Celebrating the best in film 2021: The Wallys hit 15

This is the 15th year I've assembled The Wallys.

It's funny the habits we commit to and the ones that fall by the wayside. My annual take on the year in film started as a lark. I talked about movies so much — often bemoaning the stuff hyped by the Oscars — that a friend challenged me to create my own awards show.

That first year, my Best Picture went to The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Andrew Dominik's meditation on grief and longing seen through the eyes of an ambitious young man. No one I shared the list with had seen the film and couldn't... because it got a blink-and-you-missed-it theatrical run and it wasn't on DVD.

Fifteen years later, my Best Picture goes to This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection, Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese's meditation on grief and longing seen through the eyes of a fierce 80-year-old widow. Haven't seen it? Get thee to the Criterion Channel.

Here's the best of 2021, according to me.

THE TOP TWENTY

1. THIS IS NOT A BURIAL, IT’S A RESURRECTION (Lesotho, Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese) — currently on the Criterion Channel

2. THE POWER OF THE DOG (U.K., Jane Campion) — Netflix

3. LICORICE PIZZA (U.S., Paul Thomas Anderson) — in theaters

4. ZOLA (U.S., Janicza Bravo) — available to rent

5. QUO VADIS, AIDA? (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jasmila Zbanic) — Hulu

6. THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH (U.S., Joel Coen) — AppleTV+

7. DANCE OF THE 41 (Mexico, David Pablos) — Netflix

8. SHIVA BABY (U.S., Emma Seligman) — HBO Max

9. NIGHTMARE ALLEY (U.S., Guillermo del Toro) — Hulu/HBO Max

10. ABOUT ENDLESSNESS (Sweden, Roy Andersson) — Hulu

11. THE FRENCH DISPATCH (U.S., Wes Anderson) — available to rent

12. LAST NIGHT IN SOHO (U.K., Edgar Wright) — available to rent

13. AZOR (Argentina, Andreas Fontana) — available to rent

14. SPENCER (U.K., Pablo Larraín) — Hulu/HBO Max

15. THE FATHER (U.K., Florian Zeller) — available to rent

16. DUNE (U.S., Denis Villeneuve) — HBO Max

17. THE NIGHT HOUSE (U.S., David Bruckner) — available to rent

18. MINARI (U.S., Lee Isaac Chung) — available to rent

19. THE LOST DAUGHTER (U.S., Maggie Gyllenhaal) — Netflix

20. THE CARD COUNTER (U.S., Paul Schrader) — available to rent

BEST PICTURE

Licorice Pizza

The Power of the Dog

Quo Vadis, Aida?

This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection

Zola

 

BEST DIRECTOR

Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)

Janicza Bravo (Zola)

Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)

Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese (This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection)

Jasmila Zbanic (Quo Vadis, Aida?)

HM: Roy Andersson (About Endlessness), Joel Coen (The Tragedy of Macbeth), David Pablos (Dance of the 41)

 

BEST ACTOR

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog)

Anthony Hopkins (The Father)

Oscar Isaac (The Card Counter)

LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah)

Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth)

HM: Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah), Udo Kier (Swan Song), Steven Yeun (Minari)

 

BEST ACTRESS

Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)

Jasna Đuričić (Quo Vadis, Aida?)

Rebecca Hall (The Night House)

Mary Twala Mhlongo (This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection)

Kristen Stewart (Spencer)

HM: Jodie Comer (The Last Duel), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Mercedes Hernández (Identifying Features), Taylor Paige (Zola), Tessa Thompson (Passing)

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Bradley Cooper (Licorice Pizza)

Colman Domingo (Zola)

Tony Kotsur (CODA)

Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog)

Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog)

HM: Ciarán Hinds (Belfast), Jeffrey Wright (The French Dispatch), Emiliano Zurita (Dance of the 41)

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter)

Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)

Valerie Mahaffey (French Exit)

Ruth Negga (Passing)

Youn Yuh-jung (Minari)

HM: Cate Blanchett (Nightmare Alley), Kathryn Hunter (The Tragedy of Macbeth), Riley Keough (Zola)

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE

Dance of the 41

The French Dispatch

Licorice Pizza

Minari

Shiva Baby

BEST BODY OF WORK

Olivia Colman (actor, The Father and The Lost Daughter)

Adam Driver (actor, Annette, House of Gucci and The Last Duel)

Rebecca Hall (actor/director, The Night House and Passing)

Frances McDormand (actor, The French Dispatch, Nomadland and The Tragedy of Macbeth)

Ari Wegner (cinematographer, The Power of the Dog and Zola)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)

Wes Anderson (The French Dispatch)

Emma Seligman (Shiva Baby)

Jasmila Žbanić (Quo Vadis, Aida?)

Monika Revilla (Dance of the 41)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Janicza Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris (Zola)

Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)

Joel Coen (The Tragedy of Macbeth)

Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller (The Father)

David Lowery (The Green Knight)

BEST DOCUMENTARY

A Cop Movie

The Dissident

The Rescue

Summer of Soul

Tina

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

About Endlessness

Azor

Dance of the 41

Quo Vadis, Aida?

