Thread of the Century ;) DAJK's Top 20 Best and Top 10 Worst Films of 2015

[DAJK]

7 hours ago, Telemachos said:

 

Edited January 19, 2016 by DAJK

[DAJK]

Sorry @Telemachosdon't know why it just did that.

 

Anyways, gonna do at least 2 more tonight, hopefully more.

[Plain Old Tele]

1 minute ago, DAJK said:

Sorry @Telemachosdon't know why it just did that.

 

Anyways, gonna do at least 2 more tonight, hopefully more.

 

To get rid of accidental quote boxes, just mouse-over the quote and you'll see a little box with a plus on the upper-left. Click on it, and that selects the whole quote. You can then delete it like anything else.

 

Alternate method (or if you're on mobile): Click "Source", select all, delete. Turn "Source" off.

[DAJK]

14 minutes ago, Telemachos said:

 

To get rid of accidental quote boxes, just mouse-over the quote and you'll see a little box with a plus on the upper-left. Click on it, and that selects the whole quote. You can then delete it like anything else.

 

Alternate method (or if you're on mobile): Click "Source", select all, delete. Turn "Source" off.

That is actually super helpful Tele thank you so much!

[The Panda]

21 hours ago, DAJK said:

#16 Best Film of 2015

 

In the Heart of the Sea

Another not exactly well-liked movie that I think is completely underrated. 

I actually watched In the Heart of the Sea for a second time yesterday and I still like it just as much. Sure, the effects were quite uneven (some looked spectacular and some...didn't). But nonetheless, In the Heart of the Sea tells a great story in a harrowing adventure of a film. Chris Hemsworth is good, Ron Howard directs the action well, the script is well-paced, and the soundtrack is amazing.

When this movie was supposed to come out in March, I didn't care much for it (oh, just that other movie that I'll do a double feature of Cinderella with) but the push to December got me excited. And that final trailer just blew me away. While Oscars never happened (and even though I liked the movie, I don't think they should have), In the Heart of the Sea is still quite a good movie, and one that does its source materiel (the novel) justice as well as being a great film in and of itself.

 

Rotten Tomatoes: 43%

Domestic box office: $24.3 million

Academy Award nominations: n/a
 

 

[DAJK]

Just now, The Panda said:

 

I know I know, I'm sorry

[DAJK]

#14 Best Film of 2015

 

Daddy's Home

Yet another one where I'm disagreeing with the critics 

Anyways, I was completely shocked by Daddy's Home's OD (does anyone remember when that 15.7M number came out? That was crazy!) but I still didn't expect much from the film itself. I went in mildly excited, but I was thinking the best I could hope for was "not a waste of time 6/10" movie. Well, I certainly got a lot more than that for sure. Daddy's Home is now my favourite Farrel movie outside of Elf by a mile, and probably my favourite Whalberg movie period.

It's funny, it's endearing, and also quite heartfelt, Daddy's Home reminds me of those movies I would have watched over and over again with my cousins when I was younger. Not only are the gags hilarious, but the story is also surprisingly well-written, and the two leads have fantastic comedic chemistry. Other than one or two scenes that didn't hit, I was smiling and laughing all the way through this movie. (and to anyone who's seen it, that final scene is straight up HILARIOUS).

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 30%

Domestic box office: $132 million (as of 1/19/16)

Academy Award nominations: n/a

[DAJK]

#13 Best Film of 2015

 

Spotlight

This cast. This story. The trailer. The direction. The script. The movie. Wow.

 

I first watched the trailer for Spotlight on the day of its limited release, and it blew me away. I pleaded and I pleaded that our theatre would at least show the movie of a week as a filler, and I did get my wish. The only showtime started at 9:30, so I went on a Monday night with only 7 other people in the whole theatre, and for the entire runtime, everyone was glued to their seats. I forgot about how tired I was, I forgot about my biology homework, I was powerless against the gripping nature of this film.

I myself had never really been educated on the subject matter (other than maybe hints from a joke in Two and a Half Men, but that's it). I had no idea how far this issue stretched, and just how big it was. As the film unfolded, it practically kicked me in the teeth, and then while I was down, it continued to pommel me. The pacing of this movie unfolds the story piece by piece, giving you just enough time to process everything before it hit you with something else. Spotlight is incredibly well done.

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

Domestic box office: $31 million (as of 1/19/16)

Academy Award nominations: 6

 

[DAJK]

#12 Best Film of 2016

 

The Martian

So, right when Exodus came out and I started to learn about this film, I thought "oh dear lord, another Scott bomb? And it's starring Damon?  sorry guys but RIP". Boy was I wrong.

 

The Martian is freaking awesome. From having some of the best trailers all year, the film itself delivers. It's funny, its exciting, it's intelligent, witty, beautifully directed, very well acted, and just really REALLY entertaining. I saw this movie twice in theatres, and honestly, I probably liked it better the second time.

