Brian White’s Top 10 Favorite Films of 2015

It’s that time of the year again.  I generally hate this time of the year not because of the holidays, but because it means nothing but cold and deadness outside and in a reviewer’s world, the dreaded TOP 10 Favorite Films lists as well.  Last year there was an influx of good movies released theatrically (IMO) making my 2014 Top 10 list a very easy one to fill up. However, this year I saw a lot less movies (stupid life) and in doing so there were many that I didn’t care for.  To complicate matters even more for my below selections, I saw only mostly big, mainstream movies this year.   The good thing about all of this is you can definitely feel free to disagree with my choices below.  That’s what these Top 10 Favorite Films lists are all about, to create controversy.  As a reviewer you want to stir that proverbial pot of controversy every so often and create that insatiable dish of good tasting debate that follows in the comments section below, at least I do.

So as I stated before, because of life and whatnot I saw a lot less movies during the calendar year and those that I saw were mostly the mainstream movies that pretty much everyone else and their mother has seen (I hope).  With that being said, there really shouldn’t be any shockers on my list down below.  Y’all probably seen the majority of them.  But listen, I don’t want to waste anymore of your time.  I can ramble on for hours about all sorts on inconsequential quips.  I want to make this preface as short and sweet as possible.  I want you to now engage those neurons in your fingers and embark on scrolling down below to check out my Top 10 Favorite Films of 2015.  They are listed in order and ranked by that of my own personal tastes.  They do not reflect the thoughts of the general movie going populous nor or of the mainstream critics.  These are solely the films that I obviously saw this calendar year and for one reason or another I’m crazy for them, and that’s not to deny there’s probably a lot that I didn’t see that were equally fantastic or more.  Enjoy!

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*** HONORABLE MENTION ***

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Jurassic World

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With the exception of the first one in 1993, I really did not care too much for the two Jurassic Park sequels and that’s why it surprised the hell out of me how much I loved this fourth retooled entry in the saga.  Maybe it has something to do with the fun loving Chris Pratt or maybe it’s even Bryce Dallas Howard’s high heels, I don’t know, but something about the magic of Jurassic World just spells F-U-N.  Sure I hate innocent dinosaurs being killed left and right, but I know it’s not real and it’s all for show.  See how smart I am?  I can tell the difference between fiction and reality.  No wonder I live in a glass house.  LOL.  But seriously, Jurassic World brought back the magic of the original one for me and now, for the first time ever, I’m looking forward to the next entry in the series.  I can honestly say I didn’t see that coming.  The spectacle and the wonder is all here again!

My Film Review HERE

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TOP 10 FAVORITE FILMS

 

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10) Sicario

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If there’s one thing that Breaking Bad infatuated me with (like there’s not a million and one other things because that show was frickin’ great), it’s my curiosity with the Cartel and what happens south of our US Border.  I don’t know why but reports of violence, drugs and even human trafficking across our borders just plain interests me.  Even more intriguing is what actually goes down in Mexico as opposed to what we know about in the States.  However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg though.  So if you have a Mexican drug tale to tell me, I’m always all ears and that’s why this Emily Blunt tale has me captivated.  It goes a little something like this.  After rising through the ranks of her male-dominated profession, FBI agent Kate Macer (Blunt) receives a new assignment.  She’s recruited by a mysterious government official and joins a task force for the ever escalating war against drugs. Led by shady Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), the team travels back-and-forth across the U.S.-Mexican border, using one cartel boss  to flush out the bigger fish, but is there a hidden agenda all along?  You bet your sweet cherry pie there is!

My Film Review HERE

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9) Ex Machina

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Last year one of my guilty pleasures was the strange alien tale of Under The Skin.  That was last year.  This year’s it’s the artificial intelligence tale of Ex Machina.  It’s downright creepy how it gets under your skin.  Best of all, two of its leading lads are in the new Star Wars film this year, Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson.  However, I digress.  We’re talking about the mechanical world of Ex Machina where everything is not what it seems.  What constitutes a human consciousness?  What dictates free thinking?  Ava is far more self-aware and deceptive than any man ever imagined.  She will make you feel things and even question the way you feel about her, knowing full well that she’s a machine, but there’s just something more, something…  You get the picture.  If you haven’t seen Ex Machina, you owe it to yourself to at least check it out.  AI could be our future.  Don’t you want to be prepared for your future?

