I’ve seen a few movies in my time, so it’s very possible that a sense of burnout has set in. Perhaps that’s why most of the cinematic fare of 2015 left me with a feeling of “Meh” rather than elation or wonder. Were there good movies? Yes, plenty of them. Were there great movies? Very few, in my humble opinion. There were many works that did everything they were supposed to, yet did so with a dispiriting lack of passion or originality while more than a few films started off inspired, only to jump the tracks, brought low by a sudden bout of predictability.
Obviously, what with 2015’s record box office, mine is a minority opinion. It was a foregone conclusion the year would end with a bang what with the late release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but no one predicted that Jurassic World would do the monster business it did ($652 million domestic, $1.7 billion worldwide) while seven other films cracked the $200 million mark domestically and 17 others went over $100 million. If this isn’t a rebuke to the notion that home video and online streaming poses a threat to seeing a film in a theater, I don’t know what is.
There were films I liked that most didn’t (Paddington, Black or White, The Duff, Unfinished Business, Danny Collins, True Story, The D Train, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Crimson Peak), movies audiences liked that I didn’t (Taken 3, The Wedding Ringer, Fifty Shades of Grey, Furious 7, Pitch Perfect 2, Ex Machina, Magic Mike XXL, Minions, The Martian, Spectre) and those no one liked (Blackhat, Mortdecai, Jupiter Ascending, Seventh Son, The Gunman, Hot Pursuit, Tomorrowland, Aloha, Vacation, Fantastic Four, Pan, Rock the Kasbah, Burnt, Our Brand is Crisis, Victor Frankenstein, In the Heart of the Sea).
The year saw a prevalent number of strong female protagonists, a welcome trend that stretched across genres (Trainwreck, Sicario, The Martian, Joy, as well as four films on my “Best of” list) and hopefully signals a positive change not just in front of the camera but behind it as well. Also of note, and a bit under the radar, was the strength of low-budget, art house horror films (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, It Follows, The Gift, Goodnight Mommy) that were made with imagination and intelligence, eschewing gore for disturbances of a more psychological and emotional bent. And perhaps this is wishful thinking, but is the western making a comeback? What with the release of Mad Max: Fury Road, Slow West, Bone Tomahawk, The Hateful Eight and The Revenant, I am holding out hope.
It was easier for me to come up with a list of the 10 Worst Films of the Year than one of the 10 Best. Whether that is an indication of the declining quality of American film or my dealing with a bout of cinematic ennui is open to debate. However, I felt as though I didn’t profit from my time in the dark as much as waste much of it. In the end, it proved to be justification to dig a bit deeper to uncover some worthy, overlooked movies that deserve to be found once they appear on home video.
Contact Chuck Koplinski a ckoplinski@usd116.org.
Steve Jobs
Danny Boyle’s biopic of Apple founder Steve Jobs came and went with barely a ripple at the box office, a surprise what with the cast attached and the fact that its subject – for better or worse – changed the lives of the audience it was aimed at. Sure, it came under fire for being less than completely accurate (doesn’t every fact-based film fudge things a bit?), however for me it was the most engaging, well-acted and best written film of the year. Propelled by Aaron Sorkin’s witty, sharp script, this compact movie attempted to give us a picture of the flawed genius in three acts, each focused on a product launch that would ultimately feed into the myth that would spring up around Jobs. More than anything, the film reminded me that all that’s needed to make an engaging movie is a sound script, inspired acting and inventive direction to create a stimulating, entertaining work of art. More importantly, Boyle drove home the fact that through his electronic innovations, Jobs created a generation much like himself – cut off and insolated from the flow of life, each selfishly seeking their own private island in the electric haze.
Brooklyn
Based on the novel by Colm Toibin, John Crowley’s recreation of New York City, circa 1952, and one young woman’s attempt to start a new life in the Big Apple after emigrating from Ireland was the year’s most unabashed and successful romantic film. Saoirse Ronan is heartbreaking and ultimately inspiring as Eilis, the naïve stranger in a strange land who learns not only how to live and love while living in both New York and her native land, but how to stand up for herself. The movie’s final moments, in which she stakes out her independence, proved to be one of the most satisfying cinematic moments of the year as well as one of the most quietly inspiring.
