Sunday, January 10, 2016

The Top Ten Movies of 2015

As we get ready for the award season, who doesn’t like to sit there and argue over all of the crazy top ten lists that come out at the end of the year? I never write this article in December because well, we’re already inundated with countdowns at that point, so there’s no need for me to add yet another one to the pile. You have snooty movie reviewers hemming and hawing over movies that you’ve never heard of because they haven’t even been released in your city at that point (sorry but not everyone lives in NY or LA), you have the best albums or songs of the year lists, and then of course you have my personal favorite, the top ten newcomers in the porn industry list.

I’m just kidding, I don’t watch porn mainly because I can’t afford it and because they never came out with a genre that I can identify with. I mean seriously, where is the movie reviewer threesome porn? I want to see Siskel and Ebert and Betty! Actually, I don’t want to see that but you know what I mean! The only girls I get to see are on a 100 foot screen in a large dark room; and sadly I’m surrounded by other movie nerds who have also never seen a real life girl naked unless they’ve paid money to do so. So forgive me if I’m begging a bit here but just give me some hope Hollywood! But until then, here’s my breakdown of the ten best movies of the 2015 Oscar season.

Honorable mention:

I’ll start with the documentaries as there were three solid ones.

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/05/kurt-cobain-montage-of-heck.html

Amy
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/07/amy.html

The Look of Silence
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-look-of-silence.html

And now the movies that didn’t quite make it

Chappie
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/03/chappie.html

Brooklyn
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/12/brooklyn.html

The Big Short
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-big-short.html

The Martian
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-martian.html

Spotlight
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/11/spotlight.html

Star Wars
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/12/star-wars-force-awakens.html

Ant Man
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/07/ant-man.html

Creed
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/11/creed.html

Diary of a Teenage Girl
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-diary-ofa-teenage-girl.html

Now I know a few of the films that only made my honorable mention list will probably be nominated for Best Picture by the Academy but they are all old and near their death beds; I take into account entertainment value and rewatchability (and yes I just called that word into existence). So having said that, here’s my top ten:

10. Straight Outta Compton

This movie somehow survived all of the stupid memes that came out around its release date and it also miraculously didn’t start any gun fights in the theaters. Angry Black men shouting Fuck the Police over and over again typically leads to trouble but not in this case. This movie gave you some great insight into one of music’s most influential groups while managing to also be entertaining and funny. This was definitely the surprise of the year.
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/08/straight-outta-compton.html

9. Dope

If Straight Outta Compton was the surprise of the year, then this coming of age story was a close second. Wannabe 90’s hip hop nerds turned drug dealers on bikes made for one the year’s funniest and coolest films. And I have to say that this movie will make you fall in love with pound cake and hot Asian girls on Molly all over again.
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/06/dope.html

8. Goodnight Mommy

This could be wrong but I think the last time the Academy nominated a scary movie for Best Picture it involved Jodi Foster, Hannibal Lecter, and Goodbye Horses. Well if they had any balls that still worked, they would nominate this movie for best pic as this horror flick took me back to the days of Children of the Corn and Misery.
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/09/goodnight-mommy.html

7. Room

Brie Larson is a revelation is this film and her performance alone makes this a must see. And even though the second half of it kind of fizzles, the first hour of the film provides some of the most moving art you will ever see.
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/11/room.html

6. The Hateful Eight

Tarantino, Westerns, and Samuel L. Jackson yelling; what else do you need to know?
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-hateful-eight.html

5. Inside Out

Pixar made a comeback in a major way this year when they gave us a smart, touching, and emotional film that everyone could identify with. For the longest time, this was my number one film of the year; that was until…
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/06/inside-out.html

4. Sicario

I saw this movie. I am a sucker for Emily Blunt, so I will see and pretty much love anything she’s in. But she takes a back seat to one of Hollywood’s best directors Dennis Villanueva. This dark and intense look into the Mexican cartels is one for the ages.
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/10/sicario.html

3. The Revenant

Alejandro G. Inarritu once again gives us an up close look at a man reaching his absolute lowest point in life before finding a new reason to live; and thankfully for us that reason is revenge. He provides us with so many classic scenes in this film that he could retire today and go down as a legend.
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-revenant.html

2. Ex Machina

Easily the best science fiction film I’ve seen in over a decade. Oscar Isaac continues to prove that he’s one of Hollywood’s best and Alicia Vikander will have you willingly abandoning real women for robot sex in a heartbeat!
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/04/ex-machina.html

1. Mad Max: Fury Road

This is the best chase film of all time! Not every movie has to be deep; sometimes they just have to have the ability to make you literally stand up and cheer in the theater. I did that at least five times during this film.
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2015/05/mad-max-fury-road.html

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