This is Part two of our Two-Part first ever post. Part One should be pretty easy to find from here. I’m not even gonna link it for you. Enjoy Papas’ picks!
10. Mad Max:
90-minute car chases would not usually find their way to my list, nor would a movie with quite so little plot. But in a year where a number of well-received movies built themselves on their spectacle alone (see: The Hateful Eight, The Revenant), George Miller’s managed to stand out by being so batshit insane that it worked, and took the cake to boot. My heart raced, and that was just from watching on my 32-inch TV- a superlative indeed.
9. Joy:
It’s weird. I will be the first to admit that. But somehow, just as with Mad Max, it just works. David O. Russell drives as much pipe-dreamy kitsch into this movie and asks his repertoire star Jennifer Lawrence to bear it singlehandedly. And, boy, does she. Lawrence’s growth as the titular character brings to mind Al Pacino in The Godfather, and while the rest of the ensemble perhaps does not rise to that level, it is more than enough for Joy to make this list.
8 and 7. Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur:
People took great measures this year to draw the distinction between the adultish Inside Out and the more youth-oriented, though just as whimsical, Good Dinosaur. Those are misguided at best, malevolent at worst. These two great entries into the Pixar canon, stand out for what they both are: outstanding movies. And yes, The Good Dinosaur does get the upper hand here. Inside Out was a wonderful journey along Pixar’s typical lines, but there was something fun and refreshing about the simple wonder of The Good Dinosaur.
6. Bridge of Spies:
Speaking of tried-and-true, “Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg do 20th Century period piece” is not exactly headline news. But the cache of immense personal charm and talent couple with a message about the better angels of out nature, at a time when it is all too needed, to create a taut and uplifting thriller.
5. The Peanuts Movie:
Look, sometimes a movie gets on here just because it made me smile. No movie did that more this year than The Peanuts Movie. I’m a sucker for pure nostalgic joy, and this one got me big time. I dare it not to get you too.
4. Trainwreck:
If Amy Schumer’s Bud Light Party can promise me more hilarity like this, then they have my vote in November. The ensemble cast (looking at you, LeBron James) makes masterful work of Schumer’s bawdy material, all under the sure hand of Judd Apatow. Yeah, it hews close to Apatow’s usual formula, but if the rest of Apatow’s films could hew a little closer to this, the world would be a better- and funnier- place.
3. The Danish Girl:
Tom Hooper and the incredible pairing of Alicia Vikander and Eddie Redmayne create an impressive cycle of the ordinary and the extraordinary: a couple face ordinary challenges made extraordinary by their extraordinary circumstances, and they struggle ordinarily and extraordinarily to overcome, which, of course make for an extraordinary film. (Try saying that ten times fast.)
2. Brooklyn:
A quiet, perfect little film. Saoirse Ronan is the gem among the cast, with each glance and pregnant pause managing to be offhand and yet so meaningful. But she does not carry it alone, and together they make the movie gleam like green fields of Ireland themselves.
1. Spotlight:
A journalistic process piece. A political thriller. A horror movie. A test of faith. This movie is all of those things and more. For an Irish (and Greek) Catholic who went to parochial school in New England practicing a faith given to him from his Bostonian grandmother via his mother, this movie was always going to be meaningful. But even I could not begin to expect its overwhelming power. See it. And brace yourself.
Movie I still need to see: Steve Jobs– I was in a four month cultural black hole, guys. Something had to give. And unfortunately, it was an Aaron Sorkin movie. Thank goodness for Amazon Video.
Most underrated movie: Tomorrowland– Just because it’s a Disney movie doesn’t mean it has to be a daisies and sunshine. Yes, it was bleak, but the trifecta George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, and Britt Robertson, made the end of the terrible world a happy occasion.
Movie I feel most conflicted about: Star Wars: The Force Awakens– Some days, it seemed like it could make it’s way on to the list above. Other days, it seemed like it was a sadistically tired retread of a movie we all have seen a million times. I’m sure I will decide which it is for sure while I rewatch it many, many times for the rest of my life.
