Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Top 10 Films of 2015

Carol is one of 2015's finest.

I've already posted my personal awards, but here are my ranked favorites from last year. Also, my top 50 performances list should be posted soon.

Note: I still need to see films like Mustang, Arabian Nights, The Tribe, Saint Laurent, Hard to Be a God, Taxi, Boy and the World, Eden, The Forbidden Room, Horse Money, By the Sea, Tokyo Tribe, Li’l Quinquin, Yves Saint Laurent, In Jackson Heights, and Black Coal, Thin Ice.

25 Honorable Mentions: (in no particular order)

Testament of Youth, Amy, Victoria, The Revenant, Inside Out, Bridge of Spies, The End of the Tour, Far from the Madding Crowd, Sicario, Brooklyn, 99 Homes, Room, Mistress America, Beasts of No Nation, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, ’71, Steve Jobs, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Anomalisa, Mississippi Grind, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Black Sea, Lost River, Everest, and Tomorrowland

10. Chi-Raq (dir. Spike Lee)


Bold, abrasive, witty, and rough around the edges - a fine joint from Lee.

9. Spotlight (dir. Tom McCarthy)


An important story told with passion and precision through a terrific acting ensemble.

8. Maps to the Stars (dir. David Cronenberg)


Largely forgotten, it would make an interesting double feature with Mulholland Drive.

7. Phoenix (dir. Christian Petzold)


Nina Hoss is fantastic as a Holocaust survivor in this compelling melodrama.

6. Son of Saul (dir. László Nemes)


An arresting tale of Holocaust horrors, with a beautiful performance by Géza Röhrig.

5. Ex Machina (dir. Alex Garland)


Featuring a wonderful ensemble, it’s small-scale AI sci-fi at its most captivating.

4. The Wonders (dir. Alice Rohrwacher)


A lovely, quiet family comedy-drama with immense charm.

3. 45 Years (dir. Andrew Haigh)


Haigh’s film is intimate, devastating, and features rich lead performances.

2. Carol (dir. Todd Haynes)


Impeccably crafted and beautifully performed, it’s just about perfect.

1. Mad Max: Fury Road (dir. George Miller)


A visionary spectacle full of non-stop, glorious action sequences.

16 comments:

  1. Great list! Really glad to see 45 Years featured, it completely took me by surprise and that ending stuck with me for days afterwards.
    - Allie

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    1. Thanks! 45 Years is SO good. It and Carol were fighting for my #2 spot.

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  2. I haven't seen 45 Years and The Wonders, though 45 has been on my list. Great picks. I love seeing Maps to the Stars pop up here. It seems like so long ago that I saw it.

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    1. Thanks! I rewatched Maps to the Stars, and I was close to putting it even higher. Like, I LOVE that movie! Hope you get to see 45 Years soon.

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  3. Excellent list. Still have to see Chi-Raq, Phoenix, and Son of Saul though.

    My top 10:

    1.Room
    2. Brooklyn
    3. Inside Out
    4. Mad Max: Fury Road
    5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
    6. Carol
    7. Sicario
    8. The Martian
    9. Spy
    10. Ex Machina

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    1. Thanks, Matt. Hope you get a chance to see those. Love your list. In another year, several of them would've made my top 10 as well. Great to see Star Wars and Spy on there, by the way. They were so much fun!

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  4. Nice list, I especially love the mention of 'Chi-Raq'. Deserved a lot more praise than it received.

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    1. Thanks, Shane. Chi-Raq is so underrated. Glad to hear you're a fan as well.

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  5. Glad to see Mad Max make your number 1 spot! Carol fell kind of flat for me, but it's a favorite among most of the film bloggers. Check out my top 10 when you get a chance!

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    1. Ha, I never would've thought Mad Max would be my #1 this time last year. Yeah, Carol isn't for everyone, but I loved it. I'll have to check out your list.

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  6. Our top 10s are pretty different this year. We do have many overlaps in your HM list.
    Son of Saul certainly was powerful. Having to work in a camp and witness all that horror is almost worse than anything. It's the worst job I can think of!
    I highly recommend The Tribe.

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    1. I love it when there is so much variety between lists. Son of Saul was staggering. It originally made my top 5, but I kept coming back to Ex Machina, which I bumped up. I definitely want to check out The Tribe at some point. By the time I posted these, I'd been plowing through 2015 films for about 5 months (and had seen almost 170 ones from last year), so I was ready to go ahead and post my list/awards.

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  7. Nice list! The Wonders is the only one I haven't seen. Need to check that out ASAP.

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    1. Thanks man! Hope you get a chance to see it soon.

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