Noelle D. Lilley Nolle D. Lilley is a southern California native learning to From sequels to beloved 90s horror movie franchises to documentaries that uncovered an important historical moment in Black American music, these were the 10 best films of 2021.
Twenty Twenty-One was a great year for films. In the face of an ongoing pandemic, the movie industry managed to still release a number of films across genres that were well-received, whether critically and/or commercially. Some of those films happened to be sequels to beloved 90s horror movie franchises, while others were documentaries that uncovered an important historical moment in Black American music. Whether you watched some of these safely in the confines of your home or socially-distanced in a movie theater, these were the 10 best films of 2021.
Audiences had been waiting for a long time for Nia Decosta and Jordan Peeles Candyman after its original June 2020 release date was delayed three times because of the COVID-19 pandemic and it was well worth the wait. A sequel to the 1992 slasher film, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Anthony McCoy, an artist struggling to find his next inspiration while living with his art gallerist girlfriend (the always-charming Teyonah Parris; bonus points for two dark-skinned leads!) in a gentrifying Chicago. The couple live in a community that was once terrorized by Candyman, a paranormal, hook-handed murderer who was said to appear and kill his victims if they said his name five times. When Anthony begins to channel the legend of Candyman into his work, he unintentionally becomes his next vessel. The movie is more gruesome than scary and it can be easy to get lost among all its twists and turns and flashbacks. But its strengths lie in how it blends real-life issues of gentrification, white gate-keeping, and police violence with all the guts and gore youd expect from a horror film.
For years, Black audiences have pushed for movies that didnt rely on Black trauma: more sci-fi, more romcoms, and fewer slave narratives. Their calls were answered in 2021 with Concrete Cowboy,Netflixs family drama about a rebellious teenager who is sent to live with his estranged father. Concrete Cowboy premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2020, but wasnt available to stream until 2021. The movie takes its title from the communities of Black urban cowboys across the U.S., and even calls on real members of Philadelphias Fletcher Street riding community to play supporting characters. Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin are sincere and heartbreaking as a father and son duo struggling to understand each other and heal past wounds. The final act is weighed down by a somewhat stereotypical plot development involving a friend-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks (a mistake in writing to no fault of actor Jharrell Jerome, whose star power shines as bright as ever), but its a moving, family-friendly movie about the power of community thats a refreshing change of pace.
Although this film had a limited release in 2020, One Night in Miami graced most screens at home in 2021 from Amazon Studios. Its a fictionalized retelling of a meeting between Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) in 1964. The men, real-life friends, are celebrating Alis win over Sonny Liston at the Hampton House in Miami, guarded by Nation of Islam security. In her directorial debut, Regina King wisely keeps this film in a time capsule, focusing on each man on the precipice of a major change: Malcolm X leaving the Nation of Islam, Muhammad Ali changing his name from Cassius Clay, Jim Brown retiring from the NFL to pursue acting, and Sam Cooke releasing A Change Is Gonna Come. Each performance here is stellar, with the actors finding their way around the sometimes stagey limitations of a film adapted from a play. As the men bicker like siblings and make up as fast as they fight, they push the audience to ask ourselves what we expect from our idols, heroes, and leaders, and what is their responsibility to us?
A quick weekend getaway goes wrong when a waitress accompanies an exotic dancer, her boyfriend, and a mysterious roommate on a money-making trip to Florida, only to quickly realize the trip is much more than she signed up for. Another 2020 film that was pushed because of COVID-19, Zola is based on the viral Twitter story that invented threads before threads were a thing. Its equal parts hilarious and visually stunning with creative editing, and good pacing and story structure. Zola feels like a mix between a Tyler Perry thriller, an indie arthouse drama, and a dark comedy that, in lesser hands, would feel cringey and overstimulating. But thanks to the intentional direction of Janicza Bravo (with a thoughtful script co-written by Jeremy O. Harris),Zola sticks the landing with lots of uncomfortable laughs along the way.
