Follow-up to Part 1, which covered the winter months from January through March 2021, where the Bengies Theatre season opened months earlier than normal, leading to the longest season. In fact, probably the longest possible season given the drive-in would not operate on a New Years or Christmas week in the beginning or end of the year. How many weeks did they operate? Close to 50, I'd have to think.

April - December

Free Guy
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Suicide Squad 2021
Ghostbusters Afterlife
Eternals
Respect
No Time To Die
Ron's Gone Wrong
Clifford The Big Red Dog
Space Jam: A New Legacy / The Mask (1994)

That's my top eleven for half (or 3/4) of 2021, in a fairly representative based on my recollections of the film slightly biased by weather, food intake, and crowdedness.

The top two were shown at the Scout camp-in, our tenth so far. It was great to see first-run features, and other than The Mask, all on this list are new releases (whether planned for 2020 I am unsure). Of the two, I favored Free Guy for the special features and plot twists more than acting or directing.

Suicide Squad had the most imaginative scope even more than a James Bond or the 10 Rings, even. Brutal, and only cathartic if you have the stomach. For drive-in fare: perfect.

The last film we saw in 2021 was the newest Ghostbusters. As a late in life sequel, it had an uphill climb to be digestible, and with the least amount of the old crew as possible, a good tale. I was particularly moved by the many homages and nods to Harold Ramis, even with the modern studio bent to put virtual words and motions into the late population.

Eternals; spouse loved it. Will watch again on blu-ray.

The story of Respect was more hard-hitting than a run-of-the-mill biopic, and I'd have enjoyed it more in an indoor setting for some reason. Maybe not a big-screen epic, a big heart reveal.

Bond. 007. Still going. Great escapism. Expected chases and explosions, not disappointed. Daniel Craig is aging slowly, but I think he's close to done with the franchise.

I would not have included Ron's Gone Wrong if it didn't have that yippie streak of revolt and independence that so reminds me of the 60s. A kids picture with an adult moral. On the surface, about social media and technology, but underneath human social challenges exemplified by loneliness and exclusion.

Clifford, likewise, was adorable enough without major sweetness to quality for inclusion. I needed to get to 10 on the list only for my internal goal. Stretching the year into 2 separate "Top 10" lists required viewing more than (or at least as many as) twenty films through. Leaving 10 minutes into the start doesn't qualify either.

Space Jam hits at the buzzer.

Misses

Dune shows up on the marquee photo below in mid-November and I flinched and didn't go then. The bill wasn't held over to the next week, and I regret my call. Sigh. Good or bad, would have stayed through the end.

We saw trailers for Spider-Man which didn't show at the end of the year. Holiday classics took hold, which makes sense given there would be fewer than 100 customers by my guess.

No images from April through June even though the Bengies didn't close more than a handful of scheduled dates through the whole year. I have the pictures, we just didn't go to those for whatever reason (don't like horror, too much animation, and yes, hard rain).