I will admit I had a few minor issues with the movie; the most prominent being the final action set-piece, which I felt stretched the bounds of reality for which the movie had set up. For example, in a movie like Star Wars (where from the beginning you know it's fake) something like this wouldn't seem out of place at all. However, in a movie like The Martian, where it prided itself on being as scientifically accurate as possible, the ending feels like a bit of a stretch. While I'm not questioning the accuracy of the film, I would say that it could have done a better job at selling this point if it is truly scientifically possible.

But honestly, I loved pretty much everything else in this movie. The soundtrack was freaking great, as were the effects. I'm just so stunned that Hollywood was able to make a movie about one person being alone stranded in space entertaining, after I think they somewhat dropped the ball with (ahem) Gravity. Anyways, Martian = good movie, so go watch it if you haven't seen it.

 

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Domestic box office: $227 million

Academy Award nominations: 7

Edited January 20, 2016 by DAJK

[The Panda]

7 hours ago, DAJK said:

 

after I think they somewhat missed the ball with (ahem) Gravity. 

 

 

[DAJK]

#11 Best Film of 2015

 

Jurassic World

Sorry Tele. I guess this means I'm permabanned from the Forums 

 

Jurassic World has basically experienced the same backlash that all giant movies experience. Kind of the same way if I had said mid-2014 that Frozen was my #4 movie of 2013. Anyways, I'll always have sort of a bias for this franchise, because DINOSAURS! (when I was younger, before movies were even a thing in my life, Dinosaurs were #1 priority. I'd watch Walking With Dinosaurs among others religiously, and I could list of facts the way I can list of Box Office statistics today). Anyways, biases aside, Jurassic World was basically the definition of a summer blockbuster. It was big, filled with CGI, cheesy, entertaining, fun... isn't that what a summer blockbuster is supposed to be?

I remember saying after watching the movie "if a pair of stilettos and a stupid kiss are the worst this movie has to offer, then it's a pretty good movie." I stick by that. Jurassic World is pretty much what 2014's Godzilla should have been. At least this movie was fun... and, good.

(side note: this has nothing to do with the movie itself, but June 12th, the weekend thread for this movie, was probably the most fun I've ever had on the Forums).

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%

Domestic box office: $652 million

Academy Award nominations: 14 (including best picture win)... Sorry, I just wished that had happened and have Tele film his reaction

[baumer]

Terrific write ups DAJK.  And I love your Spotlight recap.  That's kind of how I felt too.

[DAJK]

1 hour ago, Baumer said:

Terrific write ups DAJK.  And I love your Spotlight recap.  That's kind of how I felt too.

Thanks Baumer  That actually means a whole lot to me.

 

And regarding the top 10, I'm having a physics mock today, an in class Macbeth essay today, and a biology exam tomorrow, so I'll probably to my 10-5 Friday night and m 4-1 Saturday morning.

[Goffe]

Chappie is worst of the year material therefore you list is completely invalid. 

[DAJK]

4 hours ago, Goffe said:

Chappie is worst of the year material therefore you list is completely invalid. 

[Empire]

11 minutes ago, DAJK said:

Don't listen to Goffe, Chappie is a good movie. 

[Avatree]

how many movies from 2015 have you seen @DAJK?

[DAJK]

1 hour ago, Total Treecall said:

how many movies from 2015 have you seen @DAJK?

I think it was 92 or 93. Give or take.

 

And I'm planning on doing 4 or 5 for the list once I get home from The Boy

[DAJK]

Shoot okay I got home from the movie at 11:30 PT, but some friends came over and just left now  I meant to get to it today, but tomorrow is certainly top 10 time.

 

 

[DAJK]

#10 Best Film of 2015

 

Brooklyn

Just because I think (most) Nicholas Sparks movies are garbage, doesn't mean I can appreciate a good romance if one comes my way. Heck, Titanic is in my top 10 all time movies for crying out loud...

 

Brooklyn is quite a fascinating film. When I first walked out, I compared it to vanilla ice cream, and I stand by that analogy. We've all had vanilla ice cream right? It's pretty good but not the VERY best. When we first try it we think "God, this ice cream thing tastes really good!" We enjoy it. And then we eat it again. And again. And again and again and again. Eventually we've eaten vanilla ice cream sooooooo many times that it isn't that special anymore. Don't get me wrong, vanilla ice cream it still pretty good, but it just is what it is. Then one day, someone comes along and prepares you this delicious sundae with vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, a cherry etc. Suddenly vanilla ice cream is special again, when prepared right.

Brooklyn is kind of like this special bowl of ice cream. It isn't anything new; everything (and I mean everything) in this movie I have seen done before. But I have rarely seen it done this well. I cared about the characters, I was invested in the plot, I laughed and cheered and applauded along with the rest of the audience. It was a really, really good time.

 

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

Domestic box office: $26.4 million (as of 1/23/15)

Academy Award nominations: 3