10. Grandma, Paul Weitz
Grandma is film about an ageing
lesbian poet recovering from recent tragedy that somehow manages to reward (as
opposed to bore) its audience with both laughs and insight on the topics of
loss, ageing and bitter individualism. The movie is anchored by tremendous work
by Lily Tomlin in, shockingly, her first starring role in 27 years. Her acidic
yet vulnerable turn here was somehow overlooked by the Oscars, but
the performance itself will not be forgotten. Grandma is the character study of 2015.
9. The Hateful Eight, Quentin
Tarantino
After his 2012 hit Django Unchained, Tarantino returns with another western mixed with Agatha
Christie-esque mystery and the result is wildly entertaining. During a heavy blizzard in Wyoming, a group of mysterious outlaws with no previous connection to each other find refuge inside a cosy tavern. However, they soon start to die in succession and it becomes clear that one of them is not who they say they
are. Running at 165 minutes, the film takes its time to get going but once it
does it builds up like a rolling snowball that gets bloodier and bloodier the
further it goes along.
8. Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Back in 1999, Sofia Coppola made
a film called The Virgin Suicides about five beautiful sisters trapped under
the roof of extremely conservative if not mentally ill guardians. What Mustang does is take this premise down the road of tighter, action-packed plotting and down the path of nuanced characterisation ending up miles ahead of its predecessor. (Can anyone describe any of the sisters in The Virgin Suicides other than Lux and Cecelia?) Coppola relied
heavily on atmosphere and music in her debut and it worked, but Mustang is a
better narrative film.
7. The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos
A man (Colin Farrell) is given 45 days to find a
romantic partner or the government will turn him into an animal. On the
other side of town, a woman (Rachel Weisz) belonging to a group of renegades called “the Loners” is out to punish romance of any kind. You may think you know where this is going,
but you're wrong. Lathimos makes this dystopian satire work throughout the
two-hour running time, playing with societal constructs and pitfalls of modern-age
courtship, yet he never loses his grip on the tricky material, nor his quirky sense of
humour. The Lobster is the most original film of 2015.
6. Amy, Asif Kapadia
Asif Kapadia's Amy is one of the best movies you will ever see on the topic of self-destruction and a documentary far superior than
its 2015 rival Cobain: Montage of Heck. What Kapadia does is humanise its mega-famous subject with a well-structured narrative and occasionally
heartbreaking visuals (mostly in the form of Winehouse’s private videos) without ever spoon-feeding us ideas, especially regarding the singer-songwriter’s nonexistent sanctity. Amy is brutally honest, yet somehow it should make a Winehouse fan out of virtually everyone. Go see why.
5. Tangerine, Sean Baker
A transgender LA hustler by the name of Sin-Dee Rella comes out of prison to find out from her best gal-pal Alexandra that her fiancee/pimp had been cheating. Sin-Dee, who is a character with more energy in her little finger than what most 2015 superheros had in their whole armours, promises to Alexandra "There'll be no drama!" but what ensues is nothing short of electrifying and a tour de force comedy that could have just as easily worked on stage. Shot on iPhones and featuring a side of LA we've never seen before, Tangerine also manages to be the best 2015 had to say on the topic of friendship.
4. Youth, Paolo Sorrentino
After his career-high La Grande Bellezza Paolo Sorrentino returns with a film marginally less lavish (or inspired), yet still managing to reach levels of cinematic poetry we rarely witness nowadays. Youth is set in a luxury resort in the Swiss Alps where a group of people reflect on their pasts, presents, creativity, broken marriages, fame, ageing, or, in a single word, life. The film is meditative, interesting, intelligent, often witty, never boring and featuring some of the most striking visuals of 2015. It also manages to be life-affirming, even though its characters' lives are in shambles. A must-see.
3. Cinderella, Kenneth Branagh
In an age when so many family films revolve around cashing in on old brands and selling toys, it is beyond refreshing to witness an escapist fantasy with this much love and detail put into it, especially in the writing department. Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella takes the best aspects of all the Cinderellas we've seen before (including Disney's own 1950's animated version) and improves upon them by giving all major charactersback stories and dilemmas. Rarely has a prince in a Disney film showed this much personality whilst pursuing his princess. And rarely has the princess been this much worth pursuing! This time around, all toys stayed at home.
2. Brooklyn, John Crowley
It's 1952 but it could just as well be 2015. Governments aren't doing what they're supposed to be doing and a lack of jobs forces people to try and make homes for themselves somewhere else. Such is the story of a young Irish girl named Eilis, played with remarkable precision and subtlety by Saoirse Ronan. The journey of Elis is simple, but the character itself and the people around her are so endearing and authentic that, as the credits roll, it's hard to say goodbye to them. John Crowley's Brooklyn is a great coming-of-age story and the best British film of the year.
1. The Revenant, Alejandro González Iñárritu
Much has been said and written on the now Oscar-winning The Revenant and according to its latest box office reports ($400 millions and counting) you've probably already either seen it or you know someone who has. In case you're still in the dark, here's one review that's no faint praise - The Revenant.
5. Tangerine, Sean Baker
A transgender LA hustler by the name of Sin-Dee Rella comes out of prison to find out from her best gal-pal Alexandra that her fiancee/pimp had been cheating. Sin-Dee, who is a character with more energy in her little finger than what most 2015 superheros had in their whole armours, promises to Alexandra "There'll be no drama!" but what ensues is nothing short of electrifying and a tour de force comedy that could have just as easily worked on stage. Shot on iPhones and featuring a side of LA we've never seen before, Tangerine also manages to be the best 2015 had to say on the topic of friendship.
4. Youth, Paolo Sorrentino
After his career-high La Grande Bellezza Paolo Sorrentino returns with a film marginally less lavish (or inspired), yet still managing to reach levels of cinematic poetry we rarely witness nowadays. Youth is set in a luxury resort in the Swiss Alps where a group of people reflect on their pasts, presents, creativity, broken marriages, fame, ageing, or, in a single word, life. The film is meditative, interesting, intelligent, often witty, never boring and featuring some of the most striking visuals of 2015. It also manages to be life-affirming, even though its characters' lives are in shambles. A must-see.
3. Cinderella, Kenneth Branagh
In an age when so many family films revolve around cashing in on old brands and selling toys, it is beyond refreshing to witness an escapist fantasy with this much love and detail put into it, especially in the writing department. Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella takes the best aspects of all the Cinderellas we've seen before (including Disney's own 1950's animated version) and improves upon them by giving all major charactersback stories and dilemmas. Rarely has a prince in a Disney film showed this much personality whilst pursuing his princess. And rarely has the princess been this much worth pursuing! This time around, all toys stayed at home.
2. Brooklyn, John Crowley
It's 1952 but it could just as well be 2015. Governments aren't doing what they're supposed to be doing and a lack of jobs forces people to try and make homes for themselves somewhere else. Such is the story of a young Irish girl named Eilis, played with remarkable precision and subtlety by Saoirse Ronan. The journey of Elis is simple, but the character itself and the people around her are so endearing and authentic that, as the credits roll, it's hard to say goodbye to them. John Crowley's Brooklyn is a great coming-of-age story and the best British film of the year.
1. The Revenant, Alejandro González Iñárritu
Much has been said and written on the now Oscar-winning The Revenant and according to its latest box office reports ($400 millions and counting) you've probably already either seen it or you know someone who has. In case you're still in the dark, here's one review that's no faint praise - The Revenant.
