10. SLOW WEST
Having just looked at the remainder of this list I have
noticed that this is the first of three non-traditional westerns to
make my top ten; a genre I normally do not gravitate towards.
However I seem to be a fan of the oddball ones, which “Slow West”
certainly is. It is about a late-teenage boy named Jay (played by
Kodi Smit-McPhee) who leaves Scotland and heads to the American west
to search for the girl that he loves. However he is unprepared for
the brutality of the west, both in landscape or the bandits that
reside there, and it is a miracle that he is still alive when he
comes across Silas (Michael Fassbender), a bounty hunter. Silas and
Jay strike up a friendship and the two come up with an agreement that
they will travel together until Jay finds the girl of his dreams.
There is a lot more to the story than that, but to give more of it
away would be unfair. I honestly had no expectations going into
watching “Slow West”, I pretty much was watching it due to
Fassbender's involvement, and I ended up loving every second of it.
It is actually very true to its title, as this is a very slow moving
film, but it is never boring. Two things really stand out while
watching the film; the first is Robbie Ryan's fantastic
cinematography. The way he photographs the landscape, he gives the
west a completely different feel than any western that has come
before it. It is not a west that is dominated by browns and oranges,
and dust, but instead it is more of a lush, colourful western full of
green and trees. However, there is no doubt that the environment is
harsh, and harsher still to a naïve foreigner. The other thing that
makes “Slow West” stand out is its great sense of humour. Now
this is not even close to being a comedy, in fact it is far closer to
a tragedy, but right throughout the film there is humour constantly
present, but humour of the darkest and driest quality. Its the type
of humour that if you do not regularly respond to it, I highly doubt
that you would even notice it. It goes without saying that I noticed
and I found myself laughing hysterically at points in the film. One
example comes late in the film, when one character is having a
particularly bad day; he has just been wounded in a shoot-out and is
taking refuge under a shelf in the kitchen of a house. The battle
continues and a stray bullet strikes a container holding salt,
causing it to fall all over the poor guy underneath, where he
literally has salt grounded into his wounds. It is a hilarious
moment, that is played so straight which makes it all the more
funnier. Anything that stars Michael Fassbender, you automatically
assume is going to have great acting in it and that is true of “Slow
West”. Everyone is all on the same page and understands exactly
the type of film they are making and particularly of the film's tone.
Besides the two leads, I must mention Ben Mendelsohn who plays a
rival bounty hunter, who is both hilarious and dangerous at the same
time. It is really great that the rest of the world is finally
seeing just how brilliant this talented Australian is. Hopefully the
inclusion of “Slow West” on this list would encourage others to
try out this small, but very stylish and odd film; a great surprise.
9. EX MACHINA
It is hard to believe that this sci-fi thriller is
actually Alex Garland's directorial debut. He seems in total control
of the film for its entire running time. The plot of “Ex Machina”
is about Caleb, a young programmer, who wins a competition to spend a
week on Nathan's (the CEO of the company he works for) island and
house to take part in “the greatest scientific discovery of
mankind”. That discovery comes in the form of Ava, a highly
advanced A.I robot that Nathan has created. Caleb's job is to be
shown that she is definitely a robot, but then be convinced that Ava
has a consciousness. Whilst Caleb is performing his tests, Ava
becomes aware that if she fails these subjective tests, there is a
chance that she will be destroyed. Almost as proof of her
consciousness she is determined to escape her confines and attempts
to enlist Caleb to help her escape. Like the western, science
fiction films are not ones that I gravitate towards, however whenever
a smart one comes along with something to say, I seem to find it.
“Ex Machina” is definitely one of these as it is a film that is
not only a great thriller but one that asks a lot of questions. What
does it mean to be human? What responsibility does a creator have if
they create something with a conscious, and if they do, do they then
have the right to dictate what sort of life they then lead? These
are but a few of the many fascinating topics brought up to be
discussed, but thankfully these elements have been weaved into the
narrative in an organic, natural fashion and are not ham-fisted to
the point that you know this is a film with an agenda. The highlight
of the film has to be Alicia Vikander who plays Ava in what has to be
a star making performance. This is the first thing I have noticed
her in, but since then she seems to be in everything. She is
gorgeous in this and makes you feel for this robot, a sentient being
who is meant to exist without real feelings. The other aspect I
loved was the design of it all, especially the robots themselves
which parts of them are see through, so you can see that they are in
fact artificial. Thankfully this is a film that has seemed to have
found its audience as it has been heaped with praise which is well
deserved because it is one of the films of the year.
