The List
1. SpotlightFor some reason, this was the hardest one of these reviews for me to write. My feelings for this movie kind of echo the movie itself- they're subtle, but powerful. All of the acting in this movie is top-notch, but it's also quiet and unflashy. Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Stanley Tucci, Liev Schreiber... all are fantastic. However, I was most moved by some of the side characters - a now-adult victim reflecting on his experience, one of the reporters' Catholic grandmothers coming to terms with the revelations - small roles, but powerful performances. And the story is such a reminder of the need for a free press. It makes you cringe a bit in today's world of 24-hour news cycles and "too long, didn't read" attention spans- it's extremely rare that newspapers devote resources to this kind of deep, investigative journalism anymore (though, to be fair, there are a lot more potential forums than just newspapers these days). It's a reflection on responsibility and complacency- Stanley Tucci, as a lawyer to the victims, presents the movie's thesis: "If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one."
2. The Revenant
Wow, was I reluctant to see this movie. Two and a half hours of watching Leo get tortured (answering the age-old question- exactly what will Leonardo DiCaprio do for an Oscar?), directed by the man who brought us Birdman (a movie I did not exactly love)? It took a lot of internal convincing to make myself buy a ticket. And man, was I wrong. It's incredible. Visually stunning, fantastically acted (Leo steals the show by far, but Tom Hardy is also wonderful, as usual), completely engrossing- I couldn't look away. The locations they found to shoot this movie are just unreal, and some of director Alejandro González Iñárritu's long, uncut shots are phenomenal. For all that I don't really care about the Oscars anymore, I'm glad that Leo should finally get his (and, despite some other amazing performances this year, if he doesn't it's just a joke). I did not expect to love this movie, but, man, did I.
3. Room
God, this movie. I can't stop thinking about it. It's the story of a woman held captive for seven years (five with her son) in a 10x10 garden shed, and what happens when they escape. In order to protect him, she raises her son believing that the entire world exists within those four walls, and this movie really makes you feel the impact of the sensory overload when he's finally out in the world for the first time (this is not a spoiler if you have seen the trailer or read anything about this movie- I'm looking at you, Cole). Brie Larson is incredible as the mother, and Jacob Tremblay gives one of the most stellar child actor performances I've ever seen. The brilliance of this movie is that it doesn't stop at the "happy ending" of escaping the room, and instead dives deep into how you move forward after such a trauma. (For the record, in the interest of your own survival, never do a double feature of this movie and The Look of Silence (see #6). I go through these trials so you don't have to. You're welcome.)
4. Inside Out
Phew, something fun! Those first three movies are not exactly light-hearted romps, so here is your palate cleanser! I love me a well-done animated film, and Pixar rarely disappoints. However, they managed to take it to new levels with this incredibly charming coming-of-age story. When I saw the trailer, I honestly had no idea how they would pull this concept off in a full-length film. I'm so happy they proved me wrong. What I love most about this movie is that it is almost a therapy tool for helping kids deal with emotions- pointing out that not only is Sadness not a bad thing, but in fact is necessary and good. Phyllis Smith is the breakout as Sadness, and gets the best lines ("Crying lets me slow down and obsess over the weight of life's problems"). The emotions were all perfectly cast, and some of the site gags that could have felt cheesy ended up being hilarious (see: boy's brain). Also *sob* Bing Bong.
5. The Martian
Such an unexpectedly great time at the movies. I can't quite agree with the Golden Globes calling it a "comedy," but it was so much more fun than it had any right to be. One wouldn't expect the story of an astronaut stranded alone on Mars to be hilarious, but the writing is great and Matt Damon is perfect. To be fair, I have not read the book, and I have heard from several who have that they found the movie disappointing. But my experience was so different. This movie sat in my number one spot for quite some time, because I simply just found it so entertaining. It has also led to the great nerdy research on how much public money has been spent saving Matt Damon, bringing together several of my favorite things (obsessive movie watchers and nerdy statistics), so thank you, Internet.
6. The Look of Silence
Two years ago, I sat down and watched The Act of Killing. I can honestly say I had never seen a movie like it, and it has stuck with me more than probably any other movie over that time period (number 2 on that year's Top Ten List, I described it then as "simply the most surreal experience I may have ever had watching a movie," and that still feels like the best description). So when I heard that director Joshua Oppenheimer had a follow-up documentary, again looking back on the Indonesian genocide of the 1960s, I was all in. This time, he follows the brother of one of the victims, as he confronts the leaders of the death squads (most of whom are still in some sort of power), seeking some degree of remorse. Most can't understand why he would want to bring this up- the past is past, time to move on. This movie is much more straightforward than The Act of Killing and lacked the same sense of surreality, but still hits hard with an emotional punch and eye-opening historical amnesia. It also once again emphasizes the point that why would someone who has never been punished for such acts (and, in fact, has only ever gained from them), see any cause for remorse?
