The 8 Best Films of 2015
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Inside Out was disappointing.
Hateful 8 was better than Star Wars by a mile.
Jennifer Jason Leigh deserves best actress, she was amazing through all the makeup and prosthetics, and her sad guitar song was just like Paul Newman's Cool Hand Luke.
Hateful 8 was better than Star Wars by a mile.
Jennifer Jason Leigh deserves best actress, she was amazing through all the makeup and prosthetics, and her sad guitar song was just like Paul Newman's Cool Hand Luke.
Out of all of these, I've only seen The Martian. And even I found it a letdown. 
On the other hand, I do agree that The Martian is better than Interstellar, though pales when compared to Gravity and Apollo 13. And is it just me, but did anyone get a Mission to Mars vibe? Man stranded on Mars, space acrobatics above Mars, etc.? Not saying that MtM owns the idea, but, well...
On the other hand, I do agree that The Martian is better than Interstellar, though pales when compared to Gravity and Apollo 13. And is it just me, but did anyone get a Mission to Mars vibe? Man stranded on Mars, space acrobatics above Mars, etc.? Not saying that MtM owns the idea, but, well...
I loved Fury Road and I hope to see more installments. If anything I can laugh at the possibility of more threads in imdb about feminism destroying movies.
I loathed Ex-Machina the ending completely sours you on the basic premise of the film which is to feel sympathy for an AI.
I loathed Ex-Machina the ending completely sours you on the basic premise of the film which is to feel sympathy for an AI.
So, top 10 personal films, restricting this to films I saw in cinemas or came out this year (some may be 2014 releases, but only came out in Oz in 2015):
10) What We Did on Our Holiday
9) A View from a Bridge
8) Terminator: Genisys
7) The Imitation Game
6) Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
5) The Audience
4) Do You See Me?
3) The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (part 2)
2) Last Cab to Darwin
1) Bridge of Spies
10) What We Did on Our Holiday
9) A View from a Bridge
8) Terminator: Genisys
7) The Imitation Game
6) Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
5) The Audience
4) Do You See Me?
3) The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (part 2)
2) Last Cab to Darwin
1) Bridge of Spies
I want to see Bridge of Spies. I read "Ike's Bluff" that went over the gamble and necessity of the U2 program and would love a movie's take on it.Hawki said:
Terminator though? To me, a betrayal of everything the series had been about and a lost opportunity of its greatest promise (remake the previous film with time messed up: the 2xArnie scene was worth the price of admission. They should have kept that up).
This is going to be the first time I try to organize my thoughts to come up with a top ten list for this year. No doubt, it will change when see some of the Oscar-contenders in the next few weeks.
1. Inside Out - As much as I respect Pixar for making better than expected children/family movies. I never thought I would ever consider a Pixar movie as the most favorite movie of the year. Inside Out changed that. Let's start with the voice cast. It has a great collections of comedic character actors. Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, and Lewis Black simply killed in their performances. An unique look at the tween age in life. An entertaining romp of how our mind works.
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron - When a magician pulls off a trick for the first time, we are astounded. When the same magician pulls that same trick off again, there is bound to be less enthusiasm. I think that what happened with this Avengers movie. We didn't think a movie full of superheroes will work in a single movie. It did like gangbusters. Age of Ultron gave us more time to explore the titled superheroes. Great fight scenes and new heroes to root for.
3. The End of the Tour - This is a cerebral road trip with an acclaimed author and a reporter who's writing career has slowly started. Jason Segel should be nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of the late author David Foster Wallace. Jesse Eisenberg is perfect as the envious reporter trying to figure out what makes this guy such a great writer.
4. Kingsman: The Secret Service - Matthew Vaughn is one of the best action movie directors today. The comic book movie about the tradition of The Knights of the Round Table evolving into an international spy organization is an entertaining look about class and power.
5. Ex Machina: This is a quiet movie that haunted me all year long. I was initially disappointed that this movie didn't have more action in it. The more I thought about it the more intrigued I was by the movie. Great performances from the 3 main actors.
6. Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 - A great wrap-up to a better than expected young adult series. It's a shame that the deeper political and social messages flew over the heads of the mainstream audience.
7. Spy - Melissa McCarthy is the funniest woman in movies today. Even though, Jason Statham almost stole the movie with his performance of an arrogant, gullible spy Rick Ford.
8. The Big Short - This isn't so much as a dramatic comedy about the Wall Street crash and the people who saw it coming. It's more of an absurdist drama. With a lot of different cinematic tricks to better explain what's going on. Great performances from the whole cast. I especially love Steve Carell's character Mark Baum. He is like a very angry Jiminy Cricket.
9. Jupiter Ascending - A science fiction fairy tale that gave me a better "Star Wars" experience than I did with The Force Awakens.
10. Welcome To Me - Kristen Wiig heads a brilliant cast about a woman who is suffering from bipolar disorder who stars in her own version of Oprah Winfrey Show. It's funny and heartbreaking.
1. Inside Out - As much as I respect Pixar for making better than expected children/family movies. I never thought I would ever consider a Pixar movie as the most favorite movie of the year. Inside Out changed that. Let's start with the voice cast. It has a great collections of comedic character actors. Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, and Lewis Black simply killed in their performances. An unique look at the tween age in life. An entertaining romp of how our mind works.
