Best Movies of 2021's First Quarter
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2021 in movies got off to an unexpectedly strong start thanks to a shift in the typical release calendar. With the deadline for the Academy Awards extended to the end of February, and with many movie theaters still at limited capacity, January shed its “Dumpuary” status to become part of awards season. That, along with some early blockbuster releases, as well as emerging festival favorites, make up our list of this year’s best movies to be released from January through the end of March. Check out the best that 2021 has had to offer so far!
(tie) 20. Nobody
Synopsis: A bystander who intervenes to help a woman being harassed by a group of men becomes the target of a vengeful drug lord.
Director: Ilya Naishuller
Writer: Derek Kolstad
Stars: Bob Odenkirk, Aleksey Serebryakov, Connie Nielsen, RZA, Christopher Lloyd
OUR RATINGS
Art broke down the brutal new action movie in the Let Me Explain for NOBODY
(tie) 20. Happily
A dark romantic comedy. Tom and Janet have been happily married for years. But a visit from a mysterious stranger leads to a dead body, a lot of questions, and a tense couples' trip with friends who may not actually be friends at all.
Director: BenDavid Grabinski
Writers: BenDavid Grabinski
Stars: Kerry Bishé, Joel McHale, Al Madrigal, Natalie Zea, Paul Scheer, Stephen Root, Natalie Morales, Jon Daly, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Shannon Woodward, Charlyne Yi, & Breckin Meyer
OUR RATINGS
Check out the trailer for HAPPILY
19. Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Zack Snyder's definitive director's cut of Justice League. Determined to ensure Superman's ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.
Director: Zack Snyder
Writers: Chris Terrio (screenplay)
Zack Snyder (story), Chris Terrio (story) & Will Beall (story)
Jerry Siegel (Superman created by) & Joe Shuster (Superman created by)
Stars: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Godot, Diane Lane, Jared Leto, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, Robin Wright, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Ray Fisher, Amber Heard, Ciarán Hinds & Jeremy Irons
OUR RATINGS
Check out Art’s non-spoiler Let Me Explain review of the long-awaited SnyderCut
18. Malcolm & Marie
A director and his girlfriend's relationship is tested after they return home from his movie premiere and await critics' responses.
Director: Sam Levinson
Writers: Sam Levinson
Stars: John David Washington & Zendaya
OUR RATINGS
Check out the trailer for MALCOLM & MARIE
17. Breaking Fast
Mo, a practicing Muslim living in West Hollywood, is learning to navigate life post heartbreak. Enter Kal, an All-American guy who surprises Mo by offering to break fast with him during the holy month of Ramadan.
Director: Mike Mosallam
Writers: Mike Mosallam
Stars: Haaz Sleiman, Michael Cassidy & Amin El Gamal
OUR RATINGS
Art spoke about Breaking Fast during Intercut’s coverage of NewFest
16. I Care A Lot
A crooked legal guardian who drains the savings of her elderly wards meets her match when a woman she tries to swindle turns out to be more than she first appears.
Director: J Blakeson
Writers: J Blakeson
Stars: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Dianne Wiest, Chris Messina, Isiah Whitlock Jr. & Macon Blair
OUR RATINGS
Check out the trailer for I CARE A LOT
15. Our Friend
After receiving life-altering news, a couple finds unexpected support from their best friend, who puts his own life on hold and moves into their family home, bringing an impact much greater and more profound than anyone could have imagined.
Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Writers: Brad Ingelsby (screenplay by), Matthew Teague (based on the article entitled 'The Friend' by)
Stars: Jason Segel, Isabella Kai, Violet McGraw, Casey Affleck & Dakota Johnson
OUR RATINGS
Check out our thoughts on OUR FRIEND on the Intercut Podcast!
14. To All the Boys: Always and Forever
Synopsis: Senior year of high school takes center stage as Lara Jean returns from a family trip to Korea and considers her college plans - with and without Peter.
Director: Michael Fimognari
Writers: Katie Lovejoy Jenny Han
Stars: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish
OUR RATINGS
Watch Art wrap up the TO ALL THE BOYS trilogy for Let Me Explain
13. Raya and the Last Dragon
In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.
Director: Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, John Ripa (co-director) & Paul Briggs (co-director)
Writers: Qui Nguyen (screenplay by), Adele Lim (screenplay by), Paul Briggs (story by), Don Hall (story by), Adele Lim (story by), Carlos López Estrada (story by), Kiel Murray (story by), Qui Nguyen (story by), John Ripa (story by) & Dean Wellins (story by)
Stars: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Izaac Wang, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Sandra Oh, Lucille Soong & Alan Tudyk
OUR RATINGS
Check out our discussion of RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON for Intercut!
