10. Creed
Dir. Ryan Coogler
Creed might be my favorite Rocky movie. In a strange year where we saw 3 uber-successful seventh films in a franchise (Furious 7, The Force Awakens, and this), Ryan Coogler rose to the challenge of his rivals and gave new life to the Rocky series. The immersive fight scenes, shot in one continuous take, feel like you're in the ring with the boxers. And Stallone, who I've never really liked as an actor, was at his best here; the way Rocky's "fight" with old age and losing relevance intersects with Adonis Creed's journey of literal fighting in the ring and overcoming the shadow of his father was a graceful and logical way to extend the series. While the story still follows the basic Rocky template, it felt authentic in a way none of the previous films have for me. I knew Coogler was a good director after Fruitvale Station, especially in terms of getting honest performances out of actors, but Creed solidified him as one of the top-notch guys I'll be watching out for. I hope to see this same team back for Creed II!
9. Mommy
Dir. Xavier Dolan
Although technically this is a 2014 release, it didn't get its initial limited run in the US until January '15, so in my mind it qualifies. Mommy is a French-Canadian movie that will probably convince you never to have children. Anne Dorval plays the mother of a troubled, sometimes violent, but ultimately good-hearted teen Steve (Antoine Olivier Pilon), and the film puts every character through the wringer. Dolan brilliantly plays with a very tight aspect ratio; instead of the traditional "rectangular" widescreen ratio we're used to, he pushes the sides of the frame inward, like a vertical cell phone video, delivering a claustrophobic tone that gives you a sense of the trapped feeling "mommy" is experiencing. This is the most powerful family drama I saw this year and you should try to scope it out!
8. Wild Tales
Dir. Damián Szifron
This anthology film strings together six stand-alone stories of violence, revenge, and black humor - all stuff right up my movie-watching alley! Each of the tales have flavors of Hitchcock and Tarantino, mixing humor and violence together in fun, different ways. The characters all basically get involved in an aggravating situation, everything from driving behind a slow car on the highway to catching a cheating husband, and react in rather extreme ways. I went into this movie knowing nothing, and I think you should too!
7. The Look of Silence
Dir. Joshua Oppenheimer
This documentary is the follow-up to Joshua Oppenheimer's 2012 film, The Act of Killing, which was such a dangerous doc to shoot that half the crew in the end credits are labelled 'anonymous.' That film followed a group of killers responsible for the Indonesian killings of "communists" in 1965-66, but who were never locked away, and are perversely still heralded as "heroes" by the government. The Look of Silence looks more into how the victims' lives were affected. The film follows a man whose brother was killed in the purge, and he confronts and interviews the killers himself. It's haunting, disturbing, and unbelievable. While you definitely won't be in a good mood after watching it, both The Act of Killing and now The Look of Silence, are, in my mind, essential viewing.
6. The Stanford Prison Experiment
Dir. Kyle Patrick Alvarez
In 1971, Stanford professor Philip Zimbardo conducted a controversial experiment in which college students pretended to be either prisoners or guards in a mock prison set up in the basement of the psychology building. I don't think the $15 a day they received for participating made up for the fact that this experiment flew way off the handle very quickly, with the guards becoming abusive and corrupt with power. The story doesn't lend itself easily to a film adaptation, but Kyle Patrick Alvarez created a tense, claustrophobic, thought-provoking drama that felt like a rubber band about to snap. Dr. Zimbardo, who consulted with Alvarez during production, is a fascinating figure in that he wants to continue his research, but he's aware of the psychological damage he might be causing to these kids - when exactly is the right time to pull the plug? This film will make you question a lot of things, and though it may be tough to watch, it's sure to start post-viewing conversations.
5. White God
Dir. Kornél Mundruczó
In general, they say the two things you should avoid working with when making a film are children and animals. Either Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó didn't get that message or was game for an incredibly challenging shoot. White God features some of the best, "how did they do that?" animal acting I've ever seen on film. It follows an abandoned mixed-breed dog named Hagen, who, failing in his efforts to find his beloved 13-year old owner, eventually joins a massive canine revolt against their human abusers. The "dog" side of the story is told entirely through the staging and "acting" of the pups (not via subtitles or Homeward Bound voiceover), and it's mind-boggling to me that it all came together and isn't a complete mess - not a single dog was CGI. While it does take some suspension of disbelief to enjoy it, White God is this year's Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
4. The Wolfpack
Dir. Crystal Moselle
What would happen if the only exposure you had to the outside world was through movies? If you want the answer to that question, watch The Wolfpack, a fantastic first film from Crystal Moselle. This documentary follows a family who home schooled their seven children, prohibiting them from leaving their New York apartment. They only learn about the world through films, and often re-enact their favorite movies, similar to the Swedes in Be Kind Rewind, complete with homemade props, creating their own little world within the confines of this small living space. I have no clue how Moselle would have even had access to these people, but this movie sort of blew my mind. What these kids went through was tragic, but to see how film helped them escape and create their own lives was profound to me.
