#7:
Just a freaking fun movie. 2015 was a banner year with two classic film franchises being brought back to their home on the big screen after too long away and Jurassic World was the first out of the gate. Chris Pratt is amazing in the movie, proving that his breakout role in Guardians of the Galaxy was no fluke. Bryce Dallas Howard is back and I really love her. The two kids are fine. Vincent D'Onofrio is the weakest link of the cast, but that's only because his character is the most stock and stereotypical of the bunch so... And Michael Giacchino's kickass score hits all the right notes, bringing John Williams' classic themes back at just the right moments. So there you go. Jurassic World is my #7 movie of 2015.
#6
People have accused Spectre of being "too lighthearted and formula driven" when compared to the previous three Bond films that kicked off the era of Daniel Craig as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007. 2006's Casino Royale, 2009's Quantum of Solace, and 2012's Skyfall are all great films and set the new series up with a continuity that the older Bond films, including the Brosnan era I grew up with, never attempted. They are also all darker and more emotional than any previous Bond films had ever really tried to be before as well, save for maybe the Timothy Dalton duo. Spectre has, in my mind, earned the right to be more lighthearted after Casino, Quantum, and Skyfall set everything up and yet Spectre does this without sacrificing the emotional heart the other three films have. Spectre pays off virtually every single red herring and lead that the first three Craig Bonds set up and it does so in high and entertaining style. Also Spectre has Lea Seydoux as one of the best Bond Girls ever in Madeline Swan. She is drop dead gorgeous yes, but she is also so much more than mere window dressing for Bond to bed down with. The Brosnan era started this new direction for Bond Girls, but the Craig era has made tremendous headway with the portrayal of women in Bond films and I couldn't be happier with that. Spectre is a perfect fit for the series as it stands now and that makes it my #6 movie of 2015. It also has one of the best Bond Title Sequences ever.
#5
This is a tie. The two Marvel films this year were both huge fun and featured everything a Superhero blockbuster should to be a success. Great stories, great characters, great direction from Peyton Reed for Ant Man and Joss Whedon for Avengers: Age of Ultron, and fantastic visual designs on everything from sets, to costumes, to visual effects all came together just right to make for two truly fun times at the movies and so they both get my #5 spot for 2015.
#4
This is going to be a controversial pick because Tomorrowland was neither a box office success or a critical darling. It was a big fat expensive $190 million bomb for Disney and the overall reception from critics was lukewarm at best. Brad Bird's fifth feature film and only his second in live action, Tomorrowland is a film with big imagination and ideas and it is about both of those things. If you don't know who Brad Bird is he directed The Iron Giant for Warner Bros Animation in 1998 and that film was also financially underwhelming upon release, but it has gained a passionate following since. He went to Pixar and gave us the incredible The Incredibles in 2004 and Ratatouille in 2007. He directed what is still my favorite of the Mission Impossible film series with Ghost Protocol in 2011. The man is a true talent and Tomorrowland continues to prove that. No film is perfect and Tomorrowland has its flaws, but after watching it again on fabulous Blu-Ray the flaws no longer weigh so heavily on everything the film gets right. It is about as subtle as a bag of hammers being dropped on your head when it comes to delivering its unabashedly, and some would say naively, optimistic humanitarian view, but I have to give credit to the film for having more on its mind than just the next big special effects set piece. There are a few of those peppered throughout its 136 minute runtime and they are all marvels of modern filmmaking prowess, but the special effects aren't the focus. The story is, as it should be. And the characters. George Clooney is fantastic in a role that is a bit different from his usual persona. Britt Robertson is great and shares great chemistry with Clooney and young Raffey Cassidy. Cassidy gives one of the finest child performances ever. She is AMAZING! And it has another kickass Michael Giacchino score? The awesomeness knows no bounds. If you haven't seen Tomorrowland yet, I urge you to at least give it a try. It is my #4 movie of 2015.
