The Films I Saw in 2015
Ranking from worst to best.
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- DirectorCarey ScottStarsDavid A.R. WhiteKevin DownesStephen BaldwinTwo men embark on a trip to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial guided by the letters their fathers wrote while serving in the war.Boy, this could have been great if it hadn't been so uneven. And if the exposition hadn't been so clumsily delivered.
- DirectorTom McCarthyStarsAdam SandlerMelonie DiazSteve BuscemiA cobbler, bored of his everyday life, stumbles upon a magical heirloom that allows him to become other people and see the world in a different way.A bizarre premise with a weird delivery that gets weirder and weirder as the film goes on. Well, at least I could tolerate Sandler.
- DirectorMichael PolishStarsKate BosworthHayden ChristensenHudson MeekA man involved in a horrific car crash is pronounced dead, only to come back to life an hour and a half later, claiming to have seen Heaven.The first few minutes make the film seem like it will be dark, visually interesting, and character-driven. But then they start talking and monologuing, and it becomes quite dull.
- DirectorAlejandro MonteverdeStarsJakob SalvatiEmily WatsonDavid HenrieAn eight-year-old boy is willing to do whatever it takes to end World War II so he can bring his father home. The story reveals the indescribable love a father has for his little boy and the love a son has for his father.It has some nice moments, but several stereotypes it presents with its characters make the film's message, well, hypocritical.
- DirectorChad BurnsStarsAndrew CheneyJohn Rhys-DaviesKara KillmerA British East India Trading Company assassin seeks to redeem his past by thwarting a plot against a young nation's hope for freedom.The team at Burns Family Studios has a hit with this film because they know how to tell a good story. However, several glaring technical errors create a distraction from that story.
- DirectorChris DowlingStarsKristoffer PolahaDavid DeSanctisMcKaley MillerA baseball player whose professional career was cut short due to his personal problems is suddenly awakened and invigorated by a young-man with Down syndrome who works at the local grocery store.Nice premise and a well-delivered message of faith, but the subplots pile up after a while, and the ending is a little manipulative.
- DirectorRussell CroweStarsRussell CroweOlga KurylenkoJai CourtneyAn Australian man travels to Turkey after the Battle of Gallipoli to try to locate his three missing sons.You can definitely tell it's Russell Crowe's directorial debut. Good performances, but not a lot of structural flow between dramatic and comedic set pieces. Also he doesn't know how to shoot in slo-mo.
- DirectorElizabeth BanksStarsAnna KendrickRebel WilsonHailee SteinfeldAfter a humiliating command performance at The Kennedy Center, the Barden Bellas enter an international competition that no American group has ever won in order to regain their status and right to perform.It's entertaining... when they're not pushing the envelope with the sex jokes they can make with their PG-13 rating.
- DirectorAlex KendrickStarsPriscilla C. ShirerT.C. StallingsKaren AbercrombieA seemingly perfect family looks to fix their problems with the help of Miss Clara, an older, wiser woman.The second-best Kendrick Brothers film. Why? Because there's payoff in several of the "gags". Although a lot of the themes are repeated from their previous films.
- DirectorRik SwartzwelderStarsElizabeth RobertsRik SwartzwelderLeJon WoodsA reformed frat boy opens an antique store in a college town and falls for the free-spirited girl who moves into the apartment above his shop. In time, this unlikely pair fall into a traditional courtship..A very strong visual style helps this otherwise weak film, where the main character's goal consists of basically just converting his love interest's ideals to his.
- DirectorJon GunnStarsMira SorvinoSean AstinAlexa PenaVegaWhen a pastor is shaken by the visible faith of a street-corner preacher, he is reminded that true belief always requires action. His response ignites a journey that impacts everyone it touches in ways that only God could orchestrate.Miles ahead in terms of pacing and characterization of last year's "God's Not Dead". However, too much melodramatic music and dialogue keep the film from becoming really good.
- DirectorNiki CaroStarsKevin CostnerMaria BelloRamiro RodriguezJim White moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach, and at his new school he turns seven disappointing students into one of the best cross-country teams in the region.Surely one of the more effective Disney sports movies of the last several years, even though it still follows the standard formula a little bit.