My Film Review HERE and Blu-ray Review HERE

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8) Straight Outta Compton

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Never in a million years did I ever expect to walk out of this one a fan.  I reluctantly went to the Universal press screening only knowing what I do from growing up during the time of N.W.A.’s rise, but geographically on the opposite side of the continent.  Minus Paul Giamatti’s bad wig, this has everything one can ask for in a solid rated-R flick: music, sex, drugs and violence.  LOL.  In other words, it was right up my alley.  It’s obviously a biopic of the rise and fall of the cop hating (for a good reason of course) rap band, but it’s told in an entertaining way from quick, action-packed escapes to delivering some downright infectious jams, grooves and rhymes.  Not being a huge fan of rap or hip hop for that matter, it surprised me how immersed I fell into this world that Straight Outta Compton portrays, but nonetheless I’m not going to question it because I’m really looking forward to its inevitable Blu-ray release.

My Film Review HERE

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7) The Martian

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After reading the book earlier this summer I knew I was in for good things with Ridley Scott’s The Martian.  If the film was only half as good as the witty and wise cracking comments found within the novel it was adapted from, I knew I would not be disappointed.  Thankfully, this is one of the rare cases where I feel the finished film product blew away the original source material.  Matt Damon as the lone, stranded astronaut on Mars nails the role perfectly, so much in fact that when I went back and listened to the Audible version of the book I swear I could hear Matt Damon’s voice as the character even though it was evidently not.  Think Cast Away, but funnier, wittier and in a galaxy far, far away (well not that far and still the same galaxy).  There’s not a moment that goes by where you’re not captivated by something in The Martian.  If nothing else, you can learn some really cool science from it so take note.

My Film Review HERE

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6) No Escape

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When I got the press invite for this film I remember thinking WTF.  What is Owen Wilson doing in a family drama film and not a romantic comedy or something he’s typecast in.  I was initially afraid that like Vince Vaughn was lauded in True Detective Season 2 because of his comedic roles, the same might happen to Owen in this role.  Could he be taken seriously?  Then I remembered back to 2006 when his funny man brother, Luke Wilson, delivered quite the dramatic performance in Vacancy.  However, what really put my fear to bed was the movie’s trailer.  Holy hell!  If the film was going to be anything like the trailer made it out to be, then I was going to be in for one hell of a thrill ride, and that I was.  No Escape is breathtaking and exhilarating.  There’s no way to prepare you for the start of Act 2.  You just have to experience it for yourself.  Buckle up and hold on because you’re in for quite a stressful joyride.

My Film Review HERE and Blu-ray Review HERE

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5) Creed

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Creed is the unexpected result of what happens when you take a fan-favorite, beloved franchise and follow up with a worthy sequel to 2006’s Rocky Balboa, a film that’s all heart and pure raw emotion.  Make no mistake, the Rocky franchise kind of derailed with the fantastical Rocky IV and the laughable Rocky V entries, but Stallone, no stranger to being knocked down, got up and came right back swinging in the knockout Rocky Balboa giving his legendary boxer character the proper send off he deserved.  Now some nine years later he’s back in a sort of a spinoff, but is it really?  No, this is a Rocky film all the way!  All the necessary ingredients (blood, sweat and tears) and DNA (the characters) is all there.  It’s the worthy sequel to Balboa that we all deserve and the reinvigoration of the franchise with the torch being passed to Michael B. Jordan who portrays Adonis Creed, Apollo’s son.  It’s really like lightning struck twice in the same place and I can’t wait to see where the pair’s journey goes next.

My Film Review HERE

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4) The Hateful Eight

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Let me preface this by saying westerns are my most hated genre of them all.  I prefer not to see horse and buggies, but glitter, gold and cars in my motion pictures.  However, when it comes to Quentin Tarantino he has me at hello and I’ll watch whatever the f#$k he puts in front of me.  The man demands respect in the film community and he gets my full attention.  Had I have had more time with this feature (meaning more views), perhaps it would even be a notch up or two, but today (Dec. 31st) was my very first experience with The Hateful Eight on the last day of Quentin’s 70mm Roadshow presentation in 2015.  Did the movie need to be shot in 70mm?  Of course not!  But why the hell not?  Are you going to tell Quentin no?  I didn’t think so.  Regardless, it makes a nice dinner conversation.  If you like Django, then you’re going to love this one.  If I had to rank, this takes second place to Django, but rest assured everything you come to know, expect and love from a Tarantino picture is nicely wrapped like the perfect Christmas gift under the tree for you here: the witty dialogue, which only Tarantino can deliver, the R-Rated excessive gore (thank you QT!) and the shocking plot twists are all there for you ready to be unwrapped.  How can you say no to that?  You just can’t!  And that ladies and gentlemen is the irrefutable charm and lore of a Tarantino film.  It just is what is, one of those unexplainable laws of nature.  You can’t keep a good man down.