8. THE REVENANT
Alejandro G. Inarittu's powerful tale of survival and
revenge was an easy choice for the list, and probably could have made
it just from the power of its most infamous scene, which was arguably
the single best and most vicious scene that I saw in all of 2015.
“The Revenant” is about a group of hunters who work in the fur
trade, who have to make the sudden decision to abandon their pelts
and run for their lives when they are made aware that the native
Indians are none to happy about their presence and plan to make them
leave in the bloodiest fashion possible. Whilst making their escape
through the woods, one member of the group named Hugh is attacked and
viciously mauled almost to death by a bear protecting her cubs.
Thinking that he will likely die, the group leave Hugh behind to do
so, so the rest of them can continue their escape. However Hugh does
not die. Instead he uses all the will known to man to travel cross
country to find the men who abandoned him (in particular one man,
John, who took something valuable from him) and to kill them in the
name of revenge. At the end of the day, “The Revenant” is just
another revenge film, but can the quality of the filmmaking
associated with it raise it to be something much more than its base
elements? You betcha, it can! This is a stunningly put together
film and apparently was extraordinarily hard to make. Much has been
made by the fact that cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki only shot with
natural available light, meaning that there were only a few hours
each day that they could shoot what they needed, but again Lubezki
has done wonders here, highlighting the harsh, brutal environment in
such a way that makes us appreciate Hugh's journey even more. For
those that loved Lubezki's and Inarritu's previous collaboration,
“Birdman”, will be happy to know that the two of them have
continued to use techniques that they experimented with during the
making of that earlier film, such as the use of incredibly long
takes. Leonardo DiCaprio is the star of the film and plays Hugh, and
what is quite surprising is just how little he speaks in the film (in
fairness, for the majority of the film, he does have his throat
ripped out). Because of this, DiCaprio must build his performance
around his physicality and body language and he does a fantastic job
of presenting a man who has regressed to the basest of human emotions
and that is simply to fight to survive at any cost. As I mentioned
before, the key scene of the bear attack would be without question
the single greatest scene I saw all year. The absolute ferocity and
power that comes from the bear attack is nothing that I have felt in
a movie before. It is terrifying beyond belief, particularly because
the bear comes at him three different times and at such speed. The
first time the bear attacks, it is such a shock because just as
quickly as Hugh notices the bear, than he is on top of him, slashing
him with his claws. I cannot do the scene justice in regards to its
brutality, it is something you need to witness and feel yourself, but
in fact, the whole film is incredibly brutal and bloody, which
sometimes makes the film hard to watch (particularly during the
opening extended battle scene). So whilst the film may be just
another revenge film, I defy anyone to see “The Revenant” and not
be affected by it; it is a powerful film.
7. LEVIATHAN
“Leviathan”
is the fourth film from Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev and it is
yet another stellar piece of work. As usual for a film from this
director, it comes across as an angry work of art; it is a daring
attack on the corruption embedded within Russian politics and
although at its heart this is a tale that is small, its ideas are
grand. In fact Zvyagintsev looks at all forms of corruption in his
superior film, not just those of a political nature. He also
examines the corruption of friendship, the corruption of a marriage,
the corruption of one's self and morals, and finally the corruption
of their soul. He also overtly takes a swipe at the church as an
institution, and people that are willing to commit atrocities in
God's name. Whilst these themes and ideas may come across as very
strong and heady, thankfully they have been beautifully woven into
this tale which is about an “every man” just trying to keep his
land. This is a film that works because of the astonishing
performances from its entire cast. No one puts a foot out of place
here but at the end of the day, “Leviathan” is Aleksey
Serebryakov's film. He plays Nikolay, our “every man”, and
throughout the entirety of this devastating story he gets the chance
to portray every emotion possible and is painfully believable the
whole time. In Zvyagintsev's previous film “Elena” I was very
impressed by Elena Lyadova even though she was only in the film for a
few scenes, and I hoped that he would work with her again soon.
