The Best and Worst Films of 2015

Looking back at the year that was, it was a year where dreams came to be the theme of 2015. Hollywood has been referred to as "the Dream Factory" and this is clearly evident in my Top 10 films. In fact, one of my Top 10 films included a literal depiction of the Dream Factory at work in the mind of a young girl. As I stated in last year's best list, it's my own young girl that informs what I see in theatres and at home. Last year I surmised what it would be like to be able to sit next to my daughter as she sees classic films from my past for the first time. Thanks to Cineplex's Family Favourites series, I was able to do exactly that, taking in a screening of Ferris Bueller's Day Off on a Saturday morning in November. My daughter was the same age I was when the film first came out and time and generational change gave both of us a different perspective on the film. It was an amazing experience and the reason why films continue to capture our imagination, for young and old, despite the ever changing evolution of formats and places to screen them.

Strangely enough, we continue to hear about the decline of movie attendance, lost to streaming services and digital downloads, yet each year brings us a new record box office. Talk about having your cake and eating it too!! Looking back over the decade and a half that I've been doing a Top 10 list, it's odd to discover that despite the changes in my life and the changes in media consumption methods, I manage to maintain a pretty steady average attendance at the cinema. This year I saw 20 films in theatres (a couple of movies twice) and when I include movies I watched at home either on new release DVD, or its premiere on The Movie Network, the total amount of films I saw in 2015 amounts to 31. That seems low, considering some years I saw that many films in theatres alone. The only reason I can surmise for this discrepancy (aren't we watching more at home these days?) is that television has become so good, that the entertainment hours in my home have been devoted to Game of Thrones, Daredevil, Sherlock and the like. What does this mean for 2016? We will have to see, as the latest episode of Sherlock was actually screened in theatres to sold out audiences AFTER it aired!

With that, let's get to the list of the best and worst films I saw in 2015...

10. The Martian; I said this year's films are all about dreams. This film rekindles the dreams of the space race era, when putting a man on the moon was a shared goal across the globe. This time, the mission to rescue a man stranded on Mars unites us in marvelling at science, laughing in the face of insurmountable odds, and igniting hope through ingenuity. The story of how this film came to be from its origins as a series of blog posts from the author, is itself a dream of great art in storytelling finding an audience, and an excellent script ultimately finding its way into the hands of an accomplished director and superb cast of actors. The fact that this film became a box office success is a testament to how we long for good stories that make us laugh, make us cry and propel us past our fears and limitations.

9. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation; Who could have dreamed that this fifth instalment of the Mission Impossible franchise would continue to thrill and excite us at the multiplex? Tom Cruise, that's who. The actor who insists on performing his own insane stunts has managed to keep the IMF interesting by giving us consistent action and breath holding moments provided by directors with vision, style and clever casting. Though ultimately forgettable beyond the action set pieces, these movies deliver what we want in early August...big, amazing popcorn entertainment, utilizing the latest advancement in cinematography and stunt work. Never shying from filming with real people in real situations, the Mission Impossible series keeps upping the ante and letting Bond and Bourne know that the next move is theirs. Whatcha got, super spies?

8. John Wick; In many ways the antithesis of MI5, Keanu Reeves reminds us as John Wick, that thrills can come from a stripped down action film without big F/X and excessive explosions. The thrill of discovering a new character, in an original film, by an exciting new director is a treasure whenever it happens. The sequels and franchises we grow to love all start with an origin that first shocked us with its fresh take on a genre or an original premise or clever mash up of pre-existing elements. John Wick seems to be all of these at once. Credit Keanu for continuing to take jobs that interest him, as he seems impervious to the criticisms throughout his career. John Wick 2 is set to come out this year, with another stellar cast. Do yourself a favour and catch up by watching this one, holding your loved ones close by.

7. Ant-Man; The final film of Marvel's "phase two", Ant-Man felt like its own stand alone film, with a story and cast and sensibility that seemed like it could exist in its own universe. Funny, with a cheekiness that has almost evaporated from recent comic book adaptations, Ant-Man succeeds on the casting of Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas, who both bring their acting past into the film to great effect. I had serious concerns when Edgar Wright was replaced (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World may very well be the best comic book adaptation we've ever seen) but Peyton Reed did an excellent job continuing the tone and other aspects I'm sure were planted by Wright. One of two films I saw twice in theatres in 2015, Ant-Man's visual aspects were enhanced by the upgraded audio and visuals that only modern day movie theatres offer us.