Whew. Pixar almost had me there. Last couple movies weren’t bad, but Pixar used to have this knack of making every single movie magical. And that magic was missing. All that magic came rushing back in Inside Out. First off, astounding world building here. Making a world of a person’s mind is pretty unpaved territory, so there are really no preconceived ideas of that world has to look at, and Pixar created a world with rules, magic, and mystery. These movie was also educational. It’s so important that we don’t confine sadness to a little circle where it does nothing. I think I needed to hear that it’s okay to be sad sometimes, and this movie makes it okay. It’s also so damn bright, and funny, and wonderful. It leaves you wanting more from this world. I could’ve been stuck in Dream Productions, or Imaginationland, or the myriad of other people’s brains, and watched them forever, but Inside Out gave us just a taste of all of these wonderful worlds, all independently operating, and didn’t linger, never bored us. Also, we could’ve been bored by what was going on outside of Riley’s head, in the “real world”, but I was almost just as invested in that reality (I may have started bawling when she calls for the bus to stop). Keep doing you, Pixar. My money is all yours, forever.
God. The names here are enough. Emily Blunt. Benicio Del Toro. Dennis Villeneuve. Josh Brolin. Roger Deakins. But they all swirl into this perfect cocktail that is Sicario, a masterpiece of suspense. Sicario alone had at least 3 of the best scenes of the year (the highway scene, the dinner scene, and the ending). Benicio Del Toro rocked the fucking house. Something about his presence onscreen was simultaneously terrifying and yet also kind of calming. Every little detail was perfect here, too. When the seemingly random Mexican cop/Dad would eat his breakfast, I was dying for Huevos Rancheros. Every little sound in this movie was perfectly placed. You could feel trucks driving on the streets of Mexico, and every footstep or beat from the soundtrack put you more on the edge of your seat. “You are not a wolf, and this is a land of wolves now.” Man. This movie could be anti-Tourism commercial for Mexico.
Alternate title: “General Hux and Poe Dameron Hang Out With Hot Droids.” Seriously, what a year for Domhnall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander, coming from relative obscurity to starring in like 8 combined films this year, all awesome. Ex Machina is a breath of fresh air in a sci-fi genre cluttered with action and adventure spectacles. Nothing wrong with those, but it’s been a while since we’ve gotten a true hard sci-fi that concerns itself more with human truth than fantasy. Ex Machina is basically a long Twilight Zone episode, in the best possible way, and unlike the old black and white days, this movie is astoundingly visual, and looks absolutely beautiful. There’s a distinct clash between what men create and what nature creates. Ex Machina is a modern day Frankenstein story. Also, Oscar Isaacs is an absolute treat no matter what movie he’s in. Especially when he tears up the fucking dance floor.
Of all the movies on this list, this is the only movie that I truly walked into blind, knowing nothing about it. I didn’t even know it existed until the day I saw, in a movie theater full of old people. But it blew me away. Specifically the final scene. I mean, the whole movie was great, but it would be a little lower on the list without that final scene. God, I’m trying to avoid spoilers here but it ends just….perfectly. And this entire movie is pretty great. It’s essentially reverse film noir, told from the perspective of the femme fatale. Hell, it takes place in the right era, though instead of 1940s Los Angeles, it takes the backdrop of postwar Germany. This movie just shows so much love for the film noir genre, and it’s pretty nice to see such a masculine driven genre from a feminine gaze.
2015 was basically the year of the spy movie. We had a new Bond, a new Mission: Impossible, Spy, the Man from U.N.C.L.E., and we had this. Kingsman was singlehandedly the most fun in theaters I may have ever had. Every moment was a smile. And this movie looked like absolute shit when it was first announced. Remind me never to second guess Matthew Vaughn again. The man knows that the key to a good action comedy is by making it a good action movie first. While Kingsman is hilarious, it had amazing fight sequences, and an almost music video quality to the visual perfection of its action sequences. And it wasn’t just a parody movie, though it did not only parody spy films, but also the young adult movies that have come in Hunger Games’ wake. It stands on its own as an excellent show of class warfare in modern day England. Top it all off with Colin Firth as the most supremely likable posh British agent, and this movie KICKs ASS. Seriously, FIRST CLASS stuff.
