2022 Eurovision Song Contest Predictions

Another year, another round of predictions for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Now normally I usually use up a ton of digital ink on my opinions of the songs and their proposed stage performances and have them categorized under special labels (The Front Runners, The Slayers, Top Ten Hopefuls, etc). Unfortunately, due to the craziness of the week being filled with major holidays and events, such as today being Mother's Day, along with sheer laziness, I will be going in a different direction this year.

I will be listing all of the participating countries in alphabetical order but put them in categories of whether or not they will qualify (outside of the Big Five), and then type out my thoughts and feelings.

COUNTRIES THAT WILL QUALIFY TO THE GRAND FINAL

Australia - This has jury favorite all over it but only if Sheldon Riley doesn't pull an Isaiah. Riley is going to put a lot of effort in his singing and stage presence in order to overcome the ridiculous anti-mask bias (as in he wears a stage mask when performing) and the potentially still lingering anti-Australia but I think he will pull it off. Grand final, however, I think he will be on the lower left hand side of the screen.

Bulgaria - This is probably my most controversial pick. "Intention" was heavily mocked by the fandom since it dropped but I felt the song is fine but needed an extra punch in its rocking. As I expected, Intelligent Music Project is set to deliver a straight up rock concert for their three minutes and I think it will win over the televote and some judges just enough to make it through. Grand final wise, it will be towards the bottom but hey, at least they will qualify.

Croatia - It would very nice to see Croatia qualify again, especially after last year's controversial snub. This year, the nation picked a fine Taylor Swift like tune with a real Taylor Swift like story to it. Replacing the one artful dancer from the national final with a trio of them is a fine improvement and helps give the expected performance some more life. If it does make it to the grand final, its total results would be, just like the song's protagonist, somewhere stuck in the middle.

Czech Republic - Despite strong love of the song among fans, We Are Domi have had a very rough time performing "Lights Off" live at fan concerts. They seem to have finally worked out the kinks in Italy and are ready to deliver a big light show to match the lead singer's big notes. But the fear still remains that this will be Latvia 2017 all over again.

Finland - I'm not a huge fan of The Rasmus or "Jezebel". It certainly was my fourth favorite at the national final but Finland sees something in it. Unfortunately, their run-throughs in Turin have received mixed results all around, from the weak singing to the giant balloons that keep getting in the way. I can see it making through the semi-final only to then bomb hard on Saturday.

Greece - This is a POTENTIAL WINNER for this year's contest. I have had chills with "Die Together" at nearly every stage: the music video drop, a random listen, the TikTok preview, and the YouTube preview. The sinking/melting chairs is an interesting stage design and Amanda Tenfjord easily draws attention with her powerful voice. That being said, this could potentially backfire just like Bulgaria last year. The public may not want a Billie Ellish inspired song to win or another reminder about how last year kinda sucked. They might gravitate again to something that will raise their spirits in revelry.

Ireland - This one has been driving me crazy from the start. It was the best song of Ireland's bunch and barely won the national finals but the performance needed a lot of work. Brooke has the charisma and talent but her live performances were mixed in the lead-up to Turin. She and her team now finally seem to get everything right so she should coast in as one of the few poppy songs of semi-final 2.

Israel - I had this a certified miss until seeing the Turin footage. I liked the original bare bones version of "I.M." even if it was wisely labeled as something straight out of RuPaul's Drag Race. The revamp hampered a lot of my enjoyment, especially the near muting of the claps, and its still basic nature looked to doom it. But bless the Israeli crew for going full into the camp factor of it all while delivering some tight choreography. I'm getting "Say Na Na" vibes from it, much to the horror of the juries and snarky commentators.

Latvia - This will eat Albania's lunch (hopefully its vegetarian) and truly kick off the festivities in the first semi-final. Everything is on point for "Eat Your Salad" to steal all of the attention, especially once the video recaps repeatedly play. Plus, everyone will be eager to say the line. I do hope it will make the top ten in grand final but the juries are expected to hurt it outside of maybe Latvia's neighbors.

Lithuania - There are a lot of doubters against this country from making the final but I'm certainly not one of them. While the shimmering and mesmerizing intimacy of the national final performance might get completely lost on the big stage in Turin, I feel that Monika Liu is able to pull it off to an efficient degree. She has a very natural charisma and with some good camerawork, she should be able to steal some televotes.

Moldova - Zdob si Zdub is looking to get the hat trick. Their 2005 and 2011 performances are both now etched into Eurovision history. This one unfortunately doesn't look to be on the same level as those unless they are hiding something from the rehearsals. Seriously, where are the trains? But I think the mixture of folk and rock and roll will entice some to vote for them and keep them on the track.

Montenegro - If I had to pray hard for one song to get into the grand final, it would be this one. I love a good ole Balkan ballad and Vladana has a hauntingly exquisite one, especially since Serbia chose to skip one this year for something completely different. What they have planned for Turin could hurt their chances but it reminds me very much of Slovenia 2014, which is a good sign.

The Netherlands - Before the rehearsal week, I very much believed this had a very high chance of winning Eurovision. But the rehearsal footage showed that S10 is given a lot on her plate to carry the performance and she may botched the handling of it. I still see it making it through but it now looks like this will be a lower top ten placement.

