it's that time again! oscar time! here are my top ten favorite movies of 2015:
10. inside out
the psychologist in me LOVED THIS. also, the emotional part of me (50%; i'm half blue on the color personality test. the other half of me is red, which is also represented in the movie and somehow i just got lost on this personality test tangent sorry--). i could have done without a few scenes and characters (i'm looking at you bozo bing bong). pixar did it again for me with super deep concepts like sadness is NECESSARY and, dare i say holy?
9. cinderella
i loved quite a few things about this movie, first and foremost is that it was a welcomed departure from disney's last live-action fairy tale (the most deplorable maleficent). hate for maleficent aside, this was my first encounter with the lovely lily james. her oft repeated line "have courage and be kind" should be a national motto. other than that, cate blanchett of course was wonderful and THE COSTUMES!!!!!! i think this also mighta been the first time i went to the sugar house recliner theater so that probably played into my love.
8. brooklyn
saoirse ronan is getting better and better with age it appears (but really, how much better can you get when your breakout role was in atonement?). she comes into her own in this role. the best scene is her verbal flogging of a nosy townswoman--of which i responded with a loud YOU GO GIRL in the theater. couldn't help it. the greatest part about this movie is that even YOU can't decide who she should be with in the end; on the one hand there's the sign-inducing emory cohen busting out maybe my favorite brooklyn accent ever, and on the other is my long-time crush domhnall gleeson and a fancy irish country home. WHO TO CHOOSE?!?! but also, THE COSTUMES!!!!
7. the revenant
this is YOUR YEAR leo (although, for the record, i think michael fassbender is more deserving of best actor this year, for his work in steve jobs)!!! really though, what a cast! tom hardy is a force to be reckoned with and, fun fact: i named my goldfish after will poulter's character in son of rambow, so i'm a big fan. as has previously been indicated, i'm also a fan of alejandro inarritu's work (see last year's top ten) and thoroughly enjoyed the vast single-shots that occurred. basically this movie is equal parts brutal and beautiful. i was glad i brought a blanket to the theater for this one cause 2.5 hours of snow had me CHILLED.
this movie is kinda like, just my thing: funny, but also REAL and sometimes super serious. and it was about movies. and it had nick offerman in it. and the soundtrack was LIT! my very, most favoritest, fall-in-love moment was this very expressionist scene of just some light and color and movement on the screen with brian eno's "big ship" playing. it was beautiful and may or may not have provoked a few tears from this girl.
5. ex machina
well i'd be lying if i didn't say that the best part of this movie was oscar isacc's dance scene. this was an unexpected gem early in the year and those are always my favorites. terrific performances by all involved, and really set in stone my love for alicia vikander.
4. the martian
i think i have a thing for movies about space. maybe i should have been an astronaut? um, i really really liked this movie! i was funny! and interesting! and it was my #1 for the year for a while. and that's that.
3. spotlight
oh goshhhh. each scene of this film is more heart breaking and more shocking until you are left with mouth agape as the credits role. the entire cast (which includes the city of boston) is wonderful. i'm partial to michael keaton and mark ruffalo ALWAYS, but rachel mcadams, liev schreiber, and brian d'arcy james are all brilliant here. oh yeah and duh! my fave mad men roger sterling (john slattery) was beautiful and wonderful too. this movie made me think a lot and talk a lot, which is essentially why i like movies.
2. room
WHOA. this was the most tense i have been in a movie, maybe ever. i turned into one of those people in the theater that yell out; hurry! run! get out! this movie is heart-wrenching and makes you think, mostly about how much you laughed at kimmy schmidt. there are really good lessons here about overcoming things. it's one of those films that you never forget and will stay with you forever. also, the boy in this (played by 9 year old jacob tremblay) is brilliant so, LENNY ABRAHAMSON FOR BEST DIRECTOR!
well i never would have thought that this movie would end up being my favorite of the year, but here we are and here it is! at the top of the list. i really really liked a lot of movies last year, but when it came down to it, nothing beat out my love for furiosa mad max. emily and i saw it early in the morning and drove to an amc about 30-minutes away to watch in reclining seats. we snacked on chocolate covered almonds (the closest to "breakfast" we could find at the theater) while having our minds blown. the part i fell hard was, of course, when the doof warrior entered SHREDDING his flaming electric guitar. ohhhh so many goodies; tom hardy is such a hunk, furiosa is the best fictional character created in recent years. honestly it was the most pleasant surprise of 2015. rolling stone got it right: "a hallucinatory milestone from director george miller, who, at 70, proves himself the most vital action director in movies today. tom hardy excels as the futuristic road warrior, but charlize theron steals the show as a force of feminist nature. that's miller for you, making a woman the redeemer in his world of fire and blood." amen.
honorable mentions go to love & mercy, shaun the sheep, steve jobs, bridge of spies, kingsmen: the secret service, irrational man (which no one saw, but guys IT'S WOODY!), and the end of the tour. all wonderful movies you should add to your to see list.
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can't get enough?? more oscar fun comin' attcha:
