Been a real bad ass year... So many good, diverse films.

Here's my ranking of the finest pictures released in 2015:

15) Ex-Machina

14) Spotlight

13) Phoenix

12) Tangerine

11) Steve Jobs

10) The Revenant

9) Amy

8) The Lobster

7) The Duke of Burgundy

6) Sicario

5) Carol

4) Mad Max: Fury Road

3) Victoria

2) The Hateful Eight

1) Anomalisa

Still, there are ones that I haven't yet seen, like 45 Years, Son of Saul, Inside Out, Cemetery of Splendour, The Forbidden Room, MacBeth, The Assassin, Chi-Raq, Mustang, Arabian Nights trilogy, 99 Homes, The End of The Tour, Black Mass, In Jackson Heights, Grandma, The Big Short.

Most overrated films of 2015:

The Martian
The Martian (again)
Brooklyn
Joy
The Danish Girl (One of the worst adaptations I've ever seen in my life, if it wasn't for Alicia Vikander/Eddie Redmayne's acting and Cohen's cinematography, this would've been a major fuck up for the academy given that it awarded Tom Hooper's The King Speech as best picture back in 2011)

Nice films, but will NOT stand the test of time:

Creed
Room
Trumbo
Irrational Man
Love & Mercy
Mistress America
Bridge of Spies
Spectre

The finest acting performances this year:

Brie Larson in Room, NOW THAT is an Academy Award worthy performance.
Nina Hoss in Phoenix
Jennifer Jason Leigh in TH8 is basically the IT performance in the movie, she really managed to give something unique and very Tarantinish.
Walton Goggins in TH8

Dicaprio's Hugh Glass portrayal in The Revenant is a-list acting hands down.
Blanchett & Mara's acting in Carol gave me shivers... Very outstanding.
Sylvester Stallone in Creed, the typical Oscar-supporting performance, yet it was very suprising, at least for me, to see Stallone not in his best suit which is action films.
Benicio Del Toro in Sicario, what a wonderful acting. This guy really has a method approach to the roles he's given.

Shawy89 said:

I dug Spotlght, Dope, Carol, Macbeth, and The Force Awakens.

[Edited 12/31/15 22:04pm]

I saw almost nothing released in 2015. Out of that little cluster, I probably liked Tangerine the most. I liked The Martian quite a bit as well.

The list of films I have to catch up on is far, far longer than what I did see. The Look of Silence, Phoenix, Mad Max, A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, Spotlight & Anomalisa are my top priorities.

damosuzuki said:

I saw almost nothing released in 2015. Out of that little cluster, I probably liked Tangerine the most. I liked The Martian quite a bit as well.

The list of films I have to catch up on is far, far longer than what I did see. The Look of Silence, Phoenix, Mad Max, A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, Spotlight & Anomalisa are my top priorities.

This movie though, I've rented it on DVD 5 months ago and I just couldn't quite understand the full meaning of the movie. It was quite challenging actually. I liked the surrealism though.


I may wanna check it out again. Very challenging as I said.

namepeace said:

I dug Spotlght, Dope, Macbeth, and The Force Awakens.

Yeah? How was Macbeth? I'm really keen on seeing Fassbender playing a Shakespearian character.

Shawy89 said:

damosuzuki said:

I saw almost nothing released in 2015. Out of that little cluster, I probably liked Tangerine the most. I liked The Martian quite a bit as well.

The list of films I have to catch up on is far, far longer than what I did see. The Look of Silence, Phoenix, Mad Max, A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, Spotlight & Anomalisa are my top priorities.

This movie though, I've rented it on DVD 5 months ago and I just couldn't quite understand the full meaning of the movie. It was quite challenging actually. I liked the surrealism though.


I may wanna check it out again. Very challenging as I said.

I forgot to put 'the lobster' on my list of 'need to view.' seeing it on your list jogged my memory. i'm a big dogtooth fan.

The Big Short is the shit.

Thanks saved Phoenix and A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence to my netflix streaming.

[Edited 12/31/15 18:29pm]

OK, Adorecream, so - I wanna discuss Straight Outta Compton.... see, 1987/88 for me is when I started listening to music, of my own, and that's a really cherished part of my childhood... my memories of that time are like... - Kylie Minogue.... or Jody Watley..... or Michael Jackson's performance of Man in the mirror at the Grammys.... d'you know what I mean? I never heard rap at that age, let alone gangsta stuff (didn't make it's way to India at the time...), and I don't think I would have like it if I had, so..... it was end 1991 that I first got introduced to NWA, Fuck tha police, Straight Outta Compton, whatever....

My question to you is - in this scenario, should I watch Straight Outta Compton...? I don't wanna think - when I was bouncing around to Rick Astley as a preteen, Ice Cube was dropping THIS shit at the same time............ - even tho I got INTO that music later...... know what I mean? What should I do?

domainator2010 said:

I am not a big fan of gangsta rap or thug music, but the story is well told and shows so much more than just rapping. It shows the racism of the LAPD and the Police in general towards working class black men and how mean the streets of Compton were in the late 1980s and 1990s.

