2015 – The Year In Movies
A year ago I did something bold. Something daring. Possibly something alcohol influenced. Instead of doing the typical “top 10” of the year, I decided to review EVERYTHING from 2015 all in one article. It took some time and ultimately was my way of summing up how I felt about the year. While it’s impossible to see absolutely everything by the end of the year (despite the recent alleged availability of certain films) I did my best, these past few weeks especially, to see the stuff that people this year went gaga over. What did I find? Overall, a pretty average year in movies. This was a year filled with filmmakers trying to tickle our nostalgia funny-bone over and over again, with only a few real good hits. We’re finally nearing the over-saturation of the superhero film and some of the year’s best movies went virtually unnoticed. Here goes nuthin’.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens – N/A
I’m getting this one out of the way right now because Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes with a ton of baggage. Look, the original trilogy occupies a really special place in my mind. I describe it like this: the OT goes on a shelf away from all other films because of how those movies made me feel when I was a kid. I don’t really like to rate those movies the way I rate other films because they mean so much to me. As such, I could nitpick TFA to death (as I could also do to Jedi) but the hits are far greater than the misses. The most important element was nailed, which was making the flick better than the prequels. For that alone the movie is a triumph in my book and, as such, TFA deserves to be put right next to the original trilogy as a movie that makes me feel like a kid again, and really what else did I want from it?
It Follows – 4/10
If I were to give out an award for “Film I Most Wanted To Love” I would give it to It Follows. The story of a spirit/ghost/specter that follows you no matter what you do, transferred via sexual intercourse, is a decent concept for an 80’s throwback horror-thriller. The problem here is that the movie doesn’t have much beyond the initial concept and peters out quick. The ending especially is so incredibly stupid that I have serious issues with the logic of the writer. A decent time but nothing that I can recommend.
Crimson Peak – 6/10
When it comes to Guillermo Del Toro I find myself in the minority. I actually think Hellboy: The Golden Army is FAR AND AWAY his best film. I enjoy the rest of his filmography but the meticulous care and love for the material is on display with TGA. Here, we have another fantastic looking Del Toro film that, as soon as you start to peel back the layers, has very little to do with any sort of supernatural elements. As a throwback to the hammer horror days, Crimson Peak is pitch-perfect, but like the Hammer horror films it’s all style and little substance. I didn’t care much for the main story and hoped there was more to the mystery of what was going on than what we were given. Far from an awful film, especially on a technical level, but left me wanting a lot more.
Jurassic World – 6/10
Possibly the most hated film on Binge Media, Jurassic World, rightfully, was dethroned by TFA as the highest grossing film, highest grossing opening weekend and blah blah blah. Jurassic World was ultimately a nice retread of the themes present in the first two Park films but without basic movie logic applied. Bryce Dallas Howard gave the worst performance of the year and the trained raptors are still a tough pill to swallow, but in my opinion as simple popcorn fun the movie was fine. I think a lot of the backlash on this movie is because it wasn’t particularly well made, and I get that, but I think if you take a movie like this and put it up against a lot of the other shit coming out (i.e. Battleship, Transformers, etc.) I’d rather see young people buying tickets to a Park film than those other franchises.
Dope – 6/10
Someone once said that one of the most important functions of a film is being relatable to the viewer. As such, Dope is a tough movie for me because I don’t really see myself in any of the characters. I think this has less to do with the physical differences between us and more to do with the circumstances these characters find themselves in. Comedy is a tough thing to nail, and if the slightest thing isn’t working with it, typically, the jokes fall flat. I didn’t find much funny about Dope, but I did appreciate the social commentary the movie provides. One of the more unique movies of the year for certain, but one that I couldn’t quite grasp.
Ted 2 – 7/10
I make no reservations about the fact that I loved Ted. Yes, I’m in the target demographic for it (Baaahston sports fan, Rhode Island pride ala Seth MacFarlane) but I really found the first Ted to have a handful of great one-liners. Ted 2 was a movie that I loved just as much as the first. From the throwaway gags like referencing Jurassic Park while looking at a field of weed to the glorious Tom Brady cameo (and it is glorious) Ted 2 is a pretty fantastic comedy in a year largely devoid of good ones.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – 7/10
M:I 5 was ok. That’s about all I have to say about it. What the filmmakers did was, essentially, take the blueprint of what worked for Ghost Protocol and did all the same things, including the lackluster villain. I will watch Ethan Hunt until they decide to stop putting him on the screen but I do have one big issue with this film. So much fanfare was made about the fact that Tom Cruise latched onto a plane while it took off for a stunt in this film. While the stunt was ok in terms of what Cruise physically did for the role the scene pales in comparison to the brilliantly shot Burj Khalifa sequence in Ghost Protocol. The Khalifa climb was integral to what was happening in the story, while here in Rogue Nation the plane scene was mostly a throwaway cold-open joke, and I didn’t like that. It seemed like sensationalism for its own sake rather than the story, and the rest of the movie didn’t really match that scene’s level of spectacle, for me. Here’s hoping the next one FINALLY has a villain worth watching.
