For 2015, unlike the previous
years, I didn’t make a first-half and second-half lists for best movies of the
year. Instead, I decided that, starting with 2015 films, I would do something new for my annual movie lists.
Throughout the year, I would immediately
write a short review after watching a movie – thus, I could present my two
cents’ worth on that movie fresh. That’s
why, if you noticed, the amount of blog posts I wrote in 2015 is more than
double than what I wrote in 2014. It’s
because I wrote a blog post for every movie I’ve watched in 2015. (Click here for
all the movies I’ve watched and reviewed in 2015.)
I would then only have to assemble
a single list – a Top 20 list – once the year is over. And I’m satisfied with this new
arrangement. Since my thoughts for all
the movies I watched are already available, it’s much easier for me to weigh-in,
pick, and rank the movies.
Moreover, for the first time, I
feel that I’ve watched all the movies I wanted to watch in 2015, thus, I don’t
think there’s a need to make a follow-up list in February (like what I did last year for 2014 movies). I think this list
is pretty much complete and final already.
So here are my picks for the top
20 movies of 2015, with excerpts from the respective reviews I wrote.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
The Revenant,
Shaun the Sheep, Spring, Straight Outta Compton, Advantageous, White God,
The Good Dinosaur, Heneral Luna
20.) EX MACHINA
“Ex Machina is a superb, fresh, insightful, disturbing, and gripping science fiction psycho-thriller straight out of The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror.”
19.) THE WALK
“Not only is The Walk thrilling, but it’s also even, in a sense, inspiring. To be honest, I never thought that so much rich drama and insights can be derived from a story revolving around a daring and remarkable but essentially trivial act. Even so, the script accomplishes creating something deeper and heartfelt from this.”
Click here for the full review.
18.) WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
“This movie succeeds in hitting all the right notes in parodying known vampire tropes, and the script itself is cleverly-written and extremely funny... On what it is intending to be, I think What We Do in the Shadows is flawless and inspired.”
Click here for the full review.
17.) THE HATEFUL EIGHT
“As an overall product – with the script, production, and incorporation of old-fashioned cinema techniques and elements – The Hateful Eight is a further testament that not only is Quentin Tarantino a master filmmaker, but a passionate scholar of the craft as well.”
Click here for the full review.
16.) PADDINGTON
“I believe that the movie has perfectly depicted the clumsy but well-meaning, marmalade-loving bear from 'darkest Peru.'... Paddington is as heart-warming and adorable as the best of Disney movies (which, in my opinion, are the greatest family movies out there)... Every aspect of Paddington resonates with timelessness and charm.”
Click here for the full review.
15.) BRIDGE OF SPIES
“As usual, at the hands of Spielberg’s masterful direction, the movie flows with comfortable pacing and engaging narrative execution. And he thoroughly brought out the best out of its competently written script... Bridge of Spies succeeds in being sophisticated and touching as a drama, and stimulating and suspenseful as a thriller.”
Click here for the full review.
14.) CREED
“Creed is a genuinely terrific film – one of the year’s best. In fact, among all other Rocky films, it probably has the most depth since the first movie. It’s a compelling drama fueled by the amazing performances of Stallone and Jordan.”
Click here for the full review.
13.) SPOTLIGHT
“Directed impeccably... and with all-around stellar performances from its ensemble cast, Spotlight is... the most fascinating drama that I’ve seen in 2015. In fact, it’s my bet for next year’s Academy Awards.”
Click here for the full review.
12.) WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE
“When Marnie Was There is a lovely, well-made animated movie about friendship, healing, and finding a positive outlook in life... This movie also possesses some additional sentimental value if you are a Studio Ghibli fan... this would be the last Ghibli film for a while, so it’s really worth seeing.”
Click here for the full review.
11.) JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND
MONSTERS
“Coming into this movie, I admit that I was prepared to hate it... But, watching it finally, I found it surprisingly terrific... Its utter Elseworld-ness abundantly adds intrigued and charm... Justice League: Gods and Monsters proves to be another engaging and entertaining DC animated movie. I love its world, characters, and premise, and I want to see more of them.”
Click here for the full review.
10.) MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE
NATION
“In my opinion, this fifth Mission: Impossible installment is the franchise’s best yet. Seriously, this franchise ages as gracefully as its star, Tom Cruise (can you believe that he’s already in his 50’s!) – both only get better with age... Prior to Rogue Nation, I’ve already been enjoying the Mission: Impossible movies very much. But it’s only with Rogue Nation that I could really say that I’ve finally become an invested fan of this franchise.”
Click here for the full review.
9.) SICARIO
“Sicario is an all-around fascinating movie. It’s weighty and bracing in substance, and competent and engaging in form.”
Click here for the full review.
8.) THE PEANUTS MOVIE
“The movie totally nailed the essence and characteristics of Peanuts. It richly references the themes, tropes, and sketches of the comic strips and classic cartoons. The characters are perfectly depicted. And it is indeed as thoughtful, tender, funny, and amiable as what Peanuts has been known and beloved for.”
Click here for the full review.
7.) ANT-MAN
“Ant-Man’s heist element, sense of fun, captivating cast performances, and dynamic storytelling elevates it from being merely a typical superhero origin movie. And as far as being a superhero origin movie is concerned, Ant-Man is Marvel’s best since Iron Man... I enjoyed Ant-Man a lot. It has a lot of clever ideas, and carries them out rather well.”
Click here for the full review.
6.) KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE
“Kingsman is consistently entertaining from start to finish. I appreciate all the tongue-in-cheek referencing of popular spy fiction properties and tropes, and it has some of the most viciously beautiful fight scenes this side of The Raid movies... [The movie] showed us what kind of character Colin Firth is born to play.”
Click here for the full review.
5.) AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
“It has a good amount of humor despite of having a darker tone, but it’s not as clever and funny as the first one. However, it does have a better distribution of important character moments, more thematic depth, and more eye-popping action sequences... Avengers: Age of Ultron [is] a very enjoyable epic movie...”
Click here for the full review.
4.) MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
“I was blown away. The entire movie is basically a long, badass car chase sequence, but despite of all the explosions and violence, Mad Max: Fury Road can’t really be mistaken for just a mere dumb action flick. It’s greatly more than that. It has depth and art. It’s a genuine cinematic masterpiece... This is an all-around awesome movie.”
Click here for the full review.
3.) INSIDE OUT
“If I’m rating movies, I will give Inside Out a perfect score – an A+, or a 100%, or five stars out of five... It is superior to most Pixar movies... The quality of this movie is comparable to the best of animated classics as it will effortlessly make its audiences laugh, cry, reflect, and feel warm and good inside.”
Click here for the full review.
2.) THE MARTIAN
“It has gorgeous-looking visuals; a smart, well-paced, and immensely entertaining story; a balanced delivery of laughs and thrills; and a wonderfully feel-good message. Acting (as expected from the caliber of such brilliant cast), direction (a return to form for Ridley Scott after Exodus: Gods and Kings), cinematography, writing – every single detail is terrific... It has the makings of an eventual classic.”
Click here for the full review.
1.) STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
“It’s the greatest movie theater experience I’ve had since 2012’s Avengers. It’s truly pretty epic... Star Wars: The Force Awakens is immensely thrilling, fun, and spectacular. As a film production, it’s very praiseworthy – kudos to J.J. Abrams for masterfully helming this movie... [It’s] the funniest Star Wars movie ever... Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a glorious success in reviving the franchise for more big screen triumphs. It’s an emotionally gratifying movie experience.”
Click here for the full review.
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