Norway - Sure to qualify. No question. Nothing more to say besides the televote of both semi-final 1 and the grand final will be very high for the intergalactic yellow wolves Keith and Jim.

Poland - Going to get in solely because of Ochman's voice. However, the televote remains to be seen, as the performance seems to be throwing everything but the kitchen sink to say "Water!" and "Storm!" at the viewer. Some still strangely believe he has a shot to win but those chances are sure to quickly wash away by Saturday.

Portugal - This was my last choice for semi-final 1 qualifiers. I enjoy "Saudade, Saudade" and it's pretty much this year's most underrated song aka Portugal Every Year In Eurovision. But I am so concerned about how it is being staged for Turin consisting entirely of Maro and her backup singers in a circle. This is a very risky choice both for the live audience and viewers. Either the performance will be a beautiful display of intimacy and melancholy or just bunch of shots of people's butts and backsides.

San Marino - Geez, late 2000's Eurovision much? "Stripper" is alright and often has me singing the chorus and Achille Lauro has rock star written all over him. But San Marino's Turin plans are to go way overboard in order to qualify, including flames, cages, risque outfits, and a working bull mechanism. I think people will eat it up in the semi but roll their eyes when it comes to the final.

Serbia - I adore this song. Really scratches at my Peter Gabriel/Laurie Anderson itch. Serbia and Konstrakta have only had to make the bare minimum of changes when bringing the song and staging to Turin and it still works without fail. This is going to sound so awesome live when the clapping comes in.

Sweden - Could this be a POTENTIAL WINNER? Yes. Yes it could. But I will not be super happy by it. I have nothing against Cornelia Jakobs and "Hold Me Closer", both of which I like, but I don't really see the same hype that other Eurovision fans and critics see. I instead see it placing in the top five of the grand final, thanks to an above average mixture of jury and fan love.

Ukraine - This is the most obvious straight to the final pick. Luckily, the song is actually great and Kalush Orchestra have a great performance of it in the can, both figuratively and literally considering the shit they had to get through to attend this year's event. The televote in the final is expected to be quite high but I don't think Ukraine will win the contest. Best bet is a top five or ten showing.

COUNTRIES THAT WILL NOT QUALIFY TO THE GRAND FINAL

Albania - Oooo, this is a hot take. As said above, this will get people ready for Eurovision as the very first song of this year's contest but then Latvia will steal all of its attention and glory. It could sneak into the grand final but don't expect it to do very well.

Armenia - Another controversial choice. I was all for the song once it dropped. But that expected staging. Armenia looks to potentially trip up like Ireland last year, putting all of the attention on sets and gimmicks rather than the song and singer.

Austria - I unabashedly love to bop to this high energy dance track but watching it performed live, woof. DJ LUM!X is a black hole of charisma and Pia Maria has been struggling so much to get her singing just right.

Azerbaijan - This country likes to put in a lot of work and effort into their entries but this looks to miss the boat. First, the country might get the cold shoulder from voters due to the country's history with Russia. Secondly, and more importantly, the performance of "Fade To Black" is a bit troubling. It seems to rip off Azerbaijan's 2013 entry with the body mirroring of the singer but now with a big set of stairs instead of a glass box of emotion. As for Nadir Rustamli, he has the voice but he's not very handsome for the general viewer, what with his very messy and scruffy beard. It could sneak in but only juries will remember and reward it if it makes the final.

Belgium - Come on Belgium, you can do better than this. "Miss You" is perfect for the radio but there's nothing to really hang on to. As many critics have noted, this feels like a X Factor winner song. And then you have those backup dancers. Geez Louise.

Cyprus - Many have this as a near instant qualifier but I sadly see it as the end of Cyprus' hot streak. It is too mellow and soothing to latch on to, even with the expected giant clam set. It looks to be lost in the shuffle on Thursday and again on Saturday if it somehow wins a spot. 

Denmark - What a snore. Perfect for playlist filler. Worthy of a golf clap in the arena but nothing else. Next.

Estonia - I had hope (ha) for this to make it to the grand final but the expected staging in Turin looks like total amateur hour. Who thought it will be a good idea for Stefan to run around the entire stage, especially with a guitar in hand?

Georgia - Easy dismissal. Sure to place dead last or second to last depending on troll votes. The song itself is alright if you into that kind of alternative rock but the whole performance is like when your uncle tries to entertain kids by walking in with those glasses with the eye springs and that's all.

Iceland - Though it may shock me but making it in, I think that Iceland's entry is just too mellow and forgettable for the average viewer. They would rather vote for something more soothing (Portugal) or more easily cheerful in its folk music (Moldova).

Malta - Ugh. I really like "Walk On Water", Malta's song for the 2016 contest that controversially  replaced its voted upon song "Chameleon". For some strange reason, Malta decided to do the dangerous tactic of swapping songs again but now with more people hating on it. Emma Muscat is a fine enough singer but they have her in an outfit suited for Junior Eurovision yet it also seems to crib from Belgium 2016. Furthermore, "I Am What I Am" is the blandest of bland when it is not stealing from Dotter's "Little Dot" (Dino Medanhodžić co-composed both songs). Just a complete mess around and a total flop from last year.