The End of the Tour – 7/10
I feel like this type of movie comes out every year, but when it is well made it tends to be one of the year’s best. The interview of David Foster Wallace by Dave Lipsky is, much like the book Infinite Jest itself, a famous moment in hipster culture. Jest is the book that everybody owned but few actually read, and the Rolling Stone interview is the stuff of pop culture legend becuase of the fact that it was never published. The movie does a great job humanizing both writers, with Lipsky’s sheer awe and jealousy of Wallace’s success and easygoing nature conflicting with Wallace’s own confusion and misunderstanding of himself. This isn’t a great film, but it’s an interesting movie for certain.
Mississippi Grind – 7/10
If you like Ben Mendelsohn or Ryan Reynolds then Mississippi Grind is your kind of movie. A through and through character study, the loose story at play concerns Mendelsohn needing to come up with a sum of money. Reynolds, a fellow gambler, decides to partner with Mendelsohn and travel to a bunch of backroom parlors up and down the coast winning the money they need. This is the kind of movie that asks nothing of the viewer and delivers some quality entertainment, just don’t expect the themes to be more challenging than “Gambling is tough”.
Misery Loves Comedy – 7/10
Solid documentary about the nature of depression in comedians lives and how strife informs humor. This is one of those docs that includes talking heads from all across the board such as Jemaine Clement, Nick Swardson, Jon Favreau, Kevin Smith, Martin Short and many others. Directed by Kevin Pollak, it’s easy to look at this documentary and criticize it for being one-note, but as a collection of thoughts from many different comedians it’s a pretty rousing success.
Furious 7 – 7/10
A blast of a movie to kick off the summer, Furious 7 had to stick the landing for Paul Walker’s sake. While a decent action flick, it’s actually even more interesting to watch the film and try to spot where they had to use a CGI Paul Walker throughout the film. Despite that, you get a lot of great moments, including The Rock who is arguably the most entertaining movie star working today. The formula, however, is starting to wear thin, and it’s time to shake up this franchise again before the format gets stale.
Avengers: Age of Ultron – 7/10
AoU was supposed to be the next big thing from Marvel but it proved to be too simplistic and sequel-baitey for its own good. The character development for characters like Hawkeye and The Vision was ok (Paul Bettany’s my boy, goin way back) but most of the film suffered from trying to spin too many plates. It’s also kind of upsetting that for the second film in a row they can’t quite figure out how to integrate Thor in a meaningful way, so they just take him out of the plot for a while until the script needs him again. I found Ultron to be less of a menace than the trailers made him out to be, which was also a let-down.
The Wolfpack – 7/10
A fascinating slice of life encumbered by some boring filmmaking, The Wolfpack is one of the stranger documentaries you’re likely to see. The story of the Angulo boys’ “captivity” in a New York apartment is strange but made all the more strange when their warden/father explains his reasoning for keeping them inside for their entire lives. I found the boys to be especially creative in making their version of The Dark Knight batsuit out of cardboard and sponges. A good documentary that could have used a more innovative filmmaker to keep it interesting.
The Gift – 7/10
This is one of those rare cases where I didn’t find anything in The Gift that wasn’t done well but the film just sort of stalled out for me. I think it has more to do with the fact that this type of story has been told to death and that the movie is no more than a glossed-up Twilight Zone episode, but that being said it works really well. Edgerton proved, more than anything else, that his talents as a director may actually exceed his acting skills, and I look forward to his next picture.
Black Mass – 7/10
I’ll stand by the fact that this is still the performance of the year. Depp is back in a big way, it’s just a shame that the movie around him isn’t a better one. Black Mass is a good film, but nowhere near as good as the source material dictates it to be. The sad truth is that at the end of the day The Departed is still the better Whitey Bulger movie, even though ‘technically’ it’s not a Whitey Bulger movie (even though it is). See it to reinvigorate your faith in Depp as a dramatic actor.
