There's no rule stating that you can only include movies released in your region last year, so why not just hold off on posting your list until the last couple of weeks? That's what I'm planning on doing, since The Hateful Eight and Spotlight don't come out in NZ till later this month.
I really, really like to be pedantic when it comes to film releases, but I could. I can see Creed, The Assassin, and The Revenant by the end of January.
With how good Creed and The Assassin supposedly are, can you imagine how good Assassin's Creed will be?
1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2. Mad Max Fury Road
3. Sicario
4. Ex Machina
5. Turbo Kid
6. The Hateful Eight
7. Spotlight
8. It Follows
9. Inside Out
10. Kingsman The Secret Service
I fully admit Mad Max was a better film than Star Wars but did not enjoy it anywhere near as much.
1. The Hateful Eight
2. The Revenant
3. Ex Machina
4. Steve Jobs
5. Anomalisa
6. Mad Max: Fury Road
7. Straight Outta Compton
8. Spotlight
9. Room
10. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
It's getting interesting now. I've watched several more movies that I thought would make the top 10 and few are making the cut.
1. Bone Tomahawk - Out of everything I've watched so far, this was by far my favorite. The whole thing was beautiful to watch. It was a Western, a buddy film, and a horror all rolled into one gorgeous package.
2. The Martian - This was a great piece of space fiction.
3. Mad Max Fury Road - I liked this a lot but I'm firmly in the Raid camp for best action movie. Its still damn good though.
4. Sicario - This was another gorgeous film to watch. The only thing that was a drag was that it just felt like something was missing. Like a big ass shootout. Things were resolved kind of quietly which is fine and a rewatch may change my opinion but it just felt a tad lacking. Either way, great film.
5. Dope - Great movie. It's like Friday but with a message.
6. Queen of Earth - Absolutely loved this movie. The setting, the actors, the cinematography...it just didn't quite end up like I think it should have. This is like a perfect thrillerhorror setting but it was just bickering friends in the end. I will definitely rewatch this again though. A second viewing on this one may also change my opinion.
7. The Editor - A damn good thriller, giallo type movie which is a movie genre I haven't had any experience with before this year.
8. Jurassic World - Say what you will, this was the best Jurassic Park movie yet. In my mind this is how the others should have been. Heavy on action, light on annoying kids.
9. Stung - Surprisingly funny horror movie from left field. This isn't for everyone.
10. Final Girls - Loved this. Loved the old school horror nods, the comedy, the whole thing.
Honorable Mentions:
It Follows - This was a fun movie but the ending is what held it back from getting in the top 10.
The Road Within - Another one that isn't for everyone but I needed a good laugh and this delivered. Someone close to me had tourettes so it probably hits a little closer to home.
1. The Lobster.
2. A pigeon sat on a branch contemplating existence.
3. Duke of Burgundy.
4. Macbeth.
5.Tale of Tales.
6. Entertainment.
7. Mad Max Fury Road.
8. Queen of Earth.
9. Look of Silence.
10. What we do in the shadows.
1. The Revenant
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
3. Ex Machina
4. Room
5. Spotlight
6. Creed
7. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
8. The Martian
9. The Big Short
10. Bridge of Spies
I really, really like to be pedantic when it comes to film releases, but I could. I can see Creed, The Assassin, and The Revenant by the end of January.
With how good Creed and The Assassin supposedly are, can you imagine how good Assassin's Creed will be?
Oh okay, you might take the lists a little more seriously than I do then haha. I just look at it the same way I look at catching up on games/TV shows before those voting threads end, not as a strict 2015 list.
1 : Sicario - Denis, slowly becoming one of my favourite's. Sicario proves yet again what he is capable of. 2 : Mad Max - Just fucking awesome. 3 : Star Wars - A fun, entertaining film that lived up to all the hype. 4 : The Hateful Eight - The tense, straight, obvious dialogue is what I love mostly about all of his films. No different here. 5 : The Revenant - Simply beautiful, kudos Lubezki. 6 : Son of Saul - Amazing. 7 : Beasts of No Nation - Ever since the continuous shot from TD Season 1, I couldn't wait for this. A raw and compelling film. 8 : Inside Out - The feels. 9 : Brooklyn - Well-made. 10 : Burnt - For sentimental reasons this made my list, but it is still a good movie.
