2015 In Film!

Oscar time. Leonardo DiCaprio is the biggest lock since Jeb Bush! to win an Oscar and we all get to watch. Yippee.

Anyway, movies are my hobby, well since I stopped ruining my knees by running around with crowds of people who pretend they like this "hobby". Her are my Top Ten for 2015:

10) Tomorrowland--

Lots of people missed the boat on this one. Oh yeah, an overblown Disney creation with George Clooney. But that wasnt really that bad a thing. This time. The message was very Feel The Bern in fact. We are destroying ourselves. Please stop.

9) Phoenix--

This is Austrian. It's in German. You have to read. But it's actually one of the best Hitchcock movies since he died years ago. Con job by all characters going on. A survivor of the Holocaust returns. What happens during this mystery is captivating. The ending is fantastic. And it's free on netflix.

8) Brooklyn--

Saoirse Ronan is one of the best actresses out there. If you can ever figure out how to pronounce that first name, please tell me. But this tale of an shy Irish girl immigrating to 1950's Brooklyn and then going home again is really captivating. Think a lot of Mad Men combined with old fashioned love story. It's great.

7) Creed--

It's basically Rocky 6 with a fresh set of eyes. Throwing a bone to Ryan Coogler and Michael B Jordan for Oscar nominations would have been really nice. And really deserved. This tale of an old Rocky Balboa and a young Creed is really a 2016 version of the original film. And is makes one realize how wonderful the original was. So is this.

6) Steve Jobs---

Michael Fassbender is beyond great in this tale of the innovator of the 20th century. But the underrated delight here was really an unrecognizable Kate Winslet. She keeps this thing together. The glue. I hope she wins for it. And Jeff Daniels sure can play that Will McAvoy well.

5) The Stanford Prison Experiment

Featuring an array of the best young male actors out there, this film about that 1970 experiment where students were made inmates or guards in a psychology study at Stanford had to be sought out at the local art theater. But if you took the trouble, it was well worth it. Man follows orders or abuses power they suddenly have. Period. Experiment over.

4) Sicario--

Wow. That's all I can say. Emily Blunt is an idealistic cop and Benicio Del Toro is bent on revenge. This clash is thrilling from beginning to end. If I had to watch a 2015 movie again, this would probably be my first choice. Just the one shot of a caravan of SUV's flying thru the streets of Juarez is a film geeks delight. Benicio was every bit as good here as he was in Traffic. He was robbed of a nomination.

3) Me And Earl And The Dying Girl--

Now we are onto my Top 3. Movies that move me win all the time. If I feel inspired, or saddened, or feel anything, I think its not been a waste of time. This tiny film about exactly what the title implies made me laugh and cry. It did its job. Very well.

2) Inside Out--

If you don't start crying at the end of this Pixar classic when Riley comes home, you have no heart. If you don't cry when Bing Bong fades away, well you have no heart. The fading away of childhood is something we all experience, unfortunately. This captures it perfectly.

1) Room--

An hour in a room as a captive. Another hour in the real world trying to get over it. That's this movie. Brie Larson as Ma was kidnapped as teen by a bad guy and kept in a room as a sex slave. When Jack comes along a result, they grow up together. In a Room. Eventually they escape. And try to cope. And if you don't cry when Jack escapes and helps free Ma and they are reunited, well you have no hope and enjoy voting for Trump or Cruz.

I loved this film. 9 year old Jacob Tremblay as Jack is so goddamn good you can't believe this kid was 9? Not only a classic child acting performance but maybe the best acting performance of 2015 period. Brie Larson will win the Oscar for this movie I am sure. It's just a shame young Jacob won't also.

Other films I liked in 2015

Bridge of Spies-- Hanks and Spielberg
Slow West--Michael Fassbender in a western
The Danish Girl-- Eddie Redmayne is one brave actor
Black Panthers-- hey, they really weren't that scary
MacBeth-- Michael Fassbender and Marion Cottilard do Shakespeare
Ex Machina--who is this Alicia Vikander? You'll know
Spotlight--Its probably gonna win the Best Picture
The Big Short--it was fine, but it didn't move me as much as it should have
Mad Max-- two hours of mayhem, if I was forced to watch something after Sicario, this may be it
Trainwreck--Amy Schumer is hilarious. So is Jon Sena
The Gift-- very clever thriller
Love and Mercy-- hey, Paul Dano can really act. Who'd have known?
Spy--Hey Jason Statham gets it. Who'd have known?
The Man from Uncle-- Best Bond movie of the year. Who is this Alicia Vikander again? you'll know

And finally the Worst Movie I Saw in 2015

God how I hated Jurassic World. You have to be kidding me. Chris Pratt as an action hero? Nope. Absolutely awful.

Enjoy