Thankfully he cast her straight away in “Leviathan”, this time in
the key role of Lilya, Nikolay's wife. She is just as mesmerising as
she was in the previous film, and yet her performance is completely
different this time around. This is a much more internal performance
with most of her work being told through the emotions on her face.
Once again for a Zvyagintsev film, it has been impeccably shot by his
long time cinematographer Mikhail Krichman. Even though the story is
unbelievably sad and tragic, from a visual point of view, it is
stunningly beautiful. A great indicator of how great this film is,
is the fact that “Leviathan” was one of the first film's I saw in
2015 and it has never left me. Click here to read my original review.
6. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
When this film was actually being made, I totally
disregarded it. I didn't think the world needed another “Mad Max”
film, particularly one without Mel Gibson. Maybe this had to do with
the disappointment that was “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome”, I'm
not really sure, but I had no excitement for it what so ever. Then
the original trailer came out and it still took me ages to bother to
check it out. Once I did, it piqued my interest a little but not too
much. When the final trailer came out though, I was with this film
in a big way and for mine, the final trailer for “Mad Max: Fury
Road” was my favourite trailer of 2015 and the perfect
representation of the film itself. By the time it was released, I
was hanging for the film and once I saw it, it blew me away. I loved
every second of this brilliant action film. Thankfully the film has
received worldwide acclaim and it is well deserved. There is just so
much to like in this film but my favourite thing had to be the
ridiculous car stunts performed throughout the film. God bless
George Miller and company for bringing back practical stunt work in a
big way. I understand that the majority of the stunts have CGI
extensions but for the most part these are real stunts done with real
cars and you can just feel the difference. A week prior to seeing
“Fury Road” I had seen “Fast and the Furious 7” and felt
absolutely nothing from all of the “fake”car stunts in that film,
whereas here, I was exhilarated and pumped full of adrenaline. From
a human perspective, everyone knows by now that even though the film
is called “Mad Max” this is really Furiosa's film, and she is
played by the bald headed Charlize Theron, who absolutely steals this
film. She is beyond amazing! This is an incredibly physical role
and yet she is so believable in it. Never once did I think that she
couldn't go toe to toe with any of the men on-screen. When she threw
a punch, it felt brutal and real, and importantly powerful. I could
go on talking about this film forever, but by now everyone knows how
great it is. From the stunts, to the performances, to the look (I
loved that John Seale came out of retirement because he didn't want
to miss out on the opportunity to do the cinematography on a “Mad
Max” film), to the adrenaline fueling pace of the whole thing; this
is kinetic filmmaking at its finest and I think it will be a long
time before someone matches the insanity of this film. Another
positive, is that it is endlessly re-watchable.
5. YOUTH
Whilst not as critically acclaimed as his previous film,
“The Great Beauty”, once again I find myself on the other side of
the fence as I enjoyed Paolo Sorrentino's latest, “Youth”, a
whole lot more than that earlier film. There is no doubt that “The
Great Beauty” is a very good film but I found it hard to relate to
or find an entry point into. However I seemed to be on the same
wavelength as “Youth” right from the opening frame. Lately I
have noticed a change in my movie watching habits and the kind of
movies that I watch. This is no doubt due to the fact that I turned
forty last year, and watching superheroes running around in tights
just doesn't have the same effect on me that it once did. Strangely
though, films starring older actors and dealing with the theme of
aging are films I seem to be enjoying more and more, and this is
exactly what “Youth” is about. Two old friends are holidaying
together at an expensive and exclusive spa resort situated at the
bottom of the Alps. Fred (Michael Caine) is a retired orchestra
conductor without any plans to return to work, while his best friend,
Mick (Harvey Keitel) is a well known director currently in
pre-production on his latest film; a movie that he thinks will be his
final great epic and a summation of his entire career. When Mick
isn't working, the two get together and reminisce about the past;
lost loves, their children, and the importance of their work, then
and now. Out of the blue though, Fred gets a royal invitation from
Queen Elizabeth to conduct at a gala event, and when he refuses to do
so, it brings to light just what is most important to him. Meanwhile
Mick's movie prospect takes a turn for the worst when his regular
star and muse turns down the opportunity to star in it. This is an
impeccably acted film. Everyone gives really solid performances and
this is the best I've seen Harvey Keitel in ages. I also need to
mention that both Jane Fonda and Rachel Weisz play significant roles
(and are both wonderful), as does Paul Dano, an actor who can really
get on my nerves at times, but I really liked him in “Youth”. It
seems a strange mix, this film's quiet and emotional story with
Sorrentino's big operatic way of directing, and yet it just works.
