So these are the shows, movies and books I’ve loved so far in 2021. I would recommend checking all of them out obviously.
I will say though looking at a list of things ahead the 2nd half of 2021 is pretty event heavy so I could see some of these things being pushed out so I thought I’d give them some Mid-Year love.
TELEVISION
I don’t usually watch a lot of tv series and it’s been a really good year for them.
After Game of Thrones I realized my big point with book adaptations is do they get the characters right and I really think they do here. Hell even bringing in the crows as a prequel just to get the more popular characters in there… It shouldn’t have worked but it did and I hope they only get better in season 2.
I have made no bones about my surprise love for Ted Lasso (a show I honestly thought I’d hate) about an American coach going to England to coach a football club and I like, love it. Season 2 starts on July 23rd and it’s literally marked on my calendar with a big old heart.
Speaking of hearts…
Even though it had some problems I thought Wandavision was one of the best shows of the year and one of Marvel’s best and most interesting projects. I’m hoping it gets some deserved award love and honestly I don’t see this one being knocked off my final list period.
Books
I feel like this has been a very average reading year unfortunately but I’ve had some winners.
I loved all of this genre mix trilogy apart or as a whole. Loved the world and the characters and the story or a world torn apart by a generations long war and the huge toll it’s taken.
I also think I’m going to try to start reading series that are already done. It’s nice not to lose any momentum.
This is one of Sanderson’s older books about a fallen city of God like creatures now ravaged by the plague and I can see the problems of the book. I can see how Sanderson has improved but there was still plenty of stuff that grabbed me and kept me reading and intrigued.
The Wolf Den
A novel about a brothel in Pompeii. I’m going to do a review for this one it wasn’t what I expected at all but I loved the female characters and I thought that was the real strength of the story.
Amara and friends needs to be picked up for a series adaptation. Netflix? Anyone?
A beautiful story with a deep intriguing mystery about the life of a cemetery keeper in France. The beginning of the book was just okay but once the mystery kicked into gear I couldn’t stop reading and thought it was one of the best translations I’ve read in a while.
MOVIES
It’s nice to just take a chance on a Netflix movie you haven’t heard of and find a winner. Oxygen is (to boil it way down) about a woman trapped in a cryo-pod with rapidly dwindling oxygen and held my attention a hell of a lot better than a lot of the action movies I’ve seen this year.
The Croods Movies
I watched both Croods films for the first time this year and absolutely loved them. The films are about the adventures of a prehistoric cave family who ventures out into the world and meets Ryan Reynolds amongst other things.
Also I think Cave Daddy is Nicolas Cage’s most understated role in a while.
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Again a fun Netflix surprise about a family taking their daughter on a road trip to college who must survive the AI apocalypse. Especially great fun voice work for Maya Rudolph and Olivia Coleman plus the films the daughter made added a nice element.
On a completely different end of the scale…
I thought this dark revenge tale was just as great as everyone said. Carey was robbed! Sorry Frances. I will say I went into this one without spoilers and I think that helped with the impact of the film.
I do understand why it’s pretty polarizing but I thought it was a great emotional film.
My last favorite so far:
Okay Cruella is another film where I can understand why people don’t love it (or even like it) especially I would assume if you have some attachment to the 90s films. (I do not.) And I have high attachment to the Emma’s, Stone and Thompson, who ate this one up.
It had great costumes, music, set design, etc plus I actually loved the twists with the dogs.
And like I said there’s so much in part 2 of 2021 I’m trying to figure out how to break it down 🙂
I mean Friday is Black Widow! At long last!!! Plus Witcher Con which hopefully means a trailer and a date announcement. Gunpowder Milkshake (one of my most anticipated releases hits Netflix on July 14th!) And the long-awaited Spiderman: No Way Home trailer will hopefully be any minute. So lots to look forward to 🙂
I’m glad to see Mitchell’s vs. the Machines on your list! I haven’t laughed that hard at a movie in a long time.
I LOVE Ted Lasso! I get so excited when I see others talking about it too. That and Wandavision are my easy TV favorites as well.
The second half of 2021 is stacked but reading this post has made me realise just how much we’ve had to enjoy in the first half, too!
I cannot WAIT for Season 2 of Ted Lasso, and I never thought I would say that about a football show.
WandaVision will def make my year end TV list as well. Cruella was an unexpected gem, and ESPECIALLY Mitchells vs. the Machines. That one is my fav movie of the year so far!
I hope Mitchells doesn’t get lost in the shuffle come award season. So far it’s still my favorite animated!
literally just last night i was thinking “how is it possible that no one has ever made a show about a football team and their like ups and downs, the players dynamics, etc, etc”. but apparently it has been made, i just didn’t know about it, hahah. i’ll have to check out ted lasso!
i’ve been terrible at keeping up with disney’s releases this 2021 and i have not watched cruella, raya or luca, but i hope to change this soon! i think my favorite 2021 release this far would have to be always and forever, lara jean. even though it’s very different from the book and i was a bit disappointed by that, since rewatching it, i think it’s actually pretty fun and a good conclusion to the series.
Ted Lasso is so good! And the new season starts in a few days so if you enjoy it you don’t have to wait that long 🙂