Top 20 Films of 2015

I'm running out of 2015 pretty quickly, so it's time to reveal my top 20 films of the year. As always, I'm going by UK release dates, so if you're from any other country, you might be thinking that I'm mental calling some of these 2015 films. But they are, so there. Are you sitting comfortably?

20. Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is an impressive feat; it might not fulfill tech geeks' desires to see more of the machines, but it certainly makes the man behind Apple a fascinatingly flawed character who is tricky to love, but very easy to watch.

19. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

A very sweet film about the joy of film making, and the utter shittiness of cancer.

18. Birdman

Unlike the superhero movies it rails against, Birdman is super-smart and requires way more than one sitting to fully appreciate its complexity.

 

 17. Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 

Mockingjay Part 2 is a fittingly dark end to the Hunger Games franchise, not as exciting perhaps as Catching Fire, but more politically charged. 

16. The Martian

The curious case of the science fiction survival drama that keeps getting labelled a comedy. It might not be as technically groundbreaking, but I enjoyed it more than Gravity.

 15. The Lobster

It loses its way a little in the second half, but for much of the running time, The Lobster is an absurd and highly inventive gem. 

14. Jurassic World

Whoever suggested the idea of setting the fourth film in the franchise at the park when it is now open to the public is a genius who needs a medal. Hugely entertaining, even with it's teeth-grinding sexism.

 13. Suffragette

Suffragette is a vital film, but feels like a strong start, rather than the definitive suffragette movie. More films on this movement would be most welcome, and for those dumb enough to think feminism is a dirty word; this is a timely reminder of its fundamental potential.

12. Testament of Youth

Alicia Vikander delivers a heart-breaking performance as Vera Brittain. From driven young woman to tragic heroine to fierce pacifist, Brittain endures incredible hardship and Vikander never puts a foot wrong even with the camera clamped to frequent close ups on her face.

 

 11. Monsters: Dark Continent

While its running time could have been trimmed slightly, Monsters: Dark Continent is thought provoking stuff. More Deer Hunter than Aliens, this is a heartfelt, angry film about the tragedy of ongoing modern warfare. 

 

10. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night features a wonderful cultural mishmash of music, arthouse and genre elements. It certainly marks Amirpour as a deliciously talented director to watch out for. Just hope that her take on the vampire lives on far longer than those (un)bloody Twilight movies. 

9. Red Army

Red Army exposes the strengths and the flaws of both capitalism and communism, all the while telling the deeply personal stories of some hockey legends. It is an absolutely fascinating documentary; heartfelt, hilarious and poignant. Charting the history of the Cold War and the rise and fall of the Red Army hockey team makes for a perfect combination of the personal and the political. Very proud to be quoted in the trailer for this film. 

8. Coherence

A little-seen gem. Sci-fi head-scratcher that starts off like a quiet little indie, but then goes to some brilliantly bonkers alternate reality places. I probably over-hyped this for anyone I spoke to about it, so all I'll say now is that I highly recommend it.

7. Ex Machina

Compelling, claustrophobic, cutting edge and clever, Ex Machina is as smart and satisfying as science fiction gets. Here's my interview with director Alex Garland.

6. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Everything it should have been. Everything the prequels weren't. Everything the original trilogy promised. Exceeded my expectations, and that's f**king impressive. I wrote about The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back here.

5. Wild Tales

If there were awards for Best Fight or for Best Wedding, then this film would cream the competition. Szifrón dazzles with his direction and audacious storytelling. Wild Tales is one hell of a ride and a hilarious must-see.

4. Amy

For admirers of the singer, Amy is a definitive documentary chronicling the highs and lows of her short career. For everyone else, it is a chance to get to know the troubled woman behind the talent that was taken far too soon. 

3. Mad Max: Fury Road

Strap in, say goodbye to your fingernails and prepare for a white knuckle ride of epic proportions. Mad Max Fury Road is everything and more that you could hope for from an action film, and you'll be left shaken from its incredible levels of vehicular mayhem. Director George Miller may have taken twenty years to get this to the screen but his efforts have paid off with a film that rushes by in a breathless barrage of explosions and insane stunts. Check out my breakdown of the first scene where we meet Furiosa. Also, here's a Q&A with director George Miller. 

