General Chat / 2015 in film

We're halfway through 2015, and no topic yet? Like 2014, 2015 is not amazing so far... But like 2014, I expect the best movies will come in the second half of the year. There's good stuff coming.

Here's my list so far. I used Dutch release dates, hence why movies like Imitation Game and American Sniper are making my list.

1. 8.0/10 - Mad Max: Fury Road (Excellent, rating may rise after more viewings)
2. 7.5/10 - The Imitation Game (Can't believe this is my #2 now, it wasn't that amazing)
3. 7.4/10 - Kingsman: The Secret Service (Great entertainment)
4. 7.2/10 - American Sniper (Well done, and intense)
5. 7.0/10 - Suite Française (Not very memorable, but very solid)
6. 6.9/10 - Chappie (Not as bad as some people make it out to be, it's definitely an interesting movie, with some surprising laugh-out-loud moments)
7. 6.8/10 - The Woman in Gold (One sided look at restitution of stolen nazi art, interesting look at social complexity in Austria.
8. 5.8/10 - Mortdecai (Tries too hard. Result is underwhelming)
9. 5.5/10 - Get Hard (Shitty movie, but admittedly funny too)
10. 5.5/10 - Big Hero 6 (More of the same Disney-Marvel cliche fake sentiments shit)
11. 5.5/10 - Homies (Dutch comedy ripping off Snatch)
12. 5.3/10 - The Longest Ride (Movie written by and for romance-horny women)
13. 5.0/10 - San Andreas (Movie about a American heroism and a disaster is a disaster itself, though the effects stand out positively)
14. 5.0/10 - Tracers (load of crap)
15. 4.2/10 - The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (uncreative excuse for a series of cheap jump scares)

Stuff I'm looking forward to:
- In the Heart of the Sea (there's not enough naval adventures in Hollywood, and Ron Howard is an excellent director)
- Star Wars Episode VII (I trust Abrams in this, actually)
- Inside Out (Pixar returning to form? YES!)
- Ex Machina (still haven't seen it!)
- The Martian
- Sicario
- Absolutely Anything (absurd scifi with Monty Python flavours? YES!)
- The Good Dinosaur

I'm not a big movie goer myself, but I am a pretty big comic book/super hero fan and did see the second Avengers movie which I thought was pretty good! Did you get a chance to see it yet? I'm curious to see how you would rank it compared to what I would rank it (probably 9/10) coming as someone who is not really into the cinema scene as much.

Jurassic World 10000000BC/10

I hate Marvel. It's always the same shit. Avengers and Guardians of The Galaxies were both around a 5.5-6. I don't think I will enjoy Age of Ultron much.

GotG and Avangers are both 9/10 for me. Almost perfect comic book movies

I haven't been to the cinema much this year . Just these 3 from 2015:

-Listen Up Philip - 7/10
-Jurassic World - 4/10

-A Pigeon that sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence - 9/10

Also saw Blade Runner when it was re-released on the big screen in April. 10/10 obvs

I plan on seeing Mad Max soon though!
 

Movies I've seen that have been released over the past year or so.

 

Mad Max: FR 10/10  Litterally nothing wrong with the movie, it was well directed, acted, written.  It was unique despite being a sequel/spin-off, had interesting characters, great action, enjoyable story.

 

Avengers AoA:  7/10 Standard Mavel satisfaction, enjoyed the slightly darker side and new characters.  However, the awesomeness of the first Avengers doesn't really do much for me here having already seen all these characters together in a slightly better move.

 

Ex Machina:  8/10  Very underrated Sci-Fi Thriller, clean smart movie (at least until the end).  Great acting and characters that made the story interesting past the premise.  Well done Sci-Fi and chilling plot.

 

Kingsman: 7/10  Some of the most unique and exciting action/fight scenes I've ever seen.  Doesn't take itself to seriously but still offers a solid story and villain.  Definitely a solid spy/action movie.

 

Interstellar:  8/10  A solid sci-fi, 2001 rip off that sadly features a clunky love sorry/narrative.  Great direction and performances make the movie much more believable that the premise normally would be.  Some of the best Sci-Fi, despite being very inconsistent, I've ever seen.

 

Gone Girl:  7/10  David Fincher yet again picks poor material that he somehow makes into a solid movie.  Great first half, lackluster second half, very unsatisfying and odd conclusion.  But hey, its David Fincher.

 

Birdman: 7/10  Just okay to me, cool premise, unique, good direction.  Not my favorite film from those nominated for best picture Oscar, but I can understand why it won.

 

Imitation Game: 8/10 Strong story of an forgotten character from a critical time in history, great performances and unique story make this a solid movie.  Quite interesting for anyone who enjoys history or tech.

