Movielogr

2015 - Ron's Top 10

A list created by sensoria

My Top 10 movies of 2015, with the usual two extras thrown in for good measure. My criteria for a 2015 movie is any non-reparatory film I saw in 2015 that was new to me and had a theatrical release. That means this list may include a film that was technically released in 2014 or only played at a film festival in 2015.

Notes:

1. Youth - One of the most beautiful, cinematic movies I’ve ever seen. This is a movie that deserves a place on the top 100 lists, easily. Michael Caine is outstanding.

2. Goodnight Mommy - After missing the secret screening at Fantastic Fest in 2014, I was happy to catch this at Stanley Film Fest. My kind of sinister, creepy movie!

3. Mad Max: Fury Road - I could, and will, watch this movie over and over again! The only movie I saw twice in theaters this year. I love how it subverts its own mythology and places the focus on a strong female character, relegating the supposed lead to a supporting role.

4. Room - A deeply affecting movie and not in the ways I expected. Glad I saw this by myself as a free members screening at Sie Film Center. The only movie on this list to actually make me cry during the movie.

5. Green Room - I LOVE siege movies (Dog Soldiers, Zulu, being two of the best) and Green Room nails it! While I was expecting good things out of this at Fantastic Fest, it more than exceeded my expectations.

6. Liza, The Fox-Fairy - This was a “might as well” pick at Fantasti Fest, one which I knew almost nothing about and had no expectations for. It completely enchanted me with its quirky humor, great storytelling and beautiful color palette.

7. The Witch - Based on my expectations going into Fantastic Fest, this movie should be at the top of my list. That it’s seventh, despite my disappointment, probably speaks more to my misplaced expectations than anything else. It’s still a gorgeous, unsettling film and I can’t wait to revisit it when it finally hits theaters in 2016.

8. He Never Died - Henry Rollins gives a funny, mean performance in this surprising standout from Mile High Horror Film Festival. This was one of two excellent movies I saw at this fest this year.

9. Darling - Mickey Keating doesn’t disappoint. The second movie from the Mile High Horror Film Festival that blew me away. A very dark, disruptive tale that’s an assault on the senses at times, in a very good way. It’s refreshing to see someone do so much with such a small budget.

10. Too Late - Honestly, this probably deserves to be higher on my list. I chose to see this at Fantastic Fest based on the cast and the fact that it was shot on, and being projected on, 35mm. I love crime movies and Too Late is a nice throwback to the revisionist gumshoe crime movies of the 1970s, in the same vein as Chinatown and it’s ilk. John Hawkes is amazing and the filmmaking is outstanding.

Honorable Mentions

11. Bone Tomahawk - Some movies, even though they don’t make your top ten, are movies you’re going to revisit over and over again. Bone Tomahawk is clearly that kind of movie for me. While not perfect, it’s a lot of fun to watch, mainly due to the excellent sidekick performance by Richard Jenkins, who steals the show. Couple that with some short bursts of brutally horrific violence and you’ve got a funny, disturbing movie on your hands. I don’t buy many movies these days and I just ordered this on Blu-Ray.

12. The Boy - An unsettling, disturbing look into how a serial killer is made, this little movie caught me off guard at Stanley Film Fest. I really knew nothing about it other than it was filmed, and set in, Colorado. This is supposed to be the first of a trilogy and I really hope the other two get made.

There were a handful of other movies that I had to cull from the list but were nevertheless great films this year: Evolution, February, White God, Phoenix, Slow West, Sun Choke. All great movies that deserve an audience.

Like last year, this was a pretty enjoyable year of film for me. I attended four film festivals: Stanley Film Festival for the third straight year; Fantastic Fest, my third time and first staying for the entire festival; Mile High Horror Film Festival for the second year in a row, which came on the heels of FF, though that didn’t prevent me from seeing twice as many screenings as last year; and Denver International Film Festival for the second time and where I doubled the number of films I saw this year over last.

Movies on 2015 - Ron's Top 10 List
RankTitleDirector(s)Year Released
1YouthPaolo Sorrentino2015
2Goodnight MommyVeronika Franz, Severin Fiala2014
3Mad Max: Fury RoadGeorge Miller2015
4RoomLenny Abrahamson2015
5Green RoomJeremy Saulnier2016
6Liza, the Fox-FairyUjj Mészáros Károly2015
7Witch, TheRobert Eggers2015
8He Never DiedJason Krawczyk2015
9DarlingMickey Keating2015
10Too LateDennis Hauck2016
11Bone TomahawkS. Craig Zahler2015
12Boy, TheCraig Macneill2015