Usually my Movie Night reviews are films that have been out for a while so they’d be easy to find. If Netflix or one of the other services didn’t have it, then you’d hopefully be able to find it. We’re ten days into 2016 (or eleven days depending on when I finish this) and after changing the list four times, I’ve finally decided on my top three films of the year. I’m going to keep these short because you can just look up my review if you’re interested.
2015 was a good year for movies. There were some fantastic blockbusters as well as a bunch of movies that tried to sneak under the radar. I thought coming up with my top three movies of the year would have been hard but it was easier than I thought. 2015 was full of films that were so highly anticipated that many were looking forward to them years before their release. The problem with movies like that (Star Wars: TFA, Avengers 2, Mad Max: Fury Road, Jurassic World) is that they have more to live up to. They have to be great because they’re going to be scrutinized more than other movies. Did any of the years most anticipated movies make the list? Read on and find out.
Third Place
In third place is a movie that I didn’t even know about until my friend Glenn asked me if I wanted to see it with him. If it wasn’t for a friend hearing about it, this film would have slipped under my radar and I would have missed out on a great experience. If my Google-fu is correct, there was a kickstarter to bring this to America and that’s a crime. A movie this good shouldn’t have needed one
Before I even saw the movie, I knew it was going to be hilarious. Call it intuition. Call it a lucky guess. Call it the fact that the poster has the word hilarious five times on it. Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi wrote, directed, and stared in a hilarious mocumentary that made fun of a lot of vampire lore and showed the problems old vampires would have in a modern city. It’s a movie that’s so quotable that random quotes will just pop up when I’m hanging out with my friends. It had some awkward moments but the main focus was on smart comedy and it didn’t rely on gut wrenching awkwardness like some of Steve Carell’s early movies. There wasn’t a huge story they tried to tell through the guise of a fake documentary and even then I was glued to the screen until the very end. I cared about the characters and I was engrossed by their daily lives.
This is a movie that everyone should see. I can’t promise that you’ll love it as much as I did but if you have a sense of humor then I guarantee that you’ll at least enjoy it. I wouldn’t buy it straight away. Watch it first. Rent it, borrow it, stream it. Do it however you want, just watch this movie. What We Do In The Shadows is an example of a spoof done right. While I do enjoy the dumb spoofs like Scary Movie it was refreshing to watch a comedy with smart jokes. Of course there were a bunch of easy jokes for quick laughs, but some of the bits were so well thought out and wonderfully executed that I was afraid to even take a sip of my drink.
What We Do In The Shadows got an 10 out of 11.
Watch it before you buy it.
Second Place
I always try my best to go into a movie with an open mind. Going to see a movie based off a book or comic book makes it all a little harder. ESPECIALLY if it’s one that I enjoyed a lot. I like to believe that I’m good at the whole open mind thing so that way I can stand behind my review. Of course it’s impossible to be fully unbiased. I’m always going to go into a Star Trek movie at least a little prepared to like it as well as being a little more critical. The movie that comes in at second place blew me away and it was so good I was able to ignore the changes they made. I like how I’m trying to build anticipation but come on, the poster is right under this paragraph. But I digress. On with the show!
If you haven’t read the The Martian yet, do so. It was a fantastic read from beginning to end. The Martian movie was quite similar. Things were changed but the spirit of the book stayed intact. I was even glued to my seat. Could it have been the perfect storm of creativeness? Matt Damon, my favorite actor, paired with Ridley Scott, one of my favorite directors, doing a movie based on one of my favorite books.
The Martian was one of those movies that I wished was longer but The Martian didn’t lose any points for it unlike some of the other films that received that comment. The movie wasn’t without its other downsides but nothing was quite bad enough to lower my score. Nor were there enough small problems to drag it down. Underused actors and odd changes were my only real complaints and they were all overshadowed by what the movie did right. The Martian had a ton of fantastic actors in it and all of them phenomenal. If you haven’t seen this movie yet then watch it right away. Buy it when it comes out on March 1st
First Place
Not everyone is going to agree with my list. Hell, not everyone is going to agree with my reviews. That’s especially true for movies like Kingsman. There was a graphic novel titled The Secret Service where the the inspiration for the movie came from. I’m not sure how accurate it was. Was it true to the source like The Martian? Or was it nothing like the original like Wanted? I don’t know. If anyone knows, feel free to chime in in the comments below or send me an email. You can find my email address at the end of the blog. Speaking of… on with the show.
