Top 7- Best Films of 2015

This list has torn me apart emotionally, and I don't just mean because it was difficult to pick a favourite. I had to decide to push this list forward a week and miss out on potentially putting Star Wars on the list so that for my TV list, I could put Fargo on there, having actually seen all of it by the time it airs. I'm going to go through some honourable mentions first, done in no particular order and then I'll get to the ranked list. Finally, I'm going by UK release dates here, so there may be a few slightly older Oscar films on the list.


Macbeth

An interesting and fantastically acted adaptation of a classic story that has some of the most gorgeous cinematography of the year.

Straight Outta Compton

A rap biopic that I loved, despite being neither a fan of rap, nor biopics. A surprise delight.


Ant-Man

Marvel's winning streak continues with their small on scale, big on heart heist movie.


Steve Jobs

A film with no action that somehow manages to be one of this year's most nail biting films, even when it does stray from reality.


The Walk

One of very few films that makes 3D feel worth the effort. When Philipe steps onto that wire, the film digs it's claws into your face and doesn't let go.


99 Homes

Imagine if Nightcrawler was about the property market. That is what 99 Homes is, alongside being the year's most under seen film.


The Martian

Matt Damon leads an impressive cast in a tense, hilarious and frequently heartfelt movie that makes you feel happy to be human.


Right, now to the actual list!


7. The Gift

If you've seen any of the trailers for this film but haven't actually seen it, this will be an incredibly surprising pick for you to see here. After all, I hate horror and this film was marketed as "By the producer of Insidious and Sinister". It looked like a pretty standard home invasion type movie with stacks of jump scares and a dumb story. But on good reviews and good faith, I gave this movie a chance and it was genuinely fantastic. Jason Bateman broke free of his comedy background to deliver a great performance and Joel Edgerton gave a chilling performance, as well as directing it with ease. Pair these with a fantastic story that chilled me to the core and you have a film that was far better than it's promotional material would have you believe.


6. Birdman

One of the first films I saw this year, Birdman feels like it was made for me due to it's intoxicating use of the follow shot and being made to look like one long shot with no cuts. On reflection, this clearly isn't true but it's an impressive illusion, even if it eventually becomes seamless. It's the story of a washed up actor trying to put on a career saving play after he becomes known just for playing a superhero a few decades ago. It's a role genuinely made for Michael Keaton and he owns it, just as much as Innaritu owns the directing. Birdman soared in the skies of cinema and has made me pumped for his next film, The Revenant.


5. Kingsman: The Secret Service

While this was a surprise hit for most, I had high hopes from the start and can happily say they were met. In fact, if you remember all the way back to almost a year ago, this was on my most anticipated of 2015 list and it exceeded my expectations. After all, a goofy homage to spy films from the guy behind Kick-Ass could only be a winner in my books. Add in a charming Colin Firth, cracking sense of humour and some stylish directing that gave us possibly the best fight scene of the year and you've got a tip top film that I can only hope isn't let down by it's sequel.


4. Mad Max: Fury Road

We are now in my 10/10 films. These are the films that are the single most essential movies of the year and deserve to be seen by all, no disrespect to the other films. Now, I think very few will argue that Mad Max: Fury Road doesn't have some of the most pulse pounding action scenes of the last decade. For a movie that was stuck in production hell for years and has had it's lead go genuinely mad in all the wrong ways, it looked like the end was nigh for Max Rockatansky. Fortunately, this action magnum opus arrived and also managed to be a great display of how to make female characters that are strong and empowering without patronising and annoying the male half of the audience. George Miller, congrats on coming back from Happy Feet and making this majestic action film.

3. Ex Machina

I'm a big fan of sci-fi and as such, the trailers for this didn't convince me that this could be anything different to what had come before. I can't say I was entirely wrong but I wasn't entirely right either and what Ex Machina is is an intriguing and thought provoking movie that explores old tropes but in a new way that is thrilling. In my opinion though, it's the performances as well that sell the movie as we get Domnhall Gleeson playing a slightly nervous technician given the chance of a lifetime, Oscar Isaac as a dickish billionaire and a stellar Alicia Vikander as an android trying to be human and scaring the crap out of me. This movie is intense and unforgettable in all the best ways but also pretty disturbing. As a warning though, after watching this movie, you'll never listen to Enola Gay in the same way again.


2. Inside Out

Pixar are finally back with the kind of revolutionary animated movie they've become famous for and in my eyes, it could well be their best yet. It's a simple story about a girl's emotions and the journey they go on as she starts to grow up and change. I don't want to ruin the story at all but it hits all the trademark Pixar notes and is the first film since Toy Story 3 to make me cry in a cinema. As well as being emotional enough (no pun intended) to make a teenage boy cry, it's also beautifully animated and hilarious in so many points. For me, this film hits the levels of originality that we've had to wait since Up and WALL.E to get again and it's probably already one of my favourite animated movies ever. All I can say is that I'm happy Pixar are back on form.


1. Whiplash

From the opening drum beat, Whiplash held my attention completely and never let go once. I was enchanted by the story of a drummer trying to achieve greatness and getting beaten down constantly by his asshole teacher. For a film about a drummer, this film is exhausting and I don't know if I've ever felt as emotionally drained after a film as I did this which just shows how involving a movie this is. It's fantastic directing and a frenetic script bolstered by a great Miles Teller and an unbelievably good J.K. Simmons in what I think will be his defining role. If you remember my list of favourite films ever, you'll remember this film was very high up there and as such, I couldn't really miss another chance to praise it because it is one of the single most gripping and maybe even life changing movies ever made. In short, it's utterly essential.