The 20 Best Movies of 2015

Since I’ve been traveling on the film festival circuit, I’ve been discovering a lot more movies that satisfy my cravings even more than big Hollywood movies. Some won’t come out until next year so be on the lookout for Touched With Fire, Green Room and Too Late in 2016. Until then, here is my list of a bunch of movies you’ve never heard of, but a few biggies too.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in THE REVENANT, an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. Photo Credit: Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox. Copyright © 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. THE REVENANT Motion Picture Copyright © 2015 Regency Entertainment (USA), Inc. and Monarchy Enterprises S.a.r.l. All rights reserved. Not for sale or duplication.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in THE REVENANT.
Photo Credit: Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox.
Copyright © 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

20. The Revenant – I love survival tales and they don’t get more harrowing than this. Inarritu’s enveloping, immersive camera and sound really puts you in Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio)’s perspective. And women will totally see this. Women like good movies, right? Men are watching Room and that’s even tougher than The Revenant so I think we’re beyond gender divisions in movies.

19. Furious 7 – Working in an impossible situation, Furious 7 still manages to deliver a satisfying payoff to Furious 6 (that’s the actual title, check the Blu-ray) and an emotional sendoff to Paul Walker.

18. Youth – It’s art, man.

Jacob Tremblay and Brie Larson in Room

Jacob Tremblay and Brie Larson in Room

17. Room – I’ve been tooting Brie Larson’s horn since Short Term 12 and she delivers another powerful performance here. Room is getting a somewhat bigger campaign so hopefully it will also make people revisit Larson’s previous work. Also on display in Room is Emma Donoghue’s tension-filled writing, Lenny Abrahamson’s subtly effective directing and a breakthrough performance by Jacob Tremblay.

16. The Big Short – I’ve been trying to tell people this for nine years! Thank you, Michael Lewis, for writing about it and thank you, Adam McKay, for making it an engaging, star studded romp. Also, what a powerful illustration of the unique tools cinema has to articulate a story. Those celebrity explanations wouldn’t have worked in a book or on stage. Maybe on radio, but Margot Robbie and Selena Gomez wouldn’t do radio.

Ian Ziering returns as Fin Shepard in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!

Ian Ziering returns as Fin Shepard in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!

15. Sharknado 3 – You know, this premiered on Syfy but damned if it’s not one of the more satisfying sequels of the year. They really went to a new level, getting to space earlier in the franchise than Jason or Leprechaun did. It’s actually expanding the mythology of Sharknado without explaining it in exposition, and stepping up the ridiculous set pieces like the White House and Universal Studios.

14. White God – An amazing film comprised mostly of animal performances. It’s harrowing as hell and will play on audience sensitivity to canine violence, but they get intense performances out of the dogs in a profound story.

Patrick Wilson in Zipper

Patrick Wilson in Zipper

13 .Zipper – Nothing takes the edge off a drama as much as likability. Zipper is a thriller that’s not afraid to make its protagonist unlikable, and it’s all the more fascinating to watch his descent into debauchery. Patrick Wilson plays a political hopeful who becomes obsessed with professional escorts. The film makes the escort business as compelling as a mob movie would make skimming protection money, and it pulls no punches when it comes to Wilson’s character or the criminalization of sex work.

12. Inside Out – Pixar is back after a rough patch with a film that nails the emotion and humor of growing up. Even as a Herman’s Head loyalist, I’ve got to admit that it’s got its own take and there’s room for both Inside Out and Herman’s Head.

11. Spectre – This is the Bond movie I’ve been waiting for since Casino Royale. Daniel Craig finally goes on a mission for M, even if he’s still doing it on his own terms. After having major issues with Skyfall tying to have it both ways as “new Bond” and “50th anniversary retrospective,” I think Spectre found the perfect tone to recontextualize Bond for the new millennium.

