Top 10 (Favourite) films of 2015

With the Golden Globes out of the way and the Academy Awards just round the corner, we feel it is high time that thenichecinema.com had their say. After furious debate (especially about number 5 and number 2 on our list…), we finally got a collective decision and here we present the 10 films released in 2015 that we enjoyed the most. While there are a few we would very much like to have seen (particularly The Revenant), we can safely say that this list would probably not be very different. If there are any you think should have made the cut, feel free to fight us. Without further ado, let’s get started!

10) Carol

Exploring the clandestine romance between the nascent youth Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara) and the assured, cultured Carol (Cate Blanchett), Carol is as intelligently directed as it is beautifully acted, offering a rare insight into the subtleties of forbidden love in an era long gone. The cinematography is beautiful; the direction is subtle; Blanchett and Mara are both immense. However, whilst I would love to place this film higher on the list, it unfortunately has two serious flaws. Firstly, it focuses too heavily on the sexual chemistry between Carol and Therese, in the process forgetting to establish strong enough a romantic connection to justify its last third, coming across as inappropriately melodramatic. Secondly, too often it moves the focus away from the engaging interactions between Blanchett and Mara to instead offer a level of familiar, Oscar-bait social commentary that seems too on-the-nose for such an otherwise understated piece of cinema. Nevertheless, Carol is perfect in almost every other regard, and a film which I highly recommend.

9) What We Do in the Shadows

What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary following four chummy vampires in their attempts at suburban integration. Despite this seemingly thin premise the film never felt too forced, and kept me roaring with laughter throughout. This is in large part due to its imaginative script, written by Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords fame, which ingeniously pokes fun at all manner of folklore tropes. In particular, the frequent jabs at the Twilight Saga are sure to go down well.

(read our review here)

8) Beasts of No Nation

Beasts of No Nation offers a brutally intense, unflinchingly honest look at the predicament of child soldiers. It feels unique in not reducing child soldiers to the issue, remembering as well to make its protagonist Agu (portrayed perfectly by newcomer Abraham Attah) a real, breathing character, rather than just an emotional prop to elicit tears from sheltered, Western audiences. Much has also been made of Idris Elba, who is immense as the nameless Commandant. Again, he feels real rather than as the pantomime villain he could easily have become – the sad king of a sad little hill. Whilst utilising a few too many questionable widescreen shoots and an overlong runtime (in addition to worrying accusations of plagiarism), Beasts of No Nation nevertheless stands as a moving, engaging and bold piece of cinema (though one available through Netflix rather than a wide cinematic release).

7) The Martian

For a film centred around an astronaut’s lone struggle to survive abandonment on Mars, The Martian is unexpectedly one of the funniest films I’ve seen all year. This is no mean feat, considering how it largely involves protagonist Mark Watney (Matt Damon) sitting around by himself, performing complex mathematical calculations and/or producing fertiliser with his own excrement. The combination of a witty screenplay, Damon’s compelling performance, and a return to directorial form on the part of Ridley Scott make The Martian a film I can easily recommend. While still a work of science fiction, its lack of ‘fictional science’ is very refreshing.

(Read our review here)

6) The Hateful Eight

The Hateful Eight is not a perfect film, but there have been few as bold, tense and powerful as Tarantino’s latest offering. A stunning and intelligent script is combined with startlingly beautiful cinematography on the 70mm format, and given atmosphere by a haunting return to composing by Ennio Morricone. Though not to everyone’s taste, The Hateful Eight deserves to be remembered as a classic and perhaps the most mature work the director has yet produced.

(read our review here)

5) Star Episode VII: The Force Awakens

It’s fair to say that expectations for The Force Awakens, bolstered by a decade-long wait, the disappointment of the prequels and a nostalgia-based marketing campaign, were sky high. Despite this, J.J. Abrams and his team succeeded with flying colours in recapturing the physicality, charm and spirituality of the original films, whilst also managing to introduce diverse, nuanced and incredibly entertaining characters. Criticisms pointing to the narrative as derivative miss two key aspects of Star Wars’ character: its role as a modern-day myth, and its focus on character-driven conflict. After all, A New Hope was just a standard take on the Hero’s Journey, but one with fantastic pacing, beautiful worlds and strong characters. The Force Awakens is able to draw upon the existing mythos whilst introducing its own new, unique elements, resulting in a film that whilst nevertheless still less daring than it could have been, succeeds wonderfully in establishing the basis for a new trilogy of Star Wars, for a new generation of movie-goers.

(read our review here)

4) Ex Machina

Arguably the best film to star both Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac this year, Ex Machina managed to present the well traversed subject of artificial intelligence in a, well, intelligent manner. Bearing many similarities to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner in both the themes and ethical questions it raises, the film could be likened to a feature length ‘voight kampff’ test (the system used in Blade Runner to determine whether an android can express empathy). That said, the ways that Ex Machina explores these ideas are both original and compelling. Stand out is Alicia Vikander’s performance as Ava the android, who manages to convey a latently sinister yet still sympathetic character. Think Frankenstein, plus robots.

3) Bridge of Spies

I saw Bridge of Spies on a whim; lacking the time to see the film I wanted to see, I ended up going into Spielberg’s latest film with no idea what to expect. I am profoundly happy that I did so. Bridge of Spies is full of fantastic performances that give life to a difficult subject matter. The communist conspiracy that the plot revolves around could have so easily felt dated or irrelevant; the heart given to the film by Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance makes it far more than a period piece- a trap that Carol came unnervingly close to. Whilst the conflict may be from a bygone era, the emotions certainly are not, and Spielberg’s classic understanding of people, politics, and heart are captured fully in this fascinating piece of cinema.

