The Top Ten Films Of 2015

THE TOP 10 FILMS OF 2015

Despite what I said back in July when I did my mid-term review of the year, 2015 has turned out to be a phenomenal 12 months for cinema and it has been harder than ever to single out the ten absolute best motion pictures I have seen this year. To give you an idea of how much of an astonishing 12 months they were, here is a quick run-down of the films that didn't quite make it into my final countdown :

'Avengers : Age Of Ultron'  - The best superhero movie of the year. Funny, thrilling and full of emotion       

Jurassic World'  - A fantastic reboot of the series that manages to have both nostalgia and thrilling invention   
'John Wick' - Keanu Reeves is back with a bloody vengeance in this wildly entertaining revenge thriller
'The Walk'  - Robert Zemeckis resurrects the Twin Towers with the best of CGI seen in 2015.

'Song Of The Sea'  - A beautifully animated fantasy that, up until Sunday, held a place on my countdown 

'The Martian' - This adaptation of the hugely popular sci-fi story is easily Ridley Scott's best film in years  'Macbeth' - Michael Fassbender shines in this brutal re-invention of the Bard's most treasured work

'The Duke Of Burgundy'  - Strange and ethereal, this Strickland gem is one of the true British films of 2015      

'Mad Max : Fury Road' - My ears are still ringing from this chaotic yet brilliant action spectacular                 'Unfriended' - A totally unique filmmaking approach makes this easily the best horror movie of the year                                           

Whether it be thrills, excitement, scares, awe or sorrow, all of these aforementioned film in one way or another gave me something truly special and every single one deserves to be in a countdown of the true highlights of 2015. However as the title of this post suggests, ten films defied every expectation and turned out to be some of the most precious cinema-going experiences I have ever had. And those movies are as follows:

10) 'CRIMSON PEAK' - 

Having resurrected the gothic fairytale with his dark yet beautiful 2007 masterpiece 'Pan's Labyrinth', Mexican auteur Guillermo Del Toro breathes new life into the all but extinct gothic horror subgenre with 'Crimson Peak' - a mystifying, horrifying and downright gorgeous vision with stunning cinematography, evocative underscoring and a trio of wonderful performances from Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska who once again proves to be one of cinema's brightest up and coming stars.

9) 'STEVE JOBS'

Michael Fassbender brings an incredible amount of depth and intrigue to his portrayal of the late and hugely controversial founder of Apple computers in this captivating and riveting drama from director Danny Boyle. A fine cast and precise direction make the film incredibly watchable but it is the extraordinary screenplay by Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin that makes 'Steve Jobs' utterly unmissable.

8) 'THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA' - 




 

There were a number of animated films that could have easily made it into my top 10 list - with Disney's Oscar winner 'Big Hero 6', Blue Sky's 'The Peanuts Movie' and Aardman's baa-rmy comedy 'Shaun The Sheep - The Movie' all vying for a place on my final countdown of the year. Sadly, due to the constraints of the format, I only have room for two animations on my list and the majestic anime 'The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya' by the lauded Japanese Studio Ghibli is the first. Telling the hypnotic story of a mythical girl who grew from a bamboo shoot, 'The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya' uses hauntingly beautiful watercolours and amazingly cinematic linework to bring the fully immersive power of this most stunning of sagas to the screen. Heartbreaking, moving and genuinely breathtaking, 'The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya' serves a perfectly melancholic swansong for this most cherished of animation studios.

7) 'STAR WARS EPISODE VII : THE FORCE AWAKENS' -


 

I may not be the world's biggest fan of this most enduring of sci-fi franchises but even I couldn't resist the thrills, the tragedies and the infectiously nostalgic joy of J.J Abrams' record breaking mega-blockbuster 'The Force Awakens'. From it's  iconic opening credits to it's goosebump-inducing final shot, 'The Force Awakens' manages to capture that magic element that made 'Star Wars' the gargantuan hit it is today and with the help of a terrific cast, scenes of genuine sadness and a much needed boost of humour, 'The Force Awakens' has turned me from a reluctant agnostic into a full blooded Jedi with a lightsaber in my belt and the instantly adorable BB-8 by my side.

6) 'THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING' -

Eddie Redmayne may have won the Oscar and dozens of critical plaudits for his transformative and quite remarkable portrayal of Stephen Hawking but James Marsh's biographical drama 'The Theory Of Everything' has been all but ignored when it comes to top 10 lists. Well, not here. Not only does Redmayne deliver a dynamite performance but Felicity Jones is equally astonishing in her role (an Academy Award worthy one if you ask me) as Hawkings' loyal yet understandably bitter wife, the script by Andrew McCarthy is raw, ruthless and brimming with humanity and truth and the filmmaking techniques used to bring Professor Hawkings' tragic story to life reflect a huge amount of admiration, love and above all respect for the great man himself. Compelling, romantic and genuinely uplifting, 'The Theory Of Everything' will surely go down in cinema history as one of the truly undervalued gems of 2015.

