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 in film 2020

What is a film? What is a year? These are perhaps the least pressing questions of 2020 and, yet, they afford a refuge from even larger existential questions. I'm even later than usual with this year's roundup and my choices even more eccentric.

Three of my favorite films of 2020 are considered a TV show by some critics, even as the vast majority of films were seen on television. I've chosen to apply a very loose definition because Steve McQueen's 6-part Small Axe series is just so cinematic!

Meanwhile, I've grown a lot more strict about what I consider a "2020 film." Nomadland is a wonderful film with yet another fantastic Frances McDormand performance but I didn't see it in 2020 so it'll show up here in February 2022.

Them's the breaks. 🙈🙉🙊

THE TOP TWENTY:

1. LOVERS ROCK (U.K., dir. Steve McQueen)

2. FIRST COW (U.S., dir. Kelly Reichardt)

3. KAJILLIONAIRE (U.S., dir. Miranda July)

4. PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (France, dir. Céline Sciamma)

5. BEANPOLE (Russia, dir. Kantemir Balagov)

6. SOUL (U.S., dir. Pete Docter)

7. PALM SPRINGS (U.S., dir. Max Barbakow)

8. THE WILD GOOSE LAKE (China, dir. Diao Yinan)

9. MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM (U.S., dir. George C. Wolfe)

10. THE ASSISTANT (U.S., dir. Kitty Green)

11. COLLECTIVE (Romania, dir. Alexander Nanau)

12. CORPUS CHRISTI (Poland, dir. Jan Komasa)

13. THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF (Norway, dir. Benjamin Ree)

14. BIRDS OF PREY (U.S., dir. Cathy Yan)

15. TIME (U.S., dir. Garrett Bradley)

16. MANGROVE (U.K., dir. Steve McQueen)

17. LA LLORONA (Guatemala, dir. Jayro HIGH-RO Bustamante)

18. THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION (U.S., dir. Radha Blank)

19. I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS (U.S., dir. Charlie Kaufman)

20. RED, WHITE & BLUE (U.K., dir. Steve McQueen)

BEST PICTURE

Beanpole

First Cow

Kajillionaire

Lovers Rock

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

BEST DIRECTOR

Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole)

Miranda July (Kajillionaire)

Steve McQueen (Lovers Rock)

Kelly Reichardt (First Cow)

Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)

BEST ACTOR

Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal)

Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)

John Boyega (Red, White and Blue)

Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods)

Mads Mikkelsen (Another Round)

Honorable Mentions: Bartosz Bielenia (Corpus Christi), Ge Hu (The Wild Goose Lake), Hugh Jackman (Bad Education), Orion Lee and John Magaro (First Cow), Jesse Plemons (I’m Thinking of Ending Things)

BEST ACTRESS

Radha Blank (The Forty-Year-Old Version)

Jessie Buckley (I’m Thinking of Ending Things)

Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)

Julia Garner (The Assistant)

Alfre Woodard (Clemency)

HM: Haley Bennett (Swallow), Carrie Coon (The Nest), Sidney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always), Cristin Milioti (Palm Springs), Evan Rachel Wood (Kajillionaire)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Aldis Hodge (Clemency)

Udo Kier (Bacurau)

Paul Raci (Sound of Metal)

Steve Toussaint (Red, White and Blue)

Glynn Turman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom)

HM: Caleb Landry Jones (The Outpost), J.K. Simmons (Palm Springs), Michael Stuhlbarg (Shirley)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)

Candace Bergen (Let Them All Talk)

Gwei Lun-mei (The Wild Goose Lake)

Adèle Haenel (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)

Amanda Seyfried (Mank)

HM: Allison Janney (Bad Education), Margarita Kenéfic (La Llorona), Robyn Nevin (Relic)

BEST ENSEMBLE

First Cow

Kajillionaire

La Llorona

Lovers Rock

Mangrove

HM: Bacurau, The Outpost, Palm Springs

BEST BODY OF WORK

Haley Bennett (The Devil All the Time, Hillbilly Elegy and Swallow)

Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and The Trial of the Chicago 7)

Steve McQueen (“Small Axe” film series)

Elisabeth Moss (The Invisible Man and Shirley)

Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma. and “The Queen’s Gambit”)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Kantemir Balagov and Aleksandr Terekhov (Beanpole)

Kitty Green (The Assistant)

Miranda July (Kajillionaire)

Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)

Andy Siara (Palm Springs)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey)

Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy (The Outpost)

Charlie Kaufman (I’m Thinking of Ending Things)

Jonathan Raymond and Kelly Reichardt (First Cow)

Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Soul

Weathering with You

Wolfwalkers

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Collective

Dick Johnson Is Dead

The Mole Agent

The Painter and the Thief

Time

BEST FOREIGN FILM

Beanpole

Corpus Christi

La Llorona

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

The Wild Goose Lake

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Christopher Blauvelt (First Cow)

Dong Jinsong (The Wild Goose Lake)

Shabier Kirchner (Lovers Rock)

Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)

Kseniya Sereda (Beanpole)

HM: Karim Hussain (Possessor), Piotr Sobocinski Jr. (Corpus Christi), Lukasz Zal (I’m Thinking of Ending Things)

BEST EDITING

Dana Bunescu, George Cragg and Alexander Nanau (Collective)

Chris Dickens and Steve McQueen (Lovers Rock)

Andrew Dickler and Matt Friedman (Palm Springs)

Kelly Reichardt (First Cow)

Gabriel Rhodes (Time)

HM: Michael Duthie (The Outpost), Robert Frazen (I’m Thinking of Ending Things), Igor Litoninskiy (Beanpole)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Beanpole

I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Possessor

Relic

Swallow

HM: Color Out of Space, Kajillionaire, Lovers Rock, Mangrove, Palm Springs

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Erin Benach (Birds of Prey)

Lisa Duncan (Mangrove)

Jacqueline Durran (Lovers Rock)

Dorothée Guiraud (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)

Trish Summerville (Mank)

HM: April Napler (First Cow), Ann Roth (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Olga Smirnova (Beanpole)

BEST HAIR & MAKEUP DESIGN

Birds of Prey

Color Out of Space

I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Shirley

BEST MUSIC SCORE

Terence Blanchard (Da 5 Bloods)

Emile Mosseri (Kajillionaire)

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste (Soul)

Colin Stetson (Color Out of Space)

William Tyler (First Cow)

HM: Evgueni Galperine (Beanpole), Thomas Newman (Let Them All Talk), Tamar-kali (Shirley)

BEST SONG SCORE

Ed Baille and Abi Leland (Lovers Rock)

Gabe Hilfer and Season Kent (Birds of Prey)

Susan Jacobs (Bad Education)

Dawn Sutter Madell (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)

Robin Urdang (Palm Springs)

BEST SOUND DESIGN

La Llorona

Lovers Rock

The Outpost

Possessor

Sound of Metal

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Birds of Prey

Color Out of Space

The Midnight Sky

Soul

Tenet