Visually the film is a sight to behold with each shot precisely
framed to perfection, and the way music is combined to these images
just heightens the film's emotionally content brilliantly. And as
the film goes along and its themes become more and more obvious,
“Youth” really does become quite the emotionally experience
indeed. I have heard a lot of people complain that the film is
pretentious and I think that if you have not connected with it, that
could indeed seem true but to me, I found “Youth” had plenty to
say and it moved me incredibly and I look forward to watching it
again soon.
4. BIRDMAN
I cant believe that this film came out in 2015, but sure
enough it was released in the second week of January, here in
Australia. It is also the second film directed by Alejandro G.
Inarritu to make my top ten list this year. With “Birdman”, it
was the first time that Inarittu really tried something different
compared to the dark and depressing dramas he had made with his
previous four films. “Birdman” is actually a comedy, sure a dark
comedy, but when announced as such, was quite the surprise coming
from this usually heavy director. What is even greater is the fact
that Inarritu comes out successfully achieving what he set out to do.
The story is about a washed up older actor named Riggan, who was
once famous for playing the superhero Birdman in the three film
series. Fearing that he is no longer relevant, he sets out to write,
direct and star in a play; something that has prestige and meaning
and we are along for the ride as he prepares the final details before
presenting the show to a preview audience. The genius of this movie
is all in the casting of Michael Keaton in the role of
Riggan/Birdman. Simply because of his history with the “Batman”
franchise, his casting adds a whole other layer and dimension to the
film, and Keaton is a great sport to play along. In fact he is quite
outstanding in the role, and its easily his best performance since
“Jackie Brown” almost twenty years ago. The craziest aspect of
the film though, and thus its brilliance since it is pulled off to
perfection, is the fact that Inarritu devised the film to be told all
in “one” shot. Whilst not a true single take (which would be
impossible because the film takes place over a couple of days), the
whole movie is conceived as a single shot which means that all of the
cuts and edits are hidden. To help achieve this, Inarritu enlisted
master cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and between the two of them,
they pull off this near impossible task. Something that did not
occur to me at the time of watching it is the fact that the film had
to be edited during the writing stage, with any superfluous scenes
being taken out then, because with the film meant to look like a
single shot, no scene could be dropped in the edit once it was shot
otherwise the whole look of the film would fall apart. This is just
insane that they even tried this but that it actually works is mind
boggling. Just for this aspect alone, “Birdman” could make this
list, but thankfully this is not a film that is just all style and no
substance, because it also happens to be a great film too.
3. BRIDGE OF SPIES
The latest film from master storyteller, Steven
Spielberg, was arguably the classiest film I saw in 2015. It is made
with an old school sensibility rarely seen these days and is just
riveting from start to finish. Perfect shot selection and
compositions, superbly acted particularly by Tom Hanks and Mark
Rylance (as the captured Russian spy), a smart, dense and adult
script from the Coen Brothers and of course, Spielberg is at the top
of his game here with his direction. In fact, in my opinion, this is
his best film since 2005's “Munich”, which was just a masterful
film. It is also incredibly suspenseful too. What I really liked
about the film was the fact that there were no “good guys” and
“bad guys”. Both countries (Russia and the US) had spies, and
both were acting in a professional manner in gaining information for
their country like they had been instructed. In fact the
relationship created between lawyer and client is handled very well,
as it is bounded by a deep respect and trust for one another, even
though their countries in this cold war are enemies. The other
aspect of the film that I loved so much was the look of it all.
