Complete Grades 2015

Alphabetical by grade...

A
Brooklyn

A-
The Big Short
Ex Machina
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Steve Jobs

B+
Amy
Carol
Creed
The Gift
Inside Out
Mad Max: Fury Road
Straight Outta Compton

B
Black Sea
Bridge of Spies
Dope
The Hateful Eight
I'll See You in My Dreams
Jurassic World
Love and Mercy
The Martian
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Mockingjay Part 2
Sicario
Southpaw

B-
The Danish Girl
The Duff
The Final Girls
Joy
Spy
The Stanford Prison Experiment
Trainwreck

C+
Black Mass
Entourage
It Follows
The Last 5 Years
Project Almanac
Ricky and the Flash
Terminator Genisys
Unfriended
Z for Zachariah

C
The Clouds of Sils Maria
Dark Places
Focus
Song One
The Walk

C-
Insurgent
The Loft
Poltergeist
Pitch Perfect 2

D+
Child 44
Lost River
Magic Mike XXL
The Wedding Ringer
While We're Young

D
The Boy Next Door
The Gunman
Maps to the Stars
Mortdecai

D-
Aloha
Fifty Shades of Gray

F
Hot Tub Time Machine 2
The Overnight
Veronika Decides to Die

Top Ten Films 2015

Honorable Mentions
The Gift - A Hitchcockian thriller with a gut punch of an ending that will leave you thinking months later.
Inside Out - A hilarious and truly heartwarming/breaking tale of the way joy and sadness go hand in hand.
Amy - A documentary about the short life of Amy Winehouse who was crazy talented and lost too soon.

10. Creed - Sometimes nostalgia goes a long way, but you need more than just fond memories and an iconic character to make a story that truly matters. And Creed, the tale of the son of Adonis Creed training with his old frenemy Rocky Balboa, is more than just feel good nostalgia. It's a truly great movie, the tale of fathers and sons, underdogs, the love of a good woman, and the family we create for ourselves.

09. Mad Max: Fury Road - You won't find a more action packed movie anywhere this year, and you won't find a movie that is this fucking cool either. Sure, the plot is pretty stupid, but when the women are this bad ass,  the visuals this mind blowing and the creativity so off the charts cool, a silly thing like plot could fall to the way side.

08. Straight Outta Compton - This biopic traces the roots of the groundbreaking rap group N.W.A. From their rough teenage years, to their rise to fame, to the way jealousy and backstabbing tore them apart, this is the finest biopic in years. From the music, to the fantastic performances from a cast that is virtually unknown, Straight Outta Compton is not to be missed.

07. Steve Jobs - Sometimes making good movies is simple. Take a visionary director (Danny Boyle), add a thought provoking and perfect script (by Aaron Sorkin), mix in two Oscar worthy performances (Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet) with a whole bunch of great supporting players and you've got yourself a damn good movie.

06. Spotlight - The true story of the group of journalists who broke the priest molestation scandal doesn't necessarily seem like a movie you will want to rush out and see. But it's a great film, filled with great performances and a great story that is as smart and interesting as it is disturbing.

05. Star Wars: The Force Awakens - It's fitting that Star Wars came out near Christmas this year since it had the ability to reduce adults to feeling like kids on Christmas morning. Episode 7 manages to feel fresh and nostalgic all at once with bad ass new heroines, charming rogue pilots, complex bad guys, and tons of familiar - and greatly missed - faces. Star Wars is epic and crowd pleasing, but more importantly, it's fun.

04. The Revenant - Yes, it's too long. Yes, the Native American spiritual aspect is a little much. But this is, technically, the best movie I saw in 2015. Director Alejandro Innaritu has made an epic, gorgeous revenge film, shot entirely with natural lighting. From the opening violent attack scene to the brutal, bloody finale, this movie which should FINALLY get Leo that Oscar, is a must see.

03. The Big Short - The smartest, funniest, weirdest movie of the year which also includes quotes from Mark Twain and pop star Selena Gomez explaining advanced economic principals, The Big Short is a rollicking, highly entertaining take on the mortgage crash of 2008. Featuring the years most stellar collective cast and a dazzling script, The Big Short is a surprising, complex masterpiece.

02. Ex Machina - Ex Machina is the smart, sexy Sci Fi movie you didn't know you needed in your life. Featuring a trio of top notch performances by a crazy talented cast who was EVERYWHERE this year, Ex Machina is a powerful, unforgettable experience. Come for the delightful mind games, stay for the random Oscar Isaac dance sequence.

