Rampage Magazine March 2022

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their famous and often mocked twist endings that often make the timeline increasingly more and more confusing and absurd. These films are aggressively fun and entertaining, so obviously my friends and I were excited to see that a new spinoff film was releasing in 2021. This is very likely my most self-indulgent pick on this list, but it’s a film I genuinely love to the point where I believe it’s the best of the franchise. Furthermore, it being a spinoff makes it so that new viewers need only to be familiar with the first film to really follow the story of this installment. Do yourself a favor and check this one out if you don’t mind a fairly violent horror flick. You’ll have fun, I promise. Old Director M. Night Shyamalan’s career has been a long battle of being both loved and hated by the general public. His first American film The Sixth Sense was a cultural phenomenon big enough to have Newsweek boldly predict him to be “The Next Spielberg,” but his career after that would offer a variety of reactions from audiences leading to many considering him to be a terrible director, but I believe those people are wrong. Although his career has certainly had some missteps, nearly every one of his films are a showcase of his talents behind the camera (and even sometimes in front of it). Old only makes this more obvious. Telling the story of a group of people on vacation who get trapped on a beach that mysteriously causes them to age rapidly, leading them to having most of their lives reduced to a single day as they try to escape alive. Though it never oversteps into imagery that is too graphic (after all, the film is rated PG-13), Old ‘s concept is used perfectly to convey a level of horror that is as disturbing as it is intriguing. Ron’s GoneWrong

can serve you as a perfect introduction to them. In a little under two and a half hours you will fall in love with Sparks, their music, the band, and the brothers. The Tragedy of Macbeth In all likelihood you are in some way familiar with the story of Macbeth . Many of us had to read this Shakespeare play in high school, chronicling the rise and fall of a man who for a time would be the King of Scotland. Maybe you’ve even seen it preformed on stage, or seen one of the many movie adaptations over the years dating back to the earliest from 1948, all the way to the 2015 adaptation. It’s true this is not the first Macbeth film, nor will it likely be the last. In fact it may not even be the best version on screen to date, but an argument can be made that this film may be the most unique direct adaptation of this story to date. Joel Coen brilliantly blends cinematic language with the feeling of stage performance with sets that often blur the lines between that of a film and that of a play. Each performance given here is played perfectly, from Denzel Washington’s distressed and broken Macbeth all the way to Kathryn Hunter’s horrifying portrayal of the three witches. Not many films top how truly gorgeous this one looks, and if only for that reason this becomes one of the best of the year. Short Films I wanted to finish off this list of the best films of 2021 with a brief highlight of three wonderful short films I watched this year, because shorts are often overlooked and don’t get enough love. Especially since these are often only a few minutes in length, I especially implore you to check these out, as they are easily available online. Centuries and Still Centuries and Still is a short mixed-media filmmade to coincide with the “Stop Asian Hate” movement. It is a difficult watch, but an important one that is haunting in its material. Directed by Sally Tran, this film showcases America’s long and unfortunate history of discrimination against Asian people dating back centuries all the way to the California Gold Rush. You can find this one on Vimeo with a quick Google search. Abe’sWorld Stephen Steinbacher’s music video for the band “A u t o p i l o t” is a wonderful cosmic journey told through the eyes of an adorable dog. A wonderful meshing of visuals and light set to music helps to showcase Steinbacher’s keen eye for color as well as his incredible technical ability in visual storytelling. Bugbear Gabrielle Vines’ short horror film Bugbear is an abstract nightmare, featuring a heavy use of red lighting and a wonderfully creepy mask. The lack of dialogue and reliance on the visuals and music allow for Vines to tell a short story left entirely up to the audiences interpretation. In only five minuets you are treated to a nice eerie tale that has to be seen to truly be experienced.

he set himself up as a new face in horror. Immediately following Saw , Wan made one more horror movie before working on a revenge thriller with a focus on action known as Death Sentence . Although said film wasn’t a massive hit, it did establish Wan as someone who knows how to direct action. From this point forward he’d go on to start two of the biggest horror franchises of the 2010s ( Insidious and The Conjuring ), as well as direct two big franchise action films ( Furious 7 and Aquaman ). It seems that Wan’s career has been a sort of tug of war battle between two genres, until 2021’s release of Malignant in which Wan uses his strengths in both genres to create an incredible unique, fun and scary horror/action blend. This film beautifully plays to his strengths in both genres, never once making one overtake the other. It’s a wonderful thrill ride with a third act unlike no other. TheGreenKnight

If you go into The Green Knight expecting an action fantasy tale like Conan the Barbarian, you may leave disappointed. This is a great fantasy film, but it’s not one of epic battles between knights and orcs like you may expect. The Green Knight is the tale of the nephew of King Arthur, Sir Gawain and his journey to confront his own mortality. It is a slow, existential and beautiful film that trades sword battles for examinations of life and what it means to live. It isn’t a journey for everyone, but it’s one that you will likely never forget. The Last Duel Ridley Scott released two films this year, and although House of Gucci is certainly worth your time, The Last Duel is arguably one of the best of his career. Following the true story of Lady Marguerite de Carrouges, a French noblewoman who in 1547 accused nobleman Jacques Le Gris of rape, The Last Duel is a story told from three perspectives. First, offering the perspective of her husband Jean de Carrouges, then the perspective of the accused Le Gris, and finally in its last act the perspective of Marguerite herself, which is aptly labeled “The truth.” Although this film’s story is of an incredibly dark nature, it can be fun at times without ever undermining the seriousness of the subject matter. This is a brilliant tale that will certainly be remembered for years to come. Spiral: Fromthe Book of Saw Over the course of 2020, I and a few of my friends gathered together and watched through all eight of the films in the Saw franchise. Starting with the first and ending with Jigsaw , I found myself absolutely enamored in the soap opera-esque horror drama that is that franchise. Each film uses every trick in the book to surprise you with

I felt I needed to recommend at least one family film here, so I offer you Ron’s Gone Wrong , an incredibly cute, simple kids’ film with a lovable titular character and a ton of heart. The story here isn’t anything entirely new. It’s a simple family film plot, but what makes this film is Ron himself. The titular character is an adorable broken robot whose personality takes on a life of its own. It’s impossible to watch this without having a smile on your face. It truly is a blast for kids and adults alike. The Sparks Brothers If you go onto Netflix right now, you can treat yourself to a wonderful documentary from Edgar Wright entitled The Sparks Brothers . This documentary follows the long extensive career of the band Sparks, led by the two enigmatic and charming brothers, Ron and Russell Mael. If you are a fan of the band, this documentary offers a wonderful amount of insight into their career, and if you aren’t it