Alex's Ten Best Films of 2015
A short disclaimer before we start, these are not my predictions for the Golden Globes, the Oscars, or the Nickleodeon Kid's Choice Awards. These are simply my favorite flicks from this past year, what I deemed the best of the year. Also, let's understand, I have yet to see Carol, The Revenant or a few other select film favorites of the year. You'll likely disagree and want to throw your iPad/phone/laptop and I would advise you not and instead anger-read the rest of the list. All that being said, let's jump right into the list starting out with my honorable mentions and biggest disappointment.
HONORABLE MENTION:ANT-MAN
Dir: Peyton Reed
Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll
Look, I know this came out in the exact same summer as Avengers: Age of Ultron, but I’m a little spent when it comes to the Marvel franchise in many regards. However, give me Paul Rudd in a ridiculous premise for a superhero role within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and you’ve cued my interest. Ant-Man provides a much needed detour in the superhero genre, more heist film than origin story. Also, I have to give it props for best use of a Cure song in a film, EVER.
H.M. & DISAPPOINTMENT: SPECTRE
Dir: Sam Mendes
Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes, Lea Seydoux
Let’s get one thing out of the way, I would confidently call myself a James Bond superfan, almost to an obsessive extent. I’ve owned every boxset, bought the toys, seen them all in theaters since I’ve been a boy. James Bond is my favorite. So understandably I loved Spectre.
However, and I’ll do my best to avoid spoilers, I was so sincerely bummed by the grand unveiling in the movie. The movie builds like a great tidal wave, in the most Operatic of fashions, to what should be a showdown between James Bond and his ultimate nemesis (which could or could not be obvious at that point). But when the time comes for the big “reveal”, it comes across in the most off-handed and underwhelming of ways imaginable. The last act of Spectre is just a mess and it kills the movie for me.
10) WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
Dir: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement
Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement
Earnestly made comedy with a heart. This New Zealand based film embodies that mantra completely. And oddly enough it’s a movie with a pulse that happens to be about vampires. Clement and Waititi consistently charm and entertain this story of 4 vampires living in a house together in Wellington, New Zealand. Waititi’s Viago character is easily my favorite comedic performance of the year, acting as a boyishly excited house mom every time he introduces the audience to the world he and his friends live within.
9) SICARIO
Dir: Denis Villeneuve
Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin
People pretty regularly overuse the word intense. I’m not. This movie is intense. It’s a serious thriller that does not mess around. The casts performances and a multitude of fast action setpieces make for a movie that will absolutely grip you. While not based on a true story or any actual events, this movie somehow screams authenticity and that has to be attributed to Denis Villeneuve. This movie will not let you go, and like Villeneuve’s last picture, Prisoners, Sicario leaves a deep impact.
8) STAR WARS EPISODE VII: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Dir: JJ Abrams
Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Harrison Ford, etc.
Here’s my official review and reasoning behind it being on my list: This movie had high expectations, I set the bar at a medium level (looking at you Prequels) and this movie didn’t disappoint for this nerd.
Now admittedly not a ton happens story-wise in the grand scheme of things, BUT, if this is a building block to a larger story, it was just the toe in the water I desired. There’s not a lot we can discuss at length here without spoiling it for the few people who haven't seen it. But when you break it down to its bare elements, this was Star Wars on the big screen and Han Solo was there, if that didn’t make you smile ear-to-ear from opening crawl to *SPOILER REDACTED* ending, then you’re a soul-less plebeian and I fart in your general direction Sir/Madam.
7) JUPITER ASCENDING
Dir: The Wachowskis
Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean
Okay, follow me on this one because I’m pretty sure this will be a highly disagreeable choice for a Top Ten. There has to be something said about a film that is insanely ambitious but doesn’t seem to fail on most of it’s own expectations. Imagine the genre heavy movies you’ve seen that have sold a premise or an idea and never delivered on it: Speedracer (although I’m a sucker for this one too), Suckerpunch (maybe one of my least favorite movies), or even Watchmen (I hate Zac Snyder, is it obvious yet?).
From simply watching the trailer you’re promised a crazy science fiction universe, grandiose acting, over the top special effects, and, of course, imaginative Wachowski action setpieces. And, I would argue, we were given all of these ingredients well within reason. At times the story IS overly reliant on coincidence to drive forward and scenes are almost maxed-out to capacity with CGI, but it’s a Wachowski picture. I, for one, stand by what they do at almost every turn (go watch Sense8 on Netflix and let it wash over you). I could fault this movie for a hundred different things but instead I'll recognize it for it’s grand ambition, which is something filmmakers seem to lack when it comes to creating a science fiction or fantasy film.
