chasmmi Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I really liked Spy, was very funny. Best comedy I have seen so far from 2015 I think. Bridge of Spies I thought was one of those films where everything about it is great, but it lacked a certain spark to make the film into anything truly special for me. I felt similarly about Theory of Everything last year in that it had great acting and was really well made but just lacked a certain punch to truly grab me like a classic dramatic film would. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BourneFan #1 Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 4 hours ago, CJohn said: HONORABLE MENTIONS - PART 4 The final one before the main event begins. Reveal hidden contents SPY The funniest movie of the year. McCarthy was as good as always. Sthatam stole the damn show, he was super hilarious. Jude Law was pretty good as well and Rose Byrne was the queen bitch. I got this recently on Bluray and it was as funny as on the first time. The comedy of the year and one of the funniest movies I have ever seen in a theater. Quotes from our Review Thread: pepper83 Baumer filmlover Your new avatar! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohn Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 10 The first position in my countdown has a tie. I just couldn't decide which one would get the final spot but since this is my top and I make the rules they both get in at 10. It is the only position with a tie in my 2015 top 10. Spoiler KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (Release Date: February 19) A fun, entertaining ride to start 2015. I had a blast with it. There are tons of laugh out loud moments and the cast was great. Taron Egerton and Sofia Boutella were both revelations to me and I am sure we will hear a lot about them in the future. Colin Firth was the perfect choice as the lead and Samuel L. Jackson played an hilarious villain. Quote from the Review Thread: - antovolk Quote The dialogue above perfectly encapsulates Kingsman's position in today's movie landscape - while it is, like Guardians of the Galaxy (which this is the 2015 equivalent of to be very blunt), an over the top and, amongst all other tentpoles, may stand out as a sore thumb so to say, it still never lets up of its craft and still manages to be an incredibly enjoyable and satisfying film; a breath of fresh air amongst all the "darkness" of other releases. This film manages to achieve everything that GOTG did (for the comic-book space fantasy genre, but here for the comic book spy genre) but better, probably, in my opinion, because of the sort of freedom this film (I think) got in the creative process, and the going all "balls out" thanks to the lack of rating constraints that the film makers had to adhere to, at the same time as staying classy and avoiding being juvenile, likely due to the implications of the spy genre. The script and story may sound silly on paper, but this proves that with the right director, the audience will go along cheerfully for the ride. Kudos also to Vaughn to making this film very identifiably British, there are bits in there that someone who's aware of the socio-cultural going-on will definitely appreciate, while for those not int he know it provides a nice window into this that is much better than other British-centred tentpoles do which do seem to be a bit more Americanised that you would expect. The amount of moments that totally are worth seeking this out with a packed audience for is also immense and the audience reactions and involvement are brilliant, and I was completely sold on the twists and turns of the story, despite them being pretty damn far fetched and all. One thing this film got absolutely perfect is the pacing - it never let up, from the completely crazy action scenes (with two scenes in particular being absolute and complete highlights that will no doubt have your theatres erupt) to the more emotional scenes, which the cast carried through perfectly, even better than most films of this type. Colin Firth and Taron Egerton were the real highlights of the cast, with the chemistry between the two characters being the real centerpiece of the film. Mark Strong, Sophie Cookson were also brilliant in their supporting roles and their camaraderie with the two leads. The only weak point was probably Michael Caine, but in a couple of scenes he definitely stood out, and Samuel L Jackson was really great if not way too much on the hammy and scenery-chewing side. Overall, it is extremely satisfying, way more so than a lot of other similar films, and sets the bar extremely high for 2015 films. AMERICAN SNIPER (Release Date: January 22) Bradley Cooper shines in this brutal war movie that tells the true story of Chris Kyle. This is, IMO, Bradley Cooper's best performance ever. The movie is intense and very violent. There are some really shocking scenes, like the head of a kid getting drilled while the parents watch in terror. This is also Clint Eastwood best movie in a looooooooooooong time. It is a fantastic movie and deserves all the praise and success it got. Quotes from the Review Thread: - filmlover Quote An intense and effective examination of Chris Kyle, American Sniper avoids both politics and picking a side on war and instead looks at the man caught in the battle. The embellishments that have been made to make Kyle's story feel more "cinematic" work for the film, and it never once becomes preachy. The film's biggest strength is Bradley Cooper, giving what is easily his best performance yet (and I've been a big fan of his for years). It's a fully-realized performance that makes us understand Kyle's actions. The only other person in the cast of importance is Sienna Miller, who brings life to what could've been a thankless supportive-but-distanced wife part. Some of the pacing in the middle could've been strengthened while some sections could've been fleshed out a bit, which are really my only complaints about the film. This is easily Clint Eastwood's best movie since Million Dollar Baby, and is also one of the better war movies of the last several years altogether. A must-see just for Cooper's excellent performance alone. - Ozymandias Quote Great intense and emotional movie. Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller were excellent. That scene where they see the World Trade Center collapse on live TV was pretty harrowing because I remember watching the 2nd plane hit on live TV back in 2001 like it was yesterday. Some have criticized that part as being gross propaganda for the Iraq War, I didn't see that at all, its one of the reasons why he became a Navy SEAL, I don't know how you can think it was making a case for being pro Iraq War, it didn't really take a stand one way or another, its about this guy and what he went through. Some have said it doesn't focus on PSTD nearly enough(*cough* Devin Faraci *cough*), thats completely baffling to me because 1st and foremost this is a movie about the most lethal Sniper in US military over in Iraq and at the end he nearly breaks down mentally and starts helping vets and is even fucking murdered by a soldier he was trying to help suffering from severe PSTD, the ending montage is definitely the emotional high point of the movie. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Hunt Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I wanna like for American Sniper... But Kingsman in the same post 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 25 minutes ago, Ethan Hunt said: I wanna like for Kingsman... But American Sniper in the same post Fixed 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Hunt Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Just now, The Panda Menace said: Fixed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohn Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 The rest of the top is coming very soon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohn Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 9 The unexpected virtue of ignorance. Spoiler BIRDMAN (Release Date: January 8) Birdman was phenomenal. Michael Keaton shines in a film about a former movie star that has fallen into oblivion. But not just that, Birdman is so much more. It tackles so many themes and all so well. Michael Keaton has an outstanding performance, I still believe he should have won the Oscar for Best Actor. Edward Norton and Emma Stone are also really good in their roles. I also loved how the movie felt like a long continuous take. I am ready for The Revenant and I hope it is as good as this one. Quotes from our Review Thread: CloneWars Quote Quote An incredibly well-made film. The dialogue is fantastic. I love that the whole film except very end and beginning are all one single long shot. it does a great job of turning Hollywood on its head. My only objection is that the film is a bit pretentious at times, and I think for some people this film will be very inaccessible. Although, I think some will fall in love with this film. I honestly feel like this is best picture material here and better than most of the stuff that was won in past years. One thing I am certain of, Michael Keaton gives an amazing, amazing performance and the Oscar is his to lose this year. If you are a fan of cinema, then this is a must-see film Spaghetti Quote A dizzyingly brilliant film unlike anything I've ever seen. It works not just because of its direction, but because said direction plays off the desperation and instability that all of these characters have. The movie make constant jabs at all levels of Hollywood, from the producer to the consumer, but at the same time, it's willing to call out the people who do said calling outs. Ed Norton is definitely the personification of this, so it's fitting that his character is a bit of a dick at times. Either way, it ultimately reaches towards a more human level, with each character just trying to get by and find their own means of happiness and meaning in life. There are so many layers to this thing, and it's brilliant how every detail comes together in ways that are hilarious, cathartic, and just plain shocking. A masterpiece Baumer Quote Fantastic movie but even moreso Keaton gives a performance up there with the greatest of all time. Ledger from TDK Day Lewis from TWBB...And so on....hes absolutely on that level. Im stunned. Im not tech savvy enough to know how they pulled this off but its one hell of a movie! If Keaton doesnt win this year the winner should just turn around and give it to him Gopher Quote A fascinating study of mental illness. This movie takes us further down the rabbit hole with each consecutive minute of action, getting us to hate and love and pity and sneer at and revere Riggan at every turn. The narrative is truly from his fucked-up perspective, and it couldn't have engrossed me more. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Thank God you didn't use my original rave review in that post 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I've cooled a bit from those original remarks, but Birdman is still pretty fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohn Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 8 LET IT IN!!!! Spoiler STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (Release Date: December 17) An amazing achievement by JJ Abrams and Disney. Star Wars is a perfect blockbuster. Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and John Boyega are fantastic as the new trio of leads, and to see Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher return in their iconic roles from the original trilogy was a moment the fans will never forget. Almost everyone will love this movie and it is fantastic entertainment for the whole family. Quotes from our Review Thread: Chewy Quote Fun, energetic, extremely well-cast. Major characters well-sketched, broadly so. Didn't drag at all on first viewing, although some of the emotional moments felt empty. Almost all of them played on nostalgia rather than the happenings of this one. Not much creative juice on display here, it plays like a full-on remake of A New Hope. With some Empire and Jedi peppered in. Darth Dexter of Hoth Quote I loved it so much. It started to build the universe for the trilogy I love the new characters. Finn is such a great character, plus John Boyega does a great job. Such great charisma. Daisy riddler is brilliant