The Year in Movies: 2015

  2015

Number of Movies I've Seen: 65

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  ended in 2011

Oscar Winner:
Spotlight - Quite possibly the blandest best picture winner of my lifetime. This movie is fine.  Just fine....

Box Office Winner:
Jurrassic World - This was a pretty fun reboot that doesn't tarnish the original property's reputation and remembers to be fun.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Room - Heartbreaking story carried by near flawless performances from Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay.

3. Brooklyn - (PICTURED ABOVE) Another movie that could've taken a dive into ho-hum melodrama if not for the measured performance of Saoirse Ronan.

3. The Martian - Rarely does a book get translated to the screen this well. Ridley Scott and Matt Damon stay out of Andy Weir's way as they bring his fun sci-fi novel to life.

4. The Danish Girl - This was just the year of great performances. Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander absolutely nail the married couple who's love transcends the norms of heterosexual coupling.

5. The Big Short - I am so glad Adam McKay shifted from silly for no reason (Talladega Nights, Anchorman) to silly for the cause (this and Vice).

6. The Good Dinosaur - The most underrated Pixar movie. I honestly believe it is only forgotten because it was released in the same year as Inside Out and everyone had prematurely anointed that one as a masterpiece and didn't want to take it back.

7. Dope - Criminally underseen tale of "nerdy" yet cool high schoolers getting caught up in a drug deal. You won't regret this one.

8. Truth - Dan Rather will always be my newscaster. Depending on your political persuasion, this is the tale of his downfall or how he cemented his legacy as a beacon of truth. I think it's pretty clear which side of that debate I am on.

9. Bridge of Spies - Hanks and Spielberg just doing what they do. 

10. The Hateful Eight - .Tarantino's best screenplay. I'd love to see a stage production of this one day.

Best of the Year: 2005 - Brokeback Mountain

 I've started writing this entry (and deleted it) three times now... The problem I am running into is that I felt like I captured my feelings about this movie so well in 2011. Time hasn't really changed my opinion of this movie much. It remains one of the most heartbreaking love stories of the new century.

The Year in Movies: 2005

 2005

Number of Movies I've Seen: 86

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  18

Oscar Winner:
Crash - I haven't seen this movie since I saw it in theaters. I remember liking it a bit. However, I will never forgive it for defeating the best movie of the year for the top prize.

Box Office Winner:
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Why We Fight - Quite possibly my favorite documentary film of all time. It is only right that my second favorite movie from 2005 would be a doc because it was truly the year of the documentary. 2 more movies on this top ten are documentary features and there were many more that barely missed the list including Grizzly Man and Murderball. Why We Fight is an examination of the military industrial complex in the modern United States. It is a scathing takedown of our last great export.... war.

3. Serenity - A cinematic ending to the greatest single season of television ever.

3. Happy Endings - Every once in a while a movie comes along that I love but everyone else hates. This would fit that category. I think it may have something to do with Maggie Gyllenhaal.

4. 49 Up - I've already talked about Michael Apted's epic documentary series, but I think this is its best entry so far. It is astounding how much the subjects have changed and many of their "stories" are very surprising.

5. Imagine Me & You - An excellent twist on the romantic comedy that probably came out a half-decade too soon.

6. Rize - (Pictured Above) Every once in a while a non-professional can catch lightning in a bottle with the perfect concept. This is David LaChapelle's only movie. He is an artist who dabbled in making music videos when he decided to make a documentary about south central LA "crump" dancing. It is a blast!

7. The Devil's Rejects - I don't usually like horror, but something about this one really works for me. Rob Zombie's meld of southern rock and the gruesome Firefly family make for a very enjoyable guilty pleasure.

8. Junebug - Welcome to the world of cinema Ms. Amy Adams. Your presence will be celebrated for years to come!

9. Me and You and Everyone We Know - Miranda July doesn't make enough movies! This was her first and 15 years later I am waiting for an affordable stream for her third movie (Kajillionaire)

10. Manderlay - You probably won't like this one. Lars von Trier is an acquired taste. Not everybody can pull off a period drama about the last days of a slave-populated plantation filmed on a black soundstage with minimal sets.

Best of the Year: 1995 - Before Sunrise

 

I noticed this was on HBOMax last week and couldn't resist it. Probably my 5th or 6th viewing. This movie is perfect. I like it more every time I watch it. It is quite possibly my favorite of all time. So many perfect scenes and exchanges that I forget them between viewings. The "listening booth" scene is easily my favorite 45 seconds of any movie, but this viewing reminded how great the first kiss was.

This may have been my longest post of the original blog. 

Jesse & Celine forever.

The Year in Movies: 1995

 1995

Number of Movies I've Seen: 40

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  7

Oscar Winner:
Braveheart - I probably need to watch this one again. As it stands, it was pretty forgettable outside of the "speech".

