10 Best Films of 2015

OK, people. No more cramming in screeners. No more dashing back and forth across town all day to see movies. Time to make the tough decisions about the best films of 2015. I try to keep a list going all year long to remind myself of what I’ve loved, and then I have to kill my darlings come December. It’s never easy. (Sorry, “It Follows.” You would have been No. 11.) Anyway, enjoy — and let me know which movies made your year-end list.

1. “Mad Max: Fury Road”

I had a really hard time deciding on my top pick. Truly, “Mad Max: Fury Road” and my No. 2 pick are both the best films of 2015 in my mind — and incredibly different in what makes them the best — but the arbitrary rules of list-making dictate that I must choose. So here I am. My next selection is probably more “important” in terms of its substance, and it’s what I chose when I was voting for the year’s best picture alongside my Los Angeles Film Critics Association colleagues. But “Mad Max” changed my DNA. It is just a dazzling piece of filmmaking, full of ambition and verve, technical precision and devastating beauty. And it’s got a bad-ass woman at its center in Charlize Theron — what’s not to like?

Read the full review here

2. “Spotlight”

Spotlight Movie Review

Again, this is not really No. 2. It’s more like 1a. But in the middle of the night when it occurred to me that I was going with “Mad Max,” it was based on how that movie made me feel. With “Spotlight,” I love it because of how it made me think. It’s just brilliantly efficient from a narrative perspective with excellent performances from an expert cast. Director and co-writer Tom McCarthy takes a daunting, emotional topic — The Boston Globe’s breakthrough reporting on the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal — and gets his arms around it in a clear-eyed yet propulsive manner. And the clothes are just dead-on.

Read the full review here

3. “Ex Machina”

Ex Machina Movie Review

Gorgeous and mysterious, disturbing and mesmerizing, “Ex Machina” consistently challenges and surprises you and it does so with great style. I still don’t want to give away too much about it in case you haven’t seen it (although you really should). But I love the precision of this movie and the powerful performances from Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander, whom I’m thrilled to have as LAFCA’s choice for best supporting actress this year. Writer-director Alex Garland’s film is an intimate wonder of chilling sci-fi storytelling.

Read the full review here

4. “Room”

I’ve had no shame telling anyone who will listen that this movie reduced me to a puddle, only partly because I — like Brie Larson’s character — am the mother of a young boy. But there’s so much more to why Lenny Abrahamson’s gripping drama works. It’s impeccably acted, with Larson and young Jacob Tremblay sharing a deeply believable bond. It’s vividly detailed and thrillingly paced. And while the reason for the characters’ confinement is horrific, the ultimate possibility of hope is boundless.

Read the full review here

5. “Carol”

Carol Movie Review

A richly creamy and achingly romantic piece of filmmaking from the great Todd Haynes, and an excellent companion piece to “Far From Heaven,” my pick for the best film of 2002. Everything about this movie is pristine in terms of production values — the costumes, the art design, the period detail and the lush cinematography from Edward Lachman. But the love affair between Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara gives “Carol” its sweetly beating heart. They share a lovely and substantial chemistry that leaves you with a sweetly lingering feeling of melancholy and a tantalizing bit of uplift.

Watch the “What the Flick?!” review here

6. “45 Years”

Andrew Haigh’s film isn’t out yet — at least not in the United States — but I urge you to find it when it opens. If you’re looking for a smart, thoughtful drama for grown-ups, this one’s a must-see. The story of a British couple preparing to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary is flawlessly acted and keenly observant. It captures the rhythms of a shared life in small, precise ways. And it features a knockout performance from the great Charlotte Rampling (another LAFCA winner this year) who conveys so much with just the slightest glance. It’s a master class in controlled acting.

7. “Inside Out”

Inside Out Movie Review

Impossibly clever, endlessly entertaining and deeply moving, this is easily one of the greatest in a long line of excellent films from Pixar Animation. This is a movie that dares to explore complicated emotions and existential crises in an animated movie that’s aimed at the whole family. And damned if it doesn’t pull it off. It has one of the strongest screenplays of the year but it’s also colorful and lively, with strong voice performances across the board (although Phyllis Smith as Sadness is my favorite).

