Favorite Films of 2015

Mad Max: Fury Road
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
What We Do In The Shadows
Sicario
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
The Martian
Ex Machina

Honorable Mention: The Peanuts Movie

Notes from 2020: 
First - there's been a lot of Star Wars since Episode VII came out. In particular Episode IX reminded me J.J. Abrams is incapable of telling a story. All the comments from 2015 about Episode VII being a plot beat remake of the original Star Wars are accurate. Daisey Ridley was quite a discovery, though. I think my sentimental placement of this as 2nd overall for 2015 is a great reflection of how I felt at that time.




Released in 2016, saw later:

Inside Out (A-)
Spotlight (A-)
Love and Mercy (B+)
Steve Jobs (B)


Have not seen as of January 2020:

Anomalisa
The Assassin
Brooklyn
Carol
Crimson Peak
Deathgasm
Diary of a Teenage Girl
The Duke of Burgundy
The End of the Tour
How to Dance in Ohio
It Follows
Kumiko the Treasure Hunter
The Look of Silence
Results
The Revenant
Room
Tangerine
Timbuktu
Trumbo
Victoria
Wild Tales



Longer comments:

Mad Max: Fury Road
holy shit i have never seen a movie quite like this ever. please george miller come back and do this again. wow, wow, wow wow wow. bananas - yes. must see - yes.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens
not much to say really. loved the new cast. loved BB-8. saw this three times, first 2d, then 3d, then 3d imax. oddly -- it was adam driver's performance that i noticed a little more each time. remember it's a star wars movie, don't think about it too much, and then, it is perfect. for me - better than the teddy bear movie, not quite up to empire, but still, very good, must see.


What We Do In The Shadows
because comedy. because flight of the conchords stopped working together. this was great. surprisingly touching at moments. even if it stole from 'time enough for love'. line of the year: werewolves not swearwolves. saw this multiple times in the theater. a great comedy. this is the first 'highly recommended' on the list.

Sicario
this movie was disturbing. it lingered with me. emily blunt is a movie star. holy crap was she great in this movie. as was benicio del toro. as was josh brolin, a bit less so than the other two. some unforgettable scenes. again, amazing cinematography. feel bad movie of the year. just watch it.

The Big Short
pretty good adaptation, not on the 'i can't believe they made that into a movie' level of LA Confidential, but still, well done. liked this much more than i expected to. perhaps ranking it a bit higher due to liberal outrage. recommended.

Bridge of Spies
well. it's mark rylance, and then there's the rest of the movie. but: a very good cold war movie. do steven spielberg and tom hanks know how to work together or what. alan alda, sebastian koch, and mikhail gorevoy were also quite good. can someone get amy ryan some real work -- she is excellent but so under utilized. great, great cinematography. recommended.

The Martian
had to cut so much from the book to make the movie. nevertheless - a very good movie. my favorite matt damon role in years. donald glover was distracting. how did sean bean survive to the end of the movie. nice hat tip to lord of the rings. great CGI for mars. oscar for best use of potatoes in a science fiction movie. nominated, but did not win, for best use of non decimal math in a feature film.

The Peanuts Movie
loved it. loved it, loved it, loved it. so well done. so true to the characters.

Ex Machina
a good science fiction movie. felt like a play-adapted-into-a-movie, just a few characters, just a few sets. interesting relationships between the characters. unforgettable dance sequence. good editing.