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Best and Worst Films from April 2021

Best Films from April 2021:

3. Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five caught me by surprise. This movie is one of the best book adaptations of all time as it develops the characters superbly and the script is excellent. The film’s tone is fittingly comedic and sad at the same time while the editing is masterful without a doubt. It accompanies the novel wonderfully thanks to its great cinematic qualities and some unforgettable scenes.

2. Rio 2096

Rio 2096 is a great Annecy winner from 2013. This Brazilian period piece is epic in scope, but also infused by beautiful fantastical touches with the bird flights being even lyrical in quality. It’s a gorgeous, artistic movie that takes a look into the many troubled eras of Brazil’s history with the rebellious nature being the film’s best asset. It’s an underseen gem that really needs more attention.

1. The Wedding Banquet

Thanks to a deftly written screenplay, excellent dialogue and a surprisingly strong humor, The Wedding Banquet is a rare romantic comedy that really works. The acting is uniformly strong while the characters are wonderfully depicted and the family interactions are quite moving. Depicting the clash between the cultures of East and West as well as the inspirational possibility of a reconciliation of modernity with traditionalism, this is a stupendous proof of the impressive versatility of Ang Lee, one of the most diverse directors of all time.

Worst Films from April 2021:

3. Inherent Vice

Inherent Vice is yet another Paul Thomas Anderson movie that I did not care for in the slightest. The storyline is not only impenetrable, but also empty at the end of the day. The overlong runtime and annoying characters did not help. It’s a frustrating movie that is a total waste of time in my opinion.

2. The Terminal

The Terminal is the absolute nadir of Spielberg’s filmography. Not only does it have Tom Hanks’ worst performance ever with such a horrendous Slavic accent, but it also features a tiresome story and an overly lightweight tone that would be too much even in the eighties and nineties. It was just a bad idea from the very conception to the execution.

1. Armageddon

But the number one for this month obviously has to be this disaster. Not disaster as a genre, but also as a movie. This scientifically illiterate and laughably stupid movie dragged its numerous bad actors down with it so hard. The action is overwhelming and the movie is dumb as a rock while also being misguided in every possible area. It’s a guilty pleasure to many, but not for this guy.