.

The movie is very well told and acted and not just a giant ad for thug rap and product placements. I agree with you about music. I only discovered NWA in late 1990 when turned on to it by some WHITE friends who were into NWA, Ice T, Too Short and other gangsta rappers. By 1993 my brother had got me into Snoop Dogg (Who is on the movie) and in 1994 I myself got into 2pac and Biggie. In 1988 I was listening to pop music like Kylie Minogue, TTD, Michael Jackson (Prince was not until 1991, but I did like Alphabet street and nearly bought Lovesexy - my parents would not let me as they thought Prince was a bad influence and probably a homosexual).

.

In 1988 I was 12 and still a boy, by late 1990 I was 14 and acting more like a guy. By 1996 I was 20 and had outgrown g funk and rap. I oved the beats and sounds of the song, but thought the lyrics were shit and exposed the cliches and stereotypes of poor blacks rather than their frustrations. Even their music was about shooting each other, taking drugs and fucking bitches.

Yes, I liked TTD too....I used to love both the song and the dancing in Wishing Well.... (I've seen him live subsequently and even TALKED to the guy after the show and got his autograph, though I lost it later.... )

For me Prince was not till 1993, when I heard Thunder (off D&P) and decided to explore the back catalogue (before that I had loved Round and Round with Tevin Campbell from GB, it was my all time fave song back then, and I still love it today)..... and the rest is history.....

Sounds like we have a lot in common.....

Shawy89 said:

Been a real bad ass year... So many good, diverse films.

Here's my ranking of the finest pictures released in 2015:

15) Ex-Machina

14) Spotlight

13) Phoenix

12) Tangerine

11) Steve Jobs

10) The Revenant

9) Amy

8) The Lobster

7) The Duke of Burgundy

6) Sicario

5) Carol

4) Mad Max: Fury Road

3) Victoria

2) The Hateful Eight

1) Anomalisa

In what country do you live? I ask because The Lobster doesn't open in the U.S. for another two months.

EmmaMcG said:

Everybody here likes these real high brow films I've never heard of. And there's me with my Ant Man and Mission Impossible... I like my blockbusters

Ant-Man was a really good, self-aware movie.

I think that, after a while, blockbusters -- even the well-made ones -- follow such a formula, and are derived so much from prior material -- yes, even my beloved The Force Awakens -- that it can become background noise.

The indies and dramas that fill best of lists actually tell somewhat unique stories using great casts and crews. I love some popcorn flicks, that's what I grew up on, but as I get older, stories, performances, and good execution are what get me to the box office.

Shawy89 said:

namepeace said:

I dug Spotlght, Dope, Macbeth, and The Force Awakens.

Yeah? How was Macbeth? I'm really keen on seeing Fassbender playing a Shakespearian character.

One of the best Shakespeare adaptations since 1989's Henry V.

Fassbender was brilliant, playing Macbeth as a conflicted, ambitious, powerful man slowly sinking into the deep end.

namepeace said:

Adorecream said:

fruity foreign movies

sexton said:

Adorecream said:

fruity foreign movies

Love it, almost as good as Charlie Murphy's "fruity picks" line!

Brendan said:

namepeace said:

Ant-Man was a really good, self-aware movie.

I think that, after a while, blockbusters -- even the well-made ones -- follow such a formula, and are derived so much from prior material -- yes, even my beloved The Force Awakens -- that it can become background noise.

The indies and dramas that fill best of lists actually tell somewhat unique stories using great casts and crews. I love some popcorn flicks, that's what I grew up on, but as I get older, stories, performances, and good execution are what get me to the box office.

Very well said.

Much obliged. like you said, the Org is a great place to discover.

Shawy89 said:

Dicaprio's Hugh Glass portrayal in The Revenant is a-list acting hands down.

Dicaprio's grunting and mugging wasn't all that impressive... Every time Tom Hardy was on screen the movie lifts up like a MF... That guy's a beast acting wise and Dicaprio did much better in previous movies (even though lately he's been falling in Jack Nicholson territory in his acting, albeit a lite version of Nicholson...)

Neversin.

Shawy89 said:

Been a real bad ass year... So many good, diverse films.

Here's my ranking of the finest pictures released in 2015:

15) Ex-Machina

14) Spotlight

13) Phoenix

12) Tangerine

11) Steve Jobs

10) The Revenant

9) Amy

8) The Lobster

7) The Duke of Burgundy

6) Sicario

5) Carol

4) Mad Max: Fury Road

3) Victoria

2) The Hateful Eight

1) Anomalisa

Still, there are ones that I haven't yet seen, like 45 Years, Son of Saul, Inside Out, Cemetery of Splendour, The Forbidden Room, MacBeth, The Assassin, Chi-Raq, Mustang, Arabian Nights trilogy, 99 Homes, The End of The Tour, Black Mass, In Jackson Heights, Grandma, The Big Short.

