Yesterday I gave you my Bottom 10 for 2015 and today I gladly share my Top 10. I’ve always felt that bad films are far easier to agree on than the best films. True it’s all subjective but when it comes to ranking the best films we’ve seen in any calendar year, it can become a point of contention. The below is the 10 best films for a variety of reasons that I saw in 2015.
Starting with…
10. Love & Mercy
Being a Beach Boys fan as I am I enjoyed this intimate look into creative genius that is Brian Wilson (played brilliantly by Paul Dano and John Cusack). Brian was the heart and soul of the California band that has lasted since the 1960’s. Like so many geniuses, Brian is also a tormented soul with inner demons that has plagued him for the better part of his life. And yet through all that, it’s the music and the unconditional love of one woman, Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks) who keeps Brian from breaking to a point of no return. As fans we only see the end result, very seldom do we see the pain and suffering that went into these creations.
9. Trainwreck
Amy Schumer hits a homerun in this comedy about commitment or what it means to commit to someone. Amy plays a magazine writer with a libido that is usually reserved for men in such films. It’s nice to see a role reversal of sorts. While doing a piece for her magazine, Amy meets a sports doctor Aaron Conners (Bill Hader). Aaron shows her that life and love are full of compromises. It’s these compromises that become the foundation for strongest of committed relationships. Very well done. On a side note, a special shout out to NBA star LeBron James who after is playing career may have a future in acting. I was very impressed.
8. Ex-Machina
Probably the most unique and original film on this list, Ex-Machina tells the story of programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) who wins a contest to spend a week at the private estate of his CEO Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac). He thinks he’s there to learn something from the man he admires only to find out he is only there to be used as a test subject for Nathan’s AI creation, Ava (Alicia Vikander). Nathan wants to see just how close to “human-like” qualities Ava can possess. The answer will lead to both there undoing. Ex-Machina almost comes across as a stage play with its simple sets and only three main actors. Very well acted with a moral message.
7. Creed
This is the best Rocky film since the original hands down. Michael B. Jordan plays Adonis Johnson the son of the late boxing champion Apollo Creed. With boxing in his blood, Adonis sets out to make his own name in the ring and heads to Philadelphia to recruit Rocky Balboa (Sly Stallone) to train him. From here Creedmirrors much of the original. I’ve always been a big fan of Jordan and this could be the start of a new series of films based on the character. It’s also good to see Stallone in top form. I don’t know if he’ll win anything for it but I’m guessing an Oscar nod will come his way.
6. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
This is fifth film in the series and hasn’t gotten old at all. If anything, it seems to be getting stronger. Sure these films get a bit convoluted and all those double and triple crossing gets difficult to keep track of. But between Mission: Impossible and another spy film that will appear on this list, these were so much better than James Bond’s Spectre. This time around Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) must find out who is behind the anti-IMF, a rogue nation called the Syndicate. The Syndicate is made up of ex operatives who create terror attacks in order to establish a New World Order. Great locations and great stunts make this a winner in my book.
5. Jurassic World
High heels aside for Bryce Dallas Howard, Jurassic World is 2+ hours of popcorn excitement. Not since the original have I enjoyed these movies as much. We get to see the park that the late John Hammond from the first films had envisioned. We also see what happens when you genetically engineer a new species of dinosaur that is far more vicious and intelligent than anyone could have ever imagined. Throw in alpha male and raptor expert Chris Pratt into the mix and you have one of the biggest box office winners of the year. Films like these are meant to just sit back and leave reality behind. If you want reality, watch CNN or Fox. Well, come to think of it, perhaps they’re both fan fiction than reality. Stick with the dinos.
4. Kingsman: The Secret Service
The first real surprise of 2015, Kingsman came out in February and was so much fun then and is equally fun now. This Bond-like adventure with its interesting and “cheeky ending” wink, wink, pulls everything out of its bag of spy tricks and gags to deliver one hell of a punch. Newcomer Taron Egerton plays Eggsy whose late father was a member of the Kingsman spy organization. He ends up getting recruited into the secret service by his father’s mentor, Harry Hart (Colin Firth). What’s a spy film without a villain? Samuel L. Jackson provides that as billionaire Richmond Valentine who’s master plan to solve the problem of climate change is mass murder on a global scale. Kingsman is completely outrageous and completely a blast to sit through again and again.
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
The post-apocalyptic Mad Max franchise gets a much-needed reboot thirty years since the last film of the series that starred Mel Gibson. Pure adrenaline is the best way to describe Mad Max: Fury Road. It starts off with its foot on the throttle and never lets up for a moment. Visually one of best looking films in recent memory. Taking up the mantle left of Max Rockatansky made famous by Gibson is Tom Hardy who does an outstanding job in the role. Max teams up with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) who’s trying to outrun the tyrant warlord Immortan Joe and his henchman as they race across the Wasteland and freedom. If you want action, Mad Max gives it you in abundance. Also you’ll see one of the best if not memorable guitar riffs ever on the big screen.
2. Inside Out
In an okay year for animation, Inside Out stood head and shoulders above them all. Leave it to Disney and Pixar to provide a message to is as much for as us adults as it would be for children. The story centers on Riley, an 11-year old, hockey-loving girl from the Midwest whose family moves to San Francisco. To help ease with this life-changing move, Riley’s emotions led by Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler) try to guide her through. But when Joy and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) get swept deeper into Riley’s mind, the stress of the move and everything she has lost comes to the surface and with it comes Anger, Fear and Disgust. Inside Out visually shows how we all deal with life’s challenges. How our actions not only affect us but those around us. What a simple yet effective way of doing so.
1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
I will admit to being very biased when it comes to this pick. Make no mistake this is a great movie to experience. A major reason why I picked TFA as my 2015 choice for best film is the feeling of nostalgia that I got while watching it. Star Wars is very important to me. It’s very important to many of us. We all remember where we were and who we were with when we first saw the original unaltered trilogy. If you were fortunate enough to see them in the theater when they first came out, great. But even if you didn’t, the memory and experience of seeing them last forever. That magical feeling was lost in the prequels. It has been restored with The Force Awakens. Movies are a means of escape, a means of letting free our imagination. To be memorable doesn’t require it to be perfect. TFAis not perfect by any stretch but it sure does come close to giving us our childhood’s vision of what perfection is.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
