The Top 5 Best & Worst of the year

During the second year of the lockdown, I started watching and re-watching more movies than usual, and developed an interest in reviewing them. I initially started writing reviews like "Whiplash", "Black Widow" or "The Father", though it was stuck in my computer lobby for several months. 

On the 11th October 2021, I made the ultimate decision of creating a blog, and up to the time of writing, I have only written 26 movie reviews. I have also included movies I watched this year that I haven't written a review about yet, and this list only focuses on The Best and Worst Movies not necessarily released this year, but ones that I watched this year.

Scores beside the title are out of four, in which

👎= 0%

1/2 = 12%

★ = 25%

★ 1/2 = 38%

★★ = 50%

★★ 1/2 = 63%

★★★ = 75%

★★★ 1/2 = 88%

★★★★ = 100%

The Best Movies I watched this year

5. The Father (★★★ 1/2)

There are such tiny and fascinating details in The Father, like changes in the furniture, colour or items, that make The Father an exceptional watch. Boosted by powerhouse performances from Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman, The Father is an in-depth exploration on dementia, and how the surroundings and reality of Anthony's character seem to perpetually change. Try not to burst into tears during the final five minutes.

4. The Pianist (★★★ 1/2)

Perhaps the most shocking movie of the year, The Pianist is a harrowing experience of World War II, and how the survivors, like Szpilman, need countless miracles to survive through the six horrifying years of conflict. It pays great attention to detail to make the viewer feel as if they're in the war itself, and also reminds us to be grateful of what we have now. It's also director Roman Polanski's most personal film.

3. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (★★★★)

It doesn't feel pretentious at all. Birdman, from director Alejandro González Iñárritu, is absolutely terrific. It penetrates into our mind, film critics, the people around us, life, how we push ourselves to do certain things, and so much more. Made to look one shot, it surprisingly never gets tiring.

2. Spirited Away (★★★ 1/2)

I only managed to watch this gem this year. Spirited Away is hailed as the 'greatest animation ever made', and I can agree to a certain extent. It transports you into the screen, into their wonderful, magical world, and radiates energy from start to finish. Perhaps the most wonderful thing is how it explores and builds different worlds, and how our main character changes.

1. Whiplash (★★★★)

The audience isn't an important thing when Andrew Neiman performs on the stage. What matters to him is Fletcher's opinion. In the end, he finally gives in to the obsession, which turns his life into a downward spiral, chasing for goal after goal. This is just one of the few things that make Whiplash the best movie I've watched this year, and possibly the greatest about drums. Damien Chazelle breathes fiery energy into this intense and psychological battle, and what divides passion and obsession.

The Worst Movies I watched this year

5. Trolls: World Tour (★)

Trolls: World Tour is 'not artistry. It's con artistry.' (Matt Zoller Seitz, rogerebert.com, Alice Through The Looking Glass)

There is just too many images, rehashed songs with little to no variation, and lackluster plot and characters. It is blinding, deafening, and migraine-inducing to the point where you wished it was over, but when it continues, it feels like an eternity. It may have slight appeal to younger audiences, though.

4. The Emoji Movie (★)

Forgive me for being the different one, because I do not hate The Emoji Movie with a burning passion. I do agree that it's terrible, with its infinite product placements and dull tone, but the headaches are frequent, not continual. By the end of the movie, I felt 'meh' instead of being immensely infuriated by what I was shown and throwing a rock to the screen. I'm sorry, but there were three more worse than this.

3. Suicide Squad (2016) (★)

Suicide Squad was just so forgettable that when asked to recall at least one thing or dialogue from the movie, I tried not to take risks and name the most used word in the English Language: The. See, I now remember at least a word from the movie. Jokes aside, most of the movie is very, very empty and perhaps doesn't even need to happen at all. Where was The Justice League? You could have called them to help, or were they on vacation? Why do I still know almost nothing about the characters after the entire movie? These are among the numerous questions that would most likely be asked upon viewing.

2. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (1/2)

What a hideous film Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is, or does it even qualify as a 'film'? It feels like no one involved in the production of this movie was even interested in doing this. The plot is terribly lame, characters with close to no depth, and sloppily edited action sequences. The editing is so noticeably nauseating that you'll barely understand what's happening half of the time, but I think it's better you don't waste your time trying to understand it, because it all amounts to nothing.

For the worst film I've watched this year, and probably the worst I've seen (for now), do you even need to guess this?

1. Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (👎)

In Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, the characters just exist. Or do they even qualify as existing? Or do I even dare to question whether or not they qualify as existing? The main source of laughs for this shameful advertisement of the Wynn Hotel comes from you! That's right, you will only get laughs from making fun of it, so if you're about to revisit any scene online, bring in a group of friends and pause every few seconds to come up with the best insults to this ''film''. Never have I seen a movie that fails in every aspect of movie-making, to the point where it fascinates and is in urgent need of dissection to figure out what in the world is wrong with it. I understand that there are movies worse than this, and for that, brace for impact.

Hold your sanity.