Sicario – 7/10
Another let-down in a year full of them, Sicario was visually stunning. Roger Deakins is the kind of cinematographer where, at this point, I stand up and take notice when I see a film of his. Simply put no one else this year put images on the screen as breathtaking as the silhouetted show against a rainbow sky seen near the end of this film. That alone makes this one worth the price of admission. That being said, there are some pretty huge character issues that this film should have addressed. Emily Blunt’s character is criminally half-baked and I hope that there’s a director’s cut in the pipeline to fix some of the issues I have with the film.
Bone Tomahawk – 7/10
The most horrifying thing I’ve ever seen in a movie occurs in this film. I’ve seen Salo, I’ve seen I Spit on your Grave, but I’ve never seen anything so cruel and seemingly real than what occurs in this film. It was so bad that I actually shut the movie off and revisited it weeks later. Bone Tomahawk is a very well directed debut film from S. Craig Zahler featuring one of the better ensemble casts this year. His claustrophobic direction coupled with the sheer brutality of what goes down in this film is what makes it so impressive, even if, in my opinion, he took it a little too far over the edge. I expect great things from this director down the road.
Spectre – 7/10
Another franchise film that caught a ton of flack this year, Spectre was entertaining and a nice throwback to the Bond films of yesteryear. In a year where nostalgia and sequels ran rampant, Spectre was too long for its own good. Sam Mendes clearly had some great ideas but failed to reign them in a bit and make a more concise film, which is my biggest complaint with the movie. I loved Christoph Waltz and what they did with his character, although I did find it to be highly telegraphed. Spectre is no Skyfall, but how could it ever be?
Creed – 7/10
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I’m no fan of the Rocky films. I find the franchise to be redundant and repetitive with few even realizing that the original Rocky is essentially a remake/reworking of Somebody Up There Likes Me. If I were to rate the original, I’d give it a 7/10 for being innovative and fresh for the time, and as such I liked Creed in the same way I liked Rocky, no more and no less. Creed was a decent extension of the franchise with a solid performance from Michael B. Jordan and Stallone, who no doubt will get all sorts of accolades for actually acting for the first time in his career (whatever). I just don’t connect with these films, but I did love the angle at which they connected Adonis to Apollo.
The Martian – 7/10
Everyone’s favorite movie of the year was ok. It was just ok. In a year where films were mostly lackluster The Martian stands out as a crowd-pleaser across the board but it was a very safe and easy film. Damon gives a great performance, and I thought a lot of the elements at play worked well, but for fucks sake there is almost no conflict here. Does anyone watching this movie actually believe that Watney won’t be rescued at any point? Is there a single dissenting opinion or adversarial element in the entire film? Again, this is a safe movie, but one that is entertaining and ultimately deserves mention on a year-end list.
I Am Big Bird: The Carol Spinney Story – 7/10
I had no idea Big Bird was such a big deal. Carol Spinney, a guy whom I had seen in a few documentaries here and there, is a real innovator of his craft, and this documentary, while ultimately light on hard-hitting details, is a great look at a living legend. Seeing Spinney working the puppet of Big Bird and his process of becoming the character is fascinating, as is the archival footage of Jim Henson and Frank Oz. This is a great, sentimental documentary that deserves a watch from anyone who is a fan of Sesame Street, Henson’s other work or even Star Wars as that is briefly touched upon here as well.
Ant-Man – 8/10
Taking the mantle of superhero movie of the year is Ant-Man. I figured that Paul Rudd in a Marvel film was too good to be true, but thankfully it was a match made in heaven. Rudd is great as Scott Lang, and as such Michael Douglas is equally great as Hank Pym. Out of an impressively structured script Ant-Man managed to relate well to the overall Marvel universe while also being its own story. It was also refreshing to see a Marvel movie not end with a giant air/space battle.
An Honest Liar – 8/10
My second-favorite documentary of the year, An Honest Liar is the story of The Amazing Randi, magician and defrauder of fakes. James Randi, a Canadian-born performer, has a story that is as fascinating as it is deceptive. His personal life comes into focus and, without spoiling anything, is just as if not more interesting than his professional one. I have an affinity for people who seek truth above all else, and Randi is a lifelong champion of that. Particularly his targeting of self-help gurus and televangelists is pretty noble.
Roger Waters The Wall – 8/10
I was lucky enough to see Roger Waters’ The Wall at Fenway Park back in 2012. It still stands as the greatest live event I’ve ever been to. There was an immersive factor to the performance that is completely unrivaled. Cut to this year when the obligatory movie version of the performance was released. Now there are differences in the performance, with the filmmakers curiously leaving out several key moments for one reason or another. I really liked the inclusion of Waters’ grappling with the loss of his father and grandfather. It’s actually a unique situation where the art is morphing over time and gaining new meaning through life experience for both Waters’ and myself as a member of the audience. This is a very solid concert film that should be seen by all fans.
