In All Seriousness:
As is true with every year, I wasn't able to watch everything that was released this year, or at least not everything I wanted to before making this list. Some notable films that could have been contenders but I missed out on are: Son of Saul, Mustang, Clouds of Sils Maria, Black Mass, Legend, and I'm sure some others that I can't think of right now. Below the initial Top 25 ranking, I'll show my ranking of every film that I saw from the year 2015, so you can see what I liked but just missed being on my list, and what I really didn't like.
25. Sicario (Dir. Denis Villeneuve)
Incredibly intense scenes filmed through the lens of Roger Deakins. Emily Blunt is great and Benicio Del Toro gives a performance deserving of more awards recognition. The last 20-30 minutes are a little messy, and is the only thing keeping this film from being further down on this list.
24. Straight Outta Compton (Dir. F. Gary Gray)
Straight Outta Compton is a delicious little treat for NWA fans.. NWA is a musical group with such a controversial and interesting history, F. Gary Gray would have had to really mess up to not make this film entertaining. Also, who would have thought that an NWA biopic would be one of the handful of films this year to make me choked up at any point.
23. Best of Enemies (Dir. Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville)
My criteria for finding a good documentary is: a) it has to be about a compelling subject, b) the information has to be presented in an interesting and creative way. Best of Enemies gets a check mark in both categories. I had basically zero knowledge of anything to do go with Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley or their 1968 debates prior to seeing this documentary, now I am immensely fascinated with both of them.
22. Tu Dors Nicole (Dir. Stephane Lafleur)
This film is a bit of a hidden gem even amongst the foreign films released in 2015. I watched it based on seeing a screenshot of the film, beautifully shot in black and white. I also read a review comparing this film to Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha (a film I love). It's short, sweet, and funny. I'm glad I managed to discover this one.
21. Tangerine (Dir. Sean Baker)
A film that is as uncomfortable as it is hilarious, and with a wonderful look (filmed entirely on an iPhone, but it looks way better then that sentence reads). Sean Baker unveils the not-so-hidden world of transgender prostitution in LA, and it is dazzling.
20. The Big Short (Dir. Adam McKay)
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Adam McKay (the same director of Step Brothers, the Anchorman movies, Talladega Knights, and The Other Guys) could direct a film that had a good bit of drama. His and Charles Randolph's script doesn't shy away from the technical talk of the high-finance world, but it also does a good job of helping commoners like myself to understand this world. Also it is very funny, and the almost documentary-like camerawork lends itself well to the story.
19. Phoenix (Dir. Christian Petzold)
A beautiful performance by Nina Hoss, and an ending that I still think about every so often. The subject makes it a bit of a tough watch, but it's pretty accessible and on Netflix, so I recommend it to anyone trying to watch a great foreign film.
18. What We Do in the Shadows (Dir. Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi)
This is a mockumentary about vampires who are living in modern times. The film explores all of the rules and hardships of living as a vampire, and it is truly one of the funniest films I saw all year. Every scene between the vampires and the werewolves especially had me crying from laughing so hard.
17. Youth (Dir. Paolo Sorrentino)
A very intriguing film from a very intriguing filmmaker. I'm still kind of wrapping my head around it, but it's very enjoyable, with some good performances from the entire cast. Camerawork that is musical and spectacular, it reminded me of Fellini's work.
16. The Hateful Eight (Dir. Quentin Tarantino)
Although it ranks as my third least favorite Tarantino film (as of now), I still had a lot of fun with this film. I do think it is a little too long, specifically on the front end. The acting however is great, and the mystery of the story in entertaining to follow. Unlike most of Tarantino's other films however, no scene really stands out in my mind as being really special, and that keeps it at this middle-tier spot in these rankings.
15. Creed (Dir. Ryan Coogler)
I'll just come out and say, I like this film more than the original Rocky. Now to be fair I only kind of like Rocky, but nonetheless Ryan Coogler (one of my favorite new directors of the past couple years) made a great film here. It's ambitious to portray the son of the already immortally famous character Apollo Creed, it's ambitious to do an 11-minute long continuous take of a boxing match (it's incredible), and it all works so well. Michael B. Jordan is a star on the rise, and Stallone gives a possible career-best performance.
