Your Favorite Films of 2015!

Hey folks, thought this might be a nice catch all where we can shoot the shit about the year that was, link montages and mashups, drop some Top 20 (or 10, or 15, or 30, or 5) lists, and discuss the end of the year heavy hitters as they release. Anyway.....

Yo, this was a terrific year for movies. I could dash off a tentative Top 10, then replace each and every entry and still feel like I had an acceptable list, and that's without catching The Forbidden Room, Mustang, James White, Son Of Saul, Force Awakens, Joy, 45 Years, The Revenant, Hateful Eight or Anomalisa as of yet, just to name a few off the top of my head. So knowing that at least the back third'll likely see a dramatic reshuffling as December winds down, here's a very tentative Top 15:

1. Carol

2. The Assassin

3. Mistress America

4. Sicario

5. Mad Max: Fury Road

6. It Follows

7. The Look Of Silence

8. Hard To Be A God

9. The Mend

10. Breathe

11. Magic Mike XXL

12. Clouds of Sils Maria

13. Victoria

14. A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence

15. Phoenix

And here's a kinetic Top 25 of the Year countdown by Rolling Stone writer David Ehrlich, which (among other pleasures) features a Joe Manganiello convenience store strip-tease backed by Rhapsody In Blue and what is and forever will be the best use of Cyndi Lauper in anything ever:

Fuck Fury Road is a lunatic, how-the-fuck-was-this-ever-allowed-to-be-made delight.

I have to catch a few more before I nail a list down but unfortunately won't be able to see Carol or The Assassin or many many more...I will see Victoria and The Look of Silence before the year ends for sure. Really enjoyed Mistress America and just saw A Piegon Sat on a Branch which was just magical.

Here is my list currently but could change before I do a little write up. I don't think I'm going to number them this year so this is not in any order:

• Ex Machina
• When Marnie Was There
• Creed
• Sacario
• It Follows
• Tokyo Tribe
• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
• Wild Tales
• The Revenant
• A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence

Shout out to:

• 10,000KM
• The Gift
• Crimson Peak

my official list

I don't remember if I even watched more than one movie this year. But Mad Max is my favorite movie from the last couple of years, so it feels like a safe bet.

well i have been to the cinema twice this year both within the last 24 hours to watch star wars the force awakens.

Sicario, Mad Max and Star Wars were all very good. I also enjoyed Ex Machina, Advantageous, 1944 and Chappie quite a bit; Jauja as well even though it was originally released back in 2014.

The one film that's stuck in my mind the most however is Guldkysten, a Danish film about the slave trade in western Africa. The movie had excellent cinematography, music and atmosphere.

@liquiddragon: Ah thanks for the Tokyo Tribe reminder, dug Why Don't You Play In Hell for the most part and could use some lunancy in the midst of the unrelentingly bleak crop of films end of the year catch up often becomes. If pigeon was your jam, I'd highly recommend Songs From The Second Floor, the first in the 'Trilogy of Life' Pigeon concludes. How'd The Revenant strike ya?

@tobbrobb: I mean, if you were gonna see a film this year, that's the one, so I'd say you're doing pretty well.

@terrencemalice: I've really enjoyed Shion Sono's work for the most part but Why Don't You Play in Hell? didn't do anything for me so your mileage may vary on Tokyo Tribe. Give it a shot if you think Japanese hip-hop musical sounds interesting to you. I personally loved it to pieces 'cause I kinda dig Japanese rap. Someone highly recommended Roy Andersson so A Pigeon was my first movie of his I've seen. Now I'm a fan so going to check out A Swedish Love Story and make my way up so I'll definitely see the one you suggested.

The Revenant is of course not as fun as Birdman but man, it has stuck with me. I've been an Inarritu fan from the beginning so I wouldn't trust what I have to say but the only "complaint" I can see anyone having is that the story is too simple. There are couple moments I won't spoil for anyone that you'll not want to miss. I don't like to hype movies that I like so just go see it, it's a beautiful piece of work.

For what certainly appeared to be a year with some great stuff, I did a really poor job of actually getting to the cinema. I might have only done so... four times. I must have seen Birdman this year, because it was a 2015 release in Australia. I thought it was great, really engrossing and also just an impressive piece of filmmaking, such a complete vision executed so precisely.

Other than that, I saw Mr Holmes and The Martian. I quite liked Mr Holmes. It had some good performances and the themes and ideas the movie (and I assume the book which acted as the source material) explored were made more interesting specifically because it was the Sherlock Holmes character being confronted by them. The Martian was mostly fine, but also totally not what I expected. I haven't read the book, so I only knew the basics of the premise going in, which lead to some incorrect assumptions about what the film would be like tonally, etc. Not the bleak treatise on isolation that I was expecting! It was fun, if a little thin.