3. Inside Out
Dir. Pete Docter & Ronnie del Carmen
Pixar has been playing with our emotions for so long that Inside Out seems to be the logical next step. Peter Docter, whose previous film Up is one of my all-time favorite movies in general, was inspired to make this film after wondering why his 12-year old daughter wasn't as happy as she used to be. Inside Out goes into the mind of a similarly aged girl, Riley, anthropomorphizing her five main emotions: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust. This movie is ridiculously imaginative, surprisingly personal, and effortlessly visualizes complicated psychological concepts in terms that young children can understand. Inside Out, along with being a funny, heartwarming, tear-jerking, beautifully animated adventure, could actually be used as a helpful tool for parents to talk with their kids about what's going on inside their heads. Pixar's movies take five years to make, but time after time the end product feels like a casual masterpiece. This almost makes up for Brave and Cars 2!
2. Ex Machina
Dir. Alex Garland
If Mary Shelley lived in 2015, she'd probably write something similar to Ex Machina. A programmer, Caleb, wins a contest to spend a week at the private estate of Nathan, the brilliant CEO of the company he works for, and learns that his boss has tasked him with being the human component of an experiment with an artificially intelligent robot named Ava. Caleb begins a series of "interviews" to test Ava's consciousness, reporting back to Nathan with his findings, but Ava may be more self-aware than either of them anticipated...DUN DUN DUN! Ex Machina is a fantastic, intimate sci-fi movie that had me tense the entire time!
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
Dir. George Miller
It amazes me that the same guy who directed Babe: Pig in the City and the Happy Feet films can go and direct this movie: an aggressive, violent, fuel-injected thrill ride through the land of sand and ash known as The Wasteland. Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the best action movies I've EVER seen, made more incredible by the fact that George Miller is in his 70's! The vehicular stunts are all real - no CGI parachuting cars like in Furious 7 - and the action never slows down. The visuals are so straggeringly unique and inventive that the entire thing operates almost like a silent film. It's an amazing achievement and totally deserves to be seen on the biggest screen and the best sound system available. On top of that it's also a poignant tale of oppressive, male-dominated societies - and features a tribe of ass-kicking old ladies!
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
BEASTS OF NO NATION - An amazingly shot and acted brutal account of child soldiers in Africa, from True Detective cinematographer Cary Fukunaga. I don't know why this doesn't have more Oscar buzz!
CHAPPIE - An artificially intelligent robot is torn between his scientist "father" and a couple of gangsters who capture and train him to be a criminal. Everyone else hated this, but I thought it was funny, the CGI was great, and I loved some of the sci-fi ideas presented here. Haters gonna hate.
THE END OF THE TOUR - Based on a series of Rolling Stone interviews with author David Foster Wallace, this is much more than an insight to a classic '90s novel - it's a great insight on all our insecurities and life itself. If you like "talkie" movies like Before Sunset, you have to check this out!
THE GIFT - A married couple encounter an acquaintance from the past, and their perfect lives begin to spiral downwards. A surprisingly great Hitchcockian psychological thriller centered around three fantastic performances by Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, and Joel Edgerton.
PADDINGTON - Don't be turned off by its whimsical cuteness: Paddington won't only appeal to children! As opposed to something like Minions, the titular character and world of Paddington is completely charming and pleasant, in the most British way possible. Break out the marmalade!
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON - Gangsta rap is the last genre I'd think would receive the "musical biopic" treatment, but Straight Outta Compton nails it. It may simplify and condense the story of NWA, but the actors totally commit and the concert scenes are amazing. F*ck the police!
VICTORIA - Like Russian Ark, Victoria is a "one shot" movie, without a single edit to be found. But whereas Russian Ark was in the more controlled environment of a museum, Victoria is a city-spanning heist film. An amazing cinematic achievement that must have been a huge pain in the ass to shoot!
And here's a quick list of movies that could have made the cut, but I missed out on before I made this post: 45 Years, Anomalisa, The Assassin, Buzzard, Carol, Chi-Raq, Clouds of Sils Maria, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, The Duke of Burgundy, Grandma, The Lobster, Phoenix, The Revenant, Son of Saul, Taxi, Theeb, The Tribe, Z for Zachariah, and probably a ton of others.
So another year has come to a close - I hope you enjoyed this Top Ten list, and I also hope that I've inspired you to watch more movies this holiday season! I'm curious about other people's favorite movies this year - if you have one leave it in the comment section! Thanks for reading, and see you soon; you better believe I'll be back post-ball drop in 2016!
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