12. Acasā, My Home
In the wilderness of the Bucharest Delta, nine children and their parents lived in perfect harmony with nature for 20 years until they are chased out and forced to adapt to life in the big city.
Director: Radu Ciorniciuc
OUR RATINGS
We discussed ACASĀ, MY HOME during the Intercut episode about the Philadelphia Film Festival
11. Little Fish
A couple fights to hold their relationship together as a memory loss virus spreads and threatens to erase the history of their love and courtship.
Director: Chad Hartigan
Writers: Aja Gabel (short story), Mattson Tomlin
Stars: Olivia Cooke, Jack O'Connell, Soko, Raúl Castillo & David Lennon
OUR RATINGS
Our special guest Austin Burke chose LITTLE FISH as his Pick for the Week on Intercut
10. Some Kind of Heaven
Behind the gates of a palm tree-lined fantasyland, four residents of America's largest retirement community, The Villages, FL, strive to find solace and meaning.
Director: Lance Oppenheim
OUR RATINGS
We caught up with SOME KIND OF HEAVEN during the Philadelphia Film Festival for Intercut!
9. MLK/FBI
Based on newly declassified files, Sam Pollard's resonant film explores the US government's surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Director: Sam Pollard
Writers: Benjamin Hedin, Laura Tomaselli
OUR RATINGS
Check out our discussion of MLK/FBI for the Philadelphia Film Festival recap for Intercut!
8. Herself
A young mother escapes her abusive husband and fights back against a broken housing system. She sets out to build her own home and in the process rebuilds her life and re-discovers herself.
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Writers: Clare Dunne, Malcolm Campbell
Stars: Molly McCann, Clare Dunne & Ruby Rose O'Hara
OUR RATINGS
Check out Art’s thoughts on HERSELF for Intercut!
7. Pieces of a Woman
When a young mother's home birth ends in unfathomable tragedy, she begins a year-long odyssey of mourning that fractures relationships with loved ones in this deeply personal story of a woman learning to live alongside her loss.
Director: Kornél Mundruczó
Writers: Kata Wéber
Stars: Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Ellen Burstyn, Iliza Shlesinger, Benny Safdie, Sarah Snook & Molly Parker
OUR RATINGS
We discussed PIECES OF A WOMAN for Intercut earlier this year!
6. Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry
An intimate look at the singer-songwriter's journey, navigating life on the road, on stage, and at home, while creating her debut album.
Director: R.J. Cutler
Writers: R.J. Cutler
OUR RATINGS
Art chose BILLIE EILISH: THE WORLD’S A LITTLE BLURRY as his Pick for the Week on Intercut!
5. Test Pattern
Test Pattern follows an interracial couple whose relationship is put to the test after a Black woman is sexually assaulted and her white boyfriend drives her from hospital to hospital in search of a rape kit.
Director: Shatara Michelle Ford
Writers: Shatara Michelle Ford
Stars: Brittany S. Hall, Will Brill & Gail Bean
OUR RATINGS
We discussed TEST PATTERN on an LME Streams broadcast from earlier this year!
4. Identifying Features
A mother travels across Mexico in search for her son whom authorities say died while trying to cross the borders into the United States.
Director: Fernanda Valadez
Writers: Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez
Stars: Mercedes Hernández, David Illescas, Juan Jesús Varela, Ana Laura Rodríguez, Armando García & Laura Elena Ibarra
OUR RATINGS
Art made IDENTIFYING FEATURES one of his Picks for the Week on Intercut!
3. The Father
A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.
Director: Florian Zeller
Writers: Christopher Hampton (screenplay), Florian Zeller (screenplay & play)
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Olivia Williams, Imogen Poots & Rufus Sewell
OUR RATINGS
Watch Art rave about Olivia Coleman on an episode of Intercut!
2. True Mothers
A woman with an adopted child is contacted unexpectedly by the child's birth mother.
Director: Naomi Kawase
Writers: Naomi Kawase (screenplay), Izumi Takahashi (screenplay) & Mizuki Tsujimura (based on the novel by)
Stars: Hiromi Nagasaku, Arata Iura, Aju Makita, Reo Sato, Hiroko Nakajima, Tetsu Hirahara, Ren Komai & Taketo Tanaka
OUR RATINGS
Art talked about TRUE MOTHERS during an Intercut podcast!
1. Judas and The Black Messiah
The story of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O'Neal.
Director: Shaka King
Writers: Will Berson (screenplay by), Shaka King (screenplay by), Kenneth Lucas (story by) (as Kenny Lucas) & Keith Lucas (story by)
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
