Films I've seen in 2015
I made a list of my favourite films of 2015. Then I meant to make a list of the worst films, but it turns out I haven't seen any downright bad films. So now it's a list of faves, followed by some recommendations, followed by some other comments on movies. Most of it is under a cut, to spare you the length.
My top ten:
1. Liza, the Fox-Fairy
Dark Hungarian comedy about a young nurse looking for love, yet thwarted by a jealous ghost who kills all her would-be lovers. Perfect for people who enjoy Dead Like Me, or Amélie (with a death count), or a soundtrack consisting of Japanese pop and Finnish country.
Please tell me that's all of you.
2. The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Considering how fannish I became about this film, the fact that it's at #2 should tell you how much I loved Liza. Anyway, TMFU is a thoroughly enjoyable film that's not so much a spy film as it's half old-fashioned adventure and half comedy, with some romcom tendencies. It's also right up fandom's alley. And again, a wonderful soundtrack.
3. Winter Buoy / Vinterboj
A touching documentary about Canadian nurses caring for pregnant homeless women, which somehow manages to be both hopeful and respectful, despite the clients' vulnerable position. The other films on his list has made me say, "You should see it if you like X type of thing," but there's no "if" with this one. See it.
4. Hunger Games: Mockingjay, part 2
Mockingjay was always my favourite of the Hunger Games books, and though I don't think it was necessary to split it into two parts, but apart from a few overlong action scenes in the middle, this hit all the right notes for me. I was at the edge of my seat, even though I knew how the chips would fall. I cried, rather a lot. And I felt that everything I liked about the book, the dismantling of the myth of heroic war, came through just as it should.
Mockingjay trailer
5. Love & Peace
It's a bit late to recommend this right now, since it's a Christmas story, but it's so fluffy, quirky and adorable that it can be seen at any time of year. Bullied Japanese office clerk Ryoichi used to be a singer, but now his only friend is a little turtle. When the turtle is lost, it ends up... well, let's just say Ryoichi's dreams start coming true, and the turtle starts living up to it's name, Pikadon (Atom Bomb).
I always say that my favourite genre is "weird shit". Well, this is top-class weird shit.
Love & Peace trailer
6. Spy
I've loved Melissa McCarthy since Gilmore Girls, and been a bit disappointed that her work since has been so one-note (though funny). Here she stretches back into a more rounded character, while there's still plenty of humour, and a fun adventure that stands on its own.
Spy trailer
7. Ex Machina
This film creeped me out, but I can't shake it. Alicia Vikander's acting as the AI Ava is breathtaking, and while I felt an increasing desire to set the men on fire (yes, even Caleb), it can't be denied that they, too, were brilliantly acted in this chamber play about power and what constitutes humanity. (Sidenote, I did not recognize either Domhnall Gleeson or Oscar Isaac in Star Wars until it was pointed out to me. They're so different here.) I'm not sure the director intended everything that was implied, but that doesn't stop the film from being interesting.
Ex Machina trailer
8. Zomer/Summer
Dutch growing-up tale with an added touch of a sweet lesbian love story, which made for a thoroughly enjoyable film. Don't have much else to say about it, though.
Zomer trailer
9. Selma
The subject matter is highly touching and makes this film a must-see. The execution bumps it down a few steps, though. So many characters are introduced and then not playing any vital part, at times it comes off like illustrations to a history textbook. As someone not overly familiar with events beforehand, I found it confusing. (When Tim Roth met with the president, I thought, "Who was he again?" That's not a good reaction to have to a major antagonist.)
Still, David Oyelowo is great, there are several unforgettable, well-edited moments, and there's no doubt that this film is sorely needed.
Selma trailer
10. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Yes, there are too many things ripped straight from the original trilogy. Yes, the Dark Side is rather pale and bloodless. But the things that are good are so good that this film still makes my top ten. Finn, Rey, and BB-8 are wonderful additions to the SW universe. (I don't mind Poe. I honestly don't. I just don't care yet, at this point.) The action sequences are unusually clear and engaging, at least for the first hour. I'm reading fics and following Tumblr tags - that's a win in my book.
Star Wars: TFA trailer
Other recommendations:
H.
Things fall from the sky. People go missing or behave in strange ways. Natural laws such as gravity don't always apply. All of it told in a kitchen sink realist ways that makes the whole thing all the more fascinating. I'm not entirely sure it holds up for a second viewing, but boy was it interesting on the first!