1. Inside Out
2. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
3. Kung Fury
4. Mad Max: Fury Road
5. The Martian
6. Ant-Man
7. Jurassic World
8. Goosebumps
9. Minions
10. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water
1. Mad Max: Road Fury
2. Whiplash
3. The Walk
4. Vice-Versa
5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
6. Sicario
7. The Martian
8. The Good Dinosaur
9. Love And Mercy
10. Kingsman
I've seen quite a number of movies this year and it's made it rather challenging to remember, I also don't really like ranking them as I'm much better at just talking about them individually and settling on my favourites much later, so take the ordering with a pinch of salt. This was just a really great year in general so I'm really not happy with rating them against one another or some of the movies which I've had to leave off the top ten.
It's just a beautiful film. I go into every Kaufman endeavour with high expectations and, continuously, he just blows them away by a considerable margin. A gorgeous film, beautifully acted, well-shot, with superb stop-motion animation which seamlessly dissolves as you watch the film and begin to forget that you are merely watching puppets over the course of this touching film. While it largely isn't as surreal or post-modern as some of Kaufman's other work, it tackles its subject matter with great humanity and presents a very human, very insightful film, highly reminiscent of Lost in Translation. Some may find the pace or subject matter off-putting, and some may be disappointed by how largely rooted this film is in reality relative to some of his other work, I thought it was a fantastic drama.
Phenomenally moving drama, which is both inspiring and absolutely gut-wrenching. It's suspenseful throughout and deals with the topic remarkably well. The performances in the film are naturally delivered, and it's directed exquisitely. I'm not going to write too much more, but it comes highly recommended.
What a surprising movie. Saoirse Ronan is fantastic in this drama which (to be vague so as not to spoil anything for those yet to see it) explores the internal conflict of an emigrant between the traditional life she once led at home, and the land of new opportunities and experiences which await her. With lesser performances, and a clumsy director, this film easily could have devolved into a cheesy and groan-worthy drama, but truly this film was delivered with a deft hand by all involved and the result is a sweet, surprisingly funny, and suspenseful drama which is an absolute must-watch. Perhaps going into this with low expectations has warped my perception of it, but I really did enjoy this movie.
An unforgettable masterpiece that is most certainly not for the faint of heart. Truly a remarkable visual experience; chaotic, unsettling, and timeless. It excels at creating an absorbing atmosphere, and delivering a striking, memorable experience. This is a film which is most certainly not for the general audience; the oblique narrative, disgusting depravity on display for the entirety of the film, and the length of the film itself (nearing three hours which, while a far-cry from the likes of Lawrence of Arabia, is certainly more than the typical blockbuster) all combine to create additional barriers to the film if the film being black-and-white didn't put off curious film-goers who somehow mistook this for the latest blockbuster. I was very fortunate to catch the film in the Irish Film Institute this year, but there were definitely some in the audience who had clearly been ensnared and found themselves into a film experience they were clearly unprepared for.
Inherent Vice is a sprawling, bizarre, funny, ever-spiralling tale, so seemingly Byzantine on first inspection you wonder if it even makes sense, if there is actually a tangible hard narrative which can be feasibly followed from beginning to end. While there is, indeed, a narrative, Inherent Vice's strength lies in how vividly a world and a time is created through its expansive list of characters. There are times when the humour falls flat, there are times when scenes appear only vaguely connected to what has followed and what will followed, but the frequency at which the humour delivers, how this seeming lack of cohesion adds to the effectiveness of this psychedelic-fuelled romp, and the technical brilliance of the film just made me really enjoy it, and created a very memorable impression (I should probably note it was out in my region in January, but I know most here will consider it a 2014 film).