14. 45 Years (Dir. Andrew Haigh)
One of the reviewers (Josh Larsen) from my favorite podcast, Filmspotting (check it out if you're a sane person who likes film), described the acting in the film as "invisible acting." This is perfect, because Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay make it seem way too easy to act. If someone told me that they got really method 45 years ago, got married, and remained in a relationship all this time just to make this film, I would totally believe it.
13. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Dir. J.J. Abrams)
I was never a HUGE fan of the Star Wars films. I like them enough, but I don't eat, sleep, breathe, and poop them. This one was really fun though, and it was nice to see on the big screen. What can I say about this that hasn't been said already? Probably nothing. Go Rey!
12. World of Tomorrow (Dir. Don Hertzfeld)
If you are looking for a 19-minute long, animated, short film to completely destroy your emotions and put you into a deep depression, boy have I found the film for you. I made it seem like you shouldn't watch this film with that first sentence, but you really should see this (or Hertzfeld's longer and also great film It's Such a Beautiful Day on Netflix). It's funny, smart, heart-breaking, cute, and unpredictable. A very short and necessary watch for anyone who is able to see it.
11. The Look of Silence (Dir. Joshua Oppenheimer)
If you have finished or are currently watching Netflix's Making a Murderer, and you want something else to make you disgusted with human beings, here it is! The Look of Silence is his even better (in my opinion) follow-up to his acclaimed documentary The Act of Killing. It can be really hard to watch, but it's beautifully filmed and it's a story that deserves to be told.
10. Ex Machina (Dir. Alex Garland)
Ex Machina helped me discover three important things: 1. Oscar Isaac is great at dancing, 2. Alicia Vikander is a wonderful actress to look out for in the future, 3. I'd like to marry her at some point in my life. Anyway, this intellectual, sci-fi film is great to look at, and will have you thinking about it for days after watching it. And once every couple of weeks after those initial few days, and probably will have you continuing to think about it for the rest of your consciousness.
9. It Follows (Dir. David Robert Mitchell)
The best horror film of the year, and one of my favorites of the past few years. It's hard to come up with a great, new horror premise nowadays, with all that has been done up to this point in the history of cinema. However, It Follows feels fresh, while keeping in mind it's horror movie predecessors as influences (especially with the amazing 80's-horror-esque score).
8. The Martian (Dir. Ridley Scott)
The Martian is popcorn movie entertainment at it's finest. It's meant to be a crowd pleaser, and it really is (or at least was for me). I think I enjoyed it so much, because of my lack of much expectation going into it, especially considering Scott's previous five films (Exodus: Gods and Kings, The Counselor, Prometheus, Robin Hood, and Body of Lies). Matt Damon is as charming as he's ever been, and he really is able to tug on those heart-strings. Very enjoyable movie, despite the minor science flaws (damn you Neil Degrasse Tyson and/or Bill Nye!)
7. Inside Out (Dir. Pete Docter)
As a reference of how excited I was to see this film, I woke up at 9 in the morning to walk 20 minutes to a theater to see the first showing of it on opening day, alone. And I'd do it again! Pixar made one the best films in the company's history this year with Inside Out (and one of the worst. The Good Dinosaur? More like The Poop ButtIsSore! Nailed it). A genius premise, with excellent voice casting, and incredible animation and story structure (also a reference to the movie Chinatown). It's a near-perfect film.
6. Love & Mercy (Dir. Bill Pohlad)
At the middle of the year, this was my favorite film of 2015, and it hasn't drifted too far from that spot since then. This is the biopic I have been waiting my whole life for, or at least the past two years since becoming obsessed with The Beach Boys. Dano and Cusack are great as young and old Brian Wilson, and Elizabeth Banks shows again how terrific she is. The studio scenes are manic, as is the camera during those scenes, and as a BIG fan of 'Pet Sounds', it is an incredible joy to watch.
