Too Much Damn Cinema: Andy’s Top 20 of 2015

Boy, 2015 has been a fabulous year for film.

This, of course, is true of most years, so long as you are willing to step outside of your comfort zone and seek out releases from off the beaten path. But it’s especially true of 2015, which doesn’t require viewers to stray too far from their normal movie-going habits to stumble over movies worth their time and money; accessibly tasteful arthouse flicks, contemporary re-imaginings of iconic franchise progenitors, colorfully abstract “children’s” movies, and classically made genre pictures from masters of the medium were all easily available to mainstream audiences lacking easy access to independent theaters.

And if you lived nearby one of those theaters? Well, that’s where 2015 starts to get really wacky, whether you prefer muted relationship dramas, quiet works of protest from foreign political dissidents, decidedly adult stop-motion animation, or screwball comedies with deeply human interests. (Though that’s saying nothing of the fact that many of these films could be painlessly viewed through VOD services like iTunes.)

So, how good is 2015? So good I couldn’t cut my list off at my usual “top ten plus five honorable mentions.” I had to add in another five, which sums to ten total honorable mentions. Basically, this is a top twenty, and there are still films I really liked and would recommend watching that didn’t make the final cut. (If you want insight into the selection process: it comes down chiefly to memorability.)

Anyways. I know what you’re here for. You know what you’re here for. Voila:

10.) Creed

9.)  Appropriate Behavior

8.) The Hateful Eight

7.) The Look of Silence

6.) Mustang

5.) 45 Years

4.) Jafar Panahi’s Taxi

3.) The Assassin

2.) Tangerine

1.) Mad Max: Fury Road

Honorable Mentions: Inside Out, Heaven Knows What, Brooklyn, Entertainment, Anomalisa, Clouds of Sils Maria, The Mend, Crimson Peak, Stray Dog, What We Do in the Shadows