While the subject matter may turn away some, this all-female film explores relationship dynamics in an honest, bleak, and inventive manner. The technical brilliance of the film, with beautiful imagery, astounding direction, striking performances, and a phenomenal soundtrack, is matched only by the humanity of the film. Far more than a fetish-fuelled erotica, this is a tense and fascinating exploration of aspects in relationships to which we can all relate. The trailer is rhythmic and striking, the film itself is even better, with a great sense of humour. The subversion of expectations throughout, and how it uses these to create tension, is exceptional. The best viewing experience would ideally be one free of the baggage of expectations generated by the trailer (particularly in how this robs the context of the first scene of some of the bewilderment and feelings which would be otherwise present), but if unsure as to the quality of the film, have no hesitations viewing the trailer and allowing it to convince you of The Duke of Burgundy's brilliance.
I found this such a refreshing film. It isn't as ambitious as some of the other films here, and thematically or symbolically it may not be the most ground breaking film, released this year, but it was utterly thrilling, keeping me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end with a well-acted take on a unique (such an obvious one in hindsight that it's shocking it took until now for it to be uncovered) horror concept. With well-rounded characters behaving in a realistic way when confronted with their horror, interesting themes and subversion of expectations (particularly
it not demonising casual sex as one expects, but instead placing weight on how having sex casually with people is easy, but sex with one you truly care for is a much heavier decision
), excellent cinematography, a great soundtrack, relentless intrigue, and a memorable tone taking clear inspiration from '80s horror films. This. The Babadook and The Gift really are quite an unexpected burst of really interesting horror movies in recent times.
It's a very touching, absolutely anguishing and engrossing film; an unrelenting, crushing sense of despair, isolation, grief, and sadness are conveyed exquisitely in this deceptively simple film, all of which trails and lingers long-past the phenomenal conclusion. Definitely see this if you have yet to do so, I day say nothing more.
This and Spotlight were quite a surprise. This, in particular, covers material which on the surface appears unremarkable, and the broad strokes of the movie are something which we so many of us are acutely aware, but with fantastic direction (even if some segments early on may come across as almost ADHD-like in nature due to the seemingly frantic cutting between events and characters, it is unrelentingly unimpressive) and impressive performances, this really became something quite special. In many ways, its most impressive trait is how it occasionally sprinkles moral ambiguity into its characters to humanise them in sometimes subtle ways and prevent them slipping off into caricatures; it prevents them from simply being individuals of upstanding morality who merely point out the evils of capitalism or geniuses whose intelligence we celebrate, it makes them much more human, much more believable, and much more watchable.I was really surprised, I didn't expect it to be so good, even with the pre-release hype.
This was my disappointment of the year if I'm honest. While yes, it's still number ten on my best-of list, this largely stems from the technical brilliance of the film and a desire to see more Shakespearean plays faithfully (or rather, more faithful than this one) adapted to the big screen with care taken to all aspects of the production. While all deliver memorable performances, while the film is shot stylishly and has phenomenal cinematography certain to leave you agape in awe of the beauty of some of its shots, while the film largely sticks to the original dialogue save for some jarring moments, while it truly delivers a Macbeth whose physical force and military prowess is overwhelming, and while it interprets the character of Macbeth in an interesting manner, some of the changes made to the production deeply sabotaged my enjoyment of the film, undercut the original tale, create some jarring character actions, and ripped development from auxiliary characters drastically robbing the tale of its scope in favour of further emphasis on Macbeth (something which completely failed to pay off given that Macbeth is complex and prominent enough anyway; robbing other characters of their presence merely weakens everybody else, results in the film being even narrower, and results in the feeling that long stretches of the film consist simply of Macbeth with no sort of 'break' as Fassbender interacts only with himself). While I realise some of my feelings are clearly a minority view given the film's acclaim, I really disliked a lot of the interpretations of the film, which is a damn shame as absolutely everything else is so fantastic, and the film creates such a great tone. If it was only more faithful to the original play, this would be unquestionably the definitive adaptation, but unfortunately, for me, it fell far short, which was extremely disappointing. I want to see it again in the hope that my opinion changes, but for now, while a great film technically, it fell short of my (admittedly high) expectations, and was quite a disappointment.