A star-studded cast comes together for a fantastical romp in the Old West. The best part of this film is how it subverts the traditional Western genre, taking real-life cowboys and outlaws but reimagining them, resulting in one of the few Westerns with a primarily Black cast. This is a movie where everyone pulls their weight: Jonathan Majors as Nat Love, Idris Elba as Rufus Buck, Regina King as Trudy Smith, and more. Its a stylish and energetic time, as fast-paced as the pistol-whipping fight sequences that take place throughout (particularly between Love and Bucks team of sharp-shooters that culminates in the end of the twos long-fought and bitter rivalry). Unfortunately, the film disappointed some when it cast fair-skinned, biracial German-American actress Zazie Beetz to play the plus-sized, dark-skinned legend, Stagecoach Mary. In spite of this, the movie is saved by being playful and imaginative, one of two films this year paying true homage to the under-tapped history of Black cowboys.
A thoroughly buoyant film, King Richard finds Will Smith at the peak of his powers as he plays a Compton father raising two future world-renowned athletes: Venus and Serena Williams. Here, Smith gets to tap into his comedic timing in a way we havent seen in years, and delivers monologue after gut-wrenching monologue that just knocks the wind out of you. And best of all, hes evenly matched with Aunjanue Ellis (excellent in HBOs Lovecraft Country) as the Williams matriarch. Those familiar with the legendary tennis duos rise to fame in the 90s and 2000s will enjoy many of the scene-by-scene reenactments from this once-in-a-lifetime story. And for others learning for the first time, its a heartfelt family drama that manages to touch on racism, pressure, and sacrifice.
Most everyone has heard of 1969s Woodstock, but Questloves documentarySummer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) depicts the lesser-known (but equally impactful) Harlem Cultural Festival of the same year. The doc is heavy on the archival footage, restoring decades-old clips of performances from Nina Simone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Stevie Wonder with breathtaking color and clarity. The doc also tracks down attendees and performers alike, as they all reminisce about that memorable summer in Harlem. Its a great educational journey for folks who might be hearing about this historic event for the first time, and it masterfully connects the Civil Rights Movement of the past to the one in our present day.
Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield prove why theyre two of the biggest stars of their generation as Chicago Black Panther leader Fred Hampton and William ONeal (the man who would eventually betray him), respectively, in Judas and the Black Messiah. The combined brilliance of Shaka King, the Lucas brothers, and Will Berson brings this story to life with an electrifying script, and a powerful message of racial justice that rings true now more than ever. This is one of the first films, and perhaps the most notable, to chronicle the short life of Hampton. It also does the important work of painting a true picture of the Black Panther Party, one that shows the group in their fullness from community outreach like the partys Free Breakfast for Children program to the Rainbow Coalition, a multiracial movement that united working class organizers like the white Southern Young Patriots and the Latino-led Young Lords.
A prison drama unlike any other, Night of Kings displays the power of the West African oral tradition with breathtaking stakes and dazzling visuals. Philippe Lactes fantasy takes viewers into a fictionalized account of the notorious La Maca prison on the Ivory Coast, where Bakary Kon is the latest inmate. Here, the prison is run by the prisoners and the ruler of them all is the ailing Dangro Blackbeard, who is being pressured to leave his post. To stall the prison uprising, he appoints Kons character as the facilitys new Roman, a griot or storyteller in West African cultures. But what this new Roman doesnt know is that if the story ends, he dies. This movie is magical and gritty with a clear knowledge of Ivory Coast politics, blending fable with fact for a thoroughly out-of-body experience.