Read the full review here

8. “Goodnight Mommy”

Goodnight Mommy Movie Review

This Austrian thriller is the year’s creepiest movie by far. “Goodnight Mommy” is intense and precise, from its big ideas to its smallest details. It consistently keeps you guessing, but it also dares to ask you to re-examine your feelings for and alliances with its characters Just trust me on this. Read nothing before you see it (except my review below, of course).

Read the full review here

9. “Tangerine”

Tangerine Movie Review

Sean Baker’s film about transgender prostitutes rampaging through Hollywood on Christmas Eve is brash and brazenly alive, but it’s also surprisingly poignant as it reaches its conclusion. Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor have chemistry for days as best friends pounding the pavement seeking revenge, and one of the most exciting parts of “Tangerine” is that it does not necessarily portray them as nice women, but rather flawed, funny and fully-realized humans. The fact that Baker shot his movie on an iPhone gives it a bracing intimacy and a piercing beauty.

Read the full review here

10. “The Martian”

The Martian Movie Review

The year’s best blockbuster and one of the best times I had at the movies in 2015. Veteran director Ridley Scott once again mines the complexity and danger of space exploration for thrills and killer visuals, but he also has a surprising amount of fun (thanks to a smart, lively script from Drew Goddard). Matt Damon gives a tour-de-force performance, with the challenge of performing mostly alone, as an astronaut struggling to survive when his crew strands him on Mars. Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids, as the song goes, but apparently it’s the kind of place to raise potatoes with a little ingenuity.

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  1. 1. Mad Max: Fury Road – yes I agree w/ Christy!
    2. Phoenix
    3. Inside Out
    4. Goodnight Mommy
    5. It Follows
    6. Going Clear
    7.Queen of Earth
    8. Crimson Peak
    9. Z for Zachariah
    10. The Gift

    • I haven’t seen about half the movies on Christy’s top ten yet. I’m sure some of them will make my list when I do.

  2. What characterizes much of the film making above, is the absence of creation of characters. Movies used to do this a lot more, when I was a kid. What we do observe in the year of 2014, 2015, are the re-makes of old franchise movies, which used to be about making characters. I think that movies like Die-hard, Rocky, Lethal Weapon, . . . and yeah, even Mad Max itself, used to be organized around goal of creating strong characters. But movie makers are being told nowadays, don’t worry about creating strong characters. In other words, movies such as the ones mentioned are either A) being hollowed out, and you are left with an empty shell, action only plot, absent the character. Or B) the franchise has to go in another direction, and explore something other than character creation – such as in the case of the recent Rocky.

    The reason for this, and it is plain as day. Since the Sopranos, and a series of very important television drama series – the audience, the market – have gotten used to shopping for their stories with strong character development, at a different place than in movie theaters. Movie theaters don’t supply, the Don Draper, or the Tony Soprano, or the Doctor Gregory House, or any number of real, honest to goodness, strong characters that we find now, getting broadcast over television. In the rush to produce the ‘golden age’ of television, it’s left the landscape of movie story telling, absent of characters, like the one’s that Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis and others used to create long ago.

    What we find, are the actors and actresses who used to be called upon to provide depth and meaning in a movie, which was built around character development – no long have those opportunities to work. Those same actors and actresses who possess that kind of talent, show up now in movie projects, which are frequently bending under the weight of all of the ‘agenda’, that they have to carry – movies that no longer really provide us with characters – in the way that movies used to, but only television series do nowadays.

    Name me one movie in of the best examples from 2015 – that have given life to someone – a character that might only be given life to, by a story told in a movie – and with the assistance from the talents of someone such as Al Pacino. I dunno, I don’t think there is even one example. Mad Max is one heck of a movie, no doubt. But it background-ed the character of Mad Max, and really didn’t fill that vacuum with anything else, in that absence. And most of the panel talks, that I’ve heard on What the Flick, in 2015 and in earlier broadcasts – are all more or less – making that point, or trying to make that point. Television has only gotten much better and more interesting – at the considerable expense of movie making – and a better balance needs to be an aspiration of the entire industry in future.

    • Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’d argue that “Room,” “Carol” and “45 Years” all feature beautiful characterizations. And Matt Damon was tasked with creating a fully-realized character essentially by himself in “The Martian,” and he did so with the benefit of a script that was full of verve and wit.

      • The question that I would have Christy, is does “Room,” “Carol”, “45 Years” or “The Martian,” deliver any ‘new’ characters?

        A character that we haven’t perhaps seen before.

        I was shocked for example, where movie makers these days – where they are given on a plate – a collection of rich characterization’s to play around with – for example, in the movie version of the ‘A-Team’ – it appears that the movie industry doesn’t know how to work with characters any longer. It’s been ‘bred out’ of the current generation almost completely. All that one is left with are the special effects fire works, and the hype.

        The actor Tom Selleck for example, will probably be best known amongst young audiences, for something like ‘Blue Bloods’. A television drama. That’s how audiences nowadays consume their ‘Selleck’. But that still didn’t prevent Selleck working as an actor to create something like the character of police man, ‘Jesse Stone’ in a series of low budget movies. And I think that those will stand a test of time, as modest and all as they might be.

        What they say, is that the 1970’s, was a decade of the ‘big’ movie directors. The decade that we are in now, is a decade of writers. The problem with giving ‘writers’ the upper hand over ‘directors’ I would argue, is that writers go after pay cheques, stable employment etc. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

        But it brings me back to the same question. If ‘Shane’ (1953) were to be started as a project today, would it become folded into ‘Hell on Wheels’? A tough, gritty drama based on the old frontier era in America. Ben would be reviewing the first episode for ‘What the Flick’ audience, talking about how the little kid shouting across the prairie at the end of the first episode – was a really great ‘opening’ – and not a really great ‘ending’.

        And do the leading actors in the industry today, have any point of view on that? In general, it’s good that television should get to recycle old material. It’s understandable that television series writers, will loot the treasures that can be found in older movies. But once in a while, perhaps the writing community, ought to think about replenishing the stock of characters, that exist in movies too. In short, give something back.

        Is that a really big ask?

        Saoirse Ronan does get a lot of praise, at least here in Ireland, and I gather across the movie viewing universe too. Just to choose the example of an Irish actor in recent times, who is very talented at breathing life into characters that end up on the big screen – is someone like Colm Meaney. Colm did a movie called ‘A Belfast Story’ a couple of years ago, in which he did help to create the character of a Belfast city based detective. Critics of the movie, did complain that it was flawed, it wasn’t the perfect movie. But Meaney’s tradesmanship and craft in his performance in that movie, is undisputed. That’s just what he brings, very often. However, it’s most likely that Colm Meaney and many other actors – are known best these days – for series on television, such as ‘Hell on Wheels’, 2011 to 2015.

        It is the downside of having a ‘golden age’ for writing, in my humble opinion. They’re not all that generous at giving back – instead of looting the archives for ‘spare parts’. Because when it was the ‘decade of the movie director’ in the 1970’s, they did give back in spades. One thinks of directors such as Martin Scorsese. A television series like ‘Las Vegas’ for example, pulled in two great character actors – one from feature length movies like ‘The Rookie’, and another from ‘The Matrix’, no less. What did a series such as ‘Las Vegas’ give back? At all, to everything that movie directors such as Scorsese helped to provide.

        Maybe this is being over the top negative – but I honestly think that movies aren’t as good as we believe them to be any longer – it’s just that our expectations of movies, have become as low as they now are. I noticed that in social situations nowadays, chatting over beers about a television series. How dull can conversations over beers really become? What’s your favorite episode of ‘The West Wing’? That conversation dies in about two sentences. On the other hand, ‘pub talk’ about a feature length movie such as ‘The Big Lebowski’, can go on in drips and drabs for hours. Movies have something, as an art form, because they end after an hour and a half – that they leave so many un-answered questions. As Ben said, at the end of ‘Empire Strikes Back’, awh! c’mon. You can’t do that, leave it on a ‘cliff hanger’.

        Famously amongst men (not sure what the equivalent if one exists amongst females might be), conversations which began long ago, on the subject of ‘The Godfather’ – have lasted for decades. Sometimes, even for generations. Men I think need movies, in order to be able to converse with each other. Imagine if ‘The Godfather’ had been conceived as a project today? I may have ended up – shock horror – as a seven season block buster. And they’re may have been no Al Pacino.