2. Inside Out

If you’ve ever wondered what’s going on inside someone’s head, Pixar have created a wonderfully inventive answer in Inside Out. Back at the absolute top of their game, Pixar’s latest is fresh, funny and positively bursting with emotions from joy to sadness. With its perfect blend of high concept idea with intimate themes, Inside Out is a new peak for Pixar. Bring tissues. 

 

1. White God

It's the dawn of the planet of the dogs in this exceptional Hungarian film from director Kornél Mundruczó. Featuring a cast of hundreds of canines and some striking imagery of the beasts unleashed and taking to the city streets, it effortlessly blends powerful and emotional social realism with an ultimately hilarious dog apocalypse. Furiously entertaining with a perfect ending, White God is like 280 Dogs Later; an underdog story with some serious bite. Check out my interview with the director and writer here.

What do you think? What was your favourite film of the year? Have I tempted you to see anything on this list? Please comment below or let me know on Twitter @ilovethatfilm And don't forget to share this with all your friends, imaginary or otherwise. RIP Bing Bong.

Top 10 Found Footage Horror Films

Found footage horror is a much-maligned sub-genre but with more and more of these films appearing in cinemas every year, there seems to be no sign of the technique running out of tape anytime soon.  Recent efforts have taken the horror out of found footage with the superhero themed Chronicle and partying teens of Project X but horror is still very much at the heart of the genre (just ask anyone who sat through Project X).  There may be more straight-to-DVD offerings than you could point a shaky camera at but the films that use the found footage aesthetic well, and in interesting and often new and exciting ways can be hugely profitable and offer audiences a unique and immersive thrill like few other horror films. Time to dust off those lost tapes and take a look at the best found footage horror films of all time.

10. TrollHunter (2010)

You’ll believe it when you see it ran the tagline for this Norwegian found footage oddity. Not quite, but the sight of giant trolls tearing through the countryside is made slightly more believable by the clever mythology and handheld camerawork of the documentary crew that decides to follow the titular troll hunter. On a low budget, director André Øvredal has his characters capture the fantastical sight of these awe-inspiring but ugly creatures as they attempt to make a documentary about Otto Jespersen’s grouchy Hans. Many argued the mock-doc format was getting old and stale by this point but the blend of impressive visual effects to create the trolls and the well-judged moments of comedy made up for the lack of genuine horror and left many with the feeling that there was life in the found footage film yet.

9. Diary of the Dead (2007)

George A. Romero’s second return to the original ‘Dead’ trilogy after Land of the Dead follows film students as they capture the beginnings of the zombie apocalypse. Using a range of found footage from news reports to webcams and videos uploaded to MySpace (remember that?), Diary of the Dead is a typical Romero film with plenty of blood, guts and subtext. With so many characters with cameras, it gives all new meaning to the idea of shooting the dead. There are also some great little additions to the found footage format with a scene where a character is filming while charging his camera at a plug socket and is therefore limited in his movements as zombies close in on him.  Romero seems to bemoan the rise of bloggers and vloggers taking over the airwaves as the mainstream media crumbles during the apocalypse. The jumbled transmissions of thousands of people with access to sharing their thoughts over the internet are more of a concern than the traditional shuffling zombies.

8. REC 2 (2009)

The only sequel on this list is a deserved entry into the found footage sub-genre with cops with helmet cameras attempting to survive in an apartment block full of repossessed zombies.  Following from its predecessor, the squad enters the quarantined Barcelonan apartment block to find more rabid, rapid zombies sprinting manically around the claustrophobic confines and we get front row seats, positioned as we are on the helmets of our heroes. It’s a mad rollercoaster ride of a film and just when the action seems like it might get a bit repetitive, we switch to seeing from the point-of-view of the camera of a group of kids who have made the fatal mistake of also entering the possessed residence.  Taking the story further than the first film and adding to the mythology can’t hide the fact that there is nothing that can compare to the terrifying final scene of the first film. But if you want the cinematic equivalent of a first-person shooter game like Doom, look no further!

