Transcript:
First of all; a clarification. The list will be of films released in the UK in 2015, not the US or elsewhere. This means that it won't include 2016 releases such as The Hateful Eight, The Revenant, Room, The Assassin, Spotlight, Anomalisa or Son of Saul. It also means that some films which might be classified as 2014, but weren't actually released in the UK until this year, will be included.
I watched roughly a hundred new films this year but I want to quickly give a shout out to a few which I really wanted to see but missed. They are Listen Up Philip, 45 Years, The Dance of Reality, The Second Mother, Shaun The Sheep, The Forbidden Room, Jauja, Love and Mercy, Mommy and Steve Jobs.
We're almost there! Next up though, some runners-up that almost made the top twenty.
Crimson Peak – beautiful, beautiful set design, costumes and colours combined with a creepy story almost pushed this onto the list but a lacklustre third act lets it down.
The D Train – an under-seen, and in my opinion misunderstood, drama (not comedy) about self-esteem issues, bisexuality and what it means to be an adult.
Amy – a stark look at the life of Amy Winehouse, the people closest to her and the headline-hungry media is as devastating as it is damning.
Selma – a searing but ultimately uplifting depiction of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches which perfectly cast David O yelowo as it's lead Martin Luther King Jr.
Star Wars – The Force Awakens – now this one. This one was so close to making the top twenty. Although I had some issues with it I had an absolute blast watching it at the cinema but I feel there's not been enough distance from the hype for me to be properly objective about it yet.
Alright that's enough faffing about – here's my top 20 best films of 2015:
20. Mad Max Fury Road – an insane, practical effects driven chase sequence of a film with a welcomed focus on female characters which has grown on me as the year's gone by.
19. Macbeth – this beautifully realised, action-tinged and downright grim interpretation of the classic Shakespeare play was not only incredibly well acted but also beautiful to look at.
18. Song of the Sea – a unique, alternative piece of animation comes from Ireland in this folk-lore heavy film with amazing attention to detail and lush art design.
17. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief – an insightful, angry and ultimately sad documentary told from the perspective of ex-believers which makes great use of stock footage to elevate it's format.
16. When Marnie Was There – what could quite possibly be Studio Ghibli's final film is not some Spirited Away-type epic but a subtle, intimate and moving story with a haunting setting almost as memorable as it's characters.
15. Taxi Tehran – a docufiction film from banned Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi that discusses complicated, difficult topics surrounding contemporary Iran with a lightness of touch and genuine warmth.
14. Timbuktu – another film which I've appreciated more since first viewing it, if only because it became more and more relevant as the year wore on, treats the topic of religious fundamentalism with rare subtlety, intelligence and grace.
13. Force Majeure – a darkly comic, difficult to watch but essential take-down of presumed gender identities, the lies we tell ourselves everyday and how one snap decision in the face of danger can unravel everything we take for granted.
12. Foxcatcher – a cold, detached, downright weird Oscar contender with two brilliant leads in Steve Carell and Channing Tatum which explores masculinity, unconventional family units and emotional manipulation of the vulnerable.
11. Beasts of No Nation – speaking of unconventional family units and emotional manipulation of the vulnerable is this uncompromisingly brutal film about child soldiers in a war-torn African nation. Difficult as it may be to watch it's worth it for the cinematography and astounding performance by first-timer Abraham Attah alone.
10. Bridge of Spies – now this one was a surprise. I fully expected a well-made, somewhat probing look into the Cold War from Spielberg but I didn't expect it to be anywhere near as emotionally and politically intelligent – not to mention as funny – as it ended up being.
9. The Lobster – a dystopian bizarre set up and purposely stilted deadpan performances come together to hilarious, and thoughtful, effect. An offbeat, weirdo Colin Farrell and the wonderfully framed landscapes didn't hurt either.
8. Hyena – harsh and horrible it may be but the effect this bent coppers story had on me was extremely transporting. Aided by strong lighting, a propulsive score and great use of slow motion it was oddly beautiful too.
7. Birdman – this all-in-a-single-shot wonder is no one trick pony – it was richly photographed, full of wonderful magic realism, had universally fantastic performances, a brilliant percussive score and had great insight into art, critical thought and acting.
6. Sicario – unbearably tense and scarily oblique in equal measure this was a film that did a brilliant job of putting the audience in our heroes shoes. Full of show-stopping scenes and aided by the always-great Roger Deakins behind the lens this was one cinematic experience which was hard to shake off.
5. Hard to be a God – space explorers land of a planet very similar to our own – only it's people are stuck in a pre-renaissance rut of barbarity and ignorance. A three hour long, black and white, Russian language film filled with mud, piss, shit and blood and little in the way of narrative structure may be a hard sell but if you let it this film will quite literally take you to another world.
4. The Diary of a Teenage Girl – a coming-of-age story with a difference as this film aims to tell a controversial (though alarmingly quite common) story of young love with maturity and respect for all involved. Characters are drawn painfully realistic, the period details are perfect and the animation overlays and segments compliment the emotional narrative with aplomb.
3. Love is Strange – what at first glance might appear to a sleight, nice little indie drama about an ageing gay couple utterly transforms itself into a powerhouse of emotion and societal exploration due to a subtle but confident command of visual style, editing, narrative development and first-class acting.
2. The Look of Silence – Joshua Oppenheimer follows up his game changing The Act of Killing with another, perhaps less sensational but no less affecting, look at the aftermath of the 1960s Indonesian genocide. This time he chooses to focus largely on the victims' perspective and with his usual respect and compassion (not to mention cinematic flair) shines a illuminating, awful light on a forgotten tragedy.
1. Whiplash – this was almost the perfect movie for me. It's focus on themes of obsession, societal exclusion and abusive relationships are extremely well portrayed and the acting, especially from J K Simmons, sells the hell out of it. The stylistic choices sky-rocket what would have already been a great story into the realms of master-class psychological film-making from it's rich, dark cinematography to it's astounding camera work and editing.
The soundtrack alone is incredible and the unbearable sense of tension and suspense all comes to a head in that gloriously ambiguous and powerful last scene. I'm almost afraid to see what director Damien Chazelle has in store for us next.
So, that's it for another year! What did you think of my choices and what were your top films of 2015?
Let me know in the comments below and here's to more reviews, and great films, coming in 2016!
No comments:
Post a Comment