----
Films I Wanted in the Top 10 List and Might Move There but Alas There Wasn't Enough Space and I'm Unsure Where they Fall Because I Dislike Ordering: The Forbidden Room
Funny, unconvential, creatively shot with haunting imagery, beautiful, surreal, and containing some of the most incredible segments in a film this year (The Final Derriere in particular). Don't go in expecting a linear, cohesive, clear narrative.
The best action film of the year. Was this the best film of the year? Very possibly. It may even be my second favourite movie of the year after Anomalisa, but I have know question it'll win NeoGAF's Movies of the Year anyway so I don't mind leaving it off the top ten list.
This was quite a surprise. I really enjoyed how touching it was, the unexpected levels of humour present, the amazing soundtrack, the interesting take on a coming-of-age story with zany quirks that prove unexpectedly endearing, and it genuinely has quite an impact upon the viewer. For me, personally, the second viewing was not as strong as the first, but it is definitely a movie well-worth watching all the same.
Worthy Mentions (unordered because I don't like ordering things): A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on its Existence: First, let's just admire that title. Second, it's very good.. Kuniko: The Treasure Hunter: A very depressing film.. Ex Machina Slow West: It wasn't what I expected and at roughly 80 minutes it's very short, but every minute is well-utilised and the climax of the film is phenomenal. It was funnier than I thought it would be. It was, however, my worst movie experience of the year due to faults lying solely with the cinema (curtains never fully opened, lights were left on, and the light in the projection room was turned on, and the projector was positioned poorly; it was a comically bad showing), and it unfortunately detracted from my enjoyment of the film albeit completely not due to the film's own fault The Gift: It was surprisingly good, even if some aspects are quite predictable. It's an interesting horror movie, and there are some incredibly tense scenes contained within. What We Did in the Shadows: It's quite funny. The Lobster: It is extremely strong for a large portion of the film, but unfortunately it really fails to elevate beyond what it initially appears as and I felt like it ran out of steam, even though it's continuously endearing, funny, and quite entrancing, The Look of Silence: While not nearly as groundbreaking as "An Act of Killing", it is, however, a shatteringly depressing, hard-hitting documentary. Suffragette: It's good. Sicario: While it's certainly quite a good crime-drama, I must admit I really didn't find it hugely special. It's somewhat predictable which isn't really an issue as it remains quite tense, and it effectively builds an encompassing atmosphere, but I didn't really think much more of it. Maybe I just need to rewatch it or approached it with the wrong frame of mind. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens: Extremely strong, brought back my enthusiasm for Star Wars, and is one of the strongest entries to date. Tangerine: While it offers an intriguing insight into a colourful array of characters not rarely glimpsed at in cinemas, I'll be honest that I personally hated how it was filmed, and felt it actively detracted from the experience even if I can understand why this may be perceived as a good or fitting choice. Inside Out: It's pretty good, it didn't resonate with me as much as it seemed to for most people. Love and Mercy Wild Tales: Some of the tales are a miss, but most of them are quite funny and I like how it plays with expectations. Kingsman: Surprisingly good, great action. Youth Iris: I just found this a very endearing documentary despite having little interest in the subject matter prior.
Some Other Movies I Can Think of Which I Think (unsure on the year) I Saw in 2015 But Didn't Feel Were as Good as Any of the Above :
Amy: Very good documentary, I really enjoyed it.
The Peanuts Movie
Best of Enemies
Hitchcock/Truffaut
The Walk
Mistress of America
A Most Violent Year
White God
The Revenant: I enjoyed this, very much in fact, and it's beautiful, but I felt many of the above films in the 'categories' above were stronger. Maybe I should watch it again
The Wolfpack: What a fascinating documentary.
