Top 10 Best Movies of 2015

Now that you guys have seen my picks for 2015’s worst silver-screen crap piles, I wanted to treat you guys to what I thought were the best. But I mostly wanted to treat myself after having to revisit all those awful films. Anyway…

2015 was overall a good year for movies. There might have been some really awful movies, but there were more than enough great ones and, dare I say it, several bona-fide masterpieces. So let’s not waste time with small talk, here are my picks for the best films of 2015.

Honorable mentions: Ant-Man; Kingsman: The Secret Service; Avengers: Age of Ultron; Brooklyn; Mad Max: Fury Road; Steve Jobs; Cinderella; ’71; Straight Outta Compton; The Walk; The Peanuts Movie; The Good Dinosaur; Bridge of Spies

10. Paddington

Surprised to see this on my list? Well, if you saw the movie you shouldn’t be. I had mixed feelings about Paddington going in, but by the end of the movie I was thoroughly entertained. It has boatloads of charm and good humor, delivering laughs while also having a lot of heart. The acting, which could have been silly and over-the-top, was actually top-notch. I totally bought Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins as a loving but mismatched married couple, and Ben Whishaw was great as Paddington himself. So yes, Paddington proves that you can have a January family film that doesn’t suck.

9. The Big Short

I had been interested in seeing The Big Short for quite a while, even if I was a bit skeptical about comedy superstar Adam McKay directing a semi-serious movie about the run-up to the Great Recession. But McKay and co. accomplished something special with this film. The Big Short takes one of the darkest chapters of our history, in which financial wheeler-dealers were allowed to do whatever they wanted and brought the world economy to its knees, and makes it a tragedy and farce in equal measure. I was laughing the whole time, wanting the main characters to prove there was a housing bubble, but also disgusted by all the self-serving people surrounding them and the lengths some people will go to make a quick buck. But that’s a sign of great art; it divides not just man against man, but divides us in our hearts.

8. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars has been one of my favorite things since I was a small child. The original trilogy is possibly the best one of all time, and even with the prequels Star Wars stands up as one of the greatest franchises in pop culture history. So I was excited but a bit apprehensive about a new Star Wars movie. The marketing was great, I liked the team behind it, but there was always a chance of failure. But Disney and Lucasfilm succeeded in reviving the franchise with flying colors. The Force Awakens works great as a kickstart to a new series, being a sequel to the original trilogy with a dash of Star Wars (1977)-remake. At times it stuck too close to the first film’s framework, but overall it was exactly what I wanted. Great new characters, plus some old favorites, exciting set-pieces, amazing visual effects, and a great pace combine to make The Force Awakens a terrific movie, and here’s to many more.

7. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

The Mission: Impossible film series was for years a poor man’s James Bond, average-to-pretty good movies that were pretty fun but not particularly memorable. Then came the fourth film, Ghost Protocol, which was a great movie and showed that this franchise could go toe-to-toe with the best of them. Now Rogue Nation is this franchises’s Casino Royale, the movie that changes the game once again. Not only was Rogue Nation an exciting film with lots of great action, it had a thrilling story. I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish, always wondering how Ethan Hunt was gonna get himself out of this one. Add in a still-incredible Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg given his moment to shine, Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames as backup, and the amazing Rebecca Ferguson, and you’ve got the year’s best spy movie…and 2015 had a ton of them!

6. The Martian

Well, Ridley Scott…you’ve won me over again. For the past several years I feel you’ve been off your game. No matter what you tried it just didn’t seem to click. This ranged from the mediocre Alien pseudo-prequel Prometheus to the disastrous Exodus. But I always held out hope that the genius who gave us Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, etc. still had it in him. So thank you for making The Martian. Seriously, what a great movie. With a dramatic story of survival on Mars, with pathos, thrills, and laughs, anchored by the wonderful performance of Matt Damon as the astronaut that could, what more could a film fan ask for? Ridley, you’re back, and I’m so sad you didn’t get nominated for Best Director this year.

5. Spotlight

The more I think about it, Spotlight is sort of the flipside of The Big Short. It portrays the terrible tragedy of the Catholic priest sex abuse scandals, but instead of playing it for dark laughs Spotlight makes a terrific drama. Director Tom McCarthy (who gave Peter Dinklage his break in The Station Agent) has crafted an engrossing saga of sin and denial, of revelation and redemption, showing the terrible consequences of sexual abuse by a trusted figure while showing the power of the human spirit to overcome all obstacles. It’s also a tribute to the power of journalism, the ability of good-old-fashioned investigative reporting to change the world. Not to mention the breathtaking performances from all involved, particularly Mark Ruffalo and Liev Schreiber.

