The Year 2021 in Movies

Continuing with the final part of our year in review, Matt Lynn Digital invites you to look back at the last year in reviews of books, movies, music and television. We look at these with individual categories, one per day through today. Today we share the sixty-eight (68) movies reviewed across ten (10) decades by Matt Lynn Digital in 2021.

(The 1941 movie Citizen Kane is one of seven movies that Matt Lynn Digital gave 4.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5).

Citizen Kane (1941) was written by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles. The Michael Curtiz directed film Casablanca (1942) also earned 4.5-stars, as did the Alfred Hitchcock directed film Psycho (1960).

(The 1961 movie The Hustler starred Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason).

The Robert Rossen directed film The Hustler (1961) is joined by the Martin Scorsese film Taxi Driver (1976), the James Cameron directed movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and the David Fincher movie Se7en (1995) as also having earned 4.5-stars by Matt Lynn Digital in 2021.

(Several films by Alfred Hitchcock made their way into the Matt Lynn Digital reviews in 2021. North by Northwest and Strangers on a Train were a couple of favorites).

The Shop Around the Corner (1940) as directed by Ernst Lubitsch is one of eleven movies having earned 4.25-stars in 2021. The Alfred Hitchcock movie Strangers on a Train (1951) joins the Hitchcock film North by Northwest (1959) in the same category.

(Martin Scorsese movies are well received by Matt Lynn Digital. The 1995 movie Casino received 4.25-stars).

A Christmas Story (1983) as directed by Bob Clark has consistently hit me in a warm spot. The Richard Donner directed Lethal Weapon (1987) offers comedic action at a solid pace.  The Rob Reiner directed movie Misery (1990) juxtaposes mystery against the sweet storytelling of the Harold Ramis movie Groundhog Day (1993). Casino (1995) by director Martin Scorsese is the second film in our reviews to pair Scorsese with actor Robert De Niro. The Sixth Sense (1999) as directed by M. Night Shyamalan also earned our rating of 4.25-stars.

(The 2003 Ridley Scott movie Matchstick Men dips our toes into the 21st century of cinema).

The Ridley Scott movie Matchstick Men (2003) earned 4.25-stars, as did the David Fincher movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008).

(The clean-cut reputation of the actor James Stewart is put to the test in his portrayal of Paul Biegler is the 1959 Otto Preminger movie Anatomy of a Murder).

Frankenstein (1931) as directed by James Whale received 4-stars as an origin tale into the more frightening side of cinema. The movie Saboteur (1942), the movie Rope (1948) and the movie Dial M for Murder (1954), as directed by Alfred Hitchcock, all earned similar ratings. The Otto Preminger directed movie Anatomy of a Murder (1959) closed out the three decades of cinema rated at this level.

(The 1974 Mel Brooks movie Young Frankenstein comedically poked fun of the 1931 James Whale movie Frankenstein).

The Mel Brooks directed movie Young Frankenstein (1974) worked on a level equal to the film that inspired it. Richard Donner succeeded in the horror movie genre with The Omen (1976) while John Carpenter delivered a similar 4-star rated movie with Halloween (1978). The Hugh Hudson directed film Chariots of Fire (1981) won four Academy Awards while the James Cameron sequel movie Aliens (1986) won a pair of awards.

(Seven Academy Awards and 4-stars from Matt Lynn Digital awaited the Kevin Costner‘s directorial debut movie, Dances with Wolves).

The epic Western Dances with Wolves (1990) as directed by Kevin Costner earned 4-stars, as did the Steven Spielberg movie Jurassic Park (1993), the movie Jumanji (1995) starring Robin Williams and the Tony Scott directed movie Enemy of the State (1998).

(The adventure of The Polar Express centers around the experience of finding joy in the notion of Christmas. Matt Lynn Digital granted the movie 4-stars).

The Stephen Frears movie High Fidelity (2000), the Paul Haggis directed movie Crash (2004), the Robert Zemeckis movie The Polar Express (2004), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) starring Gary Oldman and the Jake Kasdan directed movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) all earned four stars.

(John Ford directed the western named Stagecoach. The movie starring John Wayne was granted 3.75-stars).

Alfred Hitchcock directed two separate movies based on the same source material twice. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) as well as The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) each earned 3.75-stars from Matt Lynn Digital. The John Ford directed movie Stagecoach (1939), starring John Wayne, is accompanied by Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt (1943), John Ford’s The Quiet Man (1952), and both The Trouble with Harry (1955) and The Wrong Man (1956) by Alfred Hitchcock.

(The 1962 Stanley Kubrick movie Lolita is often misunderstood yet tells a morally difficult story for those that can stick with it for understanding).

Stanley Kubrick directed the movie Lolita (1962), which is one of twenty-seven movies granted 3.75-stars by Matt Lynn Digital. Alfred Hitchcock‘s movie Torn Curtain (1966), Brian De Palma‘s movie Sisters (1972), the Don Siegel directed movie Escape from Alcatraz (1979), the John Hughes directed movie Sixteen Candles (1984), Ron Howard‘s movie Cocoon (1985) and the David Cronenberg directed movie The Fly (1986) each received a similar 3.75-stars.

