These feature film gems made 2021 shine bright like a star! I saw a lot, though not everything, and these were my favorites. Anything I missed? Let me know.

1. TICK, TICK… BOOM!

This is by far my favorite film of the year. The autobiographical musical about the life of Jonathan Larson, The Tony award-winning writer of Rent, is all-inspiring! Andrew Garfield, who plays Larson, sweeps you off your feet with a vibrant cast and shows us a taste for what an artist’s life can be in NYC.

2. LICORICE PIZZA

This coming of age story follows the life of two unlikely pairs of lovers who find themselves unable to stay away from each other’s orbits. Set against the backdrop of the summer of 1973 in the San Fernando Valley, the film draws you in and reminds you of the power of youth and its desperate drive into adulthood.

3. THE RESCUE

This National Geographic documentary is moving in multiple levels. Centering around the rescue of the junior soccer team who found themselves trapped in an underwater cave in 2018 in Thailand. The mission to save them involves a number of countries coming together, surpassing their adversities and pushing to do the unimaginable.

4. DRIVE MY CAR

After the unexpected death of his wife, a renowned stage actor and director receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya at a theater festival in Hiroshima. The bond he develops with the woman who is his driver changes his life. This Japanese film is sweeping nominations in major awards around the world.

5. WEST SIDE STORY

This faithful adaptation of the classic musical is beautifully crafted under the care of director Stephen Spielberg. The story follows two gangs, the Sharks and the Jets, in New York City in the mid-50s at each other’s throats when immigration begins to change their neighborhood. All hell breaks loose when two youngsters, Tony and Maria, from both sides of the gangs fall in love.

6. THE POWER OF THE DOG

This psychological drama western follows Phil, a man whose insecurities about his sexuality turns him into a monster who torments the life of his brother and new wife. With some of the best performances of the year by Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Jesse Plemons, this suspenseful film’s subtle nuances are intriguing and surprising.

7. SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME

This much anticipated film is a thrilling adventure from beginning to end. When Spider-Man’s identity is revealed, he asks a powerful wizard named Doctor Strange to erase the fact from people’s minds. When the attempt goes wrong, multiple universes collide as various Spider-Mans are pulled into the same timeline and must join together in the fight to save the world.

8. KING RICHARD

Richard Williams, played by Will Smith, pushes himself to find a path in which his daughters, Venus and Serena Williams, can become tennis pros coming from a disadvantaged neighborhood in CA. He relentlessly fights for them to get the same opportunities while facing his own issues of growing up in challenging situations. A superb script and all-around inspiring true story.

9. BEING THE RICARDOS

An insightful look into the lives of TV’s superstars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The film focuses into one week of taping the sitcom, I Love Lucy, as Ball is accused of being a communist. The film masterfully displays the challenges and brilliance of the duo who created the most celebrated and often cited as the best sitcom of all-time.

10. ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN

This documentary shines light into the life of world-renowned celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. It follows his humble beginnings into stardom and the complications involving his passing. Meticulously told, the film pulls you into Bourdain’s genius mind and his suffering from depression.

11. DUNE

This highly anticipated adaptation of the sci-fi book of the same name does not disappoint. A surprising spiritual journey is laid ahead as a number of powerful strangers come together to save their planet from destruction while maintaining political and financial hold over Spice, a drug that extends life and is used for space navigation.

12. TITANE

This French mystery, horror, thriller focuses on the life of a woman named Alexia who is infused with titanium, a highly resistant metal, after an accident. As time passes, Alexia’s life begins to derail into a climatic chaos that director Julia Ducourmau displays with thrilling spectacle.

13. CYRANO

One of the most powerful love stories ever told, this musical adaptation is romance at its best. Cyrano pretends to be someone he’s not in order to get Roxane to love him. Great songs and charming performances make you remember that what’s inside is what counts.

14. JULIA

This documentary paints a full picture of one of the most iconic chefs in history and the first woman to become a celebrity in that regard, Julia Childs. It explores her path from publishing her first book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, all the way to becoming a television sensation

15. C’MON C’MON

When an uncle and a nephew are unexpectedly thrown into each other’s lives, a bond begins to form that is delicately portrayed here. With an amazing performance by Joaquin Phoenix, this deeply moving film gives insight on the importance of adults in the life of children.

16. BELFAST

Kenneth Branagh writes and directs this semi-autobiographical movie about a boy who realizes the world is not what is seems. As he’s confronted with growing up amidst the turmoil of the late 1960s in Northern Ireland, he grabs onto the constants in his life, the joy of music, movies, and the company of loved ones.

17. ENCANTO

This sweet, heartwarming, animated musical comedy is visually stunning. The Madrigal family has been gifted with supernatural powers with the exception of one, Maribel. When the village they live in, Encanto, is threatened it is up to Maribel to figure out a way to save it.

18. DON’T LOOK UP

This stellar cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, and Jonah Hill. An out of sorts comedy about a giant meteor heading towards Earth with impending doom in its path. Preoccupied with their own lives, the world turns a blind eye until the meteor is right in front of their faces.

19. THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

This simplistic and yet eye-grabbing film is a dazzle of artistry. At times it’s as if we’re watching this as a play on stage as other instances feels like a grand epic. The precision of camera work and direction bring a fresh outlook on this beloved Shakespearean play starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand.

20. IN THE HEIGHTS

What I consider to be be Lynn Manuel Miranda’s musical masterpiece finally got a movie adaptation. Life in Washington Heights is depicted with fervor and urban glamor. Love is in the air set against the dichotomy of wishing for more out of life while celebrating what you already have.