As I peruse the list of films that were released in 2015 I can't help but feel disappointed. I did not see very many that were released this year. Here are the films I haven't seen yet but still wish to:
Ex Machina, Dope, Brooklyn, Far from the Madding Crowd, Amy, Spotlight, Black Mass, Room, He Named Me Malala, Suffragette, The Martian, The Intern, The Big Short, Sisters, and Joy.
But here are some of my favorite films released in 2015:
8. Shaun the Sheep Movie
Aardman Animations never ceases to amaze me. Yes the animation is impressive, and cute. But the real genius is in the plot. This film has no lines. No words. Zilch. Yet you become enthralled and completely invested in the fate of the farm animals. The film has the perfect amount of topical references without relying on technology as a plot point. I also love how the animals act like the animals they are supposed to be (well, a very humanized version). The sheep act like sheep. The pigs act like pigs. Disney turns every animal it animates into dogs (e.g. the horse in Tangled and Sven in Frozen). It drives me crazy.
7. Inside Out
Apparently audiences were very divided about this movie. If that's true, I was on the "sobbing and loving it" half. I really resonated with the little girl. I'm an only child who liked to be strong and hide my emotions from my parents. I just moved to San Francisco, and loneliness is one of my most commonly felt feelings. Plus, I love love love the message: that all emotions are necessary to live a fulfilled life. Emotions are what allow us to connect to other humans and express the depths of our souls. Well played Pixar. Well Played.
6. The Revenant
5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
I don't have much to say about this. I was so pleasantly surprised. It was so true to the old films without keeping the bad parts. The acting was great, the call backs were great. It is rare that I leave a theater and don't have the following sentence on my tongue... "It was great but it would've been so much better if ___." This film was the best it could've been.
4. The Hateful Eight
I plan to write a full review of this. I liked it. I don't think anything will come close to Inglorious Basterds. This is exactly what you'd expect from Quinten Tarantino. I enjoyed the experience. But overall, I'm ready for a modern film again (e.g. Jackie Brown).
3. Sicario
I have done a full review on this. Read it here. Such a good suspense film. I was incredibly impressed.
2. Straight Outta Compton
I have written in various locations throughout this blog that the purpose of fiction is to expose you to a world you would not otherwise know. This film achieved that, and then some. For all intents and purposes, I'm a spoiled white girl who cannot know what it's like for other people without films like this. I realize that non-fiction is the best route for understanding. But, eh. Fiction is more fun to write about and to watch. The acting is great. I loved the story. I'm very traditional when it comes to what makes a good movie. And as cheesy as it sounds, a good movie makes me laugh and makes me cry. This movie did that perfectly.
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
This movie is in my top 10 of all time. I can't fully explain why this movie is so fabulous. I usually don't like post-apocalyptic films. I usually don't like films with a ridiculous number of explosions. I usually don't like films with drawn out car chases. Mad Max takes place on a truck, with loads of explosions, in a post-apocalyptic world. But I love it. The action is intense, but you can actually see what's happening. This is an action movie for feminists. I know many people have labeled this feminist propaganda. I am a feminist, so I'll address it. Just as a background however, I do not want to free the nipple. I think the way to respond to the disproportionality between men's and women's nipples on screen is to cover up men's as well. I think modesty is valuable. But I try to live without judgment (against people, not movies). That being said, this movie does empower women - and I LOVE that. People have complained about lines such as "One man, one bullet." That is said by a group of women being chased and shot at by a group of male war lords. I think that's a necessary comment for women in their situation. There were no women chasing and shooting at them. There is a scene that sums up the feminist theme in the movie. Can we trust those men? "Yes they helped us get here." Trust the people who help you to get where you want to go. These women could not trust most men because the men were bread to be war lords. The film shows how women and men working together creates the best results. Furiosa and the other women could not have achieved what they did without the help of Max and Nux. But their society needed women in equal roles in order to function well. PERFECTION.
Ex Machina, Dope, Brooklyn, Far from the Madding Crowd, Amy, Spotlight, Black Mass, Room, He Named Me Malala, Suffragette, The Martian, The Intern, The Big Short, Sisters, and Joy.