Kingsman: The Secret Service – 8/10
Kingsman kicked off the year of the spy film in glorious fashion, and to me it never got better than this. Fun, shocking and entertaining, Kingsman had everything I wanted and a little more. The Freebird scene is the stuff of legend, with it being a brilliant opera of violence. Samuel L. put forth one of his more entertaining performances with his Mike Tyson-esque lisp and usual hilarious cadence. I loved Kingsman and absolutely think it’s one of the better films of the year.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl – 8/10
Every few years a nice, sweet little indie film with lots of heart bursts onto the scene. This year, Me and Earl is that indie film. While strikingly similar to Dope in several ways, Me and Earl centers around a couple of film geeks who collect Criterion Collection movies and imitate Werner Herzog. If that doesn’t get your cinephile boner raging I don’t know what will. The story, centered around a girl who has cancer and the experience through the eyes of the lead character is very sobering. While not a depressing film it does feel incredibly real and heartfelt. You can’t help but wonder if the filmmaker experienced this himself, hence his knowledge of the situation.
Steve Jobs – 8/10
The award for most surprising film of the year goes to Steve Jobs. Firstly, I’m a fan of the Fassbender General and I think he’s one of the top actors working today. Secondly, The Social Network is one of the most rewatchable movies I know of due to the fantastic script, so the fact that Aaron Sorkin attacked this was great. Thirdly, Danny Boyle’s movies are largely hit-or-miss for me, with his filmic structure having real issues in the third act of many of his films. Still though, in spite of himself, Boyle plays this movie mostly straight and gives us the most entertaining script of the year. This movie could have been about anyone, not necessarily Steve Jobs, and it still would have been a success. To anyone with trepidation about watching this, throw that right out the window now as it is worth your time.
7 Days In Hell – 8/10
An HBO short film, yes, but still a pretty fantastic little gem, 7 Days In hell really harkened back to the glory days of Christopher Guest. I’ve been waiting for years for Guest to put something together in the vein of Best in Show or A Mighty Wind (or the immortal Spinal Tap) but it seems that Samberg took the concept and ran with it. The story of these rival tennis players squaring off in a match for the ages is hilarious and, without spoiling anything, pretty god-damned shocking. If you haven’t checked this out yet, you need to.
Spotlight – 8/10
I’m a little torn on Spotlight after giving it some time to breathe. On the one hand, the script here is very good and these sort of muckraking stories will always have a place in the cinema landscape due to their structure and nature. That being said, there’s almost no visual identity to this film at all. This could have been a lifetime movie and the source material, despite how repulsive and repugnant it is, never elevates the film to having any meaning outside of the journalism process.
The Hateful Eight – 9/10
I am, through and through, a Tarantino mark. In my opinion he’s only made one bad film (Death Proof). While my feelings are still very fresh on The Hateful Eight, I will be the first to admit that the film is not perfect. There is a lot of exposition that takes its time building tension and, while the dialogue is well written, Tarantino’s prose is a little tougher to swallow without the prevalence of pop culture references and the old nod/wink to the camera he is so good at doing. All that being said, I enjoyed the hell out of the movie (I saw it in the 70mm Roadshow presentation). The entire cast is perfect and well rounded, as is no surprise with Quentin’s films. I have to say that above all else the music is what most drew me in. Rather than a western score, Morricone built a horror movie theme and even worked some of his unused score from The Thing into it. Hateful Eight is Tarantino’s toughest pill to swallow, as I think a lot of people are going to be turned off by the sloooooooooooow burn of it, but especially after a second viewing this is cemented as one of my favorite films of the year.
Inside Out – 9/10
Pixar, you had me at hello. Inside Out is yet another phenomenal entry into their oeuvre. Not since Up has one of their films hit me so hard in the feels. The creativity of how the brain is processing all these different emotions and feelings is really spectacular and cements the studio as the most creative out there. While not all of their films are hits anymore, the ones that are are so in spectacular fashion.
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief – 9/10
My favorite documentary of the year, Going Clear was a documentary that I watched at least three separate times. The story of Scientology is fascinating to me, and this serves a brilliant companion piece to The Master. I actually went to Clearwater, FL this year and saw the Ft. Harrison Hotel in person. It’s just as creepy in broad daylight as you think it might be. This is a fascinating, sometimes maddening story that makes you as angry at the US Government as it does Scientologists.
