2015 is coming to an end, but films will live on for the end of time. Or until Skynet comes back and wipes us all out.
If there’s one thing 2015 will be known for, it’ll be the revival of many loved film franchises. While Star Wars is currently the big talk right now, the summer was all about Jurassic World. And there’s also Mad Max which was criminally underseen. Don’t forget the Rocky franchise as well There was also an attempt at Terminator…but that’s not something we talk about. For every big revival, we were introduced to something original, something new and fresh. This truly was a special year for film, and that’s what makes choosing a top 10 all the more difficult. So, in no particular order (except for #1), here are the top movies of 2015, as well as a few that just missed the cut. Just a warning: there will be snubs. There’s no way to make a top list without snubs. Just no that if it pains you to see a favorite movie of yours missing, that it pains me even more to know I left it off the list. This really was an incredible year for film, but just no way to include everything.
Honorable Mentions
Trumbo: A true story led by the always impressive Bryan Cranston, it doesn’t quite make it’s mark against the industry that it could’ve but it’s worth the watch for the acting alone.
Beasts of No Nation: If you didn’t catch this in theaters…well that’s fine. Catch it on Netflix. A harrowing tale of a civil war ravaging an African town, a boy is taken and raised by a warlord. Idris Elba goes all out here and Abraham Attah will be a force if he continues a career in acting.
The Hateful Eight: Yes, this was one of my favorite Tarantino films. It’s full of wit, action, gore, sometimes it’s excessive but nevertheless it’s a good time. 2015 was just too good of a year for film and there’s just no place to put this in the top 10. Expect Jennifer Jason-Leigh to be given a whole lot of awards throughout the season.
Creed: Same as The Hateful Eight, 2015 was just really good for film. The Rocky franchise appears to be back, and Michael B. Jordan was the perfect choice to play the role of Adonis in the revival. But if anyone deserves some love, it’s Sylvester Stallone who gives the best performance of his career by far.
Ex Machina: People will point to The Danish Girl for Alicia Vikander’s nomination for Best Supporting Actor. That should not be the case. Ex Machina is one of the most underrated films of 2015 with amazing performances from the trio of Vikander, Oscar Isaac, and Domhnall Gleeson. As a whole, the movie should be recognized for many awards but its best chance is for Vikander, who is both stunning and terrifying.
The Revenant
This could finally be the year Leonardo DiCaprio gets his Best Actor Oscar. It won’t be easy as it is a crowded field, but in The Revenant, he really gives it his all…more than we’ve seen in any other film previously. Now, that may be because it was shot on location in hellish conditions but that could also just as much add to the authenticity of his role. Tom Hardy is equally as impressive and the two make for one hell of an onscreen reunion. That being said, this isn’t a perfect film and it’s definitely one of the tougher films to sit down and watch. But I’ll gladly watch any movie where Leo gets to fight a bear.
Carol
After an eight year hiatus from filmmaking, director Todd Haynes is back in a big way. Carol is a masterful film focusing on two women who end up in an unexpected affair with each other. Haynes has never been one to shy away from taking on controversial relationships as evidenced by his biggest hit, Far From Heaven. Both of his films take place in the 1950’s, where everything was supposed to be as traditional as traditional can be. And that’s why Todd Haynes is one of the most important filmmakers working today…he’s not afraid to make his voice heard through the art of filmmaking. Where some directors may refuse to push the limits, he doesn’t let anything stop him from telling his story which is why Carol could be a big winner in the coming months.
The Big Short
If you were going to tell me that Adam McKay would be writing and directing a film starring Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, and Christian Bale, I’d just go on and assume he’d be making a very solid comedy. But if you told me this would be a movie centered on the financial crisis in the mid-to-late 2000’s? Needless to say, I was surprised when I discovered this was happening. Then I was pleasantly surprised to see just how good the movie was. Sure, the cast is great and Adam McKay has a solid comedy track record, but a topic like this? I wouldn’t have pegged him as someone who could pull it off. But here we are, putting The Big Short on a top 10 list for the year with the possibility of a Best Screenplay nomination and some acting nominations as well. It’s just an overall good movie…imagine Margin Call with a sense of humor and that’s what you have here.
Inside Out
I was going to say that this has been a good year for Pixar, but The Good Dinosaur kind of sours that statement a bit. But no matter how mediocre The Good Dinosaur may be, it can’t take away from how powerful Inside Out was. The movie may focus on a young girl who’s trying to cope with moving away from friends and a place she loved, but the feelings and emotion that we watch on screen are something that every person has been through before. This was one of the few movies released this year where I sat in a theater and almost had to wipe the tears from my eyes. It’s a film for kids, teens, adults…for everyone. Inside Out is easily one of the best films of 2015 and possibly one of the best animated films ever created.
