Top 10 Films of 2015

Every December, I gripe about the arbitrary nature of year-end rankings. It feels pointless when there are so many promising candidates I still haven’t seen (including “Carol,” “Amy” and several others). Plus, it seems silly to judge different movies against each other, as if a sobering drama is somehow “better” than a fun popcorn flick.

But I still make a list every year, spending far too much time agonizing over what to include or cut. That’s especially true in 2015, which was packed with fantastic movies. So, as always, I present my Top 10 (and another 10 honorable mentions) with the following disclaimer: don’t think of these as the absolute “best” films. Instead, consider them stories that left such a lingering impression on me that I want to share them with you fine readers.

I’m also curious about your thoughts on the year in film. Feel free to e-mail joshsewell81@gmail.com or find me on Twitter (@IAmJoshSewell) to talk about my picks and share your own.

10. Magic Mike XXL
Stop laughing, I’m serious. The enjoyable blend of “road trip,” “one last job” and “let’s put on a show” tropes made for one of the most delightful, good-natured movies I saw all year. The camaraderie between Channing Tatum and his co-stars is terrific, and Jada Pinkett Smith delivers some of the best work of her career. I dare you to watch Joe Manganiello’s character attempt to earn a smile from a grumpy cashier without a big goofy grin of your own. It’s impossible.




9. The Big Short
Adam McKay is best-known for directing absurdist comedies like Anchorman and Step Brothers, but he also helmed one of 2015’s smartest, angriest films. With help from a brilliant screenplay that constantly breaks the fourth wall to explain complex ideas, he and his cast (including Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling) manage to convey the tragedy of the global economy’s 2008 collapse in an entertaining way. That is, until the final act – when you realize the guys you’ve been rooting for got ridiculously wealthy at taxpayers’ expense while average Americans’ lives were destroyed.





8. The Martian
This sci-fi adventure, which finds an astronaut (Matt Damon) trying to survive after being stranded on Mars, is a marvel simply for daring to celebrate being smart. The fact that it’s also tense, exhilarating and funny is a bonus. But when you factor in a return to form for director Ridley Scott, Drew Goddard’s fantastic dialogue (much of it taken straight from Andy Weir’s popular novel) and characters played by the absolutely perfect actors for the roles… well, you get one of the best movies of the year.




7. Brooklyn
A young Irish girl adjusting to life in 1950s America becomes must-see filmmaking thanks to Nick Hornby’s screenplay, which quickly causes the audience to invest in this (admittedly rose-colored) world full of fundamentally decent characters. Director John Crowley keeps the direction low-key, focusing attention on the actors’ performances and Yves Belanger’s gorgeous cinematography. Seriously, every shot in this film could be a painting. I’m hoping Saoirse Ronan’s wonderful work here (and eventual Best Actress nomination, fingers crossed) is what finally makes her a household name.



6. Creed
2015 saw several iconic 1970s films get the sequel/reboot treatment, but Ryan Coogler’s spinoff of the Rocky saga is by far the most emotionally affecting. In shifting the focus to the illegitimate son (the magnetic Michael B. Jordan) of Apollo Creed and making Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) his Mickey-esque trainer, Coogler breathes new life into a decades-old franchise while also returning to the original film’s authenticity. The movie’s most welcome surprise is Stallone’s stunning, quietly devastating work as Rocky, worn down by loss in his twilight years. I really want to see him take home that Best Supporting Actor statue.


5. Ex Machina
Back in May, I walked into this sci-fi thriller pouting because I wasn’t able to make it to the Avengers: Age of Ultron screening. I walked out wild-eyed and exhilarated, confident it would be on this list seven months later. Writer-director Alex Garland crafts a dark tale that evokes Frankenstein and asks difficult questions about the power of technology modern society’s deep-rooted misogyny. The ending is a brilliant gut punch and marked the first of many times this year I would write about the acting prowess of Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander. Man, how great was 2015 for those three?



4. Room
A surprisingly hopeful movie considering its bleak subject matter, this drama about a five-year-old boy (Jacob Tremblay in a stunning performance) who has spent his entire life with his mother (Brie Larson, deserving of a Best Actress Oscar) in a single cramped room could’ve been misery porn in the wrong hands. Instead, Lenny Abrahamson’s direction and the central performances keep viewers focused on the duo’s beautiful relationship as opposed to their horrific predicament. Some complained that Room becomes a different movie after the first hour, but the brutally tense transition between the two halves made me appreciate shift.


3. Mad Max: Fury Road
Even at 70, George Miller maintains his youthful passion and energy for filmmaking. After a too-long absence, he returned to his most iconic franchise and made one of the greatest action movies of all time. Other movies are lucky to have a single memorable stunt or car chase. Fury Road is packed wall-to-wall with them, taking place in desert landscapes out of a madman’s nightmares. The dialogue is sparse, but actors Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult are able to convey entire paragraphs with facial expressions and body language. I feel awful if you missed this on the big screen.



2. Inside Out
The word “masterpiece” gets overused, but it certainly qualifies in the case of Pixar’s look inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl named Riley. It might be the best movie the beloved studio has ever made. The creative team, headed by co-directors Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen, takes complex psychological concepts and simplifies them through stunning animation and endearing characters that represent Riley’s various personality traits. Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith deservedly reaped most of the film’s critical praise, but the true MVP (and the reason your eyes won’t stop leaking) is Richard Kind, who plays Riley’s childhood imaginary friend Bing Bong.


1. Spotlight
Possibly the greatest movie about journalism since All the President’s Men, this true story about the Boston Globe reporters who uncovered decades of sexual and spiritual abuse within the Catholic Church shows you can make a message movie without being heavy-handed or moralizing. The screenplay (co-written by Josh Singer and director Tom McCarthy) is packed with terrific dialogue, delivered by incredible performers (including Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Liev Schreiber and Brian d’Arcy James) who excel at the less-is-more style of acting. Ruffalo gets what is essentially the only “big speech” in the film, but it feels earned because everything we’ve witnessed leads up to it. And, in a shrewd move, the thing he’s fighting for turns out to be the wrong call. It’s those kind choices that keep a movie full of familiar tropes from feeling tired or cliché. It’s a heartbreaking story (particularly the end credits, which drew gasps in my screening), but an important one told in compelling fashion.

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
Bridge of Spies
Finders Keepers
The Hateful Eight
Love & Mercy
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Paddington
Sicario
Spy
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Steve Jobs

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