Films of the Year 2015

Here is the list of my top 10 favourite films of the year 2015

10. Bridge of Spies (Steven Spielberg )
With the exception of the highly entertaining TinTin, Spielberg has not really been at the top of his game for the past 10 years after Munich. With Lincoln that has a powerhouse performance which is the only attraction of the film, the majorly unwanted reboot of Indiana Jones (which I've still not completely recovered from) and the terrible Warhorse. Now he has come back with a rich, highly entertaining cold war drama and has set the tone perfectly for East Berlin with a pitch perfect performance from Mark Rylance.


09. The Big Short (Adam McCay)

Funny man Adam McCay (director of hilarious films such as Anchorman & Talladega Nights) now takes on the 2008 financial crisis, and is spot on. The cast is amazing and everyone is doing great work here. We are shown the fancy yuppies in wall street who brag about how they sold family huge homes, knowing they won’t be able to pay the whole payments and banks who are over confident in the market system. Dr. Michael Burry (played by Christian Bale) however is the first one to notice something fishy, along with then a few others, simply because (as stated in the film’s dialogue) they looked.

08. Room (Lenny Abrahamson)
In this film we are focusing primarily on a very limited amount of characters. Two of which are fresh new actors and give out outstanding performances, Brie Larson (from The Spectacular Now) who won the Academy award for best actress of the year as a woman taken captive and made to live (along with the routinely rapes) in a room for seven years. Jacob Tremblay who was also nominated as the young son who is born and raised in Room (and has never been outside of Room... ever). We also get some unsurprisingly great work from Joan Allen who plays Larson's mother.

07. The Martian (Ridley Scott)

Have you ever been left behind? Well let’s just say Robinson Crusoe (not including Robinson Crusoe on Mars) had it easy compared to this guy. Matt Damon is presumed dead and left to battle the harsh conditions of Mars alone. So he either gives up all hope or does everything in his power to make contact with Earth (and does so) and is then forced to use his ingenuity to stay alive until help arrives. 

06. Ex Machina (Alex Garland)

In a world where everything is possible or at least within reach, film like Ex Machina can really send a chill down your spine. At the back of our heads we’re thinking, “This could happen soon couldn’t it?” or “I bet this already happened and nobody said anything”. With demanding work from Oscar Isaac and a genuine innocent performance from Domhnall Gleeson, this new director has given us an eerie piece of memorable sci-fi.

05. Macbeth (Justin Kurzel)

One of Shakespeare’s most legendary plays, most notably played by the great Orson Welles back in 1948, now has been given an update. Not since the great Japanese masterpiece Throne of Blood by the great Akira Kurosawa has there been a more gorgeous take on Macbeth. It’s well acted, poetic and beautifully shot directed by Justin Kurzel.

04. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (J.J. Abrams)

Dear J.J. Abrams, thank you for bringing back the spirit of the original trilogy in this outstanding spectacular reboot and helping us forget the terrible latter trilogy. I could not help but notice how the audience’s faces just lit up as soon as the legendary Hans Solo showed up… needles to say that my face lit up like a friggen spotlight! I was one majorly satisfied fan.

03. Spotlight (Tom McCarthy)

It’s not everyday that an amazing piece of journalism is put onto film with such precession, like that of All the President's Men. It shows the unveiling of a massive scandal of child abuse in the catholic church and how deep the rabbit hole goes. With an outstanding cast and great performances, most notably by that of Mark Ruffalo, it’s no wonder this film went on to take home the gold (winner of best picture).

02. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller)

It’s very rare that a trilogy is brought back to life after 30 years of it’s last film. As a major fan of the original trilogy… ok the first 2 really, I have to admit, I was incredibly sceptical about this film when I first heard of it’s release, but boy was I wrong! This is one awesome, wild and mad masterpiece and it is actually Charlize Theron that shines here as a pure badass. Mad Max is back, and it kicks some serious ass!

01. Sicario (Denis Villeneuve)

There is one particular scene in this film that is so tense, so full of tension that in that moment, whilst watching that scene, I could not breath. That is was Cinema is all about. This is a very tense, complex and masterful film on the Mexican cartel by one of our great new directors, Denis Villeneuve. It’s a no holds barred thriller that has the punch and pace of The Hurt Locker with a taste of Traffic. This is my kind of film!

                                                                                                                                                                   

Other Big Thumbs up of the Year (alphabetical order)

45 Years (Andrew Haigh)
Amy (Asif Kapadia)
Brooklyn (John Crowley)
Creed (Ryan Coogler)
Legend (Brian Helgeland)
Listen To Me Marlon (Stevan Riley)
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon)
Shaun the Sheep Movie (Mark Burton, Richard Starzak)
Slow West (John Maclean)
Steve Jobs (Danny Boyle)
Straight Outta Compton (F. Gary Gray)
The End of the Tour (James Ponsoldt)
The Look of Silence (Joshua Oppenheimer)
The Walk (Robert Zemeckis)
Trumbo (Jay Roach)
When Marnie Was There (Hiromasa Yonebayashi)
Youth (Paolo Sorrentino)