jazmyn Simon, Ben Stiller, Ben Kingsley, Mark Gatiss, Claes Bang, Sam Spruell, and Frances Ruffelle. 

While Doug Liman's upcoming sci-fi thriller, Chaos Walking, has been delayed and reshot so many times I've now lost interest, I am totally game for his new romantic-comedy heist-thriller about a quarrelling couple who make peace with each other, only so they can take advantage of the pandemic lockdown to rob the jewelry department at Harod's.  Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor star opposite one another in the two lead roles, aided by a solid and reliable cast and a script penned by Steven Knight.  The film was one of the first projects to shoot in the middle of the current pandemic under the new safety guidelines, and based on its timely plot, I anticipate that it will reverberate with themes we can all relate to during this moment- such as, I don't know.. disproportionate economic disadvantages?  Massive layoffs and unemployment?  A big middle finger to the wealthy ruling class?  Regardless, it should make for a fun and engaging diversion from all the chaos going on in the country right now.

Release: Begins streaming through HBO Max on January 14th. 

91) Invasion

Director: Michael Pearce (Beast)  Cast: Riz Ahmed, Octavia Spencer, Janina Gavankar, Rory Cochrane, Antonio Jaramillo, Brennan Keel Cook, Lucian-River Chauhan, Bill Dawes, and Aditya Geddada. 

Beast was one of the most striking debuts to hit the festival circuit during the last decade, and the fact that it helped launch the career of its leading star, Jessie Buckley, is one that we'll always be grateful for (especially after witnessing her knockout performance in the recent, i'm thinking of ending things.)  The sophomore feature from Michael Pearce looks just as promising, even if its story about a father protecting his two sons from an alien threat does sound overly familiar.  However, if there was one takeaway from Beast worth mentioning, it's that Pearce is definitely capable of delivering something that is more than the sum of its parts, and simple appearances can be deceiving (or at least, they were with that film.)  Riz Ahmed has proven to be one of the most versatile and engaging performers to break out in the last decade, and Octavia Spencer delivers strong work in almost everything she does.  Plus, if I'm being honest, I'm a sucker for alien invasion movies, no matter how many times they're done. 

Release: TBA