Here again I present my favourite films of the year. As usual it's important to remember that this isn't the BEST films of the year, rather the movies that I've found the most entertaining; not necessarily the best crafted, most awards worthy, or most powerful dramatically, as a professional film critic might see them. Personally I'm looking for a re-watchablity factor in all these films (do I want to purchase it on Bluray for future multiple viewings?) There's a longevity factor to consider as well; I might love the film now but will I still love it in a year from now, or ten years time? Finally there's that highly subjective personal factor that means a film might have a look, or theme, or a story, or characters that talk to my tastes as an individual, more than it might to others who have viewed these films.
20/ TOMORROWLAND
The script is one of the most annoyingly contrived of the year, but Brad Bird’s execution is joyful. Harking back to the Film Foundation & Disney adventure movies of the 60’s & 70’s, this is an intelligent.
19/ TURBO KID
Mad Max meets Power Rangers meets BMX Bandits. This low budget gem is packed with humour, inventiveness & tons of charm. Tonally, this is a miracle of a ultra-violent kids adventure.
18/ CREED
Michael B Jordan, great though he is, is no Rocky in this offshoot of the Rocky saga. Still, this is a fantastic addition to the Rocky saga benefitted with some more subtle than usual wring & direction. Stallone’s performance is easily his best since Copland & the story will have you crying & cheering at the screen.
17/ THE HUNGER GAMES - MOCKINGJAY PART 2
Director Francis Laurence & star Jennifer Lawrence don’t drop the ball in this gritty final instalment. Great set pieces in an urban warfare mode, much musings on the morality of war, held together by an electrifying leading lady.
16/ THE HATEFUL EIGHT
Quentin Tarantino’s latest is essentially The Thing in western genre form, complete with Kurt Russell (being more Kurt Russell than anybody ever knew he could be.) As you’d expect, this is talky (and completely absorbing), violent (thanks to the gory participation of KNB) and brilliant.
15/ KRAMPUS
Krampus is the Trick r Treat of Christmas movies. A gleeful blend of Gremlins, Poltergeist & Night of the Living Dead, this is a contemporary comedy horror done the Amblin way of the 80’s.
14/ GOING CLEAR
A disturbing expose into the workings of cultish modern religion scientology, this documentary has some high profile contributors into the organisation that has clearly immoral systems.
13/ THE FINAL GIRLS
The Final Girls is like the Last Action Hero of Friday the 13th movies, but it actually works. A meta, self-referential, comedy horror that’s as funny as it is clever. Surprisingly, this has heart, too.
12/ AVENGERS - AGE OF ULTRON
Too ambitious to be completely successful, Ulton is a worthy follow up to the 2012 masterpiece. The script doesn’t flow quite as smoothly as you’d like and it lacks the joyful, fist pumping moments that defined the original, but this is still as epic and as funny as super hero movies have gotten, to date.
11/ ANT-MAN
Perhaps not as streamlined & inventive as an Edgar Wright adaptation might have been, but still a wildly enjoyable superhero heist movie with lashings of likable characters and humor.
10/ EX MACHINA
Smart, intelligent, old school science fiction that explores the nature of consciousness in a taut, three person play.
9/ WHIPLASH
Rocky for drummers, Whiplash is an exhilarating drama (right up until the final shot) anchored by two brilliant performances.
A masterclass of editing.
8/ JOHN WICK
John Wick is the Rambo: First Blood Part II of hitman movies. Simple premise, revenge in the air, spectacular body count delivered with extreme violence with the supporting players bigging up our legendary hero to near mythic levels. Stylish, a superb electro-dance score (and some great songs) with some great world building with regards to the hitman community. Roll on the sequel.
7/ STAR WARS - THE FORCE AWAKENS
After the stiffness of George Lucas’s prequel trilogy, fans finally got the Star Wars Sequel they’ve been waiting for with the continuing adventures of Han, Luke & Leia. A ‘soft’ reboot of the original trilogy, Awakens is energetic, perfectly cast, hyperspace paced and is loaded with humour, spectacle and emotional weight. Although it’s hampered with script problems (contrivances, poorly explained story elements, inconsistent pacing & unconvincing mysteries) this is a dynamic return to the thrilling, charming space adventures of our youth.
6/ KINGSMAN - THE SECRET SERVICE
Having dabbled in the genres of crime, fantasy and superheroes, director Matthew Vaughan once again knocks it out of the park with a subversive spy adventure packed with cursing, mega-violence and chavs. Constantly inventive, pleasingly irreverent, musically eclectic and cleverly cast, Kingsman is an adrenaline shot to the Roger Moore era Bond movies of yonder, with a mythic, larger than life, coming of age twist.
5/ IT FOLLOWS
Riffing off the atmospheric, synth-drenched, Carpenter-esque stalk and slash movies of the 70’s & 80’s, It Follows applies its trade to a doozy of a premise; a sexually transmitted death curse can only be got rid of by having sex. Tension is supreme since the wraith whose touch can kill can look like anybody and can appear at any time. It’s all wrapped up in a tender sexual awakening subtext with a strong central performance from Maika Monroe.
4/ INSIDE OUT
When a movie can balance story, character & subtext in a smooth efficient manner, it’s always impressive. When all three of those elements are complex adult constructs aimed at kids, that admiration for the film is amplified considerably. Trying to explain psychological concepts to kids is tough, but doing it ibn such a clear, funning & moving way is utter genius. Pixar’s best movie.
3/ THE MARTIAN
Give Sir Ridley Scott a great script and he always delivers. Drew Goddard provides the adaptation in this realistic Mars based survival story which is fast paced, incredibly witty and frequently exciting. Matt Damon amps his charisma up to eleven with a stunning supporting cast that includes Kristen Wigg, Jeff Daniels and a scene stealing Donald Glover. As with all great movies, this is one you want to rewind and re-watch the moment it’s finished.
2/ MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION
In a year crowded with spy movies, it was a pleasant surprise to see MI:5 rise to the top. The story may be Mission Impossible basic level stuff, but the execution is stripped to it’s thriller core with emotional through lines for the team and its stars. The stunts are bone wrenchingly real, the direction refreshingly old fashioned, the score gloriously (and rarely for modern cinema) bombastic and Rebecca Ferguson’s leading lady one of the year’s enigmatic & capable.
1/ MAD MAX - FURY ROAD
Hands down, the film of the year. Visceral action, beautiful photography, casual brutality, bonkers mythology, iconic costume & production design and a lean, mean, post-apocalyptic western narrative driven by a powerful female protagonist. In an age where cinematic action has been watered down to PG-13 and the sequences are diluted of suspense through over editing, it’s astonishing to experience of this quality again, sustained over two hours.
Bubbling Under; Spectre, Dead Snow 2, The Imitation Game, Citizen Four, The Man From UNCLE, The Revenant, Steve Jobs, Sicario.
