My Top Ten Films of 2015

Now that the Oscars are over and the winners selected, I can say that for the most part I was pretty much OK with the picks. I was terribly disappointed that Stallone didn't win Best Supporting Actor, just for the fact that I thought his was the best performance of the bunch and that he will never, ever have another chance. I also disagreed with the “Best Picture” winner, but not by a lot – I didn't think “Spotlight” was the best picture of the year..... though it was the most important.

I tend to judge a movie by rather atypical standards. The Hollywood critics spend a lot of time examining the cinematography, set and costumes, the technical details. I focus SOLELY on “how much did I like the movie”. A couple of years ago I thought that a little $400,000 Indy movie was easily the best film of the year (“Blue Ruin”) even though it had such “issues” as being able to see the cameraman's reflection in the windshield of the semi truck it was riding in while following a car. Yes it was there, but it didn't take away from what an absorbing film experience it was.

That being said, below are MY picks for the best films of 2015. That is, these are the movies that I enjoyed the most thoroughly, in order.

1. Room. A nearly perfect film with two flawless lead performances. It made me laugh and cry and squirm and cheer. In my opinion, this year there was “Room” and then there was everything else.
2. Brooklyn. A movie that was just about a girl and her rather unremarkable life. But somehow made remarkable by how much you cared about the lead character and her hope for a better life.
3. The Revenant. Oh all the pissing and moaning that it was dull and dreary and DiCaprio spent half the movie only groaning. But I love a western (even a frontier one), and I love a revenge picture, and I love seeing a truly great villain. So there was nothing in this for me NOT to love.
4. Ex Machina. I was sooooo happy it won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, just because it deserved to win SOMETHING. Three impeccable performances, a really riveting story that combined Frankenstein, Terminator and Body Heat. Absolutely great film.
5. The Martian. Robinson Crusoe in space. A great turn from Damon and while I found it a bit of a letdown after reading the book, I can't deny just how enjoyable a movie this is.
6. Spotlight. It's a movie that made me more angry than happy, but no denying it was a terrific film.
7. The Hateful Eight. Honestly, if you remove a 3 minute scene just past the halfway mark (the one where Samuel L. Jackson describes his murder of the the General's son) this might have been number two on my list. That scene nearly ruined an otherwise fantastic movie.
8. It Follows. A low budget classic. Seems to me that it is meant to be an allegory for AIDS, but spooky and creepy and wonderful.
9. Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I wasn't quite as enamoured by the new Star Wars as many were, but it was undeniably a great achievement in movie-making, and thoroughly enjoyable.
10. Creed. Personal bias here – I love “Rocky”, not just the movie franchise but the character. In a performance that was every bit as good as his original portrayal of the character 39 years ago, Stallone chewed the scenery and we had a new character that was nearly as likeable to root for.

Near misses: “Mad Max Fury Road”, “The Big Short”, “Sicario”, “The Walk”, “Black or White”, "Love & Mercy", "Jurassic World" and “Cake”.