Based on the novel by Nella Larson, Passing is a quietly poignant film that explores the choices that shape our lives. Irene is a well-to-do Black wife in 1920s Harlem whose life is flipped upside down by the return of her childhood friend, Clare, who is now passing for white. A Netflix original, this movie is one of the few mainstream films to explore colorism, Black elitism, and what it means to be white-passing. Is Blackness solely determined by genotype or phenotype? Ancestry? Or is it about shared experience, socialization, culture? A mix of them all? Its like that thought experiment of a tree falling in a forest: if no one knows youre Black, are you still Black? Tessa Thompson plays Irene with a fluster of anxiety and repression, and although Ruth Neggas racial passability was much-debated, her Clare is like a black widow: both beguiling and untrustworthy. The tension consistently amps up as the movie goes on, and it even subtly includes the homerotic undertones of the book that some critics and scholars have overlooked. Passing will keep you on the edge of your seat with an ending thats unforgettable.
Nolle D. Lilley is a southern California native learning to appreciate seasons. She is an alum of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. She cut her reporting teeth in Bakersfield, CA; Phoenix, AZ; and Washington D.C., where she covered the 2018 Thousand Oaks shooting, 2017 Congressional Baseball shooting, and other national stories, as well as hyperlocal stories that speak to equity, representation, and social justice. Her work can be found in the Chicago Reader, theGrio, CNN, The Nation, Arizona PBS, BKLYNER, amNewYork, and elsewhere. She lives in New York City where she works as a television reporter for News 12 Networks, and is working on her first novel.
View post:
Okayplayers 10 Best Films Of 2021 - Okayplayer
- Intentional Community and Capitalism - Shareable - April 10th, 2024 [April 10th, 2024]
- How alternative communities have evolved from pacifist communes to a solution to the ageing population - The Conversation - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Georgia Power Announced T. Dallas Smith named to Georgia ... - All On Georgia - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- CSRWire - Thought Leaders Gather for Critical Community ... - CSRwire.com - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- EPA centers diversity with first-ever environmental youth advisory council - Yahoo News - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Rigor, Relevance, & Reality: Education Collaboratory at Yale ... - Yale School of Medicine - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Gaza: UN experts call on international community to prevent ... - ReliefWeb - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Fathering Together Announces Acquisition of City Dads Group - PR Web - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Company to pay over $50 million in largest environmental lawsuit settlement in D.C. history: Health risks to the public - Yahoo News - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Student death is now part of the routine at Middlebury - The Middlebury Campus - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- We welcomed an abandoned dog into our family. But dog dumping ... - Kansas Reflector - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- The National Climate Assessment Goes Woke - Dallasweekly - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- A Conversation about History, Race and the Meaning of True ... - Philanthropy Roundtable - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- The color of community | WORLD - WORLD News Group - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Kindness has good benefits | News, Sports, Jobs - The Review - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Georgia Power Foundation awards grant for BIG Edge ... - Georgia Southern University Newsroom - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- "Chilling": Maryland lawmakers threaten to cut aid to immigrants ... - Salon - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Three water options come with high cost | News, Sports, Jobs - Evening Observer - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Welcome to the Team, Kintan! | Office of Immigrant Affairs - Philadelphia Water Department - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Fannie Mae Recognized for Its DEI Efforts - DSNews.com - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Fannie Mae Named 'Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion' and ... - Fannie Mae - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Focused on progress - Weekly Challenger - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Good Ancestors and Messengers of Hope - Digital Journal - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- 'Make it intentional': 3-N-1 Trinity Services helps young ... - Longview News-Journal - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- 'Latinistas' is the World's First All-Latina Fashion Doll Line - hiplatina.com - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- CSU Releases Findings of Three-Year Research Study on NAVA'S ... - InvestorsObserver - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Press Ganey's Physician of the Year on a cardiology 'game changer ... - Becker's Hospital Review - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- City Officials Join Summer Campers and Local Artists to Kick Off ... - Philadelphia Water Department - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Merrill and Linda Hutchinson on Communication for a Summer of ... - Digital Journal - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Feathers installed as Rotary District Governor | News, Sports, Jobs - The Inter-Mountain - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Theatre at St. Luke's: All Shook Up to The Little Mermaid - Orlando Sentinel - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Culture wars rage on, forcing marketers to decide whether to ... - Marketing Dive - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Some thoughts on governance of the local variety - Resilience - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- 