Water Bottle's Top 12 Films of 2015 (So Far)

[Water Bottle]

2015 is over. I believe I have seen 29 films (that I remember). I might have forgotten if I had seen some of the more indie ones or if they were this year. I have also yet to see some movies that could in theory make it on this list (the Hateful 8, the Revenant, etc.). If they would make the list, I'd expand it to top 15 or 20 or 25. But for now, Top 12 works. Because you know what? I'm doing this list anyways.

 

Honorable Mentions:

Bridge of Spies

The Visit

Ant-Man

The Big Short

Dope

 

#12...coming soon...

[Water Bottle]

#12 in my list:

 

 

The Gift

 

The original version of Oldboy had a great twist at the end that actually made my jaw drop: it was in essence something that was truly shocking. I haven't seen the Hollywood version but from what I understand...they decided that the twist would alienate audiences or something and then the movie flopped anyways. Idiots. Luckily we have the Gift which has a pretty twisted revenge story, very disturbed characters, and some of the best cinematography of the year. This was Joel Edgerton's first movie and if this is a sign of things to come, then the biggest gift this movie has is the start of a wonderful directing career by Edgerton.

[CJohn]

As long as JW and SW are here, we are good. 

[Water Bottle]

4 minutes ago, CJohn said:

As long as JW and SW are here, we are good. 

 

Well I can't say if they are or they aren't...I mean both movies have PLENTY of flaws...

[CJohn]

2 minutes ago, Darth Water Bottle said:

 

Well I can't say if they are or they aren't...I mean both movies have PLENTY of flaws...

 

[Water Bottle]

#11:

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

The Avengers: Age of Ultron

 

Age of Ultron had the tough task of following a film that was a real crowdpleaser and in many ways, the film suffered from comparisons to the first movie in the series...even though Age of Ultron is a blockbuster with phenomenal production values, great action scenes, funny lines, and a captivating plot. It also did a good job developing most of the characters like Hawkeye and excels at introducing Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver (even if Quicksilver is played by a blandface actor). Sure, it occasionally stumbles with sticking Thor in having to develop the overreaching Marvel story (cave scene anyone) but the rest of the movie is simply a blast. The opening action sequence is one of the most impressive of the year and the rest of the movie is really like watching a comic book come to life. Just as a sign of how how much I loved this movie, it's one I've rewatched like 7 times so far. It's fun and it meets the bar that Marvel has set for itself: grounding action with relatable characters and a sense of humor.

 

 

That's the last one for tonight!

[Plain Old Tele]

 

[Water Bottle]

1 minute ago, Obi-Wan Telemachos said:

 

 

You don't like the Gift?

[Plain Old Tele]

I wasn't commenting on THE GIFT.  

[The Stingray]

Truth be told, for me Ultron would probably be closer to a worst list than a best list... But that's just me.

 

[Water Bottle]

Moving on to the next movie:

 

10.

 

 

Ex Machina

 

There's other science fiction films on this list but they earn their spot because of brilliant direction or acting: only Ex Machina earns it's spot for actually being thought-provoking. Don't get me wrong: Ex Machina has a great Director of Photography, it has good editing, and the acting is excellent. But that's not why it's on this list. It's on this list because Ex Machina asked a question of whether artificial intelligence could actually be sentient or if it could only emulate human behavior. It develops the relationship between man and machine in many ways. More than any other science fiction films of 2015, Ex Machina is about an idea and it builds a solid film on it. A smart, thought-provoking science fiction thriller? Sign me up!

[WrathOfHan]

Ultron over Ant-Man  

[Water Bottle]

3 minutes ago, WrathOfHan said:

Ultron over Ant-Man  

 

There are no strings on me.

[Water Bottle]

This was a pretty good year for science fiction. So here's another one in my list:

 

#9.

 

 

The Martian

 

What happens when you get stranded by yourself in Mars with little hope for survival? Do you give up or do you find ways to address the problems that pop up? The Martian is a film about a guy who was put in a hopeless situation with countless obstacles and he found solutions in a smart way. There's a lot of tension-especially when his crew returns to save him and he has to go into space in a less than ideal circumstances. That he manages to make it back isn't just a miracle...but it's a perfect example of human ingenuity and will to survive at all costs. The Martian became an instant science fiction classic and it's frankly one that I would love to see get some love in the shape of trophies. The Martian simply proves that sometimes to make a great film...you need problems you need to science the shit out of.

 

I promise the next film isn't science fiction/fantasy.

[CJohn]

Dafuq? Ultron?  

[Water Bottle]

1 minute ago, CJohn said:

Dafuq? Ultron?  

 

 

I like how Ultron's place on my list is very controversial. I stand by it. It likely won't be the most controversial by the time I'm done...

[The Panda]

Oh gosh... WB is going to go full Ethan on us, isn't he?

[Water Bottle]

7 minutes ago, The Panda Menace said:

Oh gosh... WB is going to go full Ethan on us, isn't he?

 

I can confirm that Pitch Perfect 2 is nowhere in my list.

[Plain Old Tele]

3 minutes ago, Darth Water Bottle said:

 

I can confirm that Pitch Perfect 2 is nowhere in my list.

 

JURASSIC WORLD, tho...

 

[Water Bottle]

Next up on the list is the funniest woman currently working on TV.

 

#8

 

 

Trainwreck

 

I'm not a fan of most modern day comedies. They tend to be...well I guess I would call them too dumb and not funny. Okay, there's a way to do stupid comedy right but I'm more of a fan of smart comedy. And is there any comedy smarter and funnier this year than Trainwreck? The closest was maybe Spy but really Trainwreck was better by every factor. The one weakness of Trainwreck is it's predictable and safe third act but everything before then is solid gold. There's some real heart in Trainwreck. The character might have been a wreck but this movie was a riot. In Amy Schumer I trust.