BEST ACTOR - Matt Damon, The Martian
A successful adaptation of The Martian almost entirely depends on who you cast in the lead, because the piece is pretty much a one-man-show. Matt Damon, playing botanist Mark Watney, trapped on Mars, brings the character to life not simply by making the character a depressed sad sack, as you might imagine a man alone on a planet would be, but by infusing him with a refreshing dose of personality and humor (enough so that the Hollywood Foreign Press nominated the film for Best Comedy at the Golden Globes). Like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, whenever an actor can carry a film almost entirely by themselves, it's impressive, and few can do so in as entertaining and likable a way as Matt Damon.
Runner-Up: Michael Angarano, The Stanford Prison Experiment
The entire ensemble of The Stanford Prison Experiment was great, but the stand-out for me was Michael Angarano. In a social experiment that divides students into prisoners and guards, he plays a "guard" nicknamed John Wayne who takes his role very seriously. The thing that's most haunting about him isn't necessarily his scare tactics, but that he's a seemingly "normal" guy until he puts on the shades and uniform; he's mentally scarring these other kids but it's just a job for him. It's a chilling performance that truly showcases the corruption of power.
BEST ACTRESS - Brie Larson, Room
Brie Larson has been on my radar since I first saw her in Short Term 12, and it's all but a given that her role in Room will land her her first Oscar nomination. Here she plays "Ma," who's been trapped in a room with her son for 7 years. She's a fiercely protective mother figure, providing some semblance of a happy childhood for her kid while dealing with her own issues, both mental and physical. A complicated, heart-wrenching performance in a film that you should NOT SEE THE TRAILER BEFORE WATCHING.
Runner-Up: (SPLIT) Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina and The Danish Girl
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BEST POSTER - Crimson Peak
Although I wish the font on this poster was a little cooler, the neon-bright, blood red image of Mia Wasikowska juxtaposed against the stark blue backdrop of the titular mansion just grabbed me right away. It definitely gives off a sinister '70s horror, "Dario Argento" vibe, and immediately pops out against the black background (it almost looks like a retro "3D" image). Haunting, yet beautiful, this poster represents Crimson Peak at its best.
Runner-Up: Welcome to Me
This poster for the underrated Welcome to Me is just beautiful. The swan, the cool purple-y pink tone, the simple and elegant font - everything just works here and is pleasant to the eye, while also being somewhat mysterious. You look at this poster and just wonder what the hell it's about. A swan? A boom microphone? Kristen Wiig? Framable and intriguing, this poster feels like a piece of art.
BEST TRAILER - Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Teaser #2)
I have to give major props to the marketing team behind The Force Awakens for keeping the biggest movie in the galaxy spoiler-free up to its release. The trailers showcased the general tone of the film without giving away a single plot detail, and the classic Star Wars iconography presented in a new way made this film feel like a truly special event built on decades of nostalgia. The "Chewie, we're home" line at the end is definitely an arm hair-raising moment.
Runner-Up: Black Mass (Trailer #1)
I wish more studios would use this format: simply basing the trailer around one scene to give a small taste of what's in store. This "secret recipe" moment from the Whitey Bulger flick Black Mass gives a sinister sense of how Depp is going to portray the character and brought out possibly the most tension I've ever felt watching a trailer.
BEST MUSIC SCORE - Jupiter Ascending, Michael Giacchino
My top music score this year might not be going to the space opera you were expecting. Whereas John Williams' score for The Force Awakens was a little disappointing for me personally, Michael Giacchino's work on the completely forgotten about Jupiter Ascending is magnificent, even if the film it accompanies is garbage. It's everything you'd want out of an epic-in-scope outer space thrill ride: it's powerful, emotional, and kind of an unexpected masterpiece. I have been consistently going back and listening to this score since February, and it does almost sound like long-lost Star Wars music. As far as I'm concerned, Michael Giacchino can do no wrong.
Top Tracks:
1) "Jupiter Ascending - 3rd Movement"
2) "I Hate My Life"
3) "Flying Dinosaur Fight"
Runner-Up: Mad Max: Fury Road, Junkie XL
Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the most pulse-pounding movies of the year, thanks in no small part to Junkie XL's loud, huge, percussive-heavy score. Listening to this sounds like you're getting ready for war.
