My Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2015

My Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2015

            2015 has come to an end and we've had plenty of good films and plenty of not so good films. 2015 was also the year of nostalgia with big franchises coming back such as the Jurassic Park franchise, the Star Wars franchise, the Mad Max franchise, the Terminator franchise, and a couple more. Fanboys rejoice! Alongside these returns are many fantastic animated, dramatic, comedic, and sci-fi films with some of them on my list. The rankings of which I put these movies in are NOT reflective of what score I gave them in my original review. The ranking is based on my reflection of the film itself, how much it impacted me, and how much fun I had with it. Before I start, I just want to say I couldn't be happier to start my blog in 2015 and be able to talk and share my thoughts about them. Thanks to everyone who has read my reviews and for the support. Let's have a great 2016 in the world of cinema! Before I get into the core of it all, I want to post a couple of honorable mentions: Trainwreck, Steve Jobs, The Big Short, The Peanuts Movie, Ant Man, Black Mass, and Kingsman: The Secret Service.

    There are many more that I left out, but the thing is that I just didn't see every movie out this year. I'm sorry about that. I'll try to do more in 2016.

Now to start off my top 10 movies of 2015:

#10 - Beasts of No Nation

Original score: 4.8/5

     Starting off my list is a movie available only on Netflix (or anywhere on the internet if you're brave enough to defy the law). Beasts of No Nation really brought me into a day in the life of a child soldier in a war zone in Africa. The overall dark themes of this film sometimes had me gagging. Children as young as 7 or 8 years old are told to kill innocent people in order to rebel against the government. It's a sad but realistic tale of Agu, the protagonist, dealing with death and the unspeakable nature of war. I very much enjoyed Idris Elba's performance as the sinister Commandant. He is the leader of his rebel group and with that position comes misuse of that power. He performs gross actions against Agu (mind you, Agu is not even a teenager yet) so he could "protect him" because he was like a "son" to him. Like Idris' Commandant performance, Abraham Attah's Agu is just as good if not better because of his age. It's a fantastic movie to check out on Netflix if you have the stomach for seeing murder, rape, and the intense cause and effect of war on a child.

^It may be a movie that you should watch when you aren't hungry. Nevertheless, it is a movie you should watch.^

Click here for my original review of Beasts of No Nation

#9 - Sicario

Original score: 4.6/5

     For my number 9 pick, I'm going with another dark and somber film that really made me sick, but still is a fantastic piece of cinema: Sicario. Drugs, violence, and paranoia are major themes of this DEA and Mexican cartel story. The reason I loved this movie so much is because it kept me on the edge of my seat until the credits started rolling. It was kind of like a mystery in a way, but with characters being mentally scared and yourself feeling as if your'e own goevernment is really who they say they are. The DEA enlisted the help of FBI agent Kate, played by the wonderful and badass Emily Blunt, to track down a powerful Mexican drug lord and his boss, Guillermo. Kate is being deceived throughout the movie and being put into very uncomfortable situations. She eventually finds out that the DEA group she is with isn't pursuing the original goal she thought they were pursuing. Benicio Del Toro really was the stand out actor in the movie. His secretive past had me guessing what he was doing in the whole film to begin with. The very talented cinematography helped a ton with the feeling of dread throughout the movie as well. Suffice to say, Sicario was a deep and intense movie. Thanks Roger Deakins!

 ^Emily Blunt is just doing what she regularly did on set: wash away the enemies' blood off her face.^

Click here for my original review of Sicario

#8 - Creed

 Original score: 4.6/5

     Striving away from stomach-upsetting themes to an uplifting and energy driven story, Creed brought back the iconic Rocky Balboa, not as the main character, but as a supporting character to Apollo Creed's son, Adonis Johnson. Adonis wants to make a name for himself in the boxing world so that he can be successful without the help of the name Creed. With the help of Rocky and Adonis' love interest, Bianca, he fights the number 1 pound-by-pound boxer in the world. The road to getting there is why this movie is #8 on my list. It may be somewhat cheesy and cliché, but it's so much more than that. It's about never giving up no matter what others think of you. It's the same kind of inspiring story that the original Rocky had, however it sticks to a newer generation that could definitely use this type of enthusiasm. Plus, the first fight scene that Adonis has is very well done and amazing knowing that it was really Michael B. Jordon punching and being punched.

