1. Love & Mercy
(Dir. Bill Pohland)
A refreshing approach to the biopic genre, “Love &
Mercy” chronicles the life of the co-founder of and creative power of the Beach
Boys, Brian Wilson. Focusing on two key moments of Brian’s life: the period
around the recording and release of what is arguably the group’s magnum opus “Pet Sounds” and the 1980’s
where Brian was already under the control of the radical therapist, Eugene
Landy. Paul Dano (nominated for a Golden Globe) and John Cusack steal the show in a dual performance that
captures the essence of Wilson’s troubled genius across two decades.
Unconventional and immersive, “Love and Mercy is a trip to
a recent past that remains relevant in the age of the “everybody is an
entrepreneur/misunderstood genius”. Unlike anything this critic has seen this
year or in previous years it managed to achieve what very other movies couldn’t:
a deep bound with the audience.
2. The Martian
(Dir. Ridley Scott)
Known for the gritty and grim vision of future, Ridley
Scott was an unlikely choice to helm this project. Still the output is nothing
short of remarkable: a feel-good movie about the triumph of the human spirit
that managed to do what “Gravity” and “Interstellar” couldn’t: merge a
compelling and captivating storyline with outstanding special effects. Matt
Damon’s Matt Watney is a great upgrade on Tom Hanks’ Chuck Noland and is able
to stand on it’s own. The supporting ensemble is terrific as well and heavily
contributes to the smooth change of pace between comedy and the tense drama of
a rescue mission.
On par with Ridley Scott’s great space epics, “The Martian”
picks up what could be a clichéd and already overused storyline and transforms
it into something new. One can only hope Scott uses this second wind for his
next set of projects, namely the upcoming follow ups to both “Prometheus” and “Blade
Runner”.
3. The Big Short
(Dir. Adam McKay)
If we compare “Wall Street” to the “The Godfather”, then
the 2007/08 Subprime Mortgage Crisis demands a “The Godfather Part II” to cover
it and sadly, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” didn’t cut it. Luckily enough,
Adam McKay assembled an amazing cast and chose an outstanding source (one of
this critic’s favourite authors Michael Lewis- who’s “Flashboys” I heavily
recommen
d) to cover the subject. Like the previous entry it alternates between
drama and comedy, but here comedy takes a darker tone that conveys this satire
a style of its own.
Christian Bale and Steve Carrell steal the show while Ryan
Gosling essentially plays himself. A 180º turn for director Adam McKay, known
for directing Will Ferrell in the “Anchorman” entries among others, that worked
out amazingly well.
4. Mad Max: Fury Road
(Dir. George Miller)
In the age of the reboot/prequel/sequel (rps), “Mad Max:
Fury Road” comes out as the sine qua non of
the successful rps. What makes this movie work is a wide set of factors: Resorting
to the minimal usage of CGI effects, the “plot twist” that quickly focuses on a
feminist motif, the perfectly executed action sequences, outstanding
cinematography and the fact that it was directed by the creator of the series
George Miller. The latter is quite important- Mr. Miller was able to distance
himself from a universe he created and make it move forward; something that
didn’t quite work for George Lucas.
Charlize Theron steals the show as Furiosa in an award
deserving performance. For the first time, this critic is looking forward for
the sequels and even hoping George Miller has the chance to remake the wildly
underrated “Waterworld”.
5. Bridge Of Spies
(Dir. Steven Spielberg)
Spielberg’s Cold War drama desserves its place on the list
thanks to it’s casting: Tom Hanks as the mild mannered and patient lawyer
aiming to do the right thing (basically Tom Hanks being Tom Hanks and excelling
at it) and Mark Rylance as the Soviet spy. The scenes in which both interact escalates
from a tense enemy vs. enemy setting to a softer sense of comradery and friendship.
The slow pace of the movie emulates the real sluggish rhythm of negotiations
between the two Cold War counterparts and really gives the movie a reality
boost.
Rylance upstages the whole casts with both his rhetorical
question “Would it help?” and his “Standing Man” monologue. Together with Dano
and Stallone in “Creed”, he delivers the best supporting performance of the
year.
6. Inside Out
(Dir. Pete Docter)
Since the release of
“Toy Story 3” in 2010, Pixar’s movies haven’t been able to quite deliver
on the same quality standards they used to. To make matters worse the studio
decided to double the output, releasing two movies per year starting in 2015.
While “The Good Dinosaur” can be considered a true disappointment both in
contente and box-office returns, “Inside Out” was a great return to shape by the
animation studios. Tackling a complex issue like the human mind and explaining
an even more complex stage, puberty, is no easy task, but Pixar sure made it.
Yet another huge step in the animation genre, “Inside Out”
delivered the goods. A special acknowledgment to Amy Poehler who lends her
voice to Joy- a very fitting choice.
7. The Hateful Eight
(Dir. Quentin Tarantino)
An homage to Ennio Morricone (and hopefully his first Oscar
win), a tribute to John Carpenter’s “The Thing” and far from being yet “another
Western”, “The Hateful Eight” is one of Tarantino’s most accomplished movies.
While the recurring themes of violence and revenge are still well represented,
the director takes his time (3 hours) and dedicates them to something missing
from his latest entries: character development. The interaction between the 8
main characters reminds us why we queue up to see the latest Tarantino movie
and why we will miss him in case he retires after his tenth outing.
The powerful soundtrack and the usage of Roy Orbison’s
“There Won’t Be Many Coming Home” are, as usual in all his movies, a key component
of the movie, working once again perfectly in Quentin’s eight feature.
8. Spotlight
(Dir. Thomas McCarthy)
The journalism exposé
is a long lost genre. Peaked with a single entry and then disappeared in the
middle of average productions. In 1976, “All The President’s Men” was a massive
hit- mainly due to its relevance in chronicling an issue that was relevant and
fresh in the viewer’s minds. “Spotlight” is, without a shadow of a doubt, the
first movie to renew the interest in the genre by picking up in a relevant
subject, one which the audience is well aware of but that still slips through
the cracks and never gets enough airtime. “Spotlight” is subtle, slow paced
and allows the viewer to somewhat get angry, as like the characters in the
movie, he too is also passive to what’s happening.
With the second best ensemble cast of the year, the
highlight of the movie is Rachel McAdams as Sasha Pfeifer, delivering some of
the movie’s most emotional scenes.
9. Sicario
(Dir. Denis Villeneuve)
The main subject of “Sicario” is one that has currently
been explored by Netflix’s “Narcos”. “Sicario” deglamorizes and cuts through
the core of the government’s never ending battle with drug cartels. The
pessimistic “unwinnable” war feel and the detailed analysis of the Mexican
cartel operation are exquisitely shot by the director and convey a degree of
realism that almost makes it a documentary. A relevant subject and an important
one, “Sicario” excels also due to choice of Emily Blunt as the idealistic Kate
Macer as well as Benicio Del Toro as the main antagonist.
As realistic as “Prisioners” and as heavy in gore and
graphic display of violence as anything produced by Eli Roth and Quentin
Tarantino, the movie delivers a very interesting take on a popular theme.
10. The Revenant
(Dir. Alejandro Gonzáles Iñarritu)
“The Revenant” is a movie whose major qualities
(cinematography and soundtrack) are easily overshadowed by DiCaprio’s
performance. The movie will always be known as the one which won him an Oscar
and rightfully so. He steals the show with this years unbeatable performance.
Not much dialogue and a whole lot of struggle could be the best way to describe
his performance. While the sluggish pace and the fact that it could actually be
one hour shorter work against it, it’s still bold in it’s execution, in a different
level than “Birdman” but still bold.