Rebecca Ferguson plays Ilsa in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions

Rebecca Ferguson plays Ilsa in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions

10. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – I’ve gotta admit, even with Spectre, Mission: Impossible one upped the spy game. With some of the series’ best set pieces and a gritty practical aesthetic from Christopher McQuarrie, Rogue Nation was everything I want in a blockbuster. But let’s be honest, Rebecca Ferguson made Rogue Nation. She was on fleek.

9. Creed – This was my Star Wars.

8. Spotlight – Spotlight made me proud to be a journalist, even though I’m only reporting on people who make movies and TV shows. I can’t even begin to compare myself to the Spotlight team, but I know a thing or two about journalism movies. Spotlight shows why the Spotlight team is the best at their job. I’m not the only one to say it’s this generation’s All the President’s Men but I can be original and say it’s the best journalism movie Michael Keaton ever made!

Matt Damon IS The Martian

Matt Damon IS The Martian

7. The Martian – I could not believe how great The Martian was. I figured it would be impressive and scientifically accurate, but it is a nonstop thrill ride. The humor and inspirational spirit put it over the top.

6. 99 Homes – As gratifying as The Big Short was, 99 Homes went even further, turning the housing crisis into an intense thriller. Rick Carver (Michael Shannon) also lays out everything I was trying to tell people for nine years, but Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield) goes further than I could have, trying to beat the banks at their own game. Independently 99 Homes is an exciting drama, but Ramin Bahrani shows how drama can illuminate real issues and I hope people take notice.

5. Love and Mercy – The life story of Brian Wilson would make an interesting movie no matter what angle you take, but this film made it profound. Writer Oren Moverman and director Bill Pohlad found a way to put the audience in Wilson’s head. I could relate to a lot of his sensitivity as an artist of sorts myself, and the dual casting of John Cusack and Paul Dano was seamless.

4. Spy – If Spectre was the James Bond movie I’ve been waiting for, Spy was the James Bond movie I never knew I could have. Paul Feig nails the James Bond action with a satirical take by Melissa McCarthy and Jude Law. Everything about this movie gets it right Feig can do any franchise he wants as far as I’m concerned. But I hope he makes Spy 2.

Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max: Fury Road

3. Mad Max: Fury Road – It took me a second viewing to fully appreciate the complete genius of this movie, and it has held up upon a fourth viewing, in black and white too. While the action is great, my favorite parts are the world building. The citadel is a complete society mapped out as an ecosystem, but we only see it at work. They never stop to explain it. I love the War Boys’ desperate hunger to please Immortan Joe, the Doof and the Vuvalini badasses.

2. Seoul Searching – Seoul Searching didn’t quite reach its self-distribution goals but it still effectively came out this year. It truly deserves to be seen. The cast is extraordinary in an ‘80s comedy that captures the best of John Hughes: universal relatable characters, high concept comedy and poignant heart. Writer/director Benson Lee is right. The audience and the Asian acting industry deserve to have this film shown in theaters, not just as a VOD niche.

The Tribe

The Tribe

  1. The TribeThe Tribe was truly an otherworldly experience. Starring a deaf cast speaking only Romanian sign language with no subtitles, The Tribe immerses you in their world. You can follow along because it’s visual and you’re perceptive, but I’ve never experienced true sensory paradigm shift like this before. It’s also a cinematographical marvel in long single takes, and one particular scene I still can’t believe. It’s so great.

AFI Fest Review: Youth – It’s Art, Man

I’ve never seen a movie like Youth, and I’ve seen a lot, including a lot of weird art films. It may have aspects that are Fellini-esque or themes other movies have explored, but Youth presents them like a painting in motion with a soundtrack. Elements of Youth may have precedent in earlier art cinema but this presentation is unique. It’s art, man.