Saw Mad Max, it was great. We all know it's great. Nothing really needs to be said there. But another good example of a filmmaker in TOTAL control, executing a very specific vision absolutely masterfully.

But yeah, I think that's all I saw, so I've got some catching up to do...

Also, TerrenceMalice is a really good username...

The Martian is the best film I've seen so far this year but I'm seeing Star Wars tomorrow!

This is a rough list, not set on the ordering and there are still a few movies I need to see before I finalize everything, but...

1.) Creed

2.) Mad Max: Fury Road

3.) Tangerine

4.) The Duke of Burgundy

5.) Straight Outta Compton

6.) Magic Mike XXL

7.) The Diary of a Teenage Girl

8.) Inside Out

9.) Ex-Machina

10.) Bone Tomahawk

That's with me already having to cut some movies I love; Bridge of Spies, It Follows, Ant-Man, The Martian, among others. Overall a pretty great year for film, not as jam-packed with greatness as 2013/2014, but pretty close.

@liquiddragon: Fair enough, appreciate the reticence to overhype. I'm one of those dirty Innaritu naysayers, although I do find Birdman quite a bit of galvanic fun and am significantly less irked by it as a treatise on art and entertainment than some mostly because I think Innaritu holds himself in contempt along w/ all the rest. Anyway, I'll see The Revenant because Lubezki unleashed is always worth the price of admission and I sincerely hope I find the beauty in it as you did.

Also, as I'm sure you're aware, I meant the Living Trilogy in re Andersson. Been watching Pasolini's Trilogy of Life as preparation for my attempt to get through Salo. It's uh.....quite something.

@mjhwwbg: I really like The Martian goddammit! It's too jokey by half but every member of that cast is aces and it's genuinely feel good in its vision of an Earth united by a single cause and also ABBA and it made me happy and optimistic and then I saw Sicario anyways The Martain is great.

1. The Martian
2. Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens
3. Furious 7
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron
5. Ted 2
6. Terminator Genisys
7. San Andreas

Something like that. I have something of a childish taste I guess, compared to others so while I did see stuff like Mad Max, I honestly didn't enjoy them that much. I have yet to see Hitman: Agent 47 and Magic Mike XXL. I think both might make the list.

I like San Andreas and Mad MAx.. Stop.. What I`m talking about.. Of course, first Mad Max and only then San Andreas..;D

@isomeri: Jauja is a 2015 release here in the states, and narrowly missed my tentative Top 15. Really dug it, gorgeous and glacially paced in all the right ways w/ a bugfuck crazy descent into magical realism to top it all off. Guldkysten doesn't appear to have secured distribution here, which is a bummer.

@damodar: Ha, cheers, somebody on some forum or another had themselves a fortuitous autocorrect, and the rest was history. And I guess w/ that, enough folks on these boards have enough nice enough things to say about Mr. Holmes that I suppose I should just watch the thing. Ugh. Fine.

@johncallahan: I slept on Diary when it hit theaters near me, and have been kicking myself ever since. Really need to give Duke a rewatch, it's certainly a hell of a thing to behold, a perceptive little beauty that's structurally super audacious, I just couldn't for the life of me connect w/ the universal relational push and pulls others found it to so deftly explore and elucidate via its specificity. It's all there intellectually, it just left me entirely cold. Butterflies tho.

So far I think I've only seen 11 movies this year, so this is the top 10. The Martian didn't get the cut by nature of it being an utterly uninteresting, plain, forgettable movie. It's one of those movies that you look at and you have to admit it's well made, but it's just so utterly boring. More than any other film this year, the Martian felt like it was made by a bunch of suits in a boardroom, looking at charts and graphs about how to make a successful movie. In contrast to that, Fury Road had the most heart, the most vision, out of any film this year. It's the most special, so it gets the top spot.

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Sicario
3. Ex Machina
4. It Follows
5. Bone Tomahawk
6. Going Clear
7. The Krampus
8. Straight Outta Compton
9. Furious 7
10. Jurassic World

I'll be seeing at least 3 more before years end (Star Wars, Revenant and Hateful 8), and I'm pretty certain I'll end up liking them a fair bit, probably more than Furious 7 and Jurassic World.

Edit: Oh god I forgot about Terminator, it was trash, worst thing I saw this year.

I didn't get around to too many movies this year, but god damn if Mad Max isn't incredible.