there is a lot of mystery with her character. Adam Driver as Kylo Ren is amazing. Poe is great and I wish he was in there more. The story is engaging, fun, the humor works. It does come across as a New Hope 2.0 but it works so well. Only complaints I had about the movie is Captain Phasma is kinda a waste of character. She served little purpose in the movie. I excited to see Luke and Snoke more in the sequel. Kelli Quote OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG okay. Come on Kelli we need to speak in intelligible words now......deep breaths.... SKFITNEODOSMAHSHENEIDIFORMRFIDJJn!!!!!!!!!!! Okay. Now with that out of my system, I'll try to make all of this random sloppy love affair of a review for star wars as comprehensible as I can and hope I can convey each and everything about the movie. First off, Star Wars was FUCKING AWESOME. This is clearly the mo ie not of the year, but of the decade and makes that pathetic excuse of a blockbuster 'Avatar' running away crying with its pants down. Abrams, that little beast. He fucking nailed way out of the park, farther than A fucking Rod or Or-fucking-tiz could ever hit a ball. He nailed the tone of the movie perfectly with the score, outstanding cinematography that relates to the first, and he absolutely brought out the new comers beautifully. So many times with these reboots, directors get so caught up in the graphics, making sure its eye candy and not putting the effort in the writing. This film doesn't rub it in your face "hey look at our graphics! Aren't we way cooler and far more ahead of the originals?!". The graphics are great, but they also mesh well enough with the originals were it doesn't feel like a totally different movie, you could have easily thought this was made right with episodes 4-6, and trust me that's not a diss. It was refreshing. As for the acting, BRAV-fucking-O. The oldies we knew were great, but the newbies Rey and fin were such a joy to watch. Just great chemistry and really great build up where although there was a lot of humor mixed in, you did feel the connection was legit. Speaking of humor, I LOVED the bits of humor! It's something that even the originals didn't do much of. You might have had one or two maybe, but for the most part it was always serious and dramatic, which is perfectly fine. However I loved Abrams dropping the bits of humor here, and the best part was it never felt forced like he tried to really yank it from the crowd, it just felt natural. The story of the movie was definitely intriguing, sure it takes a bit to trick through in the first 30 minutes (though for me I didn't mind it at all), it's all worth it when they all come together. I thought the film was filled with action through-out, great fighting duels, and I KNEW Rey was the Jedi! I just knew it was her, and star wars definitely needed that. If its one thing that irks me with star wars, it's the lack of female powerful characters. Padme is anything but powerful and really made females look derogatory to how we're depicted olden times: left being only pinning away waiting for our loved one to come home, crying over and over. Leiah had a strong personality but still in physicality she was still the "damsel in distress". This movie looked like it was going there too when Ren abducted her, and when he held his hand at her trying to break her down by force (no pun intended), you thought she looked like she was giving in, but then at the last minute she surprises fans and holds her own. She then later fights against him in an outstanding final battle, ultimately making a name for her own in this and hopefully the trilogy. Overall, this film delivers the epic propaganda it dished out and then some. I can't wait for part 8 and to see how Rey and Luke's relationship begins. We still don't know whose daughter she is. Is she Han and leaih's? That would she fought her own brother to almost death, and watched her own dad die by her brother. Certainly has the most drama. Or is she Luke's and Luke abandoned her after (what. We're told) Ren destroyed his hopes of building back the Jedi school/council. I give this a 10/10, A+++++++++++++++++ 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Hunt Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 *looks at own list * *knocks Star Wars down a few spots as to not have it at the same position as John * 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) Ooh wow, I was expecting that to be higher and above Jurassic World. Edited January 1, 2016 by The Panda Menace 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohn Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 2 minutes ago, The Panda Menace said: Ooh wow, I was expecting that to be higher and above Jurassic World. How do you know Jurassic World is in my top 10 at all ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WrathOfHan Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 ................You have JW higher. You have JW higher. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohn Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 13 minutes ago, WrathOfHan said: ................You have JW higher. You have JW higher. I am gonna say it again: how do you know I have Jurassic World on my list? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Hunt Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Its gonna be #1. I said it the other day as a joke... But you know... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohn Posted January 2, 2016 Author Share Posted January 2, 2016 4 minutes ago, Ethan Hunt said: Its gonna be #1. I said it the other day as a joke... But you know... The reaction to my number 1 is gonna be... interesting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Hunt Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Just now, CJohn said: The reaction to my number 1 is gonna be... interesting. There's one film in my top 5 that will turn some heads TBH 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dementeleus Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 3 minutes ago, Ethan Hunt said: There's one film in my top 5 that will turn some heads TBH Only one? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...