Kung Fury – 9/10
Another short film that packed more of a punch than most feature-length films this year, Kung Fury was the cheesy, action-packed extravaganza that no one realized it could be. Another film I’ve watched several times this year, Kung Fury packs a hell of a punch in a short amount of time. Triceracop, the Kung Fuhrer and Barbarianna are all part of this elaborate, insane story that is every bit as satisfying as it is awesome.
Beasts Of No Nation – 9/10
Some films are so important that you can’t help but respect them. Beasts Of No Nation is an incredibly morbid, well-made and disturbing movie, the likes of which we see once a decade. Operating on a level of evil rivaling Amon Goethe in Schindler’s List, Idris Elba gives one of the year’s greatest performances as the Commandant, the nameless leader of a group of child soldiers in some part of Africa. He is at once despicable and pathetic, but also opportunistic and truly evil. Agu, the lead character, is put through the ringer in this film, becoming a part of a band of children taken from their homes and made into cold-blooded killers. The film never shies away from the disturbing and grotesque details of what these kids are forced to do, but it also doesn’t sensationalize them either. Once again, Fukunaga delivers another great long-take, this one being much more disturbing than the one we saw on True Detective. A truly phenomenal, important film that should be required viewing for any film fans this year.
Ex Machina – 9/10
Some of my favorite movies are the ones that take a simple concept and bring it to its logical conclusion. While you could argue that elements of Ex Machina have been done before, the film is so well made, both visually and aurally, that it hit all the right notes for me. I love a great science fiction story, and Ex Machina absolutely is one. The idea of true AI and the structure of this film very smartly set you up for one thing while pulling you in the opposite direction by the end. Oscar Isaac (my boy, goin’ way back) and Domnhall Gleeson both turn in good performances with Isaac’s being the more showy of the two. Alicia Vikander, the AI, is also pretty spectacular, with some of her scenes being duly disturbing and vulnerable. I loved Ex Machina and am always fascinated by truly phenomenal sci-fi forays. This is one of them, and for me one of the year’s best.
Mad Max: Fury Road – 9/10
No surprise here, as I’m sure many others will have this atop their list, but I simply didn’t see many movies I loved more this year than Mad Max: Fury Road. As a moderate fan of The Road Warrior and neither of the other two Mad Max films, Fury Road was the perfect shot of adrenaline the franchise needed to give it some new life. I’ve heard the complaints about the film not focusing on Max or how it was too simplistic but I implore those of you who believe that to go back and watch The Road Warrior. Max was a secondary character there and that film is regarded as the best in the franchise, so really, what are you complaining about? Fury Road had everything I wanted from it and a little more, making it one of my favorites this year.
What We Do In The Shadows – 9/10
All due respect to Mad Max, THIS was my favorite movie of the year. By taking the mockumentary approach and using it on a group of vampires who are completely out of touch with modern times was brilliant, but the filmmaking on display here is also fantastic. Written by the brain-trust behind Flight of the Conchords (and technically a movie I saw last year even though it wasn’t in this country until early this year), WWDITS almost immediately entered the conversation of greatest comedies I’ve ever seen upon the first viewing. There are too many amazing scenes, and it’s endlessly quotable. If you haven’t seen this yet, get on it.
That’s it for 2015 Bingers (?). I have yet to see quite a few flicks but as it stands this is what I’ve got. As far as what I’m looking forward to next year? I’m curious about Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, if only for Affleck’s portrayal of the Bat. The new Coen Brothers flick Hail Caesar looks promising and, of course, the next Star Wars film looks pretty fascinating to me. Let me know what you think in the comments below, Happy New Year to all of you and, as always, Binge On!
Eric King
January 1, 2016 @ 8:31 pm
Great top 2 picks! As much as I love Taika Watiti’s work, I dread he has gotten involved on a Marvel movie.
PJ
January 8, 2016 @ 10:43 am
I was just rolling through my list of movies I’ve seen this year, and like you, I felt underwhelmed. The easy picks of Fury Road and Inside Out should be atop everyone’s lists… but then it’s a crap shoot. Without having seen TH8 or Spotlight, I felt like this years crop was just a mishmash of movies trying to keep me entertained from the outside looking in rather than pull me in.
With that said, I was defintely entertained by the few that did it right (Antman, Kingsman), while others fell flat to me (Furious 7, Jurassic World). Even the movies that tried to pull me in, still fell a little short to me (Ex Machina).
But hey, there is always next year right?
On a side note… I know this sounds absurd, but San Andreas might be the sleeper of all entertainment this year. As Ammon said a couple of weeks ago… it’s got exactly what you want in a disaster film and it knows it. Sure, it’s absolute garbage… but at least I enjoyed watching it unlike that pile of garbage Jurassic World.