1. Mad Max

2. Mr Holmes

T3. Sicario

T3. The Martian

T5. Spotlight

T5. Creed

7. Straight Outta Compton

8. Kingsman

9. Mistress America

10. Antman

11. Irrational Man

12. Avengers Dos

13. Ex Machina

14. Chappie

15. Spectre

16. Run All Night

Going to see Macbeth, The Revenant, Hateful Eight, and Star Wars soon; be surprised if they crack the top 2 but who knows. Ex Machina is a solid film with a near perfect description of nerd culture and how it relates to misogyny and the objectification of women; the protagonist is just stupid/annoying and too much of a focus. Top 7 are all worthy Best Picture candidates though naturally Fury Road blows everything else out of the water.

Right Now, Wrong Then

The Assassin

Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse

Those threes are my favorites for now. I have yet to see Carol and Tangerine.

I love Tokyo Tribe but saw it last year. That said, I've seen three of Sion Sono's films this year (Love and Peace, Whispering Star and Tag) and I liked them all.

I also just finished Gomes' Arabian Nights, which I liked quite a bit.

Ex Machina

Mississipi Grind

Kingsman

Love and Mercy

The Stanford Prison Experiment

I'm sure there's more but can't think right now. Still have a lot to see too.

Haven't seen everything I wanted yet but my two favourite films of the year were Steve Jobs & Mad Max.

This is roughly in order. (You can swap around #4 through #9 a little bit. The top three are definitely a lock. I thought those movies were great.)

1. The Martian
2. Inside Out
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. Straight Outta Compton
5. Creed
6. Ex Machina
7. Furious 7
8. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
9. Steve Jobs
10. The Look of Silence

I haven't seen everything. Star Wars and The Hateful Eight still haven't come out. I probably should have seen It Follows, Sicario, Bridge of Spies, and Crimson Peak, but alas, I have not yet.

@fear_the_booboo: Right Now, Wrong Then is set for sometime next year in the States. One of my most anticipated, along w/ My Golden Days, The Witch, The Lobster, Cemetery of Splendor, and Knight of Cups.

And I still need to get around to Tabu before I attempt Arabian Nights. I hear there are chaffinches?

Not sure if people haven't seen it or it just didn't work for them, but I found Dope to be the dopest movie of the year. It managed to be a classic 80s-style teen caper comedy, a legitimately tense crime drama, and a thought-provoking commentary on racial identity in modern America all at once, infused with a singular styyyle and killer soundtrack.

1. Dope
2. Spotlight
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. The Martian
5. Ex Machina

@stise: Dope ultimately just didn't work for me largely because it didn't synthesize the elements you list particularly well, and far too many of it's ostensibly comedic beats were catastrophically misjudged. But I mostly enjoyed my time w/ it, and that Macklemore diss was delivered so dryly and perfectly I spent the next 30-plus seconds recovering. Also fuck yes on that styyyle and soundtrack.

@pinner458: Mississippi Grind is such a shaggy, melancholic, hugely enjoyable film. Scene after perfectly judged scene. Would crack my top 20 if not for the last 20 or so minutes.

Awesome list! Also awesome username. This is my list as of now:

1. The Assassin
2. Li'l Quinquin
3. Tangerine
4. Carol
5. Mad Max: Fury Road
6. The Look Of Silence
7. It Follows
8. Sicario
9. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
10. Heaven Knows What

Still need to watch Magic Mike XXL, Hard To Be A God, Phoenix, Mistress America, as well as all the upcoming films. It's going to be interesting to watch The Revenant after despising Birdman last year.

Clouds of Sils Maria would have been on this list if i hadn't seen it last year.

Fury Road and Furious 7 are the only 2015 movies I remember watching so that's my list.

Well, I did see Avengers 2 too, but the more I think about that movie, the less I like it.

I see not a lot of folks watched Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl. I'm not saying to should be everyone's top five, but definitely give it a shot. It's great, and definitely a shout out to movie lovers.

@terrencemalice: The hit rate on the comedy was much higher for me, but I see where you're coming from. It's a shame that the movie's biggest comedic misfire (the kid getting killed while playing game boy) happens so early in the film. That kind of primes the audience to be wary of the movie's tonal freewheeling rather than embrace it.

@terrencemalice: I sadly have not seen Tabu. Be prepared for the Arabian Nights as it is incredibly slow, but I am sure from your taste that you know the drill!

I think it's been a good year, but I feel I've had a cooler reception to more of these films (and of course others that didn't make the list) than most people. Also I'm only counting 2015 premieres.