4. The Revenant

After 2014’s Birdman, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu was on top of the world. You might even say that he had the right to make a bad movie after that. I’m glad that he didn’t. Not only is The Revenant an amazing movie, to me it is definitely Inarritu’s masterpiece. The film is visually beautiful, a shoo-in for many a Cinematography Award. It sucks you in from the very beginning and makes you feel the hardships Hugh Glass has to go through. And of course, the acting is incredible. Not only do Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy deliver Oscar-worthy performances, Will Poulter and Domhnall Gleeson deliver some of the best of their careers. All in all, The Revenant is incredible, a film not to be missed.

3. Inside Out

I think that Pixar is the best movie studio in business today, but after Toy Story 3 they seemed unable to reach the heights of greatness of their previous films. They were usually pretty good, but that’s not what you expect from Pixar. But with Inside Out they returned to true greatness and had an amazing banner year. Inside Out is exactly what I wanted; I love the characters, especially the dynamic between Joy and Sadness. It was very funny, but also had a beautiful emotional core. It also features one of the most mature themes in a Pixar film yet; the importance of emotional nuance in growing up. A fabulous movie, and a shame it didn’t get nominated for Best Picture.

P.S. Oh yeah, Bing-Bong is my number one guy.

2. Ex Machina

Great sci-fi is not just aesthetically pleasing, it also asks questions about where the world is headed, transports you to another world. What we got from Ex Machina was science fiction of the highest order. It poses the interesting question, how human can an AI be? and runs with it, crafting a great thriller. The CGI is amazing, proving that you don’t need hundreds of millions of dollars to make your movie look great. Congratulations to Domhnall Gleeson (you appeared three times on my list) and Oscar Isaac (twice), who deliver great performances. But the star, of course, is Alicia Vikander as the mysterious AI Ava. You might not know her name, but you have definitely seen her face this year (in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., or the Danish Girl, or on oh-so-sexy magazine covers), and she is going to be a huge star. She’s not been acting very long and is already nominated for on Oscar for The Danish Girl, although I would’ve given it to her for Ex Machina. Yeah, she’s that good in this movie.

1. Creed

Who would’ve thought that a Rocky film without Rocky boxing would be so damn compelling? Well, I had my hopes, but Creed flew past even my wildest dreams. Like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, you could accuse Creed of sticking too close to its predecessors, but why change a formula when it’s this good? The story of Adonis Creed is an uplifting one of living in your father’s shadow and trying to carve out your own path, told with gusto by director Ryan Coogler. Michael B. Jordan is great as Adonis, but the standout is Sylvester Stallone as Rocky once again. It’s easy to forget that, for all the silly movies (some good, some bad) he’s been in, Stallone can give dynamite performances, and Creed might be the best he’s ever been. He truly deserves all the acclaim he’s getting, and I will consider myself satisfied if he wins an Oscar this year.

So there you have it, my favorite movies of the past year. Feel free to comment, give your list, rant about omissions, or just go crazy. Oh yeah, have a great 2016.

“The Martian” Review

(Disclaimer: This review is essentially an expanded edition of the one I published in the Cougar Chronicle, California State University San Marcos’ newspaper)

Astronaut and botanist Mark Wotney (Matt Damon) is left for dead on Mars during a severe dust storm. Now Wotney must use his wits to find a way to contact NASA and stay alive until the next manned mission to Mars occurs. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Wotney’s superiors try to find a way to keep him alive while avoiding a public relations disaster.

There’s no getting around it; director Ridley Scott has been on a cold streak for a long time. Gone are the days of Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator. We now live in the age of The Counselor, Prometheus, Robin Hood and Exodus, all mediocre to awful films that are black marks on Scott’s reputation. However, a movie based on a popular book like The Martian looked like a chance at redemption. I was skeptical of Scott’s abilities to bring this story to life after so many duds, but The Martian looked great and I am always up for something Scott’s directing.

One great film does not a comeback make, but The Martian is even more than that; it’s an amazing film. It all starts with the story of Mark Wotney, a man stranded in a hostile environment where anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and the efforts of his companions to bring him home. The focus is significantly smaller than Scott’s usual fare, but he handles the story with great care, making it a suspenseful, dramatic experience. Even though The Martian is by no means an action movie, it has all the personality of one. Everything in the film feels urgent, and you definitely feel the sense of danger that comes with the territory.

Of course, The Martian wouldn’t work without a great lead character. Fortunately, Matt Damon provides that in spades. He’s a terrific actor, and makes Wotney a determined, eternally curious man who won’t let anything get in the way of his survival. You root for him all the way, cheering when he succeeds and fearing for him whenever he fails. Damon also provides a lot of laughs, mostly of the deadpan “in your face, Neil Armstrong” variety, but also by making Wotney a bit of a show-off. There’s obviously a lot more films coming out soon, but if the Oscars were airing tomorrow, Damon would definitely get a Best Actor nomination.

Making up the rest of the cast are a bevy of terrific actors. Mark Wotney’s fellow astronauts, led by the wonderful Jessica Chastain, all shine despite limited screentime. There’s also Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Sean Bean as NASA higher-ups, fitting into the film so well that you might not realize just how great they really are.