North Macedonia - I seem to be one of the few people who genuinely like "Circles" but unfortunately North Macedonia's delegation decided to just have Andrea stand on stage and nothing else. And it's sad to say but she can't carry her nation's dream all on her own.

Romania - Maybe people will want to have a barely good enough Latin inspired dance tune for the grand final. Or maybe they will instantly reject it once they see the goofy outfit in store for WRS.

Slovenia - This poor band of teenagers. They have a nice song you could tap you toe to but they have no chance on the grand stage of Turin. A poorly made giant disco ball doesn't help matters.

Switzerland - What the hell Switzerland?! You nearly won it last year and you chose to follow that up with a boring Louis Armstrong reject?

COUNTRIES THAT AUTO QUALIFY TO THE GRAND FINAL

France - Could be a total mess and bomb at the grand final or at least give everyone a chance to rave and dance with the devil. The 90's kid in me absolutely loves it. Bonus points for it being in Breton.

Germany - A lot of us may be sleeping on this similar to Germany 2018. The lyrics are kinda cringey but they might resonate heavily with younger voters. Thankfully, there is no giant middle finger suit this time around.

Italy - I had this as a potential winner for the longest time. From Sanremo where it easily won up until Turin. However, it seems now like it will be just a normal host entry but one that has an easier time making the lower top ten.

Spain - The last POTENTIAL WINNER in the lot. This is the one to easily win over the public and has the biggest chance for an Eurovision song to crossover into other countries including the United States. Chanel has been putting her entire corazon into the performance and looks to at least deliver Spain's best results since 2014.

The United Kingdom - Could the UK finally do it? Can they finally bring back their old glory? I thought a total yes until I saw the spaceship prop they constructed for "SPACE MAN" and Sam Ryder's Elvis like outfit. Please don't flop.

For those who just want the Cliff Notes version, here's what I have as my predictions for qualifying in the two semi-finals:

Semi Final 1

Bulgaria

Croatia

Greece

Latvia

Lithuania

Moldova

The Netherlands

Norway

Portugal

Ukraine

Potential Snub: Moldova, Portugal

Potential Stealer: Albania, Armenia, Iceland

Semi Final 2

Australia

Czech Republic

Finland

Ireland

Israel

Montenegro

Poland

San Marino

Serbia

Sweden

Potential Snub: Australia, Czech Republic

Potential Stealer: Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Romania

Here are my top ten favorite songs from this year's contest, also in alphabetical order:

Austria

France

Greece

Italy

Latvia

Moldova

The Netherlands

Norway

Serbia

Spain

And I again asked my non-fan father to watch/listen to the official recap video and come up with his own top five:

1. Switzerland

2. Portugal

3. Malta

4. Iceland

5. Slovenia

The Semi-Finals will take place on May 10 and May 12, both starting at 3 PM EST. The grand final is on Saturday May 14 at the same exact time. If interested, you can view this year's contest in the United States via Peacock but you must at least have a premium plan with them. If you have 5 dollars to burn, you like me can use it to watch the whole shebang before then quickly canceling next month's auto payment.

2022 Oscars Predictions

As always, these are my predictions to win, not who or what movie I wish would win.

Best Picture: The Power of the Dog

Best Actor: Will Smith - King Richard

Best Actress: Olivia Colman - The Lost Daughter

Best Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur - CODA

Best Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose - West Side Story

Best Director: Jane Campion - The Power of the Dog

Best Original Screenplay: Adam McKay and David Sirota - Don't Look Up

Best Adapted Screenplay: Sian Heder - CODA

Best Animated Feature Film: Encanto

Best International Feature Film: Drive My Car

Best Documentary Feature: Flee

Best Documentary (Short Subject): Audible

Best Animated Short Film: Robin Robin

Best Live Action Short Film: The Long Goodbye

Best Original Score: Jonny Greenwood - The Power of the Dog

Best Original Song: "No Time To Die" - No Time To Die

Best Cinematography: Ari Wegner - The Power of the Dog

Best Film Editing: Peter Sciberras - The Power of the Dog

Best Production Design: Patrice Vermette and Zsuzsanna Sipos - Dune

Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell - West Side Story

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Göran Lundström, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras - House of Gucci

Best Sound: Dune

Best Visual Effects: Dune

Oh boy, I can't wait the most unanticipated Oscars of all time, which is sure to net its worst television ratings of all time!

Seriously though, I so don't really care for this year's Oscars even as a diehard fan. The rest of America will be more vicious and not even bother to watch or care.

Yeah, I know I just copied-pasted the two previous lines from my predictions last year but it is still true. Like seriously, Wanda Sykes = Ratings Success?! Fuck no!

As many an Oscar podcaster have stated, either this will be a small bump up from last year or be a complete debacle. Everyone in Hollywood save for ABC and the delusion Oscar producers are royally pissed off at the subtraction of 8 awards from being fully broadcasted, the show seriously starting a hour before it goes live to the nation, the rumored presence of non-Hollywood people such as Tony Hawk, Shaun White and Kelly Slater, the addition of a "We Don't Talk About Bruno" number despite it not being nominated or having a chance to be because Disney royally fucked up, and plenty more.

