In Slate’s annual Movie Club, film critic Dana Stevens emails with fellow critics—this year, Bilge Ebiri, Alison Willmore, and Odie Henderson—about the year in cinema. Below is the final entry of 2021, a sonnet by Dana Stevens.
Odie, Bilge, and Alison:
The movie year of 2021
Took place against a backdrop of despair.
Pandemic 2.0 was .0 fun
But in the darkness, Barb and Star were there.
From Dune’s hot sands to In the Heights’ damp blocks,
Through Chaos Walking and through loony porn,
We plowed on, like Sir Gawain with his fox,
While Space Jam 2 lay waiting to be born.
Matt Damon wore a mullet. Ben Affleck
Went Good Will Camp-ing in a bleachèd wig.
The Quiet Place II kids went on a trek
And Nic Cage gave his heart up to a pig.
The casting choices didn’t always click—
Kidman as Lucy, Denzel as Macbeth—
But K-Stew’s Princess Di pulled off the trick
Of bringing her alive. Out, dusty death!
Next year, we’ll meet up with more pans and raves.
Until then, watch good movies in your caves.
Love,
Dana