        When actor turned director, Russell Crowe was interviewed in Dublin, he recollected his times when he worked with Ridley Scott on ‘The Gladiator’. I was a very flawed script, but they worked on it and repaired and re-built it, almost while that movie was being made. Crowe himself had to invent a lot he recounted. That movie about ancient Rome, spawned a flood of imitations in the short movie format, and in the longer television series format. Fine. But there ought to be some gentleman and gentle lady’s unspoken contract – that the archive is replenished with something in the original classic movie form – from time to time.

        I decided to watch Ridley Scott’s prequel to Aliens for some reason this weekend – perhaps on foot of Christy’s recommendation for the Martian movie. And for some reason, I also decide to watch ‘Prometheus’, in the French language dubbed way. Don’t know why. But wow, Idris Elba has a small but interesting role in that movie (Elba’s character was a ‘counter point’ to that of Charlize Theron), and the re-dubbing of Elba’s character was awful (no grumbling, booming, low ‘base’ tone at all). My version didn’t have a French sub-title available either, which was another thing that I found strange. I’d rather have Elba’s character speaking in his voice, in a language I did not understand – and follow the subtitles – than listen to something badly dubbed over. I will look forward to Matt Damon’s character creation in the Martian – but directors like Scott, should take greater care – when they go to create movies with characters in them, to ensure that good subtitles are made, so that a wider global audience can enjoy it.

    • I enjoyed reading your comments. I agree with your ideas that strong characters in films really are important. I kept wondering why the Mad Max film were showing up on everyones Best Films of 2015, I saw it as just another summer popcorn flick. You are right when you say they pushed the Mel Gibson character into the back ground. I think that was why the film was forgettable for me. A film does not move me emotionally without strong character development.True, Mad Max was visually stunning and creative, but great characters matter too. This is one reason I now much prefer to seek out TV series to binge watch, because they can develop such wonderful characters.

  3. A movie, if it did make it through the many hurdles – the hurdles that are budgets, market analysis, business analysis and creative direction – a movie which did make it’s way through all of that. A movie which arrived inside a movie theater and was watched by an audience, which did have character development to it – would have to be ashamed for itself. Yeah, such a movie, which did make an audience happy inside a movie theatre, in the way that movies once did, would have ‘blown it’.

    Why?

    Because that movie didn’t milk the business model for all it was worth. Any movie which has an audacity to create an interesting CHARACTER – shouldn’t be a movie any longer. Because it’s meant to be a smash hit, seven ‘SEASON’ length television series.

    What we see is.

    TELEVISION, and heavens help us all, STREAMING (over UNLIMITED fiber optic cable monthly subscription BANDWIDTH), to high definition flat screens – has made – the movie industry a DESERT. One big, broad echo chamber. One can scream loudly enough, to reach the opposite wall. But not be in any fear, that one’s sound waves from one’s vocal chords will bounce off one real three-dimensional, non-flat character, in the whole process.

    If ‘SHANE’, the gun slinging, cow boy character from 1953, were to be made today. We’d have to wait ten whole weeks to see him ride off over the horizon. We just wouldn’t be allowed to enjoy Shane’s story, in a mere two hours, in one sitting. In a way, I think that one director interview for What The Flick, Mr. Taratino, is probably one of the few still fighting the corner for movies – and probably one of the few – who has not entirely caved into the era of the BOX SET.

    • You make a good point about movies being different today. Sometimes it’s the story (Gone Girl) or the character (Silence of the Lambs) or simply special effects (Avatar) that draws us to the movie theater.

      The studios concentrate on what sells, not on what’s good. The audience dictates what’s good by where we spend our money. As we all know, movie making is a business. Take Twilight for example. The book and movie script are poorly written, the movie even worse, but it made a lot of money because the love story appealed to a LOT of teenaged girls, their mothers and, in my case, their grandmothers. Luck of the draw . . .