By having a large cast, the film stresses the importance of teamwork. For all his genius, Wotney wouldn’t have a chance to get home without other people backing him up, and everyone has a role to play in the rescue. I love when movies can have an important message while never feeling the need to beat you over the head with it, and on that front The Martian passes with flying colors.

Oh yeah, it’s a Ridley Scott film. That should tell you enough about how good the visuals are.

I only have two complaints. At nearly two-and-a-half hours, the film is a tad long. Cut down on some of the extraneous stuff and the film would’ve been even better. Also, Sean Bean plays the compassionate boss to Jeff Daniels’ hard-headed boss, and the contrast was at times too blatant. Bean did a great job in the film, but the way his character acted was sometimes too good to be true.

The Martian is magnificent, a fundamentally small story that manages to be epic at the same time, told very well and with an excellent cast. It also marks a return to form for Ridley Scott, who has spent that better part of the past ten years on autopilot. Come Oscar season, expect to see The Martian get some very serious consideration, and hopefully not just for technical awards.

Score: 9/10

Rated PG-13 (some strong language, injury images, and brief nudity); 141 minutes

“Exodus: Gods and Kings” Review

Exodus is a movie that, on paper, has a lot going for it. It’s got a solid cast led by two very talented actors, Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton. One of the writers was Steven Zaillian, known for such excellent films as Schindler’s List and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (the American remake). Finally, it’s directed by Ridley Scott, the man who gave us Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator. But Ridley’s recent track record is exactly why my enthusiasm has been dampened. You see, Ridley Scott tends to go in cycles. He’ll do a few good movies, then go through a slump, and then strike gold again. Right now, we are in the middle of a long Scott slump. Whether it’s Body of Lies, Robin Hood, Prometheus, or The Counselor, his recent films have all been disappointments. I was really hoping that Exodus would be different. Those hopes turned out to be empty, because Exodus is one of Ridley Scott’s worst movies.

Premise: Inspired by the famous biblical story, Exodus follows Moses (Christian Bale), a Hebrew raised within the Egyptian royal family. When he sees the suffering of his Hebrew brethren firsthand, Moses decides to get them out of Egypt with the help of God.

Pros: There’s some (and I must stress some) cool scenes that let Scott do what he does best; visuals. His strengths occasionally shine through in the battles and scenes showing the devastation of the ten plagues. It serves as a reminder of what Scott can do, but these good moments are also pretty rare.

Ben Kingsley gives the best performance in a film filled with bad ones. The weird things is he didn’t have to give a great performance. His character, Nun, is not in the movie for very long, and he doesn’t do much other than tell Moses that he is (gasp!) a Hebrew. But Kingsley found a way to make his character endearing and show-stealing. Careers have been built on worse performances.

Cons: Oh, there’s a bunch of stuff wrong with Exodus, but I’ll start with the relationship between Moses and his adopted brother-turned-rival Ramesses (Joel Edgerton). This should’ve been an epic story about two great friends who ultimately become bitter enemies because of their conflicting ideas of who has authority over the Hebrews. Dreamworks Animation did it with The Prince of Egypt, so you’d think Ridley Scott could do it. Wrong! Moses and Ramesses barely have any screentime together, and their relationship is severely underdeveloped. Sure, you get some scenes of them bickering, but you never see them the as loving brothers they once were. You don’t get to see how their relationship sours, because they sort of hate each other from the start.

I bet you thought a cast of talented actors like Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, John Turturro, Aaron Paul, and Sigourney Weaver could make Exodus a movie worth seeing. I know I did. But if that’s what you were thinking, you’d be wrong. Joel Edgerton looks embarrassed, and not just because he looks ridiculous with that spray-tan. He’s awkward and stilted, something that you don’t want your tragic villain to be. Paul and Weaver don’t do much of anything, and both seem like they just want to get out of here to go to the catering table. Bale gives a valiant effort, but even he struggles with the material he’s given. However, I can’t blame the actors. They had to work with a bad script, and Ridley Scott is not known for being an actor’s director (with a few exceptions). I feel especially bad for Aaron Paul, who hasn’t been transitioning out of Breaking Bad with much success.

You know how I said some of the visuals looked really good? Well, I also said they were the exceptions. Exodus has lots of bad visual effects. The ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea should look awesome, but they are too often ruined by underdone CGI. Even some things that you’d think would be easier to animate, like landscapes, often look like something out of a mid-2000s video game cutscene. Come on, Scott. I at least expect you to make your movie look good.

Verdict: Despite a good dose of ambition and an excellent premise, Exodus is another failure for a post-American Gangster Ridley Scott. Bad acting, bad effects, and a bad story make what could’ve been an interesting movie a tedious slog. I hope Scott can rebound, but with each bad movie it’s looking less and less likely. Skip this and watch The Ten Commandments or The Prince of Egypt.

Score: D+