This movie was fun from beginning to end. It had action, comedy, tragedy, sharp dressed secret agents, and a cute dog! Kingsman had my favorite action sequence all year and is even one of the most quotable movies. The minute the film was over, I wanted to watch it again. I only saw it twice in theaters but if other movies hadn’t come out around the same time, I would have seen it more. Kingsman sported a fantastic cast, a unique and memorable style, and humor that at times bordered on self deprecating.
The main problem I had with Kingsman is actually no longer a problem. I was just a tad bothered by how over the top violent a few scenes were as it seemed out of place. But as time passed and I was able to think about it more, I realize that it did fit perfectly. I just either wasn’t ready for it or couldn’t see how it fit. There are rumblings of a sequel to Kingsman and if it gets made then I’ll be there opening night. I just don’t think they’ll be able to top the first one, but I’m more than willing to watch them try.
Remember folks, Oxfords, not Brogues.
Special Nods
Mad Max: Fury Road almost made the list. The only reason it didn’t was that the three movies I chose had a higher rewatch value. Mad Max was a great movie and actually made the top list for a quite a few critics but it just wasn’t as rewatchable as the other three. I know I’ll watch Mad Max: Fury Road again. More than once, even. But I’d sooner watch my top three and get just as much, if not more, enjoyment out of it.
Even though I gave Furious 7 a perfect score, I decided to leave it off my best of list because the enjoyment of Furious 7 really depends on your enjoyment of the whole franchise. It would be a mediocre stand alone movie because your knowledge of the characters and their relationships was taken for granted. The three movies I chose Were one offs. You didn’t have to know anything going in. Sure, having read The Martian or The Secret Service may affect your enjoyment of The Martian or Kingsman, but you didn’t have to have watched six other movies to get it. I still stand by my decision to give Furious 7 a perfect 11 out of 11 and it deserves notice for that. But Kingsman, The Martian, and What We Do In The Shadows deserve the top three spots for the year.
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials deserves a huge pat on the back for being a very pleasant surprise. I only went to see it with my friend Evan because we had seen the first one together and we were curious to see how it all ended. We found Maze Runner to be predictable so we expected the same thing from part two. We were terribly wrong, however, as The Scorch Trials was a far better movie than the first. It’s not without its flaws though. Evan, after recently rewatching the film, pointed out that a character just goes missing with no explanation. On their way through The Scorch, there’s a scene where they all go to bed and in the morning one kid is gone without warning. Other than that, it was a surprisingly good movie that’s worth a watch. Just not good enough to make the list.
Fantastic Four was hands down the worst movie of the year. It beat out Fifty Shades Of Grey because even though the Twilight fanfic was technically a worse movie, it was made for a special niche where Fantastic Four was supposed to have broader appeal. It failed on all levels to be a good movie and even though the acting wasn’t bad, it wasn’t good enough to raise the final score.
2015 Final Thoughts
I know I have my fans and I know I have my critics (yes, I’m looking at you dude who criticized my Pixels review without even reading it and lady who did the same for my Fifty Shades of Grey review) and I’d like to thank all of you. No matter where you fall on the scale, whether you like me, hate me, or as indifferent as a alien from the neutral planet, you still at least gave me a chance. So thanks. I look forward to 2016 and all the great movies that will come out.
I’d also like to thank everyone at Somewhat Nerdy who stuck by me during that long period of time where I didn’t write anything. I lost my Grandmother and lost a childhood friend in a matter of weeks. I also had NaNoWriMo eating up all my free time all in the month of November. I can’t promise I won’t disappear like that again. But I will promise to always try my best to stay up to date with reviews. Thank you all and here’s to 2016!
-Billiam
Questions? Comments? Constructive Criticism? Email me at BilliamReviews@gmail.com or leave a comment in the comment section below.