Full disclosure: this list was originally supposed to be a top ten list. I sat down with a list of all the films released in 2015, picked out the ones I had seen that I ascribed a certain level of quality to, and then began the task of ferreting out which were my ten favorites of the year.
Except I couldn’t pick ten. I got to about eight, and then I felt myself stuck with many worthy contenders left to choose from, but couldn’t decide out of all of them which were the two that outshone the others.
So I decided to instead go with a list of five. Out of the eight I picked, I had four that immediately went to the top of the list . . . except I couldn’t pick the fifth out of the remaining four.
Now, I could have just gone with four, but three is such a clean number. So I dropped the fourth that was probably most influenced by my own personal experiences and less by its actual quality (we’ll get to it in a sec) and finalized my top three.
I’m actually happy to have had this conundrum. Why? Because it shows that 2015 was an excellent year for film. So many of the films this year were of an exceptional quality, and what’s more, they were all quite likeable. This year is the first where I can honestly say that I actually enjoyed all of the Oscar nominees for Best Picture and would happily watch any of them again.
I think I mostly have The Force Awakens to thank for this: being faced with the inevitable box office juggernaut that film would be (and has proven to be), I think most producers and studio execs chose this year to focus less on box office draw and more on films that may not be raking in the crowds, but are of a high-quality nonetheless.
So, first up, here’s all the films I considered that didn’t make my top eight, but were still excellent films that I’d recommend to most cinephiles:
Black Mass—Johnny’s best role in years.
Bridge of Spies—great, but I wanted so much more out of a Spielberg/Cohen Bros collab.
Brooklyn—in a word, charming.
Carol—Cate Blanchett is a goddess . . .
The Danish Girl—and Eddie Redmayne is a god (need to get those two in a film together).
The End of the Tour—Jason Segel can act! Who knew?
Ex Machina—best “actual” sci-fi of the year, featuring Poe Dameron and General Hux!
It Follows— best horror about horror since Scream.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl—the thinking man’s Fault in Our Stars.
Room—powerful, but brutal. Probably the “heaviest” film I saw this year.
Sicario—underrated. Has one of the most well-paced scenes I’ve seen in a long time.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens—issues I have with it aside, thank the Lord for Rey.
Steve Jobs—Aaron Sorkin really only does one thing, but he does it so well.
Straight Outta Compton—gangsta rap makes more sense to me now. I rest my case.
Trainwreck—Schumer and Apatow punked their fans and made a chick flick—success.
Trumbo—I hope Bryan Cranston gets more work like this . . . he’s far too talented for less.
The Walk—an odd but visually stunning heist film/tribute to the Twin Towers.
And now for the four films that were in my top eight but I couldn’t decide between for the fifth spot in my never-to-be top five:
The Big Short—this movie pissed me off, which I guess was the point, but it also used some clever and out-of-the-box methods to explain the financial crisis. This film is one that I think every person in America should watch, but I think few who actually need to will.
Creed—I was genuinely shocked how much I liked this movie. I don’t like sports movies generally, I really don’t like Sylvester Stallone, and I haven’t ever seen a Rocky movie. But, there’s a sincerity and positivity here that you can’t help but love, and Michael B. Jordan.
The Martian—I think Matt Damon stands the best chance to steal Leo’s Oscar. What I think I enjoyed the most about this one was its ability to inject quite a bit of honest humor into a dire situation, which was refreshing for this kind of story.
The Revenant—For the love of all that is good and holy, just give the man his Oscar already! What more must he do? Actually get attacked by a bear? Beyond that, this film sports some of the best nature cinematography I’ve seen in a long time.
