This is usually the most eagerly-anticipated post on my blog each year. A top 10 list of films of the year can give us a nice flavor on what the theme has been this year. We have seen franchises return, gripping true story dramas and novels come to the big screen.
I'm afraid I haven't seen every film from 2015. So some notable well reviewed and popular films that I have not seen are Love & Mercy, Grandma, The End Of The Tour and many others.
Also, some films that got a theatrical release in the UK this year were technically not 2015 films. They will not feature in this list but do in my previous top lists. So films such as It Follows, Predestination, The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya and every film that was released in January will not be making this list.
As usual, there were some disappointments. I was hoping for more from Macbeth, even though it is still an interesting piece. Tomorrowland: A World Beyond had a good two-thirds, but the final act put a dampener on what could have been a summer hit. The Good Dinosaur was one of Pixar's weakest, but still entertaining. Legend did not live up to the hype, but is still worth watching. Crimson Peak did not fulfill peoples expectations. However, it is still an intriguing feature with some of the most fantastic set and costume designs.
Even Avengers: Age Of Ultron is being seen as a disappointment. It ended up being what many people thought the first Avengers would be, and that is bloated and having too many characters to give us time for an interesting story. Southpaw and In The Heart Of The Sea were fine, but could have been so much better.
Spectre was good but not great. I think the success of Casino Royale and Skyfall made this look worse. Black Mass was definitely the biggest disappointment of the self proclaimed awards contenders. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 sort of lived up to the expectations as the novel is also many peoples least favorite book. The Program could have been something special. But instead, the two Lance Armstrong documentaries gave us a more interesting story. Some of the worst of the films I have seen this year that had some hype were Pan and Jupiter Ascending.
I still do find them a decent watch. But as I don't go to the cinema to purposefully watch bad films, these are near the bottom.
Down at the very bottom are Fantastic Four and Chappie. The former does have an interesting story. But I feel the studios unnecessary involvement gave us an a poor final act. As for Chappie, I got angry about this one. The more Neil Blomkamp films I see, the more I feel District 9 was just a fluke.
One the whole, the summer blockbuster season was as usual a disappointment. There are some exception which we'll get to later. But for now, I will defend Jurassic World and Terminator Genisys. Yes there are obvious problems with both of them. But I still had a fun time watch and they are both not the worst in their respective franchises. That honor goes to Jurassic Park III, and Terminator Salvation.
Some nice surprises were The Gift, a very interesting horror thriller. There were also Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. It is amazing to see this franchise still bringing good fun popcorn flicks. I had so much fun The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water. Despite never seeing a full episode of the beloved cartoon, I was swept up in this odd world and had a great time.
A couple of indie films that I experienced was The Lobster and Me And Earl And The Dying Girl. Both films I would not usually go and see, but found really good things about it that made me enjoy these.
2015 saw watch a high amount of film documentaries. A few that came close to my top 10 of the year were A Syrian Love Story, Amy, The Esctasy Of Wilko Johnson and the brilliant Tyke Elephant Outlaw. If you liked Blackfish, then may I recommend Tyke Elephant Outlaw.
A big film missing out is the highest-grossing film of the year and possibly of all-time, and that is Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I have my reasons, and you can check them out on my review of the film itself, which remains my most read review ever.
Now to the awards contenders that missed out. I will begin with The Big Short. I seemed to appreciate more than love it. But I did find it an entertaining watch nevertheless. I really liked Bridge Of Spies, but I still feel Spielberg has grounded himself too much. His popcorn films are still his best work and films like this, Lincoln and War Horse will always be second best. As for the Best Foreign Language Film Son Of Saul, I really liked the cinematography and general look of it. Truly felt like hell on earth.
Now these are the films that I enjoyed a lot and would contend with any top 10 films of the year. But sadly there were 10 others that were better than this.
I'll begin with Sicario. A tense thriller that keeps showing how great director Dennis Villeneuve is. Cinderella really surprised. After initially not going to see it, I was given a months voucher at my local cinema as choose to watch this. Not only did I love it, I bought the DVD and have seen it three times. The first Disney live-action re-make that I feel gave us something different and yet still had that classic magic. I hope the next live-action re-makes step up their games after seeing this.
Like Cinderella, I was not going to see Creed. But all the buzz from America intrigued and this film has definitely rejuvenated the Rocky franchise despite it being basically the first Rocky film, but with a modern feel.
Straight Outta Compton was a really gripping experience. I knew a bit about this story. But not only did I learn a lot, it was expertly told with top performances. This ended up being a very well made piece of work.
I really liked the gripping Victoria. The German film done in one-take is quite an achievement whilst also being a highly entertaining and engrossing story.
Badlapur is a powerful India revenge drama that I was not expecting to like that much.