- DirectorsAndrew ErwinJon ErwinStarsCaleb CastilleSean AstinJon VoightA gifted high-school football player must learn to embrace his talent and his faith as he battles racial tensions on and off the field.Although more time could have been spent to introduce the football team, the unity between characters that manifests itself through the rest of the film makes this a groundbreaking faith-based film.
- DirectorFrancis LawrenceStarsJennifer LawrenceJosh HutchersonLiam HemsworthKatniss and a team of rebels from District 13 prepare for the final battle that will decide the fate of Panem.I don't remember the "Hunger Games" movies being so talky. Shame, I was liking these movies.
- DirectorColin TrevorrowStarsChris PrattBryce Dallas HowardTy SimpkinsA new theme park, built on the original site of Jurassic Park, creates a genetically modified hybrid dinosaur, the Indominus Rex, which escapes containment and goes on a killing spree.Sure, it feels like an updated version of the first film, but at least it's more original - and entertaining - than the other two sequels.
- DirectorPeter LandesmanStarsWill SmithAlec BaldwinAlbert BrooksIn Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.An otherwise generic and standard sports biopic is improved with a solid cast playing conflicted characters, especially Will Smith in his best role in years.
- DirectorJoss WhedonStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris EvansMark RuffaloWhen Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it's up to Earth's mightiest heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plan.There's way too much going on in the second half, but the film's darker tone and more intense acting make this sequel better than its predecessor.
- DirectorThomas VinterbergStarsCarey MulliganMatthias SchoenaertsMichael SheenIn Victorian England, the independent and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak, a sheep farmer; Frank Troy, a reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood, a prosperous and mature bachelor.The look is pretty, the score is pretty, and Carey Mulligan's pretty. ...And that's about all this film's got going for it.
- DirectorBrian Tetsuro IvieOne winter, a pastor finds an abandoned infant on his church steps, and builds 'a drop box' to rescue any others.A touching documentary that not only promotes a good cause but also creates memorable, inspiring characters.
- DirectorHiromasa YonebayashiStarsSara TakatsukiKasumi ArimuraNanako MatsushimaAnna, a shy 12-year-old girl, is sent to spend time with her aunt and uncle who live in the countryside, where she meets Marnie. The two become best friends. But Anna gradually discovers that Marnie is not quite who she appears to be.A well-structured narrative takes a backseat to Studio Ghibli's as-usual pretty visuals. However, even the visuals are pretty standard compared to the rest of the company's work.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsLily JamesCate BlanchettRichard MaddenWhen her father unexpectedly dies, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her scheming stepsisters. Never one to give up hope, Ella's fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger.Much more complex, compelling, and beautiful than I expected it to be.
- DirectorSteve MartinoStarsNoah SchnappBill MelendezHadley Belle MillerSnoopy embarks upon his greatest mission as he and his team take to the skies to pursue their archnemesis, while his best pal Charlie Brown begins his own epic quest back home to win the love of his life.The film stays true to the original cartoon while breathing new life into it with quicker pacing and slapstick humor. This could have stunk, but it didn't.
- DirectorPeter SohnStarsJeffrey WrightFrances McDormandMaleah Nipay-PadillaIn a world where dinosaurs and humans live side-by-side, an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.An all-too-familiar storyline, but it's told with such visual beauty and limited explanation that I still really enjoyed it.
- DirectorDavid Robert MitchellStarsMaika MonroeKeir GilchristOlivia LuccardiA young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.The cinematography, editing, and score turn what could have been a bland teen horror film into an effectively creepy piece.
- DirectorTodd HaynesStarsCate BlanchettRooney MaraSarah PaulsonAn aspiring photographer develops an intimate relationship with an older woman in 1950s New York.This is like if you mixed Todd Haynes' "Far From Heaven" with "Blue is the Warmest Color". Which means it's not very original. But even more troublesome is the film's implied message of giving into physical desires.