I'm fine with Regina Hall as a host but Wanda Sykes is true X-Pac heat for me. Seriously, her getting such a major gig in 2022 despite doing nothing of true worth since the early 2000's? As for Amy Schumer, I don't really care for her much anymore. She's long past her peak stardom, Hollywood gave up on her after several failures and she has mostly been doing a cooking show. It would be nice for her to get a second chance but her recent very serious/not really funny crack that she wants Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to participate has made a lot of people shake their heads.

I predict the television ratings to be somewhere between 7.85 and 9.65 million viewers. And that's me being generous. If you think I'm being too cynical, look up the recent data on the viewership numbers for all of the Best Picture nominees.

Speaking of Best Picture, it is all down to The Power of the Dog or CODA to win the big cheese. CODA is a crowd pleaser but I thought last year the Academy would want a crowd pleaser to win and that prediction failed. Plus, the Academy is now more open and international so unless Drive My Car pulls a Chariots of Fire, Dog will surely win.

But man, if Netflix fails again and Apple becomes the first streaming service to win Best Picture, that will be so soul-crushing.

Campion is a lock for Director. No discussion.

My gut has been on Cumberbatch winning Best Actor but all of the voices and recent award wins for Will Smith has me second guessing. I very much could see another Best Actor fiasco like last year's but I think the Academy wants to finally reward Smith, similar to how they rewarded DiCaprio.

Best Actress is so incredibly hard to predict. Chastain is the favorite, especially with all of the campaigning she did, but I hear a lot of people saying it might go to Colman or Cruz. Kidman has no chance in hell and Stewart is a dark horse but I'm going with Colman. People love her as much or even more than Chastain right now.

Kotsur has eaten Smit-McPhee's lunch recently at many awards so he and DeBose are locks for the Supporting categories.

The screenplay awards are also so difficult to predict. Original Screenplay will either be Don't Look Up or The Worst Person in the World but Adapted Screenplay can go to any of them except for Dune.

I really, really, really want The Mitchells vs. The Machines or Flee to win Best Animated Feature but the Disney collective in the Academy is still too strong and Encanto has been too big in the American pop culture to ignore. Luca and Raya and the Last Dragon will surely not split the votes for Disney to win here.

However, I really can see Flee making history by winning Best Documentary. Summer of Soul has been the heavy favorite but this is an once-in-a-lifetime event, something an Academy member would be a fool to pass up on helping make history.

Drive My Car is a lock for International Feature. No chance for the yak.

Expect Netflix to pick up two of the short categories and for Riz Ahmed to finally earn an Oscar albeit for his live-action short instead of his acting.

Best Score, which so stupidly is not going to be performed and awarded live on television, is down between Hans Zimmer and Jonny Greenwood. It's either going to be part of The Power of the Dog's grand collection or part of Dune's potential sweep of the tech categories.

Similar as to when Sam Smith won, I expect another Bond song to "surprisingly" win Best Original Song. Lin-Manuel Miranda is just going to have to continue waiting for his EGOT.

After being famously almost snubbed, I will laugh when it is announced that House of Gucci won Best Makeup and Hairstyling over The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

Much to the horror of your parents, Belfast is going to be shut out.

And no, I don't give two shits about the Oscar Fan Favorite vote.

See you on Monday with my reaction to the awards and the ceremony itself.

Initial Reaction to the 2022 Oscar Nominations

So I'm back in the saddle to react to the Oscar noms but I'm not starting off my raves and rants first with a major snub. Sure, I'm not super jazzed about Belle not getting into Best Animated Feature (more on that category later) but everything was pretty much expected for the most part.

7 out of 10 for the predictions for Best Picture. My bet on Drive My Car paid off but The Lost Daughter; tick, tick... BOOM!; and The Tragedy of Macbeth lost out to King Richard, Licorice Pizza and Nightmare Alley.

Really surprised but not totally shocked at Nightmare Alley getting in for Best Pic. That's largely because of all the news and Hollywood gossip I've been hearing about how hard Guillermo del Toro has been campaigning for it in L.A.

If you really, truly, deeply thought that the Academy would give Spider-Man: No Way Home a nom for Best Picture, you really need to get out of the echo chambers you locked yourself in and see the sun again.

I should be really mad at Denis Villeneuve getting snubbed for Best Director but I honestly don't care that much. Still a shocking surprise though.

I really thought the Academy was going to do two women directors again but alas, nothing for Maggie Gyllenhaal. I somehow thought Paul Thomas Anderson had no chance but at least Ryusuke Hamaguchi got in after having a stellar 2021.

Best Actor noms were easy picks yet I stupidly thought Javier Bardem would go to Best Supporting Actor, with Joaquin Phoenix for C'mon C'mon taking his place.

Let's face it here and now: Will Smith will lose to Benedict Cumberbatch come Oscar night.

Jessica Chastain and Nicole Kidman locked in with ease despite my apathy for their deliberate Oscar ploys. Glad Olivia Colman, Penelope Cruz, and Kristen Stewart got in. But holy crap, no Lady Gaga?! And no Rachel Zegler?!!

I really thought Kirsten Dunst should have been included for Best Actress but she at least got in for Best Supporting Actress.

