- Because this blog is basically a hobby to me and I can't see everything, this retrospective is by no means definitive. It's simply my take on the various movies I watched over the past twelve months.
- For the same reason, not every film featured here will have been released in 2015; this is a look back at the movies that I watched this past year.
- I've decided to only count movies I watched for the first time, simply in the name of fairness. Jurassic Park and (500) Days of Summer are two of my favorite films of all time, so to include them simply wouldn't be fair to everything else I watched.
With that said, let's get right to it:
The "Hey, That Was Actually Great" Award for Biggest Surprises of 2015
When it came to films that subverted my expectations this year, I could think of no two that did it better than Trick R' Treat director Michael Dougherty's Krampus and Joel Edgerton's The Gift. Both films had the potential to be nothing more than high-octane schlock; the kind of thing you'd put on at a party for everyone to laugh and jeer at. On the contrary, these two ended up being two of the best films I'd seen all year. The Gift features stellar performances and a really excellent understanding of tone and the tools used to build tension and suspense. It's a film that was completely undersold by its trailer; what was advertised as another generic thriller actually turned out to be full of twists and turns, standing proud in a genre that seems to be a breeding ground for trash. By the same token, Krampus ended up being one of my favorite movies of the entire year, something that will be replayed each Christmas in my house for years to come. While there simply wasn't time to write a proper review of it, there really isn't much to say aside from how it's technically a near-perfect film; there really is nothing I didn't like about it. If you decided to give either of these a pass, definitely look them up; they stand as proof that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover (or a movie by its trailer).
The Unpoppable Bubble Award for Best Superhero Stuff of 2015
The superhero film has become something of an annual event in recent years, so it seemed fitting to showcase the absolute best of this phenomenon here (at least until it inevitably burns itself out and collapses inward like a dying star made of money). Funnily enough, the two best examples of comic book fare to be released in 2015 never made it to cinemas; Marvel Studios' Daredevil and Jessica Jones offer a less glamorous look at the universe of The Avengers, showcasing the kind of unseemly crime and violence that occurs while Thor is flying along the rainbow bridge. A common complaint about most superhero films is that they lack substance, only skating by on fanservice and adapting key elements from the source material (see the Hulkbuster suit in Age of Ultron). While this is a valid criticism of most comic book films, Daredevil and Jessica Jones prove that the genre isn't completely without potential. While it's true that a 13-hour long series has more time to develop characters and tell a story than a 2-hour long movie, these series show that the genre can still be interesting without the glitz and spectacle of a multi-billion dollar Hollywood production budget. There's no killer robots or SHIELD Helicarriers or faraway worlds, just the grimy underbelly of New York City and a compelling plot. Marvel Studios has been building to a showdown with Thanos since the very first Avengers film; it's a mystery where the series will go after that, but I personally hope it's somewhere in the realm of these two shows. There's less explosions, but it's got what the audience needs to keep from getting burned out on the continuing escapades of Iron Man and friends.
The Martyr Award for Worst Things I Made Myself Watch This Year
I would like to make it abundantly clear right now; I do not get paid to do this. I update this blog each week because I love movies, writing, and writing about movies. This is basically a hobby for me, the only thing that keeps this going is my desire to see it continue. For the most part, starting this blog was one of the best decisions I've ever made; it's a great way to expose myself to all kinds of different movies while stretching my mental muscles, all aside from being loads of fun to put together. With that said, I also hold this blog responsible for exposing me to some of the worst garbage I have ever experienced in my entire life. Things that I would hesitate to call movies made by people I would hesitate to call human. Out of all the trash I put myself through this year, A Magic Puppy and Furry Vengeance were easily the worst. At least Heavenly Sword was laughably bad. At least Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had some goofy action. I don't need to go into why these are so awful, do I? Just look at the posters, you should be able to discern everything you need to know about them. These movies represent time I'll wish I had back when I'm on my deathbed, and for that, I salute them.
The "And I've Got the Ticket Stub To Prove It" Award for Worst Movies of 2015
Okay, while I technically don't have a ticket stub for Kung Fury, the name of this award implies that I had to pay actual money for the privilege of seeing both of these films. Both are terrible for perfectly contrasting reasons; a sort of Yin and Yang of refuse, if you will. Jem and the Holograms is a faceless, cynical corporate cash-grab attempting to bank on the goofy 80's nostalgia of the original cartoon while at the same time planting itself firmly in the modern age. A self-sabotaging, generic load of dreck that no one wanted to be a part of. Alternatively, we have Kung Fury, a little movie that was made with the purest of intentions, only to miss the mark completely by confusing 80's cheese with the kind of random humor one would find in a mediocre flash cartoon found on NewGrounds or Funnyjunk circa 2007. Kung Fury came from the humblest of backgrounds, but all the heart in the world doesn't make up for the fact that it lacks even an ounce of brains. Jem is a perfectly functional movie made by people who didn't care. Kung Fury has a load of effort from people who don't know anything about making movies. One is a car without an engine, the other is an engine propped up on some bricks. No matter which one you choose, you aren't going to get anywhere worthwhile.
