MFM's Best Movies of 2015

2015 will most likely be remembered as the year when the new Star Wars came out and made more money than any other film before it. But, besides the big toy franchises, the previous year had some nice surprises as well when it comes to movies. In 2015, huge action franchises like the Mission Impossible and Jurassic Park/World showed that they can make fun, unpretentious films, while the documentary domain for feature length pieces seems stronger and more vibrant than ever. Of course, some movies just came out bad, even though all pointed that they should be at least interesting. But, out of all those movies that came out in the last 12 months, here's my pick of the best films of 2015:

The Visit - M. Night Shyamalan triumphant return to small, fun and creepy films provided a comeback story worthy of Hollywood. Let's all hope he keeps it up, at least for a while.

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief - easily the best documentary of 2015, it took A-grade investigative journalism and placed it in the hands of filmmakers. The result is a terrifying story about an organization straight out of James Bond films that somehow became a religion.

Sicario - best classic thriller of 2015, it showed that Denis Villeneuve should and could direct any genre in the world.

Bone Tomahawk - both have Kurt Russel in it and are neo-westerns, but Hateful 8 can only dream of being as good as this excellent debut. 

Dope - an action comedy that moved the same adventure genre from the 1990's right into the 21st century, adding class divide and institutional racism to some weird nostalgia for an equally bad period. In an alternative world, Spike Lee is making films like Dope.

Love & Mercy - a touching tale about a man from the Beach Boys band and family who only wanted to bring beautiful music to the world, told in a mild but moving manner.

The Film of the Year

Mad Max: Fury Road - a film that provided a virtual reality experience without the VR headset. Sharp and uncompromising, George Miller managed to reinvent a Hollywood blockbuster outside of the large studio mentality and everyone loved it for all the right reason. Maybe, on some level, it is a critique of the entire film industry and us as a dim-witted audience that keeps it alive, but it's still a magnificent film.

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2015, Lists,

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MFM Oscars 2015 Predictions

Copyright: ABC

Oscars 2015 are just a day away, so it is fitting that I place my bets on the winners of the upcoming 87th Academy Awards. With some great films and great performances, I will do my best to pick out the names that I believe have the biggest chance of bringing home the gold figures.

This year will probably be remembered for a lot of films in the Best Picture category which seem as if they are not the regular AAA Hollywood type movies. While this is refreshing and interesting, the Academy is still that well-known grand old place where constant work and dedication to the standard motion picture business are rewarded, so I'm making my assessment not only on the films themselves, but also previous work that the filmmakers, writers and actors invested in this incredible branch of the entertainment industry.
 

Like always, there will be a lot of trade-offs because many films are nominated in several categories, which makes prediction really tricky. For those categories where I’m not completely sure, I will split my chances by choosing two winners with a 30-70 percent chance of getting an Oscar (and lower my chances of looking dumb). Here are my picks of the Oscars 2015 nominations.

Actress in a Leading Role

Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Marion Cotillard, Two Days One Night
Julianne Moore, Still Alice – I’m, like everyone else, betting on Julianne Moore, she had this coming for 20+ years
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything

Actor in a Leading Role
 
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper – because everyone loves a war hero (30%) and Cooper is an acting machine (which I’m not too fond of)
Michael Keaton, Birdman – because Hollywood loves a good comeback (70%)
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
 
Actress in a Supporting Role

Patricia Arquette, Boyhood – Least sure about this category, but Arquette seems to have the inside track
Emma Stone, Birdman
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Laura Dern, Wild

Actor in a Supporting Role

J.K. Simmons, Whiplash – pretty sure Simmons has this in the bag (he deserves it ever since Oz TV show)
Edward Norton, Birdman
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
Robert Duvall, The Judge

Animated Feature Film (yes, we all cried when we heard Lego Movie is not here)

Big Hero 6
How to Train Your Dragon 2 – the heaviest hitter in the bunch (70%)
The Boxtrolls – has that groove that can make it the underdog winner (30%)
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Song of the Sea

Best Original Screenplay

Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher – inspiring story no one ever heard of, I thinks it will take the prize (70%)
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler – deserves to win, but it shines that type of morbid light which isn’t very popular in any showbiz circles (30%)

Directing

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel – this is a hunch, but I think Anderson will get because the film needs to win something
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher

Best Picture

Birdman
Boyhood – unique, took forever to make, everyone loves it, and I’m sure about this
Selma
The Theory of Everything
The Imitation Game
The Grand Budapest Hotel
American Sniper
Whiplash

If you have your own take on the Oscars 2015 nominations, feel free to tell me where I’m wrong or right.

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The Best Movies of 2014

In the last 12 months, humanity received another year’s worth of movies. Some of those were complete nonsense wrapped in a super-serious packaging while others had everything in theory, but still somehow became less than awesome. But, 2014, like the previous year, also brought about some absolutely brilliant films and movies which maybe aren’t perfect, but include elements or novel ideas that in my view deserve truckloads of praise. In the same year, Movies Films and Movies blog also added some new features, like the Crowdfunding push section and interviews with figures from the movie industry. But, when the year is done, the focus should be on the films which impressed me the most, so here is my list of the best movies of 2014 which I saw (I’m sure I missed plenty great ones, but those will be seen in 2015).

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – this sequel had an emotional punch and the willingness to deal with a true notion of a world that is becoming post-human. Along with great acting and visuals that were merged into a great story, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of the finest post-apocalyptic films in recent years.

The Rover – grueling and difficult to watch or empathize with, this Australian thriller is also a post-apocalyptic story, but one that set it sights on the incredibly ordinary people, placed in a horrible state of transformation. This film is an excellent proof that David Michôd has what it takes to make another, Australian L.A. Confidential type of masterpiece.

Blue Ruin – like the previous film, Blue Ruin explores the mental condition of desperate individuals forced into a criminal environment. Written and shot outside of the AAA thriller production guidelines, the movie is one of the best independent films of 2014.

These Final Hours – this list is becoming dominated by films made in Australia, but the continent deserved it. A poetic story about the last day on planet Earth, These Final Hours is both moving and engaging, a lot thanks to the very talented Nathan Phillips.

The Babadook – without a doubt the best horror of the year, this film managed to leave big production horrors like Annabelle in the dust. A creepy story with some fantastic photography molded The Babadook into a brilliant, violence-absent horror.

Summer of Blood – the funniest film of 2014 (which didn’t see many great comedies), thanks to the warped mind of Onur Tukel. The notion of a vampire that is this big of a jerk is a great release from the obnoxious Twilight concepts that flooded the big screens.

Nightcrawler – this action oriented drama is very bold in showing us what we really don’t want to see (and big portion of the audience will probably fail to make this connection anyway). Dan Gilroy used Jake Gyllenhaal to the maximum by building an ideal psychopath for our world of blood thirsty consumers.

The Film of the Year:

Fury – I often have difficulty choosing just one film in any category (the same reason why I don’t use any rating system in my reviews), but in 2014, the best film of the year for me is hands down this war drama. The sheer power of the film to draw me into its story truly terrified me, and had a lasting impact. The film David Ayer made maybe wasn’t ideal, but it took me to a completely different place, and did it so thoroughly that I feel the need to pronounce it the best of 2014.

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2014, Lists,

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