This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Greig Fraser (Dune)

Pierre de Villiers (This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection)

Bruno Delbonnel (The Tragedy of Macbeth)

Joshua James Richards (Nomadland)

Ari Wegner (The Power of the Dog)

HM: Chung Chung-hoon (Last Night in Soho), Carolina Costa (Dance of the 41), Robert Yeoman (The French Dispatch)

BEST EDITING

Joel Coen and Lucian Johnston (The Tragedy of Macbeth)

Andy Jurgensen (Licorice Pizza)

Paul Machliss (Last Night in Soho)

Joi McMillon (Zola)

Peter Sciberras (The Power of the Dog)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

About Endlessness

The Father

Last Night in Soho

Nightmare Alley

The Tragedy of Macbeth

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Milena Canonero (The French Dispatch)

Odile Dicks-Mireaux (Last Night in Soho)

Kika Lopes (Dance of the 41)

Marci Rodgers (Passing)

Jacqueline West (Dune)

BEST HAIR & MAKEUP DESIGN

Dance of the 41

Dune

The French Dispatch

The Green Knight

Nightmare Alley

BEST MUSIC SCORE

Alexandre Desplat (The French Dispatch)

Ludovico Einaudi (The Father)

Devonté Hynes (Passing)

Steven Price [composer] and Kirsten Lane [music supervisor] (Last Night in Soho)

Hans Zimmer (Dune)

BEST SOUND DESIGN

Dune

Ema

The Father

The Green Knight

Zola

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Dune

Godzilla Vs. Kong

The Green Knight

The Wallys: Best Writing and Technicals

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"Margin Call" is a remarkably sober take on the collapsing house of cards that plunged the world into recession. J.C. CHANDOR explores the complex motivations and rationalizations that laid the groundwork for disaster, but he also creates fully-realized characters. The film's climactic scene, a monologue delivered by Jeremy Irons' CEO John Tuld, is emblematic of the mindset that brought us to this point.

SCOTT Z. BURNS spins a frighteningly real scenario in his pandemic disaster flick "Contagion" while never losing sight of the humans at its core. Originally a novelist, LEE CHANG-DONG’s light touch as a director is also apparent in his work as a screenwriter. A lot of the power in “Poetry” derives from what isn’t said. MIKE LEIGH’s script for “Another Year” ― more an outline to guide his actors’ improvisation ― is a masterwork of tone; not a false note in the entire film. The other Mike of 2011, MIKE MILLS, crafted a film that bravely breaks the fourth wall every chance it gets and relies more on his actors, not his words, to carry the "Beginners."


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
IM SANG-SOO skillfully culls (i.e. steals) the plot of the landmark 1960 film that launched a thousand imitators (most famously "Fatal Attraction"), but shapes it into something entirely different. Whereas the original South Korean film takes the side of the philandering husband, Im's version of "The Housemaid" observes its uppercrust soap opera from a cool distance. With biting dialogue and a surreal book-ending sequences, Im has created a satire that cuts to the bone.

At its heart "The Ides of March" is a crackerjack thriller, but GEORGE CLOONEY, GRANT HESLOV & "Farragut North" playwright BEAU WILLIMON also crafted slick, politically-savvy dialogue that manages to squeeze in a reference to Neville Chamberlain. You can almost tell which scenes STEVE ZAILLIAN and AARON SORKIN contributed to "Moneyball," their individual strengths -- honest sentimentality and polished dialogue -- constructing a film out of a thoroughly uncinematic book. PETER STRAUGHAN and his late wife BRIDGET O'CONNOR distill the best parts of the John Le Carre novel (and the BBC mini-series) "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" into an enthralling 120-minute film. Somehow, some way, JOHN LOGAN whittled down a 533-page novel into a film, "Hugo", with the heart and brains to appeal to kids and their parents.


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Having already proven his chops with the one-two punch of “The New World” and “Children of Men” a few years ago, there was no question EMMANUEL LUBEZKI would create another landmark for the artform with “The Tree of Life.” While the film is on shaky ground tonally, its visuals are something to behold. Working primarily with natural light sources, Lubezki captured indelible image after indelible image. He also has a skill for allowing traditionally-composed frames to blend seamlessly with post-production CG and macrophotography.

Like Lubezki, RODRIGO PRIETO proved his mettle working with available light for “Biutiful,” a film whose carefully composed images more than live up to its title. The cinematography of “Drive” ― full of reflective surfaces awash in the orange of high pressure sodium streetlights ― is integral to the film’s success; and NEWTON THOMAS SIGEL does not disappoint. The oft-ignored ALWIN KUCHLER (of 2002’s “Morvern Callar,” 2003’s “Code 46” and 2007’s “Sunshine”) turns in stunning compositions full of color and movement for “Hanna.” Old pro ROBERT RICHARDSON displays a deft hand capturing the cornucopia of period detail in his frames while never overwhelming the eye in “Hugo.”

BEST EDITING
First, a note about editing: Even professionals disagree about what constitutes “good” editing. What is clear is that a good editor can salvage the work of an inept director filming an unfocused script and a bad one can sink even the best material. Here, I do my best to judge editing based on the clarity and complexity of the film’s narrative and visual components. For instance, if you can’t tell where the protagonist is running to or from in an action sequence, that to me is bad editing.