The Business/Pleasure Award for Favorite Movies I Watched for This Blog
For me, the deciding factor in starting this blog was the basic thought that, even if no one reads what I write, I'll at least get exposed to a ton of great movies. That hypothesis was wholly justified with What We Do in the Shadows and World's Greatest Dad. While the films aren't exactly similar (aside from the fact that I find both of them to be hilarious), these were easily the highlights for me in terms of things I went out of my way to watch for the sake of making a blog post. What We Do in the Shadows has become one of my absolute favorite comedies of all time; I simply cannot praise it enough. It's hilarious, original, clever, and well-shot; something I would easily lump into a triple-feature alongside Young Frankenstein and Shaun of the Dead. On the darker side of things, World's Greatest Dad is pitch-black in the best kind of way, providing biting social commentary on the way society reacts in the aftermath of suicide. It also features one of the absolute strongest Robin Williams performances of all time. Comedy is one of the most difficult genres to talk about, considering that the positives usually boil down to "it's really funny". With that in mind, these two films were the ones I recommended to people the most in 2015; trust me when I say that you owe it to yourself to check both of these out.
The Milestone Award for Most Important Movies of 2015
First, a bit of context in regards to just what "most important" means. These are the two films which I feel had or will have the most positive impact on the industry in days to come. Between The Force Awakens, Fury Road, and Krampus, 2015 was a very good year for practical special effects. These films represent big budget blockbusters that didn't devolve into pure visual noise; Star Wars would have made money no matter what, so the fact that there was as much tact and artistry put into it as there was is something of a big deal. It means that, for the first time in decades, Star Wars is good again. The Force Awakens represents a new chapter in something that has been a major piece of American (and indeed, world) culture since 1977. The pressure was on director J.J. Abrams to deliver a quality film, and deliver he did. While both films had a lot to prove, Mad Max: Fury Road needed to establish itself as a financial success as well. While it didn't exactly make "Jurassic World" money, it still held its own; with any luck, we'll get more films like these in the future. Films where action is constructed and directed with equal amounts of grit and finesse, rather than an incomprehensible mess made almost entirely in a computer. These films represent actual effort being put into bombastic action movies and having that effort pay off; in my opinion, that is most definitely something to be celebrated.
The Best of the Year Award for Best Movies of 2015
It's really quite hard to decide upon just one film to crown the absolute BEST of the entire year, the same way it's difficult to name just one as the worst. Some films simply aren't comparable, due to differences in tone or genre or audience; hence why every entry in this retrospective has two winners. Out of every movie I saw this year, the two standouts in terms of quality were Mad Max: Fury Road and Inside Out. Two wildly different films, but I feel as though they represent the absolute best that this year had to offer. As I mentioned before, Mad Max is an absolute feast for the eyes. A decadently gorgeous display of practical wizardry framed around a series of interesting, well-acted characters. It's not only one of the best films of 2015, but one of the best films I've ever seen. A brand new figurehead in the realm of action movies. On the lighter side, we have Inside Out, a touching, charming, and brilliantly cast return to form for the folks at Pixar. It's the first noteworthy thing to come out of that studio in a few years and it easily ranks among their best work, speaking directly to the child that still lives inside all of us. Pixar seems to work best when it's almost consoling the viewer; Toy Story tells us it's okay to grow up, Up tells us it's okay to grow old, Ratatouille tells us it's okay to be different, and Inside Out tells us it's okay to be sad. The movie focuses on cartoonish representations of our emotions, yet it manages to be one of the most relatable, human films I watched all year. Mad Max is a larger-than-life work of art; a tapestry hanging in a museum, to be admired forever as a symbol of human creativity and skill. Inside Out is more like a warm security blanket, something that, while a little childish, still holds a great deal of comfort and meaning. While these two films couldn't be any more different in terms of content and subject matter, I feel as though they represent the absolute pinnacle of what I saw come out of 2015.
And with that...
I would like to sincerely thank all of you who read and share my reviews. What started as a simple hobby has evolved into something much more, and my little blog likely wouldn't have made it to this point without everyone's support and patronage. Not to sound generic, but I honestly hope you enjoy reading what I write as much as I enjoy writing it. Here's to a whole new year of fun, films, and the occasional piece of trash in 2016, and many more to come!
Thanks for reading, and have a happy and safe New Year!
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