Not shocked at all for Judi Dench being included for Best Supporting Actress. I always had her as a spoiler though I really wanted Rita Moreno instead. I feel really bad Ruth Negga and Ann Dowd got snubbed (Caitriona Balfe as well to a lesser degree) but I was shocked by the inclusion of Jessie Buckley.

No Jared Leto! Hallelujah!!!

Also no Ben Affleck as well? Huh, many people in Hollywood must really loathe him.

Very happy Jesse Plemons got in for Best Supporting Actor. And wow at J.K. Simmons getting in. From the clips I've seen of Being The Ricardos, he is his usually great self. He more than likely got in due to being a favorite actor in the industry plus having Aaron Sorkin as his writer/director.

I really liked Colman Domingo in Zola but he had no chance to break through the pack.

More big acting snubs: Nicolas Cage for Best Actor; Bradley Cooper for both Best Actor and Supporting Actor; Alana Haim, Frances McDormand, and Jennifer Hudson for Best Actress; Jamie Dornan, Mike Faist, and Tony Leung for Best Supporting Actor; Marlee Matlin for Best Supporting Actress.

Of that pile of acting snubs, I'm really confused at the amount of people who honestly thought Jennifer Hudson would have been included. Respect was no Ray, not with the critics nor with the public.

God damn the Disney Machine! They got all three of their films in for Best Animated Feature with ease, leaving Belle in the dust. Damnit, Sing 2, you were supposed to take Luca out of the competition! It's up to Flee and The Mitchells vs. The Machines to try and stop Encanto from winning which sadly is a hard hill to climb.

Also, congrats to Flee for making history as a nom for Best Animated Feature, Best International Feature, and Best Documentary Feature.

No A Hero for Best International Feature. The hell?! Like Best Actor, everyone expected the obvious five noms but instead Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom took its spot. Upon investigating, i.e. checking Wikipedia, this film was already submitted and disqualified at last year's Oscars yet was able to re-submit for this year's. Again, the hell?!!

Got 4 out of 5 with Best Original Song. I wonder how many people of Twitter will be mad at "We Don't Talk About Bruno" and "Surface Pressure" from Encanto not getting nominated despite the sheer fact that Disney never submitted them to the Academy.

Freaking Van Morrison for Best Original Song. I would have liked it if I didn't have to suffocate on all of his other songs in Belfast.

Diane Warren got another nomination! Seriously, she's the Susan Lucci of the Oscars. The Academy and all of Warren's friends: Either shit or get off the pot!

I just realized that West Side Story wasn't nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. That really sucks considering the effort put forth by Tony Kushner but that's a pretty stacked five.

Oh wow, The French Dispatch was completely snubbed. Same for Annette, Petite Maman, Zola, Red Rocket, Shiva Baby, Last Night In Soho, and The Card Counter.

And the biggest snub of all goes to... Paw Patrol: The Movie for Best Animated Feature!

That about does it. Tune in next month for my predictions which I obviously will fail at.

Anime Watch of 2021

2021 may very likely go down as one of the best years ever for anime. The year was flooded with many highly acclaimed series and highly anticipated adaptations. Even when it looked like the fall season was going to be skippable, it birthed out some original titles that greatly shook viewers. Netflix started to break the chains off of their "jail" policy in order to experiment while also delivering several titles that had fans cheering up and down for. Even the movies side came in spades, from the American box office success of Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train to global fans finally able to say goodbye to Evangelion and allow Hideki Anno some much needed rest.

However, I purposefully said one of the best years ever for anime, not perfect. Because oh man were there some mammoth lowlights. Let's start by talking about the elephant in the room: the disaster that was the second/last season of The Promised Neverland. A catastrophe so monumental that some fans now more willingly than jokingly believe it never existed. Then you have the other "holy shit" collapses of the year, namely Wonder Egg Priority, The Detective Is Already Dead, Peach Boy Riverside and (depending on who you ask) Fena: Pirate Princess. These failures were so big and dreadful that they literally made everyone forgot all about the controversy surrounding Redo of Healer. And though the fall season had some surprises, the worst of them was the universal rejection of Netflix's live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, a bomb so bad that Netflix had to announce its cancellation mere weeks after it dropped.

As for myself in 2021, I continued my journey through anime series I missed while also partaking on newer ones that caught my eye. I kicked off the year re-upping my annual subscriptions to Funimation and Crunchyroll, though I still greatly wish that I could get a discount on them now that the two streaming platforms are both owned by Sony. I pretty much predicted myself not to pig out on anime as much as I did in 2020 but I expected to have a big enough haul. Things were going fine for the most part until I reached the end of September. At that point, I just flat out stopped watching. From then to New Year's Eve, I didn't watch anything save for one show on Netflix, not even a rewatch of an episode. After theorizing and doing some research, it appears that I've underestimated how greatly the sudden death of a beloved family member to COVID affected me. Instead of finding some comfort in anime, I went to movies, video games, YouTube, and Twitch. I do feel bad about leaving anime in the dust during this period, as I was counting on myself to finally make time for Horimiya after richly enjoying its first manga volumes, support Banished From The Hero's Party after reading its first two light novel volumes, continue my trek through rom-com with My Senpai Is Annoying, check out the highly anticipated (but stupidly delayed in America) adaptation of Edens Zero, partake in the sports insanity of Sk8 The Infinity, return to Cell At Work!! with its new brief season and its spinoff title Code Black, and/or see what all the hubbub was about ODDTAXI. Hell, I also didn't make time to finish up shows I liked in 2020, such as Fire Force and Black Clover. Regardless, I ended the year with a watch count of 39 series.

