So here we go, my Top 10 Films of 2015!
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo
It was always going to be a
struggle to top the remarkable juggling act that was 2012’s The Avengers (AKA Avengers Assemble). All they could do was to ‘go bigger’ and even
Joss Whedon has felt the strain, having not only sworn off doing these big comic
book movies for life, but even quitting twitter due to some unsavoury fan
backlash.
Still, the film is a ton of fun,
if a little overcrowded and undercooked. It doesn't skimp on action sequences
and spectacle - but still feels a little slave to what Marvel Studios has
planned for their grander ‘cinematic universe’ plans for the future.
Ultron himself was interesting
enough as a villain, but never really felt like much of a threat despite having
potential; and once again having a city in peril for the climax of the movie
seemed a touch unimaginative. Not as fresh as the first Avengers but it still amazes me how they manage to pull something
like this off with so many stars involved.
Favourite Bit: The Hulkbuster fight. Every fanboy’s dream
coming true right up on the big screen.
You can read my earlier
review of Avengers: Age of Ultron HERE.
9. Macbeth
Directed by: Justin Kurzel
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy
Considine
Eschewing the more flamboyant and
theatrical versions of Macbeth that have graced our screens previously,
director Kurzel (perhaps most known for his grim debut feature Snowtown) goes for a more downbeat
approach. Aesthetically it channels a
bloodier and muddier Game of Thrones
aesthetic – yet there is no fantasy here: even the witches are just mysterious
villagers who appear and disappear into the mist (rather than cackling hags
stirring boiling cauldrons) and end up being all the more creepy for it.
Fassbender is exceptional in
tackling the bard as the tragic king and although Cotillard’s French lilt may
throw you off a little (it can actually be explained away historically) she is
equally up to the challenge – although it’s an interesting choice to make her
less of a villainous instigator than she normally appears to be in most
adaptations of ‘the Scottish play’.
Special mention also goes to Sean
Harris (one of my favourite character actors) who plays the vengeful Macduff
with an animal ferocity.
What's more, the cinematography is
breathtakingly beautiful – capturing the misty highlands of Scotland in all
their wild and cruel beauty. If you can hack a bit of old English (none of this
modernised nonsense) then this and Cumberbatch’s stage version of Hamlet are
undoubtedly the best of this year.
With Fassbender and Kurzel
reuniting for Assassin’s Creed, could
this herald the arrival of a half decent videogame adaptation? Quite possibly
so.
Favourite Bit: The moment when Macduff finds out about the
fate of his family.
8. Sicario
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro
Following on from the excellent (and
thoroughly bleak) Prisoners,
Villeneuve loves to explore morally ambiguous characters and an exploration of
gray areas that encompasses almost every character in the film - something you
don't often see. Emily Blunt is the perfect choice to play the
tough-but-not-quite-tough-enough FBI agent acting as the wide-eyed cipher for
the audience, totally unprepared for the extent of lawlessness that awaits her
as she is unwittingly dragged further into the criminal underworld of Mexican drug
cartels.
Further great performances come
from Josh Brolin as the flip-flop wearing CIA cowboy and Benicio Del Toro as
the mysterious ‘consultant’.
Once again, the stunning
cinematography of this film elevates it to being one of my favourite films of
the year. Long overhead shots of the desert make parts of Mexico look like a
strange and terrifying unknown alien landscape; and the silhouettes of soldiers
over the backdrop of a multicoloured sunset are among the breathtaking
highlights. Perhaps this will be the one with which Roger Deakins finally bags
an Oscar?
Accompanied by the ominous booming
of the score, rarely has a movie felt so tense and foreboding for what’s to come,
just because its direction is so unknown. The less you know about this going in,
the better.
Favourite Bit: Perhaps the most tense traffic jam ever
captured on film?
7. It Follows
Directed by: David Robert Mitchell
Starring: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Jake Weary
There will always be horror
movies. They are relatively cheap to produce and there is always a market for
them. However, rarely do they stick in the mind as It Follows does. Described by some critics as ‘horror mumblecore’,
this indie effort has a concept so simple and yet so open to interpretation it
gets you in a way that other horror movies just don't; and keeps you pondering
long after the fact. Basically: some unknown entity is following you, it can
take the shape of anyone and nothing can stop it. Well, there is one way…
Is it a warning about sexual
promiscuity? A metaphor for the slow and steady march of time that will
eventually catch up to all? The fear of being alone and needing someone to
share the burden of existence?
Featuring a cast of unknowns (save
for the lead Maika Monroe – seen in last year’s excellent The Guest), the inventiveness of the scares, the beautiful
cinematography and the brooding electronic score (at times reminiscent of 80s
slasher films) all contribute to a tense and almost suffocating atmosphere that
never really lets up.