7. Man Bites Dog (1992)

Ever wanted to get under the skin of a sociopath killer; find out what makes him tick, what he does in his down time between random slayings and the odd bit of rape? Well meet Ben, part time thief, full time psycho. A film crew follows him around as he robs, kills and rambles on and on about art, music and society. It soon becomes apparent that this film crew is becoming more than just documentary makers as they become embroiled deeper and more explicitly in Ben’s crimes. The line between watching and participating becomes increasingly blurred, implicating you in the audience as you keep watching this most realistic of Belgian mock-docs. Don’t be fooled by Ben’s apparently amiable nature, this is one sick puppy that bites as much as he barks.

6. Paranormal Activity (2007)

Arguably more influential than the number one film on this list, a couple of suburbanites Katie and Micah fall foul of a poltergeist/demon as creepy occurrences are caught on tape by Micah’s trusty camcorder. Bedroom antics are filmed for scares, not pleasure, as the nights get tenser with an unwanted entity attacking the pair in their bed. Filmed on a tiny budget and distributed by DreamWorks, this reminded young and poor filmmakers what could be achieved by the found footage horror genre when it’s done right. It started the biggest found footage franchise, out-grossing (but not grossing out) the Saw sequels and only just seems to have wrapped up with the (supposedly) final film in 2015.

5. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

Banned until recently, this is easily one of the sickest, most despicable films you will ever see. So realistic the director was nearly tried for murder, Ruggero Deodato eventually had to bring his cast out of hiding to face the media so that the authorities would really believe he hadn’t killed them. How could a film be this realistic? Well, this is where found footage really began. After a team of morally challenged documentary makers disappear in the Amazon, their footage is later recovered. What the rolls of film reveal is that the local tribes didn’t take too kindly to having their homes destroyed by the documentary makers who were craving a bit of sensationalism. The inclusion of real scenes of animal cruelty makes this extremely hard to watch and deeply disturbing but if that doesn’t upset you enough, try the grueling and realistic depictions of abortion, rape and castration. That should do it.

4. Cloverfield (2008)

When a giant rampaging beast (think Godzilla but scarier) hits the streets of New York, ruining the leaving party of young professional Rob, his best friend Hud decides to document the night on camcorder. Taking the imagery of 9/11 - crumbling buildings, severed landmarks, dusty streets and a city in panic – and keeping the amateur aesthetic of so many 9/11 YouTube videos is exploitative but incredibly exciting. Director Matt Reeves (Let Me In) and writer Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) care little for the flimsy characters but Hud’s cinematography mixed with the destructive power of a truly awesome monster keeps you on the edge of your seat until the explosive climax.

3. REC (2007)

A TV presenter and her camera operator get more thrills than they bargained for when they follow a crew of firefighters into a zombie infested Barcelonan apartment block.  Quickly quarantined by the authorities, the fire crew and the presenter must work with the residents in order to stay alive while the camera operator keeps filming. These aren’t the shuffling zombies of Romero’s films; these are the speedy, terrifying zombies of modern horror. Think 28 Days Later but all shot by one of the characters in the story and all trapped in one claustrophobic location. The final scene filmed in total darkness with only the night vision camera allowing the characters to see is one of the tensest and scariest things you will ever witness.

2. Zero Day (2003)

Based on actual tapes created by the Columbine high school killers, two teenage boys create video diaries capturing their preparation for a school shooting massacre. The footage they produce is a scary, fascinating portrait of the banality of evil. These two kids are close friends, a little introverted and insular but pretty normal. But they are planning an unspeakable crime and are documenting their thoughts and actions as they prepare for their big day. It’s a worrying insight into how two seemingly normal teenagers can deceive the world and consider committing a terrifying act without a care for the consequences. Switching from their own camcorder captured footage to the CCTV in their school for the final scene, it’s a bleak, chilling reenactment of a frighteningly real phenomena. 

1. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

In October of 1994 three student filmmakers went down to the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary… the rest is cinematic history. Heather, Mike and Josh get lost, hungry and scared in their quest to get to the bottom of the Blair Witch mythology. Roaming in circles with no way out of the woods, they are surrounded by strange noises in the night as they try to sleep.  Then objects appear outside their tents, the sound of distant children crying wakes them and then one of the students disappears. Though the witch might never be seen, less is definitely more in this most influential of found footage films. The actors really shot the film themselves and with the directors only giving minor instructions and the actors’ genuine hunger, frustration and fear burn through the screen. One of the scariest films ever made. Please consider buying a copy of my book on The Blair Witch Project here.