#3
I am actually kind of amazed that this one is as awesome as it is. I mean, I expected it to be cute and fluffy based on the previews and I was enticed by Kenneth Branagh (Thor and Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit) directing it, but Cinderella has never been my favorite Disney animated feature or fairy tale. That would be Beauty and the Beast on both counts. However, by some shade of awesome Branagh and screenwriter Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass and The Twilight Saga: New Moon) found just the right places and ways to deepen the character development of our title heroine, played by radiant beauty Lily James, and her Prince Charming, here named Kit, played by Game of Thrones' Richard Madden. Kit being my absolute favorite aspect of this new version. The Prince in the Walt Disney Cinderella of old was a bore. He was a stiff hunk of wood whose introduction to the audience was him standing off to the side of the ball yawning in boredom. Wow. What a keeper right? Kenneth Branagh, Chris Weitz, and Richard Madden defy this at every turn and make this new Prince a man we can truly love and care for and want to see sweep our beautiful Ella (the name Cinderella has been restored to its original usage as a cruel putdown used by Ella's stepfamily here) off her feet and away from her horrid stepmother, played with vicious relish by Cate Blanchett, and her nasty idiot stepsisters played by Sophie McShera and Holliday Grainger respectively. And Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother? YES! She may only be in the film for all of five minutes, if that, but she makes the utmost of the time she has and delivers a Godmother who is a tad dotty and scatterbrained, but she positively bubbles over with genuine warmth and compassion for the young woman she has come to help. Bonham Carter nails it. I never would have thought this possible, but a Cinderella movie is my #3 movie of 2015. Surprises keep coming.
#2
Inside Out is not only the best Pixar film in years, but it is also quite possibly my new personal favorite Pixar film. Ever. It is that good folks. Michael Giacchino is back in the musical chair again and delivers another exceptional film soundtrack. The man is a genius and totally the successor to John Williams. When Williams finally does leave us his legacy and influence will live on in composers like Michael Giacchino. Everything about Inside Out works on all levels. The story is fantastic and imaginative, the characters are all lovable and relatable, and the look of the film is just gorgeous. Pixar has a new masterpiece on their hands and that is why Inside Out is my #2 movie of 2015.
Here we are people. It has come down to this.
My #1 Film of 2015
My reasons for having this one in my #1 spot will be a bit different than most. See, I love Star Wars as a whole film Saga. The Prequels are very special to me because I saw them all theatrically. I saw A New Hope in theaters for its Special Edition re-release in 1997. I own the Saga on Blu-Ray. Well, now we can consider that the first part of an ongoing Saga that has two more films to go. I came to the epiphany recently that Star Wars truly represents everything I love about movies. The escapism, the imagination, the stories, the characters, Star Wars has it all and then some. George Lucas gave birth to a cultural icon in 1977 and though he has been terribly and unfairly castigated by a small, but vicious and loathsome, group of "Star Wars fans" what the man has accomplished can never be taken away from him no matter how much the haters wish it could be. Well, Disney now owns the icon and they entrusted the first film of a new Sequel Trilogy to J.J. Abrams. Their choice paid off. Star Wars The Force Awakens is every bit a Star Wars film and it even makes some fantastic advancements in character roles. A strong female lead? Check. Daisy Ridley is a revelation in the role of Rey and she deserves to become a star for her work in The Force Awakens. John Boyega as Finn? A Stormtrooper who grows a conscience and forsakes the evil system he has been raised into is a wonderful idea and Boyega nails every beat of it. BB-8 is an awesome new droid. Cute and badass in equal measure BB-8 is a crowd-pleaser if there ever was one and that is no bad thing. Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, a Resistance fighter pilot who crosses paths with Boyega's Finn, is a warm and welcoming presence. More of him please Lucasfilm! In all, Star Wars The Force Awakens does the Saga proud and sets the stage for more awesomeness to come. Bring it on I say.
Well guys, that is my Top 7 for 2015. It was a huge year and had a lot of great things happen in it film wise. These 7 films satisfied every desire I had for them and then some. They did for me what I always want movies to do for me. They gave me fun and exciting vacations from the daily grind of life and excited my imagination with their incredible stories and characters. I hope you appreciate this list as a very personal list for me even if you don't agree with all of my choices, or any at all. I hope you all have a fantastic 2016. There are some awesome films due out this year and I hope to keep reviewing them here. I will also keep reviewing older films on here that I watch on Blu-Ray, or DVD, at home. That is if they speak to me and tell me to do so. Or if I judge them truly worthy of such an honor. Have a great night folks and a great New Year ahead.
Eric Spearman 1/02/2016
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