December 2021 was a hectic month, thus the delay of this year-end wrap up. 2021 was another unusual year. No in-person at a theatre to watch movies, but there were several excellent titles. Glad I could watch them online. As for books, I surprised myself as I counted over 50 books from my list on Goodreads, albeit I admit, many of them are audiobooks.
Here are the Top Ripples of my 2021. Links are to my reviews.
MOVIES
The Dig – I’d left this one out on my last list by (a huge) mistake, now corrected. This is one of the best movies I’ve watched during the pandemic. Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes in their unusual roles based on a true, historic event. Beautifully shot.
Passing – Both book and movie adaptation are very well done.
Nomadland – Oscar 2021 Best Picture, Director and Actress. Both book and film are inspiring.
Minari – Autobiographical pic of Korean American director Lee Isaac Chung. Yuh-Jung Youn won the Oscar Best Actress in a Supporting Role for playing the eccentric grandma.
The Father – Anthony Hopkins nails it as the father afflicted with dementia and deservedly won his second Oscar at 84, the oldest Acting Oscar winner.
Promising Young Woman – Excellent Oscar winning screenplay by debut director Emerald Fennell. But it’s Carey Mulligan’s performance that speaks most poignantly for promising young women.
Drive My Car – Japanese director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi has created a play within a play while adapting a short story by Haruki Murakami. How ingenious is that? Japan’s official entry to the coming 94th Academy Awards. (Link to my review on Asian American Press)
BOOKS
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion
The Education of an Idealist: a Memoir by Samantha Power
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Brat: an 80’s Story by Andrew McCarthy
The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante
Kant’s Little Prussian Head and Other Reasons Why I Write by Claire Messud
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Ripple Effects 