2021 Favourites!

If you read yesterday's post, you knew what today's would be. As you can see, this post is my 2021 Favourites, which is one of my favourite posts of the year to write.

I have more Favourites than I thought this year!

Favourite Movie (1): The Prom

This was my absolute favourite film of the year, without a doubt. I saw it quite early in the year and I am still obsessed with both the film and its soundtrack. My full review of the film is HERE.

Favourite Movie (2): The Broken Hearts Gallery

This is another film that I reviewed (HERE). I thought this was just going to be a cute rom-com (which it was), but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. I loved the characters, I loved the writing, and I can't wait to watch it again.

Favourite Film (3): The Rocky Saga

For some reason this year, I decided to watch all of the Rocky movies. I was already a huge fan of the two Creed movies, but I had never seen anything before them. I didn't expect to love the entire franchise as much as I did, and I'm so excited to see the third Creed movie!

Favourite Film (4): All Together Now

This was one of my most unexpected Favourites. I was always interested in the premise, but I didn't expect it to touch me as much as it did. It's a simple story that is completely character-driven. The character of Amber carries the film, and makes it as powerful as it is. Click HERE to read my full review.

Favourite Film (5): Papillion

This was another unexpected favourite. I watched it on a whim, knowing nothing about the story itself or the previous iteration, and ended up loving it. It's not the easiest watch, but it's definitely worth watching.

Favourite Film (6); Isa Pa With Feelings

I saw this film right at the beginning of the year, and I still love it as much as I did when I first saw it. It's the most lovely, romantic story, about an architect who falls in love with her deaf neighbour, and if you're a lover of romance, you should definitely check it out!

Favourite TV Show (1): Sex Education

I can't believe I only started watching this show this year - I feel like I've been watching it for years. But I had been looking forward to starting it for a while, and after watching the first episode it instantly became one of my favourite shows. I loved the season that came out this year, and I can't wait for the next one.

Favourite TV Show (2): It's A Sin

I watched this show near the beginning of the year, and I still haven't found the emotional strength to re-watch it yet. It's an amazing show that I think everyone should watch. Read my full review of the show HERE. 

Favourite TV Show (3): The Mindy Project

I was in need of a new sitcom this year, and this was my first choice. I saw the pilot episode last year and loved it, so this year I wanted to start watching it properly. I've just started season 2 and I'm loving it so far. 

Favourite TV Show (4): Sons of Anarchy

This was the most surprising show I watched this year. I started watching it because I was going through Charlie Hunnam's filmography, and knew that it had a great reputation. I did not expect to love the show as much as I did. In an earlier Favourites post, I said that the first three seasons are some of the best television I've ever seen, and that's still true - though the last season is also incredible.

Favourite TV Show (5): The Fosters

I had wanted to watch this show for years but had no way to do so. So when I got Disney+, it was one of the first things I started watching. Not only did I love the concept, but the way people talk about this show makes it sound like something special - and at almost three seasons in, it definitely is!

Favourite Song (1): L'ours

This was my most played song on Spotify this year. I heard it on a French radio station, fell in love with it, and found it on Spotify so that I could play it on repeat. Definitely song of the year.

Favourite Song (2): Only You, Lonely You

This is a song from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella. There are some amazing songs in the show, but this is the one that I've had on repeat. It's a song that I can listen to no matter how I'm feeling, and it's a song that I could listen to back-to-back for an hour (which I've done) and not get bored.

Favourite Song (3): I Drink Wine

I'm not the biggest Adele fan in the world, and I didn't love the entire 30 album, but this song just completely stood out. I loved it as soon as I heard it because it's the most beautiful song.

I also have to give an honorable mention to the Dear Evan Hansen Broadway Cast Recording, and The Prom soundtrack. 

Favourite Actor (1): Anthony Mackie

Not only have I just started watching 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' on Disney+, but I have watched so many Anthony Mackie movies this year that there was no way he wouldn't be on this list. My favourites have included 'Half Nelson', 'Gangster Squad', 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' and 'Detroit', but there are so many to choose from because he repeatedly stars in amazing films. Definitely one of the most underrated actors working right now.

Favourite Actor (2): Elizabeth Olsen

Okay, there's a small theme here with Disney+ shows,  but I had to have Elizabeth Olsen here because of how amazing she was in WandaVision. I have seen her in films over the years and she has always been an amazing actress, but she completely came into her own in the last couple of episodes of the show, and I can't wait to see what she does next with the character.

Favourite Actor (3): Ryan Gosling

Like Anthony Mackie, I also spent a bit of time this year going through Ryan Gosling's filmography, especially because a couple of their films overlap. I'd seen a few of his films before, but watching them one after the other really allowed me to see not only that he is a good actor, but that he makes great choices in terms of the films he stars in. I mentioned 'The Nice Guys in yesterday's post, and I have to mention it again because that film, in particular, is probably my favourite from Gosling's filmography.

Favourite Actor (4): Emma Stone

Watching Ryan Gosling's filmography meant that I watched 3 of Emma Stone's films in quick succession, and realised how much I like her as an actress. Not only is she often my favourite part of the films she's in, but I've also found that I gravitate towards her movies. Whether it's 'La La Land', 'Easy A', 'The Favourite' or 'Birdman', she gives amazing performances.

Favourite Book (1): The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

It's no secret that I love Karen M. McManus's books. But even though I had loved them all, I never though anything could top 'One of Us is Lying' - and then I read 'The Cousins'. Not only is is one of McManus's best books, but I read it in January and it is still one of my favourite books of the year in December, which tells you everything you need to know.

Favourite Book (2): The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

I completely fell in love with Jasmine Guillory's books this year. I read this near the beginning of the year, and I read it again last week which just reaffirmed how much I loved it the first time around. I have kind of fallen out of love with romance books this year, but this is one of the best I've read.

Random Favourites (1): Booktube

Almost my entire 2022 reading list is made up of books that I heard about on Booktube, and I'm so excited to get into them. I have just over 40 to read (plus a few pre-orders that will be arriving throughout the year), and even though I definitely won't make it through all of them, there will hopefully be a lot of book reviews on the blog next year!

Random Favourites (2): Podcasts

I have found podcasts so helpful this year, particularly when I'm working and am not in the mood to listen to music. I have been loving 'Rose and Rosie: Parental Guidance' particularly while working, and I can't wait for the next season.

Random Favourites (3): Radio Garden

Another thing I listen to when I'm not in the mood for my Spotify playlists is Radio Garden - an app that allows you to listen to the radio around the world. Not only is it nice to hear music from different countries, but I have found some amazing songs (in English and otherwise) that I wouldn't have come across without it.

And those are my 2021 Favourites! What have been some of yours?