Top 10 Overrated Movies of 2015

Top 5 Most Overrated Movies of 2015

So this is always the most controversial list I make but I want to say I'm not saying these movies are technically bad (with maybe the exception of The Visit), just they have way more love then they deserve. Once again this is just my opinion but for my money these are the most overrated movies this year.

5. Steve Jobs

A well acted, well directed bio pic of Steve Jobs. I really didn't like the structure of just focusing on three of his launches at different times in his life and found it to be a pretty average movie for a biographical story. Nothing that justifies the cries for award nominations and immediate critical fawning.

4. The Visit

A movie than many hailed as a return to form for M. Night Shyamalan. I found it to be a predictable bizarre 'horror' movie with a predictable twist...not unlike many Shyamalan rip offs of the early 2000s.

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron

Fan boys come at me but Ultron was not that great. A movie the studio didn't have the guts to give a proper emotional punch to and failed to build on or set up any extended universe. Vision and James Spader does not a great movie make.

2. Trainwreck

People extolled this Amy Schumer comedy as the groundbreaking comedy for the modern woman. I found many other comedies just this year to be funnier and less obnoxious. At least they have the title correct.

1. Inside Out

I will never understand the love heaped on this movie. Every time I watch it I end up liking it less. Another movie where the creators refused to take risks and resorted to easy storytelling. People keep talking about Pixars Magnum Opus of emotional and original storytelling...I'll keep waiting for it because its not this.

Top 10 Worst Movies of 2015

Top 10 Worst Movies of 2015

Even though they were pretty bad movies that I had high hopes for there really was no place for War Room and Sinister 2 on this list. Unfortunately there were ten movies worse then those... they are as follows:

10. Chappie

A high concept original Sy-fy movie that was full of terrible, over the top characters and ultimately a 

paint by the numbers robot movie.

9. Fantastic 4

I enjoyed this movie more than most but even I cant deny the horrible twist this movie took in the final act that Doomed this movie to the forgettable bargain bin.

8. Taken 3

A cliche ridden, tired retread of far better action revenge movies. Not even Liam Neeson growling and threatening can make this movie bearable.

7. Minions

There are some kids movies for kids and some movies for kids and adults...then there is this crime against entertaining movies for anyone. An obnoxious, creatively soulless marketing movie.

6. Hot Pursuit

The only movie more obnoxious then Minions is watching Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara sleepwalk through this joke free 'comedy.' A strike against far better female led comedies this year.

5. The Gallows

A horror movie with a good premise but poor execution. It's a bad sign when you give up halfway 

through and root for the killer to do his work quickly so you can escape.

4. Jupiter Ascending

The second high concept, original Scy-fy movie on this list. Instead of slightly disappointing me though this movie was just a waste of talent and ideas that angered me with its mind numbing stupidity and cliches.

3. Insurgent

The dumbest YA book to movie adaptation since Twilight. Even dumber than the ones that failed. It has to be some kind of crime to waste Oscar wining actors and actresses on this drivel.

2. Unfriended

An interesting concept horror movie that once again suffered from execution. It's not a good sign when you're yawning instead of jumping in a horror/thriller.

1. The Perfect Guy

I can honestly not say enough about how bad this movie was. From the makers of the equally bad No Good Deed, this was a Basic Instinct wannabe that came closer to Ba

Top 20 Best Movies of 2015

Top 20 Best Movies of 2015

This was easily the hardest year picking a top twenty since I’ve started doing this. There have just been so many great movies this year and I had to edit this final list down from a list of 40+ initial nominations. I do have to include Krampus, Jurassic World, Spy, Pawn Sacrifice, and The Walk here as honorable mentions because as entertaining as they are, I couldn’t find a spot to include them on here. I made this list based on my opinion, entertainment value, and critical success and is completely subject to ridicule.

20. Good Kill

This was a vastly under seen gem about the complex issue of modern warfare and the study of what makes a hero. Ethan Hawk captivates as a conflicted drone pilot fighting a politicians war.

19. Bridge of Spies

A lot of people will rank this Spielberg/Hanks cold war political thriller higher but as good as it was, it did lack a little of the zip you would expect from this team with this subject matter. It still warranted a spot on this list though.

18. Everest

A gut punch of a film about the true story about the deadliest day in Everest’s history as several teams of climbers are caught on the mountain during a brutal storm. One of the most emotional films this year.

17. Sicario

A beautiful and thrilling story about the U.S. War on Drugs and our dealings with corruption, cartels, and breaking our own rules. Emily Blunt is great but Benicio Del Toro is the real reason to show up along with breathtaking cinematography. 

16. Room

Brie Larson’s Oscar nomination showcase. Newcomer Jacob Tremblay gives a tear jerking, heart breaking performance. An emotional tour-de-force.

15. Dope

Energetic, edgy, independent coming of age story set in the L.A. slums with a trio of entertaining newcomers. A fresh study of growing up in high school today.

14. Kingsman: The Secret Service

Another energetic, breath of fresh air, except this time it’s the spy genre getting a makeover and a tribute at the same time. If you like James Bond or Jason Bourne you might like this….but be warned: it’s not that kind of movie.

13. It Follows

The instant horror classic of this decade. A captivating, terrifying, psycho-sexual thriller that will have you questioning everyone around you.

12. Creed

Both a loving tribute to the Rocky franchise and a groundbreaking new story for today’s generation. Sylvester Stalone gives a performance with the emotional weight of a lifetime behind it and Michael B. Jordan does a fine job as the fiery son of Apollo Creed.

11. Straight Outta Compton

The true story of N.W.A. and rise in popularity of gangster rap. It’s loud, angry, powerful, and impossible to ignore…much like the group who’s story is told.