Top Tracks:
1) "Brothers in Arms"
2) "Chapter Doof"
3) "Blood Bag"
BEST PLEASANT SURPRISE - Ant-Man
Edgar Wright, the cult-hit director of such films as Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, was all set and ready to direct his first Marvel film, but due to vague "creative differences," Marvel Studios sacked Wright and replaced him with...the director of Bring it On?! With all the annoying behind-the-scenes drama happening with this film, it seemed destined for disaster, but weirdly enough Ant-Man turned out to be one of the best films in the "Marvel Cinematic Universe." Paul Rudd is hilarious as the cat burglar-turned-shrinking hero (along with Michael Peña), and the "macro" special effects were fantastic. Peyton Reed certainly brought it on, if you catch my drift.
Runner-Up: The Visit
M. Night Shyamalan has had one of the all time worst career trajectories for a filmmaker. He began by churning out masterpieces like The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, with magazines calling him "The Next Spielberg," but with each film after The Village, his work seems to have gotten worse and worse. The Visit, however, is sort of M. Night's "comeback" movie - about a nightmarish weekend a brother and sister endure visiting their grandparents. It has some genuinely scary moments and brings back the "twist" aspect he's famous for. While not nearly as good as his first few thrillers, The Visit is a fun geriatric nightmare.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT - Tomorrowland
Brad Bird had a perfect track record before Tomorrowland. The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol...the guy seemed to be able to do no wrong. Well, wrong he did. Tomorrowland was a complete mess of a movie, with the Eiffel Tower doubling as a spaceship and George Clooney creepily in love with a robot that looks like an underage girl. While its heart was in the right place, encouraging the youth of the nation to dream big and do science stuff, the film just sucked.
Runner-Up: Fantastic Four
Not fantastic at all. This one tanked so bad it probably ruined careers. You can read online about all the production problems, but beyond the backstage finger-pointing, Fantastic Four was such a wasted opportunity. It begins as if an 80s-era David Cronenberg made a superhero movie, but it descends into idiocy very quickly. The final action scene is outright embarrassing and the film feels unfinished.
WORST MOVIE - Mortdecai
I almost never give a movie an 'F' rating. When I watch a film, typically I try to see what the filmmakers were going for and evaluate it based on what it set out to do. But with Mortdecai, I truly don't understand why anyone involved thought this was a good idea, and it's not even so-bad-it's-good, it's just a complete drag to sit through. If your idea of humor is Gwenyth Paltrow dry heaving, you'll have a ball.
Runner-Up: Aloha
Aloha is such a terrible movie, even the president of Sony said she hated it, as shown in a leaked e-mail. On top of being boring as hell, it's also strangely insensitive in its casting of Emma Stone as a native Hawaiian. I don't know what's happened to Cameron Crowe that he lost all his relevance, but Aloha is basically the poor man's The Descendants.
BEST ACTION SCENE - Mad Max: Fury Road, The Whole Thing
It's difficult to pick a single scene from Mad Mad: Fury Road, because the entire film is almost one long chase sequence. From beginning to end, the energy never once slows down, with crazy acrobatics, suped-up flaming cars, giant explosions, and all done with limited CGI. The film was conceptualized using thousands of storyboards in place of a traditional script, and the visual cinematic language that's established here is nothing short of spectacular. George Miller and all of the stunt-choreographers involved in this film achieved something special and no words I type here can do it justice. It's action cinema at its purest!
Runner-Up: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Opera Fight
In a sequence clearly "inspired by" (aka ripped off from) Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much, the three-tiered opera fight scene in Rogue Nation was one of the highlights of the summer. In his 50's Tom Cruise kicks more ass than I ever will. The scene is beautifully edited around the opera tune Nessun Dorma, there are multiple levels of action going on at the same time, and a flute turns into a gun!
BEST HOLDING BACK MAN-TEARS MOMENT - Inside Out, Down in the Dumps
Inside Out is filled with close-to-tears moments. Pixar films are notorious tear-jerkers, so when they tackle a project literally dealing with emotions, you just know your tear ducts will get a workout. One of the saddest moments in the film is when Joy, who has fallen into Riley's subconscious, is looking at a core memory (an ultra-important memory that defines you as a person) that has turned from a happy memory to a sad memory; the whole movie centers around Joy's mission to keep Riley happy at all times, and at this moment she's at risk of losing control of her forever. When the character representing happiness starts crying, you know you're in trouble.
Runner-Up: Room, "I love you."
To avoid spoilers, I will not describe the context of this line that is spoken towards the end of the film, but those who have seen it know what I'm talking about. That simple line will wreck you. Bring the Kleenex.
And that's it! My Top Ten of the year will be posted very soon, so look forward to that. Thanks for reading! I truly appreciate you taking time out of your miserable existences to check out my blog!
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