 ^Sylvester Stallone's Golden Globe nominated performance made me an emotional wreck. Love you, Rocky!^

Click here for my original review of Creed

#7 - The Hateful Eight

Original score: 4.8/5

     Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight was one of the more unique movie going experiences of 2015. I had a fun time just being there. From the classic and western overture before the movie began to the intermission after the first 90 minutes, The Hateful Eight put a smile on my face with every scene. The movie was basically a very adult and Tarantino-ish version of the board game Clue. Samuel L. Jackson's mother effin' performance was one of the greatest performances I have seen from him. You could definitely see Tarantino's trademark writing in Major Marquis Warren's (Samuel L. Jackson's character) dialogue. Also, Daisy Domergue was the kind of female villain that I've wanted to see in modern film for a very long time. Thanks to Jennifer Jason Leigh's portrayal of her, she is now nominated for a Golden Globe. I urge you to see The Hateful Eight at least once, if not for the experience, then for the over the top violence that is just amazing to see (as always in Tarantino's movies).

^Quentin Tarantino is a visionary filmmaker with a passion for making his audience gasp from the gross monologues of his characters or just a shotgun shell to the face.^

Click here for my original review of The Hateful Eight

#6 - The Martian

 Original score: 5/5

     On the same steps of the theme of uplifting, The Martian gave me hope for humanity's drive to stay alive. Sci-fi emblem, Ridley Scott, recreated the novel, written by Andy Weir, of Mark Watney trapped on Mars' barren desert after a storm forces the rest of his crew to leave. Unfortunately for Watney, not only is he by himself on a planet with nobody there, but he's also living with enough water or food to sustain him more or less only a year. Luckily, Watney is a botanist and he "sciences the shit" out of the crummy situation. The Martian had a plot that could definitely have been a complex dramatic thriller. Well, that is partly the case here except that The Martian has really on point comedy mixed in. You feel the loneliness of Mark Watney, but you're with him the entire way due to his charm and humor. He makes the best out of the situation when it calls for it. He can make you cry when he starts losing hope for being rescued. Also, since The Martian is a sci-fi movie set on Mars, this would suggest that science comes into play. Correct, however the explanation for everything Watney does is very well thought out and doesn't feel like it goes over your head or makes you feel like an outsider to the dense science involved. If you haven't seen The Martian yet, why haven't you? Go watch it! I promise, you will enjoy the ride.

 ^I never knew how beautiful an empty planet could be.^

Click here for my original review of The Martian

#5 - Shaun the Sheep Movie

Original score: 4.9/5

     The fifth entry on my list is one that may surprise many just because it really wasn't a big blockbuster like any Pixar movie or a Dreamworks Animation movie. Shaun the Sheep Movie is an Aardman Studios film (Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, and The Pirates!). I am a huge Wallace and Gromit fan and when I found out that Shaun the Sheep was being made into a movie I was so excited for it. When I was watching it, for the first 10 minutes I thought to myself, "There hasn't been any talking at all. Are they going to say anything?" Well for 85 minutes, there wasn't any verbal dialogue. There was only music and sound effects for walking and thing hitting against each other, but no verbal dialogue. The thing is, I loved it! It was a silent movie brought back to a younger generation that could never have experienced that. The reason it's so high up on my list is because it was a simple enough story, it was short, I had a lot of fun watching it, and I laughed so so hard. Shaun the Sheep Movie accomplished something that a film in 2015 really didn't do which is that it didn't rely on dialogue. It really just relied on two things:  the music and the claymation. With really only these two factors, I couldn't stop being entertained with its references to other films such as Silence of the Lambs. It was a great family-friendly film that I suggest you give a try. It wasn't a very hyped movie, but I truly believe it deserves a watch.

^When you watch Shaun the Sheep Movie, definitely be on the look out for this hilarious dog!^

Click here for my original review of Shaun the Sheep Movie

#4 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Original score: 4.7/5

     Like my The Hateful Eight, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an experience that you have to check out for yourself. Whether you're going in as a super fan or not knowing anything about the Star Wars universe, you can and will find something that you will love about this film. The First Order and our new villain, Kylo Ren, have risen in the fall of the Galactic Empire and now it's up to newcomers of the Star Wars universe, Rey and Finn, and the Resistance to stop them from conquering the rest of the galaxy. The original cast is also back giving The Force Awakens another aspect you can look forward to. Why is this an experience? It's an experience because you can't meet anyone and have them not know what Star Wars is. Needless to say, it's a universal topic. I haven't had as much fun waiting in anticipation for a movie than I did with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That's something that I probably haven't and will not say very often. One thing everyone will enjoy for sure are the action scenes, especially the lightsaber scenes.