Favourite Bit: Plenty of great creepy moments, but the wheelchair
scene toward the beginning of the film is so unique and full of dread of what’s
to come that it definitely deserves a mention.
6. Whiplash
Directed by: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist
Whiplash features tour de force performances from its two leads.
Firstly, Miles Teller drumming himself bloody (fate unknown after the horrendous
flop of the recent ill-fated Fantastic Four
reboot). We root so much for this guy, even though he occasionally makes the
wrong decisions we have to admire his dedication and resolve in the face of his
constantly taking punishment. Especially when up against J.K. Simmons –
deserving of his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor – who explodes so suddenly with
rage at his pupils he makes his J. Jonah Jamison seem like a timid mouse in
comparison.
Even if you are not a fan of Jazz,
the musical sequences will grasp you not only with their intensity and
marvellous musicianship – but also because of their contribution to the
narrative.
Intense and with plenty of great
reversals that keep you surprised throughout, Whiplash comes highly recommended.
Favourite Bit: The initial class in which Fletcher’s reign
of terror is witnessed for the first time is a shockingly good highlight, but
the final sequence of the movie is where the real gold lies – ending the film
on an intense high.
You can read my earlier
review of Whiplash HERE.
5. Ant-Man
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly
Well, don't we have just love an
underdog?
On the face if it, this film was
meant to fail at every turn. A character that no one (outside of keen comic
book fans) really knows, let alone one that many people even like; and the
original director (Edgar Wright) departing over creative differences during
preproduction – it didn't bode well.
But against all odds, Ant-Man turned out to be rather good.
Paul Rudd is perfectly cast as he embodies the weary, beaten down underdog that
has enough charm to have us keep rooting for him. Michael Douglas and
Evangeline Lily are also great here as foils to him, although admittedly the
villain (as per usual in recent Marvel offerings) is a bit weak in terms of
motivation, seemingly only there to propel the plot forward and to provide some
creative fight scenes.
Rather than the grand scale (as
most comic movies do), Ant-Man instead focuses on the small (pun intended) and
does so with great aplomb. It’s mostly just a heist movie with a great focus on
themes of family and redemption. There is a great Avenger cameo, plenty of gags
(Michael Pena steals the show) and the shrunken fight sequences are creative and
fun with a use of 3D that (gasp!) actually
enhances rather than detracts from the film.
Favourite Bit: Michael Pena’s ‘storytelling’ scenes always
garner a chuckle, but it's the creative and humorous dig at the city-wide
destruction climax of nearly every other superhero movie, that make the final
showdown of this film so good.
Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac
Firstly, you have to applaud J.J
Abrams and Disney for not screwing this up. That in itself is kind of a big
deal and a huge relief to fans worldwide. Eschewing the reinvention of the
formula like in Lucas did in his prequels, The
Force Awakens aims for familiarity, even mirroring the original 1977 film
almost beat for beat.
Does it rely too much on nostalgia
and retreading the original’s story? Perhaps. But it does so with a great
modern sheen and with plenty of gusto. It comes off as the world’s most
expensive fan film – and that's pretty much what it is.
Let’s be honest, it’s not going to
blow your mind – but it's a pretty decent stab that gets more right than its
does wrong – and for that reason alone it’s very important for the Star Wars
franchise.
It’s great to see some of the old players
back – making a smooth transition to be replaced by the fresh-faced new cast – all
of whom are generally great at their job. John Boyega in particular is
excellent (a confident performance from this young lad from Peckham with really
only Attack the Block to his name),
and Oscar Isaac’s will surely now get the star recognition that he deserves
from his super cool pilot Poe Dameron.
The Force Awakens also manages to be funny in parts – and not in a ‘Jar
Jar talks funny and steps in poo’ kind of way. The dialogue is often smart,
characters bounce off of each other and the whole thing feels ironically less Disney-fied
than say, The Phantom Menace did – something
fans may have previously feared.
The special effects are great and
there are plenty of decent action sequences; and although a lot of questions are
left unanswered (notably concerning the story gaps between episodes VI and VII),
there is hope that now that the set up is out of the way (and having played it
relatively safe whilst doing so), the franchise is now free to move off into
all sorts of new and exciting directions.
I still think the talents of the guys from The Raid were criminally wasted though…
Favourite Bit: The thrill of seeing the Millennium Falcon
swooping back into action and engaging in a dogfight with a couple of TIE
fighters is guaranteed to give you chills.
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson
Another unexpected hit of the year
(severely undersold by its neutered trailers), Matthew Vaughn once again proves
he is an exceptional talent – giving the Hollywood big boys a run for their
money even with considerably less of a budget.
Taron Egerton is a born star as
leading man, Sam Jackson has fun playing against type and Colin firth riffs
well on his gentlemen persona to great aplomb.