  4. Christy,

    Thanks for the great list. Mad Max deserves any top 10 list of this year. What a juggernaut of a movie it was, relentless edge of the seat action spectacle. If Mad Max doesn’t win either best picture or director at Oscars this year, Iam going to start my own Awards Show and give every award to this movie including best documentary for best depiction of apocalyptic earth.

    My list is still incomplete as I haven’t seen some of the movies in your list like Carol, Room and 45 Years. Still here is my working list so far…

    1. Mad Max “Furiosa” Road            
    2. Ex Machina
    3. Brooklyn
    4. Spotlight 
    5. Tangerine  
    6. The Martian
    7. Shaun the Sheep      
    8. TBD
    9. TBD
    10. TBD

    Being an immigrant myself Brooklyn resonated with me more than Spotlight. Though Goodnight Mommy was a great movie, I figured out the climax of the movie within the first 15 minutes of the movie, so I had to exclude it from my list.
                                         
    Also,  Christy,  can you please have a special episode of LAFCA Awards and nominees on What the Flick!

    Thanks.

    • I love Brooklyn, too. It’s beautifully old-fashioned and Saoirse Ronan couldn’t be lovelier. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

  5. Hey whoever may be reading! (Being unsure as to whether Christy herself will read this, I’ll refer to her in the third person as opposed to second. Sorry Christy). I haven’t seen the majority of films on Christy’s list, partly because it’s hard to communte to theatres that show them, and partly because where I live, most Oscar contenders come out in January (which is why a number of films on my list will have come out last year for you ‘Merricans). Regardless, of all the films I’ve seen this year thus far, I present to you: My List. Hope you enjoy!

    10. Amy
    9. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
    8. Straight Outta Compton
    7. Ex Machina
    6. Mad Max: Fury Road
    5. Crimson Peak
    4. Inside Out
    3. Whiplash
    2 Inherent Vice
    1 BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)!!!!!!!

    Again, I’m sorry about the whole “2014 films on 2015 films list” thing. But Spotlight/Room may appear on my list next year! Also looking forward to Charlie Kaufman’s “Anomalisa”, and of course the Coens’ “Hail Caeser!”. Bring on 2016! Merry Christmas everyone!

    • Hi, Finn — I am indeed reading! Thanks for your thoughtful choices. I like that Straight Outta Compton pick. Where do you live? Merry Christmas to you, as well.

      • Hey Christy; thanks for replying! I really wasn’t expecting that. If I were, I would have put a lot more questions in. I’ve always wondered how you guys decide who writes what review for Rogerebert.com. Is there a timetable, or do you just happen to review whatever movie you see? I suppose of it was the latter there’d be a lot more mistakes.
        Anyway, I’m from Ireland, to answer your question. Thanks again for replying! I really appreciate it!

  6. Good list!

    I assume this means that you have yet to see a preview of The Force Awakens or you would have made some reference to it?

    I’ve only seen two movies this year and they are both on your list: The Martian and Inside Out.

    • Hi, Arnold! I see The Force Awakens on Tuesday. I’m more excited for Nic to see his first Star Wars movie in a theater than I am for myself — but I’m pretty pumped, too.

  7. Great list, Christy! Although I’ve yet to see several films, I still think it has been a pretty terrific year for movies. Of the films I’ve seen, my top ten is as follows:

    1. Phoenix
    2. Clouds of Sils Maria
    3. Amy
    4. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
    5. Tangerine
    6. Mistress America
    7. Grandma
    8. Inside Out
    9. Queen of Earth
    10. Cinderella

    • Watched Clouds but and thought it was very well acted, but think its “meaning” was way over my head as I was left scratching mine afterwards. May require a second viewing.

  8. Nice list. Still waiting to see some of these that I want to see but didn’t think required “big screen” viewing (Carol and Goodnight Mommy.) I didn’t care for Inside Out as much as most people it seems (all the trips through the “lands” were monotonous. Also glad you didn’t have The Martian too high; a (not as good as) Cast Away in space.