 ^The sound, the look, and the nostalgia of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is so much more than a great film. It's a throwback to epicness.^

Click here for my original review of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

#3 - Inside Out

Original score: 5/5

    So Inside Out was my first review I ever posted on my blog. I felt like it was a good one to start out with to give you a little perspective of what I really like in a movie. Inside Out has almost everything I love in a movie. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me frustrated (more with myself and my emotions). The creativity put into a film like this couldn't have been done with close minded people. Thankfully, this is Pixar and Pixar's writers and artists have the imagination of a 5 year old in that they can put anything they think of on a piece of paper then on a computer. It's really an amazing film involving a little girl named Riley dealing with a big move across states, her adjustment to a new school, and her relationship with her parents. All of this is really the background of the main story which has the main five emotions (happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, and anger) helping Riley with her situations. I'm just going to say that Inside Out is a going to be considered a classic Pixar film for future years to come. I couldn't be happier that I started out my blog with a film like this.

^Oh, Bing Bong :'(^

Click here for my original review of Inside Out

 #2 - Spotlight

Original score: 4.9/5

     Spotlight takes silver on my top 10 list with award nominations-a-plenty. This wasn't a film that I had a particularly "fun" time seeing, but it was without a doubt the film that I admire the most out of any film I have seen this year. It takes guts and it takes a certain skill to craft this film to being good. This film is beyond great. Unlike some of the films on my top 10 list, Spotlight does rely heavily on dialogue, however, it doesn't rely on much else. It's pretty much the opposite of my #5 spot, Shaun the Sheep Movie, and since I'm a writer, It kind of goes straight up my alley. The major guts part comes into play because this movie is about how the Spotlight group at the Boston Globe newspaper reveals the sickening and disgusting truth about the Catholic priests who molested children. So as you might be able to tell, this kind of movie would have to provide information by word, which they do, but they don't do it in an informative way. They tell us what's happening in real time by discussing the tragic events of these kids and by the emotional trauma they go through. This was the film this year that made me feel the most. Maybe it's just that I have a soft spot for Spotlight because I'm a journalism major, but I can't stop thinking about how one of the major religions on the planet, who controls almost everything, let these despicable priests commit such atrocities and then a group of journalists outed the Church. If you had a chance to see it, do not hesitate because you will experience cinema magic through words. Spotlight is unquestionably one of my favorite movies this year.

^The incredible cast and the screenwriters made this movie an absolute powerhouse for award season.^

Click here for my original review of Spotlight

And now, my favorite movie of 2015...

#1 - Mad Max: Fury Road

Original score: N/A (most likely 5/5 though)

     I had a really tough time choosing my #1 spot, but when I think of 2015, I'm always going to fondly remember that it was the year of nostalgia. Specifically, all of the action movies that brought that nostalgia. Mad Max: Fury Road was the best action movie of 2015 that brought that nostalgia and more. It also may be one of the best of all time. Director George Miller created a franchise that was cool back in the day, but now he brought it back and it's so f***ing crazy and ridiculously cool! Fury Road is the fourth installment of the Mad Max franchise, but now 30 years after the third installment, it has become the best in the franchise. The stunts and the direction of this movie was mind boggling. I honestly don't know how George got most of these shots to work. The whole movie is set in an apocalyptic wasteland and oil and water is precious material. Max (Tom Hardy) is captured by Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and placed in the Citadel. He escapes and comes into contact with our true protagonist, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), who is one of the best women protagonists of all time. She is strong willed which makes her a dangerous person to whomever she meets. The people in this world are so outrageous, that I honestly couldn't stop laughing hysterically for like 5 whole consecutive minutes. There was a guy riding a giant truck, playing electric guitar on a stage, and having flames burst out of the end of the guitar every time he struck a chord. Again, it was crazy, but I absolutely loved the rush. This was the year of memorable experiences, hard hitting action, well developed characters, and most of all, madness. WHOOOO!!!!

^This is the guy! It's insane! WHOOOO!!!!!^

I don't have a full review for Mad Max: Fury Road because I started the blog after this movie came out in theaters. I will possibly write one in the future.

     So there you go! My top 10 favorite movies of 2015. I'm hoping that 2016 will be filled with even more gems and less piles of dog poop. Thank you to everybody reading this. It really means a lot to me that I can share what I think about with film lovers or just people in general. I started my blog in July of 2015 and now It's January of 2016. If you can, share my blog with anyone who might find what I have to say interesting. Follow me on Facebook here and Twitter here to get updates on new reviews. If you've seen any of the films I mentioned, comment and let me know what you thought of them. Thank you again, everybody!