And now for the film that is technically part of my top four, but I let slide for aesthetics:
Love and Mercy—I had been waiting for this film for such a long time. Not just when I knew it was being produced, but from the moment I first learned of Brian Wilson’s struggle with mental illness and the abusive relationship he had with his “therapist” Eugene Landy. I always felt it was such an important story, the kind that isn’t told nearly enough. And while the film was solid, with an innovative double casting of Wilson with John Cusack (some of his best work) and Paul Dano (always great), excellent supporting performances by Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti, and amazing recreations of the Pet Sounds studio sessions, I have to admit that much of my enjoyment of this film comes from my fandom of The Beach Boys and the personal notes a story about dangerous therapeutic methods hit for me. Still, I think it’s one of the more underrated films of the year, and I recommend it to anyone who loves music, has dealt with mental illness, or has ever written Brian Wilson off as “crazy.”
And now, without further ado, in alphabetical order, my Top Three Films of 2015 . . .
Inside Out
Undeniably Pixar’s best film since Up (yes, that includes Toy Story 3). I still remember when I saw this film in theaters and being absolutely blown away at how deep and meaningful a children’s film was diving. Moreover, I’ve never seen anything explain so completely yet so simply what is going on in the mind of someone broken by depression, anxiety, stress, insecurity, or just plain growing up. The animation is nothing short of gorgeous, the voice-acting is pitch perfect, and the screenplay is one of the most original ideas Pixar has ever had. Granted, this year has been an emotional one for me, and I did see this less than 48 hours after publicly coming out, so perhaps my perspective is a little skewed, but I truly believe this one will become known as one of Pixar’s greatest triumphs.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Never before in my life has a film more pleasantly surprised me than this one. Actually, joyously stunned and gobsmacked is a better term. Seriously, where in the hell did this come from? Mad Max was supposed to be some lame summer-crowd action film that would maybe have a nice opening weekend and then sputter out. Never, and I mean never, did I expect something like this. From the opening frame until the closing credits, this gem is an unyielding, all-stops-pulled-out, balls-to-the-wall, adrenaline-fueled masterpiece of an action film. I could go on and on about what makes this film so freakin’ amazing: the practical effects, the feminism, the guy with the flame-throwing electric guitar, the cinematography, Charlize Theron, the script, the pacing, my boyfriend Tom Hardy, the weird stilt-creatures, the commentary on blind devotion to religion, “who killed the world?”, the freakin’ guy with the flame-throwing electric guitar, the expert camera work during the chase scenes, “oh, what a lovely day”, those long pole-swingy things . . . oh, and did I mention the freakin’ guy with the FLAME-THROWING ELECTRIC GUITAR??? (Which I recently learned was also a practical effect: that guitar really did do that). Just . . . I don’t know what else to say. This movie kicked a**, and I pity anyone who didn’t see it.
Spotlight
There are many types of well-made movies, but two particular categories are the “well-made movie that is very much aware of how well-made it is and can be kind of pretentious about it” and the “well-made, but unassuming movie that isn’t so much interested in impressing you with how well-made it is but would rather just get back to telling a story.” Understandably, directors almost can’t help showing off, so this latter category is rare but is one of my absolute favorite kind of films. Spotlight is that kind of film. No bells and whistles in the film-making itself, but everything there—the cinematography, the editing, the visuals—is top notch. No stand-out, hand-me-my-Oscar performance from any one actor, but not a weak or phoned-in treatment from any cast member can be found. Nothing in this film is out to impress—all of the elements work to the singular aim of telling an effective story, much like the reporters the film itself is about.
And if I had to guess why, it’s because of the strongest element of this film: the script and the subject matter it handles. When dealing with an issue so powerful and so horrific, any self-awareness or self-promotion feels like exploitative grandstanding. At the same time, never once does the film try to shy away from the reality of what it’s talking about: terms like “abuse” or “misconduct” aren’t used to sugar-coat the dark and sobering nightmare the Boston Globe team uncovered. The film strikes that perfect balance of telling the stark, unadulterated truth without resorting to shock-value or extreme methods to tell that truth. I’m thinking this one might end up your Best Picture of the Year at the Oscars, and for good reason.
So there you have it . . . now on to 2016.
– Blake L.
[Awkward Pause] 