5 others to find if you’re not feeling sick of shaky-cam action:

Paranormal Entity 2 a.k.a Gacy House (2010) See this if you loved Paranormal Activity.

The Magician (2005) See this if you loved Man Bites Dog.

Exhibit A (2007) See this is you loved Zero Day.

The Last Exorcism (2010) See this if you loved REC 2.

The Last Broadcast (1998) See this if you loved The Blair Witch Project.

Top 10 Films of 2015 So Far

We made it to the half way point! As we move into the final 6 months of the year, I thought I'd take stock of my top 10 films released in the UK in 2015 so far. Even though Amy and Inside Out come out in July, I'm including them here as I was lucky enough to see them in Cannes. Otherwise, all of these were released in January to June in the UK.

As usual, because of my stubborn insistence on going with UK release dates, many of you who read this may consider these films to be 2014 releases, especially all the Oscar contenders. Still, hopefully UK readers will understand our collective pain at getting some of these later than other countries!

Surprisingly, I've actually reviewed all of these for a change so just click the titles to be magically transported to my reviews of these films at Starburst Magazine, Tastic Film, and this very blog.

10. The Theory of Everything

"The Theory of Everything is an inspiring tale of a great mind, perfectly rendered by a powerful and mesmerising performance from Eddie Redmayne."

9. Testament of Youth

"This is an incredibly moving story, driven by a brilliant performance from Vikander and a vital message that still resonates tragically today."

8. Birdman

"Inarritu directs with a visceral mixture of simplicity and complexity. Long takes complement the fluid dialogue, while the drumming score and use of real locations keep things grounded, even as Riggan really starts to lose his mind. Unlike the superhero movies it rails against, Birdman is smart and requires way more than one sitting to fully appreciate its complexity."

7. Whiplash

 "Whiplash is a film that strives for perfection and brings out the thrill in low budget, committed and quick filmmaking having been shot in just 18 days. It is a film about the sacrifices required to be the best at something, even if it means cowering in front of a madman and losing the enjoyment in doing what you love."

6. Ex Machina

"Ex Machina is an exciting and often challenging watch. Garland has surrounded himself with an expert team, meaning the film is gorgeous to watch, despite its limited locations. Its look and its sounds are essential to its gripping tale of men and machines. Compelling, claustrophobic, cutting edge and clever, Ex Machina is as smart and satisfying as science fiction gets."

5. Inside Out

"If you’ve ever wondered what’s going on inside someone’s head, Pixar have created a wonderfully inventive answer in Inside Out. Back at the absolute top of their game, Pixar’s latest is fresh, funny and positively bursting with emotions from joy to sadness. Crammed full of ingenuity, it’s a film that has been sprung from the very best minds of Pixar. With its perfect blend of high concept idea with intimate themes, Inside Out is a new peak for the animation studio."

4. Coherence

"Coherence is inconceivably thrilling; a must see if you want your head scrambled by comets and quantum mechanics."

3. Amy

"To even the most hardened of critics, Amy is a heart wrenching reminder of the deceased star’s enormous talent, and an early contender for Best Documentary."

2. Wild Tales

"Wild Tales may not get ten out of ten for all of its six short stories, but with its dazzling direction and audacious storytelling, it is clearly the work of an exciting cinematic genius."

1. Mad Max: Fury Road

"Strap in, say goodbye to your fingernails and prepare for a white knuckle ride of epic proportions. Mad Max Fury Road is everything and more that you could hope for from an action film, and viewers will be left shaken from its incredible levels of vehicular mayhem. Director George Miller may have taken twenty years to get this to the screen but his efforts have paid off with a film that rushes by in a breathless barrage of explosions and insane stunts."


So that's me done. I'd love to know your own top 10s of the year at this point, or what you think of my own list. Drop me a comment if you're feeling conversational, argumentative, or simply depressed and need someone to talk to.