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Ant-Man: I expected to hate this, but I was quite pleasantly surprised. It and Guardians of the Galaxy are the only Marvel movie I've enjoyed so far.
Black Mass
Mission Impossible
Spongebob: Sponge Out of Water
Everest
Timbuktu (I don't remember if this is 2015?)
Jobs: I thought it was a very good film, and the performances were great in it.
Legend: I really didn't enjoy this; I found it wholly forgettable. The only reason I could even remember it was the goofiness of Hardy playing the two primary roles.
The Martian.
Straight Outta Compton.
The Man From Uncle.
Joy.
Hateful Eight: I didn't think very much of it, one of my least favourite Tarantino films.
Love 3D: It's decent but not much more, there aren't much to the primary characters. I will give it credit for having such a seizure-inducing trailer.
The Tribe.
The Queen of Ireland
I feel like I'm forgetting quite a number of films here, but I'm assuming if I can't remember them I probably didn't think much of them.
EDIT: Oh yeah, this was a pretty amazing year of films even if some of my most anticipated ended up somewhat disappointing.
1. Room
2. Winter on Fire
3. It Follows
4. Inside Out
5. Turbo Kid
6. Ex Machina
7. The Martian
8. The Revenant
9. Mission Impossible Rogue Nation
10. Star Wars The Force Awakens
11. Mad Max Fury Road
12. Spectre
13. No Escape
14. Sicario
15. Spotlight
16. Hidden
17. Bridge of Spies
18. The Gift
19. Spy
20. Age of Adeline
21. Hunger Games 4
22. Crimson Peak
23. BoneTomahawk
24. Focus
25. Trainwreck
26. Jurassic World
27. Ant Man
28. Terminator Genysis
29. Pitch Perfect 2
30. San Andreas
31. Avengers Age of Ultron
32. Black Mass
33. Everest
34. Cobain Montage of Heck
35. The Visit
36. The Death of Superman Lives
37. Steve Jobs
38. Poltergeist
39. Insurgent
40. Uncanny
41. Dark Places
42. Knock Knock
43. 50 Shades of Grey
44. Pixels
45. Burying the Ex
46. The Walk
47. Big Sky
Just realized I missed Goodnight Mommy. I would put it somewhere in the mid 30s of my list.
Also IMDB says What We Do in the Shadows was 2014, but It may have been 2015 in the US. It would be close to the top ten on my list.
Sorry to keep editing, but reading others lists I keep seeing films I forgot. Cinderella was surprisingly good and I would put it around 20 on my list. That gets me up to 50 for the year, yay!
I have a top 10 in place but not quite ready to post. Have a list of films I have to see before the deadline:
Beasts of No Nation
Bone Tomahawk
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Carol
The Danish Girl
It Follows
The Lobster
Macbeth
Son of Saul
Spotlight
Trumbo
What We Do in the Shadows
I'm going to be a little busy the next few weeks trying to fit all of these in lol
1. Inside Out
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
3. The Hateful Eight
4. Ex Machina
5. It Follows
6. Kingsman: Secret Service
7. Spotlight
8. The Martian
9. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
1. Ex Machina
2. Mad Max Fury Road
3. Turbo Kid
4. Room
5. Sicario
6. The Hive
7. Victoria
8. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
9. Bone Tomahawk
10. Phoenix
This is out of ~50 2015 movies I've watched. Though I'm still missing some of the higher profile character dramas, butI think it's unlikely that one of them would have a large enough impact on me to crack the top10.
