2015 in a Film: A Year in Review

Now that we're a few weeks into the new year, it's time to reflect on the year in film that was 2015. While it was far from a bad year on the whole, I can't recall another year that has featured more overhyped movies than 2015. Every single genre and niche from action (Mad Max: Fury Road) to horror (It Follows) to animation (Inside Out) to award-contending dramas (The Revenant) had at least one film that just could not live up to the monumental waves of hype surrounding them. On the positive side, I'll always remember 2015 as the year of the comeback. A number of struggling talents including Ridley Scott, Will Smith and Johnny Depp all got their respective grooves back with their latest projects after years of turning in performances and/or releasing films that were far below their artistic capabilities. Below is the complete list of films I saw in 2015, ranked from worst to best with star ratings; as well as my selections for the year's best performances, biggest surprises/letdowns, etc. It should be noted that this list is tentative and has the potential to change dramatically once I see all the films I have an interest in seeing from 2015 (those films are also listed below). Hope you enjoy and feel free to leave your picks for the best/worst films of 2015 and/or any feedback on this list in the comment section below! 

95.Jupiter Ascending (0/5)
94.Tomorrowland (1/5)

93.Cop Car (1/5)

92.Aloha (1/5)

91.The Voices (1.5/5)

90.The Cobbler (1.5/5)

89.It Follows (1.5/5)

88.Big Game (1.5/5)

87.The Final Girls (1.5/5)

86.Knock Knock (1.5/5)
85.The Revenant (1.5/5)

84.San Andreas (2/5)

83.Slow West (2/5)

82.The Boy Next Door (2/5)

81.Maps to the Stars (2/5)
80.Fifty Shades of Grey (2/5)

79.The Gunman (2/5)

78.Mad Max: Fury Road (2/5)

77.Mortdecai (2.5/5)

76.Love & Mercy (2.5/5)

75.Inside Out (2.5/5)

74.Self/Less (2.5/5)

73.The Overnight (2.5/5)

72.Welcome to Me (2.5/5)

71.Chappie (2.5/5)

70.Shaun the Sheep Movie (3/5)

69.Spectre (3/5)

68.Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (3/5)

67.Wild Card (3/5)

66.Avengers: Age of Ultron (3/5)
65.Infinitely Polar Bear (3/5)

64.The Walk (3/5)

63.No Escape (3/5)
62.The Visit (3/5)

61.Adult Beginners (3/5)

60.Maggie (3/5)

59.Unfinished Business (3/5)
58.The Forger (3/5)

57.Southpaw (3/5)

56.Terminator Genisys (3/5)

55.What We Do in the Shadows (3/5)

54.Get Hard (3/5)

53.Pixels (3/5)

52.Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation (3.5/5)

51.Paper Towns (3.5/5)

50.Run All Night (3.5/5)

49.Project Almanac (3.5/5)
48.Black Mass (3.5/5)

47.Jurassic World (3.5/5)

46.The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (3.5/5)

45.The Big Short (3.5/5)

44.Ant-Man (3.5/5)

43.Red Army (3.5/5)

42.The Green Inferno (3.5/5)

41.Daddy's Home (3.5/5)

40.The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (3.5/5)

39.Sisters (3.5/5)

38.The Gift (3.5/5)

37.The Stanford Prison Experiment (3.5/5)

36.Vacation (3.5/5)

35.Crimson Peak (3.5/5)

34.The DUFF (3.5/5)

33.True Story (3.5/5)

32.Spy (3.5/5)

31.Insurgent (3.5/5)

30.Danny Collins (3.5/5)

29.Ted 2 (4/5)

28.The End of the Tour (4/5)

27.Entourage (4/5)

26.Joy (4/5)

25.American Ultra (4/5)

24.The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part II (4/5)

23.McFarland, USA (4/5)

22.Pitch Perfect 2 (4/5)
21.The Martian (4/5)

20.Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (4/5)

19.Beasts of No Nation (4/5)

