Cookie's Cinematic Countdown: 15 of the Best Films from 2015 - Part 2
Within a matter of days, 2015 will be over. Bidding farewell to a cinematic year filled with promise, both fulfilling and disappointing, the state of the film industry seems bigger, better, and poised to bring us so much more within 2016. As we start our journey into another brilliant year of films, we say goodbye to a year that took man to space, girls overcome by strange illness, and we were all immortalised on the fury road - shiny and chrome.
With that in mind, here is a list of my favourite movies of 2015. Did your favourite make the list?
(Honourable Mentions: Far From The Madding Crowd, Kingsman: The Secret Service, and X+Y plus many that I didn’t catch this year but will venture into over the next couple of months. If I included them all, it would be never ending.)
Read Part 1 now!
10 - Inside Out
Pixar had two movies out this year with this excellent treat of colour and the equally brilliant The Good Dinosaur. I can tell you that if I were to going with solely my mind, then I’d pick The Good Dinosaur for its technical brilliance and making me cry for a good half an hour. However, story-wise, character wise, and the fact I haven’t stopped pealing back the semantics means my heart is firmly wrapped around this one. Telling the story of the emotions inside young girl Riley, it sees leader Joy and unwanted Sadness race against time when Riley is upset and moved across country. Powerful, psychological, and an exploration of what makes everyone tick, Inside Out had a phenomenal voice cast lead by the exuberant Amy Poehler and gave Pixar it’s originality again.
9 - Birdman
Birdman would be my number one if it didn’t come so early in the year (and there weren’t movies that overshadowed my obsession with it somewhat). It ranks here because it simply cannot go amiss from 2015’s collection of inescapable brilliance despite appearing in many people’s lists of 2014. Earning an Oscar for Alejandro G Innuritu for Best Director and Best Film, Birdman (Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) revolved around Michael Keaton’s Riggan Thompson, a superhero actor who tries to make a comeback on the stage. Venomous with vitriol against art and artists, this exploration of a man struggling with his ego and the ego of others was a fascinating and wholly original film that rightly won over other critical favourites.
8 - Whiplash
For us Brits, Whiplash holds similar respects for appearing on 2015 lists. Coming out last January, holding places on Top 10 lists this year would spark many “Oh yeah, it came out this year,” reactions because many lumped it in the pre-award season glory. That being said, it would be the biggest shame if it didn’t have a spot because the ferocious dynamical film of a young drumming protégé and his abhorrent strict tutor wowed audiences and critics globally. With J.K. Simmons spitting out talent and Miles Teller pouring blood and sweat over his drums, this film gripped instantly and refused to let go until the very last crescendo.
7 - Mad Max: Fury Road
Reboots and remakes were the scorn for many this year - blockbusters that promised so much but failed to deliver completely (Age of Ultron, Spectre, etc etc.) However, Mad Max: Fury Road was the movie that made action, characters, and beautiful cinematography gel into one spectacular adrenaline filled ride. With Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy, plus strong women characters propelling kick-ass excellence at every corner, Mad Max: Fury Road was a marvellous unexpected triumph that caused sweat to pour down our faces as we all screamed furiously at George Miller’s insatiable work. Well written and executed, this is everyone’s movie and then some.
6 - The Falling
Carol Morley’s tale of mass hysteria that grips an all-girls school when one of its students dies is a spell-binding masterpiece of cinematic poetry. Proving that Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams is more than just Arya Stark (proved further by her amazing feat on Doctor Who as immortal Ashildr), The Falling was an unsettling depiction of girlhood when pushed to devastating extremes. Morley offered a thrilling storyline with an emotional centre as audiences picked apart the scenes that they were seeing with an air of mysticism and psychological depth.
Dark, disturbing, and eloquent, Morley manages to mesmerise with her tale.