Box Office Winner:
Batman Forever - I remember really liking this one at 14. I thought Val Kilmer was quite an upgrade from Michael Keaton. What can I say? I love Batman, but there has never been a great live-action adaptation.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Mallrats - (Pictured Above) I've spent quite a bit of time with this movie between rewatches, Kevin Smith podcasts/standups, and commentaries. It is imperfect, but so much fun. Jason Lee really saves the movie from itself by perfectly capturing the genius, underachieving loser that we all know and sometimes love. 

3. Friday - This movie birthed modern meme culture. Change my mind...

4. Kids - Larry Clark is a creep. Still, his is a creep that makes darn near perfect movies that capture teenage life on the extremes of society. This movie is tough to watch, but essential viewing.

5. Toy Story - This one gets a bit too much love in my opinion. It doesn't crack my top 5 Pixar movies, but it is essential because it birthed the studio that would come to dominate animation, storytelling, and great films for at least two decades.

6. The City of Lost Children - I wish this movie was easier to find. I would love to watch it with Abby. Jean-Pierre Jeunet has always been one of my favorite directors, and this film found him in early "let's tell a weird modern fairy-tale" mode.

7. Welcome to the Dollhouse - Easily Todd Solonz's most accessible film. Dollhouse tells the story of a bullied junior high student who copes with her life in peculiar ways. This is another I would love to rewatch, but isn't available anywhere at present.

8. Apollo 13 - A perfectly crafted real-life space thriller from Ron Howard that steps back and let's Tom Hanks, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon reenact one of the most dramatic moments in US history. The story doesn't require much because it is so downright interesting and truimphant.

9. Whisper of the Heart - Brian would be upset if I didn't include his favorite movie of all time on my blog. Japanese students fall in love through their love of reading. Yup, sounds about right.

10. Empire Records - I'll be honest. This one has always felt great to me, but I really don't remember much about it.

Best of the Year: 1985 - Back to the Future

  

No joke... this is quite possibly the most perfect screenplay every written. There isn't a moment wasted. Every line, every shot, every scene is constructed in such a way to propel the plot, create empathy for the characters, and engage the viewer. This is all within a framework of time travel which may be one of the most complicated formats for fiction. Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd pull of one of the best "buddy" relationships in movie history. A movie so good they couldn't even screw it up with sequels, video games, or a Saturday-morning cartoon series.

My post in 2010.

The Year in Movies: 1985

 

1985

Number of Movies I've Seen: 11

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  2

Oscar Winner:
Out of Africa - Quite possibly the blandest best picture winner I have watched. I didn't really dislike it, and it was really pretty, but wow what a snoozefest. Robert Redford deserves better.

Box Office Winner:
NEXT POST!

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. The Goonies - I nailed this one in my original blog, but this one will always hold a very special place in my heart. From my Facebook post on my sister's birthday this year:  35 years ago my daddy took me to my second movie in the theater. It was at the Plaza movie theater in Kinston (near where Big Lots is now). We watched The Goonies. Since I was only 3 years old (almost 4), I don’t really remember much about it the experience that day. However, I do love how my Dad lights up when he tells about how I fell out of my chair laughing during the “training wheels” scene. Of course, thanks to the wonders of home video, I have come to love that movie. 

I often wonder why my dad decided to take me to the movie theater that day....  seems like something else was happening around the corner at Lenoir Memorial Hospital....   something really life-changing....   hmmmmmm....  maybe it’ll come to me.  

3. The Breakfast Club - I need to rewatch this one with Abby. I haven't seen much from the brat pack, but I remember really liking this one.

4. Explorers - I've been digging Ethan Hawke since days of underoos. This movie wasn't as good as I remembered, but its still fun for River Phoenix, Hawke, and aliens.

5. The Color Purple - Another one I haven't seen in a very long time. Maybe one of the least talked about and yet not forgetten movies from Spielberg.

6. Spies Like Us - I remember loving this as a kid. I am in desperate need of a rewatch.

7. The Purple Rose of Cairo - I get it. It's about being in love with the movies. I am there for it. That's me. And yet.... I just don't buy the attraction. The fictional movie isn't very good (certainly not as good as "Top Hat") so I don't understand why Farrow's character is so entranced by it, and there is nearly no chemistry between Daniels (either version) and Farrow. This is especially puzzling because I have found Woody to be such a master at getting me to believe unconventional attraction (to a fault maybe...).

8. Day of the Dead - Probably my least favorite of the Dead films, but I admit, I have only seen it once. Definitely trying to talk Abby into a Romero-fest!

9. Clue - I saw this one only recently and it's cute. The multiple endings are a neat trick.

10. Follow that Bird: The Sesame Street Movie - The Goonies may have been a formative theater experience for me, but this one will always be my first. Thanks to my Grandmama Becton for taking me and nurturing my love of film. She passed away a few years ago, but there are still so many movies I wish I could talk about with her. 

