And now for the thrilling conclusion! Here are the five, best films of 2015. Let me know how you guys think in the comments below or go to my Facebook page for any insights.
5) Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
-George Lucas may not like to come home again but it certainly isn’t an issue with this fan. Yes, Episode VII takes a lot of elements from the original trilogy. But what it does is enhance the mythology of the original story to new heights by adding in a slew of new characters. Whether it is Daisy Ridley’s kick-ass Rey or Oscar Issac’s charming X-Wing pilot in Poe, there is more then enough new material here to make new fans out of an already incredible franchise. Add in some new technology and a shocking moment here or there and you have enough to satisfy a fanboy/girl for the next film slated for 2017.
4) Electric Boogalo: The Wild Untold Story of Cannon Films
-What makes a talking heads documentary like this so entertaining is the subject matter itself. Cannon Films was a 1980s juggernaut of poor decisions but ultimately giving us some of the most unique films ever produced. Sure, most were terrible or just countless action vehicles for the likes of Chuck Norris. But what Cannon gave us was a duo who didn’t care about the quality of their work as long as it was entertaining everyone including themselves. Director Mark Hartley showcases his love of this former company and gets the best out of everyone involved with them as well in these rocking 100 minutes.
3) It Follows
-Part horror film and part Sex PSA, this indie film gives us some of the best tension put on the screen since John Carptender’s The Thing. What makes David Robert Mitchell’s film so effective is by letting the camera breathe and taking his time to get the scares going. Add in a killer soundtrack by Richard Vreeland (aka Disasterpeace) and you have yourself a film that many will point to years to come in a defying moment for all indie horror films.
2) Mad Max: Fury Road
-After many years in the making George Miller FINALLY got his fourth, Mad Max film into theaters. What did we get? Some of the craziest, coolest, and downright bizarre characters put on screen. But there is a method to this madness and what we have is one of the most entertaining films be it action or otherwise. Not only that but Miller and his team also created one of the most compelling and most inspiring characters with Imperator Furiosa. It seems incredibly likely we will get another entry into this franchise based on it’s wildly critical and box office success. Whenever this next entry happens you can expect all will want to venture down this road that is bathed in fire and blood.
1) The Hateful Eight
-Just barely getting under the wire, Quentin Tarantino’s 8th film ends 2015 with what might be his best to date. By putting together seven men (and 1 woman) in a tiny set for a long period of time we see QT get the best out of each actor. Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Bruce Dern give us some highly entertaining characters to follow. But it is Samuel L. Jackson and relative newcomer in QT’s works in Walton Goggins that steal the show. Jackson in particular goes for broke as he did in Django Unchained and what we get is his most entertaining character since Pulp Fiction (unlike being infuriatingly evil in Django). While the ultimate premise of this being a ‘whodunit?’ kind of plot loses steam rather quickly; it all becomes forgotten once these group of people start monologuing to their hearts content. It’s remarkable that Tarantino is still improving as a writer considering he has been practically giving us almost perfection since Reservoir Dogs. Add in a 70mm cinematography in mind and it is also QT’s most gorgeous film to date. We seem to say this every time a new Tarantino film comes out but it will certainly be a shock if this SOMEHOW finds no love come Oscar season.
Oh, Movies 