Aaron’s Film Review HERE

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3) The Revenant

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In a “perfect world,” The Revenant should be number one here, but for a number of biased reasons below it sadly is not.  However, if The Revenant isn’t a dish best served cold, then I don’t know what is.  Wow!  This movie riveted and captivated me like I was watching Rocky or The Warrior for the very first time.  I literally did not want it to ever end.  That says a lot because the Austin marketers all warned us about the near three hour running time of the feature, but ladies and gentlemen it felt like only a mere 90 minutes have passed.  This movie while being both artful and beautiful (thanks to the creative team behind last year’s Birdman) was anything but boring.  If Leonardo Dicaprio doesn’t win an Oscar for this painstaking role, he never will.  Heck!  They even made Tom Hardy look unattractive as the antagonist you just couldn’t wait to see die a slow, agonizing death.  But does he?  Ah!  That’s worth the price of admission folks for you to find out.  You need to experience this “grizzly” film for yourself on January 7th when The Revenant opens wide in theaters everywhere.  It’s currently only being screened in select cities now.  So sadly for anyone seeing this for the very first time next year, just remember that this is a 2015 film.

Due to silly embargo rules here in Austin, my review for The Revenant will not be live until January 6th.  Boo!

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2) Star Wars: The Force Awakens

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Is it really a Top 10 quality film?  Probably not!  Have I been waiting my whole life for this?  You betcha!  Do I really need to form a wall of random words and string them together in a paragraph to explain why Star Wars: The Force Awakens is on my list rather high here?  I think just the moniker of Star Wars alone should suffice, no?  Okay, well you’re all hard to please.  Jeez.  Here goes nothing.  Forget those nasty prequels that may have left a bad taste in your mouth.  Episode VII here picks up 30 years later from where we last left our heroes, Luke, Leia and Han, in 1983’s Return of the Jedi.  That’s right folks, the old gang is back!  While awkwardly sharing very similar DNA with A New Hope (my only complaint in the originality and afraid to take bold risks department), The Force Awakens is keenly more of a way to effectively past the torch to the new generation of “diverse,” key players on both the light and dark sides of the Force.  The Force does not discriminate here.  This is the rise of both sides and once again the galaxy finds itself in turmoil that I feel The Force Awakens perfectly sets us up for while letting us live and breath once more in the nostalgia of the Star Wars universe we all remember and love.  After all when it’s all said and done, it’s Star Wars dammit!  Three views now and counting!  They have all been magical, and that ladies and gentlemen is why I can justify Star Wars as my #2 of the year.  It made me feel like a kid again.  Shouldn’t all movies make us feel this way and take away our problems if only for a mere tow hours?  Me thinks so!

My Film Review HERE

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1) Mad Max: Fury Road

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I’ve read many posts on Facebook as of late exclaiming you’re not a man, in my opinion, if this one isn’t crowned King on the top of your Top 10 Favorite Films lists this year.  Mad Max: Fury Road is one of my most beloved and watched films of the year with five exhilarating theatrical trips accounted for and many subsequent Blu-ray/Digital HD viewings at home, in the office and pretty much everywhere I went the latter half of this year.  Words cannot describe the masterpiece George Miller created when he conceived this action blockbuster some 20+ years in the making.  It’s like he broke the Jello mold.  Sure Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and Furious 7 have many adrenaline filled moments, but Mad Max: Fury Road was the first film of 2015 to completely exhaust me and make me appreciate the film’s seldom quiet moments after the non-stop ridiculous action sequences/stunts that infect your viewing experience.  That’s just the cusp of things too because madman Quentin Tarantino (Gerard Iribe’s God) declared Mad Max: Fury Road the best film of 2015 so his word wins and anyone that opposes loses.  Suck on that y’all!  Mad Max: Fury Road is the real deal…and one hell of an adrenaline fueled ride.  Bring on the sequel, George, and I’ll bring the toothpicks to keep my eyes propped open and make sure I never blink to not miss any second of the exhilarating action and crowd pleasing mayhem that you have planned for us all.  Until then…

My Film Review HERE and Blu-ray Review HERE

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Well, that’s all folks…another year over, another dollar spent at the movies.  I want to thank everyone that read through my entire list up above and whether you agree or not, I’d love to hear any of your thoughts below in the Comments.  I also want to take a quick moment to thank all the wonderful and accommodating press and studio representatives in the Austin, TX area that have made it possible for me to attend every screening I was able to make as well as my hard working crew here on the site (Brandon, Gerard, Aaron, Jordan, Shohan, Bron and Kori).  With that being said, I’m looking forward to the blockbuster year in films slated for 2016 and of course to witnessing how bad Zack Snyder may f#$k up the DC Comics franchise.  Of course, I’m really rooting and hoping he doesn’t.  I happen to really like my superheroes.  If nothing else, at least there’s another Star Wars film (Rogue One) at the end of next year to get my blood curdling.  Yahoo!  Until then…Happy New Year!

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