The movies that mattered in 2021, while streaming soared and box office suffered

'Spider-Man: No Way Home,' 'Westside Story,' 'Shang-Chi,' 'Summer of Soul' and other top movies of the year.

Yet there were still movies that mattered for various reasons, some having as much to do with what they represented as the films themselves, in what is clearly an evolutionary period for movies and movie-going.

How much premium content is there? As one rather amusing sign, four movies were seriously considered for this list that were shot in black and white: "Belfast," "C'mon, C'mon," "Passing," and "The Tragedy of Macbeth."