These are the films I've seen during 2015:
(1) Kingsman: the Secret Service - Colin Firth and Taron Egerton star in a spy thriller based on a popular comic book series. It's like watching a future James Bond find his way.
(3) What We Do in the Shadows - An Indie "mockumentary" about three vampire roommates living on the outskirts of Wellington, New Zealand. Enjoyable satire.
(4) Horns (2014) - Dark comedy/horror film about a young man who suddenly grows horns on his head and the dark lives the people around him suddenly begin to reveal. Daniel Radcliffe has trouble saving this one.
(5) Woman in Gold - Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds star in a film about the niece of Gustav Klimt's Adele Bloch-Bauer who sues the Austrian government to reclaim the painting the Nazis stole. Is art more important than justice?
(6) Ex Machina - Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson spar with the idea of A.I. embodied by the beautiful and deadly Alicia Vikander. Engrossing film. The film asks us whether in creating robots exactly like humans we set ourselves up for failure. One of the year's best.
(7) The Avengers: Age of Ultron - The Marvel Comics Avengers franchise continues to play on the charisma of its team (Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle and Samuel L. Jackson.). The movie blends humor and action with great style.
(8) San Andreas - This San Francisco based film has some good special effects which is all one really wants in an action/disaster film. Forget the plot and just enjoy the ride.
(9) Iris - Wonderful documentary by Albert Maysles (Grey Gardens) on 93-year-old style setter Iris Apfel who lives a life to its famboyant best. If there is anyone I want to sit next to at my next dinner party, it's Iris.
(10) Mad Max: Fury Road 3D - I wasn't a great fan of Mel Gibson's Mad Max, but Director George Miller and his stellar cast of Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, and Nicholas Hoult blew me away. I found myself totally immersed in a new world filled with color, action and surprises. The interplay between Hardy and Theron makes for one of the great male/female Hollywood teams. For me, one of the top films of my year.
(11) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - An Indie film about what the title says. The three young actors (Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, and Olivia Cooke) are charming [**spoiler**] but I disliked the narrator lying to the audience regarding where the film was going.
(12) Magic Mike XXL - Although the sequel to 2012's Magic Mike didn't get outstanding reviews, the film was worth the trip. While the first film concentrated on Mike's protege, the sequel follows Mike as he and group go on a road trip to win one final stripping contest. Good dancing and music coupled with some analysis of the women's reaction to male stripping. Channing Tatum has a great natural acting style.
(13) Gett: The Trial of Vivianne Amsalem - In Israel there is no civil divorce, so only rabbis can dissolve a marriage, but the action must be approved by the husband. The film details the struggles that Vivianne Amsalem goes through attempting to divorce her husband. Intense with lots of introspection.
(14) Tangerine - Fun Indie film about two transgendered prostitutes searching for one's boyfriend. Filmed on location in Los Angeles using an iPhone 5, which makes for great visuals. Very adult humor and raw language make this not for everyone.
(15) Mr. Holmes - A delightful and thoughtful period piece with a 90-year-old Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) coping with his loss of memory while trying to reconstruct the case which caused him 30 years before to quit. His housekeeper's son (Milo Parker) helps him decide to go on.
(16) The Wolfpack - Seven "home schooled" boys raised secluded in a New York apartment with only contact to the outside being films. Their emergence into society makes for a fascinating documentary. In some ways it's like watching Plato's Allegory of the Cave come to life. Can be found on Amazon.com.
(17) Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - I'm not a fan of Tom Cruise, but I am always drawn to Mission Impossible and it's great action stunts. Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson help make the movie enjoyable.
(19) Phoenix (saw twice) - Survivor of Auschwitz who requires facial reconstruction returns to Berlin to find her husband and life she lost. He doesn't recognize her but decides she might pass for his wife, who he betrayed to the Nazis.The film becomes a fascinating modern German Vertigo.
(20) Digging for Fire - Indie film about young teacher and his wife house sit the wife's Yoga student's home. The husband and wife are ready for change. The husband finds a bone and a gun which suggests a murder. He sets out to discover a mystery while his wife heads out to test her own marital boundaries. [***spoiler***]Both eventually decide their marriage is more important than experiments. This is first film I remember which uses Uber cars without making any reference to them being Ubers.
(21) Grandma - Lily Tomlin is one of our National Treasures. She shines throughout. The film would make an interesting companion piece to Bruce Dern's Nebraska. Both are road pictures where older star and younger companion learn about themselves and their world. Highly recommend.
(22) Listen to Me Marlon - Powerful documentary on Marlon Brando delves into the dark side of his early childhood and his obsessive behavior later in life.
(23) Rosenwald - Julius Rosenwald made his fortune from Sear & Roebuck Co., but he used his fortune to build schools for the African American community all over the South. The documentary gives a good view of the man but also becomes an inspiring testament of what someone with wealth and vision can do to help the world.
(24) Steve Jobs: the Man in the Machine - The documentary view of Jobs shows him as a charmismatic salesman (as when he introduces the iPhone to the world) and a liar and jerk. Without him would the technical media be where it is?
(25) Wolf Totem - Two young men from Beijing in 1967 end up as teachers in Mongolia among nomads. One becomes intent on saving a wolf cub. Beautiful scenery and cinematography. The script feels like Dances with Wolves seen through the eyes of the heartwarming coming of age Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress.
(1) Kingsman: the Secret Service - Colin Firth and Taron Egerton star in a spy thriller based on a popular comic book series. It's like watching a future James Bond find his way.
(2) The Second Best Exotic Hotel - The cast from the first film return with the addition of some new characters. Like going home, you know exactly what to expect and are among old friends. It has Maggie Smith and Judi Dench, what more could you want?