Since I like to capture my thoughts and feelings, I once again decided to create a list of my watched shows, starting from what I dubbed were the best and traveling all the way down to the ones that left me angry and/or stupefied. The rules of the list are as follows: The overall quality of the show and my personal response to it are the major factors towards their rank. However, other additional factors such as replayability, voice talent, and lasting impact can help sway their placing. Only new shows/new viewings count; rewatches are immediately disqualified and if I watch a show that I already started, only the continuing unwatched episodes will be reviewed. I treat and grade all series fairly, even ones that I haven't actually finished or may not choose to finish. If you see a * next to the title, that means I had a limited sampling of the show or didn't complete the series/franchise fully. However, to shake up things from the 2020 edition, I have included shows I watched on Netflix to the list, thus giving a more fuller view of my anime habits in 2021.

(NOTE: Like last year, I wanted to have the full list made live as soon as possible. I will be continuing to edit and include more thoughts and screenshots until fully satisfied.) 

1. Komi Can’t Communicate

2. Welcome To Demon School! Iruma-kun (Season 2)

3. Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki

4. Oresuki: Are You The Only One Who Loves Me?

5. Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro

6. My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom! X* [eps. 1-5]

7. Pui Pui Molcar

8. Haganai

9. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

10. Tonikawa: Over The Moon For You

11. The Devil Is A Part-Timer!

12. Suppose A Kid From The Last Dungeon Boonies Moved To A Starter Town

13. How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom

14. How Not To Summon A Demon Lord

15. Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?

16. Toradora!

17. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.* (Season 1)

18. Jujutsu Kaisen* [eps. 1-3]

19. Kuroko’s Basketball* [eps. 1-14]

20. The Misfit Of Demon King Academy* [eps. 1-4]

21. I’ve Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level* [eps. 1-3]

22. The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter* [eps. 1-6]

23. Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy-* [eps. 1-4]

24. Black Clover* [ep. 170]

25. Hundred

26. Lovely Complex* [ep. 1]

27. Kyo Kara Maoh!* [eps. 1-3]

28. Hortensia Saga* [eps. 1-4]

29. High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even In Another World* [eps. 1-2]

30. The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent* [ep. 1]

31. Rainbow Days* [eps. 1-8]

32. My Hero Academia* [S5 eps. 89-90]

33. Tenchi Muyo! War On Geminar* [ep. 7]

34. Death March To The Parallel World Rhapsody

35. Full Dive: This Ultimate Next-Gen Full Dive RPG Is Even Shittier Than Real Life!* [ep. 1]

36. Record of Ragnarok* [eps. 1-8]

37. Masamune-kun’s Revenge

38. The Way of the Househusband* [eps. 1-2]

39. Armor Shop for Ladies & Gentlemen* [S1, Flips The Script, S2 eps. 1-7]

So where do I go from here? For 2022, I hope to watch and finish more series so I don't suffer a huge crash in my watch count. I least get to enjoy the second season/part two of Komi Can't Communicate and How a Realist. Plus, My Dress-Up Darling premieres in two days and the hugely anticipated Spy x Family comes out in April. As for older titles, I would like to finally sink my teeth into Classroom of the Elite and My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU. Hopefully you get to hear my thoughts on those and more titles next January.

Best Performances and the Rest of 2021

Since I saw many quality films last year, plus being more in the mood to celebrate them, I decided to do some of my other movie awards. Granted, as seen below, the majority of them just went to the same three films but I appreciated them so much that they richly deserve an encore.

BEST ACTOR: Benedict Cumberbatch - The Power of the Dog

BEST ACTRESS: Rebecca Ferguson - Dune

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jason Momoa - Dune

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Ariana DeBose - West Side Story

BEST ENSEMBLE: Dune

BEST DIRECTOR: Denis Villeneuve - Dune

BEST SCREENPLAY: Tony Kushner - West Side Story

BEST SCORE: Jonny Greenwood - The Power of the Dog

BEST SONG: "No Time To Die" by Billie Eilish - No Time To Die

BEST TRAILER: Licorice Pizza

The Films of 2021

2021 didn't deliver the immediate bounce back everybody wished, prayed, and hoped for, especially after the events of January 6. We all had to suffer through a deluge of misinformation, people spewing anger and utter nonsense, and the unending waves of COVID infections and variants. And yet despite all of the head-shaking drama and complete hogwash, we are finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. We may have to keep pulling on all of the buffoons' hands, even when they stomp their feet endlessly or break off and suffer the eventual consequences, but we're starting to see some better results.

