Sunday, 21 March 2021
Hello and welcome back to 2021's final post from the Hot List. This week we will be looking at the most exciting new movies set to hit the big screen in 2021 from April onwards, after the cutoff point for this year's awards season.
This is going to be an interesting year for film, to say the least. Eagle-eyed readers will no doubt recognise many of the entries on this year's most anticipated list as repeats from last year. One of the early impacts of global pandemic was the delay of many of the year's biggest cinema releases until 2021. As a result, this promises to be a uniquely overstuffed year for cinema, with not only the big 2021-scheduled films, but also many of those originally scheduled for 2020. Logically that should make this one of the finest years for cinema in recent memory, and the list this blog has come up with certainly speaks to that promise.
So without further delay, the key films to keep an eye on in the coming year (trailers linked in the title where available), starting with number 15:
15. In the Heights

This project has had something of a turbulent production history. Originally cancelled in the early 2010s, only be resurrected following the success of Hamilton by none other than Harvey Weinstein. Then all that happened, and this projected ended up over at Warner Bros.
In the Heights will be directed by Jon Chu, a man best known for the rather forgettable Step Up franchise of dance films, but who more recently has found his break in the world of serious filmmaking with the critically acclaimed Crazy Rich Asians. The former will stand him in good stead for directing a musical, while the latter showed him to have some genuine talent as a filmmaker. I think this is in good hands.
Release Date: 18 June, 2021
14. Last Night in Soho

Release Date: 23 April, 2021
13. Tick Tick... Boom!

Release Date: TBA 2021
12. West Side Story

Spielberg is not the only legend on this project, with the screenplay penned by the Pulitzer Prize winning Tony Kushner, author of Angels in America and co-writer on Munich.
The presence of such luminaries makes a great opportunity for star Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars, Baby Driver) who has been threatening to break into Hollywood's A-list for some time. This could be the one that puts him into the stratosphere.
West Side Story will release this December, the thick of the awards season.
Release Date: 10 December, 2021
11. The Matrix 4

Release Date: 22 December, 2021
10. Next Goal Wins

His next film, Next Goal Wins, is based on the true story of Dutch football coach Thomas Rongen and his efforts to take the American-Samoa national team, then considered the worst in the world, to the 2014 World Cup.
Michael Fassbender stars as Rongen, and he will be joined by Elisabeth Moss, Armie Hammer, and long-time Waititi collaborator Rhys Darby.
Release date is still TBA.
Release Date: TBA 2021
9. Licorice Pizza (formerly Soggy Bottom)

Release Date: 10 September, 2021
8. Dear Evan Hansen

Release Date: 24 September, 2021
7. Dune

In 2020 a new adaptation is coming courtesy of Denis Villeneuve, an Oscar winning filmmaking with a burgeoning reputation following his work on Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and Sicario. Villeneuve also co-writes the script along with Eric Roth (Munich, Forrest Gump, A Star is Born). Dune will star man of the moment Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem.
Release date is set for October, notably making its premiere on the new HBO Max streaming servie, quite the statement for such a blockbuster project.
Release Date: 1 October, 2021
6. Nightmare Alley

The original novel follows a con-man and female psychiatrist who trick people into giving them money, but includes none of the supernatural elements that we might associate with a del Toro film. One can only hope that he maintains his characteristic directorial flair, even as he moves into more traditional genres.
The cast includes a lineup of strong performers, including Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, and Willem Dafoe. Release date is TBA.
Release Date: 3 December, 2021
5. Wendell and Wild

Release Date: TBA 2021
4. Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Ghostbusters: Afterlife will be directed by the son of original filmmaker Ivan Reitman, and acclaimed filmmaker in his own right, Jason Reitman (Juno, The Frontrunner, Up in the Air).
The film follows a new cast of characters, starring Paul Rudd, McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard (of Stranger Things fame), and Carrie Coon as a family who stumble across their deceased Grandfather's (presumably Ramis' Egon) old ghost catching materials, and presumably hell literally breaks loose.
Ghostbusters releases this November, and I am very, very excited about it.
Release Date: 11 November, 2021
3. The House of Gucci

Release Date: 24 November, 2021
2. Don't Look Up

Release Date: TBA 2021
1. The French Dispatch

The cast features a typically well-stocked lineup of big names, including Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Lea Seydoux, Christoph Waltz, Saoirse Ronan, and of course all the usual Wes Anderson collaborators such as Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and many others.
Love him or hate him, a new film by Anderson is always worth seeing, for the style of filmmaking if nothing else. Anderson will be joined once again by long-time cinematographer and collaborator Robert Yeoman.
Release date is TBA.
Release Date: TBA 2021
So there you have it folks: The 2021 Hot List. Be kind, be positive. I have the feeling that this year will be the start of great things.
Sunday, 7 March 2021
Welcome back to The Ephemeric's 2021 Hot List. I hope you enjoyed our last entry covering the essential literature of 2021. This week we will be having a look at the most exciting new music due for release in the coming year.
I am sure I say this every year, but this has been a particularly difficult longlist to whittle down to the final 15. This year the reason is twofold: 1) with the ongoing global pandemic, a lot of creative minds have been stuck at home or in the studio when they might otherwise have been on tour, resulting in a large volume of new music in the works, and 2) with everything else going on, firm, reliable details as to what is coming out and when has been hard to come by, resulting in a great number of albums that are "maybe" coming out this year.
So without further ado, here is our list of the top albums to keep an eye on in 2021, starting with number 15:
15. Chvrches

Release Date: Spring 2021
14. "Zoom In" by Ringo Starr

Release Date: March 2021
13. "Collapsed in Sunbeams" by Arlo Parks (New band)

The key tracks from the scattering of EPs released to date include Cola and Paperbacks, two tracks that keenly demonstrate her characteristic tone that has been commonly described as "bedroom pop". Her newer releases Eugene and Caroline bode well for the full LP.
Parks' debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, was delayed from its initial 2020 release date due to the pandemic, but will now release early 2021.
Release Date: January 2021
12. Red Hot Chili Peppers

Release Date: TBA 2021
11. Holly Humberstone (New band)

Release Date: Spring 2021
10. "If I Could Make It Go Quiet" by Girl in Red (New band)

Release Date: April 2021
9. Arcade Fire

Release Date: TBA 2021
8. "Music of the Spheres" by Coldplay

Release Date: Summer 2021
7. "Come Over" by Kowloon (New band)

Release Date: Spring 2021
6. Jade Bird

Release Date: Summer 2021
5. Kavinsky

Release Date: Summer 2021
4. The Killers

These guys don't need any introduction, they're one of the world's biggest bands and have produced an array of hit songs from Mr. Brightside to All These Things I've Done, Read My Mind and Human. We know nothing about the new album aside from a tracklist that was posted to the artist's Instagram some weeks ago.
Last year's Imploding the Mirage marked something of a return to form for the band, a critical and commercial success with some memorable anthems for an otherwise dour year. The only reason this isn't higher up the list is that I have doubts as to how polished an album they can really put out in just a few months.
Release Date: Late 2021
3. Nilüfer Yanya

Release Date: TBA 2021
2. Aloboi (New band)

Release Date: TBA 2021
1. "As the Love Continues" by Mogwai

Release Date: February 2021
So there you have it folks: 2021 in music. Tune in next week for this year's final Hot List, where we look at the most exciting new movies in 2021 (and trust me, that one is going to be interesting)!