(3) What We Do in the Shadows - An Indie "mockumentary" about three vampire roommates living on the outskirts of Wellington, New Zealand. Enjoyable satire.
(4) Horns (2014) - Dark comedy/horror film about a young man who suddenly grows horns on his head and the dark lives the people around him suddenly begin to reveal. Daniel Radcliffe has trouble saving this one.
(5) Woman in Gold - Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds star in a film about the niece of Gustav Klimt's Adele Bloch-Bauer who sues the Austrian government to reclaim the painting the Nazis stole. Is art more important than justice?
(6) Ex Machina - Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson spar with the idea of A.I. embodied by the beautiful and deadly Alicia Vikander. Engrossing film. The film asks us whether in creating robots exactly like humans we set ourselves up for failure. One of the year's best.
(7) The Avengers: Age of Ultron - The Marvel Comics Avengers franchise continues to play on the charisma of its team (Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle and Samuel L. Jackson.). The movie blends humor and action with great style.
(8) San Andreas - This San Francisco based film has some good special effects which is all one really wants in an action/disaster film. Forget the plot and just enjoy the ride.
(9) Iris - Wonderful documentary by Albert Maysles (Grey Gardens) on 93-year-old style setter Iris Apfel who lives a life to its famboyant best. If there is anyone I want to sit next to at my next dinner party, it's Iris.
(10) Mad Max: Fury Road 3D - I wasn't a great fan of Mel Gibson's Mad Max, but Director George Miller and his stellar cast of Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, and Nicholas Hoult blew me away. I found myself totally immersed in a new world filled with color, action and surprises. The interplay between Hardy and Theron makes for one of the great male/female Hollywood teams. For me, one of the top films of my year.
(11) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - An Indie film about what the title says. The three young actors (Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, and Olivia Cooke) are charming [**spoiler**] but I disliked the narrator lying to the audience regarding where the film was going.
(12) Magic Mike XXL - Although the sequel to 2012's Magic Mike didn't get outstanding reviews, the film was worth the trip. While the first film concentrated on Mike's protege, the sequel follows Mike as he and group go on a road trip to win one final stripping contest. Good dancing and music coupled with some analysis of the women's reaction to male stripping. Channing Tatum has a great natural acting style.
(13) Gett: The Trial of Vivianne Amsalem - In Israel there is no civil divorce, so only rabbis can dissolve a marriage, but the action must be approved by the husband. The film details the struggles that Vivianne Amsalem goes through attempting to divorce her husband. Intense with lots of introspection.
(14) Tangerine - Fun Indie film about two transgendered prostitutes searching for one's boyfriend. Filmed on location in Los Angeles using an iPhone 5, which makes for great visuals. Very adult humor and raw language make this not for everyone.
(15) Mr. Holmes - A delightful and thoughtful period piece with a 90-year-old Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) coping with his loss of memory while trying to reconstruct the case which caused him 30 years before to quit. His housekeeper's son (Milo Parker) helps him decide to go on.
(16) The Wolfpack - Seven "home schooled" boys raised secluded in a New York apartment with only contact to the outside being films. Their emergence into society makes for a fascinating documentary. In some ways it's like watching Plato's Allegory of the Cave come to life. Can be found on Amazon.com.
(17) Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - I'm not a fan of Tom Cruise, but I am always drawn to Mission Impossible and it's great action stunts. Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson help make the movie enjoyable.
(18) The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - When I think of Guy Ritchie's films, I think classy humor, style, and a buddy couple paired with a beautiful actress. Henry Cavill (as Napoleon Solo) and Armie Hammer (as Illya Kuryakin) work hard at the buddy couple but are hampered somewhat by the need to do all the backstory/setup. Ex Machina's Alicia Vikander becomes their beautiful side-kick. Good action chases.
(19) Phoenix (saw twice) - Survivor of Auschwitz who requires facial reconstruction returns to Berlin to find her husband and life she lost. He doesn't recognize her but decides she might pass for his wife, who he betrayed to the Nazis.The film becomes a fascinating modern German Vertigo.
(20) Digging for Fire - Indie film about young teacher and his wife house sit the wife's Yoga student's home. The husband and wife are ready for change. The husband finds a bone and a gun which suggests a murder. He sets out to discover a mystery while his wife heads out to test her own marital boundaries. [***spoiler***]Both eventually decide their marriage is more important than experiments. This is first film I remember which uses Uber cars without making any reference to them being Ubers.
(21) Grandma - Lily Tomlin is one of our National Treasures. She shines throughout. The film would make an interesting companion piece to Bruce Dern's Nebraska. Both are road pictures where older star and younger companion learn about themselves and their world. Highly recommend.
(22) Listen to Me Marlon - Powerful documentary on Marlon Brando delves into the dark side of his early childhood and his obsessive behavior later in life.
(23) Rosenwald - Julius Rosenwald made his fortune from Sear & Roebuck Co., but he used his fortune to build schools for the African American community all over the South. The documentary gives a good view of the man but also becomes an inspiring testament of what someone with wealth and vision can do to help the world.
(24) Steve Jobs: the Man in the Machine - The documentary view of Jobs shows him as a charmismatic salesman (as when he introduces the iPhone to the world) and a liar and jerk. Without him would the technical media be where it is?
(25) Wolf Totem - Two young men from Beijing in 1967 end up as teachers in Mongolia among nomads. One becomes intent on saving a wolf cub. Beautiful scenery and cinematography. The script feels like Dances with Wolves seen through the eyes of the heartwarming coming of age Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress.
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