 

I could do more, but those are all those that have come out last winter or later.  I try to only see good movies, as in my opinion spending money to see a bad movie is silly.  Really looking forward to this fall and winter,Black Mass, SW7, The Martian, and In the Heart of the Sea are the two I'm looking forward too most.

Liampie hates Marvel and trusts J.J. Abrams with Star Wars... I feel like this must be trolling.

Liampie hates Marvel and trusts J.J. Abrams with Star Wars... I feel like this must be trolling.

 

J.J will do a fine job, he did a very good job with Star Treck 2009 and Into Darkness (the problem, if any, with these movies was the writing, especially for Into Darkness).  He is definitely the top young Sci-Fi/Action director at this point in time, hes prefect for SW7. 

 

J.J will do a fine job, he did a very good job with Star Treck 2009 and Into Darkness (the problem, if any, with these movies was the writing, especially for Into Darkness).  He is definitely the top young Sci-Fi/Action director at this point in time, hes prefect for SW7. 

 

Don't forget, that Star Trek 1 was basically a Star Wars Film. Abrams is a huge Star Wars Fan and Disney is excellent at getting the right people behind the scenes.

 

I haven't been to the cinema much this year . Just these 3 from 2015:

-Jurassic World - 4/10

 

Seems a bit harsh, doesn't it?

 

Movies I've seen this year (in chronologial order):

 

The Theory of Everything: Charming biopic with good performances. Sadly, not much happening in the movie. 7/10

The Imitation Game: Another Biopic, but this time with a little bit more content. Great performances. 8/10

Birdman: Crazy, in a very positive way. true art, incredible performances (Keaton was robbed) 10/10

Jupiter Ascending: Tatum and Bean with good performances, Kunis is hot, Redmayne want to lose his Oscar. Great art design but weak story. 6/10

Foxcatcher: Good performances, although the academy award nomination for Carell was a little bit too much. Not much happening, but a very tense movie. 7/10

American Sniper: Again, good performances, well done script and directing. Not much wrong with the film. 8/10

Whiplash: Wow. Great indie movie. J.K. Simmons with one of the best performances of all time and Miles Teller very strong as well. 9/10

Avengers 2 Age of Ultron: Not as good as the first one, not one of the three best marvel movies. But a good movie nonetheless. 8/10

Mad Max: Fury Road: Perfect Action Movie. Simple story but incredible action, art design and cinematography. 9.5/10

Jurassic World: Good action movie with Dinosaurs. Chris Pratt is a bad-ass and dinos are always awesome. 7/10

How are my expectations for the new Star Wars movie related to Marvel?

I don't think the new movie(s) will be masterpieces, but Abrams is a good director that will deliver a decent movie at least. The new Star Trek movies weren't quite masterpieces either, but they did a lot of stuff right like the world building in the Into Darkness opening sequence. That was lovely. I think one of the main critiques on what Abrams did with Star Trek was how he turned a classic franchise that had some intellectual value into a pure action blockbuster franchise. So you can ask if he was the right man for that job... But Star Wars is different. It was always pure entertainment, which is why I think Abrams will do alright with this. The trailer had some promising stuff like the disorienting Falcon tracking shot, the cast is a mix of actors from the original trilogy and good new actors (actual good actors as opposed to big names to sell the movie), so all in all this movie has a lot of potential.

Version1, I forgive you for your anti-LL campaign because you listed Whiplash. That movie was spectacular.

I have seen Mad Max with my brother because he is a huge fan of the series. 
It was his third time (in five days), and I must say the film was really cool! 
I watch movies quite often but just not necessarily the new ones, since I feel there are a lot of classics that require my attention first. 

Jurassic World was pretty great minus the overly cliche ending.

 

Inside Out is similarly awesome.

Ex Machina:
Pretty tense and compelling movie. It really shows one of the greatest but also overlooked fears of modern society. Unknown actors but great performance, good visuals and keeps you on the edge until the end. Loved it.
(8/10)

"MFG"

mad max was fantastic, everything I wanted from it. amazing action, top design and awesome weapons/cars, really cool and well-integrated worldbuilding (none of that exposition crap), and the shittest random Australian actors and cheesiest dialogue. It was so much fun.

 

what else did I see... not a whole lot, frankly . Got to include some 2014 in there too

 

interstellar: I thought it was amazing. purely from a science perspective, the film is fantastic. and so moving, definitely rewatchable. I liked it a lot more on the second time, although I will never figure out what the fuck is going through Dr. Mann's head (such confusing plot there)

 

big hero 6: also a great kids film. just fun worldbuilding and humor, and bonus points for watching it in san francisco

 

birdman: loved the cinematography, solid acting, enjoyable experience.