Personally I am a fan of this post-war era anyway, but I was very
impressed particularly of the scenes that took place in the snow
covered locations of East Germany, as the Berlin wall is in the
process of being built. The colour pallet of blues and greys looked
fantastic and gave the location a gloomy feel to it all which worked
enormously well for the tone of the story. As much as I always love
Spielberg's visuals, I am actually not a huge fan of his regular
cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski. I find he blows out windows too
much with light, giving his photography an overly contrasted look
that I am not a fan of. Whilst he is still guilty of doing that
here, I felt it was more restrained than usual and as such I really
liked his work on “Bridge of Spies”. As of now, I have only seen
the film one time, but I really look forward to seeing it again soon.
2. THE HATEFUL EIGHT
I am something of a Tarantino nut. I believe that the
man has yet to make a bad film and all of them have appeared on my
top twenty lists of the year they were released, usually very near
the top. However, whilst I would never call it a bad film, I did not
respond to “Django Unchained” as positively as previous Tarantino
films and it only just scrapped onto my list at number 20. When I
heard that his next film would be yet another western, my heart sank
a little (just a little though). After now seeing “The Hateful
Eight” I can safely say my worries were unfounded because it is a
gem of a film. It is three hours long but it is entertaining for its
entire length. The story is about a bounty hunter John Ruth,
nicknamed “The Hangman”, who along with his prisoner, Daisy
Domergue, are heading to Red Rock to collect his bounty of $10,000.
However mother nature has other ideas and soon a massive blizzard
heads their way forcing them to stop before their destination and to
take refuge at “Minnie's Haberdashery”. Once entering the small
cabin John establishes that he is not alone and will be spending the
next couple of days in the company of six strangers, one of whom he
is sure is not who he says he is and is working alongside and to free
Daisy. The only problem is he is not sure which. This is truly a
fantastic film and I loved every minute of it. It is definitely a
film of two halves though, not least because there actually is an
intermission breaking up the film between its third and fourth
chapters. This break though is perfectly placed because either side
of the break, the film feels completely different. The first half is
basically all set up and is filled with the trademark Tarantino
dialogue and conversations. Here we get to meet our characters and
find out who they all are......or who they say they are. Whereas the
second half of the film is all pay-off and action, as true identities
are finally revealed and the blood and violence begins in earnest.
And boy is this thing bloody! One aspect that I really loved about
“The Hateful Eight” was the mystery angle to it all, knowing that
we weren't being told the whole truth and trying to discover it for
ourselves. Once again, Tarantino has cast his film to perfection
(almost....but more on that later) and the entire cast give some of
the best performances of their careers. My favourite character was
Tim Roth's character, who I thought was just magnificent (and
hilarious) here; it was so good to finally see him in another
Tarantino film. Even though Samuel L Jackson has been in almost
everything Tarantino has done (since Pulp Fiction), he finally gives
Sam another role to rival his star making performance as Jules from
“Pulp Fiction”. I must admit over the years I have tired of the
Samuel L. Jackson shtick but he is so good here as Major Marquis
Warren that it reminded me once again why I loved him so much in the
past. As I said though, everyone is great here from Kurt Russell,
Michael Madsen, Walton Goggins, Bruce Dern, all the way up to
Jennifer Jason Leigh. However, the only blemish I found in “The
Hateful Eight” was a casting choice and that was the decision to
cast Zoe Bell in a small role late in the film. It is not that she
is bad per se, but rather she comes across very modern and doesn't
fit the period setting of the film at all, and for me at least, she
took me out of the film for a moment. And for all you people who
think I am a Channing Tatum hater, well this is it folks, this is the
film in my top twenty that Channing appears in. Granted its not a
starring role and he is not on screen for long, but his role is very
important to the plot of the film. Briefly I have to mention just
how great Ennio Morricone's score is for the film. It is not a
surprise that the master has come up with such a great score again,
but what was a surprise is that the score he created is closer to
those he wrote for the Italian giallo films of the 70's and 80's
rather than the Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns he is most noted for.