I had no interest in seeing Creed. “All boxing movies are the same, and that’s not a good thing”, I thought. Then I reluctantly saw Creed after work, and hot damn. It’s not that it’s a different movie. Much in the way The Force Awakens imitates the story of A New Hope, Creed imitates Rocky to bring a new audience to an old franchise. But it’s not a mere parroting of the same exact movie, it’s an unabashed love affair with the source material. And it breaks the fourth wall with it. Hell, the core question at the heart of Creed is practically “How can I become my own in the shadow of someone greater?” Just like Donnie learns to embrace his father’s identity while becoming his own, completely different person, Creed embraces its predecessor while showing us that it’s still damn good all on its own. Also, the soundtrack to this movie will make you ready to take on any tough British boxer out there.
What made Room work was Jack. It could have been a lame old Lifetime movie, but instead, we looked at the story from the point of view of a child. Instead of following the gaze of this woman who has been through a horrible experience, which nearly no one can properly relate to, we get to look at the brilliance of both her character, and this entire story, through the eyes of a still innocent child. And, I don’t know, something about looking at the world through this child, who has never even seen the world, is magical. Everything in the world feels new, because it is new to Jack. And from that place, it’s hard to be cynical about anything. Everything is fresh, everything is scary, and everything is beautiful. Brie Larson is taking over the awards circuit, and deservedly so, but Jacob Tremblay fucking kills it.
How could you walk out at the end of this movie, Papas, and say “meh”!?! What kind of impressive-ass movies have you been watching this whole time that transcend all film-making like The Revenant? Jesus H. Christ, man. I stand by what I said, Alejandro Innaritu is a gift to film. The man is a modern day Werner Herzog. While he conquered the battle of man vs. himself in Birdman, Innaritu move on to man vs. nature in the Revenant. The man, partnered, once again, with the incomparable Emmanuel Lubezki, made this beautiful piece of art, and you said “meh”!? Okay, to be fair, I think you’re more of a “great acting performances” guy, which is why Spotlight will be at the top of your list (and that’s fine, Spotlight was awesome) and you think David O. Russell is one of the best directors of the decade (he’s hogwash, but we’ll fight about that later), and there’s nothing wrong with that. And with all the buzz around Leo winning the Oscar finally (it’s going to happen), his performance in this movie is pretty damn overrated. Like, he was great, but it’s not the finest performance of his career. Tom Hardy is the real Oscar worthy performance here, though. And that opening battle scene is some straight up Gladiator/Saving Private Ryan shit. This isn’t just a movie about a man getting attacked by a bear, it’s an amazing revenge flick, and there’s little better than an amazing revenge flick
Max Landis can be a snotty a-hole who doesn’t know how to handle himself when given an audience (particularly on twitter). But he does do fun shit. American Ultra feels like it was written by a film student, and while that carries some baggage with it (there’s a difference between student and master), it also carries a certain level of optimism, fun, and inventiveness that makes for a great time at the movies. It’s something different, yaknow. Also, I mostly bypassed the Twilight thing, so I happen to think Kristen Stewart is just great.
Tarantino is great. One of my favorite directors. And The Hateful Eight wasn’t bad, per se, it was just….lacking? The first act was a total snooze fest. And Tarantino, who writes terrific dialogue, hell, that’s his signature, got a little meandering. What this movie needed was a competent editor who would get in Tarantino’s face, and maybe hold his dick before he got to it. Parts of this movie where unnecessary and just straight up uncomfortable (see: sexism and dick jokes). And when we finally get to the Tarantino violent fun we expect, it’s all stuffed into the second act, in stark contrast to the first act, and it’s all a little too much at once. It’s pretty much meaningless violence, and if you think other Tarantino movies are also meaningless violence, you haven’t been paying attention. This is new territory. I still enjoyed it, for the most part, and Ennio Morricone is the greatest-film-composer-who-ever-lived-sorry-not-sorry-John-Williams, and he continues to prove that in this movie, but part of me feels like if I didn’t see the 70mm roadshow, I would have enjoyed this even less. I was actually thankful for the intermission.
Life After Wawa 