01. Brooklyn - A profoundly special film, beautifully filmed with moving performances, Brooklyn is a perfect meditation on the notion of home and belonging. As heart-breakingly sad as it is joyously entertaining, Brooklyn is the rare movie with an epic, continent spanning scope that still manages to feel intimate.

Best Lead Actress 2015

05. Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road - The most bad ass, action packed movie of the year is secretly a big ol' feminist manifesto and Theron's turn as a tough as nails, empowered, kick ass slave is, maybe, the best thing she has ever done.

04. Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl - This Transgender love story was supposed to be Eddie Redmayne's movie, but then Vikander went and showed him up with her sexy, understated turn as his supportive but confused wife.

03. Cate Blanchett in Carol - Blanchett has long been one of my absolute favorite actresses and she continues to prove why here. As a lesbian in a time when that sort of thing wasn't accepted, she shines as the sexy, frustrated Carol. It's not hard to believe a young shop girl would become enamored with her.

02. Rooney Mara in Carol - Mara's sweet natured shop girl who is so used to making everyone else happy that she doesn't even know how to make herself happy. Her delicate beauty (somehow so ferocious in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) only helps her impressive portrayal of innocence and eagerness and first love and heartbreak.

01. Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn - Like her male counterpart on my Lead Actor list, so much of her performance is in her eyes and face. Ronan is nothing short of amazing as the young Irish girl who leaves home for a better opportunity. The home sickness, the struggle to belong, the heart ache and loneliness and eventual happiness are perfectly portrayed in every movement and moment.

Best Supporting Actress 2015

05. Elizabeth Banks in Love and Mercy - As the girlfriend and eventual wife of Brian Wilson, Banks took what could have been a cliche, throwaway role and transformed it into a singular and compelling character who shows the power of love pulling us out of our darkest moments.

04. Kate Winslet in Steve Jobs - In a movie about men, written by men, made by men, Winslet is extraordinary as the lone woman, the sweet but ballsy, sympathetic but tough assistant to Jobs who was never afraid to speak her mind.

03. Kristen Stewart in The Clouds of Sils Maria - Another role that could have been a throwaway cliche - the long suffering assistant to a fading movie star - Stewart is a revelation in the role. If you, like me, wasn't entirely convinced she had any acting chops, watch this movie. It may be boring, but she never is.

02. Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina - I had seen Vikander just once before this, in a small role in Anna Karenina, but that didnt prepare me for the kind of impact she would have with this movie, as a sexy and manipulative A.I., who will do anything to be free.

01. Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight - Quentin Tarantino movies are notoriously talky films. So, what to make of the fact that the best performance in his newest effort is by an actress who spends three quarters of the film mostly quiet? Leigh does more with her eyes and physicality than most other actresses could do with all that and the fancy words, too.

Best Lead Actor 2015

05. Domhnall Gleeson in Ex Machina - Far from being a showy role (in fact, the least showy of the three performances), Gleeson's turn as a computer programmer dealing with a cat and mouse game between a genius and the AI he invented is a master's class in subtlety and nuance. He demands the screen in every scene with sincerity and humanity.

04. Joel Edgerton in Black Mass - I know everyone who sees this movie leaves talking about Johnny Depp's one note villain, but it's Edgerton who is most impressive as a cop seduced by the dark side. He is charming and desperate and smarmy and manipulating, sometimes all at once.

03. Samuel L. Jackson in The Hateful Eight -  Jackson is a dependable, lovable movie star, but we don't always view him as a really great actor. But his performance as a soldier dealing with a bunch of criminals during a blizzard is easily the best thing he has done in years, right down to that chilling speech he gives near the end which will take your breath away and leave you shivering with the intensity of it all.

02. Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs - Fassbender practically came out of nowhere as a fully formed leading man, but the thing I love most about him is his eagerness to play troubled, unlikable, complicated men. He spouts Aaron Sorkin's dialogue like it's Shakespeare, and delivers a performance so moving and so strong that it is hard to stop thinking about it.

01. Leonardo DiCaprio in the Revenant - The concensus seems to be that this is the year Leo finally gets that Oscar, and when you see his fierce, brutal performance in the Revenany, you will be forced to agree. Not only does he say goodbye to his pretty boy looks, he completely carries a three hour long movie almost entirely with the power of his eyes. His character barely says a word, and half of the time when he speaks it is in another language, but the audience is never disconnected from him. This may not be my favorite Leo performance, but it probably is his best.