5) 'SPECTRE' -

Bond is back and he's better than ever. After wowing audiences worldwide with the record breaking 'Skyfall', Sam Mendes once again makes 007 the undisputed King of action with this ruthlessly entertaining sequel that manages to live up to the promises of it's predecessor but also utilises both the present and the past to wonderfully nostalgic effect. Daniel Craig yet again confirms his place as the greatest Bond ever, Christoph Waltz is wonderfully menacing as a villain with a sinister secret and 'Blue Is The Warmest Color's Lea Seydoux breaks every single Bond Girl stereotype with a performance as fierce and as focused as that of her ridiculously buff co-star. Not to mention the most exciting and loudest chase scene I have ever seen on a cinema screen.

4) 'THE FALLING' -

A few years ago, the French auteur and all-around pompous arse Jean-Luc Godard once quipped that in order to make a joke about the British film industry, you would have to believe that such a thing existed in the first place. Oh, that dry French wit! Well, if this year is anything to go by, the UK movie world is as vibrant, as vital and alive as Hollywood ever was. This year alone we've had the likes of Peter Strickland's ethereal 'The Duke Of Burgundy', Sarah Gavron's proudly liberal historical drama 'Suffragette',  Matthew and Daniel Wolfe's relentlessly fierce 'Catch Me Daddy' and of course 'Star Wars Episode VII : The Force Awakens' - a film that may not have been funded with British money but was shot and made by British men and women from all walks of filmmaking life. But while all of these were indeed perfect examples of the staying power of the UK film industry, no movie of 2015 showed the true capabilities and the undeniable power of the British film world than Carol Morley's luscious and exuberant drama 'The Falling' - a film that doesn't answer all of the questions it poses and instead asks it's audience to ponder upon it's beguiling and sometimes bewildering ideologies. With her evocative docu-drama 'Dreams Of A Life', Carol Morley showed the promise of a great career. With 'The Falling' she cements her place as one of our country's finest filmmakers who refuses to obey the traditional conventions of cinema and instead plays by her own unique, overwhelming rules.

3) 'CAROL' -

While writing this post, I would presume that both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara will be dusting off their already heaving award shelves in preparation for the skip full of prizes they are about to win for their Earth-shattering performances in 'Carol', a hauntingly beautiful adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's 'The Price Of Salt' by master director Todd Haynes. Playing two women who fall in love at a time when society denied it, Mara and Blanchett are utterly unmissable in their respective roles and while it's story may seem to be at face value an  Oscar-bait issues film, Haynes' delicate yet meticulous direction betrays an effort to tell a beautiful and heartbreaking love story rather than something critics would wax lyrical about. It just so happens that 'Carol' tells a beautiful and heartbreaking love story which critics have waxed lyrical about.

2) 'INSIDE OUT' -

The second animation to feature on my countdown of the year's best movie could easily feature in a list of the greatest animated movies ever made. From it's opening seconds, the simply perfect 'Inside Out', one of the two releases for Pixar studio's in 2015, draws it's audience into it's simple yet beautifully realised world and with it's unique blend of humour, sadness and an extraordinary amount of maturity for a kids film, 'Inside Out' turns out to be one of the most accomplished motion pictures of this decade so far. Who knows, it could end up being the first animated film ever to win the coveted Best Picture award at the upcoming Academy Awards.

'Inside Out' was indeed an animation masterpiece and has topped many critics lists of the best films of 2015. So what could have possibly toppled it on mine? Drum roll please.......


1) 'WHIPLASH' -

 

While films such as 'Inside Out', 'Carol' and 'Spectre' really touched me in a way that a majority of movies rarely do, no release of 2015 affected me, touched me and thrilled me as much as Damien Chazelle's extraordinary masterpiece 'Whiplash'. The formidable J.K Simmons of course won the Oscar for his terrifying performance as a music teacher from hell but credit must also go to the immensely talented Miles Teller who gives a fantastic performance as a young and incredibly talented drummer who refuses to take his tutor's abuse and threats. Shot in only 17 days and nominated (and indeed winning) a number of high profile awards, 'Whiplash' certainly earned it's stripes at both the box office and the awards seasons. Now it has another honour to put on it's CV - it has earned the illustrious top spot on my countdown of the absolute best films of 2015.