18.Sleeping with Other People (4/5)

17.Focus (4/5)

16.The Wedding Ringer (4/5)

15.Spotlight (4/5)

14.Star Wars: The Force Awakens (4/5)

13.Steve Jobs (4/5)

12.Sicario (4/5)

11.Ex Machina (4/5)

10.Kingsman: The Secret Service (4/5)

9.Concussion (4/5)

8.The Night Before (4.5/5)

7.Trainwreck (4.5/5)
6.Creed (4.5/5)

5.Furious 7 (4.5/5)

4.Dope (4.5/5)

3.The Hateful Eight (4.5/5)

2.Room (4.5/5)

1.Straight Outta Compton (4.5/5)

Still Need to See:
Blackhat
Black Sea
Black or White
'71
The Salvation
Cut Bank
Child 44
Misery Loves Comedy
The Water Diviner
Skin Trade
Good Kill
Poltergeist
The Wolfpack
Amy
Cartel Land
Irrational Man
Nowitzki: The Perfect Shot
Mr. Holmes
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Fantastic Four
Dark Places
Grandma
Hitman: Agent 47
Sinister 2 
The Transporter: Refueled
A Walk in the Woods
Everest
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
Pawn Sacrifice
99 Homes
The Intern
Mississippi Grind
Bone Tomahawk
Bridge of Spies
Goosebumps
The Last Witch Hunter
I Smile Back
Rock the Kasbah
Burnt
Freaks of Nature
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse
Our Brand is Crisis
Truth
Brooklyn
Trumbo 
Miss You Already
By the Sea
The 33
Secret in their Eyes
Carol 
Legend
Victor Frankenstein
The Danish Girl
Chi-Raq
Krampus
In the Heart of the Sea
Point Break

Year-End Award Picks:
Best Picture: Straight Outta Compton
Best Actor: Jason Mitchell, Straight Outta Compton
Best Actress: Brie Larson, Room
Best Supporting Actor: Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
Best Director: Danny Boyle, Steve Jobs
Best Original Screenplay: Andrea Berloff and Jonathan Herman, Straight Outta Compton
Best Adapted Screenplay: Emma Donoghue, Room
Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins, Sicario
Best Score: Ennio Moricone, The Hateful Eight
Best Visual Effects: Star Wars: The Force Awakens


Biggest Surprises:
1.The Wedding Ringer
2.Sleeping with Other People
3.Pitch Perfect 2
4.McFarland, USA
5.Danny Collins

Biggest Disappointments
1.Black Mass
2.Avengers: Age of Ultron
3.Chappie
4.Hot Tub Time Machine 2
5.Southpaw

Most Underrated
1.Dope
2.Concussion
3.Focus
4.Sleeping with Other People
5.American Ultra

Most Overrated
1.The Revenant
2.Mad Max: Fury Road
3.Inside Out 
4.Love & Mercy
5.Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation

Top 10 Performances of the Year
1.Brie Larson, Room
2.Jason Mitchell, Straight Outta Compton
3.Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
4.Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
5.Walton Goggins, The Hateful Eight
6.Sylvester Stallone, Creed
7.Will Smith, Concussion
8.Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
9.Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
10.Johnny Depp, Black Mass

Top 10 Breakthrough Performances
1.Jason Mitchell, Straight Outta Compton
2.Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
3.Jacob Tremblay, Room
4.RJ Cyler, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
5.Corey Hawkins, Straight Outta Compton
6.Shameik Moore, Dope
7.Kiersey Clemons, Dope
8.O' Shea Jackson Jr., Straight Outta Compton
9.Taron Edgerton, Kingsman: The Secret Service
10.Daisy Ridley, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Top 10 Casts
1.Straight Outta Compton
2.Trainwreck
3.Dope
4.The Hateful Eight
5.Sleeping with Other People
6.Room
7.The Night Before
8.Steve Jobs
9.Furious 7
10.Kingsman: The Secret Service