H. trailer
Inside Out
I really enjoyed this movie - especially the cat bit at the end - and I find the way of thinking about emotions very useful. It doesn't quite make it up to the top ten for me, but I know that it does for other people, including my mom. (Mark Kermode put it at number 1. That surprised me a little, but I'm not saying he's wrong.)
Inside Out trailer
Jag är Ingrid / Ingrid Bergman In Her Own Words
I've read Ingrid Bergman's autobiography, years ago, but I still found out new things about her in this film. The bits from her children were particularly interesting. I was struck by how none of them were angry with her - the most negative emotion was a kind of bewilderment. Which makes the OTT reactions to her first divorce seem even more OTT. (In honesty, that seemed less to be about "think of the children" and more some kind of racially motivated "how dare this pure and beautiful woman sully herself with an Italian director!") The bits about her father and upbringing were also interesting... it seems all the personal stuff got to me more than the film stuff. (Though apparently Cary Grant was really nice! Which is good to know.)
Jag är Ingrid trailer
Spring
American travelling in Europe hits it off with a local girl who turns out to be... not exactly what he was expecting. Familiar trope gets some new twists - I love what they've done with mythology in this film. And the love story is very touching and quite believable considering everything that surrounds it.
Spring trailer
Yes, but...
These are the films that are the hardest to rank, because there are elements that I really liked mixed with elements I did not like at all.
Luna
Dave McKean's story of grief and imagination, told in the setting of four friends in a remote house. McKean likes imagination best if it's grounded in reality. I found most of the realistic bits rather trite and boring, truth be told, but his imagination is stunning. Reviews have fallen on both sides of this issue, btw - some agree with me, some feel the opposite.
Luna trailer
Carol
Much-lauded lesbian love story, and doubtlessly it's good, but the emphasis on how Doomed and Tragic the love is, combined with the downright negative chemistry between the actresses, made it not really my thing. I was tempted to call it a gay story for straight viewers, except that the director is actually gay. Maybe a gay man isn't the best choice to show two straight women how to act like they're in love? IDK. It might just be that I don't like Cate Blanchett. I liked the ending, though.
Carol trailer
Amy
Undoubtedly engaging documentary on Amy Winehouse, both concerning her life and her music. The use of paparazzi footage skeeved me out, though, especially since the movie claimed that the paparazzi contributed to her problems. It made the whole thing seem a bit too tabloid.
Amy trailer
Last Girl Standing
Only survivor of a horror movie mass murder tries to get her life back on track, but is haunted by previous events. Having a realistic take on slasher movie aftereffects is an unusual angle that really drew me in, and the acting was great - but then it all fell apart towards the end, as far as I'm concerned, and returned to the usual slasher fare (psychological improbability and all).
Last Girl Standing trailer
Ant-Man
It was an entertaining, fun popcorn movie, but I canNOT divorce the experience from the frustration I felt at seeing Hope held back. Like I said at the time, it's like Trinity and Finding Nemo all rolled up in one - she's made to train the newcomer guy at stuff she could do better herself, and it's all summed up as her father's concern for her. (HI THiS WOMAN IS OLDER THAN I AM SHE CAN TAKE CARE OF HERSELF.)
Ant-Man trailer
Nina Forever
The concept is interesting - a young couple are interrupted in their romance when the man's dead ex-girlfriend starts to appear in their bed as a bloody, broken ghost. Certain scenes are excellent, and Abigail Hardingham is great as the new girlfriend. But the other two leads aren't quite up to her standards, and the whole thing gets a bit repetitive. Still worth seeing, though! (And shout out to Richard Sandling as the bus passenger. He took a small role and made it memorable with brilliant acting.)
Nina Forever trailer
Just OK
Cooties
As someone working in a school without being very well-suited for it, obviously I'm going to enjoy a film in which students are hoards of zombies looking to kill the staff. That's a given. :-) There are some pretty funny gags in this one, but there are also some rather worn-out clichés, and it doesn't quite hold up the whole film through.
Oh, and you won't want to eat chicken nuggets for a while after this one.
Cooties trailer
Trainwreck
It's strange, I don't think of myself as hard to get laughing, but there are so many comedies I don't think are funny. This was one of them. Still, watching Amy try to sort out her life was charming enough in its own way for a while, until it went into the usual twosome direction at which point I didn't care anymore.
Trainwreck trailer
Avengers: Age of Ultron
I won't deny that it had its moments, particularly where Vision was concerned. And I love this cast. For the most part, though, it was the film with the largest amount of frustration combined with the least amount of entertainment that I watched last year.
Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer This entry was originally posted at http://katta.dreamwidth.org/638825.html and has
comments there.
My top ten:
1. Liza, the Fox-Fairy
Dark Hungarian comedy about a young nurse looking for love, yet thwarted by a jealous ghost who kills all her would-be lovers. Perfect for people who enjoy Dead Like Me, or Amélie (with a death count), or a soundtrack consisting of Japanese pop and Finnish country.
Please tell me that's all of you.
Click to view2. The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Considering how fannish I became about this film, the fact that it's at #2 should tell you how much I loved Liza. Anyway, TMFU is a thoroughly enjoyable film that's not so much a spy film as it's half old-fashioned adventure and half comedy, with some romcom tendencies. It's also right up fandom's alley. And again, a wonderful soundtrack.
3. Winter Buoy / Vinterboj
A touching documentary about Canadian nurses caring for pregnant homeless women, which somehow manages to be both hopeful and respectful, despite the clients' vulnerable position. The other films on his list has made me say, "You should see it if you like X type of thing," but there's no "if" with this one. See it.
4. Hunger Games: Mockingjay, part 2
Mockingjay was always my favourite of the Hunger Games books, and though I don't think it was necessary to split it into two parts, but apart from a few overlong action scenes in the middle, this hit all the right notes for me. I was at the edge of my seat, even though I knew how the chips would fall. I cried, rather a lot. And I felt that everything I liked about the book, the dismantling of the myth of heroic war, came through just as it should.
Mockingjay trailer
5. Love & Peace
It's a bit late to recommend this right now, since it's a Christmas story, but it's so fluffy, quirky and adorable that it can be seen at any time of year. Bullied Japanese office clerk Ryoichi used to be a singer, but now his only friend is a little turtle. When the turtle is lost, it ends up... well, let's just say Ryoichi's dreams start coming true, and the turtle starts living up to it's name, Pikadon (Atom Bomb).
I always say that my favourite genre is "weird shit". Well, this is top-class weird shit.
Love & Peace trailer
6. Spy
I've loved Melissa McCarthy since Gilmore Girls, and been a bit disappointed that her work since has been so one-note (though funny). Here she stretches back into a more rounded character, while there's still plenty of humour, and a fun adventure that stands on its own.
Spy trailer
7. Ex Machina
This film creeped me out, but I can't shake it. Alicia Vikander's acting as the AI Ava is breathtaking, and while I felt an increasing desire to set the men on fire (yes, even Caleb), it can't be denied that they, too, were brilliantly acted in this chamber play about power and what constitutes humanity. (Sidenote, I did not recognize either Domhnall Gleeson or Oscar Isaac in Star Wars until it was pointed out to me. They're so different here.) I'm not sure the director intended everything that was implied, but that doesn't stop the film from being interesting.
Ex Machina trailer
8. Zomer/Summer
Dutch growing-up tale with an added touch of a sweet lesbian love story, which made for a thoroughly enjoyable film. Don't have much else to say about it, though.
Zomer trailer
9. Selma
The subject matter is highly touching and makes this film a must-see. The execution bumps it down a few steps, though. So many characters are introduced and then not playing any vital part, at times it comes off like illustrations to a history textbook. As someone not overly familiar with events beforehand, I found it confusing. (When Tim Roth met with the president, I thought, "Who was he again?" That's not a good reaction to have to a major antagonist.)
Still, David Oyelowo is great, there are several unforgettable, well-edited moments, and there's no doubt that this film is sorely needed.
Selma trailer
10. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Yes, there are too many things ripped straight from the original trilogy. Yes, the Dark Side is rather pale and bloodless. But the things that are good are so good that this film still makes my top ten. Finn, Rey, and BB-8 are wonderful additions to the SW universe. (I don't mind Poe. I honestly don't. I just don't care yet, at this point.) The action sequences are unusually clear and engaging, at least for the first hour. I'm reading fics and following Tumblr tags - that's a win in my book.
Star Wars: TFA trailer
Other recommendations:
H.
Things fall from the sky. People go missing or behave in strange ways. Natural laws such as gravity don't always apply. All of it told in a kitchen sink realist ways that makes the whole thing all the more fascinating. I'm not entirely sure it holds up for a second viewing, but boy was it interesting on the first!
H. trailer
Inside Out
I really enjoyed this movie - especially the cat bit at the end - and I find the way of thinking about emotions very useful. It doesn't quite make it up to the top ten for me, but I know that it does for other people, including my mom. (Mark Kermode put it at number 1. That surprised me a little, but I'm not saying he's wrong.)