But here are some of my favorite films released in 2015:
8. Shaun the Sheep Movie Aardman Animations never ceases to amaze me. Yes the animation is impressive, and cute. But the real genius is in the plot. This film has no lines. No words. Zilch. Yet you become enthralled and completely invested in the fate of the farm animals. The film has the perfect amount of topical references without relying on technology as a plot point. I also love how the animals act like the animals they are supposed to be (well, a very humanized version). The sheep act like sheep. The pigs act like pigs. Disney turns every animal it animates into dogs (e.g. the horse in Tangled and Sven in Frozen). It drives me crazy.
Apparently audiences were very divided about this movie. If that's true, I was on the "sobbing and loving it" half. I really resonated with the little girl. I'm an only child who liked to be strong and hide my emotions from my parents. I just moved to San Francisco, and loneliness is one of my most commonly felt feelings. Plus, I love love love the message: that all emotions are necessary to live a fulfilled life. Emotions are what allow us to connect to other humans and express the depths of our souls. Well played Pixar. Well Played.
My complaint with this movie is that it tends to become a bit boring in the middle. But that's the nature of the story line. I've described it as an intense cast away in the tundra. The opening battle is probably the best "attack scene" that I have ever seen. It's so beautifully and horrifically shot. Alejandro G. Iñárritu is a genius, obviously. However, I don't love all of his choices. There are portions of the film where the camera is clearly so close to Leo's face that he creates fog from his breath on the screen. Intentional and interesting. I didn't think it suited this film. It broke the 4th wall. He also went a very long time before cleaning the lens after it got "blood" or mud on it. Again, it made it very clear that a video camera was there in the 1820s. Perhaps this method would be good in a modern film of a similar nature. But like I said, he's a genius, so who am I to criticize?
I don't have much to say about this. I was so pleasantly surprised. It was so true to the old films without keeping the bad parts. The acting was great, the call backs were great. It is rare that I leave a theater and don't have the following sentence on my tongue... "It was great but it would've been so much better if ___." This film was the best it could've been.
I plan to write a full review of this. I liked it. I don't think anything will come close to Inglorious Basterds. This is exactly what you'd expect from Quinten Tarantino. I enjoyed the experience. But overall, I'm ready for a modern film again (e.g. Jackie Brown).
I have done a full review on this. Read it here. Such a good suspense film. I was incredibly impressed.
I have written in various locations throughout this blog that the purpose of fiction is to expose you to a world you would not otherwise know. This film achieved that, and then some. For all intents and purposes, I'm a spoiled white girl who cannot know what it's like for other people without films like this. I realize that non-fiction is the best route for understanding. But, eh. Fiction is more fun to write about and to watch. The acting is great. I loved the story. I'm very traditional when it comes to what makes a good movie. And as cheesy as it sounds, a good movie makes me laugh and makes me cry. This movie did that perfectly.
This movie is in my top 10 of all time. I can't fully explain why this movie is so fabulous. I usually don't like post-apocalyptic films. I usually don't like films with a ridiculous number of explosions. I usually don't like films with drawn out car chases. Mad Max takes place on a truck, with loads of explosions, in a post-apocalyptic world. But I love it. The action is intense, but you can actually see what's happening. This is an action movie for feminists. I know many people have labeled this feminist propaganda. I am a feminist, so I'll address it. Just as a background however, I do not want to free the nipple. I think the way to respond to the disproportionality between men's and women's nipples on screen is to cover up men's as well. I think modesty is valuable. But I try to live without judgment (against people, not movies). That being said, this movie does empower women - and I LOVE that. People have complained about lines such as "One man, one bullet." That is said by a group of women being chased and shot at by a group of male war lords. I think that's a necessary comment for women in their situation. There were no women chasing and shooting at them. There is a scene that sums up the feminist theme in the movie. Can we trust those men? "Yes they helped us get here." Trust the people who help you to get where you want to go. These women could not trust most men because the men were bread to be war lords. The film shows how women and men working together creates the best results. Furiosa and the other women could not have achieved what they did without the help of Max and Nux. But their society needed women in equal roles in order to function well. PERFECTION.
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