MY TOP 5 FAVORITE FILMS OF 2015!
Holy smokes do I have a lot of reading to do. All of the biggest movies of 2016 are comic book films, from Valentine's Day's Deadpool, to March's Batman v. Superman and the summer's Captain America: Civil War. 2016 looks like an incredible year for the movies, but don't be afraid to get nostalgic about the year that's passed us! For someone who champions original filming, I can't believe two sequels rest in my top five list (and maybe a comic book movie is sneakily hiding somewhere in this post). Being in college ate up most of my time this year, but I was still able to watch 22 candidates for my top spot, including Mission: Impossible 5, Kingsman, Ant-Man and Crimson Peak. All (mostly action) movies I really enjoyed but couldn't find a place for. Maybe in a weaker year. Since I'm anal about only counting movies released in 2015 that I saw from 1/1/15-12/31/15, movies I missed like Room, Anomalisa, The Hateful Eight, The Revenant and the one I'm most upset about, The Martian (I only have 2 chapters left in the book!) will not be here. Instead expect to see them at the Oscars next month, which I'll be covering plentifully. And as always, keep in mind that these are simply my favorite films of 2015. Not the ones I think are made the best, but the ones I saw that captured my imagination, swept me away into science fiction worlds and reminded me of the darkness of today's world. Enjoy!
5. SPOTLIGHT
Yet another Keaton movie in my #5 spot that's destined towards Oscar glory. Even though this movie doesn't have the re-watchability of any of the other movies on this list, I'd go as far as to say it's probably the most well-made of any of these five. Following the Boston Globe's investigation into an enormous exposure of pedophile Catholic priests, Tom McCarthy films the movie like a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism piece: with nothing but the facts. It's a straightforward procedural that'll anger you, and make you cheer, if only for a fleeting moment, and gets solid, earnest performances out of Mark Ruffalo and Michael Keaton.
4. EX MACHINA
Who would've thought a movie about two dudes and a robot would become the indie breakout hit of 2015? In the hands of brand new director Alex Garland, who also penned the highly original script, you get a dark, atmospheric cautionary tale about the dangers of technology becoming too real, and what it means to be human. Alicia Vikander is surely going to be up for Oscar gold, whether it's this or The Danish Girl. I'm hoping it's for her turn as Ava the A.I. For a fake person she sure does convey a wide spectrum of human emotions. And that pulsating electronic score is the finest I've heard since The Social Network. I just want to listen to it, taking a bath, away from all other technology.
3. STAR WARS: EPISODE VII- THE FORCE AWAKENS
Even after a second viewing (in 3-D!) this was the most fun I had in a theater all year. I'm not accounting for when people cheered at the iconic logo, the applause of Han and Chewie's entrance and the giddy laughter over a BB-8 sight gag. The movie was just a complete blast. Is it too much like A New Hope? Who cares?! If you're gonna steal, steal from the best! Introducing a new cast newbies and diehard Jedis alike can sink their teeth into and invest in, along with the old characters who made us fall in love with the franchise to begin with, J.J. Abrams and his practical effects and his breakthrough actress (the lovely Daisy Ridley) won (a lot of) the audience. He had a Herculean task on his back, and he pulled it off like gangbusters.
2. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
With a little more insight on Max and maybe just a little better plot, this would've been easily the top movie of the year. After hearing it was a critical darling and seeing those mind-blowing trailers, my fingers were gripping my seat before the movie even started! I can best describe the movie as a visual assault on all fronts. I've never seen Tom Hardy in a bad role (that's because I've never seen This Means War) and he continues his winning streak as Mad Max. His Max is the quietest and most John Wayne-mysterious of the other three Mel Gibson movies, but we all know who this picture belongs to: Charlize Theron's Furiosa. She's been called the most exciting character of the year, a feminist icon, and a complete scene-stealer. All apply. In his 70's, George Miller shows a veracity and ferocious love of action movies filmmakers half his age should take note on. It's a gonzo ballet that's...essentially a car chase. Well, Fury Road is hard to put into the words. That's why it demands to be seen!
1. INSIDE OUT
So how did little Joy and her ragtag team of emotions trump the likes of Furiosa, Han Solo and Oscar Isaac's Ex Machina beard for the top spot on my year-end list? I'm not a teenage girl like our avatar Riley is. I won't even be a teenager for that long as of this post. But this movie spoke to my inner-child and my present-adult. It worked on every single level a movie should. Breathtaking animation (the worlds inside Riley's head were astonishing), hilarious voice work, deep psychological analysis of the pre-pubescent mi...wait what? This is Pixar right? And it is. Only they could pull off a movie of such startling depth. In fact this is their most adult picture yet. Putting aside the Bing-Bong-shaped hole in my heart, this is Pixar's best since Toy Story 3. It resonates with all of us, and the creative idea that emotions take turn piloting our heads takes a backseat to the idea that without all emotions at work we wouldn't be who we are. For a movie whose most sympathetic character is an anthropomorphic teardrop, Inside Out is surely one of the most human stories I saw all year, and my personal pick for 2015's finest.
