As I write this, I have seen 589 movies in 2021.  Of those 589 movies, I have seen 124 movies that were released in 2021 in North America. This is my personal Top 10 best movies of the films released in 2021 that I have seen.  Imagine that on this website a list that does not use statistics.  The following 10 movies are listed in alphabetical order.

Cruella (2021)

The first movie, me and my family saw in theaters since March 2020, when we saw Onward. The origin story of Cruella de Vil was very interesting. Of the four of us (wife, two daughters and myself) I surprisingly enjoyed it the most. I though the movie did a great job of creating a very believable movie world. Emma Stone was very good as Cruella. Movie has some very solid support from many good characters. The music, the costumes and sets are top notch. Lots of positives with this one. On the negative, I was not too impressed with Emma Thompson in the villain role. My wife and kids did not like how Cruella was so mean and evil to her adopted “family”. In the end, the kids thought it was pretty good, I thought it was really good and the wife was not impressed at all.

The Dig (2021)

This is based on a true story. It stars Ralph Fiennes as an archaeologist that embarks on the historically important excavation of Sutton Hoo in 1938 which is on the property of Carey Mulligan. First half of the movie is easily the best part, as it focuses on Fiennes and Mulligan. The second half introduces many new characters, and it takes away from the enjoyable story we followed in the first half. Still, this is a very good movie, with a superb performance from Mulligan. Fiennes is also very good in the movie. Final thought: An enjoyable movie.

Dream Horse (2021)

Ok….it follows the sports movie cliché playbook perfectly. Ok….it is filled with some pretty stereotypical characters. Ok….not much in the movie surprised me. But….I really enjoyed this horse racing movie. Toni Collette is awesome in the lead role. The movie pulled my heart strings many times. Final thought: A movie that easily overcomes its negatives.

Free Guy (2021)

I loved the trailers for this movie, and I really like Ryan Reynolds, so I was looking forward to this one. This is a very entertaining and original movie! This movie is well cast with lesser-known actors in the supporting roles. The movie is filled with cameos. Looking at the credits, I did not see all the ones in the movie. I will be looking for those cameos when this movie becomes part of my movie collection. I sort of forced both of my youngest children to go to the theater with me. My 15 year old really liked it as well. My 12-year-old says it was ok, but I could tell she liked it as well. So….that is three different age groups that liked the movie.  Ryan Reynolds is really good in the movie. This part is perfect for him. I was not as impressed with Taika Waititi as the bad guy in this one. He happily is not in the movie very much.  Final thought: Worth checking out.

Ghostbusters:Afterlife (2021)

Seeing Ghostbusters back in the 1980s was one of my favorite movie theater experiences. The trailers for this one got me back in theaters to see this one after skipping Ghostbusters 2 and the recent Ghostbusters reboot. My thoughts on this one? There is lots of good stuff in this movie. But first let’s talk about the little things I did not like. (1) At times the movie drags. (2) I did not really like that at times the movie pretty much repeated the original movie. (3) Some of the characters are not given much to do…can you say Finn Wolfhard.  The things I liked: (1) Paul Rudd is very funny in the Rick Moranis role. (2) The movie really gives lots of love to Mr. Harold Ramis. HIs presence and his character are constantly felt in the movie. (3) Seeing the original Ghostbusters back together was worth seeing the movie. (4) McKenna Grace in the biggest part of the movie is outstanding in the movie. (5) The way the movie plays out is fun and kept my attention throughout the movie.  In the end the positives far outweigh the negatives. This was a movie that was well worth the wait.

The Mitchells vs. The Machines (2021)

This is probably one of the most entertaining Netflix movies I have ever seen. Usually, Netflix original movies tend to overwhelm. This computer animated movie is the exception. I kept thinking while watching this one….why did this not play in theaters? My entire family enjoyed this movie. Like a good Pixar movie there is something for adults and kids. Movie does a great job of building up to a satisfying conclusion. Final thought: A good movie and one my kids watch to re-watch.

Nobody (2021)

In this one, Bob Odenkirk intervenes to help a woman being harassed by a group of men. He then becomes the target of a vengeful drug lord. This one is from many of the same people behind the John Wick movies. Of those Wick movies, I have always enjoyed the first one the best. Nobody is just as good as that movie. Odenkirk is a blast to watch. The action scenes are amazing. The humor works. The movie has plenty of solid supporting roles (this has Christopher Lloyd’s best role in years). The story is pretty simple but still fun to watch unfold. Final thought: One of my favorite movies that I have watched this year.

Pig (2021)

The return of Nicolas Cage? That might indeed be the truth if Pig earns Cage an Oscar nomination. Not sure if Cage will ever make 20 million a movie again, but I do give him credit for making the most of the his low budget movies he has been appearing in for the last decade. Unlike, Bruce Willis, Cage is normally the main character in these straight to home entertainment movies and he appears to be trying. That is coming from a huge Bruce fan.

As for Pig, this was a pretty entertaining movie with an excellent Cage performance. Is it an Oscar worthy performance? I would not be upset if he got a nomination. Movie revolves around Cage and his pet pig. The pig is an excellent truffle hunter in Oregon. Somebody steals the pig, which causes Cage to leave his shack in the woods to return to the big city to get his pig back.

For those expecting a John Wick action flick (sub the pig for the dog) they will be disappointed. Cage’s character does his search using his brain power versus his fist power. There is a scene near the end of the movie in a diner, that alone, is worth seeing the movie…as Cage really shines in that one. Final thought. Worth seeing.

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

Watched this with my wife and my two daughters on Saturday movie night. On the good side, the latest from Disney Animation looks awesome, has lots of feel-good moments and is generally a fun watch for both adults and children. On the bad side, it seemed like this was a patch work of many other movies. Movie borrows heavily from Aladdin, Mulan, The Minions, The Croods, and Avengers: Infinity Wars and Endgame..just to name a few. Final thought: Despite it seeming so familiar this was still a very fun experience.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

I really lijked this movie but there were things I did not like about the movie. 1. Dr. Strange comes across as a doofus at the beginning of the movie. The entire plot of the movie needs him to not be able to successfully complete a spell. This is Dr. Strange..so that did not ring true. 2. Yet another MCU movie with a big CGI finale…only this time we get numerous heroes and villains. Things I really liked about the movie. 1. Loved the story…. being able to use different universes offered up so many story lines and returning characters. 2. The performances across the board are stellar. 3. Movie has a nice balance of humor, drama and action. 4. Near the end of the movie there is a scene between three superheroes that is the highlight of the movie. I could have watched that scene for an entire movie. 5. The blasts from the past are fun to see again. 6. I loved how the movie concluded. Final thought: A blast to watch. I really liked this one….and it is in my Top 10 of superhero movies. A movie that begs to be watched again.