7.5
The still relatively new phenomenon of YouTube fame has brought about a new breed of celebrity with the platform’s ascension to the upper echelons of popular media and, with it, new inquiry into the accountability of the YouTuber star. While it might
7
The slapstick, heavy-found-footage horror Deadstream works much better as a sendup of exploitative YouTuber culture than as a Raimi-esque horror comedy.
7.5
The world of professional skateboarding during its ascendance into mainstream popularity inarguably has the aura of an insulated “boys club,” born out of and maintained within California. For those not entrenched in the skating community, the likelihood of their familiarity with any
6.5
The horror genre has always wrung tension and thrived around the plausibility of the supernatural and stringing the audience along over whether what they think is happening is actually happening. As of late, this quality has been invoked by what was once
Rounding out our 2021 top 10s is Chris! Be sure to check out all of our previously published lists and give our podcast a listen to hear us discuss what was another tumultuous year.
7.5
Taking a human-centric look at platform capitalism, The Gig is Up is an informative and succinct approach to the nuances and trappings of the gig economy.
9
It’s a Summer Film! is a loving testament to the indomitable spirit of young cinephiles that overwhelms with charm.
7.5
Office Royale is a delightful sendup of manga tropes that delivers on its promise of absurd clerical action.
5
You Can’t Kill Meme is an enigmatic look into the insidious ways meme culture developed after the 2016 election which proves too arbitrary in its focus.
8.5
#Blue_Whale is a refreshingly grounded approach to the screenlife film that terrifies due to its credible inventiveness.
7
Wonderful Paradise throws everything at the wall, and even what doesn’t stick is still bizarrely fascinating.
9
Junk Head is a momentous labor of love and a meticulously designed vision of a post-apocalyptic future.
5.5
Shunji Iwai’s pseudo-kaiju film proves we still have yet to crack the enigma and nuances of pandemic filmmaking.
7.5
Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist offers an informed and affectionate tribute to one of anime’s overlooked masters.
8
Undine is a moving romance that puts a fresh spin on a classic fairytale.
7
For all the familiar notes it hits, you can’t fault Blast Beat for it’s full-throated earnestness.
