Top Ten 2015

With the end of the semester rapidly approaching, and the end of 2015 just weeks away, it is the perfect time to reflect back on the previous year in cinema and offer you a definitive list of my Top Ten favorite films. While these kinds of things are always subjective, my goal is that this list may steer you towards a film you may have missed and can hopefully enjoy sometime down the road. The following films have not only stayed with me long after leaving the theater, but have inspired my passion for watching films and writing about them. So without further ado here are my Top Ten Movies of 2015:

10. EVEREST Baltasar Kormakur’s adventure tale is as big as the mountain itself. It tells the true story of the 1996 disaster on Everest and features epic visuals as well as great performances by its talented ensemble cast.

9. DOPE This Sundance hit is a crazy original comedy-drama featuring a breakout performance by Shameik Moore. It is set in Inglewood, California and follows a group of high school geeks obsessed with 90’s hip hop culture who get swept up in a dangerous adventure after attending a drug dealers party.

8. LOVE Gaspar Noe’s latest shock and awe spectacle is surprisingly more cohesive than his previous work. It is always exciting to see a new Noe film because he is constantly pushing boundaries and finding new and interesting ways to tell stories. The editing, music, cinematography are all top notch here and he keeps you on the edge of your seat with excitement and curiosity, not knowing what you will see, hear, or feel next. 

7. INSIDE OUT Pixar is up to it’s old tricks again mixing inventive storytelling, comedy and emotion, all while telling a powerfully moving story set inside the mind of a little girl. Her five emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear are the main characters trying to help her deal with a major life event.

6. THE MARTIAN Veteran of sci-fi Ridley Scott tackles Andy Weir’s book of the same name in impressive fashion. When Mark Watney is left stranded on Mars by his crew, he must find a way to overcome the impossible obstacles to try and survive. The witty and realistic dialogue found in the book translates perfectly on screen and the cast, which includes Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Sean Bean, and Chiwetel Ejiofor take you on a thrilling ride that is ambitious in scope but is also grounded in modern scientific ideas.

5. BRIDGE OF SPIES for the past 20 years Steven Spielberg as been on a directing streak the likes of which have never been accomplished before. His ability to tell human stories in his unique bigger than life way is on display again with Bridge of Spies. It is his fourth collaboration with Tom Hanks in the lead role and is about an unlikely character that oversees a prisoner exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War.

4. ROOM Brie Larson is a sure bet for winning Best Actress in this independent adaptation based on Emma Donoghue’s novel of the same name. Larson play’s Ma, mother to her 5-year-old son Jack played by Jacob Tremblay. They have been held captive by an evil man in a tiny room for the entirety of Jacks life. The room is all he knows about the world, but now Jack is old enough to be a part of the escape plan.

3. SICARIO Denis Villeneuve is one of the most visionary filmmakers working today and his talents are once again fully exercised in his latest film Sicario. Set on the border between Mexico and the USA it features excellent work from Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and cinematographer Roger Deakins.

2. EX MACHINA An immensely entertaining original movie by Alex Garland. Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Issac are some of the best young talent showing up on screen these days, and it is an absolute joy to watch them go toe to toe with each other. Throw an outstanding performance by Alicia Vikander who plays an artificially intelligent robot, and a spectacular screenplay by Garland in there and you have yourself one of the absolute best films of the year.

1. INHERENT VICE It must be said that Inherent Vice did have a release at the very end of 2014 but was not released wide until January 9^th 2015 and did not have an international release until later that month so I am including it on this list. It is the latest by writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson and is based on the novel by Thomas Pynchon. It is a stoner detective story starring Joaquin Phoenix as Doc Sportello, a private investigator trying to locate an ex girlfriends lover. The plot takes you on some wild twists and turns but it is one of those movies that you have to let wash over you, taking it all in without worrying about getting lost in the details. The costumes, set design, music, and visuals are all mesmerizing and will leave you with a feeling of euphoria similar to what Doc is feeling throughout his many misadventures.