The Martian
I won’t lie and act like I expected The Martian to be nearly as good as it actually was. It looked pretty okay from the trailers but lately I have concerns over any Ridley Scott production. But I have no problem admitting when I’m wrong, and boy was I wrong about this one. Matt Damon gives us one of the best performances of the year as a lot of money is spent trying to save him again from one of his kooky shenanigans (Saving Private Ryan, Interstellar, Elysium…damn Matt Damon). Credit has to be given to screenwriter Drew Goddard, whose adaptation of the source material was spot on and good enough to get Scott out of his filmmaking slump. The Martian is what Interstellar could have been, and while it didn’t look as pretty as Christopher Nolan’s piece of work, it was superb in almost every other way.
Room
Maybe it’s about time Brie Larson gets the love she deserves. Her performance in Short Term 12 was one of the best in 2013, but hardly anyone even knows that movie exists. That can’t happen this time, it’s not allowed. Room has a fairly simple premise: Ma (Larson) and Jack (Jacob Tremblay) are locked in a room for five years with no way to the outside world. Larson and the youngster Tremblay lift this movie to unimaginable levels and help to bring this story to life. Room should be one of the most important films of 2015 and it should finally be time that Brie Larson gets some recognition. If Room and Larson get snubbed though, that’d be a damn shame.
Spotlight
Director Tom McCarthy had himself an interesting year, to say the least. In March, he released his film titled The Cobbler, which was critically panned and a box office failure. McCarthy has had himself a nice, low key career, and The Cobbler was by far his worst movie. But that wasn’t the end of his year. Just last month, his next film was to be released: Spotlight. The results? Well…it’s listed here, isn’t it? Spotlight is one of the best, most powerful, most gripping films of 2015 that takes a true story and handles it with the grace and dignity that it deserves. With a star cast and a compelling story to tell, Spotlight is a movie you should go and see as quickly as possible.
Anomalisa
If Inside Out doesn’t win the Oscar for Best Animated feature, it’s because the Academy went with the lesser known, more mature stop-motion flick Anomalisa. Michael Stone is an author who writes books on customer service, yet when it comes to him interacting with with other people…he struggles. Performed with beautiful stop-motion animation, Anomalisa perfectly captures just how difficult it can be in this life. It’s a wonderfully human film with a lack of human beings in it. Charlie Kaufman has always been someone who thinks outside the box with his films and his writings (have you seen Being John Malkovich?), but even he tops himself here. Anomalisa is Charlie Kaufman’s (and Duke Johnson, the co-director), masterpiece. If any animated film were to be nominated for Best Picture, this would be the one.
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
It’s good to be able to put a new Star Wars film on a best of list. The Force Awakens is, easily, one of the best films of the year. Not just for the nostalgia factor, being able to revisit the world so many people love, but because J.J. Abrams actually created one of the best Star Wars experiences ever. Standing only behind The Empire Strikes Back, The Force Awakens may follow a similar formula as A New Hope, but it does enough on its own merit to differentiate itself and set up a new trio of charismatic characters that are easy to root for as well as a group of villains that are both fun to hate yet badass at the same time. Abrams did a fantastic job at planting seeds for the future while respecting the past of the franchise. With the way the Academy has treated franchise films over the years, it’s very possible we won’t see a Best Picture nomination. But if they’re looking to get things right, Star Wars is most definitely deserving.
Mad Max: Fury Road
All of the movies on this list were good movies, some in any other year could have been considered the best. But when it comes down to it, no film has been better than Mad Max: Fury Road, and it really doesn’t even feel like it’s close. Mad Max has a bit of everything for movie fans to enjoy: it’s full of action, it has amazing performances, a score that gets you amped up, it’s beautiful to look at (especially for something that takes place in the desert), and it’s just fun. Sure, Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa feels more like the main character instead of Tom Hardy’s Max Rockatansky, but who cares? Furiosa is one of the best action characters in cinema and the movie just wouldn’t work without her character. Hell, without Furiosa, it seems like Max’s fate would’ve been quick and simple. Fury Road takes what you know about the Mad Max franchise and action films in general and just throws it out the window. If you think you know what to expect, just know you’ll be wrong. There’s a strong push for the Academy to recognize Mad Max: Fury Road as a legitimate Oscar contender, and honestly…I think they’re going to reach a point where they have to nominate the film. There are ten slots to slide it in and there’s no denying this is the best movie of 2015.