6) INHERENT VICE
Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson
Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio Del Toro
Paul Thomas Anderson nails it, again. And it’s laced heavily, and I mean heavily, in humor. I don’t know what kept me more interested in this movie, the pulpy aspects of its detective storyline, or simply keeling over laughing from Joaquin Phoenix in almost every scene. Half of Hollywood is cast in this film it seems (shocker, it IS a PTA film) and nearly all of them deliver to perfection in their respective roles. I’d like to think that’s a sign of a cast loving their filmmaker (again, it IS a PTA film). Every one of of PTA’s movies feels like a love letter written to an audience and this film is no different, loaded with charm and filled with energy. Can Paul Thomas Anderson do no wrong? So far, so good. And that’s why Inherent Vice is on this list.
Also, for technicality's sake, I realize that Inherent Vice was initially screened and released in 2014 however it didn't get a wide United States release until 2015, so it still counts in my book.
5) EX-MACHINA
Dir: Alex Garland
Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac
Boys with their toys. That’s, in a rather blunt and non-artistic way, what this movie is about. Another solid science fiction picture from writer/director Alex Garland. Lofty ideas and speculation drive this film about artificial intelligence and robotics. Ex-Machina is able to seemlessly drift in and out of science fiction film and thriller film without ever being too much of one or the other, and this, I feel, is what drives this movie to be so engaging. Add in a small cast of young actors throwing mountains of life into their performances and you have one of the best indie movies of the year.
4) BEASTS OF NO NATION
Dir: Cary Joji Fukanaga
Abraham Attah, Idris Elba
I’ve recently grown to dislike the “anti-war” genre. They’re all too often critical fodder, stuffed with too much substance and intended to change your perspective on things. Like the turducken of films. However, Netflix’ inaugural film release Beasts of No Nation is exactly what I want in a film about the human consequences of armed conflict. A film with a clear message and story told through the eyes of a plucked out of nowhere boy (played remarkably by newcomer Abraham Attah), Beasts does everything to show you how awful the child soldier problem in Africa is without being completely Kony 2012 about it and FORCING you to see it. Are there times where Idris Elba’s Commandant character is seemingly human and sympathetic? Yup. Is he overly barbaric and a glutton for violence and power? No. He’s simply a broken man who just like Agu, has fallen into the cycle that feeds these armies with soldiers. I loved this movie and it would in fact be my number one if the previous three had not been released. See it. If you don’t have Netflix, trade your Hulu password or something. Just do it.
3) THE MARTIAN
Dir: Ridley Scott
Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor
SPOILER ALERT!!!
I'm not kidding
Seriously, last chance...
Still with me? Alright. Matt Damon doesn’t die. Now, let’s talk about that rescue sequence and how I nearly emptied my bowels 2 or 3 times over the course of 10 minutes. This movie is plain ole’ quality science fiction. And why should it not be, it’s helmed by one of the kings of the genre, Ridley Scott (I admit, I’m one of the 25% who loved Prometheus). There’s a rare quality to a science fiction film that can both engage our sense of wonder, create compelling stories and characters, and pay off in it’s final act; and this film pulled off all three.
2) HATEFUL EIGHT
Dir: Quentin Tarantino
Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Walton Goggins (maybe my favorite performance of the year)
I’ll be the first to admit, I like Tarantino, but I’m most assuredly not a Tarantino scholar. Do I love his movies? Yes. Do they always entertain? Yes. But they’re far from my favorites. That being said, I loved the shit out of this movie. For me this seemed the most sadistically self indulgent Tarantino film yet. But more importantly two thirds of this film takes place in one room, and it never ceases to entertain or seem exhausted. Like an iteration of Rear Window or Rope set in the Wild West setting of Jeremiah Johnson, this is my ideal film formula, Tarantino meets Hitchcock. If he continues making Spaghetti-ish Westerns consider me a full time convert.
1) MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Dir: George Miller
Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult
Spectacle. I would confidently pronounce Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller’s latest (and decades in the making) entry in his post apocalyptic film series, the greatest spectacle put to film in over a decade. Despite being flashy, loud, bombastic, and adrenaline fueled there’s still a sense of Shakespearean prose to Mad Max, albeit with as little dialogue as possible. I can’t even recall the number of times this movie was recommended to me over the summer, and in a summer of blockbusters like Jurassic World and Avengers, this movie was king of the hill. A perfect balance of show and substance along with a relentless amount of momentum easily vault this movie to the top of my list.
Well, there ya have it. My very own Top Ten, feel free to hit me up on FB, Insta or Twitter to call me an asshole because I didn't put Inside Out or Spotlight on here. Sorry guys, it's just that I've seen *Insert any Pixar film here* and I own All the President's Men. Sick burn.