Oscars 2021: Nomination Predictions

Jeremy BeckOscars
Emilia Jones in CODA

Hey, the Oscars are back to normal this year, right? Well, sort of. Following last year’s ill-advised, pandemic-influenced decision to extend the 2020 eligibility window by two months, this year’s period is correspondingly shorter, spanning from March through December of 2021. Of course, release date is really just a state of mind for the Academy; how else to explain the qualifying run, that ubiquitous, noxious trend in which buzzy contenders—including Cyrano, Petite Maman, and The Worst Person in the World—receive invisible one-week December releases in New York and L.A. in order to be deemed “2021” films, even though the vast majority of American audiences can’t see them for months later?

It’s annoying, but release-schedule and eligibility-fudging shenanigans aside, the good news is that the compressed ten-month window hasn’t yielded a shortage of strong candidates. I’ll wait until next month before unveiling my official top 10 list, but despite the routine prophecies of the death of cinema, there were still plenty of good movies to watch in 2021. Now, whether that sustained quality will actually translate to this year’s nominations is anyone’s guess, though widening the inevitable gap between personal darlings and populist favorites is arguably part of the Academy’s function. Put differently: What’s the point of the Oscars if not to complain about them? Read More

Read more

The 10 Best TV Shows of 2021

Jeremy BeckTop 10 Lists, TV Rankings
Heléne Yorke in The Other Two; Jeremy Strong in Succession; Mackenzie Davis in Station Eleven; Reneé Rapp in The Sex Lives of College Girls; Margaret Qualley in Maid

And here we are. We’ve spent the week ranking all 108 TV shows that we watched in 2021. At long last, we’ve arrived at the top 10. If you missed the previous pieces, you can find them at the following links:

#s 108-95 (tiers 11 and 10)
#s 94-84 (tier 9)
#s 83-61 (tiers 8 and 7)
#s 60-41 (tiers 6 and 5)
#s 40-31 (tier 4)
#s 30-21 (tier 3)
#s 20-11 (tier 2)


Tier 1: The top 10
10. Midnight Mass (Netflix, Season 1). A literalistic description of Midnight Mass might make it sound silly. Here is a series about a small, quiet island town whose peaceful tranquility is severely interrupted when it suddenly becomes a haven for—spoiler alert!—vampires. It’s a faintly absurd show that risks growing even more absurd because it takes itself absolutely seriously. Yet it’s that sincerity—the willingness to contemplate themes of faith, forgiveness, and salvation with frankness and without irony—which makes it so powerful. As is ever the case with the work of Mike Flanagan (both of whose prior Netflix series also made their respective year’s top 10 on this site), it’s superlatively crafted, with fluid camerawork and unnerving patience. But despite delivering some startling jolts, Midnight Mass isn’t as pound-for-pound scary as either of his Haunting shows, because cultivating fear isn’t its primary goal. It’s more interested in fusing familiar horror tropes with genuine theological examination, and it explores the inherent paradoxes of religion with uncommon candor, and without corresponding judgment. It also features gratifyingly complex characters, most notably Hamish Linklater’s morally conflicted priest. Samantha Sloyan, meanwhile, is unforgettable as one of the most deliciously vile villains ever created. Midnight Mass has the decency to imagine a dark world that’s nonetheless lit by hope. But when Sloyan is on screen, it recognizes that evil is very real, and all too human. Read More

Read more

Ranking Every TV Show of 2021: #s 20-11

Jeremy BeckTV Rankings
Hannah Einbinder in Hacks; Elisabeth Moss in The Handmaid's Tale; Juliette Motamed in We Are Lady Parts; Ann Skelly in The Nevers; Alexandra Daddario in The White Lotus

Our rankings of every TV show of 2021 are nearing their conclusion. For past installments, check out the following links:

#s 108-95 (tiers 11 and 10)
#s 94-84 (tier 9)
#s 83-61 (tiers 8 and 7)
#s 60-41 (tiers 6 and 5)
#s 40-31 (tier 4)
#s 30-21 (tier 3)


Tier 2: The alternative top 10
20. Hanna (Amazon, Season 3; last year: 36 of 124). This is lunacy. Like, how did this happen? The first season of Hanna was enjoyable but insignificant, failing to distinguish itself from Joe Wright’s superior movie. Season 2 jumped dramatically, carving out its own identity and delivering a surprisingly heady mix of genre thrills and emotional sophistication. Now, the final season completes the ascent. It only runs six episodes, but there’s an urgency to the storytelling, a sense of genuine stakes. And while the new romance is a tad forced, the real love story of Hanna has always been the strange, mutating relationship between Esme Creed-Miles’ titular assassin and Mireille Enos’ stealthy manipulator. Neither actor is as gifted as their big-screen counterpart— Enos can’t hope to match Cate Blanchett’s sly snarl, and nobody can compare to Saoirse Ronan—but by this point in the show, they don’t need to be; obligatory comparisons have melted away, and they’ve instead created their own complex characters, roiling with intensity, suspicion, and affection. The set pieces, meanwhile, have vigor and snap, sharply orchestrated blurs of punchy violence and graceful athleticism. Still, it’s the personal progression that really shocked me. I’ll be thinking about the beautiful last shot of this shockingly beautiful series for a long time. Read More

Read more

Ranking Every TV Show of 2021: #s 30-21

Jeremy BeckTV Rankings
Sophie Thatcher in Yellowjackets; Elizabeth Olsen in WandaVision; Jason Sudeikis in Ted Lasso; Selena Gomez in Only Murders in the Building; Charlotte Nicdao in Mythic Quest

We’re continuing with our rankings of every TV show of 2021. For earlier episodes, check out the following links:

#s 108-95 (tiers 11 and 10)
#s 94-84 (tier 9)
#s 83-61 (tiers 8 and 7)
#s 60-41 (tiers 6 and 5)
#s 40-31 (tier 4)


Tier 3: Double-honorable mention
30. Mythic Quest (Apple, Season 2; last year: 17 of 124). Two seasons in, Mythic Quest seems to have developed a critical reputation as a serviceable office sitcom with a periodic gift for telling stellar standalone stories. I agree that the series’ best installments are its departures—Season 2’s is actually a double feature, first set in a gloriously unglamorous 1970s writing studio, then flashing back to the present day and bringing in William Hurt (while also affording F. Murray Abraham the chance to deliver the line, “I’m gonna fuck his wife”)—but I think this description underrates it. Front to back, Mythic Quest remains a deeply enjoyable show, with an excellent cast, snappy writing, and a brisk pace. And those moments of isolation aren’t the only instances of formal cleverness; there’s also a bottle episode here that brilliantly leverages the actors’ collective talent for hurling choice insults. (Charlotte Nicdao’s perpetually thwarted designer remains the MVP, though Caitlin McGee’s cheery basement dweller deserves more screen time.) Franchise bloat is real, but some games have earned the right to keep churning out sequels. Read More

Read more