Best of the Year: 1975 - A Boy and His Dog

 In the far-flung future of 2024, Don Johnson (the boy) and his telepathic dog Blood navigate a nuclear wasteland, get abducted to be used as sex slaves for an underground bourgeoisie, and observe a mind-bending trippy view of the future that could only be dreamed up by one such as Harlan Ellison. You probably shouldn't watch this movie.... Somehow my dad recommended it to me and I was awestruck. I'm pretty sure he must have misremembered much about it's content. 

You may ask, "Will, how can this be your favorite movie of the year in a year that gave us One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Jaws, and Monty Python?" My answer: the ending of this movie made my jaw drop farther than anything in those movies.

...you still probably shouldn't watch it though...

The Year in Movies: 1975

 1975

Number of Movies I've Seen: 12

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  0

Oscar Winner:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - (PICTURED ABOVE) Story time! I was blessed to be in the honors college at East Carolina. One of the perks was getting first pick of classes for each semester. My wizened advisor Dr. Newton suggested I sign up for more classes than I wanted and then drop back to my desired number of hours after attending the first class or two. So for half-a-second I contemplated a political science major. Spurring this decision was the class "Politics in Film". Wednesday nights throughout the semester the class would watch a movie and discuss. I was psyched. The first movie was Cuckoo's Nest. It was my first viewing and I was ready when the professor invited discussion. After sharing my thoughts about the themes of freedom and bondage, I was met with stares of confusion. The class then proceeded to break the film down as strictly an allegory about political systems. I then learned that a 10-12 page paper would be due each week. I grabbed the list of films, dropped the class, and rented most of them at East Coast Music & video at my own leisure.

Box Office Winner:
Jaws - This one might mean more for me except for a couple of factors: 1. I saw it relatively late in life. I was probably in college for my first viewing. 2. I love the water, and a rubber shark isn't going to scare me away from it. Maybe if I had been born 10 years earlier or if I was set up a bit different when it came to "fear of nature", I would appreciate it more. As it stands, Jaws doesn't crack my top 10 favorite Spielberg films...

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 

3. Grey Gardens - What an absolute trip of a movie. Sometimes when you meet or hear about strange or interesting people, you may think, "I wish I could be a fly on the wall at their house!" This movie grants that wish. Although the subjects know they are being filmed, their genuine nature completely removes the camera from the room.

4. Cooley High - I guess this is known by some as the "black American Graffiti". And while there are plenty of similarities this is definitely a bit less funny and a bit more real. So much "hip-hop" culture in this I'm surprised it doesn't get a bit more credit and attention.

5. Jaws 

6. Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Monty Python is another very popular sector of nerd culture that I am just not 100% on board for. This movie has its moments, but too much of it borders on cringe humor for me to fully enjoy. Give me Mel Brooks any day over this.

7. The Rocky Horror Picture Show - So I finally sat down and watched this one all the way through this week. Meh... It still makes me want to see a live showing one day though!

8. Love and Death - Second-tier Woody Allen for me. Pretty forgettable. I'm sure I would like it more if I was a Russian literature nerd.

9. The Apple Dumpling Gang - I honestly don't remember much about this one other than enjoying it as a kid. It's on Disney+ though, so I may give it a spin soon.

10. Nashville - I recently watched Short Cuts (giving Robert Altman one final chance) and really liked it. I didn't get this one. Too much noise and not enough sound for me.

The Year in Movies: 1965

 1965

Number of Movies I've Seen: 2, yup... only 2. I got about half way through Akira Kurosawa's Red Beard, but that will have to wait for another blog on another day.

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  1

Oscar Winner:
The Sound of Music - This movie is a cinematic massage. Every moment feels comfortable, familiar, safe, and wholesome. It soothes every nerve and scratches every itch. I'm not sure it contains an imperfect moment. Every song hits just right, the unlikely romance is played perfectly, and Julie Andrews oozes charm out of every pore in her body. Also, I am required to say (especially since I neglected to do so in 2010) that "My Favorite Things" is still not a Christmas song.

Box Office Winner:
The Sound of Music 

My Top Ten:
1. The Sound of Music

2. Doctor Zhivago - It's pretty. If Lean was going for tone poem set against the backdrop of the Communist revolution, he came pretty close for me (and nailed it for most if reviews are to be believed). Still, it falls short of his other epics because it is missing any heart. Nothing approaches Peter O'Toole's passion as D.H. Lawrence or William Holden's steely-eyed determination as Shears. I need more "Why?" The characters' actions lack even the tiniest bit of motivation in a time in Russian history that was rife with motivation. As I said....It's pretty.