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2015 in Film


Voltex

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It's that time of year again; time for the list where I mention my favorite movies out of the ones I saw this year.

 

As always, I did not manage to see every movie; I will be seeing "The Hateful Eight" by the end of the first week of January, and plan to see "The Revenant", "Joy", and "The Good Dinosaur" if opportunity allows. Others ("Peanuts", "Ex Machina", "Sicario", and a few others I was interested in but missed) will most likely have to wait until 2016, when I can catch them on Netflix or other miscellaneous channels.

 

But out of the movies I DID see, here are my favorites for 2015...

 

1. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

--->Without question, the best movie of the year. I loved everything about this film, and just thinking about it, I want to watch "Fury Road" again. What little dialogue there is serves the dual purpose of advancing the plot and developing the characters, and not a word is wasted. The soundtrack is ever-present, building the tension and giving breaths of calm in between the chaos. The practical effects are a sight to behold, and the action is frantic and exciting in a way few movies managed this year (coughAgeofUltroncough). The vibrant, oversaturated colors actually -work- in the mad world that the characters live in, and Furiosa definitely has the coolest robot arm.

 

Plus, it's a two hour car chase, and that in itself is all of my dreams come true at last. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

 

Saw it twice in theatres, managed to get my hands on a DVD copy to watch it again, nearly bought the 3D Blu-Ray even though I lack a 3D Blu-Ray player.

 

2. KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE

--->The best James Bond movie this year by far. This movie managed to make me enjoy (and actively root for) a character with a silly name like "Eggsy", and that in itself is an achievement. This riff on the classic spy movie is nothing but fun all around; Samuel Jackson's villain is hilarious in his pragmatic yet contradictory attitude, Colin Firth is delightfully charming as the gentleman spy, and that church scene (you know the one) is probably my favorite action sequence of the year. A sequel is in the works, and I want so badly for it to succeed just like this one did (even though it probably won't).

 

Saw it once in theatres, have seen it twice since on Netflix.

 

3. STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

--->I won't say much here, simply because I do not want to spoil anything. Suffice it to say that it is a return to form for the franchise, it successfully feels like Star Wars, and I cannot wait to see more of Rey and Finn (and Poe) in Episode VIII.

 

I've seen it twice so far, and am hoping I can find time for an IMAX screening soon.

 

4. THE MARTIAN

--->One of those movies that wasn't even on my radar at the beginning of the year (I will admit I have not read the book, and it is on my to-read list for 2016). I went on a bit of a Matt Damon kick around the time "The Martian" came out, watching movies like "The Departed" and "The Adjustment Bureau" (amazing and okay, respectively) before seeing this one in theatres. This is one movie where 3D is definitely worth it; the Martian landscapes (and the shots in space) are a beauty in 3D, and the soundtrack is both subtle and energizing in turns. Damon easily carries the movie on his own, and his sarcastic brand of humor was right up my alley to make "The Martian" a fun time.

 

Saw it twice in theatres. Still waiting to watch it again.

 

5. MR. HOLMES

--->This one -really- snuck up on me; I didn't know it even existed until about October. Ian McKellen playing an aged Sherlock Holmes sounded too good to refuses (and too good to be true), so of course I had to see it. I was pleasantly surprised; the story of an old, retired Holmes slowly losing his memory being inspired to finally author his own (more truthful) version of his final case was rather charming, and the connections he builds with a young boy and his mother - the first he's made since meeting Watson all those years ago - are heartwarming. This movie wouldn't be for everybody, but I would recommend it nonetheless.

 

I've seen this once on Netflix; I may watch it again soon, or I might save it for another time.

 

e: HONORABLE MENTION: RED VS. BLUE SEASON 13

--->Season 12 made it onto my list last year; Season 13 was far, far better, but missed the cut this year due to me cutting my list down from 10 films to 5. That said, Season 13 is among the best seasons of "Red vs. Blue", and for any fan of the series, I highly recommend watching it.

 

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Those are my five favorite movies of this year, without having seen "The Hateful Eight" or "The Revenant" (both of which I suspect would otherwise be on this list). In the next few days I might write up a post about the disappointments I saw this year; I'm always up for the chance to complain about "Age of Ultron" (what a waste of time that bloated piece of horrible smelly stuff that was).

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Mad Max and Kingsman were nice and refreshing for featuring female characters who were competent, important, and didn't have a mediocre romance shoehorned in, like some other movie.

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I want to see The Force Awakens, but I'm probably going to miss it and have to catch it on iTunes/DVD.

 

Mr. Holmes and Kingsman I might see if I get some some more iTunes money.

 

And there's no way I'm going to be able to stomach Mad Max. The reviews I read...*shiver*.  

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And there's no way I'm going to be able to stomach Mad Max. The reviews I read...*shiver*.  

If you can't handle the violence in Mad Max, skip Kingsman, too. The church scene made me feel ill the first time I saw it, and I enjoy action movies.

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I want to see The Force Awakens, but I'm probably going to miss it and have to catch it on iTunes/DVD.

 

Mr. Holmes and Kingsman I might see if I get some some more iTunes money.

 

And there's no way I'm going to be able to stomach Mad Max. The reviews I read...*shiver*.  

 

Yeah, gonna have to second Xae here. If you think Mad Max is bad, then Kingsman isn't for you just because of the church scene.

 

(and maybe one or two others)

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