The 2021 Movie Draft · The Full Picture

The teams drafting the movies of 2021

Chris Ryan

Drama

No Sudden Move 2021

Soderbergh's Detroit noir with Cheadle and Del Toro; Chris has rewatched it several times and rates it among the best-scripted of the Max run.

Comedy

House of Gucci 2021

Drafted straight-faced as a comedy. Chris rewatched it the night before and swears the Leto and Pacino material is genuinely funny.

Oscar Nominee

Nightmare Alley 2021

Del Toro's carnival con-man noir, and Chris's pick for the best Bradley Cooper performance.

Action / Horror / Thriller

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin 2021

The seventh and last in the series, William Eubank's Amish-country entry that Chris caught on Paramount+ the day it dropped.

Blockbuster

Dune 2021

First overall, the chalk pick; Villeneuve's half-a-book blockbuster, seen day-and-date on streaming and in theaters.

Wildcard

The Card Counter 2021

Schrader's poker-and-Abu-Ghraib drama with Oscar Isaac and Tiffany Haddish.

Amanda Dobbins

Drama

The Souvenir Part II 2021

Joanna Hogg's autobiographical follow-up; a foregone conclusion for Amanda, though she prefers Part 1.

Comedy

Shiva Baby 2021

Emma Seligman's debut, and Amanda's first sight of Rachel Sennott and Molly Gordon.

Oscar Nominee

The Lost Daughter 2021

Maggie Gyllenhaal's Ferrante adaptation with Olivia Colman, taken after Amanda learned The French Dispatch drew zero nominations.

Action / Horror / Thriller

No Time to Die 2021

Craig's last Bond, grabbed after a long deliberation, mostly for the opening.

Blockbuster

Spider-Man: No Way Home 2021

The un-Amanda blockbuster pick, and the first big post-COVID theatrical moment for the group.

Wildcard

C'mon C'mon 2021

Mike Mills' black-and-white uncle-and-nephew movie with Joaquin Phoenix; Amanda saw it just after learning she was expecting Knox.

Sean Fennessey

Drama

The Worst Person in the World 2021

Joachim Trier's Oslo romance, Sean's second-favorite film of the year and a Best Original Screenplay nominee.

Comedy

Licorice Pizza 2021

PTA's 1970s Valley hangout, drafted as a comedy after a Wikipedia ruling of 'dramedy' let Sean choose the lane.

Oscar Nominee

West Side Story 2021

Spielberg's remake, a top-5 of Sean's year; Ariana DeBose won an Oscar for it.

Action / Horror / Thriller

Malignant 2021

James Wan's day-and-date horror that Sean dismissed at an 8:30am screening and came around on during a nighttime rewatch.

Blockbuster

Venom: Let There Be Carnage 2021

Andy Serkis' chaotic sequel, a 'very normal pick.'

Wildcard

The Velvet Underground 2021

Todd Haynes' split-screen band documentary; Sean's best film of 2021.

On the board, undrafted honorable mentions

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Black Widow The Matrix Resurrections King Richard Cry Macho In the Heights The Suicide Squad The Many Saints of Newark Those Who Wish Me Dead Godzilla vs. Kong F9 Eternals Free Guy A Quiet Place Part II Old The Night House Judas and the Black Messiah The French Dispatch CODA Benedetta Dear Evan Hansen

Also mentioned raised along the way

Also mentioned Spider-Man: Far From Home The Souvenir Nomadland Wildcat Saturday Night Let Them All Talk The Laundromat Kimi Mr. Brooks Kafka Desperado Apollo 13 The Omen The First Omen The Visit Signs The Village Trap Alien: Romulus Wolfs Longlegs It Ends with Us Gladiator II Wicked Moana 2 Nosferatu Napoleon Killers of the Flower Moon The Beekeeper A Complete Unknown Booksmart Life of the Party Ballerina The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Dune: Part Two Father of the Bride Imaginary Wedding Crashers A Star Is Born The Hangover Part III American Sniper Burnt Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Kingdom of Heaven M3GAN Insidious Underwater Land of Bad Horror in the High Desert

Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads

TV The BearMasters of the AirWandaVisionStranger ThingsPresumed Innocent

Ads The Mismatch