MY FAVORITE FILM EXPERIENCES OF 2015
By Adam Mast
Another year is in the books, and as expected, there were plenty of outstanding movies released in 2015. I’ve compiled a list of my 15 favorite film experiences of the year, along with a handful of honorable mentions. Before getting to the list, it should be noted that there are plenty of movies I have yet to see. In some cases, I simply ran out of time, and in other cases, there were some films that haven’t even made it to my neck of the woods yet.
Noteworthy titles like ANOMALISA (which John claims is a work of genius) and THE LOOK OF SILENCE have garnered substantial buzz, and I hope to see them soon. In the meantime, there were plenty of great films to marvel at over the course of the year. This list is in alphabetical order rather than in order of importance because all of these films were well worth my time, and it is my hope that you will watch them all and enjoy them as much as I did.
Click on the film title if you want to read the original review as published.
’71
Haven’t heard of ’71? You’re not alone. It received a very limited release in the U.S., and it’s a shame, because this was clearly one of the best movies of the year. This gripping, dramatic, taut thriller finds a disoriented British soldier trapped in Belfast during the turbulent “troubles” of Northern Ireland. In addition to Yann Demange’s stellar direction and Jack O’Connell’s quietly effective performance, ’71 benefits from not necessarily taking a side. Rather, it offers up heroes and villains on various sides of the political spectrum. This is an expertly crafted movie, and I can’t wait to see what Demange does next.
THE BIG SHORT
If you were a finance expert in the mid-2000’s and you were convinced that the housing market was on the verge of collapsing, what would you do? Adam McKay’s expertly crafted THE BIG SHORT attempts to answer that question in a movie that’s as heartbreaking and tragic as it is energetic and funny. As an expert with an axe to grind, Steve Carell has never been better. Likewise, Christian Bale is absolutely superb as a funds manager who believes a collapse is imminent. I loved THE WOLF OF WALL STREET but THE BIG SHORT is even better because it actually has a couple of characters really worth rooting for.
CREED
After ROCKY V opened to mostly scathing reviews in 1990 (for the record, I like that film more than most), it looked as if this iconic boxing franchise had run its course. Enter 2006’s ROCKY BALBOA which brought the series to a surprisingly poignant close. Or so we thought. In 2015, writer/director Ryan Coogler (FRUITVALE STATION) delivered CREED, a rousing spin-off film that would follow the rise of Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis (incredibly well-played by Michael B. Jordan). Stallone also returned in what might just be the strongest work of his legendary career. In short, CREED went the distance.
THE END OF THE TOUR
Jason Segel delivers an outstanding performance as writer David Foster Wallace in this offbeat, beautifully crafted conversational piece about a Rolling Stone Magazine reporter (played by Jesse Eisenberg) who’s given an opportunity to join his favorite novelist on a book tour. THE END OF THE TOUR was directed by the talented James Ponsoldt (SMASHED). It’s a profound, bittersweet, unapologetic look at friendship, perception, and depression.
THE FINAL GIRLS
IT FOLLOWS was the buzz horror film of 2015, and while tonally it was quite a delight, THE FINAL GIRLS is the one that truly got away. Why this movie didn’t get a wider release boggles the mind. In this underappreciated gem– which finds a group of teens magically sucked into the clichéd world of a slasher film–a young woman (Taissa Farmiga) must team with the character played by her deceased mother (Malin Akerman) in an effort to survive. Think of it as THE LAST SLASHER HERO. THE FINAL GIRLS is meta in all the best ways possible. It’s funny too! Mostly though, it’s the last thing you’d expect a slasher movie to be: Adorable!
INSIDE OUT
Pixar’s stunning achievement is one of the best movies you’ll ever see about the human experience: a film that suggests that even our emotions have emotions. In addition to the spectacular animation and stellar vocal work, this film goes straight for the heart. INSIDE OUT is thrilling, dramatic, and funny. Simply put, it’s one of Pixar’s very best, and if you been following this studio’s outpouring of quality entertainment, then you know that’s saying a lot.
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
One of the best action movies of the past decade was directed with youthful exuberance by 70-year-old George Miller (the very same man who created MAX MAX back in the 70’s.) While this is a continuation — of sorts — of a series that hadn’t seen an entry since 1985’s MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME, FURY ROAD still emerges as a wholly unique vision of a post-apocalyptic world. Starring Tom Hardy (filling in for Mel Gibson) and a riveting Charlize Theron, this breathtaking chase film defines its characters through relentless action, but for all its visual splendor and non-stop action, this is a movie that truly has something to say. FURY ROAD is a story about hope born out of hopelessness.
