2015 proved to be a unique and unpredictable year, personally and cinematically. The first movie I saw was from one our finest filmmakers, and yet it was plagued with the worst reviews he has ever received. I'm still scratching my head over that. The year concluded with another of our finest filmmakers letting me down for the first time. It was bound to happen, but the impact still stings. In between, there were many surprises and disappointments. Directors I champion disappointed me, others made a comeback and, most shockingly, franchise movies upped the ante and delivered some of the most satisfying experiences of the year. You won't hear me complain. I'm just thrilled to still be around to go to the movies. Cheers!
Dishonorable Mention (in alphabetical order): Avengers: Age of Ultron, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Wish I'd Loved (in alphabetical order): Big Game, Burying the Ex, Crimson Peak, Goodnight Mommy, The Harvest, The Hateful Eight, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Results, Room, She's Funny That Way, Tomorrowland, While We're Young
Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order): '71, Carol, Clouds of Sils Maria, Creep, Digging for Fire, The Final Girls, The Gift, Grandma, Inside Out, It Follows, Krampus, Maps to the Stars, Orion: The Man Who Would Be King, Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, Slow West, Tangerine, Unfriended, The Visit, What We Do in the Shadows
20-11
20) The Big Short dir. Adam McKay
19) Buzzard dir. Joel Potrykus
18) The Walk dir. Robert Zemeckis
17) Queen of Earth dir. Alex Ross Perry
16) Best of Enemies dir. Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon
15) Creed dir. Ryan Coogler
14) Phoenix dir. Christian Petzold
13) The Look of Silence dir. Joshua Oppenheimer
12) Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation dir. Christopher McQuarrie
11) Mistress America dir. Noah Baumbach
TOP TEN
10) Magic Mike XXL dir. Gregory Jacobs
If Steven Soderbergh's film excelled in showing the joy and struggle of hard work, Gregory Jacobs's sequel kicks things up a few notches by focusing on the thrill one can get from their ability (and desire) to entertain. Magic Mike XXL is about celebrating life, particularly when it pertains to the high that comes from something as simple as making another person smile. When you can achieve that alongside people you love, well, I'd argue there's no better feeling in the world.
9) Star Wars: The Force Awakens dir. J.J. Abrams
If this is a remake of A New Hope, then I proudly prefer this version. While the framework is similar, Abrams's movie is more exciting, has more compelling heroes, and understands the themes of what makes a Star Wars movie special arguably better than Lucas's groundbreaking original (and certainly more than the prequels). Safe to say that I can't wait to see what happens next.
8) Blackhat dir. Michael Mann
Like his similarly under appreciated Miami Vice, Michael Mann's latest exists in an alternate universe populated with people driven by a specific purpose. His framing is as elegant as ever, driving the narrative with a powerful sense of command. The real star of the show, as expected, are the shoot outs, here staged with an urgency that hurtles us right into the center. We FEEL the danger, and it's this quality that still keeps Mann in a class all his own. Look for this one to be re-examined down the road.
7) Applesauce dir. Onur Tukel
Onur Tukel is one of those rare writers who is able to make you laugh, squirm, and keep you on the edge of your seat all at the same time. His latest is the funniest movie of the year, a bizarre and unpredictable cocktail involving secrets, lies, and body parts. It's a truly audacious experience, one I hope to revisit again very soon.
6) Spotlight dir. Tom McCarthy
A splendid example of what happens when you have topical subject matter crafted into a riveting screenplay and combined with a series of magnetic performances (Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Brian d'Arcy James, Stanley Tucci...is this really happening??!!). Spotlight doesn't hit a false note. It works not only as fascinating journalism, but also as an empathetic character piece. Roger Ebert would have adored it.
5) Bone Tomahawk dir. S. Craig Zahler
The other 2015 western starring Kurt Russell, which is by a first time writer/director, manages to be quirkier, more beautifully shot, and more effective in its extreme violence than the one directed by Quentin Tarantino. Ouch! S. Craig Zahler introduces himself here as a major new talent. He has a knack for writing dialogue filled with subtle wit, gets stellar performances out of the always engaging Russell and Richard Jenkins, and even manages to make good use out of Patrick Wilson and Matthew Fox. Safe to say I have high hopes for his follow up.
4) Spring dir. Justin Benson, Aaron Scott Moorhead
A love story of startling complexity, Spring cleverly examines the lengths to which we will go to be with the one we love. It's about sacrifice, in one regard, and about making that decision to spend your life with someone even if it means dealing with elements that are out of your control or understanding. It's a beautiful and deeply challenging movie, a calling card for its talented directors who only made one feature before this. If their next movie is half as powerful as this one, I might not be able to bear it.
3) Anomalisa dir. Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson
No one writes like Charlie Kaufman, and few writers seem to grasp the human condition as well as he does. His latest, co-directed by Duke Johnson, uses puppets to create a wholly unique world of loneliness. The movie is filled with identifiable moments, both hilarious and achingly sad, each done in a way that is original and often breathtaking. Kaufman is perhaps our greatest cinematic voice. It's wishful thinking, but I hope we get a dozen more movies out of him.
2) Mad Max: Fury Road dir. George Miller
What can I possibly say about this movie that hasn't already been conveyed? Aside from witnessing some of the most explosive action ever put on screen, Fury Road also boasts the presence of Imperator Furiosa, a force of nature played by Charlize Theron. She's the real hero of the movie, filled with hope and willing to fight for it, regardless of the cost. It's not often action can be a narrative drive and build character, but I'll be damned if Fury Road doesn't succeed tenfold. Even at 70, George Miller continues to prove he is one of our most versatile and groundbreaking directors.
1) Chi-Raq dir. Spike Lee
Seeing Do the Right Thing as an early teen changed my life as a movie watcher. From a technical standpoint, it was like nothing I'd ever seen (I became obsessed with dutch angles), but what stood out most was how director Spike Lee was able to effortlessly marry tones of anger and playfulness. It's probably my favorite movie, one that I watch at least once a year. I've followed Lee's career since with great enthusiasm, despite its unevenness. When he hits, he hits hard, but as he approached middle age, it seems as if some of that spark he had early on disappeared. The first time in a long while I found traces of it again was in his criminally underestimated remake of Oldboy, in which Lee staged some of the most furiously charged sequences of his career. Now comes Chi-Raq, which reminds of the brilliance of his early work in almost every way. Like the movies of Lee's we know and love the best, Chi-Raq combines outrage with vivacity. It might not be done as seamlessly as it was before (tonally, the movie is all over the place), but that's a detail easy to overlook due to the fact that this is the most ambitious and lively and purely entertaining movie I have seen in some time. Like Lee's best movies, it is deadly serious about its agenda and feeds it to us with the largest fork imaginable. We don't choke because what he is presenting, gang violence in Chicago, is a serious issue and because the alternative suggested to fix it (Lysistrata by Aristophanes is the basis) is wonderfully absurd. The movie boasts a series of epic performances, the most noteworthy being Teyonah Parris as the leader of the rebellion and John Cusack as Father Mike Corridan (the character is based on a real Chicago minister). I was overwhelmed throughout the entire run time of Chi-Raq, but always confident that I was in the hands of someone who wanted to teach me, challenge me, and entertain me. Chi-Raq does all of those things and is a long overdue return to form from one of our most vital, talented, and gusty filmmakers. I'm so grateful to have him, and I'm overjoyed to have a movie as batshit crazy and alive as Chi-Raq.
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