From what I've seen so far, I'd say this would be my current
Top 10 Favorite Films from 2015 (IMDb standard):
1)
The Hateful Eight
Saw it three times already. Once at the theater. No film was able to entertain me as much as this one. It's the only film from 2015 I regularly keep quoting and keep rewatching scenes from. Totally worked for me.
2)
Youth
I probably love it even more than Paolo Sorrentino's
The Great Beauty. So many great scenes. Intimate, yet grand!
3)
Best of Enemies
Completely my kind of documentary. It has this kind of '60s/'70s stylistic bravura to it that I absolutely adore, but it never lets its style overshadow the depth of its content. I definitely recommend this to anyone who's somewhat interested in debating, politics, the evolution of TV or simply the male ego!
4)
The Revenant
While I didn't like it as much as
Birdman on a personal level, this is still probably the most impressive thing I've seen this year, filmmaking-wise. Some scenes are simply unbelievable. I'm so happy I watched this one at the theater. It was a glorious experience.
5)
The Lobster
Highly original and stunningly looking film with one of the coolest concepts I've seen in a while. It's too bad its second half isn't quite as good as its very exciting first half, as it becomes a tiny bit more clichéd, but it never actually becomes disappointing at any moment. Great cinema.
6)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
This deserves to be so high on this personal favorite list, simply because of the feeling it gave me while watching it at the theater. Of course it wasn't perfect, but for a moment it felt like it was, right after the last shot. That's all I needed from this: to be an uncritical ten year old boy again for just a tiny moment. It delivered.
7)
Mad Max: Fury Road
Probably the second most impressive thing I've seen this year, filmmaking-wise. Spectacular film!
8)
Mistress America
An unpretentious, but genuinely witty and smart film filled with moments of hilarity and good drama. Baumbach is a talented guy.
9)
Steve Jobs
I can't even describe how much I was enjoying this picture during most of its running time. It has a very attractive energetic feeling to it, the cinematography is absolutely stunning and it has some of the most intense dialogue scenes of the year. The reason why it's so "low" here is because I really didn't like the ending. I thought it wasn't really appropriate for this film and it didn't ring true to me at all. This could've been a lot higher on this list if I had liked the ending at least a little bit more.
10)
Carol
I liked the tasteful filmmaking and the fantastic acting in
Carol, but for some reason I still kind of felt emotionally alienated when I watched this at the theater. Perhaps it's because of the same reason that I liked but didn't love Todd Haynes'
Far from Heaven as well: the dramatic concept of the whole film is too much on the nose and therefore, for me personally, overshadows the more subtle and moving moments in it. It's still a very delightful film that I very much respect and I can see why certain people love it so much.
Other films I've seen (not in any order):
Going Clear
The Martian
Ex Machina
Inside Out
The Night Before
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
Irrational Man
Focus
Worst 2015 film I've seen so far:
Spectre
Not quite as weak as
Quantum of Solace, but with all the exciting stuff that's happening, this is a terribly unexciting and forgettable film to sit through. It's time for a new Bond actor and a script that actually values the core of what the character used to be during his first few outings...
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Here are 20 films from 2015 that I still REALLY would like to watch and that would definitely be able to change this current list tremendously:
Knight of Cups
Sicario
Anomalisa
Cemetery of Splendor
The Assassin
Queen of Earth
Bridge of Spies
Tangerine
Hitchcock/Truffaut
Slow West
Son of Saul
De Palma
Junun
Le Tout Nouveau Testament
Spotlight
Listen to Me Marlon
The Big Short
Room
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Blackhat
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