Let’s hear them, I’m always keen to hear recommendations.
Mine are:
1. The Gift
2. Ex-Machina
3. Inside Out
4. Mad Max – Fury Road
5. Force Majeure
All great in their unique ways.
Over to you, folks.
Top 5 Movies of the Year
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1. Paddington
2. Inside Out
3. Shaun the Sheep
4. The Minions
5. The Boxtrolls
So, how old are your kids?
One day you’ll get a choice of movie, trust me….
She’s 9. I really enjoy most of the ones I see with her though.
Not sure I’ve seen one “grown up” film this year at the cinema, maybe last year …
You’re better off, mate. I’ve seen plenty of “grown up” films this year and my clear top 3 is
1. World Of Tomorrow
2. Shaun The Sheep
3. inside Out.
It’d be nice if, instead of just listing films we had some helpful new categories, such as
“Film so comprehensively miscast it even miscast an artificial intelligence programme and its star playing himself”: Terminator Genysis
and
“Film so misjudged in every possible way that in any sane world it would have buried its franchise forever”:
Sorry Terminator, this one’s hotly contested. Ultimately, the much maligned Fantastic Four was no more than a particularly unappetising petit dejeuner pour chien compared to the brass-handled-rosewood-six-feet-tapered-at-the-end box ticking exercise that was Spectre…
INPO
Inside out.
Mad Max – Fury road.
Mission impossible.
Second best exotic marigold hotel.
The Martian. This
Mentioned in dispatches – The man from UNCLE, 71, jurassic world, Ex Machina, Legend & Chappie.
An Italian Name (Il Nome del Figlio)
The Dressmaker
Mr Turner
Inherent Vice
Leviathan
Yes, Leviathan is another hugely impressive piece of film-making by Andrey Zvyagintsev.
I can’t say it made me want to move to the Kola peninsula, though.
My stepson and I came out of the cinema practically suicidal. But it’s stayed with me. Brilliant.
Didn’t Leviathan come out in 2014?
Well I saw it in 2015. We need an adjudication from the ref on this one.
It’s a tricky one. Movies – particularly more ‘arthouse’-type films – open on very different dates all over the world.
If we take Leviathan, it …
– opened at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2014
– opened in French cinemas in September 2014
– opened in the UK in November 2014
– opened in Sweden (where I am) in March 2015, and
– opened in Japan just a couple of weeks ago, on 31 October 2015.
The poor old Japanese had to wait 17 months to see it!
March ’15 in Oz too.
Blimey. I know it was a bad year for movies but The Dressmaker? Seriously? I thought it was utter shite.
Happy to go along with the other 4 though.
I enjoyed it, what can I tell you?
1. Ex-Machina
2. ’71
3. Mr Turner
No others. And even those three weren’t particularly special. I watch a LOT of films and I think this has been the worst year for cinema for a long time.
1. Fury Road
2. John Wick
3. Paddington
4. Whiplash
5. Hard To Be A God
Bubbling under…
Birdman
It Follows
Inside Out
Macbeth
MI: Rogue Nation
Slow West
Drunk, Stoned, Brilliant, Dead
The Martian
Wild Tales
Mad Max head and shoulders the film of the year.
Whiplash and Birdman were 2014 I think. You sloppy man you.
Oops – you’re right about Whiplash. Swap in Jurassic World then.
Birdman came out on the 2nd of Jan 2015 in the UK. Don’t ask me how I remember this stuff.
Have an up for Hard To Be A God. Three hours of unrelenting rain, mud, phlegm, shit, blood and viscera. Unbeatable Bank Holiday entertainment.
I double-billed it with Paddington.
I forgot about Wild Tales, that was excellent.
Not seen many this year so just a top 3
1. Sicario
2. The Martian
3. John Wick
Oh, I loved “Lucy” as well. Was that 2015?
Not sure I’ve seen many more than 5 films all year, but three I really enjoyed were
Girlhood
London Road
and, especially, Brookyn, at a cinema near you now.
Thin gruel at the flicks for me this year (what happened to the poppets?)
Makes me realise that 2014 was a pretty good one.
Mad Max Fury Road.
Mississippi Grind
John Wick
What We Do In The Shadows
Shaun de Sheep
I’d have put What We Do In The Shadows at number one, but IMDB says it was from 2014. 2014 was a really great year for cinema with loads of films I loved (most especially Boyhood). This year has been so lacklustre in comparison. Not one “exceptional” film.
Boyhood: a film so transcendent that even you and I can agree on it, Gary!
In no particular order:
Paddington
Big Hero Six
Shaun the Sheep
Fury Road
Ex-Machina
I was disappointed with Inside Out, and the Minions. Hotel Transylvania 2 was ok. Did the last Spongebob Movie come out this year?
@gary Bugger! Another case of I didn’t catch it ’til this year.
Still hasn’t opened in Finland, so I’m sticking with it..
I’ve been a keen cinema-goer for 40 years, and this has been one of the very weakest years I can remember for quality films.
Indeed, four of my 5 favourite films of the year were basically hung-over 2014 films that were much delayed before finally opening at Swedish cinemas.
1. Leviathan (released in Sweden Mar. 2015)
2. Timbuktu (released in Sweden Feb. 2015)
3. Selma (released in Sweden Feb. 2015)
4. The Salt of the Earth
5. The Theory of Everything (released in Sweden Jan. 2015)
If you get the chance to see Abderrahmane Sissako’s “Timbuktu,” then do. It’s really good.
Films I liked most in 2015:
The Kingsman (missed at cinema, loved the Blu Ray)
The Martian (loved the book – faithful version)
Paddington – delightful
Ant Man (pleasant surprise)
Star Wars VII (in anticipation)
Disappointing:
Inside Out (meh)
Theory Of Everything
The Imitation Game
Avengers Age Of Ultron
I have decided I just don’t like biopics. Can’t think of one I’ve ever liked. Maybe Shadowlands.
By default the best film I have seen at the cinema all year has to be Spectre as it’s the only one. Shame, as I didn’t much care for it. Of course, it’s also the worst film I’ve seen at the cinema all year as well. Never mind. I’m going to see the best film ever made* at the IMAX in Waterloo on Monday. It’s been my favourite since I happened across it on television about 30 years ago. I’ve never seen it on the big screen at all and now I get to see it on the biggest in Britain.
* It’s A Matter of Life and Death, but of course you already knew that.
Blimey – extremely jealous.
A good year, all in all.
In no particular order , but all absolutely top drawer IMO
Ex Machina
The End Of The Tour
Call Me Lucky -amazing film heartbreaking, funny & life affirming in equal measure
Dope
Bone Tomahawk – superb micro budget ( $1.8 m) western/ horror with Kurt Russell
Bone Tomahawk is a corker of a film with some great performances.
So glad *somebody* else has seen and liked it, Colm.
I was astonished when I learned how tiny the budget was, as it doesn’t look it.
Very impressive all round & recommended to other AWers.
Following your advice I watched Bone Tomahawk. It’s a fine piece of work but a very tough watch in places.
It occurred to me watching that many people’s acting heroes are dudes who delivered a handful of incendiary performances but the rest of their career is a run of scenery chewing, self parody or not giving a sh*t. Yer Kurt Russell types have a c.v. full of solid performances; when you see them on the credits you know you will get some solid work.
As everyone is saying, a poor year, but I did see some good films
Mad Max
’71
Spring (this might be 2014, actually)
Wood Job (2014 release, but only made it to these shores in February)
’71 is on FilmFour this Thursday (26th) at 9pm.