10. 99 Homes

This is an actors movie and Michael Shannon and Andrew Garfield capitalize of every second of screen time. Garfield breaks your heart while Shannon chews the scenery with intensity than only he can provide.

9. Black Mass

Johnny Depp gives the best performance in more than a decade and Joel Edgerton lights up the screen in the true story of a Bostonian Mob Boss who was the FBI’s most wanted for years.

8. The Martian

Ridley Scott and Matt Damon team up for Cast Away in Space…and it’s absolutely worth it. Great direction with a great team of actors giving emotional, humorous performances makes this one of the year’s best.

7. The Hateful Eight

Quentin Tarantino delivers a home run for his eighth film that harkens back to his first films (Reservoir Dogs) format of great actors in one room talking. Walton Goggins is the stand out here as the loudmouth confederate sheriff. It’s Agatha Christie in the west with Tarantino bloodshed.

6. Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation

If you thought nothing could top Ghost Protocol’s Burj Khalifa scene then I humbly submit Rouge Nations Opera Scene…or Motorcycle scene. This spy movie feel part Hitchcockian part Bourne and all insane thrills.

5. Crimson Peak

This Gothic Romance/Horror film isn’t for everybody and I understand it but this is one of my favorite movies this year so call this a personal choice. Guillermo del Toro delivers a creepy and beautiful classic that has his fingerprint on every scene.

4. The Revenant

Alejandro G Inarritu delivers a beautiful film shot in impossible conditions. Leonardo Dicaprio gives his best performance equal to his roles in the Departed and Wolf of Wall Street ensuring his long deserved Oscar. Winnie the Pooh will never look as cuddly after the bear scene in this movie.

3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Hard to give bronze to the most successful movie of the year and perhaps all time when all is said and done but as entertaining as it was, if I look at it without my nerd glasses on, I can start to see the cracks in the story. But with my nerd glasses on… What a movie.

2. Mad Max: Fury Road

The movie that made me wonder: “How did they do that?” more than any other movie this year. An action smorgasbord that is smart at the same time. When movies come out like this: It’s a lovely day.

1. Spotlight

As great as all the action and heart and horror of the above movies, no movie had the effect that Spotlight had on me. Perhaps this is the only movie this year where the Story itself was the star of the film more than any of its wonderful actors. This movie will stick with you for days… it still sticks with me.

Top Ten Movies from the first half of 2015

I know It's been a while since I've posted anything and I won't bother reviewing the movies I've missed. Head over to my YouTube to see those. I figured I will post this list though as well as a show about the first half of the year. Without further ado: The Top Ten of 2015...so far:

Honorable Mentions: Project Almanac/ Danny Collins/Inside Out

10. Avengers: Age of Ultron

A fine enough sequel to 2012 The Avengers but with some disjointed story points and a sense of repetitiveness, it did fail to reach old glory. But with hints to expanded universes and a fresh face in the form of Vision, it still managed to be fairly entertaining.

9. Cinderella

A live action adaptation that respected it's source material without being so old fashioned it was dated. Unlike other adaptations Maleficent and Snow White, Cinderella managed to be extremely entertaining. A modern Fairy Tale for everyone.

8. Ex Machina

A modern Fairy Tale strictly for adults. Part syfy think-piece, Part minimalist Horror, Part psycho-sexual thriller, taken as whole: Absolutely hypnotic. Oscar Isaac continues to amaze with his strongest performance to date. An incredible movie about what it means to be human.

7. Kingsman: The Secret Service

"It's not that kind of movie." That line sums up this spy comedy pretty perfectly. It perfectly balances operating within the cliches of spy movies and lampooning those cliches. If a thrilling skydiving sequence, and shocking church melee don't get you to show up at least watch it for a lisping, weak-stomached, happy meal eating Samuel L. Jackson.

6. Slow West

I can't promote this movie enough. The other independent movies I list here have a cult following and critical success. Slow West somehow got lost in the mix. It garnered critical praise but never found an audience and with a compelling story by first time director John Maclean and command performances by Micheal Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Ben Mendelsohn, it's truly tragic this gem was never discovered.

5. It Follows

I'm perhaps the harshest critic of modern horror movies. I love horror movies but today's offerings of jump-scares and screams at the ghost movies like Unfriended make me want to put this genre to rest. But along comes this low budget throwback that is truly terrifying and I'm rethinking my rush to judgment. It Follows will follow you long after you watch it. (see what I did there?)

4. Dope

Dope came out of nowhere for me. I had heard of it making some noise at film festivals but it hadn't really captured my attention. Then I saw it was playing at the local Regal and figured what did I have to lose? It quickly sucked me into this world of the slums of L.A. and this trio of nerds trying to survive the day to day. Extremely timely and poignant, it will challenge your way of thinking.

3. Jurassic World

The Box Office King of 2015 and I don't see a challenger in sight... no not even Star Wars. I had this movie as my number 1 anticipated movie this year and it didn't disappoint. Where there issues with story and script? Sure. No movie is without sin. (cinemasins reference) But if your looking for a summer blockbuster that is entertaining as heck and doesn't require complete turning off your brain Jurassic World is the movie for you and THE WORLD!

2. Me, and Earl, and the Dying Girl

I saw an advanced screening of this movie and it blew me away. It was the Fault in Our Stars if made by Wes Anderson. (so better) It is a love letter to cinema, it is a study of friendship, it is a coming of age story. Well acted, well directed, and  a joy to watch.

1. Mad Max: Fury Road

The world truly belongs to the Mad. There is no other movie this year, heck the past three years, that made such an impression on me as Mad Max: Fury Road. I saw it I believe three times and it's never made less an impact. It's smart, well acted, and absolutely mesmerizing. People complained about a simplistic story but the philosophical questions it raises is far beyond a simple story. It also boasts the most kick butt female since Ripley.

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