Best Supporting Actor 2015

05. Steve Carrell in The Big Short - Proving his Oscar nomination for Foxcatcher was no fluke, Carrell kills as the seemingly only person with a soul on all of Wall Street. A nuanced performance where the anger bubbling on the surface perfectly masks the sorrow hiding beneath it all.

04. Paul Dano in Love and Mercy - Everyone knows what Brian Wilson sounded and looked like in the mid 60s and Dano, who did his own singing, is remarkable, not only nailing the sound and look, but also perfectly capturing the musical genius slowly losing his mind.

03. Sylvester Stallone in Creed - I never really thought of Stallone as a good actor, but he is the heart and soul of this really great movie. Sure, it's great to see him embodying a beloved character again, but his performance is more than the result of nostalgia. He is the most emotionally relevant part of the film, and his performance will likely break your heart.

02. Christian Bale in The Big Short - In a movie filled with great performances, Bale is the best of the best. As the socially awkward genius, Bale is nearly unrecognizable. And it isn't because he looks different, it's because he becomes someone else so completely, you forget you are looking at a movie star.

01. Tom Hardy in The Revenant - Don't get me wrong, The Revenant is totally Leo's movie, but Hardy threatens to steal every scene he is in with those feral eyes and steely persona. Hardy is the most dangerous actor working today, and that's never been more evident than here, where he nails this malicious, conniving role.

Just For Fun 2015

MVP
The cast of Ex Machina (Domhnall Gleeson also is Brooklyn, Star Wars and The Revenant, Oscar Isaac also in Star Wars, Mojave and Alicia Vikander also in The Danish Girl)
Runner Up - Joel Edgerton for writing, directing and starring in The Gift, and scene stealing in Black Mass

Best Ensemble
The Big Short
Runner Up - Spotlight

Best Director
Alejandro Innaritu for The Revenant
Runner Up - George Miller for Mad Max Fury Road

Best Original Screenplay
Ex Machina
Runner Up - The Gift

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Big Short
Runner Up - Steve Jobs

Best Cinematography
The Revenant
Runner Up - Mad Max Fury Road

Best Poster
Brooklyn
Runner Up - Mad Max Fury Road

Best Opening Scene
The Savages attack in The Revenant
Runner Up - Drug bust in Straight Outta Compton

Best Ending
Brooklyn
Runner Up - #TeamAva in Ex Machina

Best Hero
Daisy Ridley in Star Wars
Runner Up - Charlize Theron in Mad Max Fury Road

Best Villain
Adam Driver in Star Wars
Runner Up - Hugh Keays-Byrne in Mad Max Fury Road

Best Comedic Performance
Amy Schumer in Trainwreck
Runner Up - Melissa McCarthy in Spy

Best Fight Scene
Leo vs. a bear in The Revenant
Runner Up - Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy in Mad Max Fury Road

Best Action Sequence
Nearly all of Mad Max Fury Road
Runner Up - Sewer escape in Mockingjay

Best Chemistry
Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen in Brooklyn
Runner Up - Domhnall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina

Best Kiss
Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen in Brooklyn

Best Score
The Hateful Eight
Runner Up - Steve Jobs

Best Musical Sequence
Flame throwing guitarist in Mad Max Fury Road
Runner Up - Amy Winehouse records Back to Black in Amy

Best Dance Sequence
Oscar Isaac and Sonoya Mizuno in Ex Machina
Runner Up - End credits of Dope

Best Song
Cold Ones from Ricki and the Flash
Runner Up - Flashlight from Pitch Perfect 2

Best Costumes
Matt Smith's gold jacket in Lost River
Runner Up - Mad Max Fury Road

Best Newcomer
Daisy Ridley in Star Wars
Runner Up - Maika Monroe in It Follows

Best Comeback
Sylvester Stallone in Creed
Runner Up - Millennium Falcon in Star Wars

Best Scene Stealer
Sadness in Inside Out
Runner Up - Harrison Ford in Star Wars

Best Trend
Bad Ass Women (Daisy Ridley in Star Wars, Charlize Theron in Mad Max, Emily Blunt in Sicario, Jennifer Lawrence in Mockingjay)
Runner Up - Sexy Boxers (Jake Gyllenhaal in Southpaw, Michael B. Jordan in Creed)

Worst Trend
Shitty Sequels (Pitch Perfect 2, Magic Mike XXL, Insurgent)

Best Performance in a Bad Movie
Ben Mendelsohn in Lost River

Best Directorial Debut by an Actor
Joel Edgerton with The Gift

Worst of 2015

Before I get to the best of the year (coming next week), here is the worst.