I've seen not a one. Anomalisa looks intriguing, though, and I'll probably catch The End of the Tour at some point.

Most overrated films of 2015:

The Martian
The Martian (again)
Brooklyn
Joy
The Danish Girl (One of the worst adaptations I've ever seen in my life, if it wasn't for Alicia Vikander/Eddie Redmayne's acting and Cohen's cinematography, this would've been a major fuck up for the academy given that it awarded Tom Hooper's The King Speech as best picture back in 2011)

Nice films, but will NOT stand the test of time:

Creed
Room
Trumbo
Irrational Man
Love & Mercy
Mistress America
Bridge of Spies
Spectre

I thought Irrational Man was incredibly underrated. Excellent, excellent film that would've been at the top of critics' lists if it were by any other filmmaker (IMHO, of course).

The finest acting performances this year:

Brie Larson in Room, NOW THAT is an Academy Award worthy performance.
Nina Hoss in Phoenix
Jennifer Jason Leigh in TH8 is basically the IT performance in the movie, she really managed to give something unique and very Tarantinish.
Walton Goggins in TH8

Dicaprio's Hugh Glass portrayal in The Revenant is a-list acting hands down.
Blanchett & Mara's acting in Carol gave me shivers... Very outstanding.
Sylvester Stallone in Creed, the typical Oscar-supporting performance, yet it was very suprising, at least for me, to see Stallone not in his best suit which is action films.
Benicio Del Toro in Sicario, what a wonderful acting. This guy really has a method approach to the roles he's given.

I thought Phoenix, Stone and - especially - Parker Posey were all excellent in IR.

damosuzuki said:

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, Spotlight & Anomalisa are my top priorities.

Hi, damo! The title of this one intrigues me.

EmmaMcG said:

Everybody here likes these real high brow films I've never heard of. And there's me with my Ant Man and Mission Impossible... I like my blockbusters

Nothing wrong with liking "commercial" films. Enjoy what you enjoy!

Adorecream said:

I have never of most of those fruity foreign movies the OP had listed either.

My favourite for 2015, was Straight outta Compton and 2nd fave was Woman in Gold. Not sure if that one is 2014, but here in New Zealand we have to wait weeks for new releases.

Heard good things about Woman in Gold. Helen Mirren, right?

Shawy89 said:

Been a real bad ass year... So many good, diverse films.

Here's my ranking of the finest pictures released in 2015:

15) Ex-Machina

14) Spotlight

13) Phoenix

12) Tangerine

11) Steve Jobs

10) The Revenant

9) Amy

8) The Lobster

7) The Duke of Burgundy

6) Sicario

5) Carol

4) Mad Max: Fury Road

3) Victoria

2) The Hateful Eight

1) Anomalisa

Still, there are ones that I haven't yet seen, like 45 Years, Son of Saul, Inside Out, Cemetery of Splendour, The Forbidden Room, MacBeth, The Assassin, Chi-Raq, Mustang, Arabian Nights trilogy, 99 Homes, The End of The Tour, Black Mass, In Jackson Heights, Grandma, The Big Short.

Most overrated films of 2015:

The Martian
The Martian (again)
Brooklyn
Joy
The Danish Girl (One of the worst adaptations I've ever seen in my life, if it wasn't for Alicia Vikander/Eddie Redmayne's acting and Cohen's cinematography, this would've been a major fuck up for the academy given that it awarded Tom Hooper's The King Speech as best picture back in 2011)

Nice films, but will NOT stand the test of time:

Creed
Room
Trumbo
Irrational Man
Love & Mercy
Mistress America
Bridge of Spies
Spectre

The finest acting performances this year:

Brie Larson in Room, NOW THAT is an Academy Award worthy performance.
Nina Hoss in Phoenix
Jennifer Jason Leigh in TH8 is basically the IT performance in the movie, she really managed to give something unique and very Tarantinish.
Walton Goggins in TH8

Dicaprio's Hugh Glass portrayal in The Revenant is a-list acting hands down.
Blanchett & Mara's acting in Carol gave me shivers... Very outstanding.
Sylvester Stallone in Creed, the typical Oscar-supporting performance, yet it was very suprising, at least for me, to see Stallone not in his best suit which is action films.
Benicio Del Toro in Sicario, what a wonderful acting. This guy really has a method approach to the roles he's given.

You forgot Will Smith's phenomenal performance in "Concussion"! I'm about to do my SAG voting this month.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

You forgot Will Smith's phenomenal performance in "Concussion"! I'm about to do my SAG voting this month.

This is a joke right?
Nobody in their right mind would nominate this turd of a "performance"... His "accent" was hilariously bad... Too bad for the movie though which could have been decent if Big Willie wasn't in it...

Neversin.