Mad Max: Fury Road
A long gestation period proved fortunate for George Miller’s reboot-sequel. The post-apocalyptic world he plunged viewers into was far more harrowing than that in the three previous films in the series. The narrative stakes were higher as were the technical ones, what with the advent of computer-generated effects since Miller’s last film, yet the director did not shrink from the challenge of delivering a thrilling high-stakes story as well as a bevy of real-time stunts that put anything a programmer could concoct to shame. The film’s biggest and most welcome surprise was that the title character was a supporting player and that the fierce Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) was the focal point, a woman who refused to be marginalized in a male-dominated world.
Spotlight
Director Tom McCarthy’s ode to print journalism and old-school investigative reporting benefits from its strong ensemble cast (Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Stanley Tucci, Liev Schreiber) as well as a sense of restraint in telling the story of the Boston Globe Spotlight team’s efforts to expose a wide-reaching scandal involving the Roman Catholic Church. Patience is the watchword where their efforts and McCarthy’s approach is concerned, and it all pays off in the end as the film powerfully reminds us that the uncovering of the truth, no matter the amount of time, effort and compromise involved, is worth the cost.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Marielle Heller’s semi-autobiographical film recounts one young woman’s sexual awakening in a dysfunctional family during a liberal era. Bel Powley is a revelation as Minnie, a curious girl of 17 who enters into a relationship with her mother’s boyfriend Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard). Hardly exploitive, the movie provides viewers with a realistic look at the sea of confusion Heller’s relatable protagonist must contend with while providing a portrait of a young woman who successfully navigates a world she doesn’t understand on her way to being a strong, independent person in her own right.
The Big Short
Adam McKay’s surprisingly entertaining and engaging look at the economic collapse of 2008 succeeds not only in explaining the complex financial machinations that led to the global meltdown, but provides also indelible portraits of greed for the 21st century. Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Christian Bale and Brad Pitt all provide different perspectives as to what’s to be lost and gained, as well as how. While they all want to come off as sympathetic and likable, the sly performances from each let us know that they’re nothing but sharks who feign concern and conscience.
Far from the Madding Crowd
Thomas Vinterberg’ adaptation of the classic Thomas Hardy novel was old-school romance at its very best. Carey Mulligan was luminous as Bathsheba Everdene, a woman of property in 19th century England who struggles to succeed in a man’s world while trying to sort out her feelings about three disparate potential suitors. That her failings were as prevalent as her strengths makes her ultimate success that much more meaningful. Gorgeous to behold, this is the sort of expertly made film that makes you realize and appreciate how difficult it is to make a successful and realistic romance.
Inside Out
The Pixar magic returned in full force with this delightful, intelligent and moving look at the inner workings of one young girl’s mind and the emotions that govern her. Featuring some of the best voice acting in recent memory – Amy Poehler as Joy, Lewis Black as Anger, Bill Hader as Fear and Richard Kind as imaginary friend Bing Bong, among others – writer/directors Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen succeeded in making a film of universal appeal as Riley’s reactions to the changing world around her are instantly relatable, as are the shifting emotions she feels and the resistance towards the pull to adulthood. A film for the ages, this may prove to be the movie Pixar is ultimately remembered for.
What We Do in the Shadows
This import from New Zealand is an inspired mockumentary in which a group of filmmakers have been granted access to a family of vampires and chronicle not only their efforts to find sustenance but adapt to an ever-changing world that has left them behind. As the vampires Vlad and Viago, writer/directors Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi brilliantly mine the humor of the situation. This band of the undead run into one difficulty after another as they try to navigate modern mores and practices while a long-running feud with a pack of werewolves and a relationship from Vlad’s past comes back to haunt them. However, what gives the film heart are their attempts to hang on to their dwindling shreds of humanity, making them far less monstrous than we are initially led to believe.
Love & Mercy
Bill Pohlad’s touching biopic of The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson is a moving portrait of a man constantly adrift, out of touch with the world and those around him yet desperately trying to connect with them through his groundbreaking music. While the casting of Paul Dano and John Cusack – both very good – as the younger and older versions of Wilson may seem like a gimmick, it works thematically to show the uncertainty about his identity the musician had as well as his ultimate maturation. A thought-provoking and engaging film that’s buoyed by strong supporting turns from Elizabeth Banks as Wilson’s second wife, Melinda Ledbetter, and Paul Giamatti as his manipulative doctor, Eugene Landy.
Tied for 11th Place
Joel Edgerton’s disturbing psychological thriller The Gift…Todd Haynes’ haunting period love story Carol…Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s brutal tale of survival The Revenant…Ramin Bahrani’s blistering look at the 2008 housing crash 99 Homes…Bill Condon’s portrayal of the masterful sleuth in winter Mr. Holmes.
This article appears in Jan 7-13, 2016.