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron - When a magician pulls off a trick for the first time, we are astounded. When the same magician pulls that same trick off again, there is bound to be less enthusiasm. I think that what happened with this Avengers movie. We didn't think a movie full of superheroes will work in a single movie. It did like gangbusters. Age of Ultron gave us more time to explore the titled superheroes. Great fight scenes and new heroes to root for.
3. The End of the Tour - This is a cerebral road trip with an acclaimed author and a reporter who's writing career has slowly started. Jason Segel should be nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of the late author David Foster Wallace. Jesse Eisenberg is perfect as the envious reporter trying to figure out what makes this guy such a great writer.
4. Kingsman: The Secret Service - Matthew Vaughn is one of the best action movie directors today. The comic book movie about the tradition of The Knights of the Round Table evolving into an international spy organization is an entertaining look about class and power.
5. Ex Machina: This is a quiet movie that haunted me all year long. I was initially disappointed that this movie didn't have more action in it. The more I thought about it the more intrigued I was by the movie. Great performances from the 3 main actors.
6. Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 - A great wrap-up to a better than expected young adult series. It's a shame that the deeper political and social messages flew over the heads of the mainstream audience.
7. Spy - Melissa McCarthy is the funniest woman in movies today. Even though, Jason Statham almost stole the movie with his performance of an arrogant, gullible spy Rick Ford.
8. The Big Short - This isn't so much as a dramatic comedy about the Wall Street crash and the people who saw it coming. It's more of an absurdist drama. With a lot of different cinematic tricks to better explain what's going on. Great performances from the whole cast. I especially love Steve Carell's character Mark Baum. He is like a very angry Jiminy Cricket.
9. Jupiter Ascending - A science fiction fairy tale that gave me a better "Star Wars" experience than I did with The Force Awakens.
10. Welcome To Me - Kristen Wiig heads a brilliant cast about a woman who is suffering from bipolar disorder who stars in her own version of Oprah Winfrey Show. It's funny and heartbreaking.
I know I'm likely in the minority in Genisys. That said, I thought Rise of the Machines was an actual "betrayal." Not only does it ape T2, but it goes back on the theme of "no fate" and establishes that JD is inevitable and whatnot. Genisys is completely separate from the mainstream/altered timeline, and goes off even further. It's a side story that pays homage to T1 and T2 without aping them IMO. I understand that's a fine line to tread, but I liked what Genisys did with its characters and story, though it's far from flawless.Gorfias said:
Even ignoring that comparison, it stands on its own as an incredible movie. Honestly, I think it's my favourite of this year, though I agree with everything else on this list that I've actually seen (Inside Out and Mad Max). Bridge of Spies and Ant-Man were also great, and Spectre... made me appreciate Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation all the more.Darth_Payn said:
Eh..."book was better." XDleet_x1337 said:
On the flipside, glad someone else likes Bridge of Spies. And 100% on MI vs. Spectre. I actually liked Spectre, but Rogue Nation feels like a better version of a similar concept (e.g. the role of surveillance in both films). Plus, while Bond is temporarily paired with Madeline, I can now ship Ethan and Ilsa, since the series seems to have forgotten about Julia.
That was the bait-n'-switch though.Darks63 said:
The movie presents itself as another tale of an A.I. that just wants to be loved and accepted by humans, with what's-his-face being the man to rescue and love her, but then in the end it's revealed that she was just tricking him in order to escape her prison. And as the cold, emotionless machine she is, she just leaves our would-be sympathetic/romantic hero to his fate, locked in a chamber.
Not seen The Martian yet (I found the humour slightly annoying in the trailer), but surely it and Interstellar are just very different films? Was Ridley Scott (who arguably hasn't had a really good film in fifteen years) going for something akin to 'Malick does 2001'? I very much doubt it, knowing Scott's style and tastes.
For the record, I thought Interstellar was superb, and will get a more positive critical re-evaluation over the years.
For the record, I thought Interstellar was superb, and will get a more positive critical re-evaluation over the years.
Speaking as someone who loathes Interstellar, I'll say that the two are actually different films, and that the humour in The Martian put me off as well. It's not so much the presence of humour, but how it's used. In the book, the humour was spaced throughout the work and felt natural. In the film, often it feels like it just stops, at times, just for the humour. And I feel it goes overboard in areas, when it uses montages with various elements of its sountrack.Darth Rosenberg said:
But like I said, they're different films. The Martian is a survival story, the idea of "Man vs. nature" but put in a space setting, similar to the likes of Gravity or Apollo 13. Interstellar is thematically based about discovery and love (I'd argue it botches both), and has more in common with 2001. Honestly, the only thing linking them is that they're both in space, and both feature Matt Damon as an astronaut stranded on a planet.
Martian was amazing. I didn't regret seeing it at all. Mad Max was awesome. I wanted to go back and see it again and that is something I never do with any movie. I enjoyed Inside Out a lot more once I realized it wasn't as clever as people said it was and was just basically Pixar doing their interpretation of the 'people and/or things in your head' cartoons and shows have done for years.Plus it was a hundred times better than Good Dinosaur which was dull, cliche, pointless and failed to get an emotional rise out of me.Pixar came back up to speed and lost it again all in one breath. Seriously I wanted to go and ask for my money back.