1. Mad Max: Fury Road ; The greatest action movie ever made. I have no other way to describe it. Its a perfection of the genre. 2. It Follows ; Not only the best horror film this year, but likely the best this decade, and arguably this century so far. The concept is genius, and it is executed perfectly. Please don't ruin this with yearly sequels for once. 3. Ex Machina ; The concept isn't new, but it does it better than any other film so far. The performances from the cast really sell this one. 4. Star Wars: The Force Awakens ; I waited 10 years for a new Star Wars movie. What we got was a Marvel movie in the Star Wars universe. Which isn't a bad thing, just not what I wanted. However, what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in its characters and dialogue. Two things that the prequels failed at miserably. 5. Kingsman: The Secret Service ; Biggest surprise of the year. Funny, action-packed, and a whole lot of fun. I want more secret agent movies like this. 6. Creed ; I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I only casually enjoyed the Rocky films, but this was a step in the right direction to making them relevant again. As long as Stallone stays out of the ring at his age, we'll be good. After all, its likely going to win him an Oscar for it. 7. World of Tomorrow ; If there was such a thing as The Stanley Parable of animated films, this would be it. What a smart and unique little film. 8. Ant-Man ; I was expecting this to be much more like Guardians of the Galaxy than it ended up being. I wanted dumb fun with lovable characters. This felt like a halfway point between that and a serious superhero film. 9. Avengers: Age of Ultron ; A solid sequel to one of the best superhero films ever made, but this series feels like its beginning to crumble under its own weight. There are just too many characters fighting for screen time now. I didn't like the romance story, or the new characters much either. 10. Jurassic World ; This, Creed, and Star Wars were all basically the same movie. Take the original classic, replace the characters with lovable new ones, add more action/laughs, and top it off with lots of nostalgia. Each one was the best in their series since their originals. I just wish they were more...well...original.
Honorable Mentions x. Chappie ; Screw the haters. I liked this movie. Almost entirely for Chappie's character, but still. x. The Woman in Black: Angel of Death ; These were the only horror films I've liked since Paranormal Activity ruined the genre. Solid, old-fashioned scary movies. x. Ted 2 ; The first film was a modern classic of comedy movies. This one was nowhere close to that, but it was still dumb fun.
1- Sicario
2- When Marnie Was There
3- Leviafan
4- It Follows
5- Mistress America
6- The Duke Of Burgundy
7- Inherent Vice
8- The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
9 -Timbuktu
10 - Whiplash
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Creed
3. The Duke of Burgundy
4. Carol
5. Room
6. Mistress America
7. Sicario
8. Inside Out
9. Beasts of No Nation
10. It Follows
1. Sicario
2. Ex Machina
3. The Revenant
4. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
5. Room
6. Brooklyn
7. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
8. Mustang
9. Steve Jobs
10. Mad Max: Fury Road
1. The Hateful Eight ; I didn't think this was as good as some of the other things Tarantino's done, but it was better than the other two on this list.
2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens ; Felt like a Marvel-ized Star Wars. Not terribly creative but I guess it shows that Disney can do a competent job with the IP.
3. Ant-Man ; The third movie I saw.
I wish I could vote for Mad Max but I passed up my chance to see it on a plane.
2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens ; Felt like a Marvel-ized Star Wars. Not terribly creative but I guess it shows that Disney can do a competent job with the IP.
I've heard a number of people comparing TFA to Marvel movies and I just don't see it. Marvel movies are seriously some of the dullest movies in terms of storytelling. TFA actually has a distinct visual style and leverages that and the actors performances to tell its story instead of totally routine and inelegant shot coverage, exposition dumps (not that Force Awakens is totally devoid of clunky expo), and flat characters. Just compare how TFA introduces its characters to the Marvel movies and it's night and day. Rey's intro didn't even have dialogue for a good 5 minutes and we already understand who she is and what she's about because the mise en scene, cinematography, and Ridley's performance work to pull and engage the audience into following the story rather than pushing them along by explaining anything and everything (and there's not even a whole lot to explain in the Marvel movies). And that's not even getting in to how they both shoot and choreograph action scenes, where again Star Wars outclasses them by a huge margin because Abrams and co. are smart enough to know how to do things like using deep focus to put action in the background and a character moment in the foreground or vice versa, using action to tell the story instead of just...having action. They're similar in that they're light action movies with lots of humor and young casts that are made for as large an audience as possible, but that doesn't really say anything about the craft behind them, their content, or inherent quality.