It’s funny, rude and violent - and
where extreme gore could have become a potential problem, instead it is censored
in creative and humorous ways to great effect.
Kingsman is not so much a parody of the spy genre so much as it is
a great (if irreverent) love letter to it. Whilst the majority of film studios
seem keen on reinventing everything as ‘gritty and realistic’ these days, this
celebrates the ‘classic Bond’ gentleman spy ethos, whilst also hammering home
the message that it’s about character and style, not just about privilege and
social class.
Favourite Bit: The church scene, hands down. Has to be
seen to be believed.
2. Birdman
Directed by: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Starring: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone
There is too much to mention here in depth of
why you should see this film.
But to be brief: a sharp script with excellent
dialogue, great characters that interact terrifically with each other, a
fascinating look at the behind the scenes of a putting on a Broadway show,
perceptions of fame, the ego, delusion, possible mental illness, deconstructing
the superhero genre, a discussion of art, the effect of social media,
irreverent humour, meta jokes about some actors playing characters that poke
fun at their real life personas, the mind boggling long takes and ‘one
continuous take’ nature of the cinematography…
… and that’s just
off the top of my head.
Although I’m rarely concerned with The
Academy’s decisions, Birdman walked off with Best Film, Best Director, Best
Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography and deservedly so.
On the strength of this, we can look forward to
something special in Inarritu’s soon to be released The Revenant.
Favourite Bit: It’s all gold in my opinion, but if I had
to pick one it would be Riggan’s first meeting (and impromptu script read) with
Ed Norton’s Mike Shiner. It’s actors giving a performance about giving a performance – executed all in one continuous take.
Sublime.
You can read my earlier
review of Birdman HERE.
Directed by: George Miller
Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult
This movie blew me away and continues to do so
every time I see it. Yes, the plot may be simple (essentially it’s just an hour
and a half chase film) but this works to the film’s advantage: allows for an easy
setup and vivid world-building. We learn so much about the hierarchy, society,
religion, oppression, values of this story just through inference and without
having everything overly explained to us. The simplicity of the story and the
focus on action – it’s always moving forward - is what gives this film a sense
of purity. It’s barley even reliant on having
watched the previous Mad Max films
(the Interceptor hardly gets a look in) so much so that there is debate over
whether or not this is even the same Max Rockatansky. The thing is – it doesn't even matter!
Some have criticized the fact that Tom Hardy
doesn’t get much to do in it. But that's kind of the point – it’s never really
been that much about Max – he’s just a (ahem) vehicle through which we get to
witness this crazy post apocalyptic world. The real star of the show is actually
Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa – an incredible performance – destined to
become one of the most memorable roles of her career.
George Miller’s schools most others directors
in the genre – particularly when it comes to shooting the action sequences. To
have something simultaneously ugly, dirty and beautiful all at once is sublime.
It’s tense, loud and inventive and nothing has come close this year to the
visceral thrill of witnessing it up on the big screen.
Terrific design work and imagination permeate
every aspect of this, there is an abundance of great practical effects and
stunt work as well as decent CG for the most part. It’s mindboggling to think
how much time they must have spent in the baking desert in order to film all of
this – often at breakneck speed.
To top it off there is an awesome score from
dance music producer Junkie XL. The most complete vision in a film I have seen
this year.
Favourite Bit: The sandstorm sequence is a perfect
amalgamation of action, drama, cinematography, special effects and music.
You can read my earlier
review of Mad Max: Fury Road HERE.
Honourable mentions
These are films that didn't quite
make the Top 10 or would have been had they been released this year.
In no particular order these are:
Bone Tomahawk – A horror/thriller/drama western with a great cast.
If you can stomach some moments of extreme gore this is worth tracking down.
Ex Machina – Interesting, but ultimately a little derivative and
not as clever as it thinks it is. Impressive CG though and it’s all about that
dance sequence!
Foxcatcher – Great performances in this eerie slow burner, based on a true story. The transformation of both leads Steve
Carrell and Channing Tatum is astounding, but Mark Ruffalo also shines.
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson back on his classic quirky
form, with great visuals and Ralph Fiennes is great.
John Wick – Basically Keanu Reeves killing LOTS of people in this
revenge movie. Some great action choreography - It’s fun!
Straight Outta Compton – As good a biography as you could hope for
really. Hard to please everyone (fans/cinemagoers/music aficionados) but it did
okay in striking a balance between fact and entertainment.
Well, that’s it for my Top 10.
Agree? Disagree? Let me hear your opinions!
Stay tuned for The
Alternative Awards for 2015 films – coming soon!
You can also check out Top 10 film lists for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 by clicking the relevant date!
2nd Jan 2016
Good selection. Ex Machina should be in the top ten I berlieve. Would like to watch Birdman...
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