SET DEL FILM "LA GIOVINEZZA" DI PAOLO SORRENTINO. NELLA FOTO  MICHAEL CAINE E HARVEY KEITEL. FOTO DI GIANNI FIORITO

SET DEL FILM “LA GIOVINEZZA” DI PAOLO SORRENTINO.
NELLA FOTO MICHAEL CAINE E HARVEY KEITEL.
FOTO DI GIANNI FIORITO

Composer and conductor Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine) receives an invitation from the Queen to conduct his famous opera for the prince. Ballinger refuses. He is staying at a hotel in the Alps with his best friend, the film director Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel) trying to craft the perfect ending to his next movie with a team of young writers. They make friends with Jimmy Tree (Paul Dano), an actor who resents being most famous for playing a robot. Ultimately, Fred’s daughter Lena (Rachel Weisz) ends up staying with them too.

Fred has put his life in music behind him, so being confronted with a request dredges up all sorts of questions about his life. Meanwhile, Mick’s artistic block and debate with his young writers parallels critical analysis of cinema. Jimmy and Lena represent younger people figuring out what they want in life and career, although even they aren’t exactly kids. They’re both at transitional stages of life.

Michael Caine as "Fred" and Harvey Keitel as "Mick" in YOUTH. Photo by Gianni Fiorito. © 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

Michael Caine as “Fred” and Harvey Keitel as “Mick” in YOUTH. Photo by Gianni Fiorito. © 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

The notion of a film about filmmakers making films paralleling their lives which may also parallel the filmmaker is very 8 1/2. I still liked the angles Fred and Mick were coming up with. They say what you sort of want people in relationships to admit, and you find it’s kind of worse than allowing the illusions to persist.

I’m so hungry for movies to break the rules that my favorite parts of Youth are the surreal, non narrative interludes. When Jimmy appears in costume as a controversial historical figure, I was ready to accept it was actually a historical figure back from the grave. It’s art, man. But Weisz gets to deliver a powerful monologue in a single close-up take. That’s as straightforward as the artistic parts were surreal.

Rachel Weisz as "Lena" in YOUTH. Photo by Gianni Fiorito. © 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

Rachel Weisz as “Lena” in YOUTH. Photo by Gianni Fiorito. © 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

I was as fascinated by the film’s misguided moments as I was by its insightful ones. Fred’s reason for refusing to perform the opera is no surprise, but the film gets it out halfway through so it can delve deeper into the relationships surrounding that decision. Jimmy’s resentment of his “robot movies” is a very broad stroke, but Dano acts the subtleties of it. Come on. Filmmakers pontificating about art? More please!

A veteran actress claiming she was empowered by the casting couch is problematic. I’m sure it represents someone’s perspective, but maybe shouldn’t be one of the dominant female perspectives in a predominantly male movie.

I always say that if you are noticing the cinematography, then it’s failed, but Youth proves me wrong. It’s impossible not to notice what Paolo Sorrentino and cinematographer Luca Bigazzi are doing with the frame, but it only makes it more impressive. It’s not just the shot composition of the mountains, pools and hotels. It’s how they place the actors in those shots too.

Michael Caine as "Fred" in YOUTH. Photo by Gianni Fiorito. © 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

Michael Caine as “Fred” in YOUTH. Photo by Gianni Fiorito. © 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

The music is both metaphorical and literal. It’s part of the story and it’s telling us something unspoken about the characters. The opening single take on a rotating singer was a compelling way into the film, and Fred’s rhythmic fidgeting with a candy wrapper was like a highbrow Stomp. He even conducts cows at one point, but then the music takes a backseat. When you finally do hear the opera, it doesn’t seem very good, but what do I know about opera? I can speak with authority that the end credits song is ridiculous and an unfortunate way for the film to go out. It keeps adding lyrics incessantly like a child telling a story, “and then, and then, and then.”

Youth is a riveting two hours blurring film and philosophy. I can’t say it’s perfect, but art is supposed to be subjective. I was ready to go wherever Paolo Sorrentino wanted to take me, and I’m ready to do my homework and watch more Paolo Sorrentino films. It’s art, man!