1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service
4. The Revenant
5. Inside Out
6. Spotlight
7. The Martian
8. Creed
9. Ant-Man
10. Sicario
1. Steve Jobs
2. Creed
3. Sicario
4. Dope
5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
6. The Martian
7. Mad Max: Fury Road
8. Inside Out
9. Kingsman: The Secret Service
10. Straight Outta Compton
1. The Hateful Eight
2. Kingsman
3. Creed
4. Furious 7
5. Mad Max: Fury Road
6. Sicario
7. Ex Machina
8. Ant-Man
9. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
10. The Revenant
I think the Revenant would have done better if I hadn't seen Hateful Eight. Hateful Eight is 3 hours of freezing your ass off in a movie theater, which Revanent does not manage to accomplish. I think the movie looses a lot when you aren't getting the feeling of the elements. Props to Creed for being the best Philadelphia movie ever, even if the ATV's are a bit much
Sicario made me really hungry for Eggs.
EDIT: I FORGOT KINGSMAN WAS THIS YEAR. I loved Kingsman.
Any movie that ends with Anal is automatically great
I didn't even see 10 movies last year. Want to watch Hateful Eight and Revenant so bad but no time. Didn't even get to see Straight Outta Compton and Creed. argh
5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron
3. Pitch Perfect 2
2. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
1. Mad Max: Fury Road ; Bought the blu-ray at 25 bucks or something. I don't remember the last time I paid more than 10 for a blu-ray so yeah
Dinosaurs, theme parks, prehistory, and exploration and one of the best brothers bond thing going on in movies combined it led to it being the most down to Earth, sincere, and delightfully stunning movies of 2015. I loved it immensely. Best franchise continued to be best franchise, only thing that could put it on a higher echelon than it already is, is if it had robotic dinosaurs like Transforms. Bring on the scientists able to create hybrid machine-dinosaurs in the future please.
T-rex v Indominus is one of the most epic moments in movies.
2 San Andreas
Disaster + great brother relationship and surviving against the odds, it was yet another movie right up my alley and one that delivered epic mindblowing visual effects. Whoever handled it did such a fantastic job. I was drooling from seeing the whole area ripple like a wave, and the wave, omg that wave! Unforgettable. Outside of the effects, Dwayne Johnson delivered a stunning performance, as well as his wife in this. Additionally both of the brothers were worth remembering. I probably connected the most with them. It reminded me of how Into the Storm managed to be a fantastic movie. By concentrating on a focused relationship of brothers in the face of disaster a movie can be improved ten-fold. This will go on my list with Into the Storm, as best disaster films ever. I loved the romance subplot going on in this movie too.
3 Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
Husbandorunner was back and better than ever, a mix of adventure, stunning science/medical breakthroughs and a glimpse of the outside world, it was one of the best boys joyrides ever. I can't wait for more, easily was the most intense movie I saw in theaters. It would be number one if the competition wasn't so fierce this year.
4 Mission Impossible Rouge Nation
Ethan Hunt is who I want to grow up to be, he is easily the most realistic and most want to be hero Ive ever looked up too. Cool gadgets, awesome comedy, and a plot that keeps the action coming it was a blast.
5 Point Break
I loved this one because it catered to all things Bro, Edgy, Cool, and Epic, litrally the things that I love in storytelling. The moments after they conquer some feat and are all bro-broing and excitedly screaming and hugging and everything, I was all shouting and stuff in the empty theater. The wavesurfing, the free climbing, and the other wild stunts around the world on the Ozaki Eight served as a reminder of the beauty of the world as well as the power and determination of the human mind. These guys were geniuses to be able to see Lines when no one else could. Each trial was nailbiting intense. I was on the edge of the seat the whole movie. I even still think of it as it is one of the more thought provoking and emotional movies this year.