1. World of Tomorrow
2. The Forbidden Room
3. Chevalier
4. Magic Mike XXL
5. Blackhat
6. Arabian Nights
7. Right Now, Wrong Then
8. Mad Max: Fury Road
9. Mountains May Depart
10. The Assassin

Honorable mentions to 45 Years and They Had it Coming.

@ghost_cat: Very nearly loathed Me & Earl, but I'm also the kinda asshole predisposed to detest a Sundance darling w/ that premise, despite a pitch perfect use of The Big Ship. Anyways, here is an absolutely lovely piece on it that made me cry:

https://thedissolve.com/features/exposition/1072-this-is-the-part-where-i-defend-me-and-earl-and-th/

Jurassic World was probably the best thing I've seen this year. Such a great film, despite a couple of silly moments.

I really enjoyed Crimson Peak but to me the best movie of 2015 was Inside Out.

Honestly I haven't seen that I thought were really great this year. There were some alright movies, but nothing really struck me as something that would stay with me for year. I guess my top 3 would be:

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Ex Machina
3. 9. April (danish movie about the few danish soldiers fighting against the german invasion in WW2. Very realistic and great cinematography)

Ex Machina and Gangnam 1970 are the only 2015 films I have even bothered to watch. I'm sure you all know what Ex Machina is, but Gangnam 1970 was a fairly standard Korean gangster 'noir'; enjoyable, but nothing ground breaking. Nothing else looked particularly interesting this year :(

@ringedwithtile: You're killin' me w/ all this stuff I won't be able to catch until sometime 2016. Also any Blackhat love is good love. That weird, wild thing is auteurship at its most ludicrous and financially unsustainable, and it's very special to me.

Creed, Star Wars 7, and Mad Max.

Also saw Whiplash this year (even though it came out last year), those movies are fantastic!

So....that new Star Wars ain't half bad y'all. First 45 or so minutes are very nearly astounding, w/ the most beautifully handled reveal of an iconic piece of nostalgia I can recall. Perfect mix of reverence and hamfistedness there. Some Lawrence of Arabia grade desert expanses and myth making. Then there's the next hour and change, which are whatever, although grace notes abound. Last half hour brings it home hard w/ a terrific, emotionally charged duel that conveys subtleties of character via choreography. Lovely stuff. New cast is a delight across the board, Oscar Isaac can apparently do anything, BB8 is everything.

Yo that new Star Wars is fucking great

These lists remind me how few new movies I actually see in a year. I look forward to seeing all these cool movies you're talking about in 2016.

But yeah um, my favorite film this year was Mad Max.

@hayt: This is also an acceptable, probably preferable summary.

Blackhat is great. I have no idea why it didn't catch on, especially that it's basically all forward momentum and it's absolutely gorgeous. But yeah, I'm lucky to live in a city with a pretty good film festival. Still, there were omissions this year that I'm a bit sore about (No Home Movie, Journey to the Shore, Sunset Song).

It's always hard for me to pinpoint all the movies I've watched for the first time over the course of a year to the specific year they were made in. Here are the no-brainers that have (most) definitely been released in my country this year and I liked a lot:

Fury Road, It Follows, The Force Awakens, The World of Kanako, Tokyo Tribe, The Martian, The Visit, Inside Out, Ex Machina, Kingsman; Ich seh, ich seh; Beasts of No Nation, Little Forest: Winter/Spring, The Look of Silence,

I still haven't seen most of the Oscar favourites, because Australia, but here's the best I've managed to see so far. I put Clouds of Sils Maria on last year's list, but it might be #1 if it was on this one.

1. The Duke of Burgundy
2. Brooklyn
3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
4. The Daughter
5. The Forbidden Room
6. Inside Out
7. The Martian
8. Sicario
9. Mad Max: Fury Road
10. 99 Homes
11. Mistress America
12. It Follows
13. Avengers: Age of Ultron
14. Magic Mike XXL
15. Ex Machina
16. The End of the Tour
17. Victoria
18. Phoenix
19. Lost River
20. Corn Island

My current favorites would be:

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. The Martian
3. Spectre
4. Furious 7
5. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
6. Jurassic World

I've also seen Avengers: Age of Ultron and Terminator: Genisys neither of which belong on a best of list.

Otherwise with Star Wars, Creed, Straight Outta Compton and The Hateful Eight still to see this is a really great year if any of them are as good as they sound and make their way at or near the top of my list. Not that they need to, Mad Max and The Martian are already amazing movies.

I really liked

Love and Mercy

Straight Outta Compton

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Pawn Sacrifice

Holy crap, I don't think I've seen a 2015 film...