Click on to see the movies that just teetered on making my list, and the others that left me tottering out of the theater disappointed!
HONORABLE MENTIONS (in alphabetical order)
DISHONORABLE MENTIONS (in alphabetical order)
5. SPOTLIGHT
4. EX MACHINA
Who would've thought a movie about two dudes and a robot would become the indie breakout hit of 2015? In the hands of brand new director Alex Garland, who also penned the highly original script, you get a dark, atmospheric cautionary tale about the dangers of technology becoming too real, and what it means to be human. Alicia Vikander is surely going to be up for Oscar gold, whether it's this or The Danish Girl. I'm hoping it's for her turn as Ava the A.I. For a fake person she sure does convey a wide spectrum of human emotions. And that pulsating electronic score is the finest I've heard since The Social Network. I just want to listen to it, taking a bath, away from all other technology.
3. STAR WARS: EPISODE VII- THE FORCE AWAKENS
Even after a second viewing (in 3-D!) this was the most fun I had in a theater all year. I'm not accounting for when people cheered at the iconic logo, the applause of Han and Chewie's entrance and the giddy laughter over a BB-8 sight gag. The movie was just a complete blast. Is it too much like A New Hope? Who cares?! If you're gonna steal, steal from the best! Introducing a new cast newbies and diehard Jedis alike can sink their teeth into and invest in, along with the old characters who made us fall in love with the franchise to begin with, J.J. Abrams and his practical effects and his breakthrough actress (the lovely Daisy Ridley) won (a lot of) the audience. He had a Herculean task on his back, and he pulled it off like gangbusters.2. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
With a little more insight on Max and maybe just a little better plot, this would've been easily the top movie of the year. After hearing it was a critical darling and seeing those mind-blowing trailers, my fingers were gripping my seat before the movie even started! I can best describe the movie as a visual assault on all fronts. I've never seen Tom Hardy in a bad role (that's because I've never seen This Means War) and he continues his winning streak as Mad Max. His Max is the quietest and most John Wayne-mysterious of the other three Mel Gibson movies, but we all know who this picture belongs to: Charlize Theron's Furiosa. She's been called the most exciting character of the year, a feminist icon, and a complete scene-stealer. All apply. In his 70's, George Miller shows a veracity and ferocious love of action movies filmmakers half his age should take note on. It's a gonzo ballet that's...essentially a car chase. Well, Fury Road is hard to put into the words. That's why it demands to be seen!
1. INSIDE OUT
So how did little Joy and her ragtag team of emotions trump the likes of Furiosa, Han Solo and Oscar Isaac's Ex Machina beard for the top spot on my year-end list? I'm not a teenage girl like our avatar Riley is. I won't even be a teenager for that long as of this post. But this movie spoke to my inner-child and my present-adult. It worked on every single level a movie should. Breathtaking animation (the worlds inside Riley's head were astonishing), hilarious voice work, deep psychological analysis of the pre-pubescent mi...wait what? This is Pixar right? And it is. Only they could pull off a movie of such startling depth. In fact this is their most adult picture yet. Putting aside the Bing-Bong-shaped hole in my heart, this is Pixar's best since Toy Story 3. It resonates with all of us, and the creative idea that emotions take turn piloting our heads takes a backseat to the idea that without all emotions at work we wouldn't be who we are. For a movie whose most sympathetic character is an anthropomorphic teardrop, Inside Out is surely one of the most human stories I saw all year, and my personal pick for 2015's finest.Click on to see the movies that just teetered on making my list, and the others that left me tottering out of the theater disappointed!
HONORABLE MENTIONS (in alphabetical order)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron. Now here's a surprise for you. The Big Short and Beasts of No Nation were strong contenders for this spot, but for vastly different reasons I don't think I could ever watch them again. Ultron had a memorable villain (not bad for the MCU), great ensemble work of the Avengers, especially near the end, great new characters and an expansion on Hawkeye! You're not just male Katniss anymore, Jeremy Renner!
- Brooklyn. An old-fashioned charmer. Saoirse Ronan is a strong lead, and the love triangle doesn't distract from what is a coming-of-age story about a girl in two worlds.
- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. I wanted to love this quirky indie even more than I did, because it was about two teenagers making movies for the love of making movies...AND BEING AWKWARD IN HIGH SCHOOL. Can I sue for copyright infringement? Despite its flaws, Me and Earl was still a heartfelt love letter to friendship and cinema, and was criminally under-seen by audiences, who missed outstanding performances from its lead trio of actors.
- Krampus. After such a strong opening sequence, this film disappointed me by trying to be too many movies at once. With such a unique premise, it just had to be itself. An R-rated version of itself.
- The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. I grew up on SpongeBob SquarePants, and the first four or five seasons are some of the most re-watchable television of all time for me. This movie (totally disregarding its classic 2004 predecessor) leans toward the latter years of the still-running show: off-puttingly irreverent and nonsensical without whimsy.
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