The 2021 Raymo Awards

It's that time again, my wrap of the year in film and for obvious reasons the tally was down again in 2021 with just 22 films on the list. (Damn you, Covid).

On the whole the quality was a bit down largely due to studios delaying a lot of their major releases again. On the plus side I saw a few films I may not have seen had things been normal.

Only seven films scored 8/10 or above but another nine scored 7/10 or above so that says there were a lot of good films but not so many great ones. Let's hope that improves next year.

So here's my top 5 films of 2021 and it's a bit Marvel heavy.

1. Spider-Man: No Way Home (9.5/10)

Marvel and Sony finally worked together properly and we get a Spider-Man movie that is going to be difficult to top. Ever. Without doing spoilers, this was ultimate fan service as Tom Holland's Spider-Man had to do battle with villains from other universes (basically the previous Sony Spider-Man movies) after a spell to make people forget Peter Parker is Spider-Man (following the events of Far From Home) went horribly wrong. Once it hits stride everything about it is awesome.

2. Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (8.5/10)

A new addition to the Marvel ranks and this was so much fun. Shaun and Katy are valets and living the life of 20-somethings who don't have any big plans. Until a bus ride reveals Shaun is actually Shang-Chi, who was trained as an assassin as a young boy by his father who happens to be The Mandarin (a legendary Marvel villain). The action gets over the top in the second half but retains its sense of fun and wonder and ties into the MCU nicely.

3. Black Widow (8.5/10)

Natasha Romanoff finally gets her stand alone film having sacrificed herself in the events of Avengers Endgame. The movies tells the back story of the Black Widow and introduces us to her 'family' which includes a sister Yelena who we meet again in the Disney Plus series Hawkeye. It's all the action you would expect and I thought it gave Natasha a chance to stand out instead of being a support character though you could argue her family upstaged her at times. Lived up to expectation but didn't exceed it.

4. The Father (8/10)

With hindsight this would probably have scored a 9 but I have to go with my ratings. I described this as the scariest movie I've seen in a while. It's not a horror or thriller of any kind. It's a masterclass from Anthony Hopkins who deservedly won an Oscar for his role as a man with dementia. Told through his eyes, it's shocking when you realise how it is affecting him and you see his deterioration. If you haven't seen it make sure you do, but be prepared to be kicked in the guts by the reality of it.

5. Nomadland (8/10)

The first movie I saw in 2021 and another that probably gets a higher rating with the benefit of another go. Frances McDormand stars as a woman who leaves her home when her husband dies to live life as a nomad in a van, travelling around and meeting other nomads. McDormand is one of only two actors in the film, the rest of the cast are real life nomads and some of their stories are amazing. She won the Best Actress Oscar and you can see why. It's a bit of a sparse film and can be slow at times which took away from the first viewing but it's brilliant and worth a look.

Honourable Mentions: Other films to score 8/10 were High Ground, a story that centres on the massacre of an Aboriginal tribe in 1919, and Fast & Furious 9 (yeah I know I'm a sucker for these films but it was up to its ridiculous standard).

Worth a watch: Ghostbusters Afterlife (7.5) is a lot of fun and a worthy addition to the franchise, Eternals (7.5) was as good as a film that introduces 12 new characters into a franchise at once, Penguin Bloom and Dream Horse (7.5) are good based on true story films and A Quiet Place Part 2 (7.5) lived up to expectation.

Surprise Of The Year: Has to be Shang Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings. Just didn't expect it to be as awesome as it was.

Flop Of The Year: The Matrix Resurrections (4/10). Unnecessary sequel, flat story and a bored Keanu Reeves. Don't see it.

Film I Wanted To Like More: Dear Evan Hansen (6/10) - based on an award winning play, this musical has a brilliant story about an awkward teenager struggling with anxiety and depression that doesn't transfer to film as well as it should. You can read my full review a bit further down the page, I had high hopes for it and was let down by the format and casting (as good as Ben Platt is he's now far too old for the part and it shows).

What's on in 2022? It appears as though most films will now come out as planned and there's a few sequels I'm apprehensive about (the first one is Scream 5), Dr Strange & The Multiverse Of Madness has plenty riding on it, Jurassic World 3 is due and bring on Sonic The Hedgehog 2!

The Start Of Something

They say habits are difficult to form, good ones anyway, but it seems they are easy to let go of.

What are my interests? What are my hobbies? What is it about me that would make people want to invest?

It'd be a harsh assessment of myself to say I have no interests or hobbies, I still like the movies and the races and I've been slowly getting through the occasional book but I think I've become a millennial stuck in a 40-something's mind.

In the book, and film, 'About A Boy' the character of Will describes himself as an island, as the star of his own TV show - and it's not an ensemble cast.

When did I become Will? I don't have the royalties of a song written by a relative and played ad nauseum to allow a life of luxury but I'm clearly not filling the units of time effectively.

Re-assessment has been an ongoing thing but it's lacked action. I'm not making a point of filling up my units, at the moment it's just a word on a whiteboard.

And it's not as easy as it seems. For me, anyway.

Do I have to save the world to feel like I'm filling in time effectively? What is it that's stopping me from letting go of the fears I'm so clearly holding on to or letting dictate life?

Why do expectations, whether they are conscious or not, seem to gnaw away at you to the point there's this idealistic view of what I thought life would be like?

And when it's not living up to that idealistic view, as impossible as the view is, why does that eat away at me too?

Is it as simple as just letting it all go?

The start of something is harder than it seems. I want to start removing the chains, I want to start being engaged, I want to start to live free of the shackles of fear and doubt, I want to start to fly.

That's a reference to the Lifehouse song Flight.

No more running, no more hiding, no more hurting, no more crying, no more trouble, no more sighing, no more falling, no more striving, no more heartache, no more fighting, no more fears. Only flying.

Getting Off The Carousel

In Australia we call them merry go rounds, I'm using the term carousel in reference to a song I've always liked and that seemingly takes on more significance each year.

The song, of course, is Sick Cycle Carousel by Lifehouse (my favourite band - I'd love some new music guys).

Here's some of the lyrics:

"I tried to climb your steps, I tried to chase you down, I tried to see how low I could get down to the ground, I tried to earn my way, I tried to tame this mind, You better believe that I tried to beat this.

"So when will this end, It goes on and on, Over and over and over again, Keep spinning around i know that it won't stop, Till I step down from this for good."

So I've been going around and around for far too long. I want to change, not just lifestyle but outlook and attitude. Let me tell you it's hard.

It hasn't helped that at this stage of the pandemic, despite Australia being in a fantastic position compared to many places around the world, things have taken a bit of a dark turn. I've had a couple of weeks of leave and at times have sunk a bit low.

This week I have tried to drag myself out of it and it is helping to a degree but I don't think it matters how much work I do, if I return to the same place I'm only going wind up back there at some point along the way.

You know what they say about doing the same thing and expecting different results?!

I don't pretend it is going to be easy because to change you need to let go of things you're holding onto. There are a few things in particular I'm holding onto that must be released.

Chief among them is fear. Fear of living, it seems.

Someone I know who has been through a serious health battle said in an interview today that releasing fear from their body was a big part of getting on top of things.

I've often thought about what fear is doing to me. I might expand on that at another time.

To quote the song again - "I guess I kind of thought it would be easier than this I guess I was wrong".