10. Magic Mike XXL - Not every movie that makes at of money at the box office needs a sequel, and this gratuitous, unnecessary movie with little plot or character development is proof.

09. While We're Young - I love me some Noah Baumbach, but everything about this movie screams trying too hard, right down to the lead characters who completely abandon their convictions in the end.

08. The Wedding Ringer - Kevin Hart is funny. Josh Gad is funny. But apparently not when you put them together in this sexist unfunny comedy.

07. The Boy Next Door - I thought this would be a shameless, so bad it's good fun movie like that Beyonce movie Obsession from a few years back. I was wrong. It's just bad.

06. Mortdecai - Johnny Depp please just stop.

05. 50 Shades of Grey - It feels like the director and screenwriter were trying to make a better movie, but they just couldn't overcome the  awful source material. Also, shockingly unsexy.

04. Aloha - Director Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous is my absolute favorite movie. I thought he had a lifetime pass no matter what crap he churns out. I was wrong.

03. Veronika Decides to Die - Somewhere in the premise (about a woman who tries to commit suicide, survives, and then learns she is dying) there is a really great story. This watered down, Lifetime channel wannabe isn't it.

02. Hot Tub Time Machine 2 - When your star from the first movie, who isn't necessarily known for being picky, passes, then you know there is a problem.

01. The Overnight - I adore Adam Scott, but he somehow managed to be in my two worst movies of the year. This is quite possibly the worst movie I have ever seen.

December 2015 Pt. 2

The Hateful Eight
Stars - Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen
Plot - A group of nefarious crooks and criminals with lots of secrets are snowed in a cabin together.
Thoughts - No one needs a good editor more than Quentin Tarantino. His longtime editor died before the release if Django Unchained, and you can tell the difference. I love a good long movie but this movie, where very little happens until the last 45 minutes or so, doesn't need to be nearly 3 hours long. Still, the performances are great, especially Jackson and Leigh, and the script is killer.
Grade - B

Joy
Stars - Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, Edgar Ramirez, Bradley Cooper
Plot - A broke single mother deals with her crazy family and invents the miracle mop.
Thoughts - Another movie that is too long... and feels it. And despite being nominated in the comedy categories at the Golden Globes, it isn't really very fun. Again, great performances, and parts of it are stellar. It just felt very hit or miss.
Grade - B-

Magic Mike XXL
Stars - Channing Tatum, Joe Magniello, Matt Bomer
Plot - Our lovable strippers go on a road trip to a stripper convention, which is apparently really a thing.
Thoughts - You know how good the original Magic Mike was? Because it wasn't just a gratuitous movie about male strippers, but rather a character study where the characters just happened to be strippers? Well, this is the other thing.
Grade -  D+

Spy
Stars - Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Jason Statham
Plot - A desk jockey becomes a spy after the identities of all the other spies are compromised.
Thoughts - I didn't love this movie as much as other Melissa McCarthy movies, but she is the rare comedian who can make anything funny and she definitely elevates a movie that would have bombed with any one else in the lead.
Grade - B-

The Clouds of Sils Maria
Stars - Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart
Plot - An aging actress returns to the play that made her famous, this time playing the older half of the romantic couple.
Thoughts - Another movie that is way too long. Also, this one is pretty boring. So if you are going to watch it, come for the gorgeous cinematography, and stay for Stewart's award worthy performance (not even kidding!)
Grade - C

The Stanford Prison Experiment
Stars - Michael Angarano, Ezra Miller
Plot - Based on the true story of an experiment involving prison guards and inmates that went way too far way too fast.
Thoughts - This was almost a really great movie. I still highly recommend it, even if it is just for the stellar Angarano performance, and fascinating story. I had two pretty major problems with it though. The first was that some of the supporting actors, who were supposed to be playing college age kids, literally looked 12. The second was, apparently we can CGI dinosaurs, but can't figure out a way for fake mustaches to not look ridiculous.
Grade - B-

The Overnight
Stars - Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman
Plot - Two couples spend a night together.
Thoughts - This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my entire life. Under no circumstances should you ever watch this.
Grade - F