Inside Out trailer
Jag är Ingrid / Ingrid Bergman In Her Own Words
I've read Ingrid Bergman's autobiography, years ago, but I still found out new things about her in this film. The bits from her children were particularly interesting. I was struck by how none of them were angry with her - the most negative emotion was a kind of bewilderment. Which makes the OTT reactions to her first divorce seem even more OTT. (In honesty, that seemed less to be about "think of the children" and more some kind of racially motivated "how dare this pure and beautiful woman sully herself with an Italian director!") The bits about her father and upbringing were also interesting... it seems all the personal stuff got to me more than the film stuff. (Though apparently Cary Grant was really nice! Which is good to know.)
Jag är Ingrid trailer
Spring
American travelling in Europe hits it off with a local girl who turns out to be... not exactly what he was expecting. Familiar trope gets some new twists - I love what they've done with mythology in this film. And the love story is very touching and quite believable considering everything that surrounds it.
Spring trailer
Yes, but...
These are the films that are the hardest to rank, because there are elements that I really liked mixed with elements I did not like at all.
Luna
Dave McKean's story of grief and imagination, told in the setting of four friends in a remote house. McKean likes imagination best if it's grounded in reality. I found most of the realistic bits rather trite and boring, truth be told, but his imagination is stunning. Reviews have fallen on both sides of this issue, btw - some agree with me, some feel the opposite.
Luna trailer
Carol
Much-lauded lesbian love story, and doubtlessly it's good, but the emphasis on how Doomed and Tragic the love is, combined with the downright negative chemistry between the actresses, made it not really my thing. I was tempted to call it a gay story for straight viewers, except that the director is actually gay. Maybe a gay man isn't the best choice to show two straight women how to act like they're in love? IDK. It might just be that I don't like Cate Blanchett. I liked the ending, though.
Carol trailer
Amy
Undoubtedly engaging documentary on Amy Winehouse, both concerning her life and her music. The use of paparazzi footage skeeved me out, though, especially since the movie claimed that the paparazzi contributed to her problems. It made the whole thing seem a bit too tabloid.
Amy trailer
Last Girl Standing
Only survivor of a horror movie mass murder tries to get her life back on track, but is haunted by previous events. Having a realistic take on slasher movie aftereffects is an unusual angle that really drew me in, and the acting was great - but then it all fell apart towards the end, as far as I'm concerned, and returned to the usual slasher fare (psychological improbability and all).
Last Girl Standing trailer
Ant-Man
It was an entertaining, fun popcorn movie, but I canNOT divorce the experience from the frustration I felt at seeing Hope held back. Like I said at the time, it's like Trinity and Finding Nemo all rolled up in one - she's made to train the newcomer guy at stuff she could do better herself, and it's all summed up as her father's concern for her. (HI THiS WOMAN IS OLDER THAN I AM SHE CAN TAKE CARE OF HERSELF.)
Ant-Man trailer
Nina Forever
The concept is interesting - a young couple are interrupted in their romance when the man's dead ex-girlfriend starts to appear in their bed as a bloody, broken ghost. Certain scenes are excellent, and Abigail Hardingham is great as the new girlfriend. But the other two leads aren't quite up to her standards, and the whole thing gets a bit repetitive. Still worth seeing, though! (And shout out to Richard Sandling as the bus passenger. He took a small role and made it memorable with brilliant acting.)
Nina Forever trailer
Just OK
Cooties
As someone working in a school without being very well-suited for it, obviously I'm going to enjoy a film in which students are hoards of zombies looking to kill the staff. That's a given. :-) There are some pretty funny gags in this one, but there are also some rather worn-out clichés, and it doesn't quite hold up the whole film through.
Oh, and you won't want to eat chicken nuggets for a while after this one.
Cooties trailer
Trainwreck
It's strange, I don't think of myself as hard to get laughing, but there are so many comedies I don't think are funny. This was one of them. Still, watching Amy try to sort out her life was charming enough in its own way for a while, until it went into the usual twosome direction at which point I didn't care anymore.
Trainwreck trailer
Avengers: Age of Ultron
I won't deny that it had its moments, particularly where Vision was concerned. And I love this cast. For the most part, though, it was the film with the largest amount of frustration combined with the least amount of entertainment that I watched last year.
Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer This entry was originally posted at http://katta.dreamwidth.org/638825.html and has
comments there.