Welcome to MovieJawn’s Split Decision! Each week, Ryan will pose a question to our staff of knowledgable and passionate film lovers and share the responses. Chime in on Twitter, Facebook, our Instagram, or in the comments below.

This week’s question:

What is your favorite new film of 2021 so far?

For me, it is In the Heights by a city block. From my review:

Sincere and hopeful, In the Heights is also one of the few things that has managed to give me a twinge of patriotism in the last few years. America, as a country, has a lot of problems–from its moment of inception, they have persisted. But America, as an idea, is one of progress. As we continue to try and define ourselves, we can change the narrative about “who” and “what” counts as the American Dream. 

–Ryan Silberstein, The Red Herring

When I started crying during Lin-Manuel Miranda’s prerecorded introduction welcoming everyone back to the movies, I knew that I was in for an experience for my first trip back to a movie theater in almost a year and a half. And In the Heights more than delivered. Director Jon M. Chu elevates Miranda’s impressive but flawed musical, deftly recalibrating performances for film and taking advantage of the big screen to stage elaborate and distinct numbers, electrifying what was already a lively show. It’s the best movie I’ve seen this year, the best musical adaptation since Hairspray or Dreamgirls, and exactly what I missed about going to the movies.–Ryan Smillie, Staff Writer

My favorite film that has been released this year is Limbo, Ben Sharrock’s bittersweet comedy-drama about a Syrian refugee waiting for asylum in Scotland. I actually first saw the film last year during the Toronto Film Festival. I almost turned it off before the opening credit because it had a whimsical tone that grated on my nerves. I’m so glad I didn’t; by the end of the film I was weeping. Sharrock and his ensemble cast capture so many of the truths that refugees face in ways that are simple and profound. A single line near the end of the film ripped right through me. I can’t praise this film, which is incredibly well filmed and acted, enough–Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

A Glitch in the Matrix, which I reviewed for this site, is a great documentary and probably the best film I’ve seen this year and, no kidding, the scariest. The centerpiece of this film is too well-done to talk about in a blurb, but it’s profoundly upsetting. I don’t need movies to be smart but this one is brilliant. And it could have stunk! Do you know how easy it would be to make this movie come out like “Screens. They bring us together but do they… also… tear us apart? Hmm?”. –Alex Rudolph, Staff Writer

The Mitchells vs The Machines - As a parent I’d say about 25-30% of the new movies I see in a given year are of the kids & family variety. That said, sometimes it feels like the movie gods see fit to bequeath parents a family friendly movie that is also a perfect film. Well, perfect is subjective, but the sustained laughter produced by The Mitchells vs The Machines is a rarefied quality for any film. That the film manages to pair that Lord & Miller-style comic insanity with genuine heart and a truly touching story about family dynamics is what makes this movie one of the year’s best, regardless of target demographic. –Iran Hrabe, Staff Writer

I actually enjoyed Cruella. Yes, the film has a bunch of flaws, one of which is the overabundance of 60’s era tracks, but there are aspects of the film that really captivated me. I really liked Estella’s journey from scared little girl, to being an iconic disney villain. Emma Stone gave a performance that stood out this year. The film was accompanied by a great script by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, and the wonderful direction by Craig Gillespie –Miguel Alejandro Marquez, Staff Writer

My favourite film released this year is Romeo and Juliet - An Original Film from the National Theatre, which did an amazing job of adapting what should have been a theatrical performance for film. Josh O’Connor and Jessie Buckley give brilliant performances and the way it’s filmed makes fantastic use of both the stage and backstage spaces. My other favourite film, which is more traditional, is The World to Come which stars Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby. It has a phenomenal score. –Fiona Underhill, Contributor

Pleasure - written and directed by Ninja Thyberg, was one of the most impressive feature debuts I have seen in quite some time. It tells the story of Linnea (Sofia Kappel) who leaves her small town in Sweden for lala land with the ambition of becoming the next big porn star. Ninja’s keen sense of direction and her ability to bring the viewer into the space is extremely effective, making it so hard to look away Find my full review here and watch for the flick coming out later this year compliments of A24. –Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport  

Find my full review here for more thoughts.

So far my favorite movie of the year is Together Together. Ed Helms stars as Matt, a single man in his 40s who wants a child. He hires a 26-year old barista, Anna (Patti Harrison), to be his gestational surrogate. The two of them develop a kind of unexpected friendship that goes against most of the clichés you might expect to see in a movie like this. It turned out to be much more of a feel-good movie than I expected and one that I'm looking forward to revisiting. Find my full review here for more thoughts. –Matt McCafferty, Staff Writer

I’m a sucker for horror films, so the third installment in The Conjuring franchise- The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It was a fun, genuinely enthralling spooky adventure. The film has Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga returning as Ed and Lorraine Warren as they take on the “the most chilling” case from their files- the David Glatzel exorcism. - Liz Wiest, Contributor

In preparation for The United States vs. Billie Holiday I have been working my way through all of Philadelphia-native Lee Daniels' filmography this year. That precursor is meant to justify why I'm choosing his controversial interpretation of Lady Day's life story as my favorite 2021 pick so far. With Daniels' exploration of the TV format with Empire and Star in recent years, it's been quite a while since he's had a hit on the big screen. While his newest biopic certainly isn't the comeback we were all hoping for, it certainly is an uptick in the grand scheme of things! If nothing else, make sure to check it out for Andra Day's jaw-dropping performance- move over Diana Ross (jk, go stream her new single Thank You)! -Matt Crump, Staff Writer

Ben Wheatley’s In the Earth is probably the best film I’ve seen this year. I’ve become a really big fan of Wheatley’s dry dark humor merged with horror. This particular film takes on the pandemic and a global crisis not dissimilar from the real world but manages to create a dreamy folk horror film from these dark times. It’s creative and trippy as hell. The actors are exceptional and know exactly how to act out Wheatley’s insane ideas. It feels like we are watching him work out his anxieties about the current state of the world. It’s supremely weird and dark and I have not stopped thinking about it since I watched it. Also has an outstanding score. –Victoria Potenza, Staff Writer

Godzilla vs Kong, baby. It came out at the perfect time for me. I think I was just a week away from getting the first dose of the COVID vaccine and I was aching for some form of normalcy. Then along came a giant monkey and a giant lizard, beating the shit out of each other for the better part of two hours. It was pretty great. –Billy Russell, Staff Writer