The Best 10 Movies I Have Viewed in the Last 5 Years……

Best Films 2021-2026

The best ten movies I have viewed in the past five years (2021-to today’s opening date).  Of these ten, they are not necessarily my favorite films, but in my take,the best films I have put eyes on.  They are not listed in order of ranking 1 to 10 to start with. 

Belfast:  A five-star flick that is worth the best movie ticket of the year. Director Kenneth Branagh shot it mostly in black and white, and his expertise shows in the light and shadow filmmaking. The look and feel was the best B and W since ROMA a few years ago. Is it better? Could be.  This film is every bit as magnificent as that one, and the acting here is better, with all the performances at the highest level. After considering this film with my other “best” choices of the year, Belfast shows just how masterful this director is. Van Morrison’s songs are emotional and lend another aspect to the film. Viewed on HBO/MAX. Currently do not have a copy of the flick.  (Kenneth Branagh needs to make more films and leave the acting profession)

The Card Counter:  Paul Schrader is a world-class director, and also the same with his screenplays. Which does he do better? That is above my pay grade as an amateur movie critic. I will only say that he has made some of the most complex and significant movies that I have personally viewed. His “Affliction” flick with Coburn and Nolte was, for me, horrifying in terms of subject matter and performances. It is a film that hit so close to my psyche that I cannot and will not view it again. There are only three films that are in that category for me, and that is one. What can one say about the screenplays for Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and First Reformed? Now, The Card Counter is a superb flick in every way. This one won over most of the critics, but it did not pull down many, if any, awards. Schrader’s flick can be like that. Under the “Schrader”, I will say. A crafted film of the highest, a film that movie people will like. Maybe the best film of 2021? Viewed on HB0/MAX. Do not have the film. (Excuse me if I did not spend much time discussing this film. With a Schrader flick, you have to view it and then view it again. I have not had my seconds. But in time, I will, with longevity, take it to the table at least three times, and enjoy each meal.

The Power of the Dog:  A beautiful film in every way. Montana 1925 (New Zealand) never looked so good. Superior film in most every way. Will be in my Top Ten flicks for the year. A best western if there ever was one. Old-fashioned and a film that John Ford and Howard Hawks would enjoy to the max. The director was brave enough to let the viewer figure out what was happening without putting up road signs. I appreciated that. Viewed on Netflix.

Oppenheimer:  Do not go to view this movie if you have not done your homework on the subject matter. This is not entertainment for fun and games. It is a serious film about Oppenheimer, the building of the bomb, and the aftercurrents that followed, which still reverberate in today’s world politics. The human being as a culprit looking for self-destruction, no matter the means of accomplishing it, gives director Nolan his psychological canvas. With the non-linear set pieces interspersed in the 180 minutes, the various court settings, congressional hearings, sexual discretions, interlocked with personal conversations between presidents, scientists, politicians, and military leaders. The important historical events, such as the explosion of the first bomb in New Mexico, are paced in a frantic way, but do not consume the film as much as a much younger and less astute audience would want. This is not for the less intelligent, and those who want more than what they get are just shit out of luck here. Again, this is not for the dumbasses that frequent the cinema for a quickie, in any form. This movie is about history first, but just as important, about Oppenheimer the man, his thoughts, his demons, his loves, and his personal struggles within and outside his sphere of control. We have some tremendous performances, something that Nolan does better here than in most of his past films. At least in volume, if not anything less. Name the actors, and each is significant in what they bring to their performance. Nolan made sure that the A-list of greats, such as Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, and Gary Oldman, get their due, but not to overpower the B-list that is numerous, but also giving wonderful performances, such as Florence Pugh, Bennie Safdie, Matthew Modine, and Jason Clarke. I will also note Alden Ehrenreich as the senate aide to Lewis Strauss, who was perfect in his final lines with the unsuccessful cabinet hopeful Strauss. Robert Downey gave his greatest performance, with respect to Charlie Chaplin and Tony Stark. He will win most of the awards for supporting actor this year. Emily Blunt gives her greatest performance also. And to get Cillian Murphy to play Oppenheimer, Nolan pulled all the right buttons with Murphy’s help in grooming himself physically for the role. With all the hate that Nolan gets for his films not being understood for his offbeat direction and pacing, the issue of great filmmaking for him is totally misunderstood. Not my favorite film by this director, it is by far the most significant.