As for the film industry, well, the results weren't as kind. One of their earliest galas of self-congratulations, the Golden Globe Awards, spawned an awful edition laden with technical difficulties and led to little to none viewership thanks to the near non-factor of movies in 2020 and bizarre rule changes. The Hollywood Foreign Press suffered an even greater blow when a news report revealed the lack of diversity in their ranks, eventually leading to studios to boycott the Globes and NBC to cancel further broadcasts. The Oscars tried to shake up their stagnant presentation in order to entice the public, only to have less than 10 million viewers watch an edition with no exciting stakes and a much criticized anticlimactic finale. The studios aggressively urged people to return to the cinema despite the ongoing pandemic with several theaters-only flicks only for the great majority of them, aka non-superhero pics, flopping or achieving less than stellar results. Despite great critical reviews and the monumental efforts put forth in them, save for one featuring a very old looking actor playing a teenager, every single movie musical bombed at the box office. Disney shut down Blue Sky Studios to no fanfare and continued their lambasted premium access plan to major movies via Disney+, which would come back to haunt them when Scarlet Johansson sued the company over their treatment of Black Widow. Netflix continued capturing the pop culture zeitgeist with their slew of original series, which greatly impacted their original film lineup when it wasn't also being overshadowed by the company's P.R. shit show. And finally, there's the still ongoing investigation and controversy over the Rust shooting tragedy, where a prop gun Alec Baldwin was handling discharged real rounds, injuring the director and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

But not everything was a total wash for the world of cinema. We got to see more representation and respect for female filmmakers, with Julia Ducournau becoming the first solo female winner of the Palme d'Or, Maggie Gyllenhaal break through as a new voice, and the celebrated return of Jane Campion. Lin-Manuel Miranda was everywhere, whether you wanted him or not, and scored a lot of notices both for his usual composing expertise and his film directorial debut. An anime juggernaut finally saw its box office shattering feature released in the States where it shockingly became one of the biggest films of the year, even earning the ultra-rare distinction of being the #1 film in the entire nation. HBO Max largely succeeded last year thanks to Warner Bros' experiment of releasing their major slate of films online and in theaters simultaneously. Several Netflix original films were strong enough to break out and deliver huge streaming numbers.  And though I mocked it in the previous paragraph, the human experience of going to the movie theaters is slowly starting to rebuild itself.

As for me personally, 2021 was a better year than 2020 but the highs and lows were very wide. I got to reunite with friends and family and enjoyed their company again. I also was able to cross off something on my bucket list: I finally attended Madison Square Garden where I was lucky enough to witness the historic moment of Stephen Curry's becoming the new NBA 3-point scoring leader. However, something that I always feared would happen unfortunately came true: I lost a very beloved family member due to COVID. It was one of the most distressing moments I have had to experience in my life but luckily there was a lot of love and support to get me through it. That plus plenty of work and video games to help distract me. As per usual, my movie watching experience, even at home, continued to suffer throughout the year but I have lately been more active in breaking that curse. Having your yearly movie plan with Regal Unlimited being forcibly changed to a monthly one certainly helped spurn it.

My final total of 2021 films that I watched is 15. Hooray, a rare increase in my viewing habits! The downside, however, is that not all of the films I watched can be labeled as good and/or be placed in a Best Films list. Therefore, similar to last year, I have arranged them in the order of my opinion.

First up are four films that I can easily say are some of the Best of 2021 and would have been on my list.

1. Dune

I always love to applaud a filmmaker when they somehow are able to do the so called impossible and adapt a work largely deemed unfilmable. But Denis Villeneuve goes well above and beyond with this new take on the Frank Herbert novel, able to pour his own love of the source material and blend it with exceptional production design, a fantastic cast, an unconventional score, and CGI special effects that are far more believable and awe-inspiring than distracting. My sole issue is that I wished the film festival/opening weekend version of the film was the only cut, as the film was later changed in theaters to include the "Part One" opening credit and the bad ADR final line.

2. West Side Story

I was skeptical and annoyed at its announcement. Then the trailer dropped and shook up my expectations. It would then become both the most exciting and my most watched film in theaters for 2021. Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner did a great job carefully updating the material to a degree that helps make this reimagining of the Broadway musical stand on its own from the 1961 Hollywood classic. The sole slight that prevents this from being my number one film is the less than stellar singing of Ansel Elgort as Tony.

3. The Suicide Squad

This movie can be wisely labeled as being too much of a copy of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies but James Gunn does deliver another highly satisfying comic book romp albeit one where the executive limiters are turned way the hell off. Save for the weird abundance of bird killings, the violence is pitch perfect in its various executions, literally and figuratively. This is the kind of Suicide Squad/Secret Six story I wanted to be shared with the world.

4. The Power of the Dog

I would not mind in the slightest this being the big winner at the upcoming Oscars. Beautifully directed, shot, acted, and scored, it's the kind of movie that if released during a theaters-only era would have had everyone in the nation talking and debating thoroughly for weeks if not months. It also seemingly shares a tenuous but close connection to a Hitchcock movie that I quite admire. And just like that movie, my sole gripe against Jane Campion's latest is how the ending has to overexplain itself for the dummies in the audience before concluding with a devilish smirk.

Next up are seven films that I would most fittingly label as the "creamy middles" of the year; movies that would have very likely missed out on my Best of 2021 list but were quite effective in their execution and entertainment.