THE MARTIAN
Ridley Scott was back in a big way in 2015 with what was easily his best film since MATCHSTICK MEN. Based on the best-selling Andy Weir novel, THE MARTIAN emerged as a hopeful, Mars-set survival tale fueled by an outstanding Matt Damon performance; The kind of performance that would make CAST AWAY’s Tom Hanks proud. For all its intensity and rousing sense of unity, THE MARTIAN also offered up wonderful moments of humor. Maybe not quite enough humor to warrant that bizarre Best Musical or Comedy win at The Golden Globes but enough to keep the film from slipping cold and bleak REVENANT territory. Great to see Scott back in top form, and further props to Drew Goddard for his wonderful screenplay.
PREDESTINATION
Sibling filmmakers Michael and Peter Spierig are expert world builders, and while the team behind the excellent sci-fi/horror film DAYBREAKERS have yet to become household names, the creative time-traveling mind-bender PREDESTINATION further establishes them as directors to keep your eye on. This is one lean thrill ride, and it’s jam packed with enough plot threads to fill five movies. Ethan Hawke is awesome as a temporal agent zipping through time in an effort to bring a terrorist to justice, but it’s Sarah Snook who steals the show as a mysterious woman with quite a story to tell. This movie takes time travel to a whole new level, and while the ending of the picture is twisted, it’s twisted in all the right ways. PREDESTINATION deserved a much grander reception than it got. See it as soon as possible!
ROOM
Brie Larson and young Jacob Tremblay give outstanding performances in this character driven drama about an abducted women who has no choice but to adapt to her limited surroundings in an effort to provide for her 5 year old son. Eventually, a dangerous proposition finds Larson’s Ma and little Jack in a most unexpected environment. Lenny Abrahamson (FRANK) skillfully directs this moving story about a mother who would do anything to protect her child. ROOM is an absolute gem.
SICARIO
Like an idiot, I didn’t cover SICARIO when it opened last fall, but make no mistakes, this haunting, brutal, and undeniably thought-provoking effort from director Denis Villeneuve (INCENDIES and PRISONERS) is one of 2015’s best. SICARIO is a terrifying descent into our war on drugs. Fueled by Roger Deakins’ breathtaking cinematography and outstanding performances from the likes of Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio Del Toro, SICARIO is a cold, haunting, and powerful look at what many folks believe to be an unwinnable war. A kindred spirit to Steven Soderbergh’s less visceral but equally effective TRAFFIC.
SON OF SAUL
I saw this film not but two days before I started putting the finishing touches on this list and there was no way I was leaving it off. SON OF SAUL is a straight up masterpiece! Shot in a first person narrative (an aesthetic decision that lends this movie enormous power), this exploration into the horrors of the holocaust follows a prisoner (stunningly played by Géza Röhrig) as he looks for hope in the bleakest of times. Writer/director László Nemes has fashioned a stunning, all immersive motion picture experience. A harrowing, haunting, shocking, tragic, and all together poignant piece of art that I won’t soon forget. Tough to watch but incredibly powerful.
SPOTLIGHT
Tom McCarthy’s understated look at the power of truth and real investigative journalism sits alongside THE BIG SHORT as the strongest ensemble of the 2015. Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Liev Schreiber, Rachel McAdams, and Stanley Tucci bring their A-game in this story of a Boston newspaper’s attempt at getting to the bottom of a child molestation cover-up involving the Catholic Church. For those thinking this is a simple-minded attack on religion, it’s not. McCarthy and crew also point a finger at other guilty parties. A great script and a brilliant cast make SPOTLIGHT a must-see movie.
SPY
SPY was the funniest movie of 2015, hands down! In fact, this film is much more than a great comedy. It’s also a great spy movie, going so far as to top SPECTRE in espionage, thrills, and the all important spy movie theme song (I’ll take Ivy Levan’s tune here over Sam Smith’s “Writing’s on the Wall” any day of the week). SPY does a great job making us laugh, but it also subverts our idea of what a spy movie can be. What’s more, Melissa McCarthy and Rose Byrne bring the funny in spades. As hilarious as they are, though, it’s Jason Statham who emerges as the biggest scene stealer of the bunch. As an overly confident rogue agent, Statham’s dead pan delivery and flair for the overly dramatic take the gem that is Paul Feig’s SPY to new comical heights.
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
In the midst of the inevitable THE FORCE AWAKENS backlash, I’m putting the J.J. Abrams box-office juggernaut on my list. Are there flaws in what is looking to be the biggest movie in the history of film? Most certainly. The thing is, I don’t care. THE FORCE AWAKENS moves like a bullet train, and it’s an absolute joy to watch. Furthermore, it was crafted by a cast and crew who clearly love and respect this iconic mythology. THE FORCE AWAKENS may retread familiar ground (as if it’s the first movie to ever do that), but it does so exceptionally well and is fueled by a host of new characters that are incredibly easy to fall in love with (Rey, Finn, Poe, and even baddie, Kylo Ren). Sometimes, pure unbridled joy trumps imperfection, and THE FORCE AWAKENS is a shining example of this theory. I said it before and I’ll say it again: This is a great time to be a STAR WARS fan!