With so many characters with so many motivations competing for screen time in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” DINO JONSÄTER has to do a lot of heavy lifting, or cutting as it were. It’s a testament to his skill that the audience is never confused over which spy is which, something that’s integral to the success of a film like this. Even more impressive, the film never plods along despite its robust 127-minute running time.

"Biutiful" comes across as a carefully assembled jigsaw puzzle sometimes, with characters and plot threads weaving in and out of the narrative, but it works in large part because of STEPHEN MIRRIONE's sense of the Big Picture and all the necessary pixels along the way. JOSÉ SALCEDO apes Hitchcock’s cutters in Almodovar’s off-kilter “The Skin I Live In,” but he also shows he has a few of his own tricks up his sleeve. “Drive” is one of the “showier” examples of editing this year, but even so MAT NEWMAN knows how to build and diffuse suspense. PARKE GREGG shows a confidence in his shots that’s a rare trait among editors today. In “Take Shelter,” he isn’t afraid to hold a shot a few agonizing moments longer.


BEST ART DIRECTION
“Hugo” would not have worked without the aesthetically beautiful and setting-specific production design of DANTE FERRETTI and set decoration of FRANCESCA LO SCHIAVO, both Scorsese regulars. Their recreation of a 1931 Paris train station is full of period detail that immerses the viewer into the story. Bonus points for the intricate clocks and enchanting Georges Méliès film sets.

MARIA DJURKOVIC, TOM BROWN and JACQUELINE DURRAN capture the banalities and bureaucratic menace of “The Circus” in “Tinker Tailor Tailor Soldier Spy.” ANTXÓN GÓMEZ and CARLOS BODELÓN’s sets are an integral part of the mental duress the characters of “The Skin I Live In” feel. Never has bourgeois style felt more oppressive than in the slick, monochrome mansion LEE HA-JUN, HAN AH-REUM and YANG HYEON-MI create for “The Housemaid.” SHARIF WAKED and MAHA ASSAL create some stunning set pieces, including a see-through discothèque, for the surreal comedy of “The Time that Remains.”

BEST MUSIC OR SONG SCORE

Admittedly, combining CLIFF MARTINEZ's original cues with the recycled tunes wrangled by music supervisors ERIC CRAIG and BRIAN McNELIS is a bit of a cheat. Regardless, "Drive" featured hands-down the best score, original or adapted, of any film released in 2011. Every piece contributes to director Nicolas Winding Refn’s vision of modern Los Angeles.

DAVID WINGO's "Take Shelter" score is simple and incessant. His electronic wind chimes and swelling strings lay the groundwork for a man's unraveling. Like the best Bernard Hermann scores, ALBERTO IGLESIAS' compositions for "The Skin I Live In" are classically unhinged. FALL ON YOUR SWORD's hypnotic keyboards create an ethereal undercurrent for the Earth-bound drama of "Another Earth." It's easy to lose HOWARD SHORE's understated score beneath the stunning visuals of "Hugo," but he too adds to the film's distinct sense of time and place.

BEST FEATURED SONG

Discovering YOU AND ME, recorded by the Columbus, Ohio-based Penny & the Quarters in the early 1970s, was a coup for Ryan Gosling and director Derek Cianfrance. Taken out of context, it's a sugary pop confection. But it lends a shopworn sweetness to “Blue Valentine,” a tale of doomed romance.

Covering Led Zeppelin's IMMIGRANT SONG with Karen O was a stroke of brilliance, one of the only one to be found in Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' all-too-familiar score for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." Quietly released in 2010, College's anthemic electro-pop bauble A REAL HERO made a lasting impression in this year's "Drive." Tacked onto the end credits of "Win Win," The National's THINK YOU CAN WAIT is a solid piece of songwriting even if it doesn't jibe with the film around it. The Chemical Brother's HANNA'S THEME is the ear candy to Alwin Kuchler's eye candy.

BEST SOUND DESIGN
Even more stunning than the dense visuals were the city soundscapes created for Scorsese's HUGO. The train station sounds like a train station; the sound mixers adding a fourth dimension to the experience. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO boasted an impressive array of sounds, integrating the beeps, bloops and taps of its plugged-in hacker into Reznor and Ross' ambient score. DRIVE made full use of its L.A. stunt driver milieu, using sound to propel the plot. TAKE SHELTER blends ambient and foley sounds with David Wingo's score to create an claustrophobic emptiness. A lot of the work in SUPER 8 is boilerplate, but the train sequence was a genuinely thrilling piece of sound editing.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

The visual effects in THE TREE OF LIFE allowed Terrence Malick to show his audience something they hadn't seen before: the creation of the universe. HUGO featured some of the best 3-D work I've seen, creating an immersive environment that didn't leave me with an aching head. RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES marked a sizeable, if not gorilla-sized, step forward for motion capture. While I wasn't crazy about the film, the effects, including an emaciated Chris Evans (if only Christian Bale was available…), in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER were undeniably impressive. REAL STEEL created boxing robots more tactile than anything Michael Bay has conjured.