6 The Divergent Series: Insurgent
Divergent Series is probably my second favorite of these that are along the more actiony type and probably third favorite of the YA type of movies (Twilight (1) Maze Runner (2)). Divergent took the born-and-placed into a specific job system to a good place in allowing people to at least have a chance at changing their future and it did good for it. The lead (Tris) is one that's easy to like and pretty headstrong and the people around her work well in assisting her as she strives to save others, survive, and thwart Jeanine's plot. Jeanine (Erudite) is pretty likeable too and reasonable (like most characters of her type in the field) and one that I actually kind of want to see succeed. Perhaps it is because of Jeanine and Tris and their struggle that this series resonates well with me and one that I hope gets even better than it already is in future offerings. The mental sequence
Tris went through is one of the most stunning scenes to see in movies in 2015.
7 Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland was a great movie for the ($3) I paid to see it in theaters. After watching I kind of regret that I didn't get to spend the full cost of admission on it as it was more than worth it. The future gadgetry, the pursuit of striving again against all odds and against what was prophesied showed the power of man to persever in all sorts of circumstances. I loved the journey as well as the message.
8 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
An awesome ending to a franchise that I had grown to like. It may not have been a "hunger games" but it was good. Turning the city into a "hunger games" type of areana with the power of the gamemakers helped to set this apart from other traditional overthrow the enemy type of plots. It was unique, it was exciting, and it was pretty malicious at times, though seeing characters struggle and succeed makes one feel good. I loved seeing everyone one last time, Snow, Katniss, Gale, Peeta, they were all fantastic. One thing I always loved in Hunger Games was the in universe TV-show, speeches, on the spot filming of Promotional Videos, and the visuals/graphics for showing the defeated and more. This attention to detail to expand such things into being real was very creative It was one of the more immersive movies because of this and one that was easily able to survive on both good writing, good spectacle, and good music. And in terms of romance, YES best choice. The writers did well.
9 Kingsman: The Secret Service
I love the kid become a spy type idea. Since other spy series wants to use senior citizens for its storyline there are few choices for the people who want a fresh take on things. Thankfully Kingsman is a fresh take on spys and one full of heart, passion, understanding, and dignity.
10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Kylo Ren puts this in top 10 of the year territory, could anything be better than him?
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. The Lobster
3. The Hateful Eight
4. Spotlight
5. Room
6. The Martian
7. Steve Jobs
8. Brooklyn
9. Beasts of No Nation
10. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
I have only seen 7 movies that released in 2015, although I still have time to watch a few more to get a top ten. I will edit the list once I watch a few more films. Anyway, here is the ranking of those 7 I have seen.
Hands down some of the best action scenes I have ever seen. The story is pretty great too. I didn't care too much for the villain and the movie is sometimes a bit too stupid but as a complete package this is the best 2015 movie that I have seen.
Pretty much everything I wanted out of an Avengers sequel. Action was solid and everyone with the exception of Thor got some character development. Like seriously, even Mackie's character got more growth than Thor. It is amazing Hemsworth does as good a job as he does with the nothing he has been given.
This movie is pretty much nonstop action. The plot is as thin as can be but the film never stops long enough for you to put much thought into what the hell they are even trying to accomplish. And who really cares when the action is this good.
A good foundation has been laid for a new era of Star Wars film. The movie itself is more than a little derivative and would have benefited greatly from being more original but it leaves the universe in a good place that leaves you wanting more.
The first half of this movie might actually be the best movie of the year. But then at the half way point the movie comes to a screeching halt and never really finds its footing again. It is really jarring and a damn shame because that first hour is really really great.
The more I think about it, the more I feel that this might actually be the worst MCU movie yet. Right at the bottom, only above the first Iron Man. The movie should have leaned more heavily into the heist elements. As released the movie felt a little….generic? Nothing about it really stood out. It was definitely a fun ride and Peña was great but nothing about it was particularly amazing.
If Furious 6 was Saint's Row 2 then Furious 7 is Saint's Row 3. It feels like they saw Furious 6 and thought, "Let's go bigger and stupider." And that isn't necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. But the problem is that the story is boring nonsense and the characters don't feel like themselves. Without a doubt the worst movie in the franchise. The bus sequence was great but everything else about the movie was disappointing.
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