(The 1992 movie Reservoir Dogs as directed by Quentin Tarantino received 3.75-stars from Matt Lynn Digital).

Total Recall (1990) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone are joined by the Quentin Tarantino movie Reservoir Dogs (1992), the Brian De Palma movie Carlito’s Way (1993), the Jan de Bont directed movie Speed (1994), The Santa Clause (1994) starring Tim Allen and the Kevin Smith directed movies Clerks (1994) and Chasing Amy (1997).

(The 2002 movie Insomnia from director Christopher Nolan offered a character focused with less abstraction focus in earning 3.75-stars).

The Howard Deutch sports comedy movie The Replacements (2000) introduced a string of movies, including the Christopher Nolan movie Insomnia (2002), the Gavin O’Connor movie Miracle (2004), the Tim Burton directed movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), the Clint Eastwood directed movie Richard Jewell (2019) and the Christopher Nolan movie Tenet (2020), that offered quality movie making rated at 3.75-stars.

(The 2003 movie Timeline as directed by Richard Donner is one of three movies to earn 3.5-stars by Matt Lynn Digital).

Sylvester Stallone stars in the movie Cliffhanger (1993), which stands beside the Wolfgang Petersen directed movie Outbreak (1995) and the Richard Donner directed movie Timeline (2003) as receiving 3.5-stars.

(Brian De Palma‘s 1990 movie The Bonfire of the Vanities received 3-stars on a scale of 1-to-5 from Matt Lynn Digital).

The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) as directed by Brian De Palma was not a commercial success, earning a 3-star rating from Matt Lynn Digital. The movie lost over $31 million, despite a reasonably strong cast.

Matt Lynn Digital appreciates your continued interest in the content we offer. Should you have albums that you’d like us to review, or similar work to that mentioned above, please be sure to let us know.

Matt – Friday, December 31, 2021

Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and Gary Busey in the Richard Donner movie ‘Lethal Weapon’

It’s not every day that an action and thriller movie is set against the backdrop of a holiday. It has become more common to see moves themed as romances or romantic comedies set against Christmas. The Richard Donner directed Lethal Weapon (1987) managed to mix the action thriller against a Christmas in the households of the characters that inhabit the movie’s universe. Today, we look into the happenings of Los Angeles policemen, one celebrating a birthday while the other recently lost his wife.

(From left, Blackie Dammett as Drug Dealer #3 and Mel Gibson as Sergeant Martin Riggs in the Richard Donner movie Lethal Weapon).

Mel Gibson portrays Sergeant Martin Riggs of the narcotics division of the police, who we meet in a borderline suicidal anxiety in his home. The audience sees Riggs in the depth of his feelings while looking at a framed picture of his wife with what presumably is his service firearm. Captain Ed Murphy and Dr. Stephanie Woods as a mental health practitioner argue over whether Riggs is in a proper condition to serve. Riggs is given a new partner in the face of this. Steve Kahan and Mary Ellen Trainor portrayed Captain Murphy and Dr. Woods, respectively.

(From left, Traci Wolfe as Rianne Murtaugh and Danny Glover as Sergeant Roger Murtaugh in the Richard Donner movie Lethal Weapon).

Sergeant Roger Murtaugh, as portrayed by Danny Glover, is introduced amongst his family on his birthday. Murtaugh’s kids surprise him as he soaks in the family bathtub with a birthday cake, which simultaneously embarrasses the father while showing him to be the consummate family man. By the next day, Murtaugh and Riggs are partners with experience in the Vietnam War and special forces of the military.

(From left, Mitchell Ryan as General Peter McAllister and Gary Busey as Mr. Joshua in the Richard Donner movie Lethal Weapon).

The past military lives of Murtaugh and Riggs come to relevance without discreet attempts by either man to specifically seek it out. This and other coincidences conspire when the daughter of Michael Hunsaker, a friend Murtaugh knew from the men’s time serving in Vietnam, dies in Los Angeles. Hunsaker had called Murtaugh just before Hunsaker’s daughter had suffered a death that seemingly had something to do with her life in an unsavory world. The possibility of there being more to this isn’t revealed until after Murtaugh and Riggs dig into their own professional relationship. Tom Atkins portrayed Michael Hunsaker.

(From left, Danny Glover as Sergeant Roger Murtaugh and Mel Gibson as Sergeant Martin Riggs in the Richard Donner movie Lethal Weapon).

The plot thickens with the introduction of Mitchell Ryan as General Peter McAllister and Gary Busey as Mr. Joshua. A criminal enterprise brings a genuine edge to the law enforcement perspective of the story that pairs with stylized comedic turns involving Riggs, Murtaugh, their relationship and the history both bring to their initial pairing as partners.

(From left, director Richard Donner and actor Mel Gibson on the set of the Richard Donner movie, Lethal Weapon).

The pace of Lethal Weapon works to a positive effect in setting a comprehensible story that feels entertaining. I found myself engaged and giggling at some of the silly humor while rooting for things to end well for both sergeants. The full impact of Lethal Weapon as directed by Richard Donner leads me to grant the movie 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, December 22, 2021