Twenty years ago, I accomplished this important list-making with very little effort! (I might be re-writing history there. Also, what was I, nine?) I'd have ten movies, easy. And a few honorable mentions. But for the past few years, I like SO MUCH for SO MANY different reasons (am I becoming the Hollywood Foreign Press Association? Do I really just want a separate comedy category? How many spots can I give to The Tourist?) - and I want to include them all (this says a lot about my everyday personality, now that I think about it). Everyone (almost) is worthy. No one (mostly) should be left out.
So here it is! All my 2015 Movie Love (for movie lovers).
Movies I LOVED:
Brooklyn - This totally took me by surprise... until I found out it was written by Nick Hornby, and then I was not at all surprised.
Inside Out - Pixar breaks my heart in a beautiful way yet again.
Love and Mercy - I loved being immersed in their world and music - though Brian Wilson's story broke my heart as well.
Amy - What's with movies that wreck me making my Best Of list? If you did not see this in the theater, make sure to find it eventually. There was so much more to Amy Winehouse's story than the tabloids ever let us see.
Hateful Eight - Patrick's review says it all.
Mad Max: Fury Road - Patrick and JB's podcast says it all.
The Revenant - This is not typically the style of movie that gets me excited. The first time I saw a trailer, I did not think twice about it. But then... I saw the film. I was so taken by the cinematography and realism... the wilderness and the vastness. The credits rolled and I immediately immersed myself in articles and interviews about the making of. Awesome filmmaking.
Spotlight - I might be the youngest person who still has a newspaper delivered to the house. Reading the paper (printed on actual paper) is one of my favorite things to do, and I'm obsessed with journalism in a lot of ways. Which makes me an easy audience for Spotlight. The closing scene will always make me sad.
Tangerine - Patrick says it best.
Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation - FORGET EVERYTHING ELSE ON THIS LIST. Go watch this again.
Trainwreck - I defer to Patrick again. There's a reason I married him. #movielove
Movies I liked a lot:
Carol
Creed
Room
Straight Outta Compton
The Martian
It Follows
99 Homes
Going Clear
The Hunting Ground
The Wolfpack
3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets
He Named Me Malala
Still haven't seen:
The End of the Tour
Bridge of Spies
Where to Invade Next
"I tried to write about this for Scary Movie Month, but Patrick did not approve."
ReplyDeleteBecause the movie wasn't scary enough or does he just generally disapprove of your writing? (How rude!)
I agree with you, Erika. Sicario scared me a lot more than most horror films that I see. I think it may be my #1 for the year. No other film that came out this year affected me in the same way.
ReplyDeleteI finally caught Brooklyn this week and I couldn't have loved it more. Just a gem of a movie.
ReplyDeleteAgree. As an immigrant myself (except I settled in Manhattan, because Brooklyn is still considered a far away land in the NYC area! :-P), "Brooklyn" took me back to when I was learning the ropes about getting around town and a new way of thinking. Best part about the movie for me is that Brooklyn isn't just a place, but a state of mind that the Eilis carries within her during the movie's last third (which goes places I seldom see depicted in movies). One of 2015's most pleasant surprises, and my #12 movie (out of 87).
DeleteThe world needs more Erika! Thanks for sharing your picks; I enjoy reading/hearing your thoughts and appreciate your perspective. And it's not too late to post that Sicario review.
ReplyDeleteLoved Brooklyn. I love that we got to see so much of her character - from being like a smarty-pants Irish girl in a small town, to being a lot more vulnerable in a big new place, from happy to sad to happy - to sad, and from being new and naive to being more knowledgable and wise. Her character felt so filled out. The second half is my favorite. For some reason I felt like it was kind of uncharted waters in film (for me, at least) to show that process she was going through. Tony's letters. Her monologue with the lady in her hometown at the end took my breath away. A man didn't factor into her decision too much. I totally respected her reasons.
ReplyDeleteGreat list, you have the better taste it seems as it's more in line with my own!
ReplyDelete