2015 was a great year for movies internationally! I picked my top 10 out of the 320 movies I’ve seen this year!
I’ve already declared my love for Maya Forbes’ incredible movie, so it’s no surprise to see it on this list! This simple and touching story felt incredibly personal, and it was just so well done and played. A jewel of an independent movie. Mark Ruffalo even earned a Golden Globe nominations for his portrayal of this unconventional father. If you haven’t seen Infinitely Polar Bear yet, get to it as soon as you can!
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
What a surprise!! Like everyone, I was waiting for Star Wars: The Force Awakens with great expectations, and they were way exceeded. What an incredible change to have a female lead in a major movie franchise and breaking every record. Plus John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Daisy Riley are cuties and I want to see way more of the three of them, plus BB-8. The Force is strong with this one!
(My review will be posted soon ;) Check out the podcast episode in the meantime. )
Nous Trois ou Rien
Another raw jewel in this list, directed by French comedian Kheiron. I’ll admit I didn’t really wanted to see it at first because Kheiron has a very special sense of humor and I didn’t know if I’d like it. Well, Nous Trois ou Rien has nothing to do with his humor, but has everything to do with his parents story. The journey from Iran to France, what they lived and went through to find a better life, it’s incredibly close to what thousand of people are currently going through. Kheiron is playing his own father, adding so much more meaning to his first film. I think at this moment in history, it’s important to see movies with stories like this one!
The journey from Iran to France, what they lived and went through to find a better life, it’s incredibly close to what thousand of people are currently going through. Kheiron is playing his own father, adding so much more meaning to his first film. I think at this moment in history, it’s important to see movies with stories like this one!
With a Golden Globes nomination in their pocket, Mustang has a very strong chance of earning an Oscar and it will be well deserved! It’s a great example of the great capability of women directors to make women-centered films and be successful. We need more movies like Mustang, exposing important issues, making audiences think and react to a subject. Well Done!
Ni le Ciel Ni la Terre (The Wakhan Front)
I saw this film at a private screening at a fancy cinema in Paris and didn’t expect to be kind of haunted by it. When I was thinking of which movies really influenced me this year, Ni Le Ciel, Ni La Terre popped in my head. I thought it was a refreshing little French movie, about those soldiers based in a valley, who starts to disappear without trace or reason. I like the message and most of all the fantastic element that is never shown. Great piece of cinema!
Room
Wow! WOW! Room depicts the struggle of a woman who’s been held captive for 7 years and who’s trying to raise her son in the room they live in, until the day they’re rescued and have to adapt and re-adapt to the outside world. I’ll say it once more, WOW!
Room rests on the shoulder of Brie Larson and young Jacob Tremblay, who give some of the best performances I’ve seen this year. It feels so incredibly real, crawls under your skin at times, and still, through the eyes of this little boy, we see the story told a different way. I love the way it was told and that you can really analyze it in many different ways! And please, give an Oscar to that kid!
Ah Kingsman! It probably was the boost of energy of my year. It’s dynamic, visually awesome, the dialogues are on point and the puns hilarious, it’s pretty perfect. Matthew Vaughn James Bond semi-parody is a complete success, an everlasting battery!
Kingsman – a comic twist on the spy-genre. A fantastic cast with a great story. – Luke
Trainwreck
Trainwreck came into my life at a moment when I really needed it, and I think it played a part in why I love it so, so, so much. It is everything I want to see in an American woman-lead comedy. Amy Schumer wrote a complicated woman, who isn’t perfect, who isn’t apologetic, and who is living the life of a real woman in her time! It feels really good!
Also, Charee and I are still not over our crush on Bill Hader… ;)
The Woman in Gold
World War II is the period of history that interest me the most, and The Woman in Gold deals with a very specific consequence of this war. In Vienna during the war, the Germans stole a lot of great pieces of art, including Woman in Gold, that was later retrieved and exposed in a museum in Austria. Maria Altmann sued the government of Austria and won. It’s an incredible story about a great piece of art, with great actors. Seriously, Reynolds is growing on me! The importance of heritage and the duty to remember that period of history, in all its aspects, is necessary. The Woman in Gold succeeded where the Monuments Men monumentally failed.
Spotlight
If I had to describe Spotlight with one word, it would be Masterpiece. It’s been a while since I have been that captivated by a film. The film tells the story of a group of journalists from the Boston Globe in 2001 who discovered and exposed pedophiliac acts performed by many priests. Additionally, they reported on the knowledge, inaction, and acts of deceit produced by the Catholic Church.
It’s a very strong and difficult subject but told amazingly. Thomas McCarthy proves that he actually know how to write and direct, because that script is golden! That cast is golden too, everyone has screen time, you’re never lost, it’s extremely clever… Spotlight is a definite must-see!
See My Fellow Common Room Team Members’ Picks on Page 3 and Our Retro Picks on Page 4!
SHARE:
