My Personal Top 10 list may not comprise of purely oscar nods or top grossing films or anything like that. Instead I chose my lists purely based on the 10 movies that I had the most FUN watching in theaters.
Now, in no particular order, BEHOLD: My Top 10 films of 2015!
1) The Martian
The Martian was a predictable pleasure. I felt Matt Damon felt his time participating in a film based in space was far too brief in Interstellar, went to his agent and said “I WANT MORE” and boy did he get more. The film is far from perfect and really doesn’t have an incredible amount of tension as to whether they would save Matt Damon but it was wholly entertaining and was well put together.
2) Mad Max
This movie is so cathartic that it’s a mystery of mastery that weaved it into a fantastic movie. Mad Max doesn’t bother to follow a formulaic narrative, give any back story, informative introduction to characters or even give much of an end goal for the protagonists yet the film is so gripping and manages to glue butts to seats just to see what this movie could possibly define as “ending” which is a monumental accomplishment. On paper this movie shouldn’t have worked but it’s incredible and the achievements throughout the movie may put Hollywood on notice about what want to see in a movie.
3) Jurassic World
Jurassic World is one of the many love letters to fans released this year. Rather than re-inventing the wheel Jurassic Park World instead chose to try to recreate the thrills and emotion created from the very first. Some may argue that Jurassic World is a bit too similar to Jurassic Park but for most it’s exactly what we wanted… more of the same.
4) Straight Outta Compton
This film, without a doubt, was the most unexpected pleasure of the year. I dismiss musical biopics well before they’re released because they don’t always satisfy. I tend to ignore anything hip-hop related because the violent and mysogonistic lifestyles often portrayed make it difficult to relate to a character. This movie, like the musicians on which it’s based, defied the odds and spit in the face of the naysayers and was one of the best unexpected highlights one could hope for.
5) Creed
Creed is a movie that I feel we all owe an apology to. A Rocky movie that’s not about Rocky? A Rocky movie about the kid of a guy he beat in Rocky? How is that a plot? Simple: Cast Michael B. Jordan and all will be well. Jordan is quickly eclipsing his peers as one of the brightest and versatile actors in his generation. The guy has a charm that defies the odds a lot like his character Adonis Johnson who, despite not even knowing his father, fights to step out of a overbearing shadow.
6) Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Star Wars has a lot of faults and a lot of them are rooted in the fact that it, like Jurassic World, is a love letter to the fans. What it lacks in originality it makes up for in entertainment. Most folks agree that Star Wars was an event rather than a movie. It’s an excuse to get together with friends and have a nostalgia filled emotional roller coaster good time with friends and for that alone it stands as one of the best achievements in 2015.
7) Avengers: Age of Ultron
Age of Ultron gets a bad rap. This movie delivered one of the most entertaining Hero V. Hero moments worthy of its own film with Iron Man vs The Hulk. Nobody believes that Age of Ultron is a bad film rather most people compare the experience of watching this movie with the experience of watching the first Avengers film. Not only is Avengers Age of Ultron a highly entertaining movie it’s only negative press is based on its predecessor. If Age of Ultron was released first the press surrounding this movie would be monumental and this movie would be appearing on a lot more Top 10 lists.
8) Kingsman: The Secret Service
This movie suffers from being released earlier in the year with our minds still reeling from more recent releases but in hindsight Kingsman stood the test of time of being one of the highlights of 2015. Colin Firth the action star? Sure, why not. Samuel L. Jackson spitting witty dialogue with a cumbersome lisp? That can work. A spy movie about a teenage spy - say what now? Trust me - it works and its fantastic.
9) The Revenant
This movie has the most cringe worthy scene in cinema for the past year. Seeing a man get mauled by a bear is bad enough but let the scene stretch for 3-5 minutes and you may find your perfect “bathroom break” while out on a date. THAT scene alone has folks talking but there’s more to this fantastic movie than DiCaprio’s haunting performance as Tom Hardy also delivers in a tale in a genre that typically doesn’t capture much attention. The Revenant has the potential to stand on its own simply with its performances but the tale of revenge by a man left for dead is indulging in its own right.
10) Ant-Man
This movie almost definitely does not belong on a Top 10 movie release list but it was certainly one of the films that I had the most fun watching. It was formulaic and predictable but more importantly it was funny! there was some unexpected humor in this movie not just from Paul Rudd but from T.I. and Michael Peña! Heck, these two have scene stealing funny moments littered throughout the movie which help this movie stand apart from the other films released by Marvel.
Honorable mentions to Inside Out, The Big Short and Steve Jobs. All fine films in their own right but didn’t meet the same levels of pure entertainment as my Top 10.