2) Inside Out

Inside Out is an effervescent, colourful adventure film that is as gorgeously animated as it intellectually daring. Through making the emotions of eleven year-old Riley into its cast, and the polar opposites of Joy and Sadness into its protagonists, Inside Out offers an incredibly nuanced exploration of our emotions, presented with enough colour and clarity to also remain easily accessible for younger audiences. Therefore transcending the boundaries that divide us and embracing the feelings that unite us, Inside Out tells a story that will resonate with everyone of every age – possibly Pixar’s finest ever achievement.

(read our review here)

1) Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max: Fury Road is perhaps the most important piece of cinema that emerged from 2015. Certainly, the two films I have already contributed to the list are well up for criticism for being, at the center of them, films dominated by white men. Mad Max not only ignores traditional ideas of Hollywood, but smashes into them at one hundred miles an hour whilst screaming and firing a gun. On the one hand, this film is not about gender, politics, capitalism etc. Undeniably, the frantic and brutal action and car-chasing sequences dominate the film, beginning almost in the first five minutes and not finishing until the tremendous climax. However, they are also entirely central to the film and George Millar deserves commendation for creating a film not just about big ideas, but also immersing them within a genuinely powerful and entertaining action film. Using vibrant colours, oodles of practical effects, and a stellar performances from Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road set a new benchmark not merely for action films but the Blockbuster in general. Truly the most important and, above all, entertaining film of the year.

 

The Hateful Eight

That sure ain’t a jam spillage trailing behind that carriage.

If Quentin Tarantino’s eighth movie has taught me anything, it’s to never go on a cabin holiday with him. If the film taught me anything else, it’s that Tarantino is still the absolute master of tense encounters, sparkling dialogue and bloody resolutions. The Hateful Eight is not your average movie. Eschewing the many extravagant set-pieces demanded by the action genre, it instead uses only a single one, set in a mountain-top cabin known as Minnie’s Haberdashery.  It lacks the roaring spectacle of some of Tarantino’s earlier movies, but makes up for it through the skillful assembly of a group of characters who you are fascinated to see interact, and excited to see who is telling the truth- and who is going to die.

The film begins with a chance encounter between Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and John ‘The Hangman’ Ruth (Kurt Russell). John is taking a young murderess named Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to be hung in the nearby town of Red Rock, but a blizzard forces them to take shelter in an isolated cabin, Minnie’s Haberdashery. In the cabin, the titular eight mistrust each other right from the start, with each maintaining a lie, and a truth, that is crucial to the fate of not only Daisy Domergue but everyone in that cabin…

The snow only adds to the pervasive level of tension that encompasses Tarantino’s movie.

To say any more than that would be to ruin the journey the film takes you on- and a lengthy journey it is. The Hateful Eight is just a trifle over three hours long, and some critics have remarked that the film asks too much, and has to deserve quite a lot more than the movies offers to be set in a single place for such a long time. To my knowledge, the same has not yet been said of ‘Room’. In truth, the build up is the real joy of the film. This is not the Sergio Leone style western, full of careful glances and meaningful silence. The dialogue sparkles in this film, spitting back and forth with almost as much lethality as the bullets themselves, when they appear in the final act.

It is perhaps the third quarter of the film that is the weakest. Once people start dropping- and this isn’t really a spoiler, being a Tarantino film-then much of the tension begins to disappear. Thankfully, this is pulled back and the climax of the film left me and the rest of the audience guessing what the result would be. Unlike many action films, every life matters, and every single of the characters gets a moment to shine. Particularly, credit must go to Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth and Samuel L. Jackson, who feel utterly absorbed in the clash of truths that occupies much of the film. Michael Madsen perhaps has the least to do, and certainly fewer stand out moments, but in general the cast hit all the right notes and never once drops down to melodrama.

The Eight. Bunch of Bastards.

So far I’ve described The Hateful Eight as an action film, but it draws heavily upon other genres, notably the murder mystery and, in fact, the horror genre. This is aided by a stellar original score by Ennio Morricone, that shows that despite the many years since he worked with Leone, he certainly hasn’t forgotten how to build tension in a Western. Sadly I did not get to see the movie in the original 70mm format that Tarantino has fought to bring back, to the extent of providing cinemas with old projectors and knocking holes in their walls to fit the equipment. Despite this, the movie is stunning. This does not just apply to the snowy landscapes, though they stand in a long line of westerns from Stagecoach (to which the movie is almost twisted bastard lovechild to) and most specifically to Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy. In fact, one scene is almost copied out verbatim from “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”, but with a horrific twist that really emphasis the Tarantino brand of film making.

I must note that I have always been a fan of this particular brand; barring the disaster that is Death-Proof, and with small reservations about Jackie Brown, this particular reviewer has always held the director in high regard. For some, his style simply doesn’t work, and for them this film will be a difficult three hour slog. There has certainly been nothing else like it. But for those who relish the attention to detail, atmosphere and just plain love for the cinematic medium that every frame of the movie oozes with, then The Hateful Eight may well be their favourite movie of 2015. Tarantino tells a brave, intelligent story that plays with genre expectations and subverts them, leaving behind perhaps the most mature, unrelenting and brilliant movies he’s ever made. I can only hope that his last two films show the same bravery, skill and love for movies that Tarantino displayed in this one.

Verdict: 9/10