I must also make mention of Tarantino's choice to shoot the film on
70mm film stock and in the super wide 2.76 ratio. The film looks
stunning and has been carefully composed to take advantage of this
big screen format and as such, I recommend seeing the film on the
largest screen possible in 70mm (if available in your area). “The
Hateful Eight” is a stunning picture, but beware it will not be for
all tastes and I can see it being very controversial for a number of
reasons. The first being the regular violent treatment that Daisy
cops from these men, whilst the second reason being the constant use
of the “N” word by a lot of the characters. In fairness, this is
Quentin Tarantino's most political film to date and the use of this
vile word isn't just thrown in there for shock value, but at times
its still hard to take. There is also a particularly nasty story
that Jackson's character tells that could upset a lot of people, but
for those not easily offended, this is a picture that they should
love. It is further proof of just how great a filmmaker Quentin
Tarantino actually is.
1. PHOENIX
Here we are folks, this is finally it! My favourite
film of 2015 is Christian Petzold's “Phoenix”; a stunning film
that I have already seen three times. This beautifully constructed
film does have quite a pulpy storyline, but the emotional content
within it all just makes it so much greater than the sum of its
parts. The film is set in post war Germany and is about a woman
named Nelly, who is a survivor of the Nazi death camps, although not
without significant cost. Her face has been brutally and horribly
disfigured that she needs re-constructive surgery to get it fixed.
She asks the doctor for her new face to be exactly the same as her
old, but she is explained that the likelihood of that being possible
would be slim. After the surgery, Nelly heads out into the city
searching for her husband, Johnny (who may or may not have actually
betrayed her), and her search leads her to a nightclub named Phoenix.
It is there that she finds the man she loves, but heartbreakingly,
he does not recognise her. Further heartbreak would follow Nelly
when she returns to the nightclub in the light of day and this time
Johnny recognises a similarity to his wife that he long thinks dead,
and comes up with a plan for Nelly to pose as his wife so he can
claim her significant inheritance that she is owed after her family
members were destroyed during the war. This is not what Nelly wants
but if it will give her time with Johnny she is willing to do it
until she can bring up the courage to confess who she really is. So
Johnny then goes about training Nelly to be....well, Nelly. Yes, we
are talking an allusion to “Vertigo” here, but it has been
handled so delicately and brilliantly that I dare anyone not be
affected by this film. Despite the thriller aspect to it all (did
Johnny really betray her? Will he ever recognise Nelly as his wife?
Will Nelly ever come forward with this information?), it is the
emotional core of this film that makes it so great, with a pitch
perfect ending to die for. It is simply sublime and devastating, as
well as exhilarating, all in one single moment. Nina Hoss, the
director's regular muse, is always great in whatever she does, but
for me, her performance as Nelly is the best thing she has ever done.
It is a very internal performance, as it is more about how she feels
rather than what she says, and again the way she plays that final
scene is heart wrenchingly perfect. As much as I love this film, I
really do not want to talk about it too much in case I do not do it
justice, or out of fear that I may ruin elements for those that have
yet to see it. I will say though just how much I love the film's
simple title, “Phoenix”, because it just sums up so much of what
this film is about. Sure, it is the rather trite name of the
nightclub where Nelly finds Johnny again, but what this film is
really about is a woman and a country, both thought dead, rising
again to find themselves and to learn how to live again without the
scars from its past. Seriously, if you get the chance to see
“Phoenix” please do, it is a simple, and quiet film that has been
expertly made, and packs an emotional gut punch in its finale. It is
simply sublime and is favourite film of 2015.
Well
there you have it, that was my round-up of the year that
was 2015. Hopefully you got some enjoyment out of it, but before I
finish, lets have a brief look at the upcoming year and my most
anticipated films of 2016.
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