6. Star Wars: The Force Awakens; Or reawakens, or revisits, or returns. All rehash and reboot arguments aside, the seventh Star Wars film returned our childhood dreams and play scenes to all their glory, giving us the story, the droids, the scoundrels and lightsaber action we'd all been longing for. If you told me that my own child would be more excited than I ever was about using the Force, I'd say you were dreaming. Well, J.J. Abrams delivered on those dreams, giving us the most joy inducing Star Wars instalment of this century. We've already returned to the multiplex to experience this one in D-Box, making it a true motion picture to remember forever. This movie may be making box office history as I type this, but it's the cultural impact that can't be overstated. Do YOU know anyone who plays "Avatar" or "Titanic"?

5. Tomorrowland; A movie about dreamers, for dreamers. Tomorrowland is the biggest call to optimism, to believe in a better place, to forge a future that dreams to solve the problems of today. In other words, an impossible film to market and an easy target to crack cynical about. Yet for my daughter, for the future I want her to create for herself, this is a film her generation needs. Sure, there are a lot of problems with the structure of the film, not to mention the fact that it is built around a souvenir token from a section of theme park. But it's the ideals that Disney's founder believed in, the dreams he inspired with his own optimistic vision that are at the core of this enterprise. There's a curiousity and ingenuity that we may have lost through the generations but Brad Bird's inspired adventure sparks us to reclaim it for Earth's future.

4. Inside Out; Pixar return to form with another film for parents disguised for kids. That means tears of joy, tears of sorrow, and a complex look at the rest of the emotional landscape brought about by a child turning into an adolescent. The voice actors give memorable dimensions to what could have been one note characters and the artistic team of animators provide a three dimensional (and two, and abstract) canvas for the internal mechanics of the young girl's mind to come to life. Emotionally honest, Inside Out is a wonderful example of what happens when a studio collaborates to make something right, refusing to settle on an easy path, willing to rework a concept until it rings true. Inspired, heartfelt, and beautifully animated, Inside Out is more likely to be loved even more when our kids are themselves, adults.

3. The Walk; Why would anyone risk their life, not to mention round up a team of accomplices to help him break into (onto?) the World Trade Center in order to high wire walk between the twin towers? Because it is his dream. It's an act of beauty. It's art in its purest form. Thankfully, in the hands of accomplished director Robert Zemeckis, Philippe Petit's story is stunningly recreated to allow the audience to relive his dream in all its death defying heights. While the film builds towards its heart stopping climax, Zemeckis fills us in on the humour, the passion, the love and the drive that surround the key players. Though one man's madness fuels this dream, the film demonstrates how important friendship and love are in contributing to realize one person's vision in order to make their dreams come true.

2. The Little Prince; I have mixed emotions for this film. It's one of my all time favourite books which already had one of the most bizarre adaptations I've ever seen. A completely insane and disappointing film that was a product of its time and an attempt to visualize the philosophical elements of the novel in an artistic way. So when I first saw the previews for this animated adaptation, I practically wept. It appeared as though the novel had found the proper medium to convey the whimsical story. The paper animation is a sight to behold and true to the spirit of Le Petit Prince. However, other aspects of the latest adaptation are designed to appeal to children and mass audiences in a way that the 1974 film steered well clear of. Though this is for the better, it's the way this film captures the heart of the novel which makes it truly great.


...and the number one film of 2015 is...

1. Song of the Sea; Have you ever walked the halls of an art gallery and pictured the canvases coming to life? How about if they told a beautiful tale filled with magic, sweetness, adventure and family love? Song of the Sea is one of those special films that can't be duplicated, is difficult to describe, and is like a dream you never knew you longed for. Exquisite design goes into every single frame of a film that is crafted with much love and care. The Celtic mythology is magical lending this fairy tale its intricate imagery. The folk tale can be enjoyed by young and old, as the journey these young children take is sweet, endearing and delightful to watch. The music makes the images sparkle and the film could be wordless and still entertain thoroughly. This is a film everyone must see at some point in their life. Start while you're young.

Honourable Mentions: Jurassic World, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Tim's Vermeer

So that was the best I saw out of 31 films in 2015. Oddly enough, looking back at the comments I made about the Best of 2014 sort of dismissed the list as some slightly enjoyable films but nothing I was over the moon about. Now, having had a full year (and heavy TMN rotation) to rewatch the films from 2014, I can now correct myself in hindsight. I've probably watched most of last year's top 10 films close to ten times EACH, without feeling an ounce of boredom. In fact, it's the contrary. I am compelled to watch Winter Soldier EVERY single time it is on TV. The same can be said for Guardians of the Galaxy and Edge of Tomorrow. And not just "the good parts", but rather the entire film from start to finish. Theses films are that good. Same can't be said for the set of movies below...

The Top 5 Worst Films of 2015 are...

5. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2; You get two films for one in the fifth worst film slot. Or at least you should have. In a completely unnecessary splitting of the final book, the studio behind The Hunger Games went for the cash grab and made two movies not quite as good as they probably could have been had they been scaled down into one single film. But I'm not entirely convinced this is true, as the final book wasn't as entertaining, gripping or intimate as the first two to begin with, which meant this third adaptation wasn't as exciting out of the gate. Not bad films, just disappointing and unfulfilling.

4. Minions; Again, not a horrible film, but disappointingly everything you'd expect it to be. When Despicable Me hit theatres, it was a surprisingly fun and wickedly unique entry into the children's animation market. I initially didn't fully grasp how indelible Gru and his little yellow minions would become. Fast forward five years and minion fatigue finally hit in the form of this film. In small doses, these guys make for a funny gag or a touching moment, but an entire film stretches the premise for far too long. There are excellent moments and big laughs here and there. The film itself is a bit of an accomplishment in that it plays like an animated Marx Brothers or Three Stooges silent reel, but when I search my memory banks for any aspect of the film, I come up empty. The film is easily forgettable, which is a shock, considering the darn yellow things seem to appear everywhere, branded on every product imaginable.

3. Pixels; I recently rewatched this movie and it's not as bad as I recalled. In fact, it's not as bad as it looks, even though it deserves all the Razzies it's nominated for. Much like the two films preceding it on this Worst of 2015 list, it's more about being a disappointing miss at what could have been a truly witty, entertaining nostalgic adventure. Instead, we have Adam Sandler doing his best not to act, Peter Dinklage making us wish this was an R-rated film, and Chris Columbus cartooning the whole experience into a traditional three act romp that sucks any innovation or cleverness out of a story based on our 1980s 8-bit digital time wasters. In a different director's hands (say, Edgar Wright) we may haven't had the budget, but we would have been treated to a much better treatment of this premise. And a lot less Adam Sandler, we can only hope.

2. Hotel Transylvania 2; Speaking of Sandler, there's more of him on this worst list. How did he become the new Eddie Murphy? Give this guy a paycheque and a bare bones premise and he's there with three of his friends to mildly amuse us in somewhat questionable "family" "entertainment". Once again, I must qualify that like the rest of this list, Hotel Transylvania 2 isn't entirely awful. There's a laugh here and there but in the end, it's another opportunity missed. You've got Mel Brooks in this film, yet there isn't a smidgen of Young Frankenstein hilarity to be seen within a mile of the script. Lots of talent gathered together to pump out a sequel without questioning whether it's better, if it can get better, or how to make it better. A complete opposite experience from Inside Out, this tale needed to be workshopped and worked over but was instead rushed out and crapped out all over us.

...and the worst film of 2015 is...

1. Being Canadian; Anyone who knows me or has been following my reviews  since the days of my radio show which originated the Keepin' It Reel idea, knows that I'm a champion of Canadian film and its filmmakers. So you'll be as saddened as I was to notice this film on TMN, PVR it, intrigued to watch it, only to spiral down its diminishing narrative look into what makes Canadians Canadian. With each amazing actor or celebrity that appears on screen, we are reminded simultaneously of the extreme talent Canada has given the world, alongside the impoverished identity of this film. Maybe I'm missing the meta-ness of this movie and the fact that it feels like funding ran out before it wrapped was in fact an intentional comment on Canadian art. Or perhaps the mere act of seeing all this Canadianess on camera is comment enough that the filmmaker's journey and narration are ultimately unnecessary. Let the celebrities and their cult of personality speak for themselves and in their diasporic fashion we will see what distills Canadians to be Canadian, as the sap flows far from the maple tree.

Dishonourable Mentions: Jupiter Ascending, Penguins of Madagascar (this could very well have been the worst film I saw this year---only problem is I don't recall a minute of it).

And with that we close a chapter on another year of bests and worsts. As I said at the outset, the theme was dreams, and these worst films weren't exactly nightmares, but dreams unfulfilled. I hope 2016 brings us cinematic experiences we never dreamed of before. From a Star Wars return to form, to Comic Book heroes fighting one another in Civil War and Dawn of Justice, we have franchises tempting us with new entries and promising fantastic excitement. There are book adaptations I never dreamed I'd see, like The Little Prince, The BFG, and Alice Through the Looking Glass. There's even a film I helped fund, Director's Cut, premiering at Slamdance this year. (By help fund, I mean "throw some jingle at", as Penn Jillette would say). But like my number one film, Song of the Sea, I'm hoping to see something new and original while feeling familiar and timeless all the same. I hope my reviews provide you with a comfort in knowing a trusted source, whether you agree or disagree. Whichever it is, I'd love to hear it. Leave a comment, click a thumb (up OR down) or give a retweet. Let's continue to share our cinematic dreams.