5. Carol (Dir. Todd Haynes)
A really beautiful, all-around great film, that I believe will only get better each time I see it. Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett are impossibly good in this film. The cinematography is incredible, constantly gazing from a far, as the characters do of each other. I am now very curious about Todd Haynes and look forward to exploring his filmography.
4. The End of the Tour (Dir. James Ponsoldt)
The film so nice I saw it twice in two days (once because Jason Segel was going to be at the theater). The End of the Tour really dug its way deep inside my brain and stayed there for a while. It touched upon so many different things that I was feeling, and had me experience so many different emotions throughout it's 106-minute runtime. There were films made this year that on a technical level, are better, but this connected with me on a deep level. And I think that is way more important as a filmgoer.
3. Mad Max: Fury Road (Dir. George Miller)
I re-watched this movie yesterday, and afterwards it made the jump from 14th to 3rd on this list. Holy crap on a twig, this movie is good. From the very beginning this film grabs you like a human "blood bag" and ties you to the front of it's car and drives you through the harsh, apocalyptic desert until its satisfying ending. Not a single second of this film is boring, and I look forward to watching it so many more times.
2. Anomalisa (Dir. Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson)
A big theme amongst these hastily written blurbs is the necessity to me for good films to drill into your brain like a parasite, and make it's new home your mind for a long while. This film drilled into my brain and is now controlling my entire body (I wish it would stop making me get nachos at 2am). Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson made a film that I want to watch as much as I want to watch Mad Max, but because it's the only way I'll be able to fully grasp it, and take back control of my body. Hilarious and uncomfortable, insightful and baffling, other words and other words. Jeez, I'm a mess.
1. Mistress America (Dir. Noah Baumbach)
With Frances Ha two years ago, and this movie in 2015, Noah Baumbach is becoming one of my favorite directors. Him and the amazing-at-everything Greta Gerwig, wrote what I think is the funniest and most quotable script of this year. The soundtrack is delightful. Lola Kirke (from what is apparently the Hollywood Foreign Press Assosciation's favorite show, Mozart in the Jungle) is one of my favorite discoveries of the year. I really would love anyone who hasn't seen this film, (which is probably 98% of the people reading this right now) to watch it immediately. Buy it on iTunes, rent it from RedBox, do something to get this movie in front of your eyes.
And thank you for putting this blog post in front of your eyes. Here are my complete rankings of the year in film:
Complete 2015 Rankings
As a reference I really liked everything from 1-39, 40-56 I enjoyed, 57-61 I was not a huge fan of, 62-67 I didn't like.
1. Mistress America
2. Anomalisa
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. The End of the Tour
5. Carol
6. Love & Mercy
7. Inside Out
8. The Martian
9. It Follows
10. Ex Machina
11. The Look of Silence
12. World of Tomorrow
13. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
14. 45 Years
15. Creed
16. The Hateful Eight
17. Youth
18. What We Do in the Shadows
19. Phoenix
20. The Big Short
21. Tangerine
22. Tu Dors Nicole
23. Best of Enemies
24. Straight Outta Compton
25. Sicario
26. Spotlight
27. The Revenant
28. Steve Jobs
29. Room
30. Chi-Raq
31. Crimson Peak
32. Brooklyn
33. The Duke of Burgundy
34. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
35. The Wolfpack
36. Amy
37. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
38. The Tribe
39. Junun
40. Bridge of Spies
41. Dope
42. Trainwreck
43. The Diary of a Teenage Girl
44. Ant-Man
45. Spectre
46. Beasts of No Nation
47. Welcome to Me
48. The Assassin
49. Unfriended
50. Trumbo
51. The Walk
52. Tig
53. Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
54. While We’re Young
55. Pitch Perfect 2
56. Irrational Man
57. Joy
58. The Avengers: Age of Ultron
59. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
60. Lost River
61. Slow West
62. The Good Dinosaur
63. The Ridiculous 6
64. Furious 7
65. Jurassic World
66. The Lazarus Effect
67. Dark Places
