On this week’s Film Club, our critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife are creating a new tradition with the second annual edition of what we like to call the Mid-Year Awards. Last summer, Film Club ran an episode saluting the best performances, screenplays, direction, and films of 2020—a strange year for movies that turned out, despite all odds, to be a very good year for cinema as well. This year, with everyone from Vin Diesel to Steven Spielberg acting as cheerleaders for the return of the theatrical experience, our critics find themselves curiously underwhelmed with what 2021 has had to offer so far.But they push through, and reveal their picks for the best of 2021—a list that includes everything from Marvel blockbusters to African arthouse films.Visit: https://www.avclub.com/Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclubFollow: https://twitter.com/theavclubSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.