(reminder, I cannot emphasize this enough, DO NOT do a double feature of this movie and Room. The end.)
7. Dope
The story of a young black man from Inglewood who loves 90's culture and punk music, and is a self-proclaimed nerd who wants more than anything to go to Harvard. He goes to a drug dealer's birthday party to see a girl, and after that his life spins quickly out of his control from one "adventure" to the next. This movie veers from hilarious to dramatically insightful and back, without missing a beat. It also presents such a different picture of being young and black than is normally shown in movies relying on stereotypes (if they feature black characters at all- hello #Oscarssowhite). Surprising and refreshingly different from anything I've seen in a long time.
8. The Big Short
This movie is hard to watch. It's smart, entertaining, well-acted, and educational, but there's also an underlying sense of dread in knowing the real-life ending and its repercussions to this day. The best movie equivalent I could come up with was watching "Recount," the HBO movie about the Bush/Gore election. But it's also just so well done. All of the acting is fantastic (especially Christian Bale and Steve Carell), and its clever use of breaking the fourth wall to explain some of the more complicated topics makes it one of the more informative films I've seen in a long time.
9. Mad Max: Fury Road
All hail Imperator Furiosa (and George Miller). Seriously, what a great and awesome reboot of the action film genre in general. I'm not sure I took a breath in the whole movie- it's just nonstop action. And the fact that it passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors makes it unique among action movies (about half the movies on this list don't). The whole thing is visually stunning, with minimal plot but enough to keep you entertained the whole time. And it finally gives us the flame-spewing guitarist we've always dreamed of.
10. Straight Outta Compton
This movie was just really well done. The use of NWA's music throughout (as well as the solo work of its members) is pitch perfect, and the acting is great. Watching Ice Cube's son portray him is just surreal (seriously, he looks SO MUCH like his father. Sometimes you could forget you were watching a movie). It definitely chooses to omit certain less-than-savory pieces from the time (as all historical biopics do, even ones not produced by the main characters). Overall, it just manages to transport you to a different time and place (though with disturbingly similar images of police brutality).
Honorable Mentions:
Beasts of No Nation; Creed; Magic Mike XXL; Sicario; Spy; Star Wars: The Force Awakens; Steve Jobs; Trainwreck; Trumbo; Vessel
The Actors
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Runner-up: Abraham Attah, Beasts of No Nation
Best Actress: Brie Larson, Room
Runner-up: Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Supporting Actor: Jacob Tremblay, Room
Runner-up: Tom Hardy, The Revenant & Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Runner-up: Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
The Extras
Special Acting Award Shout-Out: To the child actors this year. Holy crap. Abraham Attah (Beasts of No Nation) and Jacob Tremblay (Room) gave two of the best performances of the year in movies that were completely reliant on their ability to be believable. And boy were they.
Best Acting by a Professional Basketball Player: Lebron James, Trainwreck
He kinda steals the show.
Best Time at the Movies: Spy
It broke my heart a bit to not be able to include this on my Top Ten list (though a good sign that there were just too many other good movies!), but this was the most fun I had watching movies this year. God, Melissa McCarthy is hilarious. And her porn name (your first pet and the street you grew up on) of Meatloaf Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd might just be my favorite joke of the year.
The Star Wars award for Star Wars-ness: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Look, if I'm going to give Kingdom of the Crystal Skull the Indiana Jones Award for Indiana Jones-ness (and yes, I did that), then you can damn well expect an actual quality reboot of one of my childhood obsessions to get a special award. Star Wars just missed being on my top ten for sheer enjoyable experience at the movies. It was not perfect, and was referential of the original to the point of nearly being a copy, but guess what? I loved the original! So I'll take that over whatever fiasco occurred with the prequels. I'm also so excited to have little girls get to grow up with a character like Rey to look up to. While her treatment in the marketing of the movie is shocking (don't even get me started on this rant), the impact of having the main character in the biggest movie ever (an action movie, no less) be a strong woman, who is also not defined by her femininity, is frankly revolutionary. This article puts it nicely.
Movie That is Equal Parts Infuriating, Inspiring, and Educational: Vessel
Seriously, if you have a chance to see this movie about Women on Waves, an international nonprofit organization that helps women in countries where abortion is illegal access needed care, please do. It's incredible, and will make you feel everything listed above. Perhaps the most important piece of the movie, however, is getting information about the abortion pill into the hands of those who need it, giving them a way to act for themselves.
The "Up in the Air" Award for Critically Acclaimed Movie That Can Suck It:
Perhaps most surprising this year, there is no winner for this award! Now, maybe that says more about the number of movies I saw this year (slightly below average), but it's nice for once to not feel like I'm taking crazy pills.
That's it for another year! Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think! Frozen junior mints for all of you.