 

grand budapest hotel: (can't remember how old this is, I think 2014?) I am the biggest wes anderson fan and this movie definitely lived up to the reputation. So amazing, probably his best set design yet.

 

guardians of the galaxy (why not, I put grand budapest here too): also loved this, IMO it blows all the other marvel movies out of the water. I don't care much for most of the superhero flicks, not worth my time normally. But this one was totally different, funny, beautiful, interesting and developed characters, and Chris Pratt is great

 

I wanted to see more but I struggle to find time for movies, so that's about it. I watched some more movies probably but they don't make the list because they were shit/boring => I forgot them

 

hopefully going to see jurassic world today, we'll see. also have true detective s2e1 recorded, can't forget about that (really loved season 1)

Whiplash was really good, if incredibly predictable. I'm just shocked that people actually liked the Abrams Star Trek movies... considering the guy didn't even like Star Trek.

Here we go. 2015 so far.
 
The Theory of Everything: 8.5/10 I cried like a bitch. Amazing and heartbreaking story, extremely excellent portrayal by Redmayne. He fully deserves the Oscar.
 
Interstellar: 9.5/10 Nothing will make me not love this movie. Also Matthew McConaughey. Nolan is a master of sci-fi thriller. I've never seen space so romantically before. Glad I saw it in IMAX.
 
Birdman: 9/10 I just felt so involved in the whole story. I swear Inarritu has a magic touch. Michael Keaton came out of nowhere with a crazy performance with amazing free-form drums in the background. Very well done.
 
Whiplash: 9.5/10 HOLY FUCK what a movie. JK Simmons has for sure secured his status as a god of acting. Story had me on the edge of my seat and the music made me swoon. I almost pissed my pants at the end.
 
Boyhood: 9/10 People are half-and-half with this film. I loved the hell out of it. It's an accurate portrayal of life. Nothing is perfect, life goes on, and you can't always get what you want. Brilliant stuff by Linklater, and without a doubt the freshest stuff we've had in the film industry this decade.
 
Into the Woods: 7/10 My absolute favorite prologue to any musical ever. Streep was good. Dragged on though. I have very high hopes for Daniel Huttlestone.
 
Wild: 7.5/10 Beautiful story and Witherspoon really delivered as a powerhouse actress. Great scenery.
 
The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water: 3/10 Fuck this movie. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of the series, but I was expecting a worthy follow-up to the first movie. Mostly mad that I paid for 3D. Shit.
 
50 Shades of Grey: 5/10 And then they had sex. And again. And again. Mediocre porn film. Terrible acting. The girl was cute tho.
 
Jurassic World: 7.5/10 I'm glad that this series has now (hopefully) ended on a good film. Fits well within the classic JP style. Still weird that the chick wore heels the whole time.
 
Dope: 9/10 Great breakout performance by Shameik Moore. Amazing twisty nail-biting story.The music was good. It's just so cute and has such a good vibe and message. Also relatable since I just graduated High School. Loved it.
 
Inside Out: 8.5/10 Cute, cute, cute. Pixar's best in a while. Home run concept, executed very well. Hopefully it doesn't end up being forgettable. I quite enjoyed this.
 
What I'm looking forward to: Amy, Ant Man, Star Wars, Spectre, Chappie, Ex Machina, The Wolfpack, The Martian, The Peanuts Movie, Goosebumps (hopefully it's not shit, I grew up with the series), and The Stanford Prison Experiment. Lots of anticipation but sadly not all of them can be great.

Although it's a 2014 film. Good to see everyone loved Whiplash. Seen that one at least 5 times now, it's so incredibly good.

 

I've seen about 20 films from 2015 and don't feel like listing them all.

Current top 3:

1. Mad Max: Fury Road - gets everything right. Even better at a second viewing and holds up at a smaller screen.

2. Ex Machina - So well-written and directed.

3. Kingsman: The Secret Service - Such a breeze of fresh air

 

Bottom 3:

1. Mortdecai - One of the shittiest movies ever

2. Wild Card - Horrible, even for statham standards

3. Focus / Chappie - Focus was just very bad. Chappie made me angry. Don't know which one I hate the most.

 

Seems a bit harsh, doesn't it?

 

 

Dunno I just couldn't get into it. The characters weren't really interesting or introduced in any way to make you care about them. There was an obscene amount of product/brand placement which seemed to be part of the concept, but was done poorly. I wasn't sure if it was a comedy/pastiche in places because parts of it were so camp. The macho guy riding a motorbike surrounded by his raptor bros comes to mind. Not like fun cheesy though, it was just a bit wank.