Despite Tale Of Tales being released in 2016, it is a 2015 film. Despite not really knowing what to expect, I ended up being pretty overwhelmed by this dark, twisted fairy tale that is brilliantly told with great performances.
I really enjoyed The Martian, and it deserves to be an awards contender. As does, The Hateful Eight. It might not be as strong as Quentin Tarantino's other works. But it still a great watch. A couple more that lost out was Joy, and Shaun The Sheep Movie. Anything that David O. Russell does seems to win me over, and Joy did that. As for Shaun The Sheep, I laughed as much as I did with any Wallace & Gromit film. It keeps that cheeky tone that manages to appeal to both kids and adults. Also missing out is Carol. A brilliantly made drama lead by two amazing performances from Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.
Brooklyn also which just misses out on my top 10. A wonderful heart-warming drama based on the novel by Colm Toibin. Lead by the amazing Saoirse Ronan, it tells the story of an Irish immigrant looking for a new life in New York. It really takes you back to the powerful female lead dramas of the 1940's. Even the structure of the film felt old-school.
If this was a top 11, then The Danish Girl would have made it. Tom Hooper's beautiful looking drama about the life of the first transgender operation. What initially looks like 'Oscar bait', it manages to be worthy of contending for the awards, and that's just the wonderful leading performances by Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander.
Every frame felt like a painting.
I must mention that Ex Machina was in this list at number 8. But it has come to my knowledge that it's first release was at the very end of 2014. So sadly, that makes that film a 2014 film.
Sadly, it is a top 10 and only 10 can make this list, and here they are:
10) Demolition - This may have been released in the UK in April 2016, but this is still seen as an official 2015 film. This ended up being a such a surprise and I was completely overwhelmed by it.
The perfect mix of heavy-hearted drama and quirky comedy made this a captivating watch lead by the always brilliant Jake Gyllenhaal.
9) Tangerine - Filmed entirely on an iPhone, this gorgeous look drama gives us many great performances from total unknowns and moves along at a surprisingly frenetic pace.
It's rawness and gritty vibe and colour palette gives it wonderful authenticity. It's definitely worth your time for something new and innovative.
8) Steve Jobs - Danny Boyle is back with this gripping drama about the co-founder of Apple.
With a movie all about dialogue, the writing by Aaron Sorkin grips you from the very first minute.
It also contains great performances from all angles. This definitely deserved to be a play in a theatre.
7) Mad Max: Fury Road - The action blockbuster we have been waiting for.
This visual wonder by director George Miller attracted a whole new audience to the Mad Max franchise, including me.
With a powerful female presence lead by Charlize Theron, this completely bonkers world manages to win the majority over. Plus, the high use of practical effects proves that we are getting bored of lazy CGI action set-pieces.
6) Spotlight - A gripping drama that tells a remarkable story that shook Christianity to its very core.
It sees a group of investigative journalists from Boston uncover a horrible cover-up involving the local Catholic priests.
It is a really well told with fantastic performances, from an ensemble cast and has a great documentary feel to it.
5) Inside Out - Pixar's first of two features this year. But the one in their usual slot, the middle of Summer.
This mind bending concept brought Pixar back into the lead as the best animation studio.
The characters are beautifully portrayed and developed and the ideas are used to its best ability. But most importantly, the feeling you get after seeing it reminds you of their classics. Welcome back Pixar.
4) Beasts Of No Nation - A harrowing war drama about a boy soldier fighting in a civil war in an unnamed African country.
It may be a tough watch, but the way it is done is beautifully made.
From the great performances from youngster Abraham Attah and seasoned pro Idris Elba to the powerful visuals, this is a risky piece that managed to be hugely entertaining.
3) The Revenant - After winning Best Picture at last years Oscars, you would think Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu would take a break. Instead, he has given another cinematic spectacle that deserves another Oscar or two.
It tells the brutal true story of frontiersman Hugh Glass and how he recovered from being on the very brink of death. It has amazing performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter and several others with the jaw dropping landscape of the snowy Montana and South Dakota mountain ranges as a backdrop.
2) The Boy And The Beast - A thrilling and emotional animated adventure from Japan's Mamoru Hosoda.
When a young orphaned boy stumbles upon a fantastical world of beasts is taken in by a warrior looking for an apprentice.
It's fun, exciting, powerful and I think great family viewing.
1) Room - Based on the popular 2010 novel by Emma Donahue, this gripping drama really went places I was not expecting.
With award winning performances by Brie Larson and 7-year old Jacob Tremblay, this is an emotional story with so much joy in it as well. This is probably the only film that I cannot stop thinking about after seeing it.
I think the less you know about it beforehand, the better viewing experience you'll have.