5. No Time To Die

Both a greatest hits of the entire James Bond franchise and a proper sendoff to the Daniel Craig era, this was a real treat in theaters.  As many have already proclaimed, the sequence in Cuba was absolutely one of the best moments of 2021. I would even add the pretty terrifying first prologue to that list. If the makers could have had a chat with Rami Malek about his approach to Not Dr. No aka Luytsifer Safin (ugh even for 007 standards) or given some proper lighting of Lashana Lynch, this could have been higher.

6. Belfast

I can't deny the amount of great creativity and artistry Kenneth Branagh brought to what he has dubbed his "most personal film". And the acting from the entire ensemble is near excellent. But that incessant Van Morrison soundtrack really gutted some of the joy and heart I had with the picture.

7. Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train

This was the very first movie I saw back in theaters and I'm glad that even with a ton of asterisks it was able to shine brightly last year. It suffers somewhat due to it feeling less like an actual movie and more like a series of television episodes, which actually happened after some retooling in late 2021 with the premiere of Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Arc. But the movie delivers the amazing animation quality expected from Ufotable and excels at trying to ring every single emotion out of you. Also, come the fuck on MPA with that R rating.

8. Zola

Equal parts funny and harrowing, this Sundance indie finally got to see the light and bequeathed the world a stranger than fiction tale supplemented by four great performances and another interesting score by Mica Levi. Other than to help break up the anime bloc, I put this slightly lower because I quite frankly have seen this story before. I'm not talking about the initial Twitter thread that spawned the film. I mean I have watched plenty of "Florida is dirty and sucks" movies since A24 released Spring Breakers and this frankly is just another one, also courtesy of A24, to add to the pile.

9. My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission

The My Hero Academia movies continue to fall a bit in quality with this one but it's still an entertaining shonen flick. I really liked the film's original character Rody and there are several great action sequences, particularly the city chase. And I'm always a sucker for new music from Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It's just too bad that the movie gets tripped up in the plot department, what with the initial storyline of Deku being framed for murder, the highly questionable motives and actions of the villains and how the final battle sadly boils down to "keep punching till its dead".

10. Sword Art Online The Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night

For my first dive into this incredibly popular/divisive franchise, the movie was wisely welcoming to all interested viewers and did well enough in the action and drama departments. I still have to chuckle though at how this 97 minute movie re-tells a story, albeit one from a different angle, that was told in less than half that time in the actual anime series. Plus the usage of "beater" as an insult. Oh lordy lord, that's pathetic.

11. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Marvel was doing a great job letting Destin Daniel Cretton and his crew craft a fun and exciting martial arts superhero movie with several winning performances and standout fights. Then they had to get their fudgy fingers into the mix and give us another tiring CGI-fueled "save the world" plot in the back half. And though I was all for the subplot with Xu Xialing, the film's stinger was so obnoxiously handled. Remember Marvel, feather touch, not POWER DRIVE.

The next batch are three films that were in the tough spot between entertaining and disappointing; the type of movies where there are elements I really liked but are hampered by the overall product. Unless I was truly desperate, these would narrowly avoid earning a spot on my Worst of 2021 list.

12. Old

Good ole M. Night Shyamalan. Pulling the same tricks to hoodwink viewers into watching his films that fall apart faster than a house of cards laced with sneezing powder. To be fair, amid all of its laughable dialogue and dumb reveals, there are a few genuine scenes of horror and I was swept up by the main couple's evolving relationship. This fits perfectly next to The Village in terms of the quality of Shyamalan's outputs.

13. Ghostbusters: Afterlife

I saw this in a packed theater, where the audience were completely silent throughout it all and quickly got up and left once the credits hit. Though I had some laughs and fun with it, I was also very dismayed at the endless fan service and adherence to the original film. And then there was the piss-poor third act and the CGI creation of a certain someone. Once again, Ghostbusters 2 remains the gold standard of this franchise's disappointing follow-ups.

14. Gintama: The Very Final

I might draw the ire of some anime fans for placing this low but I know that's all empty noise because they certainly didn't turn out to see this in theaters. The movie is so incredibly impenetrable for any non-fan of the cult manga/anime series, even with the convoluted prologue that also acts as a Dragon Ball Z parody. I was smiling and laughing when it got to its comedy portions but all of that is in the last third of the movie. You have to sit through a lot of so-so at best action and stale anime drama in order to get there.

And finally, a film that would have definitely made it onto my Worst of 2021 list, albeit in a lower rank, but has now become my Worst Film of 2021 by default.

15. Mortal Kombat

I am so, so glad this didn't come out on my birthday. That's not as bad as when Heaven Is For Real really did but this was would have been such a disappointing gift for me. A violent martial arts tournament film where the tournament never takes place, led by an unbelievably boring original character despite coming from a franchise littered with personalities. I don't care how cool the prologue was, it can't make up for all of the eye rolls I had when Kano was treated as a good guy or all of the hearty laughs whenever Jax's itty bitty teeny weeny robot arms were shown on screen. This wasn't the equivalent of Mortal Kombat 9; this was the equivalent of Bloody Roar 4.

And there you have it, my film recap of 2021. But that's not all! Tune in tomorrow to see a selection of my movie awards.