All Quiet on the Western Front:  A flawed film.  On my first viewing, yes, it has some.  Now on my fourth viewing, the flaws seem a lot less annoying.   Fits in well with the two previous films, but some dubious overhead shots, CGI, take it down a notch.  But I have come to the light and now accept those overhead shots.  Poor script, my first take, but now, not so bad.  Character development, relationship issues, or the lack of them, make it a visual experience more than an emotional one.  That is ok, as this is a war picture, and I get it. The big picture is more important than personal relationships.. Plenty of cliches, and it is not true to the book. On a third viewing, I have upgraded the film to four stars, as of the soundtrack and various set pieces. With this film, another upgrade to five stars on the fifth viewing.  Why do I seem to continue to go back to this movie?  Because it is so damn good, even with flaws.  I said the same thing about “Saving Private Ryan” and “The Thin Red Line” back in the day.

RRR:  The best time I have had viewing a flick in the past nine years (Raid 2). This movie, not a perfect one and its with flaws, it is still the best film I have viewed this year. All the other garbage out there does not compare with the excitement of a true action story that is totally engaging for every minute. Official review: If you go to the movies for excitement, adventure, themes of friendship, music and dance, direction by a master filmmaker, actors that are as quality as dope on a worldwide stage, and finally to spend over three hours viewing a flick that you have an investment in by the five-minute mark, go see this film.  You like run-on sentences? I like to write them. The three hours that go by with “RRR” put you in the “sauce” of total cinematic bliss all the way through, and this is what you want; this is the film for you.

The Promised Land:  The most intense “John Ford” flick in many years, the total entertainment package of the past year. Many themes are included, making this film a full historical package. It makes you think. Direction and acting are first-rate, violence is strong, and the love interests are believable.   Take a view, and I assure you it will not disappoint you if you have a working brain.  Have the Blu-ray.

Number 24:  Excellent film. A top ten movie of the year, and in my take, maybe the best film of the year. Simplicity of war is addressed as NR 24 was successful for what he did. Getting around any moralistic values that might have stopped his pursuit, be it blowing something up or making a murderous hit on a Nazi or a fellow countryman who lost his way for various reasons. This film is engrossing and somewhat sentimental, and always treats the viewer as an adult, respecting the humanity of man in times of war with regard to personal conflicting morals. In the end, war is often a battle for freedom, and that is pointed out many times here. One of the very best of its kind, full of brutal sights that war brings. I might add, this film hits on the fact that you “don’t look back when you kill in war. Yet, in the time after, that “looking back” often is unavoidable. There are legitimate reasons for taking a life, and those reasons are moral justification for committing the act of murder/execution. Highly recommended on various levels. Viewed on a streaming service. Do not have the flick.

The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan:  Total entertainment and exciting adaptation of this wonderful story. Direction, acting, action, and feel are top-notch. A stunning presentation with the freshness of the look is an overpowering movie viewing.  You believe you are in this time and place.  Finally, something that brings a French take and excitement to the book. This movie works on a higher emotional level than my other favorites, like the Richard Lester-directed duo of the 1970s. And it is not as such a comedy as Lester’s films were. Highly recommended. Have the Blu-ray and also part t.

Godzilla Minus One:  A flick that is not just another monster take. Social commentary of Japan after WW2 with real human beings and the emotions of the Japanese. The monster is just a vehicle to give us what has not been given in the past, a true smashing, killing, and destruction machine.  This is a film on the Japanese and how they needed to come together and build after such devastation…it took a Godzilla.  And this big guy brought them together in a made-up world.  A truly great film with special effects that brought home an Oscar.