Geoff At The Movies: The Top Ten Films of 2015

Well, it's only a week until The Oscars so here is my Top Ten List of last year's films. You can click on them to read my individual reviews except for Mr. Holmes. Steve Jobs is an amazing film which almost no one saw apparently because they don't like Steve Jobs. It has the best screenplay of the year by Aaron Sorkin despite his not being nominated. Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet are both nominated for Oscars for their great performances. The Big Short is also excellent. It has an amazing energy and a great ensemble cast including Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and Christian Bale. Bale is nominated for an Oscar. The Big Short also has an amazing screenplay which is nominated. I really loved Brooklyn. It is a very nice coming of age film about a young Irish woman who moves to New York city. Saoirse Ronan is perfect for this role and I fell in love cinematography and art direction. The Walk is another film that almost nobody saw because of fear of heights, but it is maybe the best 3D movie ever. It's the true story of the frenchman who walked a tightrope between the Twin Towers. Mr. Holmes tells the story of Sherlock's last case, set when he very old and his fabled memory is beginning to fade. It is a beautiful little movie with Ian McKellen in the title role. It's nice to have a couple of SciFi movies, The Martian and Star Wars, in my Top Ten. The Martian starring Matt Damon as the wise-cracking astronaut marooned on Mars is very well done, and not much needs to be said about Star Wars. As Han says to Chewie, "We're home." Youth was surprisingly good, but maybe it's not surprising considering the cast of Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel and Rachel Weisz. Set in a very upscale Spa in Switzerland, Youth tells the story of a retired Maestro who feels that his life is over. Spotlight is another very good ensemble piece with Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo and Liev Schrieber. This story, in the mold of All the President's Men, follows a group of reporters for the Boston Globe as they uncover abusive Catholic Priests. Finally, Room is the story of a young woman kidnapped and held for years in a shed by a predator who has fathered her young child. The film is split into two stories before and after the life in the Room. Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay both give outstanding performances. The Revenant will probably win Best Picture but I gave it a big thumbs down.

1. Steve Jobs