988 is saving lives, but more awareness and support needed - Alton Telegraph - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- The Limitations of Eco-Anxiety | Atmos - Atmos Magazine - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Welcome Back: How JAPER Becomes Real for the People in Brazil ... - Just Security - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Now Is the Time to Go All In on Heat Pumps - Rocky Mountain Institute - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) celebrates 40th ... - Elizabethton.com - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Discrimination or bureaucracy? A Jewish community in Germany ... - The Jerusalem Post - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- AAP Rules And Guidelines For How To Keep Kids Safe From Cars - Fatherly - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Pine County Sheriff's Report and Jail Roster | Communities ... - Pine City Pioneer - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Is a Hanan Ben Ari concert the solution for Jewish divisions? - opinion - The Jerusalem Post - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- What the LGBT wedding website Supreme Court ruling means for ... - The Atlanta Journal Constitution - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Out at CHM hosts its first 2023 event - Windy City Times - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- 'The time is now': Longtime friends launch support organization for ... - The Lawrence Times - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- La Vergne Receives Municipal League Award for Excellence in Fire ... - rutherfordsource.com - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- UW System offers status update on its five-year strategic plan (day 1 ... - University of Wisconsin System - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Hawaii Native Krystal Ka'ai Tackles Equity And Anti-Asian Hate For ... - Honolulu Civil Beat - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- News & events / News - Diocese of York - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Businesses that address social or environmental problems often ... - The Conversation - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- EFOC: Is This Happening To Me Because I'm Black? Combating ... - Essence - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Stations Telling Diverse Stories With Sponsored Segments from ... - Next TV - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Ex-Prisoners Face Headwinds as Job Seekers, Even as Openings ... - The New York Times - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Bungie weighs in on the current argument raging through the ... - PC Gamer - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Myanmar: Dire humanitarian and human rights situation ... - OHCHR - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Invest in our public schools - EdNC - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- N.Y. stands up for LGBTQ equality: Having Pride 12 months a year - New York Daily News - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- NASCAR, Bubba Wallace bring 'Bubba's Block Party' to Chicago - Daytona Times - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Fifth Third's 2022 Sustainability Report Shares Progress on Priorities ... - InvestorsObserver - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Top LGBTQ+ Financial Influencers to Learn from in 2023 - Investopedia - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- 'Retirement is so traditional,' try periodic retirement to figure out ... - Morningstar - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people brings federal ... - New Mexico In Depth - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- The Astounding Power of Intentional Productivity (And How You Can ... - The Good Men Project - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- What SCOTUS ruling on affirmative action means for UL schools - Louisiana Radio Network - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Community managers find the path for developers and players to ... - VentureBeat - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- The EPA was ready to clean up 'Cancer Alley.' Then it backed off. - Grist - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- What Bidenomics Means for Workers and Families - UpNorthNews - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- The vital link between a healthy press and our republic - The Fulcrum - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Death, Drag, and Decadence shows off the queer joy of DnD - Wargamer - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Israeli Expats in the U.S.: 'I Speak English, but I Don't Speak American' - Tablet Magazine - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- NTSB hearings end with talks on tanker conditions, fire's aftermath - Marietta Times - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Can 'Friendship Clubs' Cure the Loneliness Created by Remote Work? - The San Francisco Standard - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- 'Men in Blazers' Podcast Comes to Higher Ground to Talk Vermont ... - Seven Days - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- Mindfulness, breathwork expert preaches value of slow living to Black and brown communities - Yahoo News - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- Idaho's physician shortage is here. Here's what we can do about it. - Idaho Capital Sun - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- Awards Ceremony Shines Spotlight on Caltech's Trailblazers in ... - Caltech - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- The African American Museum of Iowa Announces Juneteenth ... - River Cities Reader - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- US Supreme Court Rules Against Striking Drivers Who Abandoned ... - Engineering News-Record - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- The Future of the Thomaston Green is Green (or should be) - PenBayPilot.com - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- The Elephant in the Ethernet Port - City Journal - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]