  9. Spotlight isn’t a movie, it’s an acting exercise. There’s no plot, no drama, no tension, no sense at all that the story may be buried, no obstacles for the protagonists to overcome. Everything the characters want they get. Witnesses to open up to strangers about the horrible things that happened to them? Check. Defense lawyer to break confidentiality? Check. Plaintiff attorneys to also break confidentiality and provide client lists to reporters? Check. Handy priest assignments sheets to use to verify victim accounts? Check. The Spotlight editor’s role in burying the story years ago being glossed over? Check.

    The acting was good, particularly Ruffalo and McAdams, but there’s no movie here.

  10. Hi Christy! Nice list. I was wondering which darlings you killed and what were the other films that would’ve been in your Top 20 or 25 besides It Follows. 🙂

    • Oh, gosh. I loved Mustang and The Diary of a Teenage Girl. Brooklyn is quite lovely. If you’ll notice, there’s a theme emerging here of young women asserting themselves — and that’s a lot of the reason why I love Mad Max. That’s really Furiosa’s movie. Max is the name in the title but he’s literally a passenger.

  11. I haven’t seen too many films this year, but of the ones I have seen, these are the stand outs.

    1. Mad Max: Fury Road
    2. Ex Machina
    3. Inside Out
    4. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
    5. The Martian
    6. Mortdecai (kidding kidding, just wanted to give you a jolt)

    As for my favorite.. I struggle between Fury Road and The Force Awakens. Both of these franchises were seminal moments in my childhood and I was VERY worried that these two films could go horribly wrong. I would probably give the edge to Fury Road because I had less nit picky moments upon examination, however, I think I had more fun and a sense of wonderment with The Force Awakens. (especially since I D E S P I S E the prequels).

  12. In an attempt to see all the possibly nominated movies for 2015 we saw The Martian. This movie has it all: suspense, intelligence, action, stunning visuals, pathos, humor. As children of the 60s space program it took us back to a time when space travel was new, thrilling and courageous. Nice revisiting what may be new at JPL, NASA and Mars travel. The contrast between the sleek spaceship headed home vs. duck taped Martian way station, food on spaceship vs. way station rations, communication techniques between NASA vs. Mars so fascinating. This is a GREAT recruiting film for the space program, which should be encouraged. And a great lesson that you can’t know too much about the world in which we live. It could save our lives someday.

    Was it the best picture of the year? I’m still tilting toward Hateful Eight, which probably hasn’t got a chance in hades, but I can hope. And I have many more left to see, if I can find them. So few of the films you listed above are playing anywhere close to where I live, or are not yet available OnDemand. So sad for the public.

    • Mad Max: Fury Road is available on HBO. What a disappointment. Heavy metal music, comic-book violence (no blood, no gore, no point), car chases, pointless explosions,tricked out cars . . . definitely directed to a younger audience than myself. I mean, what was the point of running away only to change direction mid flight? What a waste of time and effort. Setting: sunlit Lord of the Rings ripoff.

      Unbelievable how some of the characters so quickly bonded and trusted each other. I know there’s only 2 hours run time for most movies, but the story’s timeline simply didn’t support such action/reaction. No food. No water. Did the action take place in only 2 days? They’d still have to eat and drink water unless they were just comic book characters.

      The characters. The cars. The journey. Felt like I was watching The Wiz, a Rock Opera.

      I’ve read this was Furiosa’s movie. I didn’t feel that at all. While Max didn’t have much dialog (cause he wore a muzzle for 1/3 of the film), he provided more action than she did, and through flash-backs his story unfolded, while we knew little of her background. Therefore I’d say this was more an ensemble. Max and Furiosa needed each other, and they also needed the girls to help them survive.

      The landscape was stunning, but since I saw The Martian yesterday I felt like that group could have been filming just around the bend. Felt I’d been there so the panoramas didn’t awe me.

      The music. Heavy metal is not my thing and, again, since I’d just seen The Martian with its oh-so-familiar disco soundtrack the Mad Max earsplitting guitar and drums felt jarring. Unfair comparison, but . . .

      Special effects, especially Furiosa’s amputated arm was well done. The bombs, the car crashes did feel real. And there were lots of battles, but again little blood and gore, which I’m not a great proponent of, but seemed too PG for this caliber of violence.

      In short, I’m glad I didn’t pay for a ticket. HBO was perfect for me and hubby for a Saturday night at home.

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