30 Cinematic Treasures in 2021

Out of the 130 or so we watched this year

We watched an average of 2.5 films per week. (How do people manage 4+ hours of television a day?)

We always try to keep a keen eye out for what’s new on the horizon — far and wide beyond the Hollywood promotional algorithms — while constantly continuing to explore amidst the vast history of cinematic treasures.

Neither time or geography are limitations.
This year our viewing included old films — 1911, 1932, 1971, 1988 — as well as nine from 2021.
There are films here from Italy, Spain, England, Hungary, France, Germany, Romania, Finland, India and the USofA.

Our rating system is up to 5 stars — ★★★★★—rounded out to a half-star by mutual agreement. All of these favorites were 4 and above.

We abandoned 7 (if it hurts after a half hour) and only 11 were not able to make it up to even two stars. We’ve included a list of these two dishonorable categories below as a public service.
(Perspective of our tainted view: In 2019 we thought that the highly celebrated film “Parasite” was